North State Journal Vol. 10, Issue 14

All gave some, some gave all

President Donald Trump salutes during a Memorial Day wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery,

on Monday.

Trump, Vance honor fallen soldiers on Memorial Day

Arlington Va.

President Donald Trump paid tribute to fallen service members during a Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday in an address that honored the “great, great warriors” yet also brie y veered into politics as he boasted of a nation he is “ xing after a long and hard four years.” Trump commemorated the sacri ce of U.S. service members and singled out several Gold Star families to tell the stories of their fallen relatives at the cemetery where more than 400,000 have been laid to rest. Vice President JD Vance, who spoke before Trump, urged the crowd to push political leaders to treat the lives of soldiers as the “most precious resource.”

4 Liverpool fans seriously hurt when car plows into crowd Liverpool, England British police were holding a 53-year-old man on Tuesday over a collision that turned a joyous soccer celebration in Liverpool into tragedy and sent more than two dozen people to hospitals, four of them in very serious condition. Merseyside Police said they are not treating the incident as terrorism and are not looking for other suspects. Detectives were working to piece together how a minivan plowed into crowds packing a narrow street, just after the players of Liverpool Football Club had celebrated the Premier League championship with an open-topped bus parade.

The General Assembly allocated $450 million in the second part of its 2025 disaster relief bill

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — Gov. Josh Stein submitted a second request to lawmakers for an additional $891 million in funding for Hurri-

“I know the changes to bene ts the board made today are hard, but I’m con dent that these changes … will place the Plan on a stronger nancial path moving forward.”

State Treasurer Brad Briner

cane Helene recovery e orts.

“Western North Carolina is coming back strong, but there is much more work to do,” said Stein in a press release. “I urge the General Assembly to pass a second round of funding so that the rebuilding and recovery e orts can continue as quickly and e ectively as possible.”

Hurricane Helene hit the

The changes were voted on during the May meeting

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — The North Carolina State Health Plan’s Board of Trustees voted at its May meeting to make changes to the plan to address a $507 million budget shortfall. The State Health Plan (SHP) has approximately 750,000 members who have not had premium or benet adjustments over the past seven years. That freeze is part of the plan’s cash de cit issue, which led the board to consider an average premium increase of $30.

State House unveils, passes budget plan

The proposal would spend more than $65.9 billion over the biennium

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — The North Carolina House has released its proposed state budget for the 2025-27 biennium totaling more than $65.91 billion, roughly the same overall total as the Senate’s budget.

“It’s a budget that we’re proud of and invests in working families in North Carolina,” House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Granite Falls) said during a press conference on Tuesday.

The House has branded its version of the budget “Committed to Carolina.”

Last Thursday, the House passed its version of the budget by a vote of 86-20 with 25 Democrats voting to pass it, including Minority Leader Rep. Robert Reives (D-Cha-

“I know the changes to bene ts the board made today are hard, but I’m condent that these changes, coupled with new provider opportunities we’re working on, will place the Plan on a stronger nancial path moving forward,” N.C. State Treasurer Brad Briner, who chairs the board., said in a press release. “We’re evolving from what we’ve learned and focusing on what works: trusted provider relationships, nancial predictability and meaningful support for our members’ health.”

The May 2025 fact sheet released by the SHP through Briner’s o ce said, “The goal is slow and steady changes over time to increase the

tham). Passage of the bill followed votes on 46 separate amendments, of which only eight passed. The Senate will likely reject some of the changes, triggering a conference committee to reconcile issues.

The House budget includes $32.59 billion for scal year 2025-26 and $33.32 billion for scal year 2026-27. The Senate version would spend $32.6 billion in year one and $33.3 billion in year two. Gov. Josh Stein’s budget proposal calls for $68 billion over the biennium.

Per House appropriations leaders, the budget keeps the growth of net general fund expenditures to 5% over the biennium.

Rep. Donny Lambeth (R-Forsyth), House Appropriations senior chairman, told reporters House leaders made “a conscious e ort” of “listening to what folks told us.”

“We’ve taken and made an overt e ort at listening to people and incorporating in this

in Arlington, Virginia,

JACQUELYN MARTIN / AP PHOTO

the word | With face to the wall

The experience of Hezekiah in Isaiah 38 is full of lessons for us today. One of the most striking expressions is: “Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall.” He was king. Dominion was his right. He was used to giving commands and having them obeyed. His desires were grati ed, and his word was law. Yet now he faced one who would not obey him. Sickness held him in its grasp, and his majesty counted for nothing. God’s prophet had told him the illness was fatal. Death comes to the king as well as to the humblest servant.

What should Hezekiah do? His servants were around him, ready to help. His throne was unoccupied, his glory forgotten. How empty his honors must have seemed! He turned his face to the wall, away from the imperial, the jeweled diadem, and the applause of people. He turned away from his riches — they were vanity, unable to help him.

There are times when human help fails. Some burdens none can share. Some sorrows no one can ease. Some con icts allow no reinforcements. Others may yearn to help, but their e orts may hinder instead. We turn our faces to the wall, not knowing what to do. Perhaps we are nearly in despair; the future looks dark, the past disappointing, and the present worse.

When Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, “he wept sorely.” He gave way to sorrow. You may say, “I feel like doing that too. What else can I do?” God did not chide Hezekiah for weeping. Neither will He chide you. Christ was a “man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” You and I will have occasion for tears, for God has placed us in such circumstances that our character may be tested.

Sorrow softens the heart. Someone said, “tears are the rain that God pours into the heart.” The bitterest tears are those shed alone, caused by sorrows no one else can enter or understand. But weeping cannot continue — something must follow. Many times, despair

follows. Yet while Hezekiah wept, he talked with God, though he had no indication that God would help him. Through the wall, Hezekiah saw God as a loving, compassionate Father. He saw God as the refuge of the oppressed, the helper of the needy, the uplifter of the fallen. He looked to God — not as the lawgiver or avenger, but as the Father of Israel — and poured out his heart.

One thing must have comforted

Hezekiah: he could come to God with a clear conscience. The New Testament says, “If our heart does not condemn us — then we have con dence toward God.” This was the secret of Hezekiah’s con dence — his heart

Grand military parade planned in DC for Army’s 250th anniversary

President Donald Trump plans to give remarks

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — The United States Army will mark a historic milestone on June 14 with a grand military parade through the nation’s capital to commemorate its 250th birthday.

The celebration aims not only to honor the Army’s past but also to “inspire a new genera-

state Sept. 27 and caused historic damage to the western half of the state. The storm’s impact has been cited as the worst natural disaster to impact the state in modern history, with more than 100 lives lost and over $59 billion in damages. According to Stein’s press release, his additional funding request includes:

• $260 million for economic recovery, supporting businesses and local governments and promoting western North Carolina’s tourism industry

• $239 million for critical infrastructure, such as repairing damaged schools, expanding debris clean-up and investing in projects for mitigating future disasters

• $113 million for housing recovery and assistance to families struggling with rent, mortgages and utility bills

• $105 million to x waterways and land used by farmers and funding for wild re prevention and response

• $23 million for food insecurity in western North Carolina and a ected community colleges

• $152 million for federal disaster programs matching by the state, investments in communication and disaster system improvements, and existing requirements not funded by state or federal dollars

tion to embrace the spirit of service, resilience, and leadership that de nes the United States.”

The parade, part of the ongoing America 250 celebrations, will be attended by President Donald Trump, veterans, active-duty troops, wounded warriors, Gold Star Families and citizens from across the country.

“This historic event will commemorate the legacy and enduring strength of the U.S. Army, while looking boldly toward the next 250 years of American patriotism and technologi-

cal advancement,” according to America 250 event organizers.

Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks celebrating the Army’s 250 years of service and achievements.

The U.S. Army traces its origins to June 14, 1775, when the Second Continental Congress voted to establish the Continental Army — more than a year before the Declaration of Independence was signed.

The parade route is scheduled for Constitution Avenue NW between 15th and 23rd streets and

did not condemn him. How good it is, in our troubles, when our faces turn to the wall, if we can approach God as Hezekiah did, and say, “You know my heart is not set on evil, but on good; my purpose is to serve You. My life has been pure before You.” There is no strength like a clear conscience, no satisfaction like a well-lived life, no peace like the peace of conscience. Hezekiah’s life must have been upright, for those face to face with God speak truth. When we come to God in need and can plead the innocence of our hearts, God will hear. Our tears will not be overlooked, and the yearning of our hearts will reach His. He will send the help we need. But if we cannot say God has seen only good in us — if our consciences do condemn us — yet if we repent and turn to the right, God will still hear. He quickly forgets the past when the heart turns to Him in submission and willingness to do His will.

So when human help fails, let us turn our faces to the wall, and, if need be, weep sorely. Pray with all our hearts whatever prayer is necessary, and the God of all grace will be our help and deliverer.

Even in life’s darkest hour, we should not despair. God is ever on the side of those who try to do His will. He is a present help, though our eyes may fail to see Him. It may seem, as it did to Job, that God hides Himself. Too often He is hidden only because our vision is lled with things that block our view. We see only the wall and fail to look to God’s mercy and help. Look beyond the di culties, the failure of human help, even our own failures — to the One whose loving heart never forgets, and who will never fail us in our time of need.

Charles Wesley Naylor is considered one of the most proli c 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.

will showcase the Army’s evolution from its founding during the Revolutionary War to its current and future capabilities.

The celebration includes the following scheduled events:

• 8 a.m.: Guest entry for Army tness competition and festival

• 2 p.m.: Guest entry for parade

• 6:30 p.m.: Parade and celebration begin

• 9:30 p.m.: Event concludes Attendees will be able to see historical reenactors, period-accurate equipment, military vehicles, yovers and performances by military bands.

Tickets for the event are available on a rst-come, rst-

“The $891 million outlined in this plan tackles issues that can’t be ignored while we await the slow and uncertain federal assistance,” Stein wrote in his proposal. “These are the highest priorities that demand action to address pressing needs and perils to the region’s recovery.” Stein also wrote that he appreciated the more than $1.6 billion the General Assembly had already appropriated through various pieces of legislation. That total will exceed $2 billion with the addition of $450 million in the recently in-

troduced Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 Part II. At least $70 million approved in that legislation will go toward critical programs with a federal match, and $60 million will go toward small business grants. Another $50 million is marked for unmet and unreimbursed capital needs of local governments. Other spending items in Part II include:

• $30 million in additional funds to support reconstruction of private roads and bridges

• $30 million for agricultural and general debris removal

• $25 million to support reconstruction of destroyed schools

• $25 million to improve airport infrastructure in western North Carolina to expand emergency response capacity and repair Helene damage

• $25 million toward rebuilding damaged and destroyed farm infrastructure such as fences, barns, greenhouses and farm roads

“This historic event will commemorate the legacy and enduring strength of the U.S. Army, while looking boldly toward the next 250 years of American patriotism and technological advancement.” America 250 event organizers

served basis through America250’s event registration portal at America250.org. Organizers advise attendees to arrive early due to security screening requirements.

• $20 million for ood mitigation grants to rebuild atrisk infrastructure

• $20 million to support volunteer organizations directly supporting recovery e orts

• $18 million to provide $50,000 grants to re stations and EMS units across western North Carolina

• $15 million in re ghting equipment and contract personnel to the North Carolina Forest Service to enhance wild re preparedness

• $8 million for damaged schools

North Carolina has received $1.45 billion in federal funding as of mid-April, and the federal Housing and Urban Development agency has approved the state’s action plan for $1.4 billion Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery grants. Additionally, the Trump administration has announced an additional $2.59 billion for recovery e orts, including $1.43 billion for Community Development Block Grants.

Earlier this year, State Auditor Dave Boliek set up a dashboard to track Helene recovery spending. The dashboard includes housing, Helene expenditures by multiple agencies and spending by the Governor’s Recovery O ce for Western North Carolina (GROW NC).

The data can be viewed at auditor.nc.gov/helene.

PUBLIC DOMAIN

“Hezekiah, King of Judah” by Hippolyte Flandrin (c. 1856) is an oil sketch in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

MAKIYA SEMINERA / AP PHOTO

Bricks lie scattered at an outdoor seating area in downtown Boone on Sept. 30 in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Plea agreement ties 19-year-old to PowerSchool data breach

Matthew D. Lane of Massachusetts and “co-conspirators” were named in charging documents

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — A 19-yearold has pleaded guilty to cybercrimes, including the December 2024 data breach of PowerSchool, a student and teacher information database system with 55 million users worldwide.

Matthew D. Lane, a resident of Worcester, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to four federal charges related to cybercrimes and aggravated identity theft, according to a plea agreement filed May 20 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

“Cyber extortion is a serious attack on our economy and on all of us,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley in a press release.

Lane, a student at Assumption University in Worcester, admitted to conspiring to threaten the confidentiality of information from a protected computer, unauthorized access to obtain data and identity theft, causing losses estimated between $9.5 million and $25 million.

“Matthew Lane apparently

budget things that we think and know that the people want in North Carolina,” Lambeth said.

In education spending, the budget aims to raise the state-funded portion of starting teacher pay to $50,000 by the end of the biennium, which House leaders say would make North Carolina rst in the Southeast for entry-level teacher compensation.

Teacher compensation would increase by 8.7% over the twoyear period, and the plan restores master’s pay for teachers with advanced degrees.

Salary increases in the proposal for state agency employees, community college sta and UNC System personnel include a 2.5% across-the-board raise. State retirees would get a 1% cost-of-living bonus in the rst year and a 2% bonus in the second year.

“We evaluated every area of the state budget, cutting wasteful spending wherever we found it to fund signi cant pay raises for our teachers and other state employees with no tax increase,” said Rep. Dean Arp (R-Union), Appropriations senior chair, in a press release. “What we have proposed is a sensible, credible plan that invests in our people and re ects the priorities of the people of North Carolina.”

Council of State member salaries see bigger increases under the House proposal than in the Senate version. The governor’s pay goes from $203,073 to $208,150 under the House, while the Senate version raised it to $205,611.

“Cyber

extortion is a serious attack on our economy and on all of us.”

Leah B. Foley, U.S. Attorney’s O ce

thought he found a way to get rich quick, but this 19-year - old now stands accused of hiding behind his keyboard to gain unauthorized access to an education software provider to obtain sensitive data which was used in an attempt to extort millions of dollars,” said Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “He also allegedly conspired to extort more money from a telecommunications provider over its confidential data.”

The court filing accuses Lane of targeting two victims, referred to as Victim 1 and Victim 2. The description of the activities, ransom, and compromised teacher and student data implies Victim 2 is PowerSchool.

In April 2024, Lane, along with “co-conspirator CC-1” and others, initiated a cyberextortion scheme targeting Victim 1, aiming to extract a

Matthew D. Lane has struck a plea deal with the U.S.

Attorney’s O ce after being charged with several crimes related to a breach of PowerSchool.

$200,000 ransom by threatening to leak stolen data, according to court filings.

Lane allegedly used an anonymized email to demand the ransom in Bitcoin, communicating with CC-1 via the encrypted Signal app to coordinate their efforts. By April 25, Lane had sent samples of the stolen data to Victim 1.

Throughout late April and early May, Lane and CC-1 are reported to have strategized via Signal to pressure Victim 1, with Lane reducing the ransom to $75,000 by May 8 and suggesting alternative plans to sell the data by May 14 if the ransom was unpaid.

In early September, Lane allegedly used stolen creden -

House

budget proposal at a news conference in the Legislative Building in Raleigh last Tuesday.

Council of State annual salaries under the House are increased to $172,594; the Senate raised it to $170,489. Similarly, executive branch employees, judicial o cials, clerks of court and magistrates all get a bigger raise with the House than the Senate. State Highway Patrol salary increases are lower in the House than in the Senate version.

The budget also has a provision capping state funds for nonpro t organization employee salaries at $140,000.

The budget includes several tax relief measures such as reinstatement of the back-toschool sales tax holiday starting in 2026 and the exemption of the rst $5,000 in tips from state income tax.

An increase in the standard

Plan’s cash reserves and avoid large de cits like the one we’re in now.”

The board introduced a new “Preferred Provider program” to replace the current Clear Pricing Project, which increased reimbursement rates for services like primary care and behavioral health while reducing member copays. The Clear Pricing Project will end on Dec. 31.

Originally projected to cost $100 million for two years with no ongoing expenses, the Clear Pricing Program has signicantly exceeded budget expectations, according to the treasurer’s o ce.

Beginning in 2026, SHP will implement a “bundle program” o ering reduced out-of-pocket costs to members who choose

preferred providers or facilities participating in bundled payment arrangements. The bundle program targets speci c service areas, including orthopedic procedures.

The cost-sharing di erential is designed to incentivize members to select bundle-participating providers to help control expenses for both members and the plan. The SHP board will vote on implementation exibility in the coming months.

The board also approved bene t changes for active, non-Medicare members enrolled in 70/30 and 80/20 plans. Those plans will be renamed “Standard” and “Plus” plans, respectively. Each plan features di erent deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums and copay structures for various services. Under the “Standard” plan, deductible rates will in-

tax deduction of $500 for individuals and $1,000 for married couples ling jointly is included. The House proposal alters the tax reduction trigger schedule.

The Senate maintains lower trigger amounts for FY 202526 through FY 2032-33, while the House proposal signi cantly increases trigger amounts for all scal years. For example, for FY 2025-26, the Senate’s trigger is $33.042 billion, whereas the House set it at $36.306 billion.

Unlike the personal tax rate reductions o ered by the Senate proposal which takes the rate from 3.99% down to 2.99% over time, the Committee Report shows the House’s schedule keeps the projected tax rate at 3.99% through the tax year 2027.

The House budget proposes

crease from $1,500 to $3,000. Changes are also coming for more than 197,000 Medicare-eligible members in the state. According to the fact sheet, splitting the Medicare Advantage Plan medical coverage and prescription drug plans while maintaining both through Humana will save the plan $70 million in 2026.

There are three plans for those members, including two Medicare Advantage plans offered by Humana and the Medicare Retiree Base PPO Plan, formerly called the 70/30 plan. The latter may be altered to include a higher out-of-pocket cost and a higher deductible.

tity theft, along with restitution, forfeiture of $160,981 and a $400 special assessment. Lane waived his right to appeal a sentence of 111 months or less and agreed to forfeit assets, including cryptocurrency accounts. Sentencing is pending, with the U.S. Attorney recommending a term within the calculated guidelines range, 36 months of supervised release and no fine.

The plea deal follows a new round of ransom threats sent to 20 districts in North Carolina on May 7, according to the state’s Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI). The emails received by the districts were from “threat actors” who demanded Bitcoin in exchange for PowerSchool data they claimed to possess.

NCDPI’s Chief Information Officer Vanessa Wrenn and State Superintendent Mo Green indicated the data seemed to be the same as that stolen from PowerSchool in December 2024.

tials from “Employee 1” to illegally access the computer network of Victim 2 (believed to be PowerSchool) and steal sensitive student and teacher data. On Dec. 19, Lane reportedly leased a server in Ukraine, transferring the stolen data there the next day.

Around 10 days later, Victim 2 received a ransom demand for 30 Bitcoin (a value of approximately $2.85 million) or the personal information of more than 60 million students and 10 million teachers would be compromised.

The plea agreement outlines a potential sentence of up to ve years for each of three counts, plus a mandatory twoyear consecutive term for iden-

cutting nearly 3,000 vacant government positions out of more than 10,000 identi ed statewide. House budget leaders also say that they’ve cut an estimated $10 million from state diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. The funding behind the vacancy and DEI cuts will be redirected for other purposes.

No speci c mention of DEI is in the bill language, but it does mention merit-based hiring.

The budget would replenish the Rainy Day Fund to $4.75 billion. That reserve has dipped below $3.65 billion since Hurricane Helene hit the state last year.

The Department of Transportation would receive funding to create 40 additional driver license examiner positions in scal year 2025-26 and 21 more in 2026-27. The budget authorizes up to 30 additional administrative specialist positions to support DMV operations.

Several DMV pilot programs are included, such as a privatization pilot program for license renewal, an in-home license renewal pilot in Forsyth County and a pilot allowing commercial driver training schools to administer exams.

Other notable House budget items include:

• $50 million in school safety grants

• New teen social media protections

• Assaulting a classroom teacher or volunteer goes from a Class A1 misdemeanor to a Class I felony

“At the time of the original incident notification in January of this year, PowerSchool did assure its customers that the compromised data would not be shared and had been destroyed,” Green said during a virtual press conference on the threats. “Unfortunately, that, at least at this point, is proving to be incorrect.”

It is unclear at this time if the May threats to North Carolina districts, as well as those issued to other victims in Oregon and Canada, came from Lane and his co-conspirators.

North Carolina schools are switching from PowerSchool to Infinite Campus for the 2025-26 school year.

• Prohibiting instruction on gender identity, sexual activity or sexuality in kindergarten through fourth grade curricula while allowing responses to student-initiated questions

• UNC School of Civic Life and Leadership is codi ed through a new statute amendment

• Increasing maximum unemployment insurance bene t to $450 versus the Senate’s $350

• Moving the State Board of Elections to the Albemarle Building, where the State Auditor’s O ce resides

• Redirecting $500 million NCInnovation endowment funding to Hurricane Helene disaster recovery; the Senate version would grant part of that funding back to NCInnovation

• Directing NCDOT to include disaster reimbursements/ expenditures related to Hurricane Helene in its Weekly Cash Watch Report

• Changing the America’s Semiquincentennial Committee structure, with requirements to report on costs for the 2026 celebrations

• Modi cations to sports wagering revenue distribution

• Election-related provisions allowing the retention of private legal counsel

STATE

A chart released by the State Health Plan illustrates proposed cost changes for 2026.

Medicare Advantage Plan members won’t see any benet changes but will have an increase of $100 in the out-ofpocket pharmacy maximum and receive two separate ID cards and enrollment con rmations for each component.

COURTESY POWERSCHOOL

MAKIYA SEMINERA / AP PHOTO

Speaker Destin Hall (R-Granite Falls) stands amid other representatives as they discuss the North Carolina House’s

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

The roulette wheel of presidential health

A seasoned moderate Democratic pro such as Richetti would have gone to Democratic leaders to tell them Biden was not t to stay in o ce.

AMERICANS HAD BETTER start paying more attention to who they elect to be their president.

Once elected, under our current Constitution, even a brain-dead president could wield enormous power unless he is removed from o ce, resigns or dies in o ce. His sta would make sure of that. And so would some family members and a former president in this case.

It is one of the most glaring weaknesses of our democratic republican form of government that a sitting president could be completely disabled and his sta can be allowed to carry on the ominous duties of the o ce of president of the United States of America.

Unless a majority of his hand-picked and, therefore, politically sycophantic and compliant Cabinet members have the guts to invoke the 25th Amendment and replace him with the sitting vice president at the time, a president could be on life-support and still order an invasion of Grenada through the machinations of his sta and the miracle of an auto-pen signature device. Was the cover-up of Joe Biden’s mental and physical condition “unconstitutional” or “treasonous”? What about the dereliction of duty by the partisan left-wing progressive legacy media? Shouldn’t the vaunted Fourth Estate be taken to task for failing to divulge the truth to the American public by losing all of their remaining viewers and subscribers at the very least?

When President Woodrow Wilson was bedridden following a massive stroke in 1919, his wife, Edith, stepped in to make

major public policy decisions for him. His doctor and close White House sta kept Wilson’s condition secret for the last 16 months of his two-term presidency.

There was no internet or cable news in 1919. Just a compliant, accid press who loved Wilson’s progressive Democratic Party policies as much as today’s legacy media, which covered up Biden’s many de ciencies because they loved the policies of the far left and were concerned Donald Trump would come in and overturn all their apple carts.

Which he is now in the process of doing.

In Washington, D.C., and state capitals around the nation, appointed sta are the institutional memory and physical sinews and tendons of government. Elected o cials come and go, but sta usually stay on to work with the next elected o cial or another incumbent who survived the last election.

Steve Richetti, Ron Klain and others are seasoned Democratic political pros in the Biden/Obama camp. Any number of them have been “in the room” with Biden for the past half-century, beginning with his election to the U.S. Senate from Delaware in 1972.

I played several rounds of golf with Richetti, who was the lobbyist for Blue Cross and Blue Shield when House ethics rules allowed such things. I thought he was a good guy, as did many other Republican members and sta , viewing him as a moderate Democrat who understood the importance of the free enterprise system and someone conservatives could work with to get things done in D.C.

The power of a smile

Even in the South, you don’t see this as much anymore.

IT SOUNDS A LITTLE bit cliché to talk about the power of a smile, but it’s something that still needs to be said because I think the art of smiling has been lost to some extent over the last decade or so.

It used to be that on any given day, I could go to the store, gas up my car, check the mail or just go for a walk, and the majority of people I encountered would not only look up to acknowledge me but would also either smile, utter a pleasantry, or both.

It was (and is) a way of getting through the day. Though yours might have gotten o on the wrong track, seeing the smile of a random passerby and/or hearing a kind word can sometimes be the di erence between your day getting back on track or continuing to not go in the direction you want it to.

But even in the South, where it’s long been a way of life that strangers talk to one another like they’ve known each other their whole lives, you don’t see this as much anymore.

The power of the cellphone, unfortunately, rules the day. It’s not uncommon that someone walking by

or standing behind you in the grocery store line has their head buried in what’s happening on their phone, whether it’s the music they are listening to, a text message they’re checking out from a friend, a viral social media post they’re looking at or maybe a column that they are reading. Distractions, which were once an exception to the rule, are now often the rule itself, and it seems that all too many would rather immerse themselves in their phones than interact with the people who are actually in front of them.

This, of course, extends to family members and friends who, even at the dinner table, where conversation and catching up on life’s events used to be the rst order of business, take a back seat to the desperate “need” to watch a popular in uencer’s TikTok or Instagram video.

Cellphones and social media have their purposes, don’t get me wrong. I’m not knocking either one of them. It’s just the decisions people make to choose the digital device over the human being sitting, standing or walking nearby that have me curious.

Just the other day, I was waiting at a

In another time and place, a seasoned moderate Democratic pro such as Richetti would have had a spasm of ethical existentialism and gone to Democratic leaders to tell them Biden was not t to stay in o ce.

However, in the modern Democratic Party world where socialist progressives and wealthy partisans such as George Soros dictate policy, there was nowhere for someone like Richetti to go and spill the beans honestly without fear of political or nancial retribution.

Former President Barack Obama is the rst, and only, U.S. president who couldn’t wait to stay in Washington, D.C., after his time in the Oval O ce. He lives in a mansion in the tony Kalorama area about two miles from the White House.

There were eyewitness accounts of four black Suburban SUVs with Biden sta ers leaving the White House every morning at 7 a.m. and arriving at the Obama enclave only to leave Kalorama at 8 a.m. to return to the White House. They either really enjoyed Michelle Obama’s breakfast cooking and co ee with the former president, or they were getting their marching orders for the day from Obama, who made no secret about his desire to “complete his mission” through a third term of a friendly ally.

Instead of wasteful congressional hearings, inject Richetti, Klain and Obama with a good healthy dose of truth serum and see what they say about who was running the White House in the absence of Biden. Chances are very high it was one, or all, of them.

local restaurant to pick up an order I’d placed online when I encountered the most pleasant woman with the nicest smile as she handed me my order. Sure, that’s a hallmark of good customer service, but I had a sense that the greeting was genuine, and it de nitely had a positive impact on my otherwise lackluster day.

Similarly, if I encounter someone at the drugstore or wherever I happen to be, and I notice the person either seems to be having a bad day or seems lost in thought, I try to smile, give them a little “pick me up” by complimenting them on something or make small talk.

More often than not, the acknowledgment brings a smile to their faces or, at the very least, a lighting up in their eyes that wasn’t there before.

There is indeed so much power in one simple little smile. People should put their phones down for at least a few seconds or minutes and do it more often for those around them. They might be surprised at how much of a di erence it could make to someone else, or even to themselves.

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.

EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

Less than words can say

I watched that new breed of Jacobins stage a hostile takeover of a university English department, then morph into the DEI racket.

IF YOU WERE A FAN of Johnny Carson’s talk show, you might remember that English professor Richard Mitchell was an unlikely but always witty guest.

Mitchell had charmed wordsmiths nationwide by writing “The Underground Grammarian,” a newsletter that exposed any knave who abused the Mother Tongue because “Bad English kills trees, consumes energy, and befouls the earth. Good English renews it.”

Carson took note.

Mitchell’s most memorable appearance on Carson’s show aired in 1979, shortly after the Three Mile Island partial nuclear meltdown. Before a rapt audience, Mitchell held the National Council of Teachers of English responsible for the calamity, reasoning that when the NCTE renounced grammar instruction, they “taught whole generations of people that small mistakes don’t matter.”

More speci cally, “When people trained that way go into very technical callings, without this habit of precision, they can kill us.”

Mitchell got a big laugh inventing a dialogue between the Three Mile Island technicians whose poor communication skills might have caused the calamity, but there was nothing funny about his reason for alarm. No doubt he had read the resolution the NCTE’s Conference on College Composition and Communication passed in 1974, which included this stunner:

“Language scholars long ago denied that the myth of a standard American dialect has any validity. The claim that any one dialect is unacceptable amounts to an attempt of one social group to exert its dominance over another. Such a claim leads to false advice for speakers and writers, and immoral advice for humans.”

So began the partial meltdown of communication skills nationwide, and Mitchell was the rst to blame the “new priests” who had decreed that requiring students to speak and write standard English is “immoral.”

That same year, Mitchell published a timeless little gem titled “Less Than Words Can Say,” which captures the priests’ new mission:

“They have promised to teach social consciousness and environmental awareness, creativity, ethnic pride, and tolerance … provided, of course, that such skills didn’t involve irrelevant details like spelling and the agreement of subjects and verbs.”

Mitchell was also the rst to note that the new priests viewed grammar instruction as “an instrument of imperialist oppression.”

As a grad student in the early ’80s, I watched that new breed of Jacobins stage a hostile takeover of a university English department, then morph into the DEI racket that, until recently, has ruled universities

COLUMN | REP. NEAL JACKSON

nationwide. I regret that professors in my eld were the rst to succumb to misrule, but professors at the University of Southern California’s School of Social Work can’t even utter the word eld because eld “may have connotations for descendants of slavery and immigrant workers that are not benign.” USC’s new mandate has professors calling what they do a “practicum” — and providing me with a handy token of their derangement.

Smart journalists have dodged academe’s crackpots, as well as fellow journalists who tra c in nonsense.

Take Helen Betya Rubinstein, for example. In a 2023 article for the Literary Hub, Rubinstein argued “Against Copyediting” because copyediting “is a white supremacist project, not only for the particular linguistic forms it favors and upholds, which belong to the cultures of whiteness and power, but for how it excludes or erases the voices and styles of those who don’t or won’t perform this culture.”

Rubinstein’s stated goal involves “subverting conventions of narrative,” but she has succeeded instead in subverting the conventions of common sense.

The written word has survived the likes of Rubinstein, who would have us play fast and loose with the Mother Tongue, but the fallout from their misrule shows up almost nightly on national television.

Writers have copyeditors who spare them blunders, but no such safety net is available to impromptu speakers on live TV, where even hotshot pundits make cringe-worthy comments like “He should have ran for o ce” or “I have swam in the Potomac.”

When my students wondered why speaking correctly is just as important as writing correctly, I always recited King Lear’s advice to his daughter Cordelia: “Mend your speech a little, / Lest you may mar your fortunes,” but I fear that prospective employers who were educated by so-called progressives might also be missing the past participle when they speak.

Lamenting the recent decline in test scores for public school students in blue states, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg published an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal titled “Democratic Politicians Are in Denial on the Education Crisis.”

My fervent hope is that a Republican administration will succeed in its mission to cancel the DEI hucksters and adopt the Underground Grammarian’s motto: “Clear language engenders clear thought, and clear thought is the most important bene t of education.”

Nan Miller is professor emerita from Meredith College.

NC House Republicans committed to reducing taxes responsibly

The House plan introduces a $5,000 deduction for tipped income.

THE RECENTLY PASSED North Carolina House Republican budget is a masterclass in scal responsibility, delivering meaningful tax relief to residents while steadfastly avoiding tax increases — a critical achievement as the state rebuilds from the catastrophic impact of Hurricane Helene.

This budget, a key part of the ongoing negotiations in the General Assembly, strikes a delicate balance between putting more money in the pockets of North Carolinians and ensuring the state’s nancial stability to support recovery e orts in western North Carolina. It’s a forward-thinking plan that deserves applause for its commitment to taxpayers and communities alike.

At its core, the House budget prioritizes immediate nancial relief for working North Carolinians. Starting in 2026, the standard income tax deduction will increase: married couples ling jointly will see a $1,000 boost to $26,500, heads of household a $750 increase to $19,875, and single lers or those married ling separately a $500 rise to $13,250. These changes will reduce taxable income for millions of North Carolinians, o ering a direct bene t to working families.

In addition to the income tax deduction increase, the House plan introduces a $5,000 deduction for tipped income, a lifeline for service industry workers — servers, bartenders, barbers, delivery drivers and others — who rely on tips to make ends meet. This provision recognizes the economic realities of a vital workforce, easing their tax burden without adding complexity.

North Carolina families will also welcome the budget’s back-to-school sales tax holiday, set to begin the rst weekend of August 2026. This initiative exempts clothing and footwear priced at $100 or less per item, school supplies and instructional materials up to $300, computers up to $3,500, computer supplies up

to $250 and sports equipment up to $50. By waiving the sales tax on essentials, the holiday will save families hundreds of dollars. These measures collectively demonstrate the House’s commitment to supporting North Carolinians without resorting to tax increases.

Crucially, the budget avoids tax increases, rejecting the Senate’s proposed sports betting tax hike, which could have strained both bettors and businesses. Instead, it recalibrates revenue triggers for income tax cuts to account for in ation and population growth, securing a 0.5% income tax cut, lowering the rate to 3.99%, with the potential for three additional 0.5% cuts by 2034 if scal benchmarks are met. This approach, informed by Moody’s Analytics and State Demographer data, avoids the Senate’s projected de cits, which could have strained funding for critical recovery e orts.

The House’s strategy responsibly lowers taxes while ensuring budget stability and preserves funds for essential services. As western North Carolina rebuilds from Helene’s devastation, the House budget stands as a beacon of responsible governance. It delivers immediate tax relief, supports families and workers and fosters economic growth — all without raising taxes. By contrast, the Senate’s riskier approach could undermine the state’s ability to respond to ongoing needs.

House Republicans have crafted a budget that not only meets the moment but also positions North Carolina for a resilient future, proving that tax relief and scal stability can go hand in hand. As negotiations with the Senate proceed, this budget should serve as a model for putting taxpayers rst while safeguarding the state’s recovery.

Rep. Neal Jackson lives in Bennett and represents House District 78 in the North Carolina General Assembly.

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.

THE CONGRESSIONAL Budget O ce (CBO) is one of President Donald J. Trump’s most powerful opponents in trying to get the Make America A ordable Again Act through Congress.

The CBO has a long history of opposition to conservative reforms.

When liberals want to spend more, the CBO makes estimates that end up far lower than real costs. At the same time, the bean counters at CBO consistently underestimated the growth impact of the conservative tax cuts.

As Steve Moore pointed out: “When Congress passed the In ation Reduction Act of 2022, the CBO and the Joint Committee on Taxation predicted the bill would cost about $370 billion. Goldman Sachs later released an analysis that estimated the IRA’s 10-year cost would be $1.2 trillion, according to the CATO Institute.”

You would think a 300% error would discredit the CBO with media, yet it had no impact.

CBO constantly fought with supply-side economists who revolutionized tax policy under President Ronald Reagan, myself and Trump’s rst administration.

This pro-spending, antitax cut bias has contributed to the growth of government, the size of the de cits and the steady increase in the national debt.

In the late 1990s, we balanced the budget for four years for the only time in the last century. We did so despite the CBO’s consistently hostile scoring. We just ignored CBO and did what we were convinced would work — and it did.

Tax cuts led to economic growth, while welfare reform led millions to stop depending on the government and go back to work. It was a double win of less government spending and more revenue from people who were working and paying taxes.

Other government reforms led to fewer regulations, more opportunities for investment and innovation, and a dramatically growing economy (nearly all of them were scored terribly by CBO).

Economic growth combined with major reforms and spending restraint led directly to the four balanced budgets. Since the CBO uses a static model, growth cannot be accurately scored. None of the real impact of our budget balancing e ort showed up in its projections.

CBO was created in July 1974 as part of a wave of leftwing e orts empowered by the reaction to Watergate and the collapse of the Republican Party.

The liberal, big spending, anti-tax cut bias is a natural part of the history of the CBO. From its beginning, when Alice Rivlin was its rst director, the CBO has had a distinct bias toward liberal policies.

Because the CBO prides itself on its assertion that it “provides the Congress with objective, nonpartisan, and timely information, analyses, and estimates,” it has spent a half-century building a totally phony mystique of impartiality. The propaganda media reinforce this pious image since CBO is a liberal institution.

Now, CBO is continuing its pattern of bias with the Make America A ordable Again Act.

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett recently pointed out:

“It’s just such an implausible position for them to have right now because, for one thing, the GDP growth assumption that they’re going against is about 1.8%, and I think a more reasonable guess would be 3%. ... That gives you $4 trillion more in revenue, which is about the size of the bill.”

With an honest CBO, the Make America A ordable Again Act would sail through Congress.

Further, CBO is not counting the overall economic impact of the trillions of dollars in investments and sales that Trump has been attracting from all over the world.

The trillions of dollars in sales and investment commitments from this month’s Middle Eastern trip alone would increase the GDP for the next decade by enough to make a di erence in total outcome — and further reduce the budget.

As Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell recently said, the American economy is so strong that the Fed may have to consider a rate increase.

If he is right about a strong economy, CBO’s low growth projections may be even more wrong than Hassett is suggesting.

No Republican should allow his or her vote to be determined by totally inaccurate, biased CBO manipulations.

The CBO should be replaced. At a minimum, its 250 employees should be required to meet standards of transparency so outside experts can see how they reach their scores.

The current CBO weakens America and makes Congress’s job much harder.

It’s currently the biggest hurdle to making America a ordable again.

Newt Gingrich was the 50th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Murphy to Manteo Jones & Blount

Spotlight on Historic Preservation Month

PIEDMONT

Man charged in brother’s fentanyl death

by the end of the day May 21 after the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services suspended the business’ license. The suspension decision was “based on the agency’s ndings that the public health, safety, or welfare requires emergency action,” the suspension order read. The decision came after a 16-monthold girl died at the child care center on May 19. Lenoir police said they suspect the toddler died after going into cardiac arrest. An autopsy was being performed to determine the exact cause of death. Lenoir police previously said that Creative Beginnings was fully cooperating with the investigation into the child’s death.

WBTV

Guilford County A man was arrested last week and charged with death by distribution after his brother died last year, according to a Greensboro Police Department news release. Matthew Glenn Porter, 37, was arrested in connection with an overdose investigation into the death of his brother, 38-year-old Je rey Allen Porter. Matthew Porter is charged with one count of death by distribution. Je rey Porter was found unresponsive in his home in September 2024, and his death was ruled a result of a fentanyl overdose.

WGHP

Remains discovered at scrapyard belong to man missing since 2016

EAST

Pitt teen arrested for rape of minor

Crews begin work as Buc- ee’s opening nears

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is laying the groundwork for construction near the future Bucee’s location in Mebane at the Interstate 40/Interstate 85 interchange to make way for smoother tra c ow. With the number of people who visit Bucee’s locations, the road project aims to improve tra c ow with additional lanes and a bridge. Starting in June, NCDOT will begin building the diamond diverging bridge, which o cials say addresses Mebane’s rapid growth as well as anticipated Buc-ee’s tra c.

NSJ

Davidson County A homicide is being investigated after remains found at a Lexington scrapyard were identi ed as a North Carolina man who had been missing since 2016, according to the Davidson County Sheri ’s O ce. On May 14, deputies came to Leonard Salvage after an employee found human remains during their shift. The remains had been removed from a salvaged vehicle on the lot. Investigators said the salvaged vehicle was taken to Leonard Salvage from Charlotte on May 13. The vehicle information matched that of the vehicle that Lee Anthony Funderburk, 44 at the time, was driving at the time of his disappearance in the spring 2016. The remains found at the scrapyard were identi ed as Funderburk, and investigators say his cause of death was a homicide. Deputies say that Funderburk was not killed in Davidson County, and they have turned their evidence over to the CharlotteMecklenburg Police Department.

NSJ

Pitt County A Pitt County teen is behind bars after being charged last week with statutory rape. Court documents show that 19-year-old Austin Scheels was charged with statutory rape of a child 15 years old or younger. The date of the o ense is listed as March 1. Warrants show that at the time of the o ense, the defendant was at least 12 years old and more than four years older than the victim.

Senior Services to hold Shred-a-Thon

Carteret County

Carteret County Senior Services will host a free Shred-a-Thon

WITN

New Bern holds mass casualty simulation

Craven County In a proactive move to strengthen disaster response capabilities, a mass casualty exercise simulating a plane crash in the Neuse River took place last week. This critical training event brought together local, state and federal agencies to test and enhance emergency preparedness in a realistic and controlled environment. The large-scale simulation involved rst responders, law enforcement, emergency medical personnel and multiple governmental agencies working collaboratively to respond to a high-impact disaster scenario. The goal is to re ne and evaluate response plans, ensure coordinated communication and provide hands-on training that mirrors the challenges of a real-life emergency.

The annual mass casualty exercise is a coordinated e ort led by Craven County Emergency Services and the Craven County Sheri ’s O ce, among other local townships and agencies. O cials say the drill serves as a cornerstone of regional preparedness, ensuring that emergency responders are ready to protect lives and property in the face of a large-scale disaster.

NSJ

Brenden Jones (R-Columbus) asked Krebs about political contributions he made in 2023 and 2024.

“You stated your ties with Horne ended in April, but just months after you claimed leaving Horne, you cut $12,800 in checks to Gov. Stein’s campaign,” said Jones. “And then you kicked in another $29,000 this past October to the Democratic Leadership Committee and listed your employer as Horne.

“Then you’re brought in to advise recovery and were sitting in the room shaping the contract your old rm wins. Tell me how this is not an example of absolute pay-to-play politics?”

“If you look at the paperwork for the October donation, that was an event that was hosted in March for that point in time for candidate Josh Stein,” Krebs replied. He said he was an employee of Horne in March and didn’t turn in the donation paperwork on time, leading to the Stein campaign later reaching out to him to correct it.

“Do you deny that your political support helped you land your advisory role?” Jones asked Krebs.

“It certainly led me to the introduction with him,” Krebs said. “But, you know, I don’t give money to everybody that I meet. I tend to look for folks that are contributing in a way that I think is meaningful.”

Krebs noted in his response that he met Stein in December 2023. Jones also asked Krebs about his involvement in the RFP process that resulted in Horne earning the $81 million contract. Krebs said he “with a team of people” on the RFP, which Jones called a “blatant con ict.” Krebs said his involvement was authorized by the secretary of Commerce and the procurement and contracts attorneys. Later in the hearing, a similar exchange between Rep. Mike Schietzelt (R-Wake) and Krebs became heated over Krebs’ Horne ties and his political donations. Schietzelt said the “optics were terrible,” and the “paper trail” of Krebs’ donations made it look like he sought to pro t o the storm, a claim Krebs strongly objected. Krebs’ contributions to state Democrats and Stein’s campaign are not the only political donations with ties to hurricane recovery work. Madhu Beriwal, the CEO of IEM, also donated $5,100 to former Gov. Roy Cooper’s 2016 campaign. Beriwal also donated $6,400 to Stein’s 2024 campaign. Past issues with Horne

McGarrah outlined the competitive bidding process, where Horne was selected over other vendors HGA and Tidal Basin after two bids (Easy Wellness Consulting, IEM) were deemed nonresponsive due to missing nancial documentation. She said Horne was chosen based on its quali cations, references from other states

U.S. Army soldiers cross a oating bridge on the Imjin River during a March joint rivercrossing exercise between South Korea and the United States in Yeoncheon, South Korea.

NATION & WORLD

US military spent $6B in 3 years to recruit, retain troops

The Navy spent more on retention bonuses than the other branches

By Lolita C. Baldor

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. military spent more than $6 billion over the past three years to recruit and retain service members in what has been a growing campaign to counter enlistment shortfalls.

The nancial incentives to reenlist in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines increased dramatically from 2022 through last year, with the Navy vastly outspending the others, according to funding totals provided by the services. The overall amount of recruiting bonuses also rose steadily, fueled by signi cant jumps in spending by the Army and Marine Corps.

The military services have routinely poured money into recruiting and retention bonuses. But the totals spiked as Pentagon leaders tried to reverse falling enlistment num-

bers, particularly as COVID-19 restrictions locked down public events, fairs and school visits that recruiters relied on to meet with young people.

Coupled with an array of new programs, an increased number of recruiters and adjustments to enlistment requirements, the additional incentives have helped the services bounce back from the shortfalls. All but the Navy met their recruiting targets last year, and all are expected to do so this year.

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth repeatedly point to Trump’s election as a reason for the recruiting rebound. But the enlistment increases began long before last November, and o cials have tied them more directly to the widespread overhauls that the services have done, including the increased nancial incentives.

The Army, the military’s largest service, spent more on recruiting bonuses in 2022 and 2024 than the other services. But it was signi cantly outspent by the Navy in 2023,

when the sea service was struggling to overcome a large enlistment shortfall.

As a result, even though the Navy is a smaller service, it spent more overall in the three years than the Army did.

The Navy also has spent considerably more than the others to entice sailors to reenlist, doling out retention bonuses to roughly 70,000 service members for each of the past three years. That total is more than double the number of troops the Army gave retention bonuses to each year, even though the Army is a much larger service.

“Navy is dedicated to retaining our most capable sailors; retention is a critical component of achieving our end-strength goals,” Adm. James Kilby, the vice chief of naval operations, told a Senate Armed Services subcommittee in March.

He said reenlistment for enlisted sailors “remains healthy,” but keeping o cers is a challenge in speci c jobs, including aviation, explosive ordnance disposal, surface and submarine warfare, health professionals and naval special oper-

ations. He added that the Navy has struggled to ll all of its atsea jobs and is using nancial incentives as one way to combat the problem.

The Army has seen the greatest recruiting struggles over the past decade, and by using a range of new programs and policies has had one of the largest comebacks. The Navy has had the most trouble recently and took several steps to expand those eligible for service and spend more on bonuses.

While the Army spends hundreds of millions each year to recruit troops, it also has relied on an array of new programs and policies to woo young people. A key driver of the Army’s rebound has been its decision to create the Future Soldier Prep Course at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, in August 2022.

The Air Force increased its spending on recruiting bonuses in 2023 as it also struggled to overcome shortfalls but lowered the amount the following year. The payments were for jobs including munitions systems, aircraft maintenance and security forces. The Space Force does not currently authorize enlistment bonuses.

The Marine Corps and the tiny Space Force have consistently hit their recruiting goals, although the Marines had to dig deep into their pool of delayed entry candidates in 2022 to meet their target.

Trump says Putin ‘has gone absolutely CRAZY!’

Russia has ramped up its aerial attacks on Ukraine

By Seung Min Kim

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. —

President Donald Trump made it clear last weekend that he is losing patience with Vladimir Putin, leveling some of his sharpest criticism at the Russian leader as Moscow pounded Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles.

“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!”

Trump wrote in a social media post on Sunday night.

Trump said Putin is “needlessly killing a lot of people,” pointing out that “missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever.”

The attack was the largest aerial assault since Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022, according to Ukrainian o cials. At least 12 people were killed and dozens injured.

The U.S. president warned that if Putin wants to conquer all of Ukraine, it will “lead to the downfall of Russia!” But Trump also expressed frustra-

tion with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying that he is “doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does.”

“Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop,” Trump wrote on social media.

The president has increasingly voiced irritation at Putin and the inability to resolve the now three-year-old war, which Trump promised he would promptly end as he campaigned to return to the White House.

“I’m not happy with what Putin’s doing. He’s killing a lot of people.”

President

Donald Trump

He had long boasted of his friendly relationship with Putin and repeatedly stressed that Russia is more willing than Ukraine to reach a peace deal. But last month, Trump urged Putin to “STOP!” assaulting

1 dead in Hudson River sewage -boat explosion

New York

An explosion on a boat carrying raw sewage that was docked on the Hudson River in New York City killed a longtime city employee Saturday, authorities said. Another worker on the city-owned Hunts Point vessel was injured and taken to the hospital after the blast around 10:30 a.m. near the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant, according to o cials. A third worker refused medical treatment. The cause of the explosion was under investigation, but New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in statement that criminal intent was not suspected.

Trump to pardon Virginia sheri convicted of bribery

Washington, D.C.

President Donald Trump said Monday that he is pardoning a former Virginia sheri who was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a jury convicted him on federal bribery charges for deputizing several businessmen in exchange for cash payments. Former Culpeper County Sheri Scott Jenkins, 53, was found guilty on fraud and bribery charges and sentenced in March. But on Monday, Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social that Jenkins and his family “have been dragged through HELL by a Corrupt and Weaponized Biden DOJ.”

North Korea detains 4 over failed launch of naval destroyer

Ukraine after Russia launched another deadly barrage of attacks on Kyiv, and he has repeatedly expressed his frustration that the war in Ukraine is continuing.

“I’m not happy with what Putin’s doing. He’s killing a lot of people. And I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin,” Trump told reporters earlier Sunday as he departed northern New Jersey, where he spent most of the weekend. “I’ve known him a long time, always gotten along with him, but he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all. “ A peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine remains elusive. Trump and Putin spoke on the phone this past week, and Trump announced after the call that Russia and Ukraine will “immediately” begin cease re talks. That conversation occurred after Russian and Ukrainian o cials met in Turkey for the rst faceto-face talks since 2022. But last Thursday, the Kremlin said no direct talks were scheduled.

The European Union has slapped new sanctions on Russia this month in response to Putin’s refusal to agree to a cease re. But while Trump has threatened to step up sanctions and tari s on Russia, he hasn’t acted so far.

Seoul, South Korea North Korea authorities have detained four o cials over the recent failed launch of a naval destroyer, an incident that leader Kim Jong Un said was caused by criminal negligence, state media said. The 5,000-tonclass destroyer was damaged last Wednesday when a transport cradle on the ship’s stern detached early during a launch ceremony attended by Kim at the northeastern port of Chongjin. Satellite imagery on the site showed the vessel lying on its side and draped in blue covers, with parts of the ship submerged.

Man charged with trying to attack US Embassy in Tel Aviv

New York

A dual U.S.-German citizen has been arrested on charges that he traveled to Israel and attempted to rebomb the branch o ce of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, o cials said Sunday. Federal prosecutors in New York said the man, Joseph Neumeyer, walked up to the embassy building on May 19 with a backpack containing Molotov cocktails but got into a confrontation with a guard and eventually ran away, dropping his backpack as the guard tried to grab him. Law enforcement then tracked Neumeyer down to a hotel a few blocks away from the embassy and arrested him, according to a criminal complaint.

AHN YOUNG-JOON / AP PHOTO

MANUEL BALCE CENETA / AP PHOTO

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport in New Jersey on Sunday.

McDonald’s closing

CosMc’s restaurants

Chicago McDonald’s says it’s closing down CosMc’s, a new restaurant format it began piloting in the U.S. last year. But the company said last Friday that beverages inspired by CosMc’s will soon be tested at U.S. McDonald’s locations. Among the drinks on CosMc’s current menu are a turmeric spiced latte and a frozen sour cherry energy drink. The fast-food chain announced in late 2023 that it wanted to test a small-format store with customizable drinks that would appeal to afternoon snackers. It eventually opened one CosMc’s in Chicago and seven in Texas. McDonald’s plans to close the ve remaining stores by late June.

Nike to sell products directly on Amazon

Beaverton, Ore.

Nike will start selling its products directly on Amazon’s U.S. website for the rst time since 2019 as the company looks for more ways to bring goods to customers and boost sales. “Nike is investing in our marketplace to ensure we’re o ering the right products, best services, and tailored experiences to consumers wherever and however they choose to shop,” the company said. “This includes expanding to new digital accounts, including Amazon in the U.S., new physical partners like Printemps, elevating retail experiences across the marketplace, and launching Nike’s AI-powered conversational search to improve our online services.”

FTC dismisses Biden-era PepsiCo lawsuit

Washington, D.C.

The Republican-controlled Federal Trade Commission has voted to dismiss a lawsuit against PepsiCo that the previous commission led in the waning days of the Biden administration. The lawsuit, led in January, alleged that PepsiCo was giving unfair price advantages to Walmart. When the lawsuit was led, Democrat Lina Khan was the FTC’s chairwoman, and she was joined in support of the lawsuit by two other Democrats. But Khan resigned when President Donald Trump took o ce, and Trump later red the two other Democrats. Last Thursday, the FTC’s new Chairman, Andrew Ferguson, called the lawsuit a “dubious partisan stunt.”

Trump signs executive orders to boost nuclear power, speed up approvals

Washington, D.C.

President Donald Trump has signed executive orders to speed up the development of nuclear power and grant the energy secretary authority to approve advanced reactor designs and projects. The orders take authority away from the independent safety agency that has regulated the U.S. nuclear industry for decades. Friday’s orders would reorganize the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to ensure quicker reviews of nuclear projects, including an 18-month deadline for the NRC to act on industry applications.

JBS shareholders approve US stock listing despite pushback

Environmentalists claim the meat enterprise is destructive to the planet

By Dee-Ann Durbin The Associated Press

BRAZILIAN MEAT giant

JBS came a step closer last Friday to its long-held goal of trading its shares on the New York Stock Exchange.

The company’s minority shareholders voted to approve JBS’s plan to list its shares both in Sao Paulo and New York, casting aside opposition from environmental groups, U.S. lawmakers and others who noted JBS’s record of corruption, monopolistic behavior and environmental destruction.

JBS said the outcome showed shareholders were condent in the bene ts a dual listing would bring.

“This step is expected to further unlock value for JBS, providing broader access to investors and more competitive interest rates, thereby expanding our ability to nance growth at a lower cost and accelerating our diversi cation strategy,” JBS Global Chief Financial O cer Guilherme Cavalcanti said in a statement.

JBS said it expected to begin trading on the NYSE on June 12. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission granted the company’s request to list its shares in New York late last month.

JBS is one of the world’s largest food companies, with more than 250 production facilities in 17 countries. Half of its annual revenue comes from the U.S., where it has more than 72,000 employees. It’s America’s top beef producer and its second-largest producer of poultry and pork.

JBS has pushed for several years to have its stock traded in New York and received signi -

cant pushback. Mighty Earth, an environmental group, said last Friday that activists and political pressure had long kept the meat processor from making an initial public o ering in the U.S.

“Giving JBS access to billions of dollars of new funding will serve only to supercharge deforestation and its climate-wrecking operations,” Mighty Earth CEO Glenn Hurowitz said in a statement. “Listing on the NYSE is meant to be a signal to investors that a company is serious about transparency, but JBS has shown its only playbook is hiding the true scale of its destruction, climate emissions and human rights abuses.”

Intercontinental Exchange, the parent company of the NYSE, said it had no comment. Glass Lewis, an in uential

independent investor advisory rm, was also among those recommending that shareholders reject the plan.

In its report, Glass Lewis said the recent return of brothers Joesley and Wesley Batista to the JBS board should concern investors. The brothers, who are the sons of JBS’s founder, were brie y jailed in Brazil in 2017 on bribery and corruption charges.

“In our view, the involvement of the company and of Joesley and Wesley Batista in multiple high-pro le scandals has tarnished the company’s reputation, undermining stakeholder trust and posing a signi cant risk to its competitive position,” Glass Lewis said. Glass Lewis also objected to the company’s plan for dual share classes, which would give

Apple has little incentive to make

Building a plant and moving manufacturing would take years and cost billions

By Michael Liedtke The Associated Press

NCDOT CASH REPORT FOR THE WEEK ENDING MAY 23

Beginning Cash

$2,678,293,107

Receipts (income)

$157,505,022

Disbursements

$191,460,698

Cash Balance

$2,644,337,431

SAN FRANCISCO — Lashing out at Apple’s plans to make most of its U.S. iPhones in India, President Donald Trump last Friday threatened to slap a 25% tari on the popular device unless the tech giant starts building the product in its home country — a move that still seems unlikely to happen any time soon, if ever. Apple for decades has been building most of its devices in China, where it has invested tens of billions of dollars in massive factories that rely on a vast network of local suppliers. The company’s reliance on a crucial pipeline outside the U.S. thrust the technology trendsetter into the crosshairs of Trump’s trade war. In response to Trump’s tussle with China, Apple CEO Tim Cook said earlier this month that most iPhones sold in the U.S. during the March-June period would come from India. Although Trump in late April decided to temporarily exempt the iPhone and other electronics from most of his initial tari s, Cook said the trade war would end up costing Apple an additional $900 million during the March-June period.

After Trump initially unveiled his sweeping tari s in early April, industry analysts estimated the fees would drive up the cost of a $1,200 iPhone made in China to $1,500. That might sound steep, but most analysts believe if Apple somehow could suddenly start making iPhones in the U.S., prices for the devices would soar to at least $2,000 and possibly might rise as high as $3,500.

The disincentives for Apple shifting its production domestically include a complex

the Batistas and other controlling shareholders more voting power.

In its response to Glass Lewis’ report, JBS said it has established more stringent controls and anticorruption training at the company in recent years. It also said a U.S. listing would ensure more oversight from U.S. authorities.

“We believe this transaction will increase our visibility in global markets, attract new investors and further strengthen our position as a global food industry leader,” Tomazoni said in a statement last month when the company announced last Friday’s vote.

Many U.S. lawmakers also aren’t convinced JBS belongs on the NYSE.

In a letter sent last week to JBS, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) noted that Pilgrim’s Pride — a U.S. company owned by JBS — was the largest single donor to President Donald Trump’s inaugural committee, with a $5 million gift. The SEC’s approval came just weeks after that donation, Warren said.

“I am concerned Pilgrim’s Pride may have made its contribution to the inaugural fund to curry favor with the Trump administration,” Warren wrote in the letter, which asked the company why the donation was made.

In a statement, JBS said it has a “long bipartisan history of participating in the civic process.”

Warren was also among a bipartisan group of 15 U.S. senators who sent a letter to the SEC in January 2024 urging the agency to reject a U.S. listing for JBS. The senators, a diverse group that rarely agrees on policy, included Republicans Marco Rubio of Florida and Josh Hawley of Missouri, Democrat Cory Booker of New Jersey and Independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

The letter noted that in 2020, J&F Investments, a controlling shareholder of JBS that is owned by the Batista family, pleaded guilty to bribery charges in U.S. federal court and agreed to pay nes of $256 million.

iPhones in US

supply chain that Cook began to engineer during the 1990s while working for his predecessor, company co-founder Steve Jobs, who died in 2011. It would take several years and cost billions of dollars to build new plants in the U.S. Combined with current economic forces, the price of an iPhone could triple, threatening to torpedo sales of Apple’s marquee product, which generated revenue of $201 billion during the company’s last scal year.

“The concept of making iPhones in the U.S. is a nonstarter,” asserted Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives, re ecting a widely held view in the investment community that tracks Apple’s every move. He estimated that the current $1,000 price tag for an iPhone made in China or India would soar to more than $3,000 if production shifted to the U.S. And he believes that moving production domestically likely couldn’t be done until, at the earliest, 2028. “Price points would move so dramatically, it’s hard to comprehend.”

In a Friday research note,

Ives predicted Cook would engage in a “game of negotiations” with Trump that would spare the iPhone from the 25% tari s. Planning for the future is also becoming more di cult for Apple and other technology companies amid the upheaval caused by the rapid rise of arti cial intelligence. As AI becomes more sophisticated, the technology may spawn a forthcoming wave of hands-free and screen-free devices that diminish the demand for smartphones. “You may not need an iPhone 10 years from now, as crazy as it sounds,” Apple executive Eddy Cue said earlier this month during a trial about the U.S. Justice Department’s proposed breakup of Google for running an illegal monopoly in search. On a quarterly earnings call earlier in May, Cook told investors that tari s had a “limited impact” on the company in the March quarter because it was able to optimize its supply chain. But Cook warned that it is “very di cult” to predict beyond June “because I’m not sure what will happen with tari s.”

Sales sta work at an

The big question is how long Apple might be willing to hold the line on its current prices if Trump’s threatened tolls become too much to bear and consumers are asked to shoulder some of the burden. Even without an escalation in tari s, many analysts predict Apple will raise iPhone prices this autumn when the latest models are typically released — a prospect that could prod consumers to splurge on an upgrade this summer. One of the main reasons that Apple has had wiggle room to hold the line on its current iPhone pricing is because the company continues to reap huge pro t margins from the revenue generated by subscriptions and other services tied to its product, said Forrester Research analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee. That division, which collected $96 billion in revenue during Apple’s last scal year, remains untouched by Trump’s tari s. “Apple can absorb some of the tari -induced cost increases without signi cantnancial impact, at least in the short term,” Chatterjee said.

ERALDO PERES / AP PHOTO

Employees walk on the plant grounds of meatpacker JBS in Lapa, Brazil.

HAU DINH / AP PHOTO

Apple shop in Hanoi, Vietnam, in April.

features

‘Pee-wee

as Himself’ unmasks Paul Reubens

The comedic artist and children’s TV show host died in 2023 at age 70

By Jake Coyle

The Associated Press

SOME BIO documentaries are carried mostly by the re ective, archival footage that sends you back to the subject’s heyday.

But in Matt Wolf’s “Pee-wee as Himself” — as wonderful as much of the archival stu is — nothing is more compelling than when Paul Reubens is simply himself.

Before his death from cancer in 2023, Reubens sat for 40 hours of interviews with Wolf. His cooperation is clearly uncertain and sometimes strained in the lm — he stopped participating for a year before talking about his infamous 2001 arrest — and his doubts about the project linger throughout.

Reubens would rather be directing it himself, he says more than once. The man many know as Pee-wee Herman is used to controlling his image, and he has good reason for being skeptical of others doing so. But beyond that tension over authorship of his story, Reubens is also delightfully resistant to playing the part of documentary cliche.

“I was born in 1938 in a little house on the edge of the Mississippi River,” he begins. “My father worked on a steamboat.”

‘Lilo

& Stitch,’

“Hurry Up Tomorrow” earned $740K

By Andrew Dalton The Associated Press

DISNEY’S LIVE action version of “Lilo & Stitch” earned a staggering $145.5 million in North American theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday, the second biggest domestic opening of the year after “A Minecraft Movie.”

The movie is a faithful remake of the 2002 original’s story of a six-legged alien and a Hawaiian girl that has created a big cult following in the decades since. But the duo was no little brother and sister to the better-known gures in Disney’s parade of live-action remakes. It was second only to the $185 million opening of “The Lion King” in 2019 and outshot all projections, wowing box o ce observers.

“This overperformed by a huge margin,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore.

“Lilo & Stitch” surpassed Cruise’s 2022 “Top Gun: Maverick” as the biggest domestic Memorial Day weekend earner ever, and global estimates put it past $300 million.

Paramount Pictures’ “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” the eighth and (probably) last appearance of Cruise as Ethan Hunt in a nearly three-decade run, was a distant second, but still brought in a franchise record $63 million through Sunday, outearning “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” which opened domestically to $61 million in 2018.

And the spy thriller with Cruise’s frequent partner Christopher McQuarrie in the director’s chair for the fourth time in the franchise was the top global earner with $127 million.

Cruise has been a relentless global promoter of his movies, and he’s been the industry’s loudest cheerleader for going to theaters. This lm, like its predecessor in the series, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.

“The spectacle of what Tom

Paul Reubens is posthumously pro led in the documentary

“Pee-wee As Himself.”

Talking heads have gotten a bad rap in documentaries in recent years, but in “Pee-wee as Himself,” nothing is more compelling than Paul Reubens simply sitting before the camera, looking back at us.

Pee-wee may be iconic, but Paul Reubens is hysterical. And Wolf’s lm, with that winking title, makes for a revealing por-

‘Mission

trait of a performer who so often puts persona in front of personhood. In that way, “Pee-wee as Himself,” a two-part documentary on HBO and HBO Max, is moving as the posthumous unmasking of a man you can’t help but wish we had known better. Reubens was a product of TV. He grew up transformed by shows like “Howdy Doody,”

“The Mickey Mouse Club” and, later, “I Love Lucy.”

“I wanted to jump into my TV and live in that world,” he says.

Part of the delight of the rst half of Wolf’s lm is watching the wide range of inspirations — the circus culture of Sarasota, Florida, where his family moved to; Andy Warhol; performance art — coalesce into a singular creation like Pee-wee. That name, he says, came from a tiny harmonica that said “Peewee” on it and a kid named Herman he knew growing up.

“It was a whole bunch of things that had never really connected connecting,” says Reubens.

Wolf carefully traces the birth of Reubens’ alter-ego through the Groundlings in Los Angeles, on stage at the Roxy and then out into the world, on “The Gong Show,” on Letterman, in the 1985 Tim Burton-directed “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and, ultimately, on “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.”

“I felt in a way I was bringing the character out into the wild,” he recalls. “I just stayed in character all day.” That came with obvious sacri ces, too. For the sake of his career, Reubens stayed closeted as a gay man. He grew intensely private and seldom appeared in public not in character. Reubens also jettisoned some of his close collaborators, like Phil Hartman, as his fame grew.

When Reubens was arrested in 1991 and charged with indecent exposure, Reubens’ carefully guarded persona came crashing down. The scandal was worse because people knew only Pee-wee and not Reubens. There was also injustice in the whole a air, particularly the 2002 arrest that followed on

“I wanted to let people know who I really was and see how painful it was to be labeled as something I wasn’t.”

Paul Reubens

charges of child pornography that were later dropped.

When Reubens does get around to talking about it, he’s most resistant to painting himself as a victim or o ering any, as he says, “tears of a clown.”

Wolf, the director of lms like “Recorder,” about Marion Stokes, who recorded television all day long for 30 years, and “Spaceship Earth,” about the quirky 1991 Biosphere 2 experiment, is better known as a talented documentarian of visual archives than as a compelling interviewer of celebrities.

“Pee-wee as Himself” would have probably bene ted from less one-sided interplay between subject and lmmaker. But Wolf’s time was also limited with Reubens and getting this much from him is clearly an accomplishment.

Above all, Reubens says he’s doing the lm to clear a few things up. In the end, the full portrait of Reubens — including all his playful, self-deprecating charm in front of the camera — adds up to a much-needed retort to some of the misunderstandings about the man behind Pee-wee Herman.

The day before he died, Reubens called Wolf to say one last thing: “I wanted to let people know who I really was and see how painful it was to be labeled as something I wasn’t.”

Impossible’ yield monster holiday weekend

and McQ put on the screen, it screams theatrical,” said Chris Aronson, Paramount’s president of domestic distribution.

“The product they put out just screams, ‘This has to be in theaters.’”

The previous lm, 2023’s

“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” launched with a franchise-best $80 million over ve days in a July opening, though it came in shy of industry expectations with a $56.2 million haul over a three-day weekend.

The holiday weekend as a whole blasted past last year, when the Memorial Day box o ce saw just $132 million for all lms in the Friday-through-Monday span. And it appears that it will top 2013 as the best Memorial Day the industry has had, with an estimat-

“I can’t think of a better lineup of lms to ignite leading up to Memorial weekend to ignite the spark that got us this record-breaking holiday frame.”

Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore

ed overall total of $325 million.

Critics were wearying of Disney’s live action and CGI remakes of its animated classics. Mark Kennedy of The Associated Press called this “Lilo & Stitch” “utterly unnecessary.”

There were signs audiences were agreeing. “Snow White” opened to a sleepy $43 million

in March, and several similar releases were tepid.

But this lm tapped into a latent love for oddball pairing. It also furthered a trend that includes “A Minecraft Movie” of PG-rated lms outpacing the PG-13 movies that usually dominate, made all the more impressive by the lower kids’ ticket prices the more family-oriented lms bring.

Dergarabedian credits a strong lead-up of lms that have put people in theaters and remain the box o ce top 10, including “Minecraft,” “Sinners,” “Thunderbolts” and “Final Destination: Bloodlines.”

“I can’t think of a better lineup of lms to ignite leading up to Memorial weekend to ignite the spark that got us this record-breaking holiday frame,” he said.

This image shows Maia Kealoha and Sydney Agudong in a still from the lm “Lilo & Stitch.”

San Diego plane crash devastates alternative rock music community

Dave Shapiro nurtured generations of bands

By Maria Sherman

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — The alternative music community is in mourning after a private jet hit a power line in foggy weather early last Thursday and crashed into a San Diego neighborhood, killing multiple people on board.

Among them was the groundbreaking music executive Dave Shapiro, a pillar of his music scene, and Daniel Williams, a former drummer for the popular Ohio metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada. Also killed were Kendall Fortner, 24, and Emma Huke, 25, both employees of Shapiro’s Sound Talent Group agency; Celina Marie Rose Kenyon, 36, a professional photographer; and Dominic Christopher Damian, 41.

Williams’ band, which had two releases reach the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, was a client of Sound Talent Group. Shapiro cofounded the company in 2018 with fellow agents Tim Borror and Matt Andersen, who previously worked at the Agency Group and United Talent Agency.

“It’s hard to put into words how much this man meant to so many of us” Pierce the Veil

tered the cultural zeitgeist in the late 1970s, it inspired musical sub-movements fueled by its “do-it-yourself,” community-minded ethics: hardcore punk begat post-hardcore, metalcore, emo and so on. Across decades, these music genres evolved in sound and scope, moving from underground popularity at concerts held in garages and basements to real mainstream fame, while refusing to abandon its independent ethos.

Myspace, at the mall goth haven Hot Topic, or in the pages of left-of-center publications like Alternative Press became MTV staples, celebrities in their own right.

Although many of these acts played similar-yet-di erent music — think of the blast beats of metalcore and the palm-muted power chords of pop-punk associated with the Vans Warped Tour — they were brought together by a shared punk rock spirit. And for the last few decades, these tight-knit groups have proven to be the dominant force in alternative rock, according to Mike Shea, founder of “Alternative Press,” who used the word “community” to describe the scene.

Shea said Shapiro was “vital” in bringing these punk rock subcultures to the masses.

“In this music industry, there are just too many people ripping people o and using people,” he said. “Dave was not like that. He was a beautiful soul, and beautiful person, a guiding force, just someone who would end up being an inspiration for so many people. And he will continue to be an inspiration.”

The bands Shapiro represented are many of the most popular of their genre and scene, like the Grammy-nominated Sum 41 or the platinum-selling Pierce the Veil.

The post-hardcore band last Thursday called Shapiro, 42, an inspiration “who despite achieving success never forgot the scenes and the communities they came from.”

“It’s hard to put into words how much this man meant to so many of us,” Pierce the Veil, which has been performing for

Sound Talent Group’s roster focused on bands in and across pop-punk, metalcore, post-hardcore and other popular hard rock subgenres — such as Sum 41, Pierce the Veil, Parkway Drive, Silverstein, I Prevail — plus pop acts like the ‘90s brother-boy band, Hanson, best known for their song “MMMBop,” and “A Thousand Miles (Interlude)” singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton.

nearly two decades including a sold-out concert this week at New York’s Madison Square Garden, said in a tribute on the social platform X.

The World Alive, a band signed on Shapiro’s label, said he was among “the most in uential and positive forces in our music scene and beyond. And Dan was one of the most in uential and positive forces behind the kit.”

Shortly after punk rock en-

Thomas Gutches, who manages Beartooth and Archetypes Collide, recalled a time when now-popular bands like The Devil Wears Prada were getting their start playing in “DIY shows” in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, in which you could see 10 bands perform for $5. Shapiro was “single-handedly developing this next wave of bands that are coming in,” Gutches said. “He was able to take those bands, package them together and put them on a larger scale. ... He took a risk in being like, ‘OK, I’m going to go and take them to that next level.’ “ These artists reached a kind of apex in the 2000s and 2010s. Once-obscure bands that had found audiences on early online social media platforms like

That also includes The Devil Wears Prada, one of the bestknown metalcore bands of the last few decades, celebrated for their ability to marry melodic punk rock with metallic detouring. When Williams “was in the band, that’s when they broke out,” Shea said.

Gutches said Williams captivated audiences at shows with his drumming as much as a band’s frontman does: “Daniel was putting on a show from his style of playing.”

Johansson, Stewart, Dickinson speak as new directors

The actors discuss “Eleanor the Great,” “The Chronology of Water” and “Urchin”

The Associated Press

CANNES, France — The Cannes Film Festival has played host to the directorial debuts of three stars: Scarlett Johansson, Kristen Stewart and relative newcomer Harris Dickinson. Their lms are very di erent but the ful llment of longtime dreams of being behind the camera. All three movies are part of Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section, which has helped launch the careers of directors like Yorgos Lanthimos, Lynne Ramsay and Molly Manning Walker. At 28, Dickinson is an up -and-coming actor, known for “Babygirl,” “Where the Crawdads Sing” and the Palme d’Or-winning “Triangle of Sadness,” who worked for years to develop his lm, “Urchin.” Johansson, a two-time Oscar acting nominee who’s been a star since her teens and played Black Widow in multiple Marvel lms, brought “Eleanor the Great,” a lm about a nonagenarian who coopts her late friend’s Holocaust story, to Cannes this week.

Stewart, also an acting Oscar nominee, debuted “The Chronology of Water,” an adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch’s 2011 memoir, last week.

Here’s what the actors-turned-directors had to say about their rst forays into creating a lm from behind the camera.

Dickinson on “Urchin”

“I wanted to direct from a very young age. I wanted to make lms,” says Dickinson, who got his start as many young creators do now: on YouTube. He even had a web sketch series. “That was my rst love, just making things.”

Dickinson’s pro le as an actor has exploded in recent years, but his desire to direct was so strong, he started saying no to roles.

“’Urchin’ was all I could think about. It was pouring out of me. It was all that was on my mind,” he said. “It’s easy to say no when you’ve got something to take you away from that, you know?

Nothing that came in would make me question my own lm, which is a sign that I had to make it at this time.”

The lm stars Frank Dillane — who won an acting honor in the Un Certain Regard competition — as a homeless Londoner su ering from drug addiction.

Johansson on “Eleanor the Great”

Johansson is now one of the world’s most recognizable stars. She’s also one of its most re-

spected, earning two Oscar nominations in 2020, for “Marriage Story” and “Jojo Rabbit.” Her success as an actor helped her take on new roles on lms, including producing, and now, directing. “At some point, I worked enough that I stopped worrying

about not working, or not being relevant — which is very liberating,” Johansson says. “I think it’s something all actors feel for a long time until they don’t. I would not have had the condence to direct this lm 10 years ago.” She says that throughout her

“Nothing that came in would make me question my own lm, which is a sign that I had to make it at this time.”

Dickinson

career, imagining how to make movies has been part of her process: “Whether it was reading something and thinking, ‘I can envision this in my mind,’ or even being on a production and thinking, ‘I am directing some elements of this out of necessity.’”

The New York-set “Eleanor the Great” stars June Squibb as a 94-year-old who, out of grief and loneliness, takes over her friend’s story of Holocaust survival as her own.

Stewart on “The Chronology of Water”

“It was eight years in the making and then a really accelerated push. It’s an obvious comparison but it was childbirth,” says Stewart of the lm. “I was pregnant for a really long time and then I was screaming bloody murder.”

Stewart in interviews has talked about challenging the myth that men are better suited to directing.

“It’s really not fair for people to think it’s hard to make a movie insofar as you need to know things before going into it. There are technical directors, but, Jesus Christ, you hire a crew. You just have a perspective and trust it,” she said. “My inexperience made this movie.”

Yuknavitch’s memoir recounts her surviving sexual abuse by her father and how she sought refuge in competitive swimming and, later, writing.

While Stewart expressed doubts that she o ered much to her lm’s star, Imogen Poots, in terms of useful direction, the actor disagrees.

“Kristen is incredibly present but at the same has this ability, like a plant or something, to pick up on a slight shift in the atmosphere where it’s like: ‘Wait a minute,’” Poots said, causing Stewart to laugh. “There is this insane brain at play, and it’s a skill set that comes in the form of an intense curiosity.”

JOEL C RYAN / INVISION VIA AP

Director Harris Dickinson poses for a portrait photograph for the lm ‘Urchin’ at the 78th international lm festival in Cannes, France, earlier this month.

LEWIS JOLY / INVISION VIA AP

Kristen Stewart poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the lm “Bono: Stories of Surrender.”

SCOTT A. GARFITT / INVISION VIA AP

Director Scarlett Johansson, from left, June Squibb and Erin Kellyman pose for photographers at the photo call for the lm ‘Eleanor the Great’ at the 78th international lm festival in Cannes, France, last week.

STEPHANIE SIAU / SOUND TALENT GROUP VIA A

Music executive Dave Shapiro poses for a portrait on Dec. 3, 2024, in Nashville.

Harris

Kyle Larson’s double bid falls short, B4

the Thursday SIDELINE REPORT

NCAA FOOTBALL

Playo shifts to straight seeding model, no automatic byes for top league champs

Irving, Texas

The College Football Playo will go to a more straightforward way of lling the bracket next season, placing teams strictly on their ranking instead of rewarding conference champions with byes. The new format was widely expected after last season’s jumbled bracket gave byes to Big 12 champion Arizona State and Mountain West champion Boise State, ranked ninth and 12th by the selection committee.

NASCAR 2-time Cup Series

champion Busch to return to Childress Racing for 2026 season

Concord Richard Childress Racing has picked up the option on Kyle Busch’s contract, keeping the two-time Cup Series champion on the team for 2026. The 40-year-old Busch is in the midst of the longest slump of his career, with his losing streak closing in on 70 Cup Series races. Busch has won 63 Cup Series races since joining the circuit in 2003, but none since June 4, 2023.

MLB

Cruz hits 122.9 mph home run, hardest-hit ball since tracking began in 2015

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz had the hardest-hit ball since tracking started in 2015, a home run that left the bat at 122.9 mph. Cruz’s drive to right came on a 92.2-mph fastball and traveled 432 feet into the Allegheny River. Cruz had the previous hardest-hit ball, a 122.4 mph single in 2022. Giancarlo Stanton had the prior hardest-hit home run at 121.8 mph, in 2017.

Chastain goes from worst to 1st to win NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600

He’s the rst driver since 1969 to win after starting the race in last place

By Steve Reed The Associated Press

CONCORD — Ross Chastain stood on top of his No. 1 Chevrolet in his white re suit and held a watermelon above his head as the crowd at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roared with delight in anticipation.

Then, with sense of ferocity, Chastain slammed it to the track, smashing it to pieces.

Chastain began smashing watermelon as a way to uniquely honor his family’s legacy as eighth-generation watermelon farmers. The tradition began after his rst NASCAR Cup Series race and has continued after every win as his own unique way to cele -

brate his strong ties to watermelon farming. But this win was extra special, his rst at crown jewel event.

“This thing is fresh from Florida,” Chastain said with a laugh. “It just came up from our family farm. Man, for the Florida watermelon industry,

that’s your watermelons you’re getting right now, so y’all better go buy a dang watermelon to celebrate. I want to see videos of smashed watermelons ood the socials. I want to see it. Florida watermelons are in season.”

Chastain passed two-time

Daytona 500 winner William Byron with six laps left and won the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, capping a remarkable comeback and becoming the rst driver to win the event after starting at the back of the eld.

NASCAR said he’s the rst driver to win from an o cial starting position of last since Bobby Allison at the Richmond Fairgrounds in 1969. William Byron won the rst three stages and led 283 laps, but surrendered the lead to

See NASCAR, page B3

Hurricanes rookies ‘seizing the moment’

Logan Stankoven and Alexander Nikishin helped Carolina take a must-win Game 4

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal

SUNRISE, Fla. — When teams go looking for postseason reinforcements at the trade deadline in any sport, intangibles are often high on the wish list. Grizzled veterans, players with previous championships and dyed-in-the-wool leaders are what win games, series and championships, conventional wisdom says. But if you’re the Carolina Hurricanes, your “it” factor is coming from players who maybe don’t even know what “it” is yet. “It’s a tough time of the year to come in as a rookie and play minutes like that,” Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin said of the four rst-year players in Carolina’s lineup Monday when the team fended o elimina-

tion with a 3-0 win in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference nal against the Florida Panthers. Throughout the season, rookie Jackson Blake has made the transition from being a Hobey Baker Award nalist as one of the nation’s top collegiate players a year ago to an

impact player in his rst professional season. The shifty winger, the son of former MNHL 40-goal scorer Jason Blake, scored 17 goals in the regular season and has three more in his rst taste of the Stanley Cup playo s. Defenseman Scott Morrow,

also in Year 1 of what promises to be a long, productive NHL career, spent much of the year in the American Hockey League but was forced into action this postseason when Jalen Chateld su ered an injury in Carolina’s second round series against the Washington Capitals. Alexander Nikshin, the long-awaited defensive prospect who signed with the Hurricanes and came across the pond just over a month ago when his KHL season ended in Russia, made his NHL debut in Game 5 of that Capitals series, an introduction to the NHL Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour called “rough.”

But when Sean Walker joined Chat eld among injured Carolina defensemen, Brind’Amour had little choice but to go back to Nikshin, who the coach said has faced an uphill climb in getting acclimated with the Hurricanes due to a language barrier and the lack of practices the team holds during the postseason.

LYNNE SLADKY / AP PHOTO

Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin carries the puck as Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist pressures him during Carolina’s 3-0 win Monday in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference nal in Sunrise, Florida.

JASON JACKSON FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Ross Chastain celebrates after winning the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte.

JASON JACKSON FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Ross Chastain’s No. 1 car went from last to rst, the rst time any driver has done that at the 600 in Charlotte.

5.29.25

TRENDING

Jordan Marsh:

The former UNC Asheville and App State guard is transferring to Southern California. He was the Big South’s newcomer of the year last season with the Bulldogs. Marsh averaged 18.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 32 games. He began his college career at Appalachian State, where he played in 32 of 34 games o the bench as a freshman.

Roger Penske:

The head of Team Penske red president Tim Cindric, IndyCar managing director Ron Ruzewski and GM Kyle Moyer in the wake of an Indianapolis 500 cheating scandal, saying “nothing is more important than the integrity of our sport and our race teams.”

Josef Newgarden and teammate Will Power were found to have an illegally modi ed part on their cars ahead of the nal round of quali cations for the Indianapolis 500.

William Byron:

The Charlotte native received a four-year contract extension from Hendrick Motorsports that will keep the 27-year-old driver with the team through 2029. Now in his eighth season, Byron won this year’s Daytona 500 for the second straight year, becoming the youngest multitime winner in the event’s storied history. He has earned 14 Cup Series wins and six consecutive playo appearances from 2019 to 2024.

Beyond the box score

POTENT QUOTABLES

“There are cameras everywhere, man. We can’t get away with anything anymore.”

Florida’s Brad Marchand after he allegedly ate Dairy Queen Blizzard between periods of the Panthers’ Game 3 win over the Hurricanes.

“I know he said it. I’m just not sure that makes it a fact.”

Panthers coach Paul Maurice, expressing doubt at the Marchand Blizzard story.

NUMBER

Tennis singles titles for Novak Djokovic after he won the Geneva Open last week. It was his rst tournament win in nine months. The 38-year-old Djokovic joins Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) as the only players to hit the century mark.

AUTO RACING

Alex Palou became the rst driver from Spain to win the Indianapolis 500 by holding o Marcus Ericsson. Palou came to the speedway with four wins through the rst ve races. Ericsson, the 2022 Indy 500 winner, nished second for Andretti Global in a 1-2 nish for Honda. David Malukas was third for A.J. Foyt Racing and Chevrolet.

Boston’s Jayson Tatum was a unanimous rst-team All-NBA pick, earning his fth All-NBA honor and fourth rst-team spot. Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell also made the rst team. Stephen Curry was named to the second team.

Patrick Agyemang (pictured) scored two goals in a span of ve minutes and Pep Biel scored the game winner as Charlotte FC beat the Columbus Crew 3-2. Agyemang now has scored four goals in his last three games. Biel scored the game winner with 12 minutes to play.

Cedric Coward, who intended on transferring to Duke, will instead keep his name in the 2025 NBA Draft. Coward, 21, averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists in six games for Washington State last season before his year ended prematurely due to a partially torn shoulder labrum. The 6-foot-6 Coward also shot 40% from 3-point range.

NBA MLS

FRANK FRANKLIN II / AP PHOTO

JOHN RAOUX/ AP PHOTO

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CHRIS O’MEARA / AP PHOTO

AJ MAST / AP PHOTO

UNC women’s lacrosse completes perfect season with fourth NCAA title

Sisters Ashley and

Chloe

Humphrey led the way in their record-setting seasons

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

THE UNC Tar Heels women’s lacrosse team is once again NCAA champions after defeating Northwestern 12-8 Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium outside of Boston.

And not only did UNC win a championship, but they also put the ribbon on a perfect season, having gone on an undefeated 22-0 run from the start.

“Our team’s been tough all year,” said coach Jenny Levy, who has been at the helm for all four titles. “Nothing’s fazed them. They’ve been poised. Maybe a little nervous early, but we settled down and had just a total team e ort.”

It’s the fourth title for the Tar Heels and their rst since 2022, a season in which they also went undefeated.

“The opportunity to win a national championship doesn’t happen for everybody, and for these guys, it’s a lifelong experience that they’ll always remember and they’ll always be national champs,” Levy said.

Leading the way on the scoreboard was freshman standout Chloe Humphrey, who had four goals in the championship match. With those tallies, Humphrey pushed her own NCAA record for goals by a freshman to 90.

Not only was Humphrey

a dominant force, but so too was her sister Ashley, whose high-level playmaking — four assists in the win — saw her break not only the assist record for a single tournament run (20), but also her own NCAA single-season record (90).

The Tar Heels also had a monster defensive performance led by All-American defender Sam Forrest.

“The defense was incredible, shutting down what they go to and how they score,” Levy said.

The UNC defense kept Northwestern’s Madison Taylor, who was the leading scorer

in the nation, without a goal in the championship game.

“What I do is not without my defense,” said redshirt freshman goaltender Betty Nelson, who made eight saves in the win. “My saves come from them giving me the shots that I want to see. So whatever they do on the eld is pivotal for my job, and they made it really easy to do my job and I felt comfortable.”

They always say that winning a national championship makes you family, but this UNC team was already close.

For one, the Tar Heels also

UNC wins ACC Baseball Tournament, hosts NCAA super regional

The Tar Heels lead a group of ve tournament teams from the state

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

NORTH CAROLINA’S reward for winning the ACC Baseball Tournament in Durham was a top- ve seed and the opportunity to host an NCAA regional and super regional.

The Tar Heels stormed to their ninth baseball tournament title and third in the last six tourneys. Carolina beat Boston College (7-2), Florida State (7-5) and blew out Clemson in the title game, going up 14-0 on the way to a 14-4 win.

UNC catcher Luke Stevenson was named ACC Tournament MVP after homering twice, driving in ve runs and scoring ve in the tournament. Second baseman Jackson Van De Brake and pitcher Jake Knapp also made the all-tournament team for the Tar Heels. Knapp also won ACC Pitcher of the Year for the regular season. Hunter Stokely was also regular season all-ACC rst team for the Heels.

The Heels, ranked as high as No. 3 in some polls and received a No. 5 seed in the NCAA brackets, their second straight year with a top- ve national seed. It’s also the sixth time in

NASCAR from page B1

Chastain, who started in 40th place and led just eight laps in his rst NASCAR Cup Series victory of the year.

It was a huge boost to Trackhouse Racing, and a bitter disappointment for Byron, the Charlotte native who had signed a four-year contract extension Friday with Hendrick Motorsports. Byron has nished in the top three in the last three Coca-Cola 600s without winning.

Chastain said his crew stayed up all night to build him another car after a crash in practice on Saturday.

the last eight tournaments that UNC has had the opportunity to host. UNC has hosted 14 times in its history and received 10 top-eight seeds. The Heels have the ACC’s longest streak of making the tournament, extending it to eight in a row.

The Heels open the double-elimination tournament this week with 4-seed Holy Cross, which won the Patriot League.

The Crusaders are making their rst NCAA appearance since 2017.

Carolina will also host Oklahoma and Nebraska, who play each other in their rst game in the regional. The Sooners are 35-20, while the Cornhuskers won the Big Ten with a 32-17 mark. The Tar Heels will be trying to make the College World Seres for the second straight season and 13th time overall.

While the Tar Heels are the only team in the state hosting games, four other teams received NCAA bids.

The East Carolina Pirates will be trying to shake o an unwanted record. ECU is making its 35th trip to the NCAA Tournament, but the Pirates currently have the most appearances without ever making it to the College World Series.

At 32-25, ECU won the American Conference Tournament to make their seventh consecutive NCAA tourney. It’s the

“To drive on that nal run in the 600 and pass two cars that had been better than me all night, wow,” said Chastain, who celebrated by standing on his car and slamming a watermelon down on the track as has become his tradition following a victory. “Holy cow! We just won the 600.”

Chastain said the plan was the x the original car after the wreck, but NASCAR intervened. It might have been a good thing they did.

“We thought we were going to have to x the primary and NASCAR said, no, there is something bent (so) go build another one,” Chastain

Pirates’ fourth American Conference tourney title and rst since 2022. ECU is led by utility player Colby Wallace, who made rst team all-AAC.

They’re headed to Conway, South Carolina, to play in Coastal Carolina’s regional. ECU, ranked third in the four-team bracket, will open with Florida. The Gators, with a 38-20 record, got an at-large berth out of the SEC. Coastal, which got a No. 13 national seed, opens with MAAC champion Fair eld.

The other three North Carolina teams all got at-large berths out of the ACC.

NC State nished a half game behind UNC in the ACC standings, at 17-11, 33-19 overall. The Wolfpack lost to Clemson in the conference tournament opener 7-6, which ended any hopes of hosting. NC State is headed to Auburn as the second-seed in that regional. They’ll open with ASUN champion Stetson, which has a 40-20 record. Auburn opens with Northeast champion Central Connecticut, which is 31-15. Auburn (38-18) got an at-large out of the SEC and is the No. 4 national seed in the tournament.

had more than just two sisters on the roster as Nicole Humphrey, a 2022 champion, had stayed on for her nal year of eligibility as a reserve to play with both of her sisters.

“It’s a whole di erent set of emotions,” Chloe said on winning a title alongside her sisters.

“It’s just incredible to see the impact Nicole has had on all of us. She started the UNC dream, so much credit to her. It’s just so awesome being alongside my sisters and being able to live out our dream together.”

“That connection is obviously so deep, but I think with this

whole team, I have 38 sisters,” Ashley said. “This whole entire team, this sta , like we are just one big family.”

There was also a familial connection between coach Levy and daughter Kate, who had a goal in the win.

“To be on the eld with Kate and to watch her play and watch her teammates play is just super special, and I’m so proud of her,” Levy said. “She’s tough, she’s a great teammate, she works hard. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet, but she’s a special kid and a special athlete and a special teammate. So proud of her, and I just feel really lucky that we can both be in this position together. It’s really cool.”

What makes the Tar Heels’ season even more impressive is how much of a turnaround it was from what happened in 2024, when an injury-decimated squad saw themselves bounced in the rst round.

“We really were very focused on keeping things simple and playing to our strengths,” Levy said about the turnaround. “We knew what we wanted to do going into the fall, and we really worked on a couple things that were some really big style changes for us on the defensive side and in the mid eld.

“Honestly, we went into our first game of the season against JMU and I had no idea how it was going to work. But we flipped it, kept it simple and we were very positive and very encouraging for them to learn how to play together, how to play hard and how to be fearless.”

The men’s lacrosse tournament was held one day later on Memorial Day, featuring a showdown between the top two seeds, Cornell and Maryland. In the end, All-American CJ Kirst’s six-goal outing led the Big Red to a 13-10 victory and Cornell’s rst men’s lacrosse title since 1977.

Number of NCAA bids for ECU without a trip to the College World Series

Duke’s 17-13 ACC mark (37-19 overall) put the Blue Devils in seventh place in the league. The Blue Devils posted a win over second-to-last place Pitt, 4-3, in the ACC Tournament, but they fell to FSU in the next game, 14 -7. Duke is led by third baseman Ben Miller, who made rst team all-ACC this season. Now Duke heads to Athens, Georgia, where they’ll be the No. 2 seed, behind Georgia. Duke opens with Oklahoma State, an at-large team despite a 27-22 record. Georgia, an at-large at 42-15 and the No. 7 national seed, opens with Amer-

said. “That’s how we did that.” Chastain’s crew chief, Phil Surgen, said it was “de ating” when a tire went down and Chastain crashed during practice because their original car had been running so well, nishing fastest among the eld in 10-, 15- and 20-lap averages.

But he said more than 30 employees came into the nearby race shop to work on the car, with nearly a dozen staying until 2:30 a.m. to get it ready to race. The car they used was slated to be a backup car at the Nashville race, but didn’t have an engine and needed several other additions.

“This group of guys I have got is relentless and no doubt everybody was going to give it their best,” Surgen said. “Guys were at concerts and ballgames and dropped what they were doing to come in and help.”

Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks called it a “master class” e ort by the team. Byron left the track disappointed over his inability to maintain the lead.

“He was catching me and I was trying to defend and I was getting a little tight,” Byron said.

“He got a run on me and was able to get to the bottom of the track o of two. It’s disappointing to lead that many laps.”

ica East champion Binghamton, which is 29-24. Wake Forest rounds out the state’s NCAA teams. The Demon Deacons nished a game behind Duke at 16-14, 36-20 overall. They were then upset by last-place Cal, 14-12, in the tournament opener. The Deacs are led by all-ACC rst-team starting pitcher Blake Morningstar. That sends the Deacs to Knoxville, Tennessee, as the No. 2 seed behind the Vols, who are the No. 14 national seed. Wake opens with Cincinnati, an at-large out of the Big 12 at 3224. The Bearcats are making their rst NCAA trip since 2019. Tennessee opens with MAC champion Miami (Ohio), which is 35-21. The RedHawks are headed to their rst tournament since 2005.

Byron became the rst driver to sweep the rst three stages at NASCAR’s longest race, but found himself in a battle with Denny Hamlin the nal 100 laps. They exchanged lead a few times before both drivers pitted with 52 laps for one nal ll up on gas.

But Hamlin didn’t get enough fuel in his car and would have to pit again, falling out of contention. He would nish 16th. Chastain, running in a backup car, ran down Byron for his sixth Cup Series win and rst crown jewel victory.

Pole-sitter Chase Briscoe nished third.

@NCAALAX / X

The Tar Heels women’s lacrosse team celebrates winning the national title.

JAYLYNN NASH / ACC

UNC pitcher Cameron Padgett and catcher Luke Stevenson (44) get the celebration started after the last out of the ACC Tournament.

Former NC players, coaches headed to women’s College World Series

North Buncombe’s Karlyn Pickens highlights a talented group of locals still playing

By Asheebo Rojas North State Journal

ALTHOUGH THERE aren’t any North Carolina teams in this year’s Women’s College World Series, the Old North State will have plenty of in uence in Oklahoma City this week.

Numerous players with ties to North Carolina high schools and colleges will compete for a national championship at OGE Energy Field at Devon Park with all games starting Thursday. Eight teams will compete in a double-elimination bracket with the nal two teams playing a best of three championship series starting Wednesday.

No. 3 Florida will take on No. 6 Texas at noon, and the winner will play the victor of No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 7 Tennessee at 2:30 p.m. Ole Miss and No. 12 Texas Tech will follow at 7 p.m., and the winner will await either No. 16 Oregon or No. 9 UCLA at 9:30 p.m.

Defending champion Oklahoma, the highest seeded remaining, has local connections from the players and coaching sta .

Junior pitcher Kierston Deal, a Winston-Salem native and East Forsyth alum, is in her third season with the Sooners after being ranked the No. 1 player in the class of 2022 by Extra Inning Softball in high school. This sea-

son, she’s achieved a 10-2 record in the circle with an ERA of 3.45 and 47 strikeouts.

Redshirt senior pitcher Isabella Smith is a Raleigh native (St. David’s School) who played three seasons at Campbell (2023 Big South pitcher of the year) and one season at James Madison before joining the Sooners this spring. Smith has a 9-1 record this year with an ERA of 3.25 and 44 strikeouts.

Deal and Smith’s catcher, redshirt junior Isabela Emerling, transferred into the program after spending three seasons at UNC. In 2024, Emerling was one of the Tar Heels’ best hitters, leading the team in home runs, RBIs, total bases, OPS and slugging percentage. She’s made 52 starts this season, log-

ging a batting average of .218, 11 home runs and a .984 elding percentage.

On the coaching sta , assistant Falepolima Steele, a former player and national champion at Oklahoma, spent one season as an assistant for former UNC coach Donna J. Papa in 2023. Tennessee also has multiple connections.

Junior pitcher Karlyn Pickens, a Weaverville native and North Buncombe alum, is in her third season with the Volunteers since being ranked the No. 5 overall prospect in the class of 2022 by Extra Inning Softball and earning the 2020-21 North Carolina Gatorade Softball Player of the Year title. Pickens, the 2025 SEC pitcher of the year, has been a force this season,

achieving a 24-9 record with a 1.00 ERA (second in Division I) and 280 strikeouts ( fth in D-I). She’s notched three games with double-digit strikeouts in the NCAA tournament, including the back-to-back wins over Nebraska in last weekend’s Super Regional.

Freshman in elder Emma Clarke out of Cleveland (West Rowan High School) has made an immediate impact for the Volunteers. She’s started 30 games and recorded 17 hits, two home runs, 77 putouts and a .989 elding percentage. Robbinsville High School alum Zoie Shuler is another freshman for the Volunteers, serving primarily as a base runner. Shuler has played in 35 games and recorded 14 runs this season.

Florida has two ties to North Carolina natives on its roster.

Before transferring to Florida this season, senior pitcher Kara Hammock spent three seasons at UNC Wilmington, where she earned CAA rookie of the year, All-CAA rst team and All-CAA second team honors. She was also named the 2024 CAA Tournament MVP. Hammock led UNCW to two CAA Tournament titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances. This season, Hammock went 9-1 in the circle, recording an ERA of 3.61 and 42 strikeouts.

Freshman out elder Layla Lamar, a Cary native and Panther Creek alum, has appeared in 16 games and made three starts for the Gators in 2025. Lamar has logged a batting aver-

Larson crashes again at Coca-Cola 600, ending disappointing day in bid to run ‘The Double’

A crash also ended his Indy 500 race

By Steve Reed and Dave Skretta

The Associated Press

CONCORD — Kyle Larson’s day went from bad to worse Sunday night at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, leaving the talented young driver unsure if he will attempt to run “The Double” again.

Larson was caught up in a wreck on Lap 246 of the Coca-Cola 600, ending a disappointing day in which he also crashed out at the Indianapolis 500 on Lap 91. Larson was bidding to become the second driver to nish both races and run the combined 1,100 miles.

It didn’t go well.

“I hate the way the day went,” Larson said. “I wish I could hit the reset button. I feel terrible for everybody, especially for (car owner) Rick Hendrick.”

Larson tried to run The Double last year, but weather issues intervened.

This year this issue was wrecks.

“I guess it just wasn’t meant to be, I guess,” Larson said.

After getting checked out at the medical center at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Larson said he hadn’t determined if he will try to run The Double again next year, saying it’s too fresh.

CANES from page B1

On Monday, Nikishin continued to climb that hill, growing more e ective with each shift as the coaching sta became more comfortable with putting him in critical situations — both out of con dence and necessity.

That included on the penalty kill, on which the Hurricanes went 4 for 4 in Game 4 despite being without Chat eld, who has played a major role on the league’s best PK, and Walker, the usual ll-in when Carolina needs another defenseman to step in while shorthanded.

Nikishin logged nearly 19 minutes, including 72 seconds

“The double is a tough undertaking,” Larson said. “The window of time is just too tight.” Larson started well Sunday night after beginning on the front row. He led early in the race but hit the wall on lap 38 and his car was never the same. He spun out a few laps later, sending him across the front stretch and forcing him into the pits multiple times for adjustments. He wound up near the back of the eld, hoping for a top-10 nish. Then came the wreck involving Ryan Blaney, Chase

on the penalty kill, and had ve hits for the second consecutive game since returning to the lineup.

“Obviously, he’s seizing the moment right now,” Brind’Amour said.

There was no moment bigger than the play he and the Hurricanes’ fourth rookie, Logan Stankoven, connected on in the second period. With the score 0-0 and Carolina looking to claim its rst lead in the series, Nikishin quickly backhanded a pass in the neutral zone to a streaking Stankoven on the left side of the ice.

Stankoven closed on the Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky and

“I guess it just wasn’t meant to be, I guess.”

Kyle Larson

Briscoe and Daniel Suarez as they ran three wide ahead of Larson o turn four. They got tangled up. Suarez spun across the track and clipped the right rear of Larson. Larson drove the wrecked No. 5 Chevrolet to the garage, ending his day. He nished 37th. Larson arrived at the Char-

snapped a shot over the Florida goalie’s right shoulder to give the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead they never relinquished.

“Just not looking like rookies,” Brind’Amour said of Stankoven and Nikishin. “I mean, (Stankoven) had a little more experience. He’s been through this a little bit. With Nikishin, that has been pretty impressive, especially the amount of minutes that (he’s) getting kind of forced to play. Both of those guys were excellent tonight.”

Brind’Amour praised Nikishin’s poise, saying the Russian was “unfazed” by the moment.

“I just like that he’s not rattled,” Brind’Amour said. “He’s

age of .235 with four hits, three runs and four RBIs. At Panther Creek, she was the 2022 North Carolina District 3 player of the year and the 2022 Southwest Wake County Conference player of the year. Lamar nished as Panther Creek’s home run record holder.

Ole Miss senior Jaden Pone, a utility player out of Hope Mills (Gray’s Creek High School), will also compete for a national title with the Rebels. Pone, who earned All-SEC rst team honors this season (former 2023 Big South player of the year at Longwood), started 60 games this year. Leading into the CWS, she’s recorded a .363 batting average with 61 hits. Pone has also notched 98 putouts with a 1.000 elding percentage.

Oregon’s senior in elder Dezianna Patmon spent her rst two seasons at North Carolina A&T before playing her junior year at New Mexico State, where she was named the Conference USA newcomer of the year and earned All-CUSA rst team honors. At N.C. A&T, she recorded a career batting average of .310 with 78 hits, 35 RBIs and 11 home runs. Defensively, she logged a .883 elding percentage with 101 putouts.

This season, Patmon has been a solid hitter for the Ducks in her 55 starts, achieving a .302 batting average with 42 hits, 10 home runs and a .597 slugging percentage.

Oregon assistant coach Sydney Romero was the hitting and in eld coach at Duke from 2022-23, helping the Blue Devils host a NCAA Super Regional for the rst time in program history.

Steve Singleton, an assistant coach at Texas, has a small connection to North Carolina as he spent time in 2013 as the hitting and head in eld instructor for Baseball Rebellion, a training facility in Raleigh.

lotte Motor Speedway in plen-

ty of the time for the race — unlike a year ago when he didn’t reach the track until 249 laps had been completed due to rain in Indianapolis that delayed the start of the Indy 500. Larson never turned a lap at last year’s Coca-Cola 600 as the race was called.

Rain again delayed the start of the Indy 500 on Sunday, but Larson crashed out near the midway point Sunday, ending the NASCAR superstar’s second shot at nishing both “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte in the same day.

In Indy, Larson had been mired deep in tra c throughout the rst half of the race, which was delayed about 35 minutes because of a rain shower that passed over the speedway. He was going through Turns 1 and 2 when his car wiggled on a downshift, sending him into a spin and into the outside wall, ending his race after 91 laps.

“Just a bit crazy there on the restart,” he said. “I got like, tight behind Takuma (Sato). I was really close in. I got loose and kind of got all over the place, and yeah, so it spun. Just hate that I got a little too eager on the restarter. Hate it for everybody else.”

Ky n Simpson and Sting Ray Robb also were caught up in the crash.

“When Kyle started losing it

just going out there playing. Sometimes the young kids that come over or come in, even rookies, they don’t realize the moment, like how big it is — just playing hockey.”

Stankoven may be a rookie, but he’s been through this before. Acquired from Dallas at the trade deadline, the “not afraid” diminutive forward played in the Western Conference nal with the Stars last season. This year, he has ve playo goals and has been Carolina’s best forward in the series against the Panthers.

“He’s got a lot of ght in this game, and he doesn’t quit on any pucks,” Hurricanes captain Jor-

and checking up, I tried to go around the outside and there was just no grip out there,” Robb said. If he had made it to the nish in Indianapolis, he would have faced a tight window to make the 550-mile trip because of the rain delay, which soaked up most of the 45-minute bu er that his Cup Series team Hendrick Motorsports and IndyCar team Arrow McLaren projected for him.

It was a rough day for Larson even before the crash. He also stalled the car on pit lane, costing him valuable track position.

Larson took his rst shot on one of the toughest challenges in motorsports last season, when even more rain wreaked havoc with his nely laid plans. That Indy 500 was delayed by four hours because of heavy rain that saturated Indianapolis Motor Speedway and caused him to be late to Charlotte, where the Cup Series race was underway by the time he landed.

Then, more rain there caused the Cup Series race to be called complete before Larson ever took a lap in his car.

John Andretti was the rst driver to try the Indy 500-Coca-Cola 600 double in 1994, and Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch also have given it a shot. Stewart is the only one to complete all 1,100 laps, nishing sixth in the 2001 Indy 500 before the helicopter-jet-helicopter jaunt to Charlotte, where he nished third in the Cup Series race.

“Just bummed out,” Larson said. “Try to get over this quickly and get on to Charlotte. Try to forget about it and win tonight.”

dan Staal said after Game 4.

“He’s tenacious, and he’s a Hurricane, through and through.” Instead of the veterans leading the charge as Carolina took the rst step in avoiding a sweep and trying to claw back into the nal four series, it’s the Hurricanes’ rookies who are making the biggest di erence.

Slavin said Nikishin gave a brief speech in “a little English” after getting his rst NHL point and helping Carolina keep its season alive.

“‘Good game. Step by step. Good job,’” Slavin relayed. “That’s all it was.” Sometimes, that’s all you need.

GARETT FISBECK / AP PHOTO

Oklahoma’s Kierston Deal throws a pitch against Texas A&M Commerce last season. Deal, a Winston-Salem native, is headed to the Women’s College World Series.

MATT KELLEY / AP PHOTO

The pit crew for Kyle Larson looks under the hood of the car during the Coca-Cola 600.

CUMBERLAND

Administrator’s Notice

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION

ESTATE FILE 25E000747-250

State of North Carolina Cumberland County NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The undersigned, having quali ed as the Administrator of the Estate of Brenda Kay Johnson, late of Cumberland County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms or corporations having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned at 367 Washington Street, Parkton, North Carolina 28371, on or before August 22, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 22nd day of May, 2025. Paula McVickers Autry, Administrator of the Estate of Brenda Kay Johnson, Deceased c/o Gilliam Law Firm, PLLC J. Duane Gilliam, Jr., Attorney PO Box 53555 Fayetteville, NC 28305

5/22/2025, 5/29/2025, 6/5/2025 and 6/12/2025

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

ESTATE OF WILLIAM HANSFORD JOHNSON

CUMBERLAND County Estate File No. 25E000286-250 All persons, rms and corporations having claims against William Hansford Johnson, deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are noti ed to present their claims to Sylvia W. Caldwell, Executor, at 2539 McArthur Landing Cir. #103, Fayetteville, NC 28311, on or before the 29th day of August, 2025. (which date is three months after the day of the rst publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of the Decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the Executor named above.

This the 21st day of May, 2025. Sylvia W. Caldwell Executor of the Estate of William Hansford Johnson Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm Attorneys for the Estate 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28311 Run dates: May 29, June 5, June 12 and June 19, 2025

NOTICE

State of North Carolina In the General Court of Justice County of Cumberland Superior Court Division Estate File #:25E000443-250 Administrator’s/Executor’s Notice The undersigned having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Dorothy Jean Ray Jones, deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby noti es all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 15th day of August, 2025, (which date is three months after the day of the rst publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their discovery. All debtors of the decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 15th day of May, 2025. Franklin and Flora Elliott Administrator/Executor 270 Longhill Drive Fayetteville, NC 28311 Of the Estate of Dorothy Jean Ray Jones, Deceased.

NOTICE

In The General Court of Justice Division Before the Clerk Estate File #24E1671 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

CUMBERLAND COUNTY

ADMINISTRATOR NOTICE

The undersigned having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Richard R. Lampman 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 15th day of August, 2025 (which date is three months after the day of the rst publication of this notice) or this notice will pleaded in bar of the recovery. All persons indebted to the state will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 8th day of May, 2025. Administrator of the Estate of Richard R. Lampman 4127 Dellwood Dr. Fayetteville NC 28304-5227

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

ESTATE OF ELIZABETH ANN SANTIAGO

CUMBERLAND County Estate File No. 25E000734-250 All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Elizabet Ann Santiago, deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are noti ed to present their claims to Davis W. Puryear, Administrator, at 4317 Ramsey St., Fayetteville, NC 28311, on or before the 23rd day of August, 2025 (which date is three months after the day of the rst publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of the Decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the Executor/Administrator named above.

This the 19th day of May, 2025. Davis W. Puryear Administrator of the Estate of Elizabeth Ann Santiago Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm Attorneys for the Estate 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28311 Run dates: May 22, May29, June 5, and June 12, 2025

NOTICE

County of Cumberland STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

In the General Court of Justice Superior Court Division Estate File # 25E000755-250 Administrator’s/Executor’s Notice

The undersigned, having quali ed as Administrator/ Executor of the Estate of Jack Dreher Burnett Jr, deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby noti es all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 29th day of August, 2025, (which date is three months after the day of the rst 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 20th day of May, 2025. Jacquelyn R. Burnett 7680 Elliott Bridge Road Spring Lake, NC,28390 Of the Estate of Jack Dreher Burnett, Deceased

Notice To Creditors

The undersigned, having quali ed as Michael Bonner of the Estate of Denise Jackson, deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby noti es all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 15th day of August of 2025(which date is three months after the day of the rst publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in the bar of their recovery. All Debtors of the dependent are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This day of May 7th, 2025 Michael Bonner 2913 Tindle Hill Ln Charlotte, NC 28216 Of the Estate of Denise Jackson, deceased

NOTICE

State Of North Carolina County of Cumberland In the General Court of Justice

Superior Court Division Estate le #24E002985-250

Administrator’s/Executor’s Notice

The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Evelyn Fay Spicer, deceased, Late of Cumberland county, hereby noti es all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 29th day of August, 2025, (which date is three months after the day of rst 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 22 day of May, 2025. Robert Oberton Spicer, Jr Administrator/Executor 115 N. Churchill Dr Fayetteville, NC 28303 Of the Estate of Evelyn Fay Spicer, deceased.

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA CUMBERLAND COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION Administrator’s Notice 25E000742-250 The undersigned, having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Mavis Starling, 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 29th day of August 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 29th day of May 2025. Vickie Todd, Administrator of the Mavis Starling Estate Haymount Law Attorneys for the Estate 1008 Hay Street Fayetteville, NC 28305 Telephone: (910) 672-4600 Publish: 05/29, 06/5, 06/12, 06/19

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA CUMBERLAND COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NUMBER:

25E000522-250 In the Matter of the Estate of: GINA LURENE BILLMAN Deceased. ))))) EXECUTOR’S NOTICE

The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Gina Lurene Billman, deceased, late of Cumberland County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before August 29, 2025 (which is three (3) months after the day of the rst publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

THIS the 21st day of May, 2025. Steven Lloyd Billman, Executor of the Estate of Gina Lurene Billman, deceased c/o J. Thomas Neville Yarborough, Winters & Neville, P.A. P.O. Box 705 Fayetteville, NC 28302-0705 Publish: 05/29/2025, 06/05/2025, 06/12/2025 and 06/19/2025

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA CUMBERLAND COUNTY IN THE

GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT

DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NUMBER: 25E000544-250 In the Matter of the Estate of: CLINTON JAMES BONNELL, Deceased.

ADMINISTRATOR’S NOTICE The undersigned, having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Clinton James Bonnell, deceased, late of Cumberland County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before August 15, 2025 (which is three (3) months after the day of the rst publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

THIS the 12th day of May, 2025.

Stefanie Firkins, Executor of the Estate of Clinton James Bonnell, Deceased c/o J. Thomas Neville Yarborough, Winters & Neville, P.A. P.O. Box 705 Fayetteville, NC 28302-0705 Publish: 05/15/2025, 05/22/2025, 05/29/2025 and 06/05/2025

EXECUTOR’S NOTICE

In the General Court of Justice Superior Court Division Estate File #23E001384-250 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND

The undersigned having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Robert Earl Cooper, Deceased late of Cumberland County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before August 8, 2025 at 5914

Dottie Circle, Hope Mills, North Carolina 28348, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This 8th day of May, 2025 Nora Susann Cooper, Executor of the Estate of Robert Earl Cooper c/o Gilliam Law Firm, PLLC Post O ce Box 53555 Fayetteville, NC 28305 (910) 485-8899 05/08/2025, 05/15/2025, 05/22/2025 and 05/29/2025

Administrator’s / Executor’s Notice

The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Robert P. Cope, deceased, late of Cumberland County, herby noti es of all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 8th day of August 2025, (which date is three-months after the day of the rst publication of this invoice) 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 8th day of May, 2025. Rhonda Washburn 3870 204th Lane NW Oak Grove, MN 55303 Of the Estate of Robert P. Cope, Deceased

NOTICE

In the General Court of Justice Superior Court Division Estate File Number 25E000533–250 State of North Carolina County of Cumberland having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Arthur Cli ord Cornett late of Cumberland County, North Carolina. The undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms, and corporations, having claims against the estate of said, decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at 1406 Elma Street Spring Lake, NC 28390 on or before August 22nd, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons rms and corporations indebted to the said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. Dated this 22nd, May 2025.

Lydia Cornett Executor of the Estate of Arthur Cli ord Cornett 1406 Elma Street Spring Lake,NC 28390

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA In the General Court

of Justice County of Cumberland Superior Court Division Estate File# 25E000652-250

The undersigned, having quali ed as Administrator CTA of the Estate of Jane G. Dew, deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby noti es all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 8th day of August, 2025, (which is three months after the day of the rst 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 28th day of April, 2025.

Cynthia G. Blackwell, Administrator CTA 1588 Beard Road Wade, North Carolina, 28395 Of the Estate of Jane G. Dew, deceased

Administrator’s/Executor’s Notice

The undersigned, having quali ed as the executor of the Estate of Michael Dale Harris, deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby noti es all person, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 15th day of August, 2025, (which date is three months after the day of the rst publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All debtors of the descendant are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This 6th day of May 2025

Barbara Horne Harris Administrator/Executor 812 Stedman Cedar Creek Road Stedman, NC 28391 Of the Estate of Michael Dale Harris

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA In The General Court of Justice County of Cumberland Superior Court Division Estate File #25E000519-250

Administrator’s Executor’s Notice

The undersigned, having quali ed as Grace M. Hales of the Estate of Stephen Michael Hales, deceased,, late of Cumberland County, hereby noti es all persons =, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 29th day of August, 2025. (Which date is three months after the day of the rst publication of this notice) of 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 20th day of May, 2025.

Grace M Hales

Administrator/Executor

2681 Shadyside Lane

Address Fayetteville, NC 28306

City, State, Zip Code Of the Estate of Stephen Michael Hales, Deceased

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA County of Cumberland

In the General Court Of Justice Superior Court

Division Estate File # 25E000690-250

Administrator/Executor’s Notice

The undersigned, having quali ed as Executors of the Estate of Robert Gale Gilstrap, deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby noti es all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the ___8___ day of August 2025 (which date is three months after the day of the rst 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 2 day of May, 2025.

Theresa D. Becker & Robert E. Becker

Administrator/Executor 4054 Village Drive

Address Fayetteville, NC 28304

City, State, Zip

Of the Estate of Robert Gale Gilstrap, Deceased

NOTICE

State of North Carolina County of Cumberland

In the General Court of Justice

Superior Court Division Estate File #25E000705-250

Administrator’s/Executor’s Notice

The undersigned, having quali ed as administrator of the Estate of Mary Josephine Donelson, deceased late of Cumberland County, hereby noti es all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 8th day of August, 2025, (which date is three months after the day of the rst 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 8th day of May, 2025

Pamela Green, Administrator 106 Daniel Drive Goldsboro NC 27534

ADMINISTRATOR’S/EXECUTOR NOTICE:

In the Estate of MARIE SPEED DOBBINS, CASE#: 25E000800-250, CYNTHIA FARMER MCEACHIN, has quali ed as Executor for the Estate of MARIE SPEED DOBBINS, deceased late of Cumberland County (NC), hereby noti es all persons, rms and corporations. All creditors must submit claims against the estate by 08/29/2025 EXECUTOR: CYNTHIA FARMER MCEACHIN 5701 BASHFORD CREST LANE RALEIGH, NC 27606 CONTACT INFORMATION: 9192109263 (Cell) cynthia_mceachin@yahoo.com Of the Estate of MARIE SPEED DOBBINS, deceased

NOTICE

In General Court of Justice Superior Court Division Estate File #25E000055-250 State of North Carolina Cumberland County Executor’s Notice The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Annie G. Hudson, deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby noti es all persons, rms, and

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA NEW HANOVER COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS THE UNDERSIGNED, Allison Haddock Walker, having quali ed on the 19th day of March 2025, as Executor of the Estate of Sherwood Ray Haddock (2025E-001384-640), deceased, does hereby notify all persons, rms, 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 before the 1st day of September, 2025, or the claims will be forever barred thereafter, and this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. All persons, rms, and corporations indebted to said Estate will please make prompt payment to the undersigned at the above address. This 29th day of May 2025. Allison Haddock Walker Executor SHERWOOD RAY HADDOCK David Anderson Attorney at Law 9111 Market St, Ste A Wilmington, NC 28411 Publish: May 29, 2025, June 5, 2025, June 12, 2025,

NOTICE

NEW HANOVER

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 o er for sale at the courthouse door of the county

June 4, 2025 at 01:00 PM, and will sell

Schreiner

Attorney at Law P.O. Box 446 114 Raleigh Street Fuquay Varina, NC 27526

(For publication: 05/29, 06/05, 06/12, 06/19/2025)

courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on June 13, 2025 at 01:00 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, to wit:

BEING all of Lot 39 of PARK VIEW ESTATES, PHASE 1, MAP 6, as same is shown on a map thereof recorded in Map Book 73, Page 63-64, in the CABARRUS County Public Registry.

Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.

Said property is commonly known as 1153 Burning Embers Lane SW, Concord, NC 28025.

A certi ed check only (no personal checks) of ve 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

to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, to wit: Land situated in the City of Kannapolis in the County of Cabarrus in the State of NC ALL OF LOT 1 OF THE RECOMBINATION PLAT RECORDED IN BOOK 71, PAGE 53. PURPOSE OF THIS DEED IS TO REFLECT THE INTEREST BY THE COURT APPOINTED PETITION 17-SP-173.

Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.

Said property is commonly known as 4801 Irish Potato Rd, Kannapolis, NC 28083.

A Certi ed Check ONLY (no personal checks) of ve 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

in that Order, has been authorized and ordered to sell the property commonly known as 4620 Ramblewood Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28304 (“Property”). Said Property is secured by the Deed of Trust executed by Diana Avezuela Belen a/k/a Diana Avezula Belen, dated February 13, 2020 and recorded on February 19, 2020 in Book 10697 at Page 0379 of the Cumberland County, North Carolina Registry. The Property shall be sold together with improvements located thereon, towards satisfaction of the debt due by Diana Avezuela Belen, and secured by the lien against such property in favor of Lakeview Loan Servicing, LLC.

The Commissioner will o er 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 June 11, 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 209 in a subdivision known as SHERWOOD PARK Subdivision, Section Eight and the same being duly recorded in Book 29, Page 49, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina.

Notice to Creditors

Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of CAROL

COPE EDWARDS, late of Wake County, North Carolina (25E001601-910), the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 11th day of August 2025 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 8th day of May 2025.

Alecia G. Johnson

Executor of the Estate of Carol Cope Edwards

c/o Lisa M. Schreiner

Attorney at Law

P.O. Box 446

114 Raleigh Street Fuquay Varina, NC 27526

(For publication: 5/8, 5/15, 5/22, 5/29/2025)

Notice to Creditors

Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of ALECIA SHEREE MCCLAMB, late of Wake County, North Carolina (25E001543-910), the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to

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 o ered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being o ered 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 o ered 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 Skyla Federal Credit Union.

An Order for possession of the property may

AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED.

Said property to be o ered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being o ered 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 o ered 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 Wanda Marie James.

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 e ective 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 e ective 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 ling of a bankruptcy petition prior to the con rmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of

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 of Trust, nor the o cers, 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 o ered 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 non-warranty 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. 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

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”.

the trustee is unable to convey title to this

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 e ective 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 e ective date of the termination.

remedy of the

for any reason, the

is the return of

the landlord, to be e ective 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. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the e ective 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 re ected on the records of the CUMBERLAND COUNTY Register of Deeds’ o ce not more than ten (10) days prior to the date hereof are Diana Avezula Belen, unmarried. A cash deposit of ve percent (5%) of the purchasing price will be required at the time of the sale. Any

Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 File No.: 24-36365-FC01

the BRIEF this week

10 people shot at holiday weekend

S.C. boat party

Little River, S.C. Authorities say 10 people were shot during a ght that started on a private boat holding a holiday weekend party on the South Carolina coast. Horry County Police say no one died in the shooting in Little River around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, although some of the wounded are in critical condition. At least one person was taken to the hospital who was not hurt by gun re. Police said the shooting happened around a dock where a private charter boat leaves for cruises. The boat was docked, and police are trying to determine where the ght and shooting began.

NPR sues Trump admin over funding cuts to public media

National Public Radio and three local stations are suing President Donald Trump, arguing that an executive order aimed at cutting federal funding for the organization is illegal. The lawsuit was led in federal court in Washington, D.C., by NPR, Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Public Radio and KUTE. It argues that Trump’s order to slash public subsidies to PBS and NPR violates the First Amendment. Trump issued the order earlier this month, instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies “to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS” and requires they work to root out indirect sources of public nancing for the news organizations.

Wolfspeed shares fall by half on bankruptcy rumors

Report: A Chapter 11 ling could come within weeks

By Dan Reeves Chatham News & Record

DURHAM — Shares in Wolfspeed fell more than 50% last week on a report that the Durham-based semiconductor maker is preparing to le for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Wolfspeed could le within weeks and is working on a “prepackaged” bankruptcy — a plan already negotiated with creditors to buy time for a company to con-

tinue operations while reorganizing its debts and assets.

Wolfspeed, formerly known as Cree, has turned down recent o ers to restructure portions of its debt, the rst of which is due in 2026. Instead, the company is seeking what it called a more “comprehensive solution” to its nancial challenges.

“Optimizing our capital structure has been a stated priority,” Wolfspeed head of investor relations Tyler Gronbach said in a statement after the story was released. “We are evaluating a number of potential alternatives and may implement

See WOLFSPEED, page A10

Chatham gathers to honor the fallen

Memorial Day is about much more than barbecue

By Bob Wachs For Chatham News & Record

SILER CITY — Aging men with graying heads and beards, some younger ones who could still stand straight, others with canes, some in uniform or colors, even a few on motorcycles, a handful of women veterans — they all came to the West Chatham Veterans Memorial in Siler City on Monday.

The occasion was a Memorial Day observance that would, as Richard Caviness of Liberty American Legion Post 81 said, “let our memory be the least we could o er for what they gave.”

But they weren’t alone. Along with the veterans and their memories that showed up, there were wives and mothers and sweethearts and public o cials and interested onlookers.

See MEMORIAL, page A7

The Chatham County budget is up signi cantly from the prior year

By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record

PITTSBORO — The Chatham County Board of Commissioners held its rst public hearing for the recommended FY 2025-26 budget on May 19.

The budget totals approximately

$288 million, a sizable increase from the prior year’s budget which ended up ballooning to around $205 million.

Some of the biggest increases in expenses include the full-year implementation of the new pay plan, a 4% salary adjustment for employees, an expansion of county positions (16), bene t increases and contractual and operational increases due to in ation and more.

Two key investments in this budget

also involve both education and public safety.

The county is appropriating approximately $3 million in additional funding for Chatham County Schools to address compensation and xed cost bene t adjustments, supplement increase for teachers as well as capital outlay needs.

For the Sheri ’s O ce, the budget calls for approximately $2.3 million in increased funding to support continuation of full body-camera rollouts, contractual increases, operating costs, increased sta ng and capital outlay needs.

“Signi cant nancial pressures are being recognized in the upcoming scal year, primarily around education and public safety,” said County Manager Bryan Thompson. “We are organized and positioned to address challenges around

BOB WACHS FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Respects were paid with a solemn ceremony at the West Chatham Veterans Memorial in Siler City on Memorial Day.

PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

The Wolfspeed construction site outside Siler City was quiet on Tuesday.

May 18

• Patricia Simmons Nettles, 59, of Pittsboro, was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and domestic violence.

• Angela Wyatt, 30, of Kenly, was arrested for resisting a public o cer and assaulting a government o cial.

• Ricardo Uriel Nava, 25, of Siler City, was arrested for driving while impaired, driving with a revoked license, and not wearing a seatbelt.

May 21

• Cornellius Laytray Curtis, 48, of New London, was arrested for communicating threats.

• Edwin Silva-Badillo, 22, of Carrboro, was arrested for statutory rape of a child 15 or younger, taking indecent liberties with a child, and statutory sex o ense with a child 15 or younger.

• Omar Sharif Reaves, 45, of Pittsboro, was arrested for possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver cocaine, selling or delivering cocaine, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

• Angela Anastasia Wyatt, 30, of Kenly, was arrested for misdemeanor larceny.

from page A1

growth and development and we’re preparing to make adjustments as we do leading into the next scal year as things may change.”

Thompson also noted that the county is projecting a slow down in locally collected sales tax (4% below prior year), which is trailing statewide growth (3% above prior year).

“It is a very unique time for Chatham County as we have seen marked changes in consumer spending and a slowdown in new residential development, yet we are still in the midst of signi cant growth and change within the county,” Thompson said.

Along with the proposed budget, county sta are recommending a tax rate of $0.60 per $100 valuation as opposed to the revenue neutral rate of $0.5296 per $100 valuation.

Currently, the tax rate is $0.725, so the proposed rate is a reduction of $0.125.

However, due to the recent property reevaluations, most property owners will still more than likely see an increase in their tax bill despite the lowered tax rate.

“As we move forward into

$288.3M

The recommended county budget for 2025-26

the next scal year, I am condent that this budget will enable us to address current challenges, seize opportunities for growth and innovation and continue building a stronger, more resilient Chatham County,” Thompson said.

The recommended budget also features a few fee increases including a $20 increase in annual solid waste fee, $5 per tonnage increase in yard waste disposal fee and a $15 per tonnage for land clearing and inert debris disposal fee.

“This is strictly to keep up with the cost of doing business and maintain the enterprise nature of this fund so that it does pay for itself,” Thompson said.

The board is slated to vote on approval of the budget on June 16.

At that same meeting, the board also held a quasi-judicial hearing for a special use

permit revision for the Chatham Downs shopping center, located at 88 Chatham Downs Drive.

The revision would allow for the construction of a Harris Teeter gas station to the site.

“Chatham Downs was originally approved in 2003,” said Zoning Administrator Angela Plummer. “There’s various uses in this conditional use B-1, which is the legacy zoning district that we no longer have, but because it was approved under a conditional use permit they could come in and ask for a revision to that permit to change the site plan and add an additional use.”

The gas station will be built upon a 0.8 acre tract and will have eight, 24/7 pumping stations.

“At the time, Chatham Downs was approved, there were maybe a couple uses that were excluded and this was not one of them, so it’s something they’re allowed to come and ask for,” Plummer said.

Following the hearing, the board referred it back to the planning board for nal approval.

The Chatham County Board of Commissioners will next meet June 16.

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

May 30

Briar Chapel Farmers Market 4-6 p.m.

Every Friday, 10 local vendors gather on the Green of Green Meadow Park to o er an assortment of fresh produce, meats, baked goods, oral arrangements and foods to eat. The last Friday of each month also hosts a selection of local and regional artisans selling their crafts.

161 Salt Cedar Lane Chapel Hill

Jack the Radio at Bynum Front Porch

7-8:30 p.m.

Family-friendly, free musical performance with donations welcomed. Concessions will be available onsite. Free parking.

Front Porch, Bynum General Store 950 Bynum Road Bynum

May 31

Chatham Mills Farmers Market

8 a.m. to noon

This weekly outdoor farmers market is a producers-only market, which means the wide variety of goods o ered there, from fresh produce to other groceries, including eggs, cheese and meat, along with health and wellness items and crafts, are produced or created by the vendors themselves.

Lawn of the historic Chatham Mills

480 Hillsborough St. Pittsboro

June 1

Vegan Eggs

Cooking Class

11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Cooking instructor Monika Soria Caruso will lead this class, where participants will learn how to create delicious, assorted cuisine dishes using vegan eggs. Enjoy free food samples, take home recipes to try and receive a free carton of vegan eggs. $20/person. Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge

Refuge Pavilion

7236 N.C. Highway 87 Pittsboro

June 4

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 o ers its Lounge Menu in the dining room on Wednesday nights. Reservations are highly recommended.

480 Hillsboro St, Suite 500 Pittsboro

CRIME LOG

Chatham Animal Resource O cer Justin Green holds a baby hawk that was rescued from a busy roadway on May 15. The young raptor was found sitting motionless near the intersection of N.C. 22 and N.C. 42 by CCSO Investigator Jon Murray. The hawk is now receiving care at Holly’s Nest Animal Rescue until it’s old enough to survive on its own.

Two charged after Bonlee convenience store altercation rescued

One man was airlifted to the hospital with a broken leg after being hit by a car

Chatham News & Record sta

BONLEE — The Chatham County Sheri ’s O ce has charged two men following a May 8 altercation outside a convenience store that involved both a reported stabbing and a person being struck by a vehicle.

Deputies responded to the Quick N Easy on Old U.S. 421 Highway after receiving reports of a stabbing and a person being hit by a vehicle, according to a sheri ’s o ce press re -

lease. When deputies arrived, they found Gary Wayne Goldston, 61, of Siler City, with a broken leg. Goldston was treated at the scene and later airlifted to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill for additional care. A knife was recovered near where Goldston was found. After reviewing surveillance footage from the store and interviewing Tim Alan Martin, 64, of Bonlee, deputies arrested Martin and charged him with one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill in icting serious injury.

According to court documents, Martin allegedly as-

saulted Goldston with a silver Chrysler Sebring car, which accounts for Goldston’s broken leg. Martin posted a $25,000 bond and is scheduled to appear next month in Chatham County District Court. Goldston was charged with one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and one misdemeanor count of injury to real property. These charges do not appear to have been served yet.

The sheri ’s o ce did not indicate whether Martin sustained injuries in the incident or required medical treatment, nor the circumstances that led to the altercation between the two men.

Join Us On Wednesday, June 4

Noon – 1 p.m.

silercityfbc.org

FIRST WESLEYAN CHURCH 608 N. Third Avenue

We will be having a yard sale, Saturday, June 7 (Rain date – Saturday, June 14) 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Come out and get a bargain!

Many items to choose from. All proceeds will go toward our 100-year Homecoming expenses

Early morning crash kills pedestrian in Pittsboro

No charges expected to be led against the driver

By Melinda Burris Chatham News & Record

PITTSBORO — In the early hours last Monday, a pedestrian was struck and killed near Hillsboro Street and Park Drive in Pittsboro.

Police and EMTs responded to a 911 call at 4:45 a.m. and initiated treatment on the pedestrian, identi ed as Christopher Burns, 56, of Vass, who died at the scene.

Burns was walking in the middle of Hillsboro Street’s southbound lane when he was hit by a vehicle after the driver failed to see him, said a spokesperson for the Pittsboro Police Department. There is no sidewalk access in either direction at the intersection where the collision occurred.

Pittsboro Police Chief Shorty Johnson expressed his condolences to Burns’ family and friends, before saying, “We also recognize the emotional impact events like this have on everyone involved, including the responding o cers and the driver.”

The police department does not expect to le charges against the driver.

This is Pittsboro’s second pedestrian death so far this year, a police department spokesperson said, and comes as pedestrian deaths have been on the rise across the country over the past few years. In 2022, North Carolina experienced the largest annual increase in pedestrian and bicyclist deaths in more than 30 years.

According to the N.C. DMV’s 2023 Tra c Crash Facts Report, some 250 pedestrians died in 2023, that’s a 7.1% decrease from 2022.

COURTESY CHATHAM COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

COLUMN | ANDREW

A graduation card … for yourself

Your list of things that you like about yourself should always be longer than your list of self-improvements

HERE’S TO THE class of 2025! We are proud of each and every single one of you for your accomplishment. Hopefully, the people closest to you will give you cards that include money!

I would like to share a card-making practice with you that I learned from my 71⁄2-year-old daughter. The directions are simple, yet I think it o ers a valuable lesson.

Step one: Fold a blank piece of paper in half.

Step two: Write your name on the cover and draw a picture of something that makes you smile, perhaps a favorite animal or food. Maybe a self-portrait. Tip: Bubble or block letters are a fun way to write your name. You can also use bright colors!

Step three: Open the card, and on one side write a list of the things that you like about yourself. Use I-statements, such as “I like to make art and teach it to my dad.”

Step four: On the opposite side of the paper, write things that you would like to work on or improve about yourself. Again, use I-statements: “I would like to spend more time making art with my daughter.”

Now, my daughter wants you to know that your list of things that you like about yourself should always be longer than your list of self-improvements. I think this is her most precious insight. I am reminded of the ancient advice: “Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, and if there is anything

COLUMN | BOB WACHS

worthy of praise, think about these things.” I might add, “Appreciate these things.”

When I was in graduate school, I studied something called Appreciative Inquiry. The basic idea is, rather than approaching a situation, organization or person as a problem in need of solving and thereby identifying what is wrong, begin with appreciation. What is going well? What is working? What is life-giving, delightful, and true?

Dear graduates, wherever you go in life, whatever your next steps are, you will encounter challenges, which can encourage you to learn and grow. However, frustrating roadblocks can also cause you to doubt yourself. Try to remember to appreciate what you have going well, especially your gifts, graces, talents and treasures. With that positive self-understanding of your sacred worth as your foundation, you can then build new skills and address areas for improvement.

I hope this little column makes it into your hands, and more importantly, you remember the basic message of naming your self-worth. I hope that you make yourself this kind of graduation card, possibly with your name spelled out in bright, bubble letters. You are special.

Andrew Taylor-Troutman’s newest book is This Is the Day. He serves as pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church as well as a writer, pizza maker, co ee drinker and student of joy.

Driving toward helping take care of our friends

The bottom line, I think, is this: People and animals share much of the same territory.

I HAVE A HIGH regard for life — the living, breathing, moving kind.

Doesn’t matter if it’s a plant, animal or human; most of the time, I’m into “live and let live.”

Now that doesn’t mean I cultivate poison ivy or am against drawing a bead on a coyote with my ri e, especially if he’s hanging out around some baby calves. I’m also not adverse to doing away with the yellow jacket that just stung me. And if a y gets into my soup, he’s not going to stay there long. But it does mean that I sort of live in a place that says, “I didn’t create or give life, so as a normal mode of operation, I’m not going to do away with it just because I can.”

But lest my vegan, nonmeat, nonegg or milk or other dairy product-eating friends raise their eyebrows, I’m also not talking about the New York strip I like to see on my plate once in a while. I’m talking about the random wanton destruction of life that conveys, I think, an attitude of “I-don’t-care.”

One of the places we see that is on the highways and byways of our world, especially for those of us who avoid the concrete sidewalks of urban life.

Obviously, sometimes, this taking of wildlife life can’t be helped. Bambi and her friends lead the list or are right there at the top. I’m not sure where deer fall in the animal kingdom ranking of bright beings, but if I had to say, I’d say not at the top. If they did, they wouldn’t try to cross the road in front of a semi hauling a load of hogs.

One year, my better half and I got ve of the white-tailed eet-footed creatures, including the one that saw us, turned back away toward the woods from which she came and then did an about-face and broad-sided us. Maybe she was having a bad day, or maybe she saw and remembered when we got one of the other four. ... I don’t know, but I do know it was not a good decision on her part.

In addition to the deer, Mr. Squirrel is also on the list of roadway endangered species. If you’ve ever driven up behind one of the furry little rodents lolly-gagging in the middle of the road you see them — as soon as they see you — run here and there, take a couple of steps to the left, then zig right before trying to outrun you or bolting o to the other side. Most of them make it, but not all; but, hey, Mr. Buzzard also has to eat.

The bottom line, I think, is this: People and animals share much of the same territory. Most of the time, we’re bigger than they are, so it pays to pay attention. Don’t have a wreck trying to avoid Mr. Possum, and it’s not a good idea to get out of your vehicle to move something.

I’ve hit my share of animals through 60-plus years of driving and still remember how sick it made me when, years ago, I couldn’t avoid a dog that appeared from a grassy shoulder and tried to outrun me before I could slow down to miss him.

But — and here’s the big but — it’s not cool to go out of your way to smush something. On a nearby paved road the other day, I saw a perfect example of that random, wanton destruction of life. Mr. Turtle did not make it on his journey from one side to the other. I’ve always heard those folks cross the road on their travels, looking for water. Unfortunately for them, it can take a while to complete the task, and they either need a better travel agent or to ask the chicken how to cross the road.

The thing that struck me as I motored on was that Mr. Turtle met his end not on the edge of the pavement or near the center line where the left wheels would ride. Instead, he was lying there in bits and pieces, dead (no pun intended) in the middle of the travel lane. I’m pretty sure, unless the o ending driver was skimming along in something only two inches above ground, that he could have spared Mr. Turtle for another day.

That was especially noticeable and galling to me because earlier in my travels on that same road, while going in the opposite direction, I had observed Mr. Turtle in the middle of a lane just sort of hanging out, apparently enjoying life as a turtle.

So why do it? Don’t know ... maybe a sense of power and control, maybe because the driver is a jerk. I do know it’s not a nice thing to do.

As you come and go on the highways and byways, drive safely; make sure you get home.

And do your best to make sure the critters get home to their families, as well.

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

Life lessons from rubber duckies

This lost-atsea rubber ducky cohort actually morphed into a tool for observing ocean currents across the globe.

HOLY MACKEREL!

No, no, no! Not holy mackerel. ’Tis holy rubber duckies in this particular moment. Rubber duckies?

Yep. Ready to move on?

Okey-doke.

During a recent Sunday scroll online, a very dated NPR headline caught my eye: “When 28,800 Bath Toys Are Lost At Sea.” Betting it would’ve caught your eye, too. Of course, it would have. C’mon, be truthful. How many of us have soft hearts and a fondness for yellow rubber duckies? Takes us back to our leisurely childhood baths and wading pools.

… But moving on.

In 1992, a ship-bound consignment of 28,800 rubber duckies was washed into the Paci c Ocean during a storm. (28,800!)

Over the documented course of 15 years, our plucky rubber duckies made landfall in widely disparate places such as Hawaii, South America, Australia, the Paci c Northwest, the U.S. Eastern seaboard, as well as British and Irish shores. Some of those yellow rubber quackers are probably still riding the waves, honing sur ng skills, awaiting landings in unexpected places. This lost-at-sea rubber ducky cohort actually morphed into a tool for observing ocean currents across the globe. Who would’ve thought a covey of cast adrift rubber duckies, showing up in Zanzibar or Costa Rica, would ultimately become

| SUSAN ESTRICH

Blind loyalty

There is a Constitution to uphold.

HOW COULD THEY do it? How could they manipulate his schedule and control his appearances so that no one outside the circle of loyal insiders would see the man we saw the night of that debate?

They were loyal.

In politics, I learned this de nition of loyalty. “Loyalty is not about standing by a friend/the candidate/the boss when they’re right. That’s just good judgment ...” Right or wrong. The closer you get to power, the more you see; loyalty is the price of admission. Everyone has limitations, strengths and weaknesses. When you’re loyal, you recognize them and work around them; you protect the principal, especially from himself.

One of my favorite stories my old friend, the late, great Paul Tully, used to tell recruits to campaigns was about your commitment to the candidate. It’s like a bacon-and-egg breakfast. The chicken was involved. The pig was committed.

Biden’s top aides were committed to him.

They did their jobs well enough that the Democratic Party rallied around an (unfairly) unpopular president who had all but promised not to seek a second term and anointed him.

They had, no doubt, been doing it so well for so long that they managed to convince themselves that they could keep doing it for another term and that the country would be better for it than Donald Trump. That was, obviously, wrong on all counts: wrong in the sense that they overestimated their skills, they could not protect him from himself; and wrong about him being able to beat Trump. And it answered the wrong question.

Loyalty and commitment are rightly valued until and unless they blind you to the greater good, in this case of the country. Blind loyalty is no better than following orders. Their failing was not that they

teaching tools? Not me. Quite honestly, although I’m very, very happy for all you oceanic scientists out there, I don’t really care.

I, however, am truly captivated by the metaphor of unexpected rubber ducky arrivals, well, everywhere. Everywhere! My god, you turn around and suddenly it’s “What’s a rubber ducky doing here? In my living room, of all places!” (OK, just use your imagination.) And suddenly, I’m smiling and feeling happier. Wouldn’t seeing an unexpected rubber ducky in your living room give you pause to smile?

The 1992 rubber ducky sea catastrophe led me directly to the creation of a new theorem: “Life lessons from rubber duckies.” In short (is that really possible?), the world-wide rubber duck odyssey shows me that, at any moment, or place, expect the joyfully unexpected. Feeling a bit bored, I look around, imagine I see a yellow rubber ducky out of the side of my eye, and just light right up. I mean it!

Those cast adrift rubber duckies have wandered all over the globe, likely, giving joy to whoever nds them. Me? My psyche just basks in the reality of those rubber oaters and welcomes them into the way I see the world.

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

couldn’t pull it o , but that they even tried.

Blind loyalty is precisely what Trump is demanding. It is the measure by which he judges people, the ticket for admission to insider status or to the Cabinet. The result is that he is surrounded by sycophants. And he demands it not only from those who he holds close, but from Republicans in Congress, who know better than to be “disloyal” to the president. Never have demands for loyalty to a president been so blatantly marked up in dollars to be spent against you.

I know there are more than a handful of Republicans in Congress (and, literally, all it would take is a handful) who believe that this president is a dangerous man who is shredding the Constitution, driving the economy into recession, giving tax cuts to the wealthy, destroying the planet, attacking our allies and cozying up to our enemies, and whatever else you can add to the list, and making a fortune while doing it. I know there are Republicans as troubled as I am by Trump and his administration’s outing of the rule of law. And yet, their voices are muted. They are as blindly loyal as Biden’s aides were, with no excuse except the sel sh one of self-preservation.

Presidential politics is, ultimately, transparent. You can run, but there is a limit — albeit being tested now — to how long you can hide. Blind loyalty has no place in the White House. There is a higher calling, certainly there. There is a Constitution to uphold. The loyalty of the Biden inner circle ultimately did not hold. There were enough leakers to ll two books and counting. Ultimately, the history of this moment will be written, and the heroes will be those who had the courage and character to stand up for something more than Donald Trump Inc.

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

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. Contact a writer or columnist: connect@northstatejournal.com

COLUMN MICHAEL BARONE

Democrats are discredited and o -kilter

HOW DOES a political party with overwhelming advantages, including increasing support from the growing bloc of highly educated and a uent voters, almost monopoly support from the press and broadcast media, and with burgeoning nancial and high-tech sectors of the economy, manage to lose just about everything across the board?

The Biden administration has been repudiated by voters over the in ation that resulted from its heedless spending and open border policy on immigration, and it has been discredited by recent disclosures of former President Joe Biden’s incapacity and by Democrats in and outside the White House who concealed and lied about his condition.

Most of what used to be called the mainstream media has also been discredited, long since distrusted by perhaps half of Americans, and now shown to have been incompetent or partisanshiply complicit. The Democratic Party’s hopes that President Donald Trump’s job approval rating would zoom down toward zero have been temporarily frustrated, as it has risen slightly in May and is higher than at any point in his rst term.

To illustrate the pickle Democrats are in, it’s helpful to provide a little historical perspective, at least as far back as a dozen years, on the very di erent political climate following the 2012 election. That saw the third consecutive reelection of an incumbent president, something not seen since 1820.

The respected Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg argued that Democrats’ increased support from college graduates, plus huge margins from blacks, Hispanics and young people, would form a “coalition of the ascendant” dominant for years to come. Greenberg was right about trends up to that point. However, he failed to account for the Newtonian law that says for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. His coalition spurred a coalition of the nonascendant. White non-college-educated people living outside milliondollar-plus metropolitan areas spurned Democrats and elected Trump over Hillary Clinton. A similar coalition in Britain produced the unexpected victory for Brexit ve months before. By 2024, after one term each from Trump and Biden, that movement continued, including among non-college-educated Hispanics, Asians and blacks. Figures compiled by the Democratic rm Catalist and spotlighted by Republican pollster Patrick Ru ni showed Republicans gaining 36 points among Latinos aged 18 to 29, 33 points among black men, and 30 points among noncollege-educated Asians between 2012 and 2024. In the process, the Democratic Party has become increasingly dominated by white college-educated people who reliably turn out to vote, contribute lots of money and have poor judgment about what matters will appeal to majorities of the entire electorate. As the nancial adviser Dave Ramsey put it, “The hardest people to convince to use common sense are the smart people.”

High-education voters, repelled by Trump’s crudeness, provided the enthusiasm behind the Russia collusion hoax and the various lawfare prosecutions and attempts to remove Trump from o ce somehow. They provided the impetus behind the awed “science” to extend school closings and other undue COVID-19 restrictions.

After George Floyd’s death in May 2020, they gave support or silent acquiescence to radical calls for defunding the police, to reparations for descendants of slaves, and to continued racial quotas and preferences — all positions opposed by large majorities of voters. Biden, having secured the nomination after winning the majority-black South Carolina primary, felt obliged to name a black woman for vice president, although the party nominated a black presidential candidate twice in the previous three contests. That didn’t happen when “the (mostly) safe middle” was typi ed by Richard Scammon and Ben Wattenberg’s non-college-educated housewife from Dayton married to a machinist. However, it has happened now that the voter looks like the college-educated professional woman married to a lawyer in the a uent suburbs of Philadelphia.

In contrast, transgender activists impinge on others. They insist that inevitably more muscular biological men must compete in female sports, and they pummel the rare Democrat, such as Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), when they question that. As transgender demands have become better known, they have lost support, as Pew Research reported.

Most voters are motivated by concrete concerns — direct economic interests and ethnic or racial concerns. College-educated voters tend to have more theoretical concerns. Sometimes they may alert others to injustice and persuade them to address it, such as supporters of equal rights for blacks. The danger is that their high regard for their own views leads them to take impolitic stands, such as former Vice President Kamala Harris’ support of government-paid transgender surgeries for prisoners and illegal immigrants. Every political party must strike some balance between the demands of its core constituencies and the beliefs of voters. That’s hard for a party dominated by college-educated activists with theoretical rather than practical concerns. The Democratic Party today, with its discredited leadership and its college-educated core, seems badly o kilter.

Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and longtime coauthor of “The Almanac of American Politics.”

COLUMN

obituaries

Robert “Bobby” Albert Long Sr.

May 22, 2025

Bobby died peacefully May 22nd, 2025, surrounded by his loved ones in Bear Creek, North Carolina. He is preceded in death by his mother Margaret L Long (Walker) and father Joesph E Long Sr. He was also preceded in death by 3 brothers Joseph Long Jr., Edward “Leroy” Long, Johnny Long and his sister Lorraine Trapp.

Bobby grew up in Deale, Maryland where he enjoyed being a Volunteer re ghter and EMT for the Deale re department for many years. He also worked for Giant Foods where he got to dress up as di erent characters

JAMES

like O cer Teddy and King Louie for di erent events and even for the Ronald McDonald house. Some of his favorite things he got to do was play Santa Clause and the Easter bunny for the kids during the holidays or playing in a band Country Memories with his best friends. Anything he could do to put a smile on somebody’s face is what he loved.

He is survived by the love of his life, his wife of 63 years

Carol A Long (Brooks) and their children son, Robert Long Jr and his long-term girlfriend Connie and daughter Julie A Ward (Long). Also, his sister Bonnie Mutter (Long) and brother Ronald Raab-Long and his wife

Suzanne Raab-Long.

He loved his grandchildren

James V Bales II and his wife

Jenn Bales, Robert A Long III and Christina M Smith and her husband Zane Smith Sr. Along with his great grandchildren Nevaeh F Lawson (Bales) and her husband Jonathan Lawson and Zane Smith Jr.

A private celebration of life will be determined later. Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the Long family. Online condolences can be made at www.smithbucknerfh. com

DENSON JONES MAY 21, 2025

James Denson Jones, 81, of Bennett, passed away on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at Randolph Hospice House in Asheboro. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, May 24, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. at Fall Creek Baptist Church, Bennett, NC. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends in the sanctuary one hour prior to the service and after the service in the church fellowship hall. Joyce-Brady will be open from 1:005:00 p.m. on Friday, May 23, 2025 for friends to sign the register. Denson was a native of Chatham County, the son of the late James Ted Jones and Clara Routh Jones. He was a member of Fall Creek Baptist Church, where he served as Usher, Sunday School teacher and wherever he was needed. Denson was a farmer and worked at Union Carbide and Wilson Brothers over the years. He joined the Bennett Fire Department on October 24, 1988 and served as a volunteer reman and a First Responder. Denson was a beloved husband, father, uncle and great-uncle. He never met a stranger and was sure to leave you with a laugh. Time spent helping others was most important to him.

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

We offer an on-site crematory with many options of Celebration of Life services, Traditional, and Green Burials. Call us to set an appointment to come by and learn more.

Indianapolis Colts’ music-loving owner Jim Irsay dies at age 65

He led the colts from the bottom to be Super Bowl champions

By Michael Marot The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — Jim Ir-

say, the Indianapolis Colts’ owner who leveraged the popularity of Peyton Manning into a new stadium and a Super Bowl title, died Wednesday at age 65.

Pete Ward, Irsay’s longtime right-hand man and the teams chief operating o cer, made the announcement in a statement from the team. He said Irsay died peacefully in his sleep.

“Jim’s dedication and passion for the Indianapolis Colts in addition to his generosity, commitment to the community, and most importantly, his love for his family were unsurpassed,” Ward said. “Our deepest sympathies go to his daughters, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt, Kalen Jackson, and his entire family as we grieve with them.”

Irsay had a profound impact on the franchise.

With Hall of Fame general manager Bill Polian, Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy and Manning, Irsay helped turn the Colts from a laughingstock into a perennial title contender. But Irsay had battled health

problems in recent years and became less visible following a fall at his home. Police o cers from Carmel, Indiana, a northern suburb of Indy, responded to a 911 call from Irsay’s home Dec. 8. According to the police report, the o cers found Irsay breathing but unresponsive and with a bluish skin tone.

Ward, the report said, told o cers he was worried Irsay was su ering from congestive heart failure and that Irsay’s nurse had said Irsay’s oxygen level was low, his breathing was labored and he was “mostly” unconscious.

A month later, he was diagnosed with a respiratory illness.

During his annual training camp news conference last summer, Irsay told reporters he was continuing to rehab from two subsequent surger-

“Jim’s dedication and passion for the Indianapolis Colts in addition to his generosity, commitment to the community, and most importantly, his love for his family were unsurpassed.”

Pete Ward, Indianapolis Colts COO

ies — though he remained seated in his golf cart. Irsay did not speak during the recent NFL draft as he typically did.

He had also battled addictions to alcohol and painkillers.

Irsay began his football life as a ball boy after his late father, Robert, acquired the team in a trade with the late Carroll Rosenbloom, who took over the Los Angeles Rams. The younger Irsay then worked his way up, becoming the youngest general manager in NFL history at age 24. He succeeded his father as owner in early 1997.

He also collected guitars, befriended musicians and often found inspiration in rock ’n’ roll lyrics.

ZACH BOLINGER / AP PHOTO

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay in September 2021 in Indianapolis.

MEMORIAL from page B1

Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, is one of three military-themed national holidays, and these folks were on hand to note the day that honors those who gave their lives in defense of America. The other two holidays — Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day — are focused on those still serving or who have served.

Dodging a light afternoon sprinkle, the festivities got underway with a welcome from Post 93 commander Carin O’Brien, patriotic music, the Pledge of Allegiance, the reading of “In Flanders Field” by Post 277 commander Mark Brooks and a prayer by the Rev. Jason Golden asking God “for wisdom

to no longer enter into strife” while at the same time “remembering those who gave of themselves” and “asking for the ultimate love and peace of Jesus Christ.”

Siler City Mayor Donald Matthews was the keynote speaker, talking about valor and pointing out its meaning as “going above and beyond in the face of adversity, especially in con ict... by someone who will stand and ght.”

He cited two examples from World War II — Dorie Miller and Desmond Doss — as examples of that valor. Miller was an African American sailor stationed on the battleship USS West Virginia when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. Al-

Longtime US Rep. Charles Rangel dead at 94

He represented New York for nearly half a century

By Deepti Hajela and Cedar Attanasio The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Former U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel of New York, an outspoken, gravel-voiced Harlem Democrat who spent nearly ve decades on Capitol Hill and was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, died Monday at age 94. His family con rmed the death in a statement provided by City College of New York spokesperson Michelle Stent. He died at a hospital in New York, Stent said. A veteran of the Korean War, he defeated legendary Harlem politician Adam Clayton Powell in 1970 to start his congressional career. During the next 40plus years, he became a legend himself as dean of the New York congressional delegation and, in 2007, the rst African American to chair the powerful Ways and Means Committee. He stepped down from that committee amid an ethics cloud, and the House censured him in 2010. But he continued to serve in Congress until his retirement in 2017.

Rangel was the last surviving member of the Gang of Four — African American political gures who wielded great power in New York City and state politics. The others were David Dinkins, New York City’s rst black

“They went above and beyond and fought for something they believed in.”

Donald Matthews, Siler City mayor

though he was a kitchen attendant at that time, during the attack, he carried a number of sailors to safety, including the ship’s captain. Although he had no training in gunnery, he manned an antiaircraft gun and, according to eyewitnesses, shot down as many as six enemy aircraft.

Doss was an Army medic, a conscientious objector who enlisted, saying he wanted to save lives rather than take them. During a particularly heavy day of ghting on Okinawa, he saved the lives of 75 soldiers by dashing back and forth in combat to bring them to safety.

“These were men of valor,” Matthews said. “They went above and beyond and fought for something they believed in, one overcoming adversity because of the color of his skin and the other because of his religion.”

But they were all Americans, as Matthews noted.

“There’s something about being an American that’s di erent from being someone else. We may not have the same pol-

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mayor; Percy Sutton, who was Manhattan Borough president; and Basil Paterson, a deputy mayor and New York secretary of state.

“Charlie was a true activist — we’ve marched together, been arrested together and painted crack houses together,” the Rev. Al Sharpton, leader of the National Action Network, said in a statement, noting that he met Rangel as a teenager. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Je ries issued a statement calling Rangel “a patriot, hero, statesman, leader, trailblazer, change agent and champion for justice who made his beloved Harlem, the City of New York and the United States of America a better place for all.”

Few could forget Rangel after hearing him talk. His distinctive gravel-toned voice and wry sense of humor were a memorable mix. That voice — one of the most liberal in the House — was loudest in opposition to the Iraq War, which he branded a “death tax” on poor people and minorities. In 2010, a House ethics committee conducted a hearing on 13 counts of alleged nancial and fundraising misconduct over issues surrounding nancial disclosures and use of congressional resources.

He was convicted of 11 ethics violations including failing to pay taxes on a vacation villa, led misleading nancial disclosure forms and improperly solicited donations from corporations with business before his committee.

itics or worship the same way, but a soldier is a soldier, and I’m proud to be an American. Every time we ght a war,” he concluded, “it’s for freedom. That’s what America has been about since its founding.”

Retired Air Force o cer Arnold Headen afterward spoke brie y, noting, “Our Creator has given us 200 years to ght for freedom. The gleam in our eye is to preserve the land of the free. I salute you for keeping freedom alive in the United States of America.”

The service concluded with a reading of “Beneath the Folded Flag” by retired Air Force veteran Je Williams and the playing of “Taps” by Cli Tilley at precisely 3 p.m.

LAUREN VICTORIA BURKE / AP PHOTO

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington in June 2016.

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TAKE NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#25E000234-180

The undersigned, DANIEL JOSEPH NAGLE, having quali ed on the 30TH Day of APRIL, 2025 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of MARY KENNEDY NAGLE, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 8TH Day OF AUGUST 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 8TH DAY OF MAY, 2025.

DANIEL JOSEPH NAGLE, ADMINISTRATOR 6304 BLAIRMORE COURT RALEIGH, NC 27612 Run dates: M8,15,22,29p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#19E000112-180

The undersigned, RONALD BROOKS, having quali ed on the 28TH Day of FEBRUARY, 2019 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of MILDRED WATSON BROOKS deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 22ND Day OF AUGUST 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 22ND DAY OF MAY 2025. RONALD BROOKS, EXECUTOR 1201 ALPHA ST. SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: M22,29,J5,12p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000219-180

The undersigned, ALISON S. FLEMING, having quali ed on the 21ST Day of APRIL, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of SUSAN L. FLEMING, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 29TH Day OF AUGUST 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 29TH DAY OF MAY 2025. ALISON S. FLEMING, EXECUTOR 313 ACADEMIA COURT DURHAM, NC 27713 Run dates: M29,J5,12,19p

NOTICE

“All persons having claims against the estate of DENNIS RAY APPLEYARD of Chatham County, NC, who died on March 13, 2025, are noti ed to present them on or before September 1, 2025 to Douglas Appleyard, Executor for the estate of Dennis Ray Appleyard, c/o Schupp & Hamilton, PLLC, P.O. Box 3200, Chapel Hill, NC 275153200, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery.” DATES: 05/29/2025, 06/05/2025, 06/12/2025,

NOTICE

FILE NO. 24CV2219-180 NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE

CHATHAM COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION

JACOBO PABLO PEREZ, } Plainti , ) vs. ) NOTICE OF SERVICE BY ) PUBLICATION

ASHLEY BREWER WILEY, ) Defendant.

) ) To: ASHELEY BREWER WILEY, defendant

Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against you has been led in the above-entitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is the recovery of money damages for personal injuries received in an automobile accident on September 30, 2024, in Johnston County, North Carolina. You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than July 1, 2025, said date being forty days from the rst publication of this notice. Upon your failure to do so, the party seeking service against you will apply to the Court for the relief sought. This the 8th day of May, 2025

GASKINS & GASKINS, P.A.

Herman E. Gaskins Attorney for plainti P. O. Box 933 Washington, N. C. 27889 Telephone: 252/975-2602

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

25E000204-180 NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY The undersigned, Atlas Cleveland Dunn III, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Atlas Cleveland Dunn, Jr., 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 August 7, 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 9th day of May, 2025. Atlas Cleveland Dunn III Executor Marie H. Hopper Attorney for the Estate Hopper Cummings, PLLC Post O ce Box 1455 Pittsboro, NC 27312

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION CHATHAM COUNTY BEFORE THE CLERK

22E000318-180 IN THE MATTER OF: ) ) THE ESTATE OF MAYBELLINE) ANN ARZATE ) NOTICE OF SERVICE OF ) PROCESS BY PUBLICATION )

TO: RAMIRO ARZATE BONITEZ Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against you has been led in the above entitled action. The nature of the relief sought is as follows: Petition for Determination of Lawful Heirs and Abandonment. You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than June 24, 2025, and upon your failure to do so, the party seeking service against you will apply to the Court for the relief sought. THIS, the 8th day of May, 2025. MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE BY:_______________________________

W. BEN ATWATER, JR. ATTORNEY FOR PLAINTIFF Post O ce Box 629 Siler City, North Carolina 27344 Telephone: (919) 663-2850 Facsimile: (919) 663-3790 State Bar Number 6986

NOTICE

RONALD A. MOSS IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE -VSNOTICE KARA M. HENDERSON of 4002 SOUTHPOINT LANDING WAY Sale DURHAM, NC 27707 REAL PROPERTY 22 CVS 455 Under and by virtue of and pursuant to an Execution (including exhibit A, (additional order for satisfying judgment)) directed to the undersigned Sheri of Chatham County, NC from the Clerk of Superior Court of Vance County NC, in the above entitled action, I, will on Wednesday, June 11th, 2025 at 10:00a.m at the Chatham County Justice Center, Pittsboro, NC sell to the highest bidder for cash, at Public Auction, to satisfy said Process all rights, title, and interest which the above named defendant(s) have in and to the following described property: 551 OLDE THOMPSON CREEK RD, APEX, NC Place of Sale: Chatham County Justice Center, 40 E. Chatham St., Pittsboro, NC 27312 Time of Sale: 10:00a.m Wednesday June 11th, 2025 Terms of Sale: HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH, SUBJECT TO ANY MORTGAGES, LIENS, TAXES AND ANY OTHER ENCUMBRANCES AND/OR RESTRICTIONS WHATSOEVER THAT MAY BE OWED ON PROPERTY BY THE CURRENT OR FORMER OWNER(s) OF THE PROPERTY, OR WHICH OTHERWISE ENCUMBER/RESTRICT THE PROPERTY. BIDDERS ARE CAUTIONED THAT IT IS VERY LIKELY THAT THIS PROPERTY IS SUBJECT TO EXISTING LIENS, ENCUMBRANCES, AND RESTRICTIONS THAT ARE NOT EXTINGUISHED BY AN EXECUTION SALE. THE PROPERTY MAY BE SUBJECT TO DEBT AND CONDITIONS UNACCEPTABLE TO YOU. ALL BIDDERS ARE ADVISED TO DOA COMPLETE TITLE SEARCH ON THIS PROPERTY PRIOR TO ENTERING A BID. THE CHATHAM COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE, THE SHERIFF AND CHATHAM COUNTY MAKE NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF ANY KIND OR NATURE WITH REGARD TO TITLE OR TO THE SUITABILITY FOR ANY PURPOSE OR THE CONDITION OF THIS PROPERTY. NO CREDIT BIDS ACCEPTED. This 12th day of May 2025

Mike Roberson, Sheri Chatham County N. Frazier Deputy Chatham County Sheri ’s O ce

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHATHAM IN THE MATTER OF THE ) ESTATE OF JACK A. MOODY ) NOTICE TO CREDITORS ) DECEASED. ) The undersigned, having heretofore quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Jack A. Moody, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, hereby noti es all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before August 21st, 2025 or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of any recovery thereon. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 21st day of May, 2025 William Barden Moody, Executor Estate of Jack A. Moody, Deceased c/o Ronald P. Johnson, Esq. Carruthers & Roth, P.A. Attorneys & Counselors at Law 235 North Edgeworth Street (27401) Post O ce Box 540 Greensboro, North Carolina 27402 Publication dates: May 21st, 28th and June 4th and 11th, 2025.

4908-2207-9811, v. 1

LEGAL NOTICE

PUBLIC HEARING The proposed Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Budget for the Town of Siler City has been presented to the Town Board of Commissioners and is available for public inspection. To view the proposed budget, please visit www.silercity.org or contact Assistant Town Manager-Town Clerk Kimberly Pickard at 919-7424731 or kpickard@silercity.gov

A Public Hearing will be held on the budget ordinance for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 at the Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting Monday June 2, 2025 at 6:30pm in the Town of Siler City-City Hall Courtroom located a 311 North Second Ave. Citizens are invited to submit written comments to Deputy Town Clerk Briana Avalos @bavalos@silercity. gov or to Kimberly Pickard at kpickard@silercity.gov or by mail at PO Box 769, Siler City NC 27344

EXECUTOR’S NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

All persons having claims against the estate of John Edward Hunt of Chatham County, NC, who died on the 19th of April, 2011, are noti ed to present them on or before August 22nd , 2025 to Geo rey E. Hunt, Executor for the Estate, c/o Schupp & Hamilton, P.L.L.C., P. O. Box 3200, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-3200, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Schupp & Hamilton, P.L.L.C. P. O. Box 3200 Chapel Hill, NC 27515-3200 For May 22nd , May 29th, June 5th , and June 12th of 2025.

LEGISLATIVE PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

TOWN OF PITTSBORO, NC

On Monday, June 9, 2025, at 6:00 pm, the Pittsboro Board of Commissioners will hold the following legislative public hearings in person at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center at 1192 Hwy 64 Business West, Pittsboro:

PB-25-73 – Blue Heel Development LLC has petitioned to have 21.28 acres of land, Parcel 0006844, currently zoned R-12 (Medium Density Residential 12,000 sf) to be reclassi ed as MRCZ (Multi-family Residential Conditional District). The property, located just north of Cambridge Hills Assisted living in the Town’s extraterritorial planning area along Old Graham Road is currently fully forested. The intention, following conditional rezoning, is to create a 98-lot single family or twofamily residential development.

PB-25-140 - Trilandco LLC have petitioned to have 29.6 acres of land, Parcels 60740, 7176, 82169, 79874, 7175, and 86195 currently zoned C-2 (Highway Commercial) and R-12 (Residential 12,000 sf) to be reclassi ed as an MUPD (Mixed Use Planned Development). The property, located along the eastern frontage of US Highway15-501 (Hillsboro Street), just south of McDonald’s and is adjacent to the Bellemont development. These parcels are currently utilized for a storage shed sales area and contain a closed convenience store. There are several other structures on site (including a few residential structures), all intended to be removed during construction of this mixed-use development. The hearing will be held in person. The public can also watch the hearing live on the Town’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@townofpittsboronc/ streams. Members of the public must attend in person if they wish to speak at the hearing. Contact the Town Clerk, Carrie Bailey, by 4 pm on June 9, 2025, with written comments or to sign up to speak at the legislative hearing. You can contact Carrie Bailey at cbailey@pittsboronc.gov, (919) 5424621 ext. 1104, or PO Box 759, Pittsboro, NC 27312.

NOTICE

Moncure Fire Dept Annual Meeting The Moncure Fire Department will be holding its annual meeting on Monday, June 9, 2025 at Moncure Fire Dept Station #8, 2389 Old US 1, Moncure NC 27559. The meeting will begin at 6:30 pm and cover the state of the re department, nancial report, and Board of Directors elections. If you reside in the Moncure Fire District and are a taxpayer, you are a member and invited to attend.

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS CHATHAM COUNTY

HAVING QUALIFIED as Executor of the Estate of Matthew Ray Johnson, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 15th day of August, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery.

This the 7th day of May, 2025. Amy Stackhouse Johnson, Executor of the Estate of Matthew Ray Johnson 596 R.E. Wright Road Snow Camp, North Carolina 27349 4tp

NOTICE

ALL PERSONS, rms and corporations having claims against Monnda Lee Welch, deceased, of Chatham County, N.C., are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before August 29, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment.

This 29th day of May, 2025.

Anna Brothers, Executor 150 Saddle Tree Dr. Franklinton, NC 27525 IPL000176-180

NOTICE

Notice of Probate IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF Catherine Crowe Ragland, File number 25E00200-180.

Notice is hereby given that Catherine Crowe Ragland, whose last known address was 300 Clynelish Close, Pittsboro, NC 27312, died in Chatham County on February 9, 2025, and that an Executor has been appointed Personal Representative of the Estate of said deceased person by the Clerk of Superior Court for Chatham County, North Carolina. All creditors of said estate are hereby noti ed to present their claims to the Personal Representative at the contact information below within 3 months from the date of the rst publication of this notice, which is on or before August 10, 2025, or their claims will be barred forever.

Estate of Catherine Crowe Ragland 118 Monterey Lane Durham, NC 27713

Please be advised that a copy of the will of the decedent is on le with the Chatham County Superior Court and is available for inspection.

Date of First Publication: May 8, 2025

NOTICE OF SERVICE BY PUBLICATION

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE # 24SP001159-180

IN RE Estate of Julie Susan White, DECEASED.

To: The Unknown Heirs of Julie Susan White

Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against you has been led in the above-entitled special proceeding. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: Petitioner is the duly appointed and quali ed administrator of the Estate of Julie Susan White; see Chatham County Estate File #23E000015-180. The purpose of this action is to determine the heirs of Julie Susan White and the ownership fractions of each heir.

You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than July 9, 2025 and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you will apply to the court for the relief sought.

This the 22nd day of May, 2025.

J. Grant Brown, Attorney for Administrator Law O ces of Doster & Brown, P.A. 206 Hawkins Avenue Sanford, NC 27330 Publish: 05/29/25, 06/05/25, 06/12/25

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS

CHATHAM COUNTY

HAVING QUALIFIED as Executor of the Estate of Billy Edward York, Jr., late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 7th day of August, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery.

This the lst day of May, 2025.

Linda N. York, Executor of the Estate of Billy Edward York, Jr. 3730 Piney Grove Church Road Siler City, North Carolina 27344

MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE

ATTORNEYS AT LAW

BOX 629

SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850 4tp

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS

CHATHAM COUNTY

HAVING QUALIFIED as Executor of the Estate of David Anthony Cook, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 7th day of August, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the lst day of May, 2025.

Susan Dowd Wustrow, Executor of the Estate of David Anthony Cook 1142 Bonlee Bennett Road Siler City, North Carolina 27344 MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE

ATTORNEYS AT LAW

BOX 629 SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850 4tp

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS

CHATHAM COUNTY

HAVING QUALIFIED as Administrator CTA of the Estate of Nancy Cary Peter late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 20th day of August, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery.

This the 14th day of May, 2025. Linda P. Crabtree, Administrator CTA of the Estate of Nancy Cary Peter 25 Joe Brown Road Bear Creek, North Carolina 27207

MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE

ATTORNEYS AT LAW BOX 629

SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850 4tp

Notice to Creditors

ALL PERSONS, rms and corporations having claims against Joan Estelle Marsh, deceased, of Chatham County, NC, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before August 8, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 8th day of May, 2025. Ann Marie Marsh, Executor, c/o Bagwell Holt Smith P.A., 111 Cloister Court, STE 200, Chapel Hill, NC 27514

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY 25E000141-180 ALL persons having claims against Elliott Milton Baron, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before Aug 22 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 22nd day of May, 2025. MOLLY BAARS, Executor C/O Law O ces of Amy Whinery Osborne, PC P.O. Box 7 Cary, NC 27512 M22, 29, 5 and 12

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHATHAM

The undersigned, James C. Bowers, having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of James A. Bowers, Deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, hereby notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against the Estate to present such claims to the undersigned in care of the undersigned’s Attorney at their address on or before August 22, 2025 or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms, and corporations indebted to the said Estate will please make immediate payment to the

named Administrator. This the 22nd day of May, 2025. James C. Bowers, Administrator Estate of James A. Bowers John Stephens, Esq. Carolina Estate Planning 380 Knollwood St. Suite 500 Winston Salem, NC 27103 May 22, 29, June 5 and 12, 2025

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#25E000240-180 The undersigned, BRIAN PATRICK WHEELER,

29TH DAY OF MAY 2025. CATHERINE M. RIEHM, EXECUTOR PO BOX 194 APEX, NC 27502 Run dates: M29,J5,12,19p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF MARIJANE K. WHITEMAN All persons, rms and corporations having claims against MARIJANE K. WHITEMAN, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit them to Patricia McDonough as Administrator CTA of the decedent’s estate on or before August 30, 2025, c/o Janet B. Witchger, Attorney at Law, 1414 Raleigh Rd., Ste. 203, Chapel Hill, NC 27517, or be barred from their recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment to the above-named Administrator CTA. This the 29th day

claims against Floyd Fried, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit them to Daniel Fried as Executor of the decedent’s estate on or before August 30, 2025, c/o Janet B. Witchger, Attorney at Law, 1414 Raleigh Rd., Ste. 203, Chapel Hill, NC 27517, or be barred from their recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment to the above-named Executor. This the 29th day of May, 2025. Daniel Fried, Executor c/o Janet B. Witchger, Atty. TrustCounsel 1414 Raleigh Rd., Ste. 203 Chapel Hill, NC 27517

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY 25E000254-180 ALL persons having claims against STEPHEN CHARLES ALLARIO, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before Aug 22 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 22nd day of May, 2025. KIMBERLY D. ZIERMAN, Executor C/O Privette Legacy Planning 1400 Crescent Green, Suite G-100 Cary, NC 27518 M22, 29, 5 and 12

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#25E000247-180 The undersigned, MARK BRAUND CARPENTER, having quali ed on the 2ND Day of MAY, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of JEAN MITCHELL CARPENTER deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 22ND Day OF AUGUST 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 22ND DAY OF MAY 2025. MARK BRAUND CARPENTER, EXECUTOR 7409 RUSSELL

NOTICE

Scars from Helene healing slowly in one Appalachian tourist town

Chimney Rock Village was one of the hardest hit hamlets

By Allen G. Breed The Associated Press

CHIMNEY ROCK VILLAGE — The brightly colored sign along the S-curve mountain road beckons visitors to the Gemstone Mine, the “#1 ATTRACTION IN CHIMNEY ROCK VILLAGE!” But another sign, on the shop’s mud-splattered front door, tells a di erent story.

“We will be closed Thursday 9-26-2024 due to impending weather,” it reads. It promised to reopen the next day at noon, weather permitting.

That impending weather was the remnants of Hurricane Helene. And that reopening still hasn’t arrived.

The storm smashed into the North Carolina mountains last September, killing more than 100 people and causing an estimated $60 billion in damage. Chimney Rock, a hamlet of about 140 named for the 535-million-year-old geological wonder that underpins its tourism industry, was hit particularly hard.

Eight months later, the mine, like most of the surviving businesses on the village’s quaint Main Street, is still an open construction site. A ashing sign at the guard shack on the town line warns: “ROAD CLOSED.

LOCAL TRAFFIC ONLY.”

Village Mayor Peter O’Leary had optimistically predicted that downtown would open in time for Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of the summer tourist season. He now realizes that was too ambitious.

“We had set that date as a target, early on,” he said, sitting in the still-stripped main room of his Bubba O’Leary’s General Store. “But I always try to remind people you don’t always hit the target. Anybody that’s shot a gun or bow and arrow knows you don’t always hit the target.”

The Broad River — which gave the restaurants and inns lining its banks their marketable water views — left its course, carving away foundations and sweeping away the bridge to Chimney Rock State Park. O’Leary said about a third of the town’s businesses were “totally destroyed.”

Several are gone for good.

At the north end of town, all that remains of Bayou Billy’s Chimney Rock Country Fair amusement park is a pile of twisted metal, tattered aw-

nings and jumbled train cars. A peeling, cracked yellow carousel horse that owner Bill Robeson’s children once rode balances precariously on a debris pile, its mouth agape to the sky.

At 71, Robeson — who also lost a two-story building where he sold popcorn, pizza and souvenir tin cups — said he doesn’t have the heart to rebuild.

“We made the dream come true and everything,” said Robeson, who’s been coming to Chimney Rock since he was in diapers. “I hate I had to leave like it was. But, you know, life is short. You just can’t ponder over it. You’ve got to keep going, you know?”

At the other end of town, the Carter Lodge boasted “BALCONIES OVERLOOKING RIVER.” Much of the back side of the 19-room hotel now dangles in midair, an angry red-brown

NC Supreme Court says it’s OK to swap jurors while they are deliberating

Jurors must restart discussions with the new jury

By Gary D. Robertson The Associated Press

RALEIGH — North Carolina’s highest court on Friday left intact a murder conviction that a lower appeals court had thrown out on the grounds that a jury shake-up during deliberations violated the defendant’s rights and required a new trial.

By a 5-2 decision, the state Su-

TAKE NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

CHATHAM COUNTY ABC

preme Court reversed last year’s decision of a state Court of Appeals panel that had sided with Eric Ramond Chambers, who has been serving a sentence of life in prison without parole.

The state constitution says no one can be convicted of a crime except by “the unanimous verdict of a jury in open court” that state justices have declared in the past repeatedly must be composed of 12 people.

A 2021 state law says an alternate juror can be substituted for one of the 12 after deliberations begin as long as the judge

The Proposed Budget for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2025 and ending June 30, 2026 has been submitted to the Chatham County ABC Board. A copy of the proposed Budget is available for public inspection in the o ce of the general manager of the Chatham County ABC Board at 10435 US 64 HWY E. Apex, NC 27523, and may be reviewed by the public during normal working hours. Interested citizens are invited to make comments orally at a Public Hearing to be held on Wednesday, June 4th, 2025, at 11:00 A.M. at the Chatham County ABC o ce located at 10435 US 64 HWY E. Apex, NC 27523. Written comments may be submitted prior to that date and should be addressed to the Chatham County ABC Board at 10435 US 64 HWY E. Apex, NC 27523. Matthew Williams General Manager Chatham County ABC NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#___25 E000233-180_

The undersigned, (Cathleen S Cutlip), having quali ed on the 29th of April, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of, Robert David Shea deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 8TH Day OF AUGUST 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 8TH DAY OF MAY, 2025. Cathleen S Cutlip 1068 Saint Cloud Loop Apex, NC 27523 Run dates: M8,15,22,29p

PUBLIC NOTICE

instructs the amended jury to begin deliberations anew. The judge at Chambers’ 2022 trial did just that when an alternate juror joined deliberations because an original juror couldn’t continue the next day due to a medical appointment.

The original 12 had deliberated for less than 30 minutes the day before. Chambers, who was representing himself in the trial, was not in the courtroom when the substitution occurred. By midday, the reconstituted jury had reached a verdict, and Chambers was convicted of

The tentative budget meeting for the scal year beginning July 1st, 2025, for the Goldston Gulf Sanitary District was presented to the Goldston Gulf Sanitary District Board on May 6th, 2025, and is available for public inspection at the Goldston Gulf Sanitary District, JR Moore and Son Store located in Gulf and/or the Goldston Public Library. A public hearing will be held on June 17th, 2025, 6:00pm, at the Goldston Town Hall Building in Goldston, NC at which time any persons who wish to be heard on the budget may appear. Danny Scott, Treasurer Board of Directors Run dates: May 29th, June 5th

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY 25E000190-180 ALL persons having claims against PHILLIP NORMAN COOPER, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before Aug 29 2025, or this notice will be plead-ed in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 29th day of May, 2025.

LINDA WASMUTH, EXECUTOR C/O GLENN B. LASSITER, JR. PO Box 1460 Pittsboro, NC 27312 M29, 5, 12 and 19

gash in the soil that once supported it.

Barely a month before Helene, Linda Carter made the last loan payments on repairs from a 100year ood in 1996. Contractors estimate it will cost $2.6 million to rebuild.

So the widow said she’s waiting to see how much the federal government will o er her to let the lot become a ood-mitigation zone.

“I just don’t have it in me,” said Carter, who lived in the hotel. “I’m 74. I don’t want to die and leave my children in debt. I also don’t want to go through the pain of rebuilding.”

But others, like Matt Banz, still think Chimney Rock is worth the risk of future heartache.

The Florida native fell in love with a fudge shop here during a vacation more than 30 years ago.

Today, he and his family own

rst-degree murder and a serious assault charge for the 2018 shooting in a Raleigh motel room.

Chambers petitioned the Court of Appeals, which later ruled that his right to a “properly constituted jury” had been violated and the 2021 law couldn’t supersede the state constitution because 13 people had reached the verdict. State attorneys then appealed.

Writing for last Friday’s majority, Chief Justice Paul Newby said the 2021 law doesn’t violate Chambers’ rights because it provides “critical safeguards that ensure that the twelve-juror threshold remains sacrosanct.”

Newby wrote the law says no more than 12 jurors can participate in the jury’s deliberations and that a judge’s instruction to begin deliberations anew means “any discussion in which the ex-

WOLFSPEED from page A1

a transaction through an in-court solution.”

The company had about 5,000 employees globally as of last summer, with most based in the Triangle region. Since then, Wolfspeed has cut its workforce by roughly 25% through layo s, buyouts and attrition. It is also closing its Durham device factory as it prepares to open a new facility in Chatham County.

The 38-year-old company shifted in recent years from LED lighting to producing silicon carbide, a specialized semiconductor used in electric vehicles and other high-power applications. Wolfspeed has taken on substantial debt to fund that transition, including building a fabrication plant in New York and a materials facility in western Chatham County, set to open this summer.

four businesses in town, including the gem mine and the RiverWatch Bar & Grill.

“The day after the storm, we didn’t even question whether we were going to rebuild,” Banz said, with workers rebuilding the riverfront deck on new cement footers. “We knew right away that we weren’t going to let go.”

O’Leary, Banz and others say federal relief has been slow. But volunteers have lled the gaps. Down the street, Amish workers from Pennsylvania pieced together a mold before pouring a new reinforced foundation for the Broad River Inn, among the oldest businesses in town. The river undermined the back end and obliterated the neighboring miniature golf course.

“We de nitely could not have done what we’re doing without them, that is for certain,” inn co-owner Kristen Sottile said. “They have brought so much willpower, hope, as well as many other things to our community.”

The Amish are working in concert with Spokes of Hope, a Christian nonpro t formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, which hit the Carolinas in September 2018. Jonathan Graef and his siblings bought the Best View Inn in late 2023 and were halfway through renovations when Helene struck. They’ve been ooded twice since, but the new rafters and framing the Amish workers constructed have held.

“It’s really trying to kick us down,” said Graef, whose property borders what is left of the Bayou Billy’s park. “But our spirits are high, our hopes are high and nothing’s going to stop us from opening this place.” Throughout town, the ring of hammers and saws mingles with the sizzle of welding and the rumble of debris-removal trucks.

Workers lay sewer lines. A temporary steel bridge to the state park — replacing the ornate stone and concrete span that washed out — should be ready soon, O’Leary said.

“In a normal year, they easily have 400,000 visitors that come to the park,” he said. “That’s

cused juror participated is disregarded and entirely new deliberations are commenced by the newly-constituted twelve.”

The four other justices who are registered Republicans joined Newby in his opinion.

In a dissenting opinion to retain the new trial, Associate Justice Allison Riggs wrote the 2021 law is an unconstitutional departure from the concept of 12-member juries and “endangers the impartiality and unanimity of the jury.”

No matter what directions a trial judge gives to jurors to begin deliberations anew, Riggs added, “we must assume by law that the original juror’s mere presence impacted the verdict.”

Associate Justice Anita Earls — who with Riggs are the court’s two registered Democrats — also dissented.

company to address its near-term debt before issuing the funds. In recent months, leadership has shifted. The company red CEO Gregg Lowe in November, and CFO Neill Reynolds is expected to depart at the end of May.

“Optimizing our capital structure has been a stated priority. We are evaluating a number of potential alternatives and may implement a transaction through an in-court solution.”

Wolfspeed had committed to hire 1,800 workers at the Chatham plant near Siler City. However, soft electric vehicle demand and delays at its New York site have strained the company’s nances. Wolfspeed also has yet to receive funding from a $750 million CHIPS Act grant announced in October, as federal o cials required the

Tyler Gronbach,

Wolfspeed

Wolfspeed’s stock, which peaked at $140 in late 2021, dropped to just over $1 last Tuesday and slid below 90 cents by Wednesday morning. It recovered to near $1.50 by Tuesday, still well under the $3.13 share price from the day before the report was released.

Under U.S. bankruptcy law, shareholders are typically the last to be repaid, meaning investors could lose their equity. Even among creditors, repayment order matters. Disputes have emerged among investment rms over who gets paid rst. Some junior debt holders have pushed for a debt restructuring to avoid bankruptcy, while others have favored the Chapter 11 path. Apollo Global Management, the investment rm leading recent negotiations, is positioned to be the rst creditor repaid in liquidation proceedings. Given the falling stock price, Wolfspeed could be an acquisition target even with its billions in debt.

ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO

David Cruz mixes cement in the bucket of an end loader for a sewer manhole on Main Street in Chimney Rock Village.

really the draw that brings people here.”

One recent evening, Rose Senehi walked down Main Street, stopping to peer into shop windows to see how much progress had been made.

Twenty-two years ago, the novelist stopped in town to buy an ice cream cone.

As she licked, she crossed a small bridge, climbed a rickety staircase to a small house, looked around “and saw that mountain.”

“Within an hour, I signed the contract and bought it.

Out of the blue,” she said, her eyes lighting up. “Never been to this town. But I knew this is what I wanted.”

The bridge is gone. So is that ice cream shop. But Senehi said there’s more to this place than stores and treats.

“There’s something about this area that, it’s just compelling. The mountains. The green. It’s just beautiful,” she said. “It’ll de nitely come back. And it won’t be the same; it’ll be better.”

O’Leary said he thinks some Main Street business-

es will be open sometime this summer. The council is looking for village-owned properties that can be leased or sold to business owners.

“I can see progress on all fronts,” said O’Leary, who came for a park job 35 years ago and never left. But he cautions that recovery will be slow.

“We don’t want everybody to come at the same time, but we do want people to visit and be patient with us,” he said.

“This is a long rebuild. But I think it’s going to be worth it.”

ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO

The Carter Lodge hangs precariously over the ood-scoured bank of the Broad River in Chimney Rock Village earlier this month.

SHELLY MCCORMACK VIA AP

Amish volunteers from Pennsylvania rebuild a deck along the banks of the Broad River in Chimney Rock Village earlier this month.

Two border collies fend o wildlife at West Virginia’s busiest airport

Hercules and Ned go after geese and visit with passengers

By John Raby The Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va. —

Hercules and Ned have quite the spacious o ce at West Virginia’s busiest airport.

The border collies and their handler make daily patrols along the milelong air eld to ensure birds and other wildlife stay away from planes and keep passengers and crew safe.

Hercules is also the chief ambassador, soaking in a ection from passengers inside the terminal while calming some nervously waiting to board a ight at West Virginia International Yeager Airport.

Chris Keyser, the dogs’ handler and the airport’s wildlife specialist, said preventing a bird from hitting a plane “can make a di erence for someone’s life.”

How it started

Collisions between wildlife and planes are common at airports nationwide. With that in mind, Yeager management in 2018 bought Hercules at the recommendation of a wildlife biologist.

Hercules spent the rst 18 months of his life training to herd geese and sheep around his birthplace at Charlotte-based Flyaway Geese, which teaches border collies to help businesses address nuisance wildlife problems.

When Hercules stepped onto Charleston’s air eld for the rst time, “I held my breath,” Flyaway Geese owner Rebecca Gibson said. “But boy, he took hold of the reins. It was his place.

“He’s done an amazing job and has just been a great dog for them. We’re very proud of him.”

Along the way, Hercules became a local celebrity. He has his own Instagram and TikTok accounts and regularly hosts groups of schoolchildren.

Now 8, Hercules has some help. Ned was 2 when he was welcomed into the fold last year from another kennel where he trained to herd goats and geese. Ned has shadowed Hercules, following commands from Keyser and learning safety issues such as not venturing onto the runway.

“Ned’s ready to go,” Keyser said. “He’s picked up on all that. He’s doing fantastic, running birds o .”

Inside the airport operations center, Hercules is laid back until he’s told it’s time to work, barking at the door in anticipation. Ned, on the other hand, is always moving. When not out-

side, he’ll bring his blue bouncy ball to anyone willing to play fetch.

A mountaintop menagerie

Charleston’s airport is on top of a mountain and has a menagerie of wildlife, including Canada geese, hawks, ducks, songbirds and bats. After it rains, worms come to the surface and cause an increase in bird activity, Keyser said.

In addition to taking the dogs on their regular rounds, Keyser is in constant contact with the airport tower, which looks for birds on the eld or relays reports from airplanes that see wildlife nearby.

“We get plenty of exercise,” Keyser said. “You don’t gain no weight in this job. It’s an all-day job. You’re always got your eyes

on the eld, you’ve got your ears open listening to the radio.”

Border collies are among the most energetic dog breeds. They’ve been used for decades to shoo Canada geese o golf courses. They’ve also scared away birds at other airports, military bases, and locks and dams.

The dogs’ instincts are to herd, not to kill. “But in the mind of the bird, they’re no di erent than a coyote or a fox, which is a natural predator for the bird,” Gibson said.

Bird strikes cause delays

About 19,000 strikes involving planes and wildlife occurred at U.S. airports in 2023, of which 95% involved birds, according to a Federal Aviation Administration database. From 1988 to 2023, wildlife collisions

in the U.S. killed 76 people and destroyed 126 aircraft.

Perhaps the most famous bird-plane strike occurred in January 2009 when a ight from New York’s LaGuardia Airport almost immediately ew into a ock of Canada geese, knocking out both engines. Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger guided the powerless jet into the frigid Hudson River. All 155 people on board survived the incident, which was captured in the 2016 movie “Sully,” starring Tom Hanks.

At the Charleston airport, wildlife-plane incidents vary each year from a few to a couple dozen.

“Anytime a plane hits a bird, it has to be inspected, and it causes a delay in the ight,” Keyser said. “And sometimes you don’t make your connecting ights. So that’s how important it is to keep everything going smooth.”

In 2022 alone, there were ve airplane strikes at the airport involving bats. In December 2000, a plane collided with two deer after landing. The tip of the right engine propeller blade separated and punctured the plane’s fuselage, seriously injuring a passenger, according to the FAA.

A comforting paw

Inside the terminal, Hercules wags his tail as he moves about greeting passengers. Among them was Janet Spry, a Scott Depot, West Virginia, resident waiting to board a ight to visit her daughter and grandchildren in San Antonio.

Spry needed a bit of cheering up. In addition to having a fear of ying, Spry’s 15-year-old cat was euthanized the previous day after being diagnosed with an inoperable condition.

An impromptu visit from Hercules brought a smile — and more. Hercules placed a paw on Spry’s arm and delivered plenty of wet kisses.

“He’s making my day better,” Spry said.

She also joked whether the airport might want to let Hercules stay with her a while longer.

“I think there was an empty seat on the plane beside me,” Spry said.

JOHN RABY / AP PHOTO

Ned and Hercules pose at West Virginia International Yeager Airport in Charleston, where they are used to keep birds and other wildlife away from the air eld.

CHATHAM SPORTS

ASHEEBO ROJAS / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Viana addresses his team following the loss to Franklin Academy on May 22.

Seaforth, Woods Charter girls’ soccer fall in fourth round

Caitlin Erman nishes her career as Seaforth’s all-time leading scorer

By Asheebo Rojas

Chatham News & Record

WAKE FOREST — Seaforth’s quest for another girls’ soccer state title fell short in familiar territory — a rematch of last year’s North Carolina High School Athletic Association 2A East playo s fourth round.

After beating Franklin Academy in the same stage in 2024, the fourth-seeded Hawks fell to the top-ranked Patriots 3-0 in the fourth round at Wake Prep Academy on May 22. Junior Kayla Rice found herself responsible for all three goals, keeping the Patriots undefeated on the way to the regional nal.

Rice assisted sophomore Audrey Keith with a score just six minutes into the game, putting Seaforth in a de cit for the second time in the playo s. Nearly seven minutes into the second half, Rice corralled a rebound from a series of missed shots and knocked it in for her own score. And with 22 minutes left to play, she sent a cross to junior Rylee Caine who scored the game-icing goal.

“We couldn’t keep up with their speed on the wings,” Seaforth coach Giovanni Viana said.

Outside of containing Rice’s o ensive impact, the Hawks’

biggest problem was missed opportunities.

Seaforth ran behind the Patriots’ defense numerous times for good looks at the goal and saw two free kick opportunities, but it just couldn’t execute. Arguably the de ning moment of the type of night it was for Seaforth’s o ense came in the rst half when senior Caitlin Erman faced Franklin Academy goalkeeper Gri n Coward one-on-one from close range, and Coward caught the shot attempt.

“We missed too many scoring chances,” Viana said.

“Against a good team like this, when you miss them, they come back to haunt you. And that’s what it was tonight. We had two or three in the rst half that if we bury, it’s a di erent game.”

Despite another dominant season in which the Hawks won 20 games and didn’t allow a single goal in conference play (13-0 as Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference champions), it’s also been a di erent year for Seaforth.

The Hawks lost four players that were on last year’s state title team due to injuries or “other circumstances,” per Viana.

Junior mid elder and striker So a Viana also missed some time during the season with injuries and illnesses.

Forced to play some freshmen to ll those gaps, Seaforth was tested much earlier in this year’s playo run compared to

“We had two or three in the rst half that if we bury, it’s a di erent game.” Giovanni Viana

2024. The Hawks found themselves in a dog ght against NCSSM-Durham in the second round and had to come from behind to beat Manteo in overtime in the third round. Last year, Seaforth outscored its rst three playo opponents 29-0. Seaforth will graduate two seniors, Erman and defender Chloe Price, this o season. Erman nished her career as the program’s all-time goals leader with 163.

“We’re going to miss them next year,” Viana said. “It was a joy to watch Caitlin play for four years and get to see Chloe when she came back for two years. So, it’s all as a coach you can hope for to have players like this.”

Seaforth boys’, girls’ lacrosse teams nish memorable run

Both teams nished with program-best records

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

PITTSBORO — Historic lacrosse seasons came to an end at Seaforth on May 20.

In a North Carolina High School Athletic Association 1A/2A/3A playo double header, the Hawks’ boys’ and girls’ lacrosse teams fell in their second post season bouts.

After a second-quarter takeover by No. 6 Orange, Seaforth’s boys, the No. 3 seed, fell to its Central/Mid-Carolina conference rival 10-8 in the third round. Orange sophomore Owen

Wimsatt led the Panthers with four goals.

Seaforth got o to a hot start, taking a 4-1 lead in the rst quarter. After senior Cameron Exley notched his rst score early in the quarter, the Hawks scored three goals in a span of two minutes near the end of the period.

Things took a sharp turn in the second quarter, though. Less than a minute into the period, a goal from Orange junior Matthews Macneir started a 5-0 run in which the Panthers controlled much of the possession. The Panthers tied the game three minutes into the second quarter with Wimsatt’s rst score, and an assist from

In the 1A East bracket, No. 2 Woods Charter lost to No. 3 Lejeune 3-1 in the fourth round on May 22. The Devil Pups, going to the regional nal for the rst time in program history, set the tone early. Sophomore Jaycie Canaienne scored and gave Lejeune a See LACROSSE, page B4

See SOCCER, page B3

More local athletes make college decisions

Woods Charter, Chatham Central and Seaforth send athletes to the next level

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

MORE CHATHAM County athletes that have recently revealed where they’ll continue their athletic careers beyond high school.

Luke Gaines (Guilford College, football, senior)

Chatham Central receiver and defensive back Luke Gaines signed with Guilford College to play football. In two seasons on the gridiron, Gaines hauled in 65 catches for 1,311 yards and seven touchdowns. Defensively, he recorded 32 total tackles and two interceptions. He had multiple 100-

yard receiving performances in his high school career, including 133 yards and a touchdown on ve catches against Jordan-Matthews in 2023 and 131 yards and a touchdown (10 receptions) against Bartlett Yancey last fall. Gaines also played baseball and basketball at Chatham Central, averaging career numbers of 8.3 points and 3.9 assists per game on the hardwood. He will join a Guilford football program that went 3-7 in 2024. Guilford, located in Greensboro, is a NCAA Division III program that competes in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

Karaleigh Dodson (Meridith College, volleyball, senior)

Chatham Central outside hitter Karaleigh Dodson signed with the Meredith College

See ATHLETES, page B4

PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Seaforth freshman Montgomery Reece tries to nd a scoring opportunity during the Hawks’ playo game against Swansboro. Seaforth’s season came to an end in a 7-6 loss.

Natalie Boecke

WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Seaforth, girls’ lacrosse

Seaforth sophomore Natalie Boecke earns athlete of the week honors for the week of May 19. Boecke, a mid elder on the girls’ lacrosse team, ended the season doing all she could for the Hawks in their 7-6 second round loss to Swansboro in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 1A/2A/3A East playo s. She joined teammates Mia Moore and Renee Rizvi as the only Seaforth scorers with two goals, and she grabbed four ground balls. Boecke also caused four turnovers and controlled seven draws as the Hawks tried to erase a 6-2 de cit.

Coming over from Northwood after a standout freshman season, Boecke ended her sophomore year as the Hawks’ leading scorer with 95 goals. She also led the team with 83 ground balls, 33 caused turnovers and tied with junior Claire Cantrell for a team-high 20 assists.

Siler City rolls out new youth athletic programs

Tackle football will return in the fall

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

THE TOWN of Siler City has rolled out and announced new athletic programs for its surrounding community.

Siler City Parks and Recreation announced the return of youth tackle and ag football for the upcoming season and a new youth soccer league. The town has also begun its new JumpStart Program, a series of nonsport speci c training sessions designed to help kids build a solid athletic foundation.

The returning tackle football league will hold four age divisions — 8U, 10U, 12U and 14U. It will stand in place of the Siler City Youth Football League program started and ran by former town parks and recreation director Donald Dones last year. Players can register for $60, per the town’s registration site. Practices will be held at Bray Park and the Paul Braxton Park multipurpose eld. More details on the league and dates will be released later.

Treiston Burnette, the newly hired town parks and recreation director and a Jordan-Matthews football alum, said it was “big”

for him to get tackle football started again to give kids a better chance at success on the eld and with going to college.

Jordan-Matthews’ football program has been negatively impacted over the years with scarce or non-existent local opportunities to play youth football, especially at the middle school level. Many kids move on to the high school level after not playing for multiple years and either lose interest in the sport or are forced to jump into the varsity level due to a lack of numbers needed for a stable JV program.

“Everything that we do, we’re a feeder system for the high school,” Burnette said.

“I’ve been coaching college football now for 16 years, and one of my goals and dreams as a kid was for me to get out of Siler City and learn as much as I could from as many coaches I possibly could about running football.

Lord willing, I was able to do it, and now I’m back, and I’m trying to pour everything I can into the kids as well as the parents and most importantly to these coaches. I’m just giving everything I got so these kids can be successful.”

Burnette and the town will also expand its ag football program with co-ed competition for ages 4-7 and a focus on girls’ par-

ticipation from ages 8-14. The cost to register for the fall will be $35, and practices will occur at the same location as tackle football.

“It’s another avenue for these young ladies to get scholarships and just not be content at playing the sports that are o ered,” Burnette said. “They can do things the guys do as well on a safer playing eld.”

The new youth soccer program will be open for ages 3-12 with games and practices held at Bray Park, Landrus Siler Park and Paul Braxton Park. The registration fee is $20.

The JumpStart program, for ages 3-14, meets from 6 to 7 p.m. at Bray Park on Field 1 every Tuesday until July 28. Athletes can sign up for a one-time fee of $10 and will learn development skills in speed, agility, strength and conditioning.

“We’re starting out with a baseline of just doing proper mechanics as far as how to move your body when it comes to running, proper technique, proper form,” Burnette said. “This is one of the most important things that you have as a kid is knowing how to actually do it.”

Burnette hopes to add more athletic programs provided by the town in the future, especially wrestling.

COURTESY TREISTON BURNETTE

Treiston Burnette instructs young athletes during a JumpStart session.

Seaforth girls’ basketball coach earns NCHSAA honor

Charles Byrd has coached the Hawks to three straight regional nals

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

SEAFORTH GIRLS’ basketball coach Charles Byrd earned recognition from the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.

The NCHSAA named Byrd as the Region 5 recipient for the Homer Thompson “Eight Who Make a Di erence” Award.

In partnership with the North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company, the award honors eight coaches across the state who display “exceptional sportsmanship” and “serve as inspiring role models for student athletes.” Homer Thompson, whom the award is named in honor of, served 35 years as a head football coach and sportsmanship advocate, spending 26 years at Parkland High School.

Byrd received the honor for his success with the program and how his coaching goes beyond the basketball court.

“Emphasizing the philosophy of ‘family,’ Coach Byrd fosters deep connections with his players, teaching lessons that extend beyond basketball,” the NCHSAA said in a release. “Through every tough loss, he encourages growth — reminding his team to ‘Grow 1% every day.’ His focus on character and sportsmanship has shaped the foundation of the Seaforth program.”

Byrd has coached Seaforth’s

girls’ basketball team since the school opened in 2021. After leading a group of mostly freshmen to a 19-win season and the state playo s in their rst year, Byrd led the Hawks to the regional nal in each of the last three seasons, including a

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state title appearance in 2023.

Over the four years, Seaforth has achieved a 102-19 record. The Hawks lost one regular season Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference game in that span and won or earned a share of the regular season conference title each year.

e nal 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 ve $100 Visa gi cards. Scan the QR code or visit NCBrightIdeas.com for more information or to apply! Teachers, get your applications in for a Bright Ideas education grant!

PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Emma Burke takes a swing in a Heroes League game against North Wake last season.

Chatham County Post 292 set for another season in Heroes League

The summer softball team will have 16U and 18-19U squads this year.

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

IT’S TIME for summer softball in Chatham County. Chatham County Post 292 will start another season in the USA Softball Heroes League next week. Post 292 will have a 16U and 18-19U team this year and play its home games at Jordan-Matthews High School. Todd Brown will once again coach the 18-19U team, and Timbo Allred will coach the 16U team. Both teams will compete in Area 3. The 16U team will join Alamance, Randolph, South Wake, North Wake, Johnston County and Orange in the area.

who are still in the age range to play. In its inaugural season last year, the 18/19U team nished with a 10-6 overall record (10-4 in the regular season) and competed in the state postseason tournament.

“His focus on character and sportsmanship has shaped the foundation of the Seaforth program.”

Like Chatham’s American Legion baseball team, Post 292 brings together players from around the county and surrounding areas. The 18-19U team will include graduating seniors and college freshmen

1-0 lead just under three minutes into the game, and 11 minutes later, senior Jazzalynn Miller scored on an assist from senior Olivia Shuler for a 2-0 advantage.

Woods Charter sophomore Lucy Poitras scored seven minutes before halftime, but early in the second half, Lejeune went back up by two scores with a goal from sophomore Scarlett McLean.

The Wolves ended their season with a 16-5-1 overall record, going undefeated (12-0) in the Central Tar Heel 1A con-

As of Monday, the 16U schedule has been nalized. For the 16U division, game nights will be ve-inning double headers starting at 6:30 p.m. The 18-19U schedule will be posted in the online version of this story. Here’s the 16U schedule: June 3 — vs. Alamance; June 5 — at Alamance (Western Alamance High School); June 10 — at North Wake (Optimist Park); June 12 — vs. North Wake; June 16 — vs. Randolph; June 17 — at Randolph (Randleman High School); July 8 — at South Wake (Middle Creek High School); July 10 — vs. South Wake; July 15 — at Johnston (Campbell University); July 17 — vs. Johnston; July 22 — vs. Orange; July 24 — at Orange (Cedar Falls Park); Aug. 4 — State tournament begins (Burlington Springwood Park)

ference for the fourth season in a row.

After making the state title game for the third straight time in 2024, Woods Charter lost 10 seniors, leaving the 2025 squad without any seniors and only three juniors. But for coach Graeme Stewart and his elite program, the youth and inexperience didn’t matter much. The Wolves earned a top two playo seed for the fourth straight season and found themselves one game away from returning to the regional nal. Woods Charter can return this entire roster for 2026.

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SOCCER from page B1

GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Charles Byrd watches his team during a 2024 playo game against St. Pauls.

junior Brett Clark to senior Gray Crabtree gave them their rst lead of the game.

Orange never trailed for the rest of the night.

“A little more tough on ground balls and a few other things,” Seaforth coach Joe Hubbard said. “That’s what the scoreboard re ected.”

After trailing 6-4 at the half, Seaforth remained in range of a comeback, but the Hawks couldn’t get a goal to land.

Orange grew its lead to four halfway through the fourth and held its advantage despite a late two-goal surge from Seaforth in the nal ve minutes.

Seaforth ended its season with an 18-4 record, achieving a program-best in overall wins and conference wins with 15 ( nished as co-conference champions with Orange). Prior to the third-round loss, the Hawks went on an eight-game win streak which was its longest in program history.

“Everyone is proud of them,” Hubbard said. “One game doesn’t de ne them.”

The Hawks will graduate seven seniors, some who started the program four years ago, in-

cluding mid elder Layne Armstrong, mid elder Edwin Ledbetter, defender Anson Shoaf, attack Connor Yalch, mid elder Jackson Powell, attack Cameron Exley and defender Ethan Kuball.

Along with rising senior and one of this season’s leading scorers Ivan Grimes, Seaforth will

volleyball program. Acros four seasons, Dodson accumulated 903 kills, 343 digs and 123 aces and helped the Bears to four playo berths. Dodson put together some dominant performances in her career, including a 25-kill, 26dig game to beat Northwood last fall. She also played softball for a season and basketball, averaging 15.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game as a senior. The Meredith volleyball team, competing in the USA South Athletic Conference (NCAA Division III), went 16-12 in 2024. Meredith is in Raleigh.

Chloe Scott (Meredith College, basketball, senior)

Chatham Central guard Chloe Scott signed with the Meredith women’s basketball program. Scott averaged 11.9 points (second on the team) and 3.5 rebounds per game as a senior. In 2025, Scott led the Bears’ three-point attack, knocking down a team-high 66 threes on 218 attempts (30%). She recorded three performances of at least 20 points last season. Scott scored 21 points against Cummings on Jan. 3, 28 points against North Moore

on Jan. 30 and a season-high 30 points against Graham the following night. Last winter, she earned basketball all-conference honors. Scott also played softball for the Bears mostly as an out elder. Meredith went 8-17 in their 2024-25 campaign.

Ivan Grimes (Messiah University, lacrosse, junior)

Seaforth junior Ivan Grimes committed to the Messiah University men’s lacrosse program. This past season, Grimes led the team in assists, with 50 and nished second on the team in goals, with 76. Through three seasons, he’s notched totals of 142 goals and 116 assists. Grimes has helped the Hawks to three playo berths. Against Union Pines in the spring, Grimes tied his career-high with six goals. Messiah, located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, is a NCAA Division III program and a member of the Middle Atlantic Conferences. The Falcons went 6-11 in 2025.

Maya Sheridan (Swarthmore College, volleyball, senior) Woods Charter setter and

return some talented young players who impacted winning this spring, including, but not limited to, rising junior attack Oscar Ditter, rising sophomore goalkeeper Finn Prospero and rising sophomore mid elder Tyler Watkins.

“Very excited not only for them, but for the guys that

opposite hitter Maya Sheridan committed to the Swarthmore volleyball program. Sheridan recorded 1,597 assists, 864 digs and 575 kills across four seasons, leading the Wolves in digs (321), kills (287) and serving aces (78) in 2024. She earned multiple Central Tar Heel 1A all-conference selections and two NC Volleyball Coaches Association all-region selections. This past fall, Sheridan earned NCVBCA second-team all- state honors. Swarthmore, located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, is a NCAA Division III program competing in the Centennial Conference. The Phoenix went 17-10 in 2024.

Sydney Batey (Montreat College, track and cross-country, senior)

Woods Charter runner Sydney Batey will continue her athletic career at Montreat College. Batey ran personal bests of 6 minutes, 42.95 seconds in the outdoor 1,600 (6:47.35 indoor), 14:49.70 in the outdoor 3,200 (14:33.50 indoor), 2:56.57 in the outdoor 800 and 24:02.54 in the 5,000. Montreat is a NAIA program in the Appalachian Athletic Conference.

“We’ll be back. You better believe it. We’ll be back.”

Joe Hubbard

are coming in,” Hubbard said. “We’ve had some camps and some clinics here in our community with the youth leagues, and we’ve seen them, and we know what we’re going to start coaching them on.”

Said Hubbard, “We’ll be back. You better believe it. We’ll be back.”

On the girls’ side of the 1A/2A/3A East playo s, No. 4 Seaforth fell short of a thirdround berth in a 7-6 loss to No. 5 Swansboro.

The Hawks had no answer for Swansboro’s sophomore mid elder Addison King who notched a team-high four goals.

Up 3-2 late in the second quarter, King started the Pirates’ game-turning run with a score right before halftime. She scored two straight goals to start the third period, giving the Pirates a commanding 6-2 lead six minutes into the second half. Out of a timeout, Seaforth

found its footing with two straight scores from junior midelder Renee Rizvi and junior mid elder Mia Moore, who created space with a juke move before launching the shot.

However, King halted the momentum with her nal score late in the third quarter to put Swansboro back ahead by three.

The Hawks continued to ght in the fourth quarter. After penalty by Swansboro near its own goal, Seaforth’s sophomore midelder Natalie Boecke scored her second goal of the night. With four minutes left to play, another Rizvi score brought the Hawks within one, but they couldn’t nd the back of the net again.

Seaforth ended the season with a program-best 10-7 overall record, including a program-best 8-4 conference record. For the rst time, Seaforth nished the highest amongst the 1A/2A/3A teams in the DC 6/ Northern Lakes Athletic/Central/Mid-Carolina conference, coming in at third overall behind two 4A teams. The Hawks will only graduate two seniors, defender Claire McClintock and defender Ellie Johnson, and look to reload with a highly experienced roster in 2026.

Anna Peeler (Catawba College, track and cross-county)

Woods Charter runner Anna Peeler will join the Catawba College track and cross-country program. Peeler recorded personal bests of 5:27.67 in the outdoor 1,600 (5:43.40 indoor), 12:39.92 in the outdoor 3,200 (13:08.08 indoor), 2:28.22 in the outdoor 800, 3:16.24 in the indoor 1,000 and 20:27.52 in the 5,000. She earned multiple all-conference honors, including multiple conference girls’ runner of the year selections. Catawba, located in Salisbury, is a NCAA Division II program that competes in the South Atlantic Conference.

PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Natalie Boecke works her way through the Swansboro defense in the Hawks’ playo loss.

CHATHAM CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL / FACEBOOK Chatham Central signees celebrate their college decisions at their signing ceremony last week.

Palou makes history as 1st Spanish driver to win Indianapolis 500

The three-time IndyCar champion earned his rst Indy 500 win

By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — Alex

Palou took the ceremonial swig of milk in Victory Lane at the Indianapolis 500. He allowed his wife to have a sip, she in turn gave a sip to their baby, and team owner Chip Ganassi ended up with the bottle and took a drink, as well.

Then, the rst Spaniard to win “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” took a victory lap with them around Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the back of a pickup truck. At one point, Palou climbed onto its roof and raised his arms in triumph, the winning wreath draped around his neck.

“All my family around, it’s amazing, honestly,” he said, smiling. “All the team around, they make me look really good

on the track.” Palou came to the speedway as the two-time defending IndyCar champion — he has three titles in four years — and had opened this year with victories in four of the rst ve races. It’s the kind of start not seen since

1964, when A.J. Foyt won the rst seven races of the season, including the Indy 500.

But it was win No. 6 that Palou had circled on his calendar. Without an Indy 500 win, he said, his career would be incomplete.

He was in fuel-saving mode over the closing laps, following former Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Marcus Ericsson. Palou got tired of staying put with 16 laps remaining and charged ahead — a move Ericsson said “will keep me up at night. What I did and what I didn’t do.” Palou was never challenged from there, taking the checkered ag as a crash brought out a caution. He was engulfed by his father, Ramon, and his team in a jubilant celebration.

Scott Dixon gave him a big hug, as did Dario Franchitti, as the Ganassi Indy 500 winners welcomed him to an exclusive club.

“I cannot believe it. What an amazing day. What an amazing race,” Palou said. “I cannot believe it. It was tough. Tough conditions out there, especially if you were like, third or fourth in the pack. Even leading, the fuel consumption was super high, so they didn’t want me to lead. I wanted to lead, honestly,

so yeah, made it happen.” Meanwhile, Ericsson climbed from his car in pit lane and pressed his hands to his face, the disappointment of coming oh-so-close to a second Indianapolis 500 victory etched across his face. David Maluks was third for A.J. Foyt Racing.

“It’s pretty painful,” Ericsson said of his second career Indy 500 runner-up nish. “I need to look at it again. You replay it in your head a million times after the nish, wondering what I could have done di erently. Second means nothing in this race.”

Josef Newgarden’s bid to win three consecutive Indy 500s ended with a fuel pump issue.

Will Power wound up 19th, the highest- nishing Team Penske driver.

It was the sixth Indy 500 win for Ganassi, who has been on a dominating wave since hiring Palou before the 2021 season. Palou won the championship in his rst year with the team, added two more titles and now seems on pace for a fourth one.

“The guy is just unbelievable. I don’t know what else to say,” Ganassi said. “It is an incredible thing. (The Indy 500) is going to make Alex Palou’s career. It is going to make his life. And it has certainly made mine.”

College Football Playo shifts to straight seeding model

The change should allow the best teams to play each other later in the playo

By Eddie Pells The Associated Press

THE COLLEGE Football

Playo will go to a more straightforward way of lling the bracket next season, announcing it will place teams strictly on where they are ranked instead of moving pieces around to reward conference champions.

Ten conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director came to the unanimous agreement they needed to shift the model that drew complaints last season.

The new format will no longer guarantee an opening bye week for the four highest-ranked league champions, reserving that bene t for the four top-ranked teams in general. The change was widely expected after last season’s jumbled bracket gave byes to Big 12 champion Arizona State and Mountain West champion Boise State, even though they were ranked 12th and ninth, respectively, by the playo selection committee.

That system made the rankings and the seedings in the tournament two di erent things and resulted in some matchups — for instance, the quarter -

“The

CFP Management Committee felt it was in the best interest of the game to make this adjustment.”

Rich Clark, CFP executive director

nal between top-ranked Oregon and eventual national champion Ohio State — that came earlier than they otherwise might have.

“After evaluating the rst year of the 12-team Playo , the CFP Management Committee felt it was in the best interest of the game to make this adjustment,” said Rich Clark, executive director of the CFP.

The ve highest-ranked conference champions will still be guaranteed spots in the playo , meaning it’s possible there could be a repeat of a di erent sort of shu ing seen last season when CFP No. 16 Clemson was seeded 12th in the bracket after winning the Atlantic Coast Conference. That ended up costing 11th-ranked Alabama a spot in the playo .

Under the new arrangement, the four top-ranked conference champions will still receive $8 million for their leagues — representing the $4 million they earn for making the playo and

The College Football Playo National Championship Trophy on display before the Ohio State Buckeyes National Championship celebration. The path to the title should be less convoluted with the CFP’s change.

$4 million for advancing to the quarter nals.

sue as leverage for the next set of negotiations, which will come after this season and could include an expansion to 14 teams and more guaranteed bids for certain leagues. The SEC and Big Ten will have the biggest say in those decisions.

As it stands, this will be the third di erent playo system for college football in the span of three years. For the 10 years leading into last season’s inaugural 12-team playo , the CFP was a four-team a air.

A look at possible rst-round matchups had straight seeding been in play last season:

• No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Notre Dame. The Tigers still would have gotten in despite being ranked 16th. Notre Dame, a team without a conference, could bene t from this new arrangement because it is now eligible for a bye.

• No. 11 Arizona State at No. 6 Ohio State. The Sun Devils face a juggernaut instead of receiving a rst-round bye.

Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey was among those who pushed for the change in the upcoming second year of the 12-team playo , though he remained cautious about it being approved because of the unanimous vote needed.

Smaller conferences had a chance to use the seeding is-

“That was the commissioners’ way of — at least for this year — holding to the commitment that they have made nancially to those teams, those conference champions in particular, that would have been paid those amounts under the former system that we used last year,” Clark told ESPN.

• No. 10 SMU at No. 7 Tennessee. Yes, Alabama, 11th in CFP’s nal ranking, still would’ve been the odd man out because of Clemson.

• No. 9 Boise State at No. 8 Indiana. It could’ve been Ashton Jeanty vs. the Hoosiers in a matchup of two of the season’s best stories.

Byes: No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Penn State.

Advertisement of 2025 Tax Liens on Real Property

Advertisement of 2024 Tax Liens on Real Property

Under and by virtue of the authority vested in me by Section 105-369 of the North Carolina General Statutes and pursuant to an order of the Board of Commissioners of Chatham County, I am hereby advertising tax liens for the year 2024 upon the real estate described below. The amount advertised includes interest and costs, and the omission of such from the amount advertised will not constitute a waiver of the taxing unit’s claim for those items. The real estate parcel that is subject to the lien, the name of the person to whom the property was listed for taxes, the current owner’s name if the property was transferred in the year 2024 and the principal amount of the taxes are set out below. When

a parcel was subdivided after January 1, 2024 and ownership of one or more of the resulting parcels was transferred, the amount of the tax lien on each parcel, as shown in this advertisement, is the amount of the lien on the original parcel as it existed on January 1, 2024 and is subject to adjustment when the taxes are paid or the lien is foreclosed. If the taxes remain unpaid after this advertisement is completed, the taxing unit may foreclose on the property to satisfy the tax lien unless taxpayers are protected by bankruptcy.

This the 14th day of May, 2025.

Jenny Williams Chatham County Tax Collector

County of Chatham

JOE MAIORANA / AP PHOTO

AJ MAST / AP PHOTO

Alex Palou, left, of Spain, has his winner’s ring kissed by his daughter Lucia on the Yard of Bricks on the start/ nish line after winning the Indianapolis 500.

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Strauss’ ‘Blue Danube’ waltz launching into space to mark 200th birthday

The piece is heard in Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey”

By Marcia Dunn The Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Johann Strauss’ “Blue Danube” is heading into space this month to mark the 200th anniversary of the waltz king’s birth.

The classical piece will be beamed into the cosmos as it’s performed by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. The celestial send-o on May 31 — livestreamed with free public screenings in Vienna, Madrid and New York — also will celebrate the European Space Agency’s founding 50 years ago.

Although the music could be converted into radio signals in real time, according to o cials, ESA will relay a prerecorded version from the orchestra’s rehearsal the day before to avoid any technical issues. The live performance will provide the accompaniment.

The radio signals will hurtle away at the speed of light, or a mind-blowing 670 million mph.

That will put the music past the moon in 1½ seconds, past Mars in 4½ minutes, past Jupiter in 37 minutes and past Neptune in four hours. Within 23 hours, the signals will be as

BOOK REVIEW

FRITZ LUCKHARDT VIA WIKIPEDIA

Johann Strauss II was an Austrian composer best known for his waltzes, including “The Blue Danube.”

far from Earth as NASA’s Voyager 1, the world’s most distant spacecraft at more than 15 billion miles in interstellar space. NASA also celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008 by transmitting a song directly into deep space: the Beatles’ “Across the Universe.” And last year, NASA beamed up Missy Elliott’s “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” toward Venus. Music has even owed from another planet to Earth — courtesy of a NASA Mars rover. Flight controllers at California’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

sent a recording of /will.i.am ‘s “Reach for the Stars” to Curiosity in 2012, and the rover relayed it back.

These are all deep-space transmissions as opposed to the melodies streaming between NASA’s Mission Control and orbiting crews since the mid1960s.

Now it’s Strauss’ turn, after getting passed over for the Voyager Golden Records nearly a half-century ago.

Launched in 1977, NASA’s twin Voyagers 1 and 2 each carry a gold-plated copper phonograph record, along with a stylus and playing instructions for anyone or anything out there.

The records contain sounds and images of Earth as well as 90 minutes of music. The late astronomer Carl Sagan led the committee that chose Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Stravinsky pieces, along with modern and Indigenous selections.

Among those skipped was Strauss, whose “Blue Danube” graced Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 sci- opus “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

The tourist board in Vienna, where Strauss was born on Oct. 25, 1825, said it aims to correct this “cosmic mistake” by sending the “the most famous of all waltzes” to its destined home among the stars.

New essays from bestselling writer Russo on how his life informs his art

“Life and Art” is divided into personal memoirs and cultural criticisms

By Rob Merrill The Associated Press

RICHARD RUSSO, whose “Fool” trilogy is beloved for the characters he created to populate a ctional upstate New York town, freely admits he’s always pulled from his real life to write his novels.

“I was born in exactly the right place at exactly the right time,” he writes in one of 12 essays that make up his slim new volume “Life and Art.”

Russo scholars — there must be some in American literature departments somewhere, right? — will devour this book. Russo writes lovingly of both his father and mother, draws explicit connections between his characters and people from his real life, takes a road trip back to his hometown Gloversville, and even throws in an homage to the late Paul Newman, whose portrayal of Sully in his “Nobody’s Fool” helped Russo’s work nd an audience well beyond readers.

The 12 essays here are divided into the two parts noted in the title. “Life” is more memoir, with Russo sharing what he did during the COVID-19 pandemic, among many other things.

“I’d been waiting for more than a decade … for somebody to tell me to go home and stay there, and somebody nally had.”

The rst half is stu ed with stories about his mother and father, anchored by “Marriage Story,” which reveals the illnesses they both su ered (gambling and alcoholism for Dad, anxiety for Mom), and how the dream life his mother envisioned after her husband survived World War II never materialized (“She and my father stalled.”). But Russo doesn’t write to assign blame. At age 75 and with both parents buried, he takes a more thoughtful approach in these essays. Not yet a teenager when Dad left, he realizes now that Mom was just doing what he does for a living as a storyteller — controlling the narrative. Aspiring writers should appreciate the advice Russo doles out in these pages. He credits his childhood and the people who loved him as his “greatest strength” — “Like Faulkner, I’d been gifted the perfect lens through which to view America” — and tells would-be authors, “No matter how gifted you are, or how hardworking, you’re never going to be any good until you know who and what you love, because until then you won’t know who you are.”

KNOPF VIA AP

“Life and Art” is the latest book by Richard Russo.

this week in history

Joan of Arc burns for heresy, Battle of Midway begins, bloodshed at Tiananmen Square

MAY 29

1790: Rhode Island became the 13th and nal original colony to ratify the United States Constitution.

1914: The Canadian Ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland sank in the St. Lawrence River in eastern Quebe. Of the 1,477 people on board the Empress of Ireland, 1,012 died.

1953: Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal became the rst climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

1977: Janet Guthrie became the rst woman to race in the Indianapolis 500, nishing in 29th place.

MAY 30

1431: Joan of Arc, condemned as a heretic, was burned at the stake in Rouen, France.

1911: The rst Indianapolis 500 auto race was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

1922: The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated Washington, D.C.

1935: Babe Ruth played in

his last major league baseball game for the Boston Braves, leaving after the rst inning of the rst game of a double-header against the Philadelphia Phillies.

MAY 31

1790: President George Washington signed into law the rst U.S. copyright act.

1921: A two-day massacre erupted in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as white mobs began looting and burning the a uent black district of Greenwood over reports a black man had assaulted a white woman in an elevator.

1949: Former State Department o cial and accused spy Alger Hiss went on trial in New York, charged with perjury.

JUNE 1

1813: Capt. James Lawrence, mortally wounded commanding the USS Chesapeake, ordered, “Don’t give up the ship,” during a losing battle with the British HMS Shannon in the War of 1812.

1962: Former Nazi o cial Adolf Eichmann was executed after being found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his actions during World War II.

1980: Cable News Network, the rst 24-hour television

news channel, made its debut.

JUNE 2

1924: Congress passed, and President Calvin Coolidge signed, the Indian Citizenship Act, a measure guaranteeing full American citizenship for all Native Americans born within U.S. territorial limits.

1941: Baseball’s “Iron Horse,” Lou Gehrig, died in New York at 37 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig’s disease.

1953: Queen Elizabeth II was crowned at age 27 at a ceremony in London’s Westminster Abbey.

JUNE 3

1888: The poem “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer was rst published in the San Francisco Daily Examiner.

1935: The French liner SS Normandie set a record on its maiden voyage, arriving in New York after crossing the Atlantic in just four days.

1943: A clash between U.S. Navy sailors and Mexican American youth in Los Angeles sparked the Zoot Suit Riots, with white mobs injuring more than 150 people citywide.

JUNE 4

1812: The U.S. House of Representatives passed its rst war declaration, approving by a vote of 79-49 a declaration of war against Britain.

1940: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill declared to the House of Commons: “We shall ght on the beaches, in the elds, streets, and hills; we shall never surrender.”

1942: The World War II naval Battle of Midway began.

1989: Thousands of pro-democracy protesters and dozens of soldiers were killed when Chinese troops crushed a seven-week protest in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.

Chris Brown freed on $6.7M bail in assault case

The rapper is accused of attacking producer Abe Diaw

By Brian Melley

The Associated Press

LONDON — Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown was released on $6.7 million bail last Wednesday while facing allegations he beat and seriously injured a music producer with a bottle in a London nightclub in 2023.

The decision by a London judge to grant bail will allow Brown to launch a world tour next month that had been thrown into doubt last week when a district judge in Manchester ordered him into custody after he was charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Judge Tony Baumgartner in Southwark Crown Court said that Brown could go on tour, including several stops in the U.K., but would have to pay the bail to guarantee his court appearance.

Brown, who was not in court for the hearing, was released in the late afternoon from a jail in Salford, outside Manchester, where he had been arrested at a hotel last week.

Brown was initially scheduled to return to court on June 13. Had he remained in

custody, he would have missed the rst two nights of his upcoming European tour, which starts next month.

Brown, 36, is accused of an unprovoked attack on producer Abe Diaw at a bar in the Tape nightclub in the swanky Mayfair neighborhood in February 2023 while he was on his last tour.

Prosecutor Hannah Nicholls said last week in Manchester Magistrates’ Court that Brown struck Diaw several times with a bottle and then punched and kicked him in an attack caught on surveillance camera in front of a club full of people.

American musician Omololu Akinlolu, 38, who performs under the name Hoody Baby and is a friend of Brown, was also charged in the assault.

Neither Brown nor Akinlolu have entered a plea yet. Both men were ordered to appear in court again on June 20.

Brown, who burst onto the music scene as a teen in 2005, won his rst Grammy for best R&B album in 2011 for “F.A.M.E.” and then earned his second in the same category for “11:11 (Deluxe)” earlier this year. His hits include songs such as “Run It,” “Kiss Kiss” and “Without You.”

His tour is due to kick o June 8 in Amsterdam before starting North America shows in July.

solutions

AP PHOTO

Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for heresy on May 30, 1431.

SCOTT ROTH / INVISION / AP PHOTO

Chris Brown performs at the 2015 Hot 97 Summer Jam at MetLife Stadium. He was released on bail last week after being accused of assaulting a music producer in a London bar.

*Must

Duplin Journal

inside

Turn the page for our salute to Duplin’s graduating seniors

the BRIEF this week

Locklin, Rock sh precincts to close Duplin County Starting this election cycle, Duplin County will reduce its precincts from 19 to 17 with the closure of the Locklin and Rock sh precincts. This decision, made by the Duplin County Board of Elections and approved by the State Board of Elections, was driven by nancial considerations due to low turnout and proximity to Wallace precinct. Rock sh is located just a mile from the Wallace precinct, and Locklin is only two miles away, making it ine cient to continue funding separate polling sites with such low turnout and proximity. Voters from Locklin and Rock sh will now vote in Wallace. Every a ected voter will receive two mailed notices.

Beulaville man arrested on multiple drug charges

Beulaville

John Wesley Taylor was arrested in Beulaville on May 14 after o cers, aware of his outstanding warrant, spotted him riding a bicycle near Main and Jackson streets. According to Beulaville Police, a search revealed 6 grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, leading to multiple drug charges.

2 convicted felons arrested on drug tra cking charges

Beulaville

Michael Raynor and Harvey Sholar, both convicted felons, were arrested in Beulaville on May 17 following a tra c stop that resulted in the discovery of methamphetamine, a suspected cocaine/fentanyl mixture, a handgun and more than $1,000 in cash. They face multiple felony charges, including drug tra cking and possession of a rearm by a felon. Raynor is being held without bond due to prior charges, while Sholar has been granted a secured bond of $35,000.

HCA senior celebrated for sportsmanship, leadership

Harrells

Ella Campbell, a standout senior at Harrells Christian Academy, was recently honored with the Will Johnson Living Will Award during the 2025 Varsity and JV Athletic Awards program. This accolade is awarded to an exceptional student athlete who embodies the values of sportsmanship, motivation, hard work, dedication and Christian leadership.

$2.00

CONGRATULATIONS

CLASS 2025

Inclement weather cancels Memorial Day event, but tribute endures in Kenansville

Wreaths honoring those who died in the Vietnam, Korean and both World Wars were placed at monuments outside of the Kenansville Court House by the Duplin County Historical Society as part of its annual Memorial Day Observance. Although the organization had to cancel the event due to inclement weather, the spirit of remembrance remained strong. In a quiet display of respect, several community members, including Sheri Stratton Stokes and Commissioners Wayne Branch and Jesse Dowe, gathered outside the Kenansville Courthouse to pay their respects.

Economic development plan unveils vision for Wallace’s future vitality Commissioners consider nancial safeguards for solar farms developers

The plan outlines goals the town hopes to achieve by 2030

By K.D. Beard Duplin Journal

WALLACE — An economic development strategic plan was presented to the Wallace Town Council last Thursday, outlining the town’s chief objectives over the next ve years and strategies to achieve them. The plan focuses on the revitalization of downtown Wallace, improving community engagement and connection, and creating a strong network of local businesses in addition to other objectives aimed at ensuring the small town retains its characteristic charm as it continues to grow.

“The greatest asset you all have in Wallace is your people.”

Samantha Darlington

It’s been nine months since the town council formally approved a resolution requesting the assistance of the North Carolina Main Street and Rural Planning Center in the preparation of an economic development strategic plan meant to foster prosperity in the town of Wallace, and a little over 10 since Samantha Darlington, a community economic development planner with the North Carolina Department of

See WALLACE, page A7

The county manager addressed key safety measures surrounding solar development

By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal

KENANSVILLE — Last week, County Manager Bryan Miller and the Board of County Commissioners revisited the county’s solar farms ordinance during their regular meeting. They focused on important regulatory aspects and potential updates, particularly site planning and decommissioning. Miller provided an overview

Harrells Christian Academy breaks ground on new ag building

“This facility will provide students with critical hands-on training that... prepares them for high-demand careers.”

Scott Hamilton, Golden LEAF Foundation president

The new education facility will train future generations in trades and agriculture

By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal

HARRELLS Christian Academy recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new 7,000-square-foot agricultural education building. The new facility will feature spaces for animal science education and a hands-on ag workshop, with training in welding, woodworking, and small engine mechanics.

“We believe the new HCA Agricultural Education Building and pathway will not only be bene cial to HCA but to the entire southeast region of North Carolina and its ag partners,” said Andy

Wells, HCA head of school.

Planning for the building began in scal year 2021 to meet the growing demands as HCA continues to expand. The school is currently seeing record enrollment numbers, with more than 480 students — the largest in the last 10 years, according to the school’s announcement. This growth is also re ected in the popularity of its Future Farmers of America program, which now serves more than 100 students.

The education building project received a substantial boost earlier this year with a $350,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation. This funding, along with other designated and memorial gifts, will help equip the building with the tools and resources needed to prepare students

See HCA, page A2

“If the developer just walks away, then the county is on the hook for removing the panels and for decommissioning the site.”

Bryan Miller

of the county’s current solar ordinance, which mandates that any new solar facility or signi cant expansion requires a new site plan.

See SOLAR, page A7

THE DUPLIN COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL

K.D. BEARD / DUPLIN JOURNAL

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THURSDAY

By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal

DUPLIN CALENDAR

SPONSORED BY

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 rst aid instruction, touch-a-truck exhibits, vendors, hands-on activities, education and entertainment for the whole family.

June 5

Registration is now open for the Chinquapin Volunteer Fire and Rescue Cat shing Tournament. The deadline to register is June 5 at 7 p.m. For more information contact the Ladies Auxiliary at 910-375-0717.

June 7

• Get ready for the Bow Ties & Tiaras Daddy-Daughter Dance, happening on Saturday, June 7 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Wallace Woman’s Club, located at 216 NE Railroad St. This event serves as a scholarship fundraiser for the 2025 SCCNL Nurses Ball. Tickets are $25 for a dad and one daughter, with an additional cost of $5 for each extra daughter. Your out ts and dance moves will help determine the 2025 Best Daddy-Daughter Duo. All

for the workforce. Construction is anticipated to be complete by the end of the year.

“This facility will provide students with critical hands-on training that not only prepares them for high-demand careers in our state’s agribusiness sector but also strengthens the economic future of southeastern North Carolina,” said Scott Hamilton, Golden LEAF Foundation president, noting that Golden LEAF is proud to invest in Harrells Christian Academy’s vision.

The new facility, set to open in Spring 2026, will o er dual enrollment opportunities through partnerships with the University of Mount Olive and Sampson Community College. This will enable students to earn college credits and industry certi cations, helping ll high-demand jobs in agriculture and skilled trades.

CLASS OF 2025

Meet Amelia Kenan from Wallace-Rose Hill High School. She has demonstrated exceptional dedication and commitment to her education by earning an associate’s degree prior to her high school graduation. Kenan has a strong drive to understand human behavior and is motivated by a desire to assist others and create a positive impact in her community. Kenan is one of ve outstanding seniors selected by Duplin County Schools to participate in

father-daughter duos are welcome to join in on an evening of elegance, laughter, and love — no age limit.

• Chinquapin Volunteer Fire and Rescue will host a Touch-a-Truck Day and BBQ plate sale on June 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. BBQ plates will be available for $10. Come explore the department’s impressive equipment, look inside the trucks, tour the facility and meet the dedicated volunteers from our community.

June 13

• Goshen Medical Center will be hosting a health event at the Kingdom Partnership Christian Center in Beulaville on June 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Goshen’s mobile medical unit will be providing primary care and preventative health services, including Pap smears, vaccinations, injury triage and acute care for minor injuries, weight loss, diabetes, health education and more. The event aims to reduce barriers to care and support healthier communities through accessible and a ordable health care solutions. To preregister or request more information, call 910-935-1404.

• Join the Kenansville Pro Rodeo, featuring the best rodeo action on dirt on June 13-14 starting at 8 p.m. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. Come see the nest rodeo athletes from the East Coast compete in bull riding, bronc riding and barrel racing. No dogs or coolers are allowed. Advance tickets are $15, and children aged 5 and under can attend for free. Concessions will be available at the arena. For more information, call 540-521-3959.

June 20

• Celebrate Juneteenth at the Duplin Events Center at 7 p.m. on June 20. The event will feature special guest 803 Fresh with “Boots on the Ground.

June 21

A Community Day celebration will take place on June 21 at the Thell B. Overman Football Field in Wallace. The event will feature emcee Syara Kornegay and Javonte Williams of the Dallas Cowboys. The event is free and open to the public. Activities will include face painting, bouncy houses, balloon animals and more in addition to local vendors and community resources. For more information, call 910-271-2193.

• The town of Magnolia will host a Community Day on June 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Magnolia Park on Highway 117. The event will feature community resources, food distribution, food trucks and more. For more information, call 910-289-3205.

• Visit the Albertson Community Building on June 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to join a small business event, which will include food, vendors and crafts.

Happening Monthly

The Board of County Commissioners meets the rst Monday of each month at 6 p.m. at 224 Seminary St. in Kenansville. For information, call 910-296-2100.

• The Beulaville town board meets the rst Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at 508 East Main St. in Beulaville. For more information, call 910-298-4647.

The Town of Calypso meets at the council chambers the rst Monday of each month at 6 p.m. at 103 W. Trade St. For information, call 919-658-9221.

• The Faison town board meets the rst 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 rst Friday of the month at 7 a.m. at the Duplin County Airport Conference Room.

Harrells Christian Academy recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for its agricultural education facility on May 14 in

Duplin Journal’s Student Spotlight. Tell us a bit about yourself. Share something that not many people know about you.

I’m passionate about forensic psychology and love studying what drives human behavior. Most people don’t know that I enjoy spending my free time reading case studies and true crime to gain a deeper understanding of people.

Twenty years from now, as you re ect on your high school years, how do you think your friends and teachers will remember you?

They’ll remember me as hardworking, kind and determined. Someone who always

had a goal and gave their best, no matter what.

What will you miss the most about school?

The people, friendships and connections that I’ve made these last four years. What is your biggest academic accomplishment?

Earning my associate’s degree before graduating from high school. It took a lot of focus and dedication, and I’m proud of that.

What drives you? Who inspires you?

Helping others and making a di erence

drives me. I’m inspired by strong, smart women in psychology and my family, who keep me focused.

What are your plans for the future? Have you decided on a career path?

If you plan to go away for college, do you intend to come back to Duplin? Why or why not?

I plan to study forensic psychology and work in criminal justice. I may leave Duplin for college, but it’ll always be home — and I’d love to give back one day.

COURTESY HARRELLS CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

Harrells. Left to right: Mark Stampe, Harrison DeVane, Brayden Frederick, Linsey Peterson, Brantley Frederick, Christina Barnhill, Bradley Robinson, Jase Blanchard, Grant Swanson, Joesen Pope, Gracie Barnes, Magdalene Parker, Lily Powell, Olivia Matthews, Marleigh Whaley, Lindsay Matthews, Andy Wells, Patsy Barnhill and John Prestage.

Amelia Kenan

Wallace-Rose Hill High School

Congrats Class of 2025!

Ernesto De Jesus Acosta Pina

Justin Lee Adams

Lauren Nicole Alvarado

Midence

• Amy Daniela Amaya Orellana

• Josseline Simona Argueta

Suriano

• Angie Julissa Arias

• William Alexis Arroyo-Sanchez

• Jonathan Davis Barnette

• Jose Mario Barrera Lara

• Otilia Bernardo Morales

Avonni LeAnna Berrett

Avery Phillip Blanchard

Jyneria Tyesha

Boney-Burgess

Jair Antonio Bonilla

• Irving Alexzander Brown

• Katerin Abigail Buezo Guifarro

• Shaniya Kareen Burton

• Jefrey Oliver Canales Garcia

• Julie Rebecca Carcamo

• Akhia Jasmaine Renay Carr

• Eden Riley Carroll

• Arianna Breanne Carter

• Katerin Oneyda Castro Ramos

• Aiden Terrell Chasten

• Alivia Grace Chasten

• Brandon Chavarria Trochez

• Jonathan Joel

Chirinos Guzman

Johana Cruz Arevalo

Oneyda Jazmin Cruz Morales

Janiah Leeann Dean

• Juan Diego Diaz Jacome

• Mia Diaz Zelaya

• Mason Daniel Diers

• Justin Alex Dings

• Nevaeh Michelle Dobson

• Zehyler Josue Duenas-Garcia

• Brodie Kade Du

• Ja’Khi Damond Edwards

• Angelyque Abigail

Espinoza Velasquez

Gabriel Jose

Espinoza Velasquez

Eliel Estrada-Peralta

Sayuri Zuleyka Funez Mejia

• Adam Yahir Galvan

• Jorge Alberto Garcia Flores

• Stephania Garcia Rangel

• Katerin Yuritza Garcia Zelaya

• Nila Jada Mariah Gause

• Caden Lane Gavin

• Ariana Lanay Gilchrist

• Akeelah QuayShaunna Glaspie

• Enil Yobany Gomez Zelaya

• Christopher Daniel

Gomez-Hernandez

Angie Irany Gomez Lazo

Chelsey Arleth Gonzalez Perez

Elijah Keiton Gore

Sha-Niya Monae Graham

• Ashley Samantha Guevara

• Caren Ivette Guzman

• Bryan Enrique Guzman-Ramos

• Zyion Ladarius Hall

• Preston Earl Hanchey

• Jay’mond Ali Eugene Hargrave

• Marlo Ellis Harris

• Diego Ander Hernandez

• Reina Isabel

Hernandez Arevalao

Cecilia Hernandez-Rodriguez

Geovana Belen

Herrera-Bejarano

• Destiny Deanna Hicks

• Christopher Landon Hill

• Kristopher Blake Houston

• Emily Yamile Idrobo Duenas

• Genesis Mileydi

Inestroza Carrasco

• Moises Iraheta Martinez

Cherley Marianne

Irias Sanchez

Abigail Jaimes Leon

Emmanuel Jaimes-Ramos

• Tyrese Kadeem Je ers

• Isaac Bernard Johnson

• Raymond Berry Johnson

• Gennalee Nicole Jones-Futrell

• Jacqueline Juan-Catalan

• Amelia Marie Kenan

• Jayanna Da’Shae Kenan

• Jayvion Antwon Kenion

• Emily Nicole Lagos-Diaz

• Daniel Nasir Lanier

• Yenahaleiny

Laracuente Midence

Zaniya Ray Lawson-Harrison

Chloe Elizabeth Ledford

Azyria Chanyl Lee

Hazel Simone Lewis

Joel Eugene Lewis

• Kaiden Reese Liu

• Aniya Yamile Long

• Gisell Janeth Lopez Aguirre

• Darwin Eduardo

Lopez Orellana

• Mario Jose Lozano Hernandez

• Melanie Nicole Maradiaga

• Elier Amaury Marquez Chavez

• Brian Anthony Martinez

• Rosy Stephanie

Martinez Inestroza

Christopher Matthew

Martinez Joya

• Kyle Becton Matthews

• Felipe Jareth Matute Martinez

• Ce’Maya Ra’Shae McBride

• Nyanah Emprea McKoy

• Dre’Vian Malik McLendon

• Jonathan Alexander Medina Nunez

• Chris Mejia Castellanos

• Sherlly Mejia-Hernandez

Calvin Dean Melvin

Carolina Mendoza Ortiz

Milana Merendino

Kelsie Denise Meza

Shania Dean’Yale Miller

Tory Antonio Miller

Orlin Manuel Montalvan Alfaro

• Elvin Javier Montoya Hernandez

• Kobe Keshawn Moore

• Jahkhirra Takharra Morisseau

• Ammaryah Palis Morrison

• Dexter Demont Moses

• Aniya Shanae Murphy

• Shaniya Lanae Murphy

• Avery Wayne Murray

• Aiden Lee Murvin

Braxtyn Moriah Newkirk

Melida Andrea Olea Carbajal

Yeri Adonay Oliva Veliz

Diana So a Ortiz Meraz

Talyn Colt Parker

Brianna Meshall Partida

Cesar Eduardo Perla Fuentes

Sara Faith Peterson

• Samia Joleth Pineda Lainez

• Alessandra Jarely

Pineda Maldonado

• Justin Santiago

Pineda Morales

• Andrew Daniel Pineda-Barralaga

Ta’niya Sharontay Powell

Rodrigo Abinadi

Ramirez Rodriguez

• Perla Suzette

Ramirez-Rodriguez

• Ricardo Matai Ramsey

• Tyrell Demetrius Redd

• Mason Arthur Renna

• Analeise Rae Rivenbark

• Cristian Joseth

Rivera Marquez

Ethan James Robinson

Ashley Nicole Rodriguez

Antony Yair Romero Pineda

• Genesis Dayana

Rosales Patino

Christopher Rosales-Gomez

Dayana Nicole Ruiz Jimenez

Kimberlin Mileydi

Salinas Carrasco

• Chris Edgardo

Salmeron Sanchez

• Ashley Judith Sanchez

• Brianna Michelle

Sanchez Ramirez

Hermalinda LaVonne Santiago

Marilyn Nicole Santos Carranza

• Zamora Yvette Selby

• Genesis Valeria Sevilla

• Jamari Quindale Shaw

• Austin Lee Shoe

• Jeremiah Isaac Shuck

• Andrea Niharia Simmons

• Josephine Nicole Lynn Skelton

• Harley Rae Smith

• Taneya Lachea Smith

• Karla Alejandra Solis Peraza

• Bridgett Jireth Sosa Medina

• Olivia Grace Stidd

Chloe LeAnne Straughn

Shawn Lewis Strickland

Amari Zhane’ Sutton

Idasja Amani Swinson

Jennings Lex Teachey

Kameron Jeremiah Thomas

Jesse Arinel Tomas Bernardo

• Dane Woods Turner

• LaMya Underwood

• Zion Maurice Makai Underwood

• Oscar Lenin Urbina Duarte

• Jackson Lee Usher

• Jeferson Yafet Varela Chirinos

• Marcia Michelle

Vasquez Izaguirre

• Jossel Aldair Vega Claro

Josue’ Joel Vega Moncada

Luis Fidel Velazquez Montejo

Jordi Jhair Velazquez Perez

Franklin Villalobos Guzman

Judhria Chyelle Walls

Shareef Benjamin White

Freeman Isaac Whitted

Tyvaun Naquez Williams

• Jaclyn Amber Williams-Briggs

• Jerard Traquon

Williams-Smith

• Khalil Symian Willis-Mathis

• Lonnie Wilson

• Kyndaeh Jamiele Woodard

• Alex Edgardo Zepeda Ramos

• Eric Saul Zuniga Torres

COURTESY DUPLIN COUNTY SCHOOLS

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

| DAVID HARSANYI

Welcome to the intifada, America

Any editor or reporter who repeated such a preposterous claim is either too gullible or too dishonest to be in a newsroom.

NOW WE KNOW what “globalize the intifada” means.

After a pro-Palestinian Marxist was arrested after shooting and killing Yaron Lischinsky, a German-born evangelical Christian, and his American girlfriend, Sarah Milgrim, in front of the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., he chanted, “Free, free Palestine.”

The murderer, who reportedly traveled from Chicago to kill two innocent 20-somethings, surely knew the embassy workers were Jewish. His justi cation, as far as we know, was a blood libel that is a millennium old. The slander has simply been repackaged for the modern audience.

Indeed, the “genocide” libel is spread by Qatari-bought pseudo-intellectuals on elite U.S. campuses, New York Times and Washington Post editorialists, liberal activists, right-wing paleo “in uencers,” European powers, Democratic House members, big media and many others.

“Palestine,” something most intifada protesters know virtually nothing about, has replaced Black Lives Matter as the cause of the morally vacuous and dangerously illiterate activist class. An entire generation of young people has been brainwashed. It’s only a matter of time before it gets worse.

Only a few days ago, media outlets, including NBC News, reported, without a hint of skepticism, a United Nations warning that 14,000 babies were going to die from starvation in Gaza within 48 hours.

Two days? Fourteen thousand babies?

Any editor or reporter who repeated such a preposterous claim is either too gullible or too dishonest to be in a newsroom. However, at this

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

point, the establishment media will amplify any unsubstantiated and unhinged accusation if the target is right.

As it turns out, the U.N. retracted the claim. What the report actually said was that 14,100 cases of malnutrition could occur among children, not babies, if aid did not reach them over the next year.

Then again, as with most U.N. reports, even that number is likely a concoction. The Hamas-run “Gaza Health Ministry,” which is less reliable than the U.N. and doesn’t distinguish between civilians and armed terrorists, lies about death tolls and puts on low-budget Pallywood productions for credulous Western audiences.

The U.N. has issued more condemnations of Israel than all other nations combined. Not long ago, UNESCO passed a resolution denying Jews any historical connection to the Temple Mount and Western Wall, which came as a surprise to anyone who’s read a book.

Then, of course, we know that 12 of UNRWA’s employees took part in the Hamas massacre of Jews on Oct. 7, not merely o ering logistical help or coordination, but participating in the actual kidnapping and murdering of civilians.

If the U.N. were a country, Israel would be compelled to declare war on it.

No, Israel is not wantonly murdering children in Gaza. It has temporarily blocked “aid” because Hamas steals it, sells it and uses food to control civilians.

How many of the “protesters” who “occupy” college libraries know that Gaza, which was given autonomy all the way back in 2006, is provided food, clean water and electricity by Israel? How many know that the Israeli government forcibly removed thousands of Jews

Democrats are discredited and o -kilter

Most of what used to be called the mainstream media has also been discredited, long since distrusted by perhaps half of Americans, and now shown to have been incompetent or partisanshiply complicit.

HOW DOES a political party with overwhelming advantages, including increasing support from the growing bloc of highly educated and a uent voters, almost monopoly support from the press and broadcast media, and with burgeoning nancial and high-tech sectors of the economy, manage to lose just about everything across the board?

The Biden administration has been repudiated by voters over the in ation that resulted from its heedless spending and open border policy on immigration, and it has been discredited by recent disclosures of former President Joe Biden’s incapacity and by Democrats in and outside the White House who concealed and lied about his condition.

Most of what used to be called the mainstream media has also been discredited, long since distrusted by perhaps half of Americans, and now shown to have been incompetent or partisanshiply complicit. The Democratic Party’s hopes that President Donald Trump’s job approval rating would zoom down toward zero have been temporarily frustrated, as it has risen slightly in May and is higher than at any point in his rst term.

To illustrate the pickle Democrats are in, it’s helpful to provide a little historical perspective, at least as far back as a dozen years, on the very di erent political climate following the 2012 election. That saw the third consecutive reelection of an incumbent president, something not seen since 1820.

The respected Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg argued that Democrats’ increased support from college graduates, plus huge margins from blacks, Hispanics and young people, would form a “coalition of the ascendant” dominant for years to come. Greenberg was right about trends up to that point. However, he failed to account for the

Newtonian law that says for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. His coalition spurred a coalition of the nonascendant. White non-college-educated people living outside million-dollar-plus metropolitan areas spurned Democrats and elected Trump over Hillary Clinton. A similar coalition in Britain produced the unexpected victory for Brexit ve months before.

By 2024, after one term each from Trump and Biden, that movement continued, including among non-college-educated Hispanics, Asians and blacks. Figures compiled by the Democratic rm Catalist and spotlighted by Republican pollster Patrick Ru ni showed Republicans gaining 36 points among Latinos aged 18 to 29, 33 points among black men, and 30 points among non-college-educated Asians between 2012 and 2024.

In the process, the Democratic Party has become increasingly dominated by white college-educated people who reliably turn out to vote, contribute lots of money and have poor judgment about what matters will appeal to majorities of the entire electorate. As the nancial adviser Dave Ramsey put it, “The hardest people to convince to use common sense are the smart people.”

High-education voters, repelled by Trump’s crudeness, provided the enthusiasm behind the Russia collusion hoax and the various lawfare prosecutions and attempts to remove Trump from o ce somehow. They provided the impetus behind the awed “science” to extend school closings and other undue COVID-19 restrictions.

After George Floyd’s death in May 2020, they gave support or silent acquiescence to radical calls for defunding the police, to reparations for descendants of slaves, and to continued racial quotas and preferences — all positions opposed by large majorities of voters. Biden, having secured

from Gaza because Palestinians can only live Judenfrei?

American Jews even purchased 3,000 greenhouses that stood over 1,000 acres for $14 million and gave them to the Palestinian Authority so they could become self-su cient, gratis. Palestinians destroyed them. There was no peace. Because peace was never the point. Israel doesn’t target civilians, either. It is constantly sending warnings to the population about its operations, often putting its own soldiers in additional danger. Israel is ghting a war against Hamas, which unleashed a 9/11 on it and then cowered behind civilians, purposely churning out martyrs.

There is real su ering in Gaza. It was brought on by one side. All of it could end tomorrow if Hamas returned the remaining hostages and surrendered.

Let’s be honest, though, reality doesn’t matter to the “Free Palestine” crowd. There is a reason Western intifada targets Jewish businesses, Holocaust museums, Hillels, synagogues and innocent people on the streets of D.C. It has nothing to do with “cease res” or aid. The tragedy at the Capital Jewish Museum, where Lischinsky and Milgrim were killed, was not pro-Israel. It wasn’t sponsored by Mossad, but by the American Jewish Congress.

Recall that the rst “protests” against Israel broke out in Times Square and college campuses hours after the Oct. 7 massacre, before the bodies of the dead were identi ed or any retaliation occurred.

“Anti-Zionism” is now the most signi cant form of antisemitism in the world. It has long been the predominant justi cation for violence and hatred against Jews in Europe and the Middle East for a long time. And now it’s here.

David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner.

the nomination after winning the majority-black South Carolina primary, felt obliged to name a black woman for vice president, although the party nominated a black presidential candidate twice in the previous three contests.

That didn’t happen when “the (mostly) safe middle” was typi ed by Richard Scammon and Ben Wattenberg’s non-college-educated housewife from Dayton married to a machinist. However, it has happened now that the voter looks like the college-educated professional woman married to a lawyer in the a uent suburbs of Philadelphia.

In contrast, transgender activists impinge on others. They insist that inevitably more muscular biological men must compete in female sports, and they pummel the rare Democrat, such as Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), when they question that. As transgender demands have become better known, they have lost support, as Pew Research reported.

Most voters are motivated by concrete concerns — direct economic interests and ethnic or racial concerns. College-educated voters tend to have more theoretical concerns. Sometimes they may alert others to injustice and persuade them to address it, such as supporters of equal rights for blacks. The danger is that their high regard for their own views leads them to take impolitic stands, such as former Vice President Kamala Harris’ support of government-paid transgender surgeries for prisoners and illegal immigrants.

Every political party must strike some balance between the demands of its core constituencies and the beliefs of voters. That’s hard for a party dominated by college-educated activists with theoretical rather than practical concerns. The Democratic Party today, with its discredited leadership and its college-educated core, seems badly o kilter.

Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and longtime coauthor of “The Almanac of American Politics.”

COLUMN

Duplin Early College High School

Congrats Class of 2025!

• Scarle Alvarado-Vasquez

Kayla Baltazar

• Yosellyn Barajas Mendez

• Esau Borja

Jackson Brown

• Kensley Bryant

Aileen Burger

• Heath Butts

Natasha Cody

Aubrey Cooper

• Monica de Leon Hernandez

Cristina Diaz Alcala

• Christopher Dukes

Kelsey Handy

• Gabrieionna Herring

• Callista Holmes

Jordan Hooper

• Rayanna Houston

Aaliyah Johnson

• Saige Jones

Andriy Juan-Antunez

Emily Knowles

• Beyonce Lopez

Vicente Lopez Flores

• Nicanor Lopez Toribio

Yoeli Mejia Munoz

• Juanita Newman

Ely Osorto Padilla

• Giovanni Perez Aguirre

Lilianna Phelps

• Daica Philoxene

Yaneli Pineda

CLASS OF 2025

Leslie Real Renteria

• Briseida Rivera Lopez

Stephanie Rodriguez-Banegas

• Gisselle Romano-Posadas

Lean Saavedra Lopez

• Landon Sanderson

Sarah Sta ord

Student Spotlight

DUPLIN EARLY COLLEGE: SCARLE

By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal

Meet Scarle Alverado-Vasquez,

a standout senior at Duplin Early College High School. Known for her determination and outgoing personality, Alverado-Vasquez has demonstrated resilience throughout her academic journey, overcoming a language barrier in eighth grade; she turned challenges into opportunities, ultimately earning her the Student of Excellence. AlveradoVasquez is one of ve outstanding seniors selected by Duplin County Schools to participate in Duplin Journal’s Student Spotlight, a special feature saluting the Class of 2025.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Share something that not many people know about you.

I think a lot of people would be surprised to know how much I actually crave alone time. Everyone assumes I always want to be around people because I’m outgoing and energized in social settings, but there are times when I really just need space to think, recharge or even feel my emotions privately. The quiet time is where all my great ideas come from!

Twenty years from now, as you re ect on your high school years, how do you think your friends and teachers will remember you?

I think my friends would remember me as someone who always wanted to be involved and would say “yes” to anything, encouraging people before big events and somehow knowing a little bit about everyone. I love making people laugh and bringing di erent groups together.

The teachers would probably say I was talkative (sometimes too talkative) but engaged. I asked a lot of questions and ended up learning way more than just what was in the lesson — stu that applies outside the classroom too. I wasn’t perfect, de nitely got a few “less talking, more working” comments, but I think they saw that I genuinely cared and brought positivity to the classroom.

What will you miss the most about school?

Leaving high school is hard, not because I’m going to miss homework and waking up early, but because I grew into the person that I am today. These four years at the Early College connected me with the people I love the most and taught me new things. I developed new hobbies and in general, it shaped my persona.

I’m going to miss my friends, my school family, all the laughs we shared, the secrets, the “OMG, guess what?” I’m going to miss everything.

What is your biggest academic

accomplishment?

My biggest academic accomplishment was earning Student of Excellence in eighth grade, my rst year in the U.S., despite not knowing English. It was tough. Every class felt like a new world, and I struggled to keep up with lessons, assignments and even basic conversations. Still, I worked hard to understand the material by spending extra time studying and practicing the language. Even though I often heard comments about my “language barrier,” it never stopped me from pushing forward. Those A’s and B’s weren’t just grades; they were proof that even with that challenge, I could succeed. It was a

• Nicole Sullivan Kalia Sullivan

• Onesty Sutton

Monika Tyler

Trinity Wallace

• Mahala Wilson

Nathan Worsley

reminder of how determination can help overcome even the toughest obstacles. What drives you? Who inspires you? What really drives me is the feeling of constant growth, whether it’s in learning, relationships, or personal challenges. I love pushing myself to do better, especially when faced with things that seem tough at rst. Knowing that I can overcome obstacles keeps me motivated to keep moving forward. As for inspiration, I draw a lot from people who’ve had to work hard for what they’ve achieved, especially those who’ve overcome adversity. Honestly, the people around me — friends, family, even teachers — are also a huge source of inspiration. Their stories of resilience, creativity and perseverance keep me grounded and remind me that anything is possible if you’re willing to put in the e ort.

What are your plans for the future?

Have you decided on a career path? If you plan to go away for college, do you intend to come back to Duplin? Why or why not?

I plan on completing my bachelor’s degree in marketing or nance at Fayetteville State University. My goal is to become an entrepreneur, managing di erent businesses around the world.

Scarle Alvarado-Vasquez

PHOTO COURTESY DUPLIN EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL

North Duplin Jr./Sr. High School Congrats Class of 2025!

Dayana Aguirre Cortez

Jasmeen Amador

Donavan Armwood

Luis Avilez Gonzalez

Sumer Barksdale

Leon Bonetsky

William Buckner

• Benjamin Bullard

Andrew Byrd

• Samuel Carr

Isaac Davis

• Daniel Escobar Cortez

TaTeyawna Faison

• Lillyanna Fonseca

Rahmear Gates

• Julio Gomez Ordonez

Allison Gonzales Castro

Michael Gonzalez

Dominguez

• Kylie Grady

Nathan Grantham

• Carlos Hernandez-Matul

Daniel Herring

Sarahi Hidalgo Manjarrez

Addison Higginbotham

Marcus Hill

Marquise Hinnant

Randy Holloman

Wesley Holmes

M’Chelle Jaco

• Jisel Jimenez-Hernandez

Jose Juarez Barrios

• Lucas Kelly

Anthony Kornegay

• Emma Lambert

Madison Lee

Ziesha Lewis Zikera Lewis

Osmar Lopez Martinez

Henry Lopez Ramirez

Yuridia Lopez-Hernandez

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• Gavin McClenny

Saniah McNeill

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Kaleb Miller

• Matthew Montoya

Edgar Morales Gonzalez

Eliezer Morales

Jackson Oates

Gavin Odom

Iala Overton

Genaro Pacheco

Robert Pate

Wendy Perez Perez

CLASS OF 2025

By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal

Lily Stringer is a dedicated student with a strong interest in science. She has participated in programs such as Governor’s School, Summer Ventures and the North Carolina School of Science and Math, where she explored advanced topics like agricultural biotechnology and nuclear energy. Motivated by the in uence of her family, teachers and coaches, Stringer plans to major in biology at UNC Chapel Hill. Stringer’s dream is to become a doctor and one day return to Duplin County to serve the community that shaped her. Stringer is one of ve outstanding seniors selected by Duplin County Schools to participate in Duplin Journal’s Student Spotlight, a special feature saluting the Class of 2025.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Share something that not many people know about you.

I love learning, especially about science. I enjoy science because it organizes the chaos of our world. I hope that by attending college to pursue a biology degree, I will be able to understand more and put more order into the chaos. Along with this, a lesser-known goal of mine is to give a TED Talk. Hopefully, after many years of schooling and education, I will learn enough to spread my knowledge to others through the short, engaging, and easily accessible platform.

• Victor Perez-Chilel

Julio Perez-Perez

• DeLuca Potter

Brandon Prudencio-Romero

• Eva Quintanilla

Carlos Ramos Melchor

• Natalie Regalado Rojo

Lorena Reyes-Martinez

Bryan Reyes-Zambrano

Raikol Rives

Josue Roblero Benitez

Jerry Sanchez-Perez

Dante Santibanez-Noriega

Student Spotlight

• Nancy Santizo-Lopez

Jeremy Smith

• Lily Stringer

Baker Sumner

• Matthew Tackett

Anthony Tadlock

• Ernesto Torres

Miqueas Velasquez

Velasquez

Jacqueline Ward

• Lilliana White

Omar Zamorano

• Sherlyn Zavala

NORTH DUPLIN JR./SR. HIGH: LILY STRINGER

Twenty years from now, as you re ect on your high school years, how do you think your friends and teachers will remember you?

I hope they will remember me as someone hardworking, compassionate and reliable. I also hope they remember me as someone they could reach out to with questions and know I would do my best to help them. Although I was quiet throughout high school, I hope others know I was always paying attention and listening to my peers.

What will you miss the most about school?

The atmosphere and excitement of Friday night football games. I will also dearly miss our athletic director, Coach Edwards. When there is a job to be done, he is all in, and that inspires me. He has helped me in numerous ways throughout my middle and high school careers. He has a great attitude, is always willing to help, and is one of the most sincere people I know. His daughter, Ms. Taylor (ND’s athletic trainer is the same way, and I will always be grateful for the opportunity to assist her during football season).

What is your biggest academic accomplishment?

My biggest academic accomplishment is performing well enough to give myself extra opportunities such as Governor’s School, Summer Ventures and the North Carolina School of Science and Math

online program. These opportunities have helped me to explore my academic interests and gain unique opportunities such as performing research, taking an agricultural biotechnology class and presenting on the bene ts of nuclear energy to peers.

What drives you? Who inspires you?

I am driven by the enjoyment of learning and curiosity. I always want to learn more. This pushes me to perform my best and explore all options available to me.

I am inspired by my family. I have seen how they have made a positive impact on those around them. I am also inspired by my teachers and coaches at school. Those who show up for students and put their heart into teaching. The ones who understand the impact they have on young, impressionable teens and choose to go above and beyond to help students.

What are your plans for the future? Have you decided on a career path? If you plan to go away for college, do you intend to come back to Duplin? Why or why not?

I will be attending UNC Chapel Hill to major in biology on the premed track. After attending medical school, I plan to move back to Duplin County. I could not have made it to where I am today without my community at North Duplin, and I think coming back to my community is a great way to serve and improve it. My parents and grandmother also graduated from North

Duplin, so it is special to my family and has always held a special place in my heart. My parents moved away after college but decided to move back to Duplin County so I could attend North Duplin, as they did. I am super grateful for this because it provided me with friends and a community that supported and encouraged me to always do my best. I couldn’t picture myself anywhere else, and I love the idea of living and giving back to the community that has given me so much. I have always loved my community and hope to encourage future generations of Rebels, similar to how Rebel alumni have encouraged me. Lastly, it’s nice to understand how North Duplin is the center of our community and unites us through our Rebel Pride!

NOTICE OF AUCTION FOR NONPAYMENT

The storage units contents will be sold for nonpayment of storage rental fees. Bid amounts start at the price owed on the units. All payments must be remitted by cash or money order prior to June 13, 2025.

#5 and #30 – Christina Ashley #46 – Elizabeth Burney

#60 – Deborah White #7 – Nathan Cochrane

Lily Stringer

Harrells Christian Academy

Congrats Class of 2025!

• Christina Barnhill

Lexi Bass

Jase Blanchard

• Chloe Bowles

• Izzy Bradshaw

• Rebekah Bryan

• Ella Campbell

Regan Cannon

Riley Cannon

• Connor Casteen

Commerce, presented the department’s Main Street Initiative and Rural Planning Program to the council in July of 2024.

“You all decided that you did want to create an economic development strategic plan, and we have been working on that ever since,” said Darlington, advising the board that over 40 stockholder interviews and more than 300 community survey responses representing nearly 10% of the town’s total population helped inform the plan’s creation.

“I’ve done a lot of interviews with communities, and I’ve been in a lot of communities.

At least one time during interviews, I interview someone who has a negative perception of a town or doesn’t really think anything’s going to change, or that it’s not willing to change.

I didn’t have that experience here,” she explained.

“The number one thing that we learned when we did these interviews and these surveys was that the greatest asset you all have in Wallace is your people.”

Darlington then thanked the members of the Strategic Planning Workgroup and asked those present to stand in recognition of their contributions to the project. “They were really vital to creating this plan.”

Composed of Wallace community members, current and former town o cials, and Duplin County’s planning and economic development directors, the workgroup was responsible

from page A1

“New solar facilities or modi cations increasing their existing footprint by more than 10% will require a new site plan approval by our planning board and will have to conform to our current regulations,” explained Miller.

The county manager explained that speci c regulations govern site layout, including required setbacks from roads, residences, and other structures, as well as stipulations for access easements and bu ers.

He also discussed additional regulatory requirements, such as safety provisions, underground power lines, battery storage permits, and the necessity of securing proper property agreements.

“There are some airport regulations that they have to comply with the Duplin County Airport Ordinance if they’re within the vicinity of the airport,” said Mill-

• Landon Coats

Logan Dixon

Jonathan Fillyaw

• Camryn Fussell

• Anna Gooden

• Savannah Grady

• Jackson Hardee

Eli Hardison

Jack Higgins

• Molly Hilton

• Wynston Kornegay

Jackson Lee

Bryson Lovette

• Olivia Matthews

• Zicareian McNeil

• Hakeem Murphy

• Chesley Osik

Mabel Parker

McKenzie Peterson

• Jamari Peterson

Linsey Peterson

Joesen Pope

Coley Sasser

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• Dawson Smith

• Jaiden Stallings

Dakota Stallings

Caiden Sutton

Grant Swanson

• Katie Whitman

for mapping assets, identifying economic drivers, and performing an analysis of the project’s strengths, weaknesses, objectives and threats in addition to developing a statement to illustrate their vision for the town.

Charley Farrior, workgroup member and former mayor of Wallace, asked the council to close their eyes and think about the town as he read the statement.

“Known for its iconic Carolina Strawberry Festival, Wallace is a thriving town at the crossroads of eastern North Carolina, where a tradition of agriculture, athletics, transportation and community come together. With robust arts and culture, a historic downtown full of local businesses, a variety of shopping and dining, and an abundance of outdoor recreation, Wallace is a safe and vi-

er, adding that all solar farms must be fully fenced, have safety signage and undergo planning board review and building inspections.

“There are technical details that we require that must be approved along with the site plan,” said Miller.

“We do have a decommissioning plan. ... For example, lease expiration — 12 months of inactivity indicates that the site needs to be decommissioned. This ensures the removal of the solar panels, structures, fencing, roads, and foundations. So basically, they’re looking to restore the land to the pre-developed condition.”

Miller addressed the potential nancial and logistical burden on the county in cases where solar developers default or declare bankruptcy. While current regulations require land restoration, they lack a nancial safeguard — speci cally, a bond —

brant place to call home. Proud of its past and committed to its future, Wallace fosters connection, community spirit and purposeful growth.

“We think that is a great representation of Wallace today, but it’s also a lofty goal to build on these assets and even add additional assets in the future,” added Farrior.

The strategies and broad goals set within the plan were developed from the workgroup’s vision statement and provide an overview of what the town plans to achieve by 2030. Each goal contains speci c objectives detailing actions or projects that contribute to its completion.

“Goal one, as you can see here, is: ‘Downtown is full of a variety of thriving local businesses.’ It’s not today — that is the goal,” began Curt Simpson, member of the Strategic Plan-

that ensures the county isn’t left responsible for cleanup and land restoration if a solar developer goes bankrupt or abandons the project.

The county may ultimately exercise discretion over whether this restoration occurs — especially if funding becomes the county’s responsibility due to a developer’s failure to comply.

“If the developer just walks away, then the county is on the hook for removing the panels and for decommissioning the site. We do have to go through a legal process to be able to sue, which can be hard if the company has gone out of business,” said Miller. He added that introducing a bond would provide crucial protection and help avoid legal and nancial burdens on the county in such situations.

Some commissioners expressed a preference for requiring bonds in future developments as a protective measure.

ning Workgroup. “We have an objective that I’m here to talk about, and that objective is that 80% of the buildings downtown are occupied and utilized by 2030.”

Simpson explained that this can be achieved by creating an inventory for downtown properties and cultivating strong relationships with downtown property owners.

“That obviously is key — if this is coming just from town hall that ‘you must do this, you must do that’, it’s not going to work.” said Simpson. “You’ve got to have incentives for these property owners to do something else.” The town intends to attract and recruit three new types of business downtown within the next ve years — including one new restaurant by the end of 2025 and one family-centered

Any ordinance change would require public hearings and formal amendment procedures. Miller shared that existing solar facilities cannot be retroactively required to comply with new bond requirements due to “permit choice” laws. Miller explained that these laws allow solar developers to adhere to the regulations in place when their permit was issued unless a facility expands its footprint beyond a certain threshold. This means that even if the county updates its solar ordinance, including potentially adding bond requirements, existing permit holders may not be obligated to comply with those changes. Chairman Dexter Edwards thanked Miller for providing the update. No action was taken.

In other business:

• Angela B. Mainor, Duplin

entertainment venue by the end of 2026 — by listing available properties on the town’s website and promoting them on social media.

Workgroup member Matthew Walker spoke to the plan’s objective of strengthening downtown’s sense of place and culture with three public space improvements within the next ve years, including the installation of a new public art piece downtown, meeting with the Department of Transportation to discuss infrastructure and the rerouting of large trucks, and creating funding to bury power lines downtown as Elizabeth City has done. “If that small town can do it, Wallace can do it,” stated Walker.

Other items the plan hopes to achieve by 2030 include creating resources for small businesses, addressing underutilized and blighted buildings downtown, improving the town’s walkability score, promoting Wallace as a parks and recreation destination, and more.

Darlington encouraged the council to view the plan as a living document with goals that can be changed to accommodate shifting priorities within the town and advised them that its value lies within their ability to set realistic goals and implement innovative strategies.

Mayor Jason Wells thanked Darlington and the workgroup for spearheading the project. “You’ve got a very talented group assisting you… We need partnerships like this to make great things happen, and I think we got the right folks in the room to do it.”

County Board of Elections chair, announced that Duplin County will reduce its precincts from 19 to 17. The closure of Locklin and Rock sh precincts was approved by the state board about two weeks ago, Mainor explained. “It’s a waste of money for us to keep those. Locklin has a low turnout. Doesn’t have many people in that area,” said Maynor. “We’ve been thinking about doing it for a long time. So, we just decided to just bring it in front of the State Board, and they agreed to it.”

• Mainor shared that every a ected voter will receive two mailed notices to ensure a smooth transition.

The meeting adjourned until June 2 at 6 p.m. at the Ed Emory Auditorium.

SOLAR

K.D. BEARD / DUPLIN JOURNAL

Rod Fritz, planning director, and other members of the Strategic Planning Workgroup addressed the Wallace Town Council during a presentation of the 2025-2030 Economic Development Strategic Plan on May 22.

WALLACE from page A1

PHOTO COURTESY HARRELLS CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

CONGRATULATIONS Class of 2025!

On behalf of the Duplin County Board of Education, congratulations to the Graduating Class of 2025! You have reached an incredible milestone, and we are so proud of your hard work, dedication, and perseverance.

Austin Obasohan, Superintendent

DUPLIN SPORTS

Panthers’ underdog playo run ended by Yellow Jackets

Casey Neal, who leads the state in scoring, logged a hat trick to lead No. 1 Roanoke Rapids to a 5-0 win over No. 19 East Duplin

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

ROANOKE RAPIDS — Casey Neal looked like a freight train as she took a ball in mid eld storming to the East Duplin goal.

The Roanoke Rapids senior striker thrust her body in one direction and after contact spun the opposite direction. Four long and fast-forward-looking dribbles followed before Neal ripped in her third goal of the Yellow Jackets 5-0 win over the Panthers last Thursday in the fourth round of the 2A playo s.

No. 2 Roanoke Rapids (21-01) plays No. 1 Franklin Academy for the East Region title, while the Cinderella run of the Panthers after beating three higher-rated teams on the road.

East Duplin (13-9-2), which won eight of its nal 10 matches, made its playo push without striker Ana-

marie Rodriguez and defenders Zoe Cavanaugh and Savannah Hill, who were sidelined with injuries.

The Yellow Jackets and Neal, who leads all public schools with 63 goals, didn’t score until two minutes before

halftime. But another score came shortly thereafter, and the Panthers were down by a pair that quickly.

“She’s a beast of a player who is

See SOCCER, page B3

COLUMN MICHAEL JAENICKE

Panther booters defy the odds, roll into fourth round of 2A playo s

IT ALWAYS sounds simplistic when a coach wails repetitive cliches, such as “one game at a time” or “we play the regular season to prepare for the playo .”

Yet forgetting wins and losses and playing to become a better team isn’t the way most soccer teams operate. In the spring, teams that lose never seem to be able to get it together, perhaps because they have already given up hopes of being a contender.

Most soccer fans of the Panthers retreated as the team entered the postseason 10-82. East Duplin’s seniors still had something to prove.

They instead have their thoughts on a prom, graduation or a summer vacation. Not East Duplin.

The Panthers have had a number of reasons to give up and didn’t fall for the temptation of letting go.

And there were big bumps in its progress to be the No. 19 seed in the 2A playo s.

Injuries changed the makeup of the team.

Leading scorer Anamarie Rodriguez and defenders Zoe Cavanaugh and Savannah Hill had season-ending injuries and In fact, the season was a big struggle until the playo s.

It started badly early on and got worse.

The Panther were winless (0-4-2) after six matches before pounding James Kenan 5-1 on March 12. Prior to that, East Duplin had scored just four goals.

A mercy-rule win over South Lenoir followed and even though the Panthers fell 3-2 to West Carteret, Rodriguez and Katelyn Jones scored. The tandem were there the previous season when East Duplin went 17-6-2 overall and unbeaten in the ECC to claim the regular season ag.

A ve-goal game against 3A Charles B. Aycock by Rodriguez only put more logs on the re, which turned out to be a false positive. The rise of coach Joey Jones’ team was still to come.

See JAENICKE, page B4

Byrd resigns after ve seasons at head football coach at Richlands

The Duplin County native was the fourth-winningest coach at the Onslow County school

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

RICHLANDS — Pat Byrd’s time on the football eld will continue, but this fall he won’t be the head coach at Richlands.

The James Kenan graduate resigned after ve seasons and a 25-21 mark, which is the fourth most wins in the program’s history.

“This was the most di cult decision I’ve ever made,” Byrd said. “It’s been fun, and the kids have been awesome. This is something that’s been on my mind for the past 18 months. It was

time. This was done in a large part because of my family, who have always supported me, but asked it I would step it back a little over concerns for my physical and mental well-being.”

Ten days after accepting the position, the Covid-19 pandemic forced an end to spring sports, delaying the 2020 season into the spring of 2021, with the ’21 season starting three months later.

And the Wildcats hit rock bottom, though the school has never had great success or been known as a contender.

Richlands went 3-2 in the 2020 season in which only conference games were contested.

Byrd regrouped with underclassmen and the Wildcats went 0-8 in the post-Covid season.

The Wildcats showed steady prog-

ress in each of the next three seasons.

They bounced back with a 6-5 mark in ’22 went 7-4 the following season, beating longtime rival Southwest Onslow for the rst time in more than two decades and tying White Oak for the Coastal 3A Conference title.

More great moments came last fall as the Wildcats whipped longtime rivals East Duplin and SWO, Princeton for the second straight season and South Brunswick, which had tagged Richlands with three consecutive losses on opening night.

The Wildcats were 8-0 before falling 34-14 to league champ White Oak.

They whipped Dixon to go 4-1 in the league and fell on the road in the playo s to No. 15 Rocky Mount 24-7.

See BYRD, page B2

and

EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL

Sophomore Anastan Holley looks to push the ball and defender to the left of goalie Isla Miller.

EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL

Pat Byrd led Richlands from an 0-8 mark in his second seasons to winning eight straight last fall

nishing 9-2, with wins over East Duplin, Southwest Onslow and Princeton. He was 25-21 in ve seasons at Richlands.

EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL

Isla Miller and East Duplin allowed just three goals in the 10 games leading up to a 5-0 loss to Roanoke Rapids in the fourth round of the 2A playo s.

Coaching currents: Murray, Diaz, Walker leave WRH

Basketball coach Ervin Murray, soccer coach Rodrigo Diaz and assistant football coach Graham Walker won’t be wearing black and orange in 2025-26

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

TEACHEY — Three familiar coaches won’t be on the sidelines next season at Wallace-Rose Hill, as the school said goodbye to xtures in three sports.

Two of the coaches are familiar names. — Ervin Murray and Rodrigo Diaz. The third is a valuable young assistant coach – Graham Walker — en route to a head coach, though slated for at least one more stop before running a high school football program.

Murray, who led the Bulldog basketball team to a 31-0 mark and 2A state in 1998, has resigned after six seasons and a 7650 record.

While he was never under .500, wins didn’t come easy for a few obvious reasons.

Football generally takes a starter or two when the players become a senior and there have been several player transfers –Kendell Cave (Fayetteville Academy, UNCW) and Amir Moore (Harrells Christian Academy) for example – that are simply tough for a small school to lose.

It’s already tough enough as the coach gets the bulk of his players after the Bulldogs nish what is normally a long run in the playo s.

Players hit the court with limited practice time and the head coach is behind when the calendar turns to January.

Murray saw and felt all of this rsthand.

Many fans feel he could coach at another school and are slightly surprised he hasn’t played that hand, though he lives in Duplin County.

But loyalty to being a Bulldogs has its limits and running into a dead end in terms of being

BYRD from page B1

Yet that hardly tells the story of how Byrd got Richlands to think outside the box.

He taught a spread o ense and ran the weight room, and his players responded.

The Wildcats believed in themselves and Byrd’s system, a large part in which came from his days at Jacksonville. Byrd was there when the Cardinals were 3A runner up in 2018.

Byrd is the son of the late Billy Byrd, who is James Kenan’s second all-time winningest coach with a 119-68 mark in 17 seasons (1978 to 1994).

“My dad never got to a chance to meet my grandchildren,” said Byrd, who also got aboard a coaching wagon that eats away

a contender is frustrating for any coach.

It must have been hard for Murray, who averaged 19.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists, which included a then-state nal record 13 assists in thenals, to get players to commit to basketball.

WRH won the 1A title in 2006, its second under Steve Robinson, who Murray replaced in 2020. He won more than 400 games at WRH and almost 600 during his career.

0The Bulldogs went 11-3 in the Covid-shortened 2021 campaign and shared the ECC title with James Kenan.

The ’Dawgs were 17-6 the next season, with its only league losses to powerhouse Kinston. And just when Murray and company appeared to have a foundation it crumbled underneath them.

Murray, who played in the ACC for four years at Wake Forest, does have an ace up his sleeve, as his 9-year-old son is a budding hoops star.

Diaz made Bulldogs competitive in 2A

WRH’s soccer season will kick o this fall without head coach Rodrigo Diaz. Diaz did not have his contract to coach renewed as Wallace-Rose Hill is moving in another direction on the boys’ soccer pitch.

His arrival came as WRH moved from the 1A to 2A classi cation in 2018.

Former coach Michael Graybar left his post and a legacy of three 1A titles, but he had a steady diet of 1A schools.

Graybar, a headstrong and controversial coach, saw WRH’s

at family time because of such chores as mowing the eld, lining the eld, washing uniforms and other tasks. “Once you have grandkids, it changes your perspective a little.

“A head coach will spend about 30 percent of his time coaching and the rest on everything else and it’s consuming.”

Richlands also doesn’t have the number of coaches that most 3A schools and many 2A schools have on their sta s.

Byrd said that unless the game plan changes he will be an assistant coach.

He’s likely had to answer a number of phone calls.

“I met with my players, and I spoke to them about sacri ce and commitment, two things I’ve preached to them since

Left, Rodrigo Diaz crafted a 90-34-8 mark in six seasons, which included two outright ECC titles and a share of the 2024 ag. Right, Ervin

led WRH to a state title in 1998 and was 76-50 in ves seasons as the

record dip to 12-8-3 in 2018, as a 2A school, following ve-consecutive 20-plus win seasons.

Diaz’s went 20-5 in his rst year, yet had a lean season in the Covid-19 season of (3-8-1).

The program has been among the best in 2A since then.

The Bulldogs won the ECC twice and have gone 67-21-7 the last four seasons (2021-2024).

Along the way, the Bulldogs had three players who were selected to play in the NC Coaches Associations’ East-West all-star game in July in Greensboro.

Alex Zepeda, an all-state 2A selection, will play in this summer’s classic.

While Graybar had to contend with powerhouse Clinton, Diaz’s teams have had to face the Dark Horses and super soccer teams at James Kenan, which included a pair of allstate players Peter Omega and Maken Augustin, each of whom had a talented supporting cast.

The Bulldogs stopped the Tigers’ string of three-straight ECC titles in 2023.

Wallace-Rose Hill, James Kenan and East Duplin tied for the ECC regular season title last fall.

Day 1,” Byrd. “They had victories and winning seasons, and they reminded me of telling them how what they learned here carries on in the rest of their lives.

“Leaving my players was hard, the toughest football decision I’ve ever made and right up for things in my life.”

Most of Richlands’ success on the gridiron has come when it was a 2A school, and, in the past, the Wildcats had more of 1A or 2A mentality. Football is much more competitive in 3A, and Byrd preached the school should focus on the reality of its classi cation.

First round games in the 3A playo s are brutal. Winning a second-round a air is a notable accomplishment for a school.

And while he never won a

Zepeda, Marlon Marquez, Brandon Romero and Hector Reyes-Zavala were all-state players under Diaz, who led the Bulldogs to a 90-34-8 mark. He was 22-4-2 last fall and advanced to the third round of the playo before falling to Southeast Alamance.

WRH also existed that round in 2023 during a 17-5-2 campaign.

Additionally, Diaz has raised money for the equipment and facility improvements through indoor tournaments and fundraising.

And perhaps the most important aspect of his time in Teachey was the rapport he developed with his players.

Walker shifts into enemy territory

WRH’s football team has also lost a valuable young coach in Graham Walker, the man upstairs helping o ensive coordinator Adam Scronce.

Walker, who watches video tape of football like a network camera, has left to coach at for East Duplin head coach Battle Holley.

playo game, Byrd created an environment for a football program by getting his players to engage.

The workload simply became overwhelming, and even as much as he loved football, he could not continue at a non-stop pace that can run a head coach into the ground.

Look for Byrd to y to another school and become an o ensive coordinator.

He said his football coaching window is about four years, noting that his peers tend to have shorter lives because of the work and pressure.

“I’ve noticed that aside from Bob Lewis (Clinton) it’s hard to nd a coach in his 80s,” Byrd said.

And the reality of football is

On the surface this looks like it wouldn’t hurt the Bulldogs much, but that’s far from the truth.

Walker is a young coach with an appetite to learn and knows the Wing-T o ense that both schools run, which has deep roots to Holley’s father, the late Jack Holley, the state’s second all-time leader in wins (412-96-9).

Scronce, who is also a candidate to become a head coach in the future, worked under the elder Holley while at Harrells Christian Academy.

The crosswinds of summer have likewise blown in Richlands, where Pat Byrd has resigned after ve seasons as the top gridiron man.

Look for the wheels of change to continue throughout the summer.

Coaching isn’t easy and critics and pressure seem to be rampant and constant, especially in football.

Stay tuned for updates. The rst scrimmage for most schools is seven Fridays away (Aug. 8), though teams can start practice on July 30.

Kicko 2025 is Aug. 22 as Graham and the Panthers collide with the Bulldogs.

that a head coach does a tremendous amount of work with great programs having longtime assistants who are given tasks and not micro-managed.

It takes a village of men to lead teenagers through their entry gates of manhood.

Winning comes along the way and there is not a better example of that than the former Tiger, who, in all likelihood, wasn’t given the resources he needed to turn a short-term gain into longterm success at the 3A level.

The school has yet to name a timeline for his replacement.

Several names surface as possibilities, including Wildcats’ defensive coordinator Bill Good. Yet there are also several other younger coaches in the region looking to nd a new home.

ESTATE AUCTION: R EVERTON (DECEASED)

AUCTION DATE

May 31, 2025 – 9 a.m. 856 Jackson Store Rd | Beulaville, NC 28518 Contact: 910-289-0532

Partial List:

Contents of house and buildings: John Deere Gator, Kubota riding mower, Pig Cooker, Homak large rolling tool chest, Air compressor, Homelite generator, Lots of tools, 6’ wood old store bin, Outside patio sets, Several pieces of furniture, Pyrex, Corningware, Cookware, Lots of smalls. See auctionzip.com or wwwbrownandthigpenauctions. com for pictures, list and terms of sale. NCAL#7363

NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that the Duplin County Board of Equalization and Review will hold its last meeting on Thursday, May 29, 2025 at 2:00 pm in the Commissioner’s Room, Duplin County Administrative Building, 224 Seminary Street, Kenansville, NC. This meeting is held for the purpose of review and hearing appeals of listings and valuations.

The Board expects to adjourn on May 29, 2025. In the event of earlier or later adjournment, notice to that e ect will be published in this newspaper.

Gary M. Rose Clerk to the Board of E&R

PHOTOS BY EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL

Murray

Bulldogs’ head coach.

Two ’Dawgs to play at Guilford College

Jamari Shaw, seated left, and Jerard Smith, right, signed letters-of-intent to play football at Guilford College with Shameka Shaw, standing from left, WRH football coach Kevin Motsinger and Veronica Smith at the press conference last week in Teachey. The Division III school plays schools in North Carolina and Virginia in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

Bulldogs’ Dobson headed to Montreat

Nevaeh Dobson, third from right, signed a letter-of-intent to play basketball at Montreat College last week. Dobson averaged 9.1 points and 8.8 rebounds for WRH coach Will Je ers, right. Also pictured is David Plummer and Rochael Dobson. Montreat is a NAIA Division 2 school that is located between Asheville and Hickory.

SOCCER from page B1

also fast,” said Panther coach Joey Jones. “She’s a tremendous player who can beat you by herself. She’s got 63 goals and as a team we have 65. We did what we could on her, and she was simply too much. She’s a very strong player.”

Neal, the sixth Roanoke Rapids player to receive an invitation to play in the N.C. Coaches Association’s All-Star game in July, has 191 career goals.

Kara Baird and Avery Qualis added scores for Roanoke Rapids on a Panther defense that has allowed 32 goals scores in its previous 23 matches.

“It wasn’t about Isla (goalie Miller), whose been solid this season,” Jones said.

“We got beat on the eld and many times it was because of the way (Neal) was able to penetrate.

the rst 40 minutes of play.

Senior Miranda Roblero scored a pair and classmate Katelyn Jones added her 10th goal of the spring.

Roblero scored four goals in the playo s and has 12 for the season to tie Rodriguez for the team lead, though the latter played in just nine games. Roblero’s nine assists are the most by a Panther.

East Duplin lost twice to Southwest Onslow to nish second in the ECC. The No. 7 Stallions (15-4-3, 10-0) fell 1-0 to the Yellow Jackets.

Rachel Blanchard

James Kenan alum, softball

James Kenan grad and 2022 co-Ms. Softball was named to the rst team of the USA South Conference this spring for Methodist University.

The out elder hit .431 with 13 doubles, eight triples, three home runs and drove in 27 runs while scoring in 18 games.

The Monarchs went 14-26 overall and 7-11 in conference play.

She is the daughter of Robert and Janet Blanchard and was class salutatorian and Female Athlete of the Year her nal year at James Kenan, where she also played volleyball and softball for four years, basketball as a senior and participated in track and eld for two seasons.

Roblero, Jones carry burden in third round

East Duplin, which beat No. 14 Camden County and No. 5 Princeton in the rst week of the playo s, slipped past No. 6 Washington (15-3-1) by scoring twice in the second half following a 1-1 deadlock in

No. 5 Clinton, another Panther rival, lost to No. 1 Franklin Academy (23-0) n the fourth round to set up a match in the East nals against second-seeded Roanoke Rapids.

The encounter features a shootout between Neal and Patriots’ Kayla Rice (35 goals), Olivia Olarte (28) and Lydia Rogers (27).

TOWN OF TEACHEY

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

The Public Hearing for the 2025-2026 Budget for the Town of Teachey will be 6/9/25 @ 6:00 pm at the Teachey Town Hall Teachey NC 28464. Any questions or concerns can call 910-285-7564.

EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL

EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL

EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL

Katelyn Jones had 10 goals this season and like the Panthers came on strong at the end of the season.

East Duplin beat every ECC club but SWO, but the margins of victory were not as big as in the past.

Most soccer fans of the Panthers retreated as the team entered the postseason 10-8-2.

East Duplin’s seniors still had something to prove.

Jones, Miranda Roblero, Caydance Drinkwater, Claire Beth-Bradshaw, Bella Gaby and goalie Isla Miller played as if they were the top seed.

Sophomore twins Tabor and Anastan Holley played more like veterans than newcomers, while junior Kayleigh Chase was also trending upward.

East Duplin’s defense, which allowed just six goals in its last eight matches, was primed for the playo s.

The Panthers shut out No. 14 Camden County and got a

goal by Roblero in the third overtime after riding in a bus for three hours.

Drinkwater connected twice and Roblero once three days later during a 3-2 conquest of No. 3 Princeton in Goldsboro.

Roblero pushed in two and Jones one when East Duplin popped No. 5 Washington 3-1 in the third round.

The Panters fell behind 2-0 late in the rst half in its fourth-round 5-0 setback to No. 2 Roanoke Rapids.

East Duplin will be in a rebuilding mode next season, especially if Rodriguez has ACL surgery. Yet this season’s message to returning players is clear: Defense and unity are key to a long run in the playo s. No matter how many matches a team wins during the regular season.

College Football Playo shifts to straight seeding model

The change should allow the best teams to play each other later in the playo

By Eddie Pells The Associated Press

THE COLLEGE Football Playo will go to a more straightforward way of lling the bracket next season, announcing it will place teams strictly on where they are ranked instead of moving pieces around to reward conference champions.

Ten conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director came to the unanimous agreement they needed to shift the model that drew complaints last season.

The new format will no longer guarantee an opening bye week for the four highest-ranked league champions, reserving that bene t for the four top-ranked teams in general. The change was widely expected after last season’s jumbled bracket gave byes to Big 12 champion Arizona State and Mountain West champion Boise State, even though they were ranked 12th and ninth, respectively, by the playo selection committee.

That system made the rankings and the seedings in the tournament two di erent

The College Football Playo National Championship Trophy.

things and resulted in some matchups — for instance, the quarter nal between topranked Oregon and eventual national champion Ohio State — that came earlier than they otherwise might have.

“After evaluating the rst year of the 12-team Playo , the CFP Management Committee felt it was in the best interest of the game to make this adjustment,” said Rich Clark, executive director of the CFP.

The ve highest-ranked conference champions will still be guaranteed spots in the playo , meaning it’s possible there could be a repeat of a di erent sort of shu ing seen last season when CFP No. 16 Clemson was seeded 12th in the brack-

et after winning the Atlantic Coast Conference. That ended up costing 11th-ranked Alabama a spot in the playo .

Under the new arrangement, the four top-ranked conference champions will still receive $8 million for their leagues — representing the $4 million they earn for making the playo and $4 million for advancing to the quarter nals.

“That was the commissioners’ way of — at least for this year — holding to the commitment that they have made nancially to those teams, those conference champions in particular, that would have been paid those amounts under the former system that we used last year,” Clark told ESPN.

Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey was among those who pushed for the change in the upcoming second year of the 12-team playo , though he remained cautious about it being approved because of the unanimous vote needed.

Smaller conferences had a chance to use the seeding issue as leverage for the next set of negotiations, which will come after this season and could include an expansion to 14 teams and more guaranteed bids for certain leagues. The SEC and Big Ten will have the biggest say in those decisions.

NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLICIT BIDS - REBID

Duplin County Airport Commission will receive Bids for its Fuel Farm project at the Duplin County Airport Terminal Building located at 260 Airport Road, Kenansville, NC 28349, until Friday, June 6, 2025, at 11:00 AM, at which time and place all Bids received will be opened. Bids received after 11:00 AM on Friday, June 6, 2025, will not be considered.

The work may be generally described as, but not limited to, the removal of existing fueling systems and construction of a new fuel farm as described in the plans and speci cations.

Bid Security equal to 5% of the Base Bid is required in the form of a cash deposit or a Bid Bond. Contract Security in the form of 100% Performance and Payment Bonds will be required.

No Bid may be withdrawn after closing time for the receipt of Bids for a period of one hundred twenty (120) consecutive calendar days.

To receive a copy of the Notice to Bidders, please contact the o ce of the Engineer at:

The Town of Beulaville has received a Community Development Block Grant-Infrastructure (CDBG-I) award in the amount of $2,748,320 by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) for the rehabilitation of one lift station (250 gpm Lift Station #2) including piping, pumps/motors, controls, wiring, and associated appurtenances, provide permanent bypass pump (or generator) at Lift Station #2, and rehabilitate (by remove and replace or lining in place) approximately 5,200 LF of 8” gravity sewer piping, 28 manholes, 88 service laterals and associated appurtenances. All work will be like-for-like replacement with no increase in capacity. The proposed project will be in the areas of Mercer Court Apts Ln, S Jackson St, W Robertson St, E and W Chasten St, E and W Brinson St, E and W Parker St, Lanier St, Cottle St, Evans St, Suggs St, Turner Rd, and along an outfall from Lanier St to a manhole approximately 600 feet northwest. The project has a timeframe of 3 years.

The Town of Beulaville is soliciting proposals for grant administration services to assist the Town in the administration of the grant and quali cations for

O ce of the Engineer: PARRISH AND PARTNERS OF NC, PLLC 6701 Carmel Road, Suite 210 Charlotte, North Carolina 28226 336-944-6880 ATTN: Cindy Pearce cpearce@parrishandpartners.com

Duplin County Airport Commission and Parrish and Partners of North Carolina are not responsible for bid documents obtained from other sources. Questions related to the Contract Documents must be submitted in writing to the Engineer no later than 4:00 PM on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.

professional engineering services to assist the town in developing a nal engineering report and subsequent engineering design and bid package services and construction inspection services once release of fund is received. All work for this project will be conducted to ensure compliance with all applicable federal requirements and regulations under the CDBG-I program. The fee for grant administration services will be paid with CDBG funds. Engineering payment terms will be negotiated with the selected rm. The fee for professional engineering services will be paid with CDBG funds.

Copies of the detailed request for proposals (RFP) and/ or request for quali cations (RFQ), including a description of the services to be provided by respondents, the minimum content of responses, and the factors to be used to evaluate the responses, can be obtained by contacting Lori Williams at 910-298-4647 or by visiting Town Hall located at 508 E Main St, Beulaville, NC 28518.

The above information should be submitted no later than July 1, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. to Lori Williams, Town of Beulaville, 508 E Main St or PO Box 130, Beulaville, NC 28518. For

more information, contact Lori Williams at 910-298-4647.

The Town of Beulaville is an Equal Opportunity Employer and invites the submission of proposals from small and minority and women-owned rms, veteran owned, historically underutilized businesses, and certi ed/ registered Section 3 businesses concerns.

This information is available in Spanish or any other language upon request. Please contact Lori Williams at 910-298-4647 or at 508 E Main St, Beulaville, NC 28518 for accommodations for this request.

Esta información está disponible en español o en cualquier otro idioma bajo petición. Por favor, póngase en contacto con Lori Williams al 910-298-4647 o en 508 E Main St, Beulaville, NC 28518 de alojamiento para esta solicitud. Hutch Jones, Mayor Date: May 23, 2025

EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL

ED lost defensive specialist Zoey Cavanaugh after 11 games.

James Kenan High School Congrats Class of 2025!

• Keylin Andrea

Aceituno Zelaya

• Tyler Reed Allen

• Devon Tyler Anderson

Freddy Arellano-Pineda

• Jesus Avila-Avitia

Angel David Baca Peralta

Denarrio Elmonte

Shawn Bailey

Sebastian Alexander Banda

Walter Yojane

Barralaga Lopez

Charlotte Dare Batts

• Alexander Bautista

• Jennifer Borja

Hernandez

• Chloe Savannah Bostic

Alexis Boykin

• Kyah Navey Brown

Yesenia Catalan Velazquez

Katherine Tatiana

Chirinos Enamorado

Genesis Darisa

Corea Hernandez

Christian Delcid Caseres

• Quentin Ramon Dobson

• Jade Maria Emanuel

Alexander

Sorcia Escobar

Alexis Sorcia Escobar

• Marisol Escorcia Salazar

• Isaias Escorsia Ruiz

Yareli Estrada Garcia

• Brandon Jerrell Faison

Genesis Nevaeh Faison

• Ana Favela Gonzalez

• Elizabeth Suceli Fuentes

Luis Mario Funes

• Daniella Michelle Garcia Diaz

• Daniel Garcia Reyes

Diego Jasso Garcia

• Ethan Ray Garcia

• Mikyah Nyirah Garner

• Jordy Abraham Gomez De Paz

• Aylin Gomez-Escalante

• Duvan Alexandre

Gonzalez Alarcon

• Dayanara Gonzalez-Cruz

• Bryan Robert Gonzalez-Morales

• Daniel Thomas Grady

Ian Luke Grady

• Gael Guardado-Corona

Yarexy Alexandra Guifarro Ordones

Dakota Wayne Henderson

Aniyah Jorde Henson

• Aniyus Dreshawn Henson

• Brandon Hernandez Duarte

• Daejon Maleek Herring

• Jersie Honeycutt

Darius LeSean Howard

• Jesus Huerta

Andrew Daniel Iraheta

• Rumualdo

Jaimes Patino

• Siana Kamille James

• Shania Monique Jones

Vanessa Heavenly Juarez

Jerrick Michael Kellam

• Tristanie Alizabeth

Kennedy

• Hasaan Boheem

Kornegay

• Matthew Logan Lane

Shaddaih Langston

• Andres Leon Cabrera

• Caia Noelle Lewis

• Daniela Lopez-Orozco

• Dayana Lopez-Orozco

Emerson Jeremiah Luna Beliz

Daniel Maldonado

• Rachel Marquez Rivera

Danilo Edgardo

Martinez Mejia

Jeremiah Eugene Medlin

• Samuel Mejia

CLASS OF 2025

By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal

Meet Daniel Grady, a senior at James Kenan High School. Actively involved in leadership roles, Grady is a well-rounded student with a strong passion for agriculture. Grady has shown commitment both in and out of the classroom while also earning the highest ACT score in his class. He actively participates in running a small farm with his father and grandfather, drawing inspiration from their dedication to hard work. He plans to pursue a degree in agricultural science at NC State. Although he has aspirations of traveling, he holds a strong connection to Duplin County, where he ultimately hopes to return and contribute to the community. Grady is one of ve outstanding seniors selected by Duplin County Schools to participate in Duplin Journal’s Student Spotlight, a special feature saluting the Class of 2025.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Share something that not many people know about you.

• Daniel Mendez-Plascencia

• Angelli Carolina Meza Romero

• Karla Yamith Milla Diaz

• Keren Yamith Milla Diaz

Diana Rosemary Miranda

Joshua Daivon Mitchell

• Julio Cesar Mondragon

Alyssa Montilus

• Joselyn Moran Gonzalez

• Ty Jameir Morrisey

Ayleen Jamilah Murillo Morales

Tyrone Jaeshaun Oates

• Lilian Ariel Ocampo-Ayala

• Richard Oliva Padilla

Peter Omega

• Lucia Esmeralda Pavon Perez

• Miguel Pineda-Torres

• Alyssa Evelyn Powell

• Destiny Paige Rackley

• Maritza Rafael Jose

Jacqueline Reyes Gonzalez

Francisco Padilla Roldan Padilla

Janay Rouse

• Jonathan Rozalez Cardenas

Student Spotlight

JAMES KENAN HIGH: DANIEL GRADY

My name is Daniel Grady; my parents are Barney and Vonda Grady. I’m a member of Kenansville Baptist Church. I was elected president of FFA and held that title for the remainder of high school. I also served as Beta vice president during my junior year. I was a member of the baseball team for all four years and played golf for the nal three. Some interesting things about me would be that I have a small farm with pasture-raised heritage hogs with my dad and PaPa Grady. I have shown both hogs and sheep while in 4-H.

Music is something I enjoy, and I love going to concerts. Lastly, I’m a big fan of comic books, which I picked up from my PaPa Jones.

Twenty years from now, as you re ect on your high school years, how do you think your friends and teachers will remember you?

I want people to remember me for my outgoing personality and for always loving to make people laugh.

What will you miss the most about school?

The connections I’ve made during my time at James Kenan — the teachers, sta , and friends I’ve made — have all had a huge impact on shaping me into the person I am today.

What is your biggest academic accomplishment?

My biggest academic accomplishment would be making the highest ACT score in my class.

• Sasha Marie Rumney

• Imir Nijay Sanders

Ivan Santibanez Lopez

• Angie Santibanez

Carlos Diego Santibanez-Albarran

Yordan David Santivanez

Nataly Aimara

Santos-Martinez

Elmer Saucedo Sanchez

• Brenda Serrano

• Shelton Quintez Smith

Khamyri D’vion Soule

• Stephone Ja’Von Stanley

• Joshua Maurice Tann

Alison Jimena

Trejo Mendieta

Shakira Cordelia Usorio Rivera

Evelyn Gabriela Valencia

• Elmita Velasquez Sales

• Keren Lynn Velazquez Galvez

• Ha’Kiem Mu’Saude D’Monfasha Du’Quahn Washington

• Ieshia Raychelle Williams

• Kierra Renea Williams

• Tyquise Nakiem Wilson Angie Yirely Zavaleta-Ramirez

What drives you? Who inspires you?

My parents have always driven me. They see my potential and push me to take advantage of any opportunity presented. Their wish was to expose me to many things and prepare me for my future, which I feel they have done. My biggest inspirations have been my Papa Grady and my Papa Jones. They’re both di erent in so many ways but still so similar. Both of them have given me examples of what it means to be successful, and I hope to be just as great a man as they are.

What are your plans for the future? Have you decided on a career path? If you plan to go away for college, do you intend to come back to Duplin? Why or why not?

I plan on attending NC State University and pursuing a degree in agricultural science. I don’t have a speci c career plan yet, but I’d like a job that allows me to travel. However, Duplin County will always be home, and I can’t see myself settling down anywhere else.

COURTESY DUPLIN COUNTY SCHOOLS

Daniel Grady

By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal

CLASS OF 2025

Student Spotlight

EAST DUPLIN HIGH SCHOOL: EMILY VENEGAS

Meet Emily Venegas, a senior at East Duplin High School. She is actively involved in organizations such as Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), the Student Government Association (SGA) and Latinos Unidos, contributing to her school and community. Venegas’ journey has not been without obstacles. However, her passion for making a di erence has transformed her challenges into sources of strength. Venegas strives to be a thoughtful and impactful leader, using her experiences to uplift her peers and contribute positively to her community. Venegas is one of ve exceptional seniors chosen by Duplin County Schools to participate in Duplin Journal’s Student Spotlight, a special feature celebrating the Class of 2025.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Share something that not many people know about you.

I’m someone who’s always been proud of where I come from and the journey that’s shaped me. I’m involved in many school clubs like HOSA, SGA and Latinos Unidos, and I try to lead by example, not just in

NORTH CAROLINA DUPLIN COUNTY

FILE#25E001169-300

the classroom but also in my community.

Something not many people know about me is that I’ve faced personal challenges, whether it’s balancing responsibilities or pushing through moments of self-doubt, but I’ve learned to use those experiences to fuel my growth. They’ve made me more resilient and given me a deeper understanding of the kind of worker and leader I want to become.

Twenty years from now, as you re ect on your high school years, how do you think your friends and teachers will remember you?

I think they’ll remember me as someone who never gave up and always showed up for my academics, team, and community. Hopefully, they’ll say I was someone who stayed true to myself, treated others with kindness, and was always willing to help. I hope my teachers remember me as the student who asked the deeper questions and wanted to learn not just for the grade, but to make a real impact one day.

What will you miss the most about school?

I’ll miss the little moments, the ones you don’t realize are special until they’ve passed. Laughing in the hallways with friends, connecting with teachers who

The undersigned, HENRY JARMAN, having quali ed on the 7TH DAY of MAY, 2025, as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of DAVID LEE COLE, deceased, of DUPLIN County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 15TH Day of AUGUST 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 15th Day of MAY 2025 HENRY JARMAN, ADMINISTRATOR 3900 E NC 24 BEULAVILLE, NC 28518 Run dates: M15,22,29,J5p

believed in me and feeling that sense of unity during school events. I’ll also miss being part of something bigger than myself, like the clubs and organizations that gave me a voice and a purpose. What is your biggest academic accomplishment?

My biggest academic accomplishment is not just having an A average, but earning it while staying committed to so many activities and responsibilities. I’m proud of how I’ve balanced my academics with leadership roles, volunteer work and preparing for a future in health care. Every test I studied for and project I poured my

Executor’s Notice The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Helen Miller Kissner,

the undersigned. This the 29th day of May, 2025. JAMES W KISSNER 325 EARL DAVIS RD ROSE HILL, NC 28458 EXECUTOR of the Estate of Helen Miller Kissner

TOWN OF WARSAW

heart into taught me discipline and drive.

What drives you?

Who inspires you?

What drives me is the dream of becoming a nurse, intending to go into medical school and be there for people when they’re at their most vulnerable. My family inspires me the most, especially my parents, who’ve worked so hard and sacri ced so much so I could have opportunities they didn’t. Their strength and love remind me every day why I keep pushing forward.

What are your plans for the future? Have you decided on a career path? If you plan to go away for college, do you intend to come back to Duplin? Why or why not?

I plan to become a registered nurse and eventually go into medical school. Working in the medical eld is more than a job to me; it’s a calling. I do plan to go away for college to experience something new and grow as a person, but I will always carry Duplin with me. Whether I come back to live or serve through healthcare outreach, I want to give back to the community that raised me. Duplin has made me who I am, and I’ll never forget that.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

The public will take notice that the Board of Commissioners of the Town of Warsaw has called a public hearing at 6pm on Monday, June 9, 2025 on the question of annexing the following described territory, requested by petition led pursuant to G.S. 160A-31:

BEGINNING at a survey spike in the centerline of N.C.S.R. 1900 (Lane eld Road) near it’s intersection with Old Maxwell Road, said survey spike having having N.C. grid coordinates of North = 454,166.30 and East = 2,276,743.44; thence from the above described point of beginning, and along chords of the centerline of N.C.S.R. 1900, north 07 degrees 27 minutes 55 seconds west

feet to an existing mag nail; thence north 02 degrees 11

TOWN OF WARSAW

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

The FY 2025-26 Budget Proposal has been submitted to the Warsaw Board of Commissioners. The Proposal is available for public inspection in the o ce of the town clerk, until the Budget Ordinance is adopted. A public hearing is scheduled for Monday, June 9th, 2025 @ 6 PM. The hearing will take place at the Warsaw Town Hall, 121 S. Front St. The public is encouraged to attend.

Emily Venegas

obituaries

Jean Scott Rivenbark

Dec. 14, 1938 – May 13, 2025

Jean Scott Rivenbark, formerly of Rose Hill, passed from her earthly life on May 13, 2025, with daughter Jennifer close by her side. She was a resident of Viewpoint Assisted Living of Colorado Springs (CO) for eighteen months. For about a year prior to that she had lived in Colorado to be near her daughter Jennifer due to health reasons. Born on Dec. 14, 1938, she is the daughter of the late Lucian Osborne and Hazel Adeline Fussell Scott. Also preceding her in death are her husband, Jerry Rivenbark; brother, Harry Scott.

Left to cherish her memory are her sister, Susie Herring; children, Allyson Giordano and husband Greg, Jennifer Carlson and husband Jon, Ann Moore and husband Bill, and John Rivenbark and wife Krysten; stepson, Bob Rivenbark; grandchildren, Kate Drews, Josh Martin, Alex Martin, Ava Rivenbark, Liesl Rivenbark, Samantha Rivenbark, Ana King, Bert Rivenbark, and Aiden Rivenbark; and eight greatgrandchildren.

Jean was a homemaker during her early to middle life. This gave her the opportunity and time to raise her children to be the people they are today, with high standards and a good work ethic. The Rose Hill Baptist Church was a very important part of her life and the lives of her children in their early years. She loved her Lord and her family was the most important thing on earth to her.

A memorial service will be held later in the year in Rose Hill.

Yolanda Carol Farrior Carney

May 30, 1970 – May 23, 2025

Yolanda Carol Farrior Carney, age 54, of Johnston County, formerly of Duplin County, passed away at Transitions LifeCare in Raleigh.

Funeral services will be on Friday, May 30, 2025 at 2:00 pm at New Christian Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Rose Hill. Burial will be at the church cemetery.

She leaves to cherish her precious memories two sons: Jerel Carney of Rose Hill and Zion Suber of Clayton; mother, Carolyn Farrior of Rose Hill; three brothers: Tony Farrior (Kecia) of Rose Hill, David Boney of Fayetteville and Eddie Kellem of Wilmington; three sisters: Deatrice Williams of Fayetteville, Emmy Holmes of Jacksonville, and Schemicka Miller; two grandchildren: Ayden and Marleigh Carney; two aunts: Joyce Miller and Dottie Carr; two uncles: Leon Carr and Edro Farrior Jr. (Vanessa); great-aunt, Jacqueline Kenan; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends who will miss her dearly.

Monica Renee Mathis

Dec. 9, 1970 – May 17, 2025

Monica Renee Mathis, age 54, of Duplin County, passed away on Saturday, May 17 at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill. A viewing was held Sunday, May 25 at the Rose Hill Funeral Home Chapel in Rose Hill. The funeral service was held on Monday, May 26 at First Assembly of God Church, Wallace. Burial will follow at Duplin Memorial Gardens in Teachey. Left to cherish her precious memories: her children, Darius Fennell (Asia) and Deleya DeGree; mother, Geraldine Mason (Erskine); brothers, Thurman Matthews and Gary St. Julien; six grandchildren, nine aunts, six uncles; great-aunt, Florence Love and great-uncle Leroy Williams; a host of cousins, other relatives and friends who will miss her dearly.

Essie Mae Lamb Williams

March 11, 1933 – May 19, 2025

Essie Mae Lamb Williams, age 92, of Rose Hill passed away on Monday, May 19 at Mary Gran Nursing Center in Clinton. Funeral services will be on Saturday, May 31, 2025 at 3:00 pm at Byrd’s Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Rose Hill. Burial will be at Duplin Memorial Gardens in Teachey.

She leaves to cherish her precious memories her children: Lewis Edward Williams (Celestine) of Goldsboro, Wilma Vann (Donald) of Maryland. and Wanda D. Williams of Maryland; one sister of Mary Alice Ingram of California; sister-in-law, Regina Kenan of Rose Hill; eight grandchildren; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends who will miss her dearly.

Edna “Bunny” Cottle

Dec. 5, 1943 – May 19, 2025

Edna “Bunny” Cottle, 81, passed away on Monday, May 19 at her home. She is preceded in death by her spouse, Kenneth Cottle and a great-grandson, Jacob Paradiso Jr.

Survivng are her sons, John Cottle (Katherine) of Wilmington and Ronny Cottle (Joan) of Washington, NC; daughter, Kim Kennedy (Eddie), Beulaville; sister, Betty Jo Horne of Richlands; brother, Jerry Brown (Wanda) of Beulaville; special friend, Jim Turner of Pink Hill; grandchildren, Victoria Paradiso (Jacob), Kalen Kennedy, Kolby Kennedy and Ethan Cottle; and great-grandchildren, Elijah and Carter Paradiso.

Family received friends on Thursday, May 22 at Community Funeral Home, Beulaville. Burial will be private.

Teddy Ray Melvin Jr.

Dec. 27, 1988 – May 19, 2025

Teddy Ray Melvin, Jr., age 36, of Rose Hill passed away on Monday, May 19 at Rex Hospital in Raleigh.

Funeral services will be on Sunday, June 1 at 1:00 pm at the Rose Hill Funeral Home Chapel in Rose Hill. Burial will be at Duplin Memorial Gardens in Teachey. He leaves to cherish his precious memories three sons, Tyshawn Woods and Chase Darden of Raleigh, and Josiah Melvin of Smith eld; one daughter, Janiyah Melvin of Raleigh; parents, Hattie E. Sutton of Rose Hill and Teddy R. Melvin Sr. of Garland; two sisters, Angjel Sutton-Melvin of Rose Hill and Gretchen Williams of Raleigh; other Siblings known: Santana Chestnutt, Alycia Melvin, David Melvin, Sedrick Jordan, Preston Autry and Antonio Melvin; special friend, Teara Hinton of Smith eld; godfather/uncle, Oliver Sutton and godmother, Brenda Robinson; numerous aunts, uncles, great aunts, great uncles, cousins and friends who will miss him dearly.

Richard Aubrey Fry

July 28, 1936 – May 23, 2025

Richard Aubrey (Dick) Fry passed away on Friday, May 23 at ECU Health Duplin Hospital in Kenansville at the age of 88, the oldest male (to date) in the Revelle family line.

His parents, Helen and Eddie Smoot, and grandparents Carrie and Thomas Revelle preceded him in death.

Left to honor his memory and retell the family stories are his loving wife, Joyce Ann; sisters, Anne (Mike), Janie (Steve), Donna (Bill), and Chris (Ray); children, Georgianna (Tracy), Daryl, Selena, and Richard (Susan); grandchildren, Kylie, Nick (Sarah), Carson (Reagan), Christine (Jake), Chandler (Samantha) and Rick (Katie; and great-grandchildren, Luke, Zach, and Connor.

Dick enjoyed farming, shing, and football. He loved to tell stories about his ancestry which his family will continue to cherish. He was an instructor at James Sprunt Community College where he taught automotive mechanics and was supervisor for adult education classes before retiring. He obtained his masters degree from N.C. State while working full-time. He enjoyed watching the Wolfpack play football on Saturday afternoons. He was a true Washington Redskins fan, which meant most Sundays, during football season, he could be found in his recliner watching football games. His love of shing made for some interesting tales and friendships that he cherished. He kept a garden as long as he was physically able and grew some of the best sweet corn in the county, according to his family.

The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses of ECU Health Duplin Hospital and Goshen Medical - Beulaville for their competence, care, and compassion.

Funeral Service was held Tuesday, May 27 with visitation in the hour prior to service at Beulaville Presbyterian Church in Beualaville. Burial followed at East Memorial Gardens.

Samuel Robert & Reba “Penny” User Tucker

March 2, 1953 – May 21, 2025

July 31, 1955 – May 21, 2025

Samuel Robert Tucker (72) and Reba Joyce “Penny” Usher Tucker (69) of Magnolia passed away suddenly from an auto accident on Wednesday, May 21.

Robert was born on March 2, 1953 in Duplin County. He was the son of the late Samuel L and Nettie Brown Tucker. He was also preceded in death by his brothers, James L. Tucker and Roy Tucker. Penny was born on July 31, 1955 in Duplin County and was the daughter of the late Marvin and Emma Brown Usher.

They are survived by their son, Robert “Jake” Tucker and wife April of Rose Hill; daughter, Samantha Tucker of Magnolia; grandchildren, Austin Tucker, Madison Tucker and Zack Tucker; Samuel’s sisters, Esther Whitman and husband Stanley of Zebulon

Eddie Ray Hodges

June 26, 1951 – May 17, 2025

Eddie Ray Hodges, 73, of Warsaw took the Master’s hand to eternal rest May 17 at his residence. A public viewing was held Friday, May 23, 2025 at Rainbow Missionary Baptist Church in Warsaw.

Funeral service was Saturday, May 24 at Kenansville Eastern Missionary Baptist Association (KEMBA) in Warsaw. Interment followed the service.

Moses Moore

March 11, 1953 – May 17, 2025

Moses Moore, aka “Bo Pete”, age 72, of Teachey passed away on Saturday, May 17 at ECU Health Medical Center in Greenville.

A viewing was held Friday, May 23 at the Rose Hill Funeral Home Chapel followed by the funeral. Burial followed at Duplin Memorial Gardens in Teachey. He leaves to cherish his precious memories two sons, Je rey Moore (Tracie) of Teachey and Gregory Moore (Nickee) of Wallace; two brothers, Jimmy Moore (Josephine) of Wallace and Robert Moore Jr. (Miriam) of Harrells; two sisters, Lucy Merritt and Judy Moore, both of Wallace; three nieces raised in the home, Tashianna Chester and Brittany Moore, both of Beulaville, and Courtney Moore of Rose Hill; twelve grandchildren, Je rey, Harleigh, Shamiyah, Janiya, Nakiyah, Kobe, Amir, Justice, Alijah, Maverick, Kaiden and Kaleb; one great-grandchild, Zarah; special niece, Carol Newkirk; two special friends, Everett Newkirk and Jim Williams; a host of other relatives and friends who will miss him dearly.

and Evelynn McKinnon of Rose Hill; Penny’s sister, Mary Ann Albertson of Clayton; brothers, Je Usher of Louisiana, Tim Usher and wife Lynn of California; numerous nieces, nephews and extended family and friends that loved both Samuel and Penny dearly.

Robert and Penney were happily married for 51 years. They were hard workers and great providers for their family. The two of them enjoyed traveling to the mountains together, going to yard sales and collecting antiques. They were good parents who loved their children and grandchildren with all their hearts. Penny enjoyed cooking and was a great cook. Robert enjoyed being outside and tending to his goats. They enjoyed joking around, ‘picking on each other’ and spending time with their family. Robert and Penny will surely be missed but they will never be forgotten. There will be a gathering with family and friends on Friday, May 30, 2025 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 p.m. at Quinn-McGowen Funeral Home in Wallace.

Henrietta Outen Whaley

Feb. 24, 1948 – May 21, 2025

Henrietta Outen Whaley, 77, originally of Garland passed away May 21 in Kenansville.

“Rhetta” was born in Gastonia to the late Raymond Franklin and Rachel Craig Outen. She is preceded in death by her husband, Robert Whaley.

A Celebration of Life was held in Asheboro prior to Rhetta’s death. Friends and family surrounded her with love and laughter, letting her know she was important to them and would be greatly missed.

Survivors include her daughter, Rachel Byrd and husband Tim; son, Frank Pronger and signi cant other Tammy; sister, Rachel Goodrum and husband Carl; brother, Pete Outen and wife Amy; and granddaughter, Jordana Pronger. A private burial will be held at a future date.

Dec. 21, 1936 – May 15, 2025

Primmie Lee Sloan Brinson, age 89, of Hampstead, formerly of Duplin County, passed away on Thursday, May 15 at UFH Hospital North in Jacksonville, Florida. Funeral services will be on Saturday, May 31, 2025 at 11:00 am at Rose Hill Funeral Home Chapel in Rose Hill. Burial will be at Sloan Family Cemetery in Magnolia. She leaves to cherish her precious memories her children: Daniel Brinson (Carletha) of Florida and Alicia Brinson of Hampstead; sister, Reba Smith of Durham; two grandchildren, one great-grandchild; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends who will miss her dearly.

Primmie Lee Sloan Brinson

East Duplin High School Congrats Class of 2025!

Santiago Acuapa Cisneros

Ethan Wesley Albertson

Logan Raye Aldridge

Briana Lillian

Almonte- Gonzalez

• Andrea Amador Olvera

• Alora Rayne Anderson

• Benjamin Luke Bailey

• Gabriela Alena Baker

• Gavin Scott Ballard

• Christian Jose Balleza Roman

• Amirah Le’Asia Bandy

• Misael Barahona Chandia

• George Alfaro Barrera

Juan Manuel Basa-Leon

Austin Gage Bell

Karen Joana Benitez Saguilan

Landen Will Bond

Zachary Peyton Bostic

Claire Elizabeth Bradshaw

Maggie Ray Bradshaw

Connor Glen Brinson

• Natalie Shayne Britt Hatcher

• Zander Kole Brock

• Riley Drew Brooks

• Anna Carston Brown

• Morgan Brook Brown

• Rachel Jane Byrd

• Wilmer Cabrera Cortez

• Carrie Jeanette Marie Carr

• Peyton Elizabeth Carr

• Eduar Fabian Castillo Lopez

• Adeline Kate Cavenaugh

• Savannah Eileen Crain

• Eliceo Misael Cruz

Erik Cruz-Reyes

Brayden Gabrial Davlin

Michael John Edward Doyle

Kaydance Hope Drinkwater

Kateland JoHanna Duncan

Dayna Baleria Estrada

Barrera

• Gabriel Thomas Faulkner

• Diego Manuel Flores Aldana

• Kimberlyn Nicole Forbes

• Trevor Wayne Freeman

• Elena Dawn Futrell

• Bella Lee Gaby

• Marvin Gallegos Reyes

• Melanny Jasmin

Garcia Cordova

Wendy Garcia Jeronimo

Kazmyre Amore’

Zion Geigher

• Amirah Ysabel Daus Gloria

• Fernando Gonzalez Valdez

Rut Odalys Gonzalez

Haley Dawn Grady

Cain Robinson Graham

Gracie Hope Gray

• Turquoisa Onyava

Green-Wynn

• Wyatt Lee Greene

• Victor Alexander

Guerrero Madrid

• Jordan Lamar Hall

Ra’ziaha Juliet Agatha Hall

Calvin Derriel Harper

Madeleine Claire Harper

Dustin Reed Harris

Christopher Lane Henderson

Shiann McKay Henderson

Sindy Hernandez Sanchez

Crystal Hernandez-Garcia

• Anthony Herrera Gobellan

• Emauri Rashad Hill

• Aallyah Mae Hobbs

• Autumn Grace Hobbs

• Joseph Michael Hodges

• Allison Rose Hollingsworth

• Deod’Jeuhy Keayatta Holmes

• Cameron Brooks Horne

• Jamie Carter Houston

• Emily Hope Howard

• Luke Thomas MacRae Hughes

Jennifer Jacuinde

Brianna Leigh Jarmon

Jayden Christopher Je erson

Bailey Nicole Jenkins

Destiny Paige Jenkins

• Rachel Carsyn Jenkins

• Ryan Allen Jenkins

• Valentin Jimenez Medina

• Ashton Riley Johnson

• Isabella Gray Johnson

• Ayden Quinn Jones

• Dakota Allen Jones

• Katelyn Marie Jones

• Robert Daniel Jones

• Omar Juarez

• Anahi Juarez-Diaz

• Khalil Laron Kenan

• Cameron Lee Kennedy

Ellison Cecilia Kennedy

Savannah Lynn Kennedy

Talan Chase Kennedy

William Jacob Kennedy

Kyle Richard Kern

Calli Jewel Kitterman

Makya Naziae Kornegay

Miriam Dayana Lagos Pover

Fallon Leigh Lanier

James Scott Lanier

• Sidney LeGrand Lanier

• Tyler Gage Lanier

• Catherine Elizabeth Lee

• Marquis Khalil Lewis

• Brayden Gerard Link

• Evelyn Vianey Longino Morales

• Mauricio Salomon Lopez

• Krystal Arely Marin

• Jayquan Dougles McKiver

Chloe Ann Melvin Yefrin Rodimar

Mendez-Mateo

Cesar Mendoza Schaefer

• Antonio Justus Meza

• Mainor Miguel-Taura

• Isla Ann Miller

• Hanna Faith Mohn

• Jesus Fidencio Mojica

• Alicia Dawn Moore

• Connor Hayes Moore

• Obelia Morales Diaz

• Juan Antonio Moreno-Cervantes

Christy Ni

Leah Ashton North

Sean Nunez

Oscar Leonel Ochoa Villarreal

Ethan Cole Osborne

Christos Pafos

Layton Lee Parker

• Christian Andres Pedroza

• Briana Jamileth Perez Mejia

• Enrique Perez-Benitez

• Ciara Coleen Pickett

• JaMyah Makayla Pickett

• Gabriella Grace Pineda

• Maria Guadalupe Pintor

• Ashlley Celeste Quezada-Padilla

• Harmony Piper Quick

Aubrey Nicole Ramsey

Emory Hayes Raynor

Cristian Roberto Recancoy-Lopes

• Miranda Eunice Roblero Diaz

• Diego Roblero-Lorenzo

• Isaac Jared Rodriguez

• Orlando Rodriguez

• Austin Scott Rouse

• Hope Elaine Rouse

• Matthew Caleb Rouse

• Sonoma Starr Ruiz

Monica Sanchez

Marvin Sanchez-Juarez

• Abigail Grayce Sanderson

• Hope Elizabeth Sanderson

• Stephen Tyler Sanderson

• Trinity Hope Sanderson

• Spencer Edwards Sandlin

• Brian Sandoval Fierros

• Hector Santoyo-Venegas

• Oscar Emannuel Saravia

• Ashleigh Renae Sarmiento

• Angeles Silva-Coria

• Caleb John Simmons

• Yaslin Siquina-Silva

• Coarey James Smith

Marissa Nichole Smith

Nathaniel James Smith

Tanner Lane Smith

Anthony Osiel Solis Mejia

Nicole Elizabeth Southerland

Patrick Owen Southerland

Jacob Widell Stephenson

Toni Shernice Stevenson

• Georgia Hope Sumner

• DiegoTadeo

• Trevor Michael Tartt

• Reagan Marie Taylor

• Serenity Rose Turner

• Hannah Grace Tyndall

• Evelin Velasquez Vasquez

• Luis Venegas Garcia

• Marisol Venegas Rodarte

• Emily Venegas

• Jimena Verdin

• Natalie Belinda Villagrez

• Williams Villasenor-Bautista

Jonathan Villatoro-Miranda

Adrian Violante-Ramirez

• Alexa Grace Wash

Crissa Anne Weston

Hunter Ryan Whaley

Mason Parker Whaley

Alivia Jo White Weis

Taj-Rae Eleanor Wiggins

Elizabeth Marie Wilkins

Michael Kaden Williams

• Wesley James Willison

• Jamya Kamora Wilson

• Jaydin Raymond Wilson

• Joshua Andres Yanez

Arizmendi

• Ashley Dariely Zaldivar

• Brenna Lynn Zeigler

• Miguel Angel Zepeda-Montes

COURTESY DUPLIN COUNTY SCHOOLS

Stanly NewS Journal

Honoring the fallen

WHAT’S HAPPENING

10 people shot at holiday weekend

S.C. boat party

Little River, S.C. Authorities say 10 people were shot during a ght that started on a private boat holding a holiday weekend party on the South Carolina coast. Horry County Police say no one died in the shooting in Little River around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, although some of the wounded are in critical condition. At least one person was taken to the hospital who was not hurt by gun re. Police said the shooting happened around a dock where a private charter boat leaves for cruises. The boat was docked, and police are trying to determine where the ght and shooting began.

NPR sues Trump admin over federal funding cuts to public media

New York National Public Radio and three local stations are suing President Donald Trump, arguing that an executive order aimed at cutting federal funding for the organization is illegal. The lawsuit was led in federal court in Washington, D.C., by NPR, Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Public Radio and KUTE. It argues that Trump’s order to slash public subsidies to PBS and NPR violates the First Amendment. Trump issued the order earlier this month, instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies “to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS” and requires they work to root out indirect sources of public nancing for the news organizations.

Gateway of Hope receives rezoning approval for group care facility

Christian Recovery Centers is acquiring the non-for-pro t rehab org

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

NEW LONDON

— An addiction recovery center in New London recently received a conditional rezoning approval from the county for a three-acre tract of land that will create an expansion of the substance abuse group care facility. With a unanimous vote from the Stanly County Board of Commissioners on May 12, Gateway of Hope is now able to o er support housing

at 46461 Campground Road in compliance with the 2040 Stanly County Land Use Plan.

The drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation center has operated on several adjoining properties and plans to potentially expand in the future.

It is in the process of being acquired by Christian Recovery Centers, Inc., a Shallotte-based network of nonpro t drug and alcohol recovery centers.

Bailey Cline, the county’s planning and zoning director, noted that the land rezoning was an essential part of the process.

“In order for Christian Recovery Centers to purchase

See FACILITY, page A5 $2.00

Shirley Lowder dead at 83

Lowder stood out for her principled views, often raising thoughtful questions and standing rm in her convictions.

The community leader was focused on health issues

Stanly News Journal sta

ALBEMARLE — Former Albemarle City Council member Shirley Lowder, a longtime public servant and advocate for children and families, died Friday at the age of 83.

Elected to the City Council in 2018, Lowder brought decades of experience as a nurse, school social worker and education leader to public o ce.

She worked for Stanly County Schools from 1967 until her retirement in 2002. Lowder also served on the Stanly County Board of Health, Stanly Community College Board of Trustees and various state and local boards and commissions. She attended Cabarrus Memorial Hospital School of Nursing (R.N.), UNC Chapel Hill (public health nursing), Eckerd College (bachelor’s in social work) and UNC Char-

in human development and learning).

During her time on the city council, Lowder stood out for her principled views, often raising thoughtful questions and standing rm in her convictions. Lowder is survived by three children, four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. A memorial is planned for late June.

lotte (master’s

COURTESY PHOTO

The former Albemarle city councilor was 83.

Carter Devore (3) and Jesse Osborne (1) stand at attention during the national anthem before they led the Uwharrie Wampus Cats against the Columbia Bombers at home on Monday, with a Memorial Day honor guard from Albemarle’s Scout Troop 82. For more Sports, see Page B1.

WARD-BROWN / STANLY NEWS JOURNAL

COURTESY PHOTO

The Gateway of Hope rehabilitation clinic is updating its land and housing layout in New London.

WEDNESDAY

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

ALBEMARLE — With Stanly County’s second iteration of Make Music Day less than a month away, event organizers are asking local residents to sign up to participate in the June 21 countywide holiday.

Established in the early 1980s, the annual worldwide celebration of music is now celebrated in more than 150 communities nationally and over 2,000 cities in 120 di erent countries.

“Make Music Day is a one-day event where free, live musical performances, opportunities to make music and other musical events take place around the world on the longest day of the year,” said a promo for the event. “There will be free workshops plus performances throughout downtown Albemarle, Locust, and more.”

How to String Your Guitar, Folk Instruments, Fun With Rhythm, Recorders, Ukulele, Kazoos, Voice, Intro to String Instruments, Instrument Petting Zoo, and Bucket Drumming are among the series of workshops o ered this year.

Make Music Stanly County has created a virtual signup center at stanlycounty. makemusicday.org where a booking system is connecting venues and musicians together for potential matches.

Any site in the county can be a host venue — hosts control the location, performance times and available equipment, and must be free and accessible to the public with open viewing space or available sidewalks for pedestrians.

Live performances are already scheduled for Albemarle, Badin, Locust, Oakboro and Norwood.

There are currently nine venues registered for the event: three Stanly County Public Library locations (Locust, Norwood, Albemarle), Courthouse Square Park, Historic 1852 Isaiah Snuggs House, Loafers and Legends

Club, Locust City Hall backyard, Stanly County History Center and The Talent Company Club House.

“Calling all musicians and performers — Stanly County is celebrating Make Music Day on June 21 and we want you to be part of it,” City of Locust announced on May 21.

“This free, all-day, countywide celebration of music is open to everyone, whether you’re a seasoned performer, a hobbyist, or a rst-time busker. Multiple locations around the county will be hosting live performances, including our own backyard at Locust City Hall. We’re inviting artists of all ages and styles to join in.”

Stanly County’s Make Music Day is sponsored by the Stanly County Arts Council, which is a 501c3 with a mission promoting broad-based cultural and educational activities in the arts throughout the county.

Other sponsors include the North Carolina Arts Council, Music on Main, Albemarle Music Store, and the Stanly County Concert Band.

May 20

• Dewarren Torress McAuley, 34, was arrested for possessing rearm as felon.

May 21

• Marshall Dillon Fesperman, 31, was arrested for outstanding warrants, driving with invalid registration.

May 22

• Jazmyne Lauria Thomas, 31, was arrested for possessing drug paraphernalia, resisting public o cer, assaulting government o cial.

May 23

• Kanirean Jalique Sellers, 20, was arrested for violating felony probation, failing to appear, turned over by bail bondsman, shoplifting.

May 24

• Travis Melvin Robinson, 43, was arrested for possessing rearm as felon, hit and run with property damage, driving without license, resisting public o cer, carrying concealed gun.

• Timothy Nelson Carter, 51, was arrested for outstanding warrant, assaulting female, misdemeanor domestic violence.

• Tracy Warren Brigham, 35, was arrested for second degree trespass, simple assault.

May 25

• Nicki Leann Woody, 39, was arrested for driving while impaired.

May 26

• Marilyn Renee Lewis, 56, was arrested for rst degree trespass.

Onlookers enjoy the county’s rst-annual Make Music Day on June 21, 2024.

• Cody Dale Little, 29, was arrested for rst degree trespass.

• Timothy Raynard Bivens, 63, was arrested for possessing cocaine, possessing drug paraphernalia, possessing marijuana paraphernalia, possessing marijuana up to half ounce.

• Anafaye Campbell, 33, was arrested for driving while impaired, driving with revoked license.

• Shaquille Robert Strong, 32, was arrested for misdemeanor domestic violence, assaulting female, resisting public o cer, communicating threats, assault with deadly weapon, assault with deadly weapon with minor present.

• Timothy Blalock, 58, was arrested for breaking and entering, simple assault, second degree trespass.

May

May

well as other outdoor events including rock climbing. Locust City Hall Backyard 186 Ray Kennedy Drive Locust

June 3 & 5

Locust Farmers Market Tuesday: 4:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This producers-only market o ers fresh produce, homemade foods and crafts by local creators. Conveniently located across the street from Locust Elementary School. Open May through September. Corner of 24/27 and Vella Drive Locust

CRIME LOG

COURTESY ALBEMARLE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

| DAVID HARSANYI

Welcome to the intifada, America

Any editor or reporter who repeated such a preposterous claim is either too gullible or too dishonest to be in a newsroom.

NOW WE KNOW what “globalize the intifada” means.

After a pro-Palestinian Marxist was arrested after shooting and killing Yaron Lischinsky, a German-born evangelical Christian, and his American girlfriend, Sarah Milgrim, in front of the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., he chanted, “Free, free Palestine.”

The murderer, who reportedly traveled from Chicago to kill two innocent 20-somethings, surely knew the embassy workers were Jewish. His justi cation, as far as we know, was a blood libel that is a millennium old. The slander has simply been repackaged for the modern audience.

Indeed, the “genocide” libel is spread by Qatari-bought pseudo-intellectuals on elite U.S. campuses, New York Times and Washington Post editorialists, liberal activists, right-w ing paleo “in uencers,” European powers, Democratic House members, big media and many others.

“Palestine,” something most intifada protesters know virtually nothing about, has replaced Black Lives Matter as the cause of the morally vacuous and dangerously illiterate activist class. An entire generation of young people has been brainwashed. It’s only a matter of time before it gets worse.

Only a few days ago, media outlets, including NBC News, reported, without a hint of skepticism, a United Nations warning that 14,000 babies were going to die from starvation in Gaza within 48 hours.

Two days? Fourteen thousand babies?

Any editor or reporter who repeated such a preposterous claim is either too gullible or too dishonest to be in a newsroom. However, at this

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

point, the establishment media will amplify any unsubstantiated and unhinged accusation if the target is right.

As it turns out, the U.N. retracted the claim. What the report actually said was that 14,100 cases of malnutrition could occur among children, not babies, if aid did not reach them over the next year.

Then again, as with most U.N. reports, even that number is likely a concoction. The Hamas-run “Gaza Health Ministry,” which is less reliable than the U.N. and doesn’t distinguish between civilians and armed terrorists, lies about death tolls and puts on low-budget Pallywood productions for credulous Western audiences.

The U.N. has issued more condemnations of Israel than all other nations combined. Not long ago, UNESCO passed a resolution denying Jews any historical connection to the Temple Mount and Western Wall, which came as a surprise to anyone who’s read a book.

Then, of course, we know that 12 of UNRWA’s employees took part in the Hamas massacre of Jews on Oct. 7, not merely o ering logistical help or coordination, but participating in the actual kidnapping and murdering of civilians.

If the U.N. were a country, Israel would be compelled to declare war on it.

No, Israel is not wantonly murdering children in Gaza. It has temporarily blocked “aid” because Hamas steals it, sells it and uses food to control civilians.

How many of the “protesters” who “occupy” college libraries know that Gaza, which was given autonomy all the way back in 2006, is provided food, clean water and electricity by Israel? How many know that the Israeli government forcibly removed thousands of Jews

Democrats are discredited and o -kilter

Most of what used to be called the mainstream media has also been discredited, long since distrusted by perhaps half of Americans, and now shown to have been incompetent or partisanshiply complicit.

HOW DOES a political party with overwhelming advantages, including increasing support from the growing bloc of highly educated and a uent voters, almost monopoly support from the press and broadcast media, and with burgeoning nancial and high-tech sectors of the economy, manage to lose just about everything across the board?

The Biden administration has been repudiated by voters over the in ation that resulted from its heedless spending and open border policy on immigration, and it has been discredited by recent disclosures of former President Joe Biden’s incapacity and by Democrats in and outside the White House who concealed and lied about his condition.

Most of what used to be called the mainstream media has also been discredited, long since distrusted by perhaps half of Americans, and now shown to have been incompetent or partisanshiply complicit. The Democratic Party’s hopes that President Donald Trump’s job approval rating would zoom down toward zero have been temporarily frustrated, as it has risen slightly in May and is higher than at any point in his rst term.

To illustrate the pickle Democrats are in, it’s helpful to provide a little historical perspective, at least as far back as a dozen years, on the very di erent political climate following the 2012 election. That saw the third consecutive reelection of an incumbent president, something not seen since 1820.

The respected Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg argued that Democrats’ increased support from college graduates, plus huge margins from blacks, Hispanics and young people, would form a “coalition of the ascendant” dominant for years to come. Greenberg was right about trends up to that point. However, he failed to account for the

Newtonian law that says for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. His coalition spurred a coalition of the nonascendant. White non-college-educated people living outside million-dollar-plus metropolitan areas spurned Democrats and elected Trump over Hillary Clinton. A similar coalition in Britain produced the unexpected victory for Brexit ve months before.

By 2024, after one term each from Trump and Biden, that movement continued, including among non-college-educated Hispanics, Asians and blacks. Figures compiled by the Democratic rm Catalist and spotlighted by Republican pollster Patrick Ru ni showed Republicans gaining 36 points among Latinos aged 18 to 29, 33 points among black men, and 30 points among non-college-educated Asians between 2012 and 2024.

In the process, the Democratic Party has become increasingly dominated by white college-educated people who reliably turn out to vote, contribute lots of money and have poor judgment about what matters will appeal to majorities of the entire electorate. As the nancial adviser Dave Ramsey put it, “The hardest people to convince to use common sense are the smart people.”

High-education voters, repelled by Trump’s crudeness, provided the enthusiasm behind the Russia collusion hoax and the various lawfare prosecutions and attempts to remove Trump from o ce somehow. They provided the impetus behind the awed “science” to extend school closings and other undue COVID-19 restrictions.

After George Floyd’s death in May 2020, they gave support or silent acquiescence to radical calls for defunding the police, to reparations for descendants of slaves, and to continued racial quotas and preferences — all positions opposed by large majorities of voters. Biden, having secured

from Gaza because Palestinians can only live Judenfrei?

American Jews even purchased 3,000 greenhouses that stood over 1,000 acres for $14 million and gave them to the Palestinian Authority so they could become self-su cient, gratis. Palestinians destroyed them. There was no peace. Because peace was never the point. Israel doesn’t target civilians, either. It is constantly sending warnings to the population about its operations, often putting its own soldiers in additional danger. Israel is ghting a war against Hamas, which unleashed a 9/11 on it and then cowered behind civilians, purposely churning out martyrs.

There is real su ering in Gaza. It was brought on by one side. All of it could end tomorrow if Hamas returned the remaining hostages and surrendered.

Let’s be honest, though, reality doesn’t matter to the “Free Palestine” crowd. There is a reason Western intifada targets Jewish businesses, Holocaust museums, Hillels, synagogues and innocent people on the streets of D.C. It has nothing to do with “cease res” or aid. The tragedy at the Capital Jewish Museum, where Lischinsky and Milgrim were killed, was not pro-Israel. It wasn’t sponsored by Mossad, but by the American Jewish Congress.

Recall that the rst “protests” against Israel broke out in Times Square and college campuses hours after the Oct. 7 massacre, before the bodies of the dead were identi ed or any retaliation occurred.

“Anti-Zionism” is now the most signi cant form of antisemitism in the world. It has long been the predominant justi cation for violence and hatred against Jews in Europe and the Middle East for a long time. And now it’s here.

David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner.

the nomination after winning the majority-black South Carolina primary, felt obliged to name a black woman for vice president, although the party nominated a black presidential candidate twice in the previous three contests.

That didn’t happen when “the (mostly) safe middle” was typi ed by Richard Scammon and Ben Wattenberg’s non-college-educated housewife from Dayton married to a machinist. However, it has happened now that the voter looks like the college-educated professional woman married to a lawyer in the a uent suburbs of Philadelphia.

In contrast, transgender activists impinge on others. They insist that inevitably more muscular biological men must compete in female sports, and they pummel the rare Democrat, such as Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), when they question that. As transgender demands have become better known, they have lost support, as Pew Research reported.

Most voters are motivated by concrete concerns — direct economic interests and ethnic or racial concerns. College-educated voters tend to have more theoretical concerns. Sometimes they may alert others to injustice and persuade them to address it, such as supporters of equal rights for blacks. The danger is that their high regard for their own views leads them to take impolitic stands, such as former Vice President Kamala Harris’ support of government-paid transgender surgeries for prisoners and illegal immigrants.

Every political party must strike some balance between the demands of its core constituencies and the beliefs of voters. That’s hard for a party dominated by college-educated activists with theoretical rather than practical concerns. The Democratic Party today, with its discredited leadership and its college-educated core, seems badly o kilter.

Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and longtime coauthor of “The Almanac of American Politics.”

COLUMN

Scars from Helene healing slowly in one Appalachian tourist town

Chimney Rock Village was one of the hardest hit hamlets

By Allen G. Breed

The Associated Press

CHIMNEY ROCK VIL -

LAGE — The brightly colored sign along the S-curve mountain road beckons visitors to the Gemstone Mine, the “#1 ATTRACTION IN CHIMNEY ROCK VILLAGE!” But another sign, on the shop’s mud-splattered front door, tells a di erent story.

“We will be closed Thursday 9-26-2024 due to impending weather,” it reads. It promised to reopen the next day at noon, weather permitting.

That impending weather was the remnants of Hurricane Helene. And that reopening still hasn’t arrived.

The storm smashed into the North Carolina mountains last September, killing more than 100 people and causing an estimated $60 billion in damage. Chimney Rock, a hamlet of about 140 named for the 535-million-year-old geological wonder that underpins its tourism industry, was hit particularly hard.

Eight months later, the mine, like most of the surviving businesses on the village’s quaint Main Street, is still an open construction site. A ashing sign at the guard shack on the town line warns: “ROAD CLOSED. LOCAL TRAFFIC ONLY.”

Village Mayor Peter O’Leary had optimistically predicted that downtown would open in time for Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of the summer tourist season. He now realizes that was too ambitious.

“We had set that date as a target, early on,” he said, sitting in the still-stripped main room of his Bubba O’Leary’s General Store. “But I always try to remind people you don’t always hit the target. Anybody that’s shot a gun or bow and arrow knows you don’t always hit the target.”

The Broad River — which gave the restaurants and inns lining its banks their marketable water views — left its course, carving away foundations and sweeping away the bridge to Chimney Rock State Park. O’Leary said about a third of the town’s businesses were “totally destroyed.”

Several are gone for good.

At the north end of town, all that remains of Bayou Billy’s Chimney Rock Country Fair amusement park is a pile of twisted metal, tattered aw-

nings and jumbled train cars. A peeling, cracked yellow carousel horse that owner Bill Robeson’s children once rode balances precariously on a debris pile, its mouth agape to the sky. At 71, Robeson — who also lost a two-story building where he sold popcorn, pizza and souvenir tin cups — said he doesn’t have the heart to rebuild.

“We made the dream come true and everything,” said Robeson, who’s been coming to Chimney Rock since he was in diapers.

“I hate I had to leave like it was. But, you know, life is short. You just can’t ponder over it. You’ve got to keep going, you know?”

At the other end of town, the Carter Lodge boasted “BALCONIES OVERLOOKING RIV-

ER.” Much of the back side of the 19-room hotel now dangles in midair, an angry red-brown

gash in the soil that once supported it.

Barely a month before Helene, Linda Carter made the last loan payments on repairs from a 100year ood in 1996. Contractors estimate it will cost $2.6 million to rebuild.

So the widow said she’s waiting to see how much the federal government will o er her to let the lot become a ood-mitigation zone.

“I just don’t have it in me,” said Carter, who lived in the hotel. “I’m 74. I don’t want to die and leave my children in debt. I also don’t want to go through the pain of rebuilding.”

But others, like Matt Banz, still think Chimney Rock is worth the risk of future heartache.

The Florida native fell in love with a fudge shop here during a vacation more than 30 years ago.

Today, he and his family own four businesses in town, including the gem mine and the RiverWatch Bar & Grill.

“The day after the storm, we didn’t even question whether we were going to rebuild,” Banz said, with workers rebuilding the riverfront deck on new cement footers. “We knew right away that we weren’t going to let go.”

O’Leary, Banz and others say federal relief has been slow. But volunteers have lled the gaps. Down the street, Amish workers from Pennsylvania pieced together a mold before pouring a new reinforced foundation for the Broad River Inn, among the oldest businesses in town. The river undermined the back end and obliterated the neighboring miniature golf course.

“We de nitely could not have

done what we’re doing without them, that is for certain,” inn co-owner Kristen Sottile said.

“They have brought so much willpower, hope, as well as many other things to our community.”

The Amish are working in concert with Spokes of Hope, a Christian nonpro t formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, which hit the Carolinas in September 2018.

Jonathan Graef and his siblings bought the Best View Inn in late 2023 and were halfway through renovations when Helene struck. They’ve been ooded twice since, but the new rafters and framing the Amish workers constructed have held.

“It’s really trying to kick us down,” said Graef, whose property borders what is left of the Bayou Billy’s park. “But our spirits are high, our hopes are high and nothing’s going to stop us from opening this place.”

Throughout town, the ring of hammers and saws mingles with the sizzle of welding and the rumble of debris-removal trucks.

Workers lay sewer lines. A temporary steel bridge to the state park — replacing the ornate stone and concrete span that washed out — should be ready soon, O’Leary said.

“In a normal year, they easily have 400,000 visitors that come to the park,” he said. “That’s really the draw that brings people here.”

One recent evening, Rose Senehi walked down Main Street, stopping to peer into shop windows to see how much progress had been made.

Twenty-two years ago, the novelist stopped in town to buy an ice cream cone. As she licked, she crossed a small bridge, climbed a rickety staircase to a small house, looked around “and saw that mountain.”

“Within an hour, I signed the contract and bought it. Out of the blue,” she said, her eyes lighting up. “Never been to this town. But I knew this is what I wanted.”

The bridge is gone. So is that ice cream shop. But Senehi said there’s more to this place than stores and treats.

“There’s something about this area that, it’s just compelling. The mountains. The green. It’s just beautiful,” she said. “It’ll de nitely come back. And it won’t be the same; it’ll be better.”

O’Leary said he thinks some Main Street businesses will be open sometime this summer. The council is looking for village-owned properties that can be leased or sold to business owners.

“I can see progress on all fronts,” said O’Leary, who came for a park job 35 years ago and never left. But he cautions that recovery will be slow.

“We don’t want everybody to come at the same time, but we do want people to visit and be patient with us,” he said. “This is a long rebuild. But I think it’s going to be worth it.”

ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO

The Carter Lodge hangs precariously over the ood-scoured bank of the Broad River in Chimney Rock Village earlier this month.

SHELLY MCCORMACK VIA AP

Amish volunteers from Pennsylvania rebuild a deck along the banks of the Broad River in Chimney Rock Village earlier this month.

ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO

David Cruz mixes cement in the bucket of an end loader for a sewer manhole on Main Street in Chimney Rock Village.

How a Raleigh ministry decided to help resettle Afrikaners

The unusual refugees still needed assistance

By Yonat Shimron Religion News Service

RALEIGH — The 12-by30-foot storage unit in a Raleigh suburb is crammed full of chairs, tables, mattresses, lamps, pots and pans.

Most of its contents will soon be hauled o to two apartments that Welcome House Raleigh is furnishing for three newly arrived refugees. It’s a job the ministry, which is a project of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina, has handled countless times on behalf of newly arrived refugees from such places as Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria and Venezuela.

But these two apartments are going to three Afrikaners — whose status as refugees is, according to many faith-based groups and others, highly controversial.

Last week, Marc Wyatt, director of Welcome House Raleigh, received a call from the North Carolina eld o ce of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants asking if he could help furnish the apartments for the refugees, among the 59 Afrikaners who arrived in the U.S. last week from South Africa, he told RNS. It was a common request for the ministry that partners with refugee resettlement agencies to provide temporary housing and furniture for people in need.

And at the same time, the request was extremely challenging. After thinking about it, consulting with the Welcome House network director and asking for feedback from ministry volunteers, Wyatt said yes.

“Our position is that however morally and ethically charged it is, our mandate is to help welcome and love people,” said Wyatt, a retired Cooperative Baptist Fellowship missionary who now works for CBF North Carolina. “Our holy book says God loves people. We don’t get to discriminate.”

He recognized that Afrikaners are part of a white ethnic minority that created and led South Africa’s brutal segregationist policies known as apartheid for nearly 50 years.

That policy, which included denying the country’s black majority rights to voting, housing, education and land, ended in 1994, when the country elected Nelson Mandela in its rst free presidential election.

Like Wyatt and Welcome House, many faith-based groups are now considering whether to help the government resettle Afrikaners after the Trump administration shut down refugee resettlement for all others.

Last week, the Episcopal Church chose to end its refugee resettlement partnership with the U.S. government rather than resettle Afrikaners. Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe said his church’s commitment to racial justice and reconciliation, and its long relationship with the late Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu made it impossible for the church to work with the govern-

settlement is for its faith-based partners.

“Our position is that however morally and ethically charged it is, our mandate is to help welcome and love people.”

Marc Wyatt, director, Welcome House Raleigh

ment on resettling Afrikaners.

In January, in one of his rst executive orders, President Donald Trump shuttered the decades-old refugee program, which brings people to the U.S. who are displaced by war, natural disasters or persecution.

The decision left thousands of refugees, many living in camps for years and having undergone a rigorous vetting process, stranded.

But then Trump directed the government to fast-track the group of Afrikaners for resettlement, saying these white farmers in South Africa are being killed in a genocide, a baseless claim. The order left many refugee advocates who have worked for years to resettle vulnerable people enraged.

“Refugees sit in camps for 10, 20 years, but if you’re a white South African Afrikaner, then suddenly you can make it through in three months?”

asked the Rev. Randy Carter, director of the Welcome Network and a pastor of a CBF church. “There’s a lot of words I’d like to attach to that, but I don’t want any of those printed.”

Carter said he respects and honors the Episcopal Church’s decision not to work with the government on resettling the Afrikaners, even if his network has taken a di erent approach.

“The call to welcome is not always easy,” Carter said. “Sometimes it’s hard.”

At the same time, he said, it’s important resettlement volunteers keep in mind that the ministry opposes apartheid and racism, both in the U.S. and abroad, and is committed to repentance and repair.

The North Carolina eld ofce for the USCRI resettlement group also recognized how fraught this particular re -

“In our communication with them, we said, ‘Look, we know this is not a normal issue. You or your constituencies may have reservations, and we understand that. That should not a ect our partnership,’” said Omer Omer, the North Carolina eld o ce director for USCRI. “If you want to participate, welcome. If not, we understand.”

Wyatt got nearly two dozen comments on his Facebook post in which he announced his decision to work with the refugee agency in resettling the Afrikaners. Nearly all wrote in support of his decision. “I’m up sleepless pondering this,” acknowledged one person. “Complicated, but the right call,” wrote another.

USCRI did not release the names of the three Afrikaners who chose to settle in Raleigh, a couple and a single individual. Other Afrikaners chose to be resettled in Idaho, Iowa, New York and Texas.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested last week that more Afrikaners are on the way. The Trump administration argues white South Africans are being discriminated against by the country’s government, pointing to a law potentially allowing the government to seize privately held land under certain conditions. Since the end of apartheid, the South African government has made e orts to level the economic imbalance and redistribute land to black South Africans that had been seized by the former colonial and apartheid governments.

Wyatt, who has been running the Welcome House Raleigh ministry for 10 years, providing temporary housing and a furniture bank for refugees, and now asylum seekers, said he has settled the matter in his mind.

“My wife and I have come to the position that if it’s not a full welcome, just like we would with anybody else, then it’s not a welcome,” he said. “If we don’t actually seek to include them into our lives like we would anybody else, then we’re withholding something and that’s not how we understand our holy book.”

and operate from this property, their managing team met with the Technical Review Committee, which is composed of several di erent county departments,” Cline said. “They shared that their plan is to start with this three-acre parcel, which currently contains a building that will be renovated to an education center and storage. They plan to place a residence on the property in order to house six residents on site.”

Gateway of Hope Director Paul Wilkins told the commissioners that the plan is for a double-wide mobile home to sit next to an updated version of the previous building.

“We purchased this property a year ago this month, and we have completely renovated the outside of it,” Wilkins said. “It looks like a brand new building, actually brand new, with roof siding and nice aluminum doors. The reason why we would like to set the double-wide there just to the back of that building is for

the purpose of actually expanding our sta presence.”

Following the commissioners’ conditional land rezoning approval for the rehab center, they unanimously approved the appropriation of funds via resolution from the county’s Opioid Settlement Fund from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.

The anticipated reserve balance for the fund is $1.2 million and the county is anticipating receiving $700,000 in additional funds during the scal year.

“Back in 2016 and 2017, we were one of the highest in the state for opioid deaths and opioid admissions,” County Manager Andy Lucas said. “Now we don’t even show up on the radar. We’ve made really signi cant progress in Stanly County, and I think the success of that is attributed to these nonpro ts that have been working with us.”

In total, 10 programs totaling $878,203 were approved for funding — Christian Recovery Centers, Inc. will receive $120,540 of its $230,000 request.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to the general public that the City of Albemarle City Council will conduct public hearing(s) concerning the item(s) listed below at the dates, times, and location provided herein:

ZMA 25-01- a public hearing will be held to consider a request to rezone a 0.48 acre +/parcel at 936 Yadkin St., tax record 13381 from R-10 General Residential to HMD Hospital Medical District.

ZMA 25-02- a public hearing will be held to consider a request to rezone 3 parcels totaling 1.26 +/- acres on Weldon St., tax records 2402, 22316 and 891 from R-10 General Residential to R-8 Neighborhood Residential District.

The hearing(s) will be conducted in the City Council Chambers of City Hall, located at 144 N Second St., Albemarle, N.C. 28001 at the following time(s): Monday, June 16th, 2025, at 6:30 p.m.

All interested parties are invited to attend the hearing. Anyone wishing to speak for or against this action shall adhere to applicable City policies and statutes regarding open meetings. The City Council approved agenda can be found on the city’s website, www.albemarlenc.gov

JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON / AP PHOTO

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau greets Afrikaner refugees from South Africa earlier this month at Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

Two border collies fend o wildlife at West Virginia’s busiest airport

Hercules and Ned go after geese and visit with passengers

By John Raby

The Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va. —

Hercules and Ned have quite the spacious o ce at West Virginia’s busiest airport.

The border collies and their handler make daily patrols along the milelong air eld to ensure birds and other wildlife stay away from planes and keep passengers and crew safe.

Hercules is also the chief ambassador, soaking in a ection from passengers inside the terminal while calming some nervously waiting to board a ight at West Virginia International Yeager Airport.

Chris Keyser, the dogs’ handler and the airport’s wildlife specialist, said preventing a bird from hitting a plane “can make a di erence for someone’s life.”

How it started

Collisions between wildlife and planes are common at airports nationwide. With that in mind, Yeager management in 2018 bought Hercules at the recommendation of a wildlife biologist.

Hercules spent the rst 18 months of his life training to herd geese and sheep around his birthplace at Charlotte-based Flyaway Geese, which teaches border collies to help businesses address nuisance wildlife problems.

When Hercules stepped onto Charleston’s air eld for the rst time, “I held my breath,” Flyaway Geese owner Rebecca Gibson said. “But boy, he took hold

of the reins. It was his place.

“He’s done an amazing job and has just been a great dog for them. We’re very proud of him.”

Along the way, Hercules became a local celebrity. He has his own Instagram and TikTok accounts and regularly hosts groups of schoolchildren.

Now 8, Hercules has some help. Ned was 2 when he was welcomed into the fold last year from another kennel where he trained to herd goats and geese.

Ned has shadowed Hercules, following commands from Keyser and learning safety issues such as not venturing onto the runway.

“Ned’s ready to go,” Keyser said. “He’s picked up on all that.

He’s doing fantastic, running birds o .”

Inside the airport operations center, Hercules is laid back until he’s told it’s time to work, barking at the door in anticipation. Ned, on the other hand, is always mov-

ing. When not outside, he’ll bring his blue bouncy ball to anyone willing to play fetch.

A mountaintop menagerie

Charleston’s airport is on top of a mountain and has a menagerie of wildlife, including Canada geese, hawks, ducks, songbirds and bats. After it rains, worms come to the surface and cause an increase in bird activity, Keyser said.

In addition to taking the dogs on their regular rounds, Keyser is in constant contact with the airport tower, which looks for birds on the eld or relays reports from airplanes that see wildlife nearby.

“We get plenty of exercise,” Keyser said. “You don’t gain no weight in this job. It’s an all-day job. You’re always got your eyes on the eld, you’ve got your ears open listening to the radio.”

Ned and Hercules pose at West Virginia International Yeager Airport in Charleston, where they are used to keep birds and other wildlife away from the air eld.

2009 when a ight from New York’s LaGuardia Airport almost immediately ew into a ock of Canada geese, knocking out both engines. Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger guided the powerless jet into the frigid Hudson River. All 155 people on board survived the incident, which was captured in the 2016 movie “Sully,” starring Tom Hanks.

At the Charleston airport, wildlife-plane incidents vary each year from a few to a couple dozen.

“Anytime a plane hits a bird, it has to be inspected, and it causes a delay in the ight,” Keyser said. “And sometimes you don’t make your connecting ights. So that’s how important it is to keep everything going smooth.”

In 2022 alone, there were ve airplane strikes at the airport involving bats. In December 2000, a plane collided with two deer after landing. The tip of the right engine propeller blade separated and punctured the plane’s fuselage, seriously injuring a passenger, according to the FAA.

A comforting paw

Border collies are among the most energetic dog breeds. They’ve been used for decades to shoo Canada geese o golf courses. They’ve also scared away birds at other airports, military bases, and locks and dams.

The dogs’ instincts are to herd, not to kill. “But in the mind of the bird, they’re no di erent than a coyote or a fox, which is a natural predator for the bird,” Gibson said.

Bird strikes cause delays

About 19,000 strikes involving planes and wildlife occurred at U.S. airports in 2023, of which 95% involved birds, according to a Federal Aviation Administration database. From 1988 to 2023, wildlife collisions in the U.S. killed 76 people and destroyed 126 aircraft.

Perhaps the most famous birdplane strike occurred in January

Inside the terminal, Hercules wags his tail as he moves about greeting passengers. Among them was Janet Spry, a Scott Depot, West Virginia, resident waiting to board a ight to visit her daughter and grandchildren in San Antonio.

Spry needed a bit of cheering up. In addition to having a fear of ying, Spry’s 15-year-old cat was euthanized the previous day after being diagnosed with an inoperable condition.

An impromptu visit from Hercules brought a smile — and more. Hercules placed a paw on Spry’s arm and delivered plenty of wet kisses.

“He’s making my day better,” Spry said. She also joked whether the airport might want to let Hercules stay with her a while longer.

“I think there was an empty seat on the plane beside me,” Spry said.

JOHN RABY / AP PHOTO

STANLY SPORTS

Uwharrie Wampus Cats open third season with new head coach

Bryson Bebber, a two-time Wampus Cat, will take the helm of the summer wood-bat baseball program

By Charles Curcio Stanly News Journal

ALBEMARLE — With new LED lighting at Don Montgomery Park this summer, the third season of the Uwharrie Wampus Cats baseball program got underway this past weekend.

The Wampus Cats, after a season playing in the Southern Collegiate Baseball League, will go back to an independent schedule this season, playing teams from across the Carolinas, including several Coastal Plain League teams.

Bryson Bebber, who played rst base in the rst two seasons of the program with the Wampus Cats, takes over for the team as its new head coach.

“I’ve absolutely enjoyed it,” Bebber, who played three seasons at Surry Community Col-

lege and three at St. Andrews, said of playing for the Wampus Cats. “I hoped now that I’ve graduated from college, I would get an opportunity to coach.”

The new coach said getting a call from team owner Greg Sullivan “was honestly a surprise. I was ecstatic.”

“I really have an appreciation for what the Wampus Cats are trying to do in the community and all the support we get,” Bebber said.

Bebber noted the Wampus Cats hosted a home run der-

by last season between area policeman and re ghters, along with many theme nights at the park.

“Kids are packed out at the game,” Bebber said. “(Our players) sign autographs for the kids lined up at the dugout after the game. I’ve always enjoyed that aspect of it more than anything.”

Regarding the new independent schedule, Bebber talked about playing one season as an

“We’re going to go out there every single game and try to win. I’m going to put a competitive lineup out there every game. I know it’s summer ball, and I know we’re trying to have fun, but at the end of the day, I want to win as much as possible.”

Uwharrie Wampus Cats head coach Bryson Bebber

West Stanly baseball season ends in NCHSAA regional nals

The Colts lost nal two games in the best-of-three series

By Charles Curcio Stanly News Journal

THE 2025 NCHSAA 2A Western Regional Baseball Series between the No. 7-seeded West Stanly Colts and top-seeded East Rutherford Cavaliers went the full three games this past week.

After West Stanly ended a long home win streak and handed the Cavaliers their rst loss of the season, the Colts returned home only to lose the rematch Thursday. West then lost on the road Saturday, bringing the Colts’ playo run to an end.

The Colts went 23-8 this season, winning the Rocky River Conference championship and reaching the regional nals for the rst time since the 1991 season.

“We had a historic nish to another championship Colt season,” West head coach Chad Yow said. “Falling one win short of a shot at a state championship will be something we always remember. We will be right back at it next season, priding ourselves on doing things the right way.”

Thursday’s Game

East Rutherford 8, West Stanly 0

In front of a packed house

“Falling one win short of a shot at a state championship will be something we always remember. We will be right back it next season, priding ourselves on doing things the right way.” West head coach Chad Yow

at The Ball Park at West Stanly, the Colts committed ve errors and were slowed by a stellar performance from East Rutherford junior pitcher Malachi Dato.

Dato threw a 78-pitch, threehit, complete game, walking one and striking out six in the win.

Cooper Crisco took the loss for West, allowing four earned runs on seven hits with three walks and seven strikeouts.

Errors led to single runs for the Cavaliers in three of the rst four innings, while Dato had one base runner reach in the same span via error.

Landon Bailey ended Dato’s no-hit bid with one out in the bottom of the sixth with a single to right.

With the bases loaded in the top of the seventh, Dato helped

his own cause with a grand slam to center.

Ben Mecimore and Ethan Saylor singled in the bottom of the seventh for West but did not score.

Saturday’s Game East Rutherford 21, West Stanly 5

The Colts season ended in Saturday afternoon’s series nale as the host Cavaliers jumped out to a ve-run lead in the rst inning and never trailed. Six di erent pitchers took the mound for the Colts, with Cade Hinson taking the loss. He allowed ve earned runs on four hits with a walk, retiring one batter, on a strikeout.

As a sta , the Colts walked 13 batters, while 20 of East’s runs were earned, in four innings of work.

Senior Jacob Lee pitched four innings to pick up the win for the Cavaliers (28-1), allowing one hit. East Rutherford scored ve times in the rst inning and added a pair of eight-run innings the next two frames. Senior Elliott Tisdale had two home runs and drove in eight runs to lead the host’s o ense.

Canaan Carelock put the Colts on the board in the top of the fth with an RBI double to right. West added an RBI single from Drew Hatley, an RBI groundout from Sam Carpenter and a sacri ce y by Mecimore.

See WAMPUS CATS, page B2

PJ WARD-BROWN / STANLY NEWS JOURNAL

New Wampus Cats head coach Bryson Bebber addresses his team ahead of their home opener at Don Montgomery Park in Albemarle.

CHARLES CURCIO / STANLY NEWS JOURNAL

West Stanly’s Cooper Crisco warms up before Thursday’s home game in the 2025 NCHSAA 2A Western Regional Series.

Pfei er hosts 2025 Keith Crisco Memorial Golf Tournament

The university’s annual fundraising event began in 2015

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

MOUNT GILEAD — A golf tournament fundraiser in support of Pfeiffer University’s athletics department and Falcon Club was played at Tillery Tradition Country Club on Monday afternoon.

This year’s edition of the annual university tradition in Mount Gilead — one of the primary fundraisers for Pfeiffer Athletics — featured

WAMPUS CATS from page B1 independent and the other in a league.

“While I think both have their pros and cons, I felt the SCBL schedule was a little repetitive, seeing the same team constantly,” Bebber said.

“Being independent, we are spreading out more. We’re getting to see di erent arms, different teams from di erent locations. I think it’s more inclusive with the type of teams we play.”

The style of play the Cats will have this year, Bebber said, will be “hard-nosed. We’re going to go out there every single game and try to win. I’m going to put a competitive lineup out there every game. I know it’s summer ball, and I know we’re trying to have fun, but at the end of the day, I want to win as much as possible.”

Bebber said he believes “if you

19 teams and 76 individuals. With a single-golfer price of $305 and a foursome price of $1,200, tournament play included green fees, cart, lunch and dinner, two mulligans and one raffle ticket, as well as dinner and an awards presentation at the Country Club.

“The Pfeiffer University Department of Athletics sincerely thanks all who participated in the Keith Crisco Memorial and all of the sponsors who make this event a success year after year,” Pfeiffer’s athletic department said in a statement following the tournament. “The support given at this outing directly im -

The support given at this outing directly impacts the student-athletes at Pfei er University.”

Pfei er University’s athletic dept.

pacts the student-athletes at Pfeiffer University.”

The event honors Keith Crisco, who was a textile executive and former state official, as well as a longtime volunteer non-profit board member and trustee at Pfeiffer.

After Crisco tragically died in 2014 following an accident at his home, an inaugural memorial tournament in his name began the following year; funds raised by the tournament go toward facility upgrades, nutrition and sports performance training, academic development, recruiting efforts, and season and tournament travel.

Festivities for the 2025 Keith Crisco Memorial Golf Tournament began with a participant meet-and-greet and a welcome introduction from Pfeiffer University President Scott Bullard, all leading up to the tournament’s start

create good habits during the summer, you’ll follow that into a good fall. That’s when you are in your spot starting spring.” The team this season will be a “gap-to-gap” type hitting team, getting runners on base for the team’s power hitters.

Being the same age of the players, he added, will help him

connect with them this season.

The roster this season includes several international plays, including three from Israel (RHP Ido Peled, catcher Tomer Erel and out elder Shaked Baruch) and Malik Foster, another right-handed pitcher, from Nassau, Bahamas.

Several Stanly high school

and college programs are represented on this year’s roster, including Ben Mecimore (West Stanly), whose Colts reached the 2A regional nals this season. Mecimore, a catcher and utility player, will play for Pfei er next season.

Other Stanly players include Rylan Furr from North Stanly,

around noon. Following the competition, awards and prizes were announced as participants enjoyed a dinner provided by the Tillery Tradition staff.

More information about Pfeiffer’s Falcon Club is available at gift.pfeiffer.edu.

The club’s current “Soar As One” campaign that runs through the end of June has raised $188,795 from 276 different donors and is more than halfway to its $330,000 goal. Donation levels include The Village membership ($300 - 499), Silver Falcon ($500-$999), Gold Falcon ($1,000-$2,499), Platinum Falcon ($2,500-$4,999) and Black Falcon (over $5,000). With over 450 student athletes both in the classroom and involved in the university’s sports teams, the Falcon Club supports the athletic department’s mission of combining a sense of community with athletic achievements.

whose Comets went 26-2 this season, and former Colts Jett Thomas (RHP/IF), Brendan Fulcher (IF) and Connor Lindsey (IF).

Pfei er’s baseball program will also have a player on the Wampus Cats this season in catcher Carson Whitehead.

Bebber said the team’s tradition and diversity have been growing largely through word of mouth and social media, which has brought players to the program.

“You can really tell that people are starting to buy in to what we are doing,” Bebber said.

The Wampus Cats will have 25 homes games this season, including a 4 p.m. game May 31sagainst the Greensboro Yard Goats as part of Downtown Albemarle’s Summertime Sip wine festival.

Uwharrie will also play in a postseason tournament the last week of July.

PJ WARD-BROWN / STANLY NEWS JOURNAL

The Uwharrie Wampus Cats opened play in the Southern Collegiate Baseball League, a summer wood-bat league.

SIDELINE REPORT

AUTO RACING

Indy 500 rookie

Shwartzman crashes into crew members on pit road

Indianapolis Indianapolis 500 rookie Robert Shwartzman crashed into crew members on pit road on Sunday, ending his improbable run in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” One of the crew was taken away on a stretcher. Shwartzman had been the rst rookie on the pole since 1983. He tried to pit after 87 laps and had his brakes lock up, sliding into four crew members. Shwartzman has dual Israeli and Russian nationality and used the platform the pole a orded him to make a passionate plea for peace in both the Middle East and Ukraine.

ICE HOCKEY

U.S. wins world championship gold with 1- 0 OT win against Switzerland

Stockholm The United States prevailed over Switzerland 1-0 in overtime of the nal of the ice hockey world championship. Tage Thompson wristed a shot past goaltender Leonardo Genoni from the top of the right circle for the winner 2:02 into overtime. Logan Cooley and Brady Skjei provided the assists, and goaltender Jeremy Swayman shut out the Swiss with 25 saves. It is the second trophy won at the tournament by the Americans after winning in 1933. The Americans were also formally awarded the title in 1960 when they won the Olympics and the worlds did not take place.

NCAA FOOTBALL

Notre Dame, Wisconsin to have Sunday kicko for 2026 Lambeau game

Green Bay, Wis. Notre Dame’s 2026 football game with Wisconsin at Lambeau Field will now have a Sunday kicko . The two schools announced they’ll be facing o at the home of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers on Sept. 6, 2026. The game previously was set for a Saturday kicko on Sept. 5. NBC will televise the game. This is part of a two-game, neutral-site series. Notre Dame defeated Wisconsin 41-13 at Chicago’s Soldier Field in 2021. The Lambeau Field matchup initially was supposed to take place in 2020. The pandemic caused that game to get pushed back to 2026.

NCAA BASKETBALL

Green Bay seeking waiver allowing it to play in The Basketball Tournament

Green Bay, Wis. Green Bay is seeking NCAA approval to compete in The Basketball Tournament. The event typically features former college basketball players and o ers a $1 million prize to the winning team. ESPN says that Green Bay is seeking an NCAA waiver that would enable it to compete in The Basketball Tournament rather than going on an international tour. NCAA rules allow college teams to make an overseas trip to play in exhibition games once every four years.

Dogs trained to handle burglars as sports stars boost security

Athletes are reacting to a rash of high-pro le home burglaries

By Ken Maguire

The Associated Press

EMBOROUGH, England —

Expensive protection dogs have been in demand among professional athletes to guard against burglars who target wealthy homes often as part of sophisticated crime rings. Athletes are particularly vulnerable while they’re away at games.

“He will end up in somebody’s home with high-net worth that is potentially at risk from more than your opportunist burglar,” Bly said of Lobo, a $60,000 German Shepard from K9 Protector, the company Bly owns.

The lengthy list of athletes whose residences have been hit includes Premier League stars Jack Grealish and Alexander Isak and England cricket captain Ben Stokes.

It’s becoming a major problem in the United States, too, with former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman a recent example.

The homes of Kansas City Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were burglarized in October as part of a wave of break-ins that also targeted Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Seven Chilean men were charged in connection with those burglaries, as well as the break-in at Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis’ home, where nearly $1.5 million in cash and valuables were stolen.

After consulting the FBI, the NBA drew up guidance for players.

One of the recommendations: “Utilize dogs for home protection.”

While almost any dog can provide some deterrence, protection-dog providers o er breeds like German shepherd, Belgian Malinois, Rottweiler, Doberman and Cane Corso.

K9 Protector works predominantly with German shepherds.

“They are the most proven dogs at being family dogs,” Bly said.

They begin to di erentiate early on which pups show potential.

“If we’ve got a puppy that’s really con dent, is chasing a

rag, biting hold of the rag and their food drive is high, that’s a good starting point,” wife and co-owner Sian Bly said. “We look at how competitive they are with their siblings, as well. You’re looking for quite a strong dog.”

Dogs that don’t make the cut might get routed to prison service or police duty.

“You can’t place a dog with young kids that’s nervous or that the temperament isn’t 100%,” she said.

The handful of K9 Protector dogs that reach “high-threat environment” status cost up to $100,000.

It can take a couple of years to train for all sorts of scenarios.

“It’s vast — the ability to deal with four intruders at once, vehicle carjacking tactics, being acceptant of multihandlers,” Alaster Bly said. “Husband, wife, nanny, housekeeper, estate manager all be -

“Utilize dogs for home protection.”

FBI recommendation to NBA players

ing able to handle that dog in an equal way in a threat scenario, and the dog still responding in the same way — is very di erent to a pet-level-trained dog with protection training.”

Between 10-15% of their clients are professional athletes, and they typically require nondisclosure agreements, as do the actors and singers who come calling. They sell about two or three dogs per month. When the economy is bad and crime increases — demand is higher.

UFC heavyweight Tom As-

pinall added a protection dog to his family after moving to a new house. The Manchester native posted a video about it.

“I’m not here all the time. I just wanted someone else kind of looking after the family, as well as me, even when I’m here,” Aspinall said of his German shepherd.

U.S. soccer mid elder Tyler Adams opted for a Rottweiler. Tottenham mid elder James Maddison got a 145-pound Cane Corso.

The NBA memo urged removing online real estate listings that show interiors.

Some stars post their protection dogs on social media along with the pets’ names — but they probably shouldn’t.

“There is nothing more o -putting to a dog than being called by its own name when you’re breaking into the home,” Alaster Bly said.

Team Penske driver Cindric not concerned about future with team after father red

Tim Cindric was red following an Indy 500 cheating scandal

By Steve Reed The Associated Press

CONCORD — Austin Cin-

dric is not worried about his future with Team Penske after his father, Tim Cindric, was red by team owner Roger Penske as the team’s IndyCar president earlier this week following a cheating scandal at the Indianapolis 500.

Cindric drives the No. 2 Ford Mustang for Penske in the NASCAR Cup Series, and is currently 12th in the points standings with three top-10 nishes in 12 races, including a win at Talladega. That victory was Team Penske’s rst of the 2025 NASCAR season.

Still, given the family ties with Team Penske it raised some speculation about how his father’s departure might impact the younger Cindric.

Penske met with all of his NASCAR drivers in person in Charlotte following the moves, including Austin Cindric.

When asked if he was given any assurances from Penske that it will not impact his future with Penske’s NASCAR team, Cindric shook his head and said “I don’t think it was even in question.”

“Their support has always

been very strong and also very transparent,” Cindric said following qualifying Saturday for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “When I have not performed to my best we have had those conversations. But past that it’s business as usual for me.”

Tim Cindric was one of three executives red by Penske after two Penske cars were found to be illegal following qualifying runs at the Indianapolis 500. Along with Cindric, IndyCar managing director Ron Ruzewski and IndyCar general manager Kyle Moyer were also terminated.

“Nothing is more important than the integrity of our sport and our race teams,” Penske said in a statement. “We have had organizational failures during the last two years, and we had to make necessary changes. I apologize to our fans, our partners and our organization for letting them down.” Penske is owner of the threecar team, IndyCar, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500. He has won the Indy 500 a record 20 times.

The rings and Penske’s statement have been his rst public reaction since twotime defending Indianapolis

500 winner Josef Newgarden and teammate Will Power were found to have an illegally modi ed spec part on their cars ahead of the nal round of quali cations for the 109th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

Penske after the rings were announced held a team owner’s meeting remotely in which he took responsibility for his team’s actions. Some who dialed-in told The Associated Press the meeting lasted 20 minutes and the owners were satis ed with the outcome; no owners called for the Penske cars to be kicked out of the race, and the only questions asked were about how IndyCar moves on from the scandal ahead of the biggest race in the world.

Cindric called this the best start to his career and believes his team has plenty of momentum following the win at Talladega.

Cindric said his father’s ring wouldn’t impact how his approach.

“Professionally, I’m in no different of a place than I was a week ago,” Cindric said. “I feel like we have a lot of momentum on our team right now in the the No. 2 car. I’ve never felt better and had a better start to the season. So for me I’m just focused on execution. I feel like we have had some really fast cars.”

BUTCH DILL / AP PHOTO

NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Cindric celebrates after winning at Talladega Superspeedway in April.

JEFFREY PHELPS / AP PHOTO

Bobby Portis lost nearly $1.5 million in a home burglary.

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Strauss’ ‘Blue Danube’ waltz launching into space to mark 200th birthday

The piece is heard in Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey”

By Marcia Dunn The Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Johann Strauss’ “Blue Danube” is heading into space this month to mark the 200th anniversary of the waltz king’s birth.

The classical piece will be beamed into the cosmos as it’s performed by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. The celestial send-o on May 31 — livestreamed with free public screenings in Vienna, Madrid and New York — also will celebrate the European Space Agency’s founding 50 years ago.

Although the music could be converted into radio signals in real time, according to o cials, ESA will relay a prerecorded version from the orchestra’s rehearsal the day before to avoid any technical issues. The live performance will provide the accompaniment.

The radio signals will hurtle away at the speed of light, or a mind-blowing 670 million mph.

That will put the music past the moon in 1½ seconds, past Mars in 4½ minutes, past Jupiter in 37 minutes and past Neptune in four hours. Within 23 hours, the signals will be as far from Earth as NASA’s Voyager 1, the world’s most distant spacecraft at more than 15 billion miles in interstellar space.

NASA also celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008 by transmitting a song directly into deep space: the Beatles’ “Across the Universe.” And last year, NASA beamed up Missy Elliott’s “The Rain

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having quali ed as Ancillary Administrator of the Estate of Donna L. Brandon, late of Stanly County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at P.O. Box 5994, Greensboro, North Carolina 27435, on or before the 14th day of August, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms, and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 14th day of May, 2025.

Melissa Brandon Ancillary Administrator of the Estate of Donna L. Brandon

Jonathan M. Parisi Attorney at Law Spangler Estate Planning P.O. Box 5994 Greensboro, NC 27435

Publish: 5/14, 5/21, 5/28, 6/4, 2025

NOTICE IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 25E000234-830 NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having quali ed as Executor of the estate of Imogene S. Snuggs aka Imogene Sophia Snuggs, deceased, of Stanly County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said Imogene S. Snuggs aka Imogene Sophia Snuggs to present them to the undersigned on or before August 14, 2025, or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment.

This the 14th day of May, 2025.

Executor: Samuel D. Swaringen 604 Lexington Drive Albemarle, NC 28001

Publish: May 14, 21, 28 and June 4, 2025.

NOTICE

The Town Council of the Town of Red Cross will hold the Second of two Public Hearings on Monday, June 9, 2025 at 7:00 pm at the Town Hall. The purpose of this public hearing is for the second reading of the Proposed Budget for the 2025-2026 scal year. This public hearing is also to hear citizens’ comments for or against, the Proposed Budget for 2025-2026 scal year for the Town of Red Cross. A copy of the proposed budget is available at the Red Cross Town Hall, and online at www.townofredcross.com. For additional information contact the Red Cross Town Hall at 704-485-2002.

(Supa Dupa Fly)” toward Venus. Music has even owed from another planet to Earth — courtesy of a NASA Mars rover. Flight controllers at California’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory sent a recording of /will.i.am ‘s “Reach for the Stars” to Curiosity in 2012, and the rover relayed it back. These are all deep-space transmissions as opposed to the melodies streaming between NASA’s Mission Control and orbiting crews since the mid1960s. Now it’s Strauss’ turn, after getting passed over for the Voyager Golden Records nearly a half-century ago. Launched in 1977, NASA’s

“Music connects us all through time and space in a very particular way.”

Josef Aschbacher, European Space Agency director

twin Voyagers 1 and 2 each carry a gold-plated copper phonograph record, along with a stylus and playing instructions for anyone or anything out there.

The records contain sounds and images of Earth as well as 90 minutes of music. The late astronomer Carl Sagan led the committee that chose Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Stravinsky pieces, along with modern and Indigenous selections.

Among those skipped was Strauss, whose “Blue Danube” graced Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 sci- opus “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

The tourist board in Vienna, where Strauss was born on Oct. 25, 1825, said it aims to correct this “cosmic mistake” by sending the “the most famous of all waltzes” to its destined home among the stars.

ESA’s big radio antenna in Spain, part of the space agency’s deep-space network, will do the honors.

“Music connects us all through time and space in a very particular way,” ESA’s director general Josef Aschbacher said in a statement. “The European Space Agency is pleased to share the stage with Johann Strauss II and open the imaginations of future space scientists and explorers who may one day journey to the anthem of space.”

NOTICE

The undersigned, having quali ed as Co-

Administrator of the Estate of Nila Lyn Elliott late of Stanly County, North Carolina, hereby noti es to all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before August 19, 2024, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to the said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This, the 21st day of May, 2025.

Ashley Grace Elliott Co-Administrator 102 Windmill Road Salisbury, North Carolina 28147

Alyvia Maurine Elliott Co-Administrator 825 19th Street South Arlington, VA 22202

Emily G. Thompson, Esq. Attorney for Co-Administrators Reed & Thompson, PLLC 204 Branchview Dr SE Concord, NC 28025 Estate File No.: 25E000290-830

NOTICE

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE

SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 25E000196-830 NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having quali ed as Administrator of the estate of Jane Irby Gillespie, deceased, of Stanly County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said Jane Irby Gillespie to present them to the undersigned on or before August 11, 2025, or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment.

This the 14th day of May, 2025.

Administrator: Sherrie E. Wood 12448 NC 138 Hwy Norwood, NC 28128

Publish: May 14, 21, 28 and

FRITZ LUCKHARDT VIA WIKIPEDIA

Johann Strauss II was an Austrian composer best known for his waltzes, including “The Blue Danube.”

the stream

‘Mountainhead’, Bono doc, Banks, Biel as sisters

Sheléa celebrates the immortal Aretha Franklin in a PBS special

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong’s satirical drama “Mountainhead” and Elizabeth Banks and Jessica Biel playing dysfunctional siblings in the murder thriller series “The Better Sister” are some of the new television, lms, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also, among the streaming o erings worth your time: a new concert special featuring Aretha Franklin, U2’s frontman reveals all in the documentary “Bono: Stories of Surrender,” and multiplayer gamers get Elden Ring: Nightreign, sending teams of three warriors to battle the amboyant monsters of a haunted land.

MOVIES TO STREAM

Armstrong makes his feature debut with the satirical drama “Mountainhead,” streaming on HBO Max on Saturday. The lm stars Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Ramy Youssef and Cory Michael Smith as tech titans on a boys’ trip whose billionaire shenanigans are interrupted by an international crisis that may have been in amed by their platforms. The movie was shot earlier this year, in March.

The story of hostage crisis at the 1972 Munich Olympics has been told in many lms, but “September 5” takes audiences inside the ABC newsroom as it all unfolded. The lm, from Tim Fehlbaum and starring Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro and Ben Chaplin, is a semi- ctionalized telling of those tense 22 hours, where a group of sports reporters including Peter Jennings managed to broadcast this international incident live to the world for the rst time. AP lm writer Jake Coyle said that news junkies will nd much to enjoy in the spirited debates over journalistic ethics and the vintage technologies. It’s also just a riveting tick-tock. “September 5” is available to watch on Prime Video.

The directing team (and real-life partners) behind “Saint Frances” made one of AP Film Writer Jake Coyle’s favorite movies of 2024 in “Ghostlight,” streaming Friday on Kanopy. The movie centers on a construction worker who joins a community theater production of “Romeo & Juliet” after the death of his teenage son. Coyle called it “a sublime little gem of a movie about a Chicago family struggling to process tragedy.”

MUSIC TO STREAM

Celebrate the late, great, eter-

nal Aretha Franklin with a glorious new concert special, “Aretha! With Sheléa and the Paci c Symphony” airing on PBS. The title is a giveaway: Sheléa and the Paci c Symphony team up to perform the Queen of Soul’s larger-than-life hits: “Respect,” “Natural Woman,” and “Chain of Fools” among them. On Friday, it will become available to stream on PBS: Public Broadcasting Service and the PBS App.

“These are the tall tales of a short rock star,” U2 frontman Bono introduces “Bono: Sto -

ries of Surrender,” a documentary lm based on his memoir, “Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story.” The project will become available to stream globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, and for the tech heads among us, it is also the rst full-length lm to be available in Apple Immersive on Vision Pro. That’s 180-degree video!

For lm fans, Yeule may be best known for their contribution to the critically acclaimed “I Saw The TV Glow,” which featured their dreamy cover of Broken Social Scene’s “Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl” as a kind of theme song. On Friday, the singer-songwriter-producer will release their latest album, “Evangelic Girl Is a Gun” via Ninja Tune Records — an ambitious collection of electronic pop from a not-to-distant future.

TELEVISION TO STREAM

Sheri Papini, a woman who pleaded guilty and served jail time for lying to law enforcement about being kidnapped, is sharing her story for the rst time. A new docuseries features interviews with Papi-

ni, her family, attorneys and psychiatrist. She also takes a lie-detector test on camera and participates in reenactments. Papini maintains she was kidnapped by an ex-boyfriend but says they were having an emotional a air at the time. She claims he held her against her will, sexually and physically abusing her, before letting her go. “Sheri Papini: Caught in the Lie” is a four -pa rt series streaming on Max. Banks and Biel are Nicky and Chloe, dysfunctional sisters in the new Prime Video series “The Better Sister.”

It’s based on a novel by Alafair Burke. The two are estranged, and Chloe is raising Nicky’s son as her own — and also married to her ex. When a murder occurs, the sisters must become a united front. It premieres Thursday on Prime Video. In “Downton Abbey” and “The Crown,” Matthew Goode plays a charming English gentleman. In his new series “Dept. Q” for Net ix, he’s ... English. Goode plays Carl, a gru detective who is banished to the police station basement and assigned to cold cases. He forms a rag tag group to solve a crime that no one, not even himself, thinks can be cracked. “Dept. Q” is from the writer and director of “The Queen’s Gambit.” It premieres Thursday.

A new PBS documentary looks at the life and impact of artist George Rodrigue. He’s known for paintings of a big blue dog with yellow eyes (called Blue Dog) but also is credited for art that depicted Cajun life in his home state of Louisiana. Rodrigue’s paintings helped to preserve Cajun culture. What people may not realize is how the Blue Dog is connected to Cajun folklore. “Blue: The Art and Life of George Rodrigue” debuts Thursday and will also stream on PBS.

VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

Tokyo-based From Software is best known for morbid adventures like Dark Souls and Elden Ring — games that most players tackle solo, though they do have some co-op options. Elden Ring: Nightreign is built for multiplayer, sending teams of three warriors to battle the amboyant monsters of a haunted land called Limveld. Your goal is to survive three days and three nights before you confront an overwhelming Nightlord. This isn’t the sprawling, character-building epic fans would expect from the studio, but those who are hungry for more of its brutal, nearly sadistic action will

Solution to this week’s puzzles

WHAT’S HAPPENING

10 people shot at holiday weekend

S.C. boat party

Little River, S.C. Authorities say 10 people were shot during a ght that started on a private boat holding a holiday weekend party on the South Carolina coast. Horry County Police say no one died in the shooting in Little River around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, although some of the wounded are in critical condition. At least one person was taken to the hospital who was not hurt by gun re. Police said the shooting happened around a dock where a private charter boat leaves for cruises. The boat was docked, and police are trying to determine where the ght and shooting began.

NPR sues Trump admin over federal funding cuts to public media

New York

National Public Radio and three local stations are suing President Donald Trump, arguing that an executive order aimed at cutting federal funding for the organization is illegal. The lawsuit was led in federal court in by NPR, Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Public Radio and KUTE. It argues that Trump’s order to slash public subsidies to PBS and NPR violates the First Amendment. Trump issued the order earlier this month, instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies “to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS” and root out indirect sources of public nancing for the news organizations.

$2.00

A full-throttle military tribute

Secretary of Defense sets the tone

By Jason Jackson For Twin City Herald

CHARLOTTE — The 2025 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway wasn’t just a race — it was a powerful salute to the military, woven into every moment of the Memorial Day weekend event. With 100,000 fans lling the stands, the day pulsed with patriotism, honoring the sacri ces of service members through ceremonies, tributes and the race itself. From the prerace reverence to thenal lap, the military’s role took center stage, creating an unforgettable tribute.

Before the engines red up, the Coca-Cola 600 took a moment to honor the true meaning of Memorial Day. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, serving as the grand marshal, brought his military background and passion to the forefront with a stirring prerace presence. Hegseth delivered the State of Freedom address.

“Freedom comes at a cost,” he declared, paying tribute to the sacri ces of service members past and present. As a veteran himself, Hegseth reminding everyone why this race, held on a weekend dedicated to remembrance, holds such signi cance.

The prerace ceremonies ampli ed this sentiment. Haunt-

ing renditions of “Amazing Grace” and “Taps” lled the air, honoring fallen heroes, while Danlie Cuenca of the United States Navy Band delivered a powerful national anthem. A yover of A-10 Warhogs followed. Hegseth, anked by Army, Marine Corps and Navy representatives, all bellowed, “Gentlemen, start your engines!” — a command that bridged the solemn tribute with the adrenaline of the race ahead.

A race for the ages

As the green ag waved around 6:20 p.m., the race unfolded under a fading sun, transitioning from daylight to the glow of oodlights — a shift that tests drivers’ adaptability as track conditions evolve. Chase Briscoe led the

Commissioners approve townhome development o Hastings Road

The development’s site plan calls for 138 units

By Ryan Henkel Twin City Herald

WINSTON-SALEM — The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners is continuing to work toward increasing housing options within the county.

At its May 22 meeting, the board held a public hearing for a zoning petition for nearly 28 acres of property located along the east side of Hastings Road between Interstate 74 and High Point Road to go from Agricultural District (AG) to a Special Use Residential District (RM5-S) for a multifamily development. The proposed site plan calls for 138 townhome units with a centralized recreation area, mail kiosk and over ow parking and approximately 75% of the

site is open space.

“This request would allow for needed housing units in proximity to an activity center and near an existing public school and would allow for residential development in a growing area near major employers,” said Planning Director Chris Murphy.

Concerns brought up by local residents revolved around tra c concerns and viewing the proposed development as inconsistent with the area and surrounding properties.

“I live next to an elementary school and I do understand it, but they’re actually pretty good neighbors,” said Chairman Don Martin. “They’re not 24/7. The tra c is in two short intervals.”

Following the hearing, the board approved the request by a 5-2 vote, with Commissioners Dan Besse and Richard Linville voting in opposition.

“There is somewhat of an acute housing shortage at this time.”

Commissioner Gray Wilson

“I think most of the Commission recognizes that in this county, there is somewhat of an acute housing shortage at this time,” said Commissioner Gray Wilson.

The board also approved a resolution authorizing the execution of two grants from the N.C. Department of Transportation, totaling approximately $4.7 million to fund air eld lighting and signage at Smith Reynolds Airport.

The board also approved an ordinance to adjust the monthly fee for franchised solid waste collection services in the unincorporated areas of the coun-

eld from the pole, but the story of the night belonged to Ross Chastain.

After a crash in practice relegated him to the back of the pack, Chastain staged a comeback for the ages. Lap by lap, he carved through the eld, and in the nal stage, he overtook William Byron duel to claim victory. It was a win that embodied the grit and determination NASCAR fans love, proving that in a 600-mile marathon, anything can happen.

A day to remember

The Coca-Cola 600 was more than a sporting event — it was a celebration of resilience, both on the track and in the nation it honored. NASCAR’s 600 Miles of Remembrance program saw

ty from $14.66 to $17.32, an increase of $2.66, in order to o set the nancial impacts of rising operational costs.

Finally, the board recognized retiring county tax collector/ assessor John Burgiss, honoring him with a resolution read out before the commission Burgiss began working for Forsyth County in June of 1994 and had served as the county’s tax assessor and collector since 2011. He was also recognized in 2023 as the North Carolina Assessor of the Year as chosen by the N.C. Association of Assessing Ocers.

“John Burgiss displays servant leadership and treats every person with civility, trust and respect and acts as a sel ess mentor and always displays positivity and optimism,” Martin said. Mike Pollock, who’s the current deputy tax assessor and collector for the county, will serve as interim.

Along with that, the board also approved a temporary 10% salary increase for Pollock while he serves in the interim role.

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners will next meet June 5.

The Memorial Day weekend race doubled as a salute to patriotism

JASON JACKSON FOR TWIN CITY HERALD

The Coca-Cola 600 was awash in patriotism on Sunday, with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth acting as grand marshal and countless members of the U.S. military involved in prerace festivities and recognition at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

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MEMORIAL from page A1

each driver carry the name of a fallen service member on their windshield, weaving a thread of gratitude through the high-octane action.

From Hegseth’s rousing speech to Chastain’s triumphant charge, the day captured the essence of what makes this race special: a blend of raw competition and deep respect for those who’ve paid the ultimate price for freedom.

How a Raleigh ministry decided to help resettle Afrikaners

The unusual refugees still needed assistance

By Yonat Shimron Religion News Service

RALEIGH — The 12-by30-foot storage unit in a Raleigh suburb is crammed full of chairs, tables, mattresses, lamps, pots and pans.

Most of its contents will soon be hauled o to two apartments that Welcome House Raleigh is furnishing for three newly arrived refugees. It’s a job the ministry, which is a project of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina, has handled countless times on behalf of newly arrived refugees from such places as Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria and Venezuela.

But these two apartments are going to three Afrikaners — whose status as refugees is, according to many faith-based groups and others, highly controversial.

Last week, Marc Wyatt, director of Welcome House Raleigh, received a call from the North Carolina eld o ce of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants asking if he could help furnish the apartments for the refugees, among the 59 Afrikaners who arrived in the U.S. last week from South Africa, he told RNS. It was a common request for the ministry that partners with refugee resettlement agencies to provide temporary housing and furniture for people in need.

And at the same time, the request was extremely challenging. After thinking about it, consulting with the Welcome House network director and asking for feedback from ministry volunteers, Wyatt said yes.

1994, when the country elected Nelson Mandela in its rst free presidential election.

Like Wyatt and Welcome House, many faith-based groups are now considering whether to help the government resettle Afrikaners after the Trump administration shut down refugee resettlement for all others.

Last week, the Episcopal Church chose to end its refugee resettlement partnership with the U.S. government rather than resettle Afrikaners.

Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe said his church’s commitment to racial justice and reconciliation, and its long relationship with the late Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu made it impossible for the church to work with the government on resettling Afrikaners.

white South African Afrikaner, then suddenly you can make it through in three months?” asked the Rev. Randy Carter, director of the Welcome Network and a pastor of a CBF church.

“There’s a lot of words I’d like to attach to that, but I don’t want any of those printed.” Carter said he respects and honors the Episcopal Church’s decision not to work with the government on resettling the Afrikaners, even if his network has taken a di erent approach.

“The call to welcome is not always easy,” Carter said. “Sometimes it’s hard.”

At the same time, he said, it’s important resettlement volunteers keep in mind that the ministry opposes apartheid and racism, both in the U.S. and abroad, and is committed to repentance and repair.

support of his decision. “I’m up sleepless pondering this,” acknowledged one person. “Complicated, but the right call,” wrote another.

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“Our position is that however morally and ethically charged it is, our mandate is to help welcome and love people,” said Wyatt, a retired Cooperative Baptist Fellowship missionary who now works for CBF North Carolina. “Our holy book says God loves people. We don’t get to discriminate.”

He recognized that Afrikaners are part of a white ethnic minority that created and led South Africa’s brutal segregationist policies known as apartheid for nearly 50 years. That policy, which included denying the country’s black majority rights to voting, housing, education and land, ended in

In January, in one of his rst executive orders, President Donald Trump shuttered the decades-old refugee program, which brings people to the U.S. who are displaced by war, natural disasters or persecution. The decision left thousands of refugees, many living in camps for years and having undergone a rigorous vetting process, stranded.

But then Trump directed the government to fast-track the group of Afrikaners for resettlement, saying these white farmers in South Africa are being killed in a genocide, a baseless claim. The order left many refugee advocates who have worked for years to resettle vulnerable people enraged.

“Refugees sit in camps for 10, 20 years, but if you’re a

NC Supreme Court says it’s OK to swap jurors while they are deliberating

Jurors must restart discussions with the new jury

By Gary D. Robertson

The Associated Press

RALEIGH — North Carolina’s highest court on Friday left intact a murder conviction that a lower appeals court had thrown out on the grounds that a jury shake-up during deliberations violated the defendant’s rights and required a new trial. By a 5-2 decision, the state Supreme Court reversed last year’s decision of a state Court of Appeals panel that had sided with Eric Ramond Cham-

bers, who has been serving a sentence of life in prison without parole.

The state constitution says no one can be convicted of a crime except by “the unanimous verdict of a jury in open court” that state justices have declared in the past repeatedly must be composed of 12 people.

A 2021 state law says an alternate juror can be substituted for one of the 12 after deliberations begin as long as the judge instructs the amended jury to begin deliberations anew. The judge at Chambers’ 2022 trial did just that when an alternate juror joined deliberations because an original juror couldn’t continue the next day

due to a medical appointment.

The original 12 had deliberated for less than 30 minutes the day before. Chambers, who was representing himself in the trial, was not in the courtroom when the substitution occurred. By midday, the reconstituted jury had reached a verdict, and Chambers was convicted of rst-degree murder and a serious assault charge for the 2018 shooting in a Raleigh motel room.

Chambers petitioned the Court of Appeals, which later ruled that his right to a “properly constituted jury” had been violated and the 2021 law couldn’t supersede the state constitution because 13 people

The North Carolina eld ofce for the USCRI resettlement group also recognized how fraught this particular resettlement is for its faith-based partners.

“In our communication with them, we said, ‘Look, we know this is not a normal issue. You or your constituencies may have reservations, and we understand that. That should not a ect our partnership,’” said Omer Omer, the North Carolina eld o ce director for USCRI. “If you want to participate, welcome. If not, we understand.”

Wyatt got nearly two dozen comments on his Facebook post in which he announced his decision to work with the refugee agency in resettling the Afrikaners. Nearly all wrote in

“Any discussion in which the excused juror participated is disregarded and entirely new deliberations are commenced by the newly-constituted twelve.” Court opinion

had reached the verdict. State attorneys then appealed.

Writing for last Friday’s majority, Chief Justice Paul Newby said the 2021 law doesn’t violate Chambers’ rights because it provides “critical safeguards that ensure that the twelve-juror threshold remains sacrosanct.” Newby wrote the law says no more than 12 jurors can participate in the jury’s deliber-

USCRI did not release the names of the three Afrikaners who chose to settle in Raleigh, a couple and a single individual. Other Afrikaners chose to be resettled in Idaho, Iowa, New York and Texas. Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested last week that more Afrikaners are on the way. The Trump administration argues white South Africans are being discriminated against by the country’s government, pointing to a law potentially allowing the government to seize privately held land under certain conditions. Since the end of apartheid, the South African government has made e orts to level the economic imbalance and redistribute land to black South Africans that had been seized by the former colonial and apartheid governments.

Wyatt, who has been running the Welcome House Raleigh ministry for 10 years, providing temporary housing and a furniture bank for refugees, and now asylum seekers, said he has settled the matter in his mind.

“My wife and I have come to the position that if it’s not a full welcome, just like we would with anybody else, then it’s not a welcome,” he said. “If we don’t actually seek to include them into our lives like we would anybody else, then we’re withholding something and that’s not how we understand our holy book.”

ations and that a judge’s instruction to begin deliberations anew means “any discussion in which the excused juror participated is disregarded and entirely new deliberations are commenced by the newly-constituted twelve.”

The four other justices who are registered Republicans joined Newby in his opinion. In a dissenting opinion to retain the new trial, Associate Justice Allison Riggs wrote the 2021 law is an unconstitutional departure from the concept of 12-member juries and “endangers the impartiality and unanimity of the jury.”

No matter what directions a trial judge gives to jurors to begin deliberations anew, Riggs added, “we must assume by law that the original juror’s mere presence impacted the verdict.”

Associate Justice Anita Earls — who with Riggs are the court’s two registered Democrats — also dissented.

JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON / AP PHOTO

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau greets Afrikaner refugees from South Africa earlier this month at Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

Hide the children

I am so relieved to see President Trump pushing back against international organizations intending to take over world control.

A SOCIETY THAT fails to protect children is doomed to failure. I think somebody famous may have said that before, but I’m not sure. Anyway, I said it again. The harm that we are doing to our children is unforgivable and evil. Let me vent about a few things that trouble me, and I hope will bother you as well.

A recent article in Turning Point USA exposed that the University of Minnesota recruited children between 5 and 10 years old to play with transgender dolls. These dolls have swappable genitals. An ad placed on Instagram o ered to pay from $20 to $60 to play with “My Gender Dolls.” Of course, this study was funded by your federal tax dollars.

An organization called Indiana Voices is the o cial contact point for NARSOL (National Association for Rational Sex O ense Laws).

The organization is advocating on behalf of MAPs, Minor Attracted Persons. The group opposes current bills that require mandatory sentencing for child predators, and they advocate for reducing charges and restrictions against these perverts. They also want to reduce age restrictions on adult porn sites. The goal is to accept MAPs as normal.

You may have seen reports that our fertility rates have dropped dramatically over the last few years. There may be evidence as to why this is happening, but I am betting very few know about this study. You may have noticed that most children’s sleepwear contains polyester. This, I think, has to do with re retardancy.

Back in 2008, the National Institute of Health researchers conducted a study. They put polyester pants on female dogs to see if the

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

fabric type a ected fertility. It did dramatically. Over a one-year period, the dogs wore either 100% polyester, 50/50 cotton blend, 100% cotton or 100% wool. Almost 75% of the dogs in polyester could not get pregnant even through arti cial insemination. Dogs wearing cotton or wool were not a ected and had a 100% success rate getting pregnant.

These stats seem important to me. Later studies showed these e ects diminished over time, and the dogs eventually were able to reproduce. Would you think that these ndings should have been disclosed, and that these products might have been considered a health risk? Cotton pajamas are allowed under the law, but do not expect to nd them in your local Walmart.

I am so relieved to see President Donald Trump pushing back against international organizations intending to take over world control. The United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are two of the worst. They are aggressively targeting our children. These organizations are instructing primary schools around the world to make sure every child has an opportunity for a comprehensive sex education, beginning at age 5. Why is there a primary focus on sex ed and never a focus on world history and the history of individual countries? Remember the old saying: “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

As I have told you before, we look to the past to prove or disprove our theories. Those who refuse to study history look to the future

Democrats are discredited and o -kilter

Most of what used to be called the mainstream media has also been discredited, long since distrusted by perhaps half of Americans, and now shown to have been incompetent or partisanshiply complicit.

HOW DOES a political party with overwhelming advantages, including increasing support from the growing bloc of highly educated and a uent voters, almost monopoly support from the press and broadcast media, and with burgeoning nancial and high-tech sectors of the economy, manage to lose just about everything across the board?

The Biden administration has been repudiated by voters over the in ation that resulted from its heedless spending and open border policy on immigration, and it has been discredited by recent disclosures of former President Joe Biden’s incapacity and by Democrats in and outside the White House who concealed and lied about his condition.

Most of what used to be called the mainstream media has also been discredited, long since distrusted by perhaps half of Americans, and now shown to have been incompetent or partisanshiply complicit. The Democratic Party’s hopes that President Donald Trump’s job approval rating would zoom down toward zero have been temporarily frustrated, as it has risen slightly in May and is higher than at any point in his rst term.

To illustrate the pickle Democrats are in, it’s helpful to provide a little historical perspective, at least as far back as a dozen years, on the very di erent political climate following the 2012 election. That saw the third consecutive reelection of an incumbent president, something not seen since 1820.

The respected Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg argued that Democrats’ increased support from college graduates, plus huge margins from blacks, Hispanics and young people, would form a “coalition of the ascendant” dominant for years to come. Greenberg was right about trends up to that point. However, he failed to account for the

Newtonian law that says for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. His coalition spurred a coalition of the nonascendant. White non-college-educated people living outside million-dollar-plus metropolitan areas spurned Democrats and elected Trump over Hillary Clinton. A similar coalition in Britain produced the unexpected victory for Brexit ve months before.

By 2024, after one term each from Trump and Biden, that movement continued, including among non-college-educated Hispanics, Asians and blacks. Figures compiled by the Democratic rm Catalist and spotlighted by Republican pollster Patrick Ru ni showed Republicans gaining 36 points among Latinos aged 18 to 29, 33 points among black men, and 30 points among non-college-educated Asians between 2012 and 2024.

In the process, the Democratic Party has become increasingly dominated by white college-educated people who reliably turn out to vote, contribute lots of money and have poor judgment about what matters will appeal to majorities of the entire electorate. As the nancial adviser Dave Ramsey put it, “The hardest people to convince to use common sense are the smart people.”

High-education voters, repelled by Trump’s crudeness, provided the enthusiasm behind the Russia collusion hoax and the various lawfare prosecutions and attempts to remove Trump from o ce somehow. They provided the impetus behind the awed “science” to extend school closings and other undue COVID-19 restrictions.

After George Floyd’s death in May 2020, they gave support or silent acquiescence to radical calls for defunding the police, to reparations for descendants of slaves, and to continued racial quotas and preferences — all positions opposed by large majorities of voters. Biden, having secured

because it cannot disprove their theories.

The Heritage Foundation issued an article last year about the consequences of international education in American universities. Until 1977, international students made up between 1%-2% of total enrollment. Today they make up about one-third. The Ivy League schools make up even more, about 40% are international students. Originally, this was considered a way for foreign students to learn about American values and culture. They were then encouraged to take this info back to their home countries. Now things are reversed. These foreign students are instructing American students more about their cultures. Nothing has been more telling than the campus unrest going on around our country at prestigious universities. We are seeing foreign students leading our students to join in the campus protests as they shout, “Free Palestine. From the River to the Sea.” This is a call to annihilate the Jewish community. If factual history were being taught, these things would not occur. Reporters at these protests question students about what they are protesting. Many have no idea.

I love Dr. Thomas Sowell of Stanford University. He is a true professor of history and truth. He said, “I strive to give students an education in spite of the fact that they are in college.”

I wish we had more like him.

Joyce Krawiec represented Forsyth County and the 31st District in the North Carolina Senate from 2014 to 2024. She lives in Kernersville.

the nomination after winning the majority-black South Carolina primary, felt obliged to name a black woman for vice president, although the party nominated a black presidential candidate twice in the previous three contests.

That didn’t happen when “the (mostly) safe middle” was typi ed by Richard Scammon and Ben Wattenberg’s non-college-educated housewife from Dayton married to a machinist. However, it has happened now that the voter looks like the college-educated professional woman married to a lawyer in the a uent suburbs of Philadelphia.

In contrast, transgender activists impinge on others. They insist that inevitably more muscular biological men must compete in female sports, and they pummel the rare Democrat, such as Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), when they question that. As transgender demands have become better known, they have lost support, as Pew Research reported.

Most voters are motivated by concrete concerns — direct economic interests and ethnic or racial concerns. College-educated voters tend to have more theoretical concerns. Sometimes they may alert others to injustice and persuade them to address it, such as supporters of equal rights for blacks. The danger is that their high regard for their own views leads them to take impolitic stands, such as former Vice President Kamala Harris’ support of government-paid transgender surgeries for prisoners and illegal immigrants.

Every political party must strike some balance between the demands of its core constituencies and the beliefs of voters. That’s hard for a party dominated by college-educated activists with theoretical rather than practical concerns. The Democratic Party today, with its discredited leadership and its college-educated core, seems badly o kilter.

Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and longtime coauthor of “The Almanac of American Politics.”

TRIAD STRAIGHT TALK | JOYCE KRAWIEC

Scars from Helene healing slowly in one Appalachian tourist town

Chimney Rock Village was one of the hardest hit hamlets

By Allen G. Breed

The Associated Press

CHIMNEY ROCK VIL -

LAGE — The brightly colored sign along the S-curve mountain road beckons visitors to the Gemstone Mine, the “#1 ATTRACTION IN CHIMNEY ROCK VILLAGE!” But another sign, on the shop’s mud-splattered front door, tells a di erent story.

“We will be closed Thursday 9-26-2024 due to impending weather,” it reads. It promised to reopen the next day at noon, weather permitting.

That impending weather was the remnants of Hurricane Helene. And that reopening still hasn’t arrived.

The storm smashed into the North Carolina mountains last September, killing more than 100 people and causing an estimated $60 billion in damage. Chimney Rock, a hamlet of about 140 named for the 535-million-year-old geological wonder that underpins its tourism industry, was hit particularly hard.

Eight months later, the mine, like most of the surviving businesses on the village’s quaint Main Street, is still an open construction site. A ashing sign at the guard shack on the town line warns: “ROAD CLOSED. LOCAL TRAFFIC ONLY.”

Village Mayor Peter O’Leary had optimistically predicted that downtown would open in time for Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of the summer tourist season. He now realizes that was too ambitious.

“We had set that date as a target, early on,” he said, sitting in the still-stripped main room of his Bubba O’Leary’s General Store. “But I always try to remind people you don’t always hit the target. Anybody that’s shot a gun or bow and arrow knows you don’t always hit the target.”

The Broad River — which gave the restaurants and inns lining its banks their marketable water views — left its course, carving away foundations and sweeping away the bridge to Chimney Rock State Park. O’Leary said about a third of the town’s businesses were “totally destroyed.” Several are gone for good.

At the north end of town, all that remains of Bayou Billy’s Chimney Rock Country Fair amusement park is a pile of twisted metal, tattered aw-

nings and jumbled train cars. A peeling, cracked yellow carousel horse that owner Bill Robeson’s children once rode balances precariously on a debris pile, its mouth agape to the sky. At 71, Robeson — who also lost a two-story building where he sold popcorn, pizza and souvenir tin cups — said he doesn’t have the heart to rebuild.

“We made the dream come true and everything,” said Robeson, who’s been coming to Chimney Rock since he was in diapers.

“I hate I had to leave like it was. But, you know, life is short. You just can’t ponder over it. You’ve got to keep going, you know?”

At the other end of town, the Carter Lodge boasted “BALCONIES OVERLOOKING RIV-

ER.” Much of the back side of the 19-room hotel now dangles in midair, an angry red-brown

gash in the soil that once supported it.

Barely a month before Helene, Linda Carter made the last loan payments on repairs from a 100year ood in 1996. Contractors estimate it will cost $2.6 million to rebuild.

So the widow said she’s waiting to see how much the federal government will o er her to let the lot become a ood-mitigation zone.

“I just don’t have it in me,” said Carter, who lived in the hotel. “I’m 74. I don’t want to die and leave my children in debt. I also don’t want to go through the pain of rebuilding.”

But others, like Matt Banz, still think Chimney Rock is worth the risk of future heartache.

The Florida native fell in love with a fudge shop here during a vacation more than 30 years ago.

Today, he and his family own four businesses in town, including the gem mine and the RiverWatch Bar & Grill.

“The day after the storm, we didn’t even question whether we were going to rebuild,” Banz said, with workers rebuilding the riverfront deck on new cement footers. “We knew right away that we weren’t going to let go.”

O’Leary, Banz and others say federal relief has been slow. But volunteers have lled the gaps. Down the street, Amish workers from Pennsylvania pieced together a mold before pouring a new reinforced foundation for the Broad River Inn, among the oldest businesses in town. The river undermined the back end and obliterated the neighboring miniature golf course.

“We de nitely could not have

done what we’re doing without them, that is for certain,” inn co-owner Kristen Sottile said.

“They have brought so much willpower, hope, as well as many other things to our community.”

The Amish are working in concert with Spokes of Hope, a Christian nonpro t formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, which hit the Carolinas in September 2018.

Jonathan Graef and his siblings bought the Best View Inn in late 2023 and were halfway through renovations when Helene struck. They’ve been ooded twice since, but the new rafters and framing the Amish workers constructed have held.

“It’s really trying to kick us down,” said Graef, whose property borders what is left of the Bayou Billy’s park. “But our spirits are high, our hopes are high and nothing’s going to stop us from opening this place.” Throughout town, the ring of hammers and saws mingles with the sizzle of welding and the rumble of debris-removal trucks.

Workers lay sewer lines. A temporary steel bridge to the state park — replacing the ornate stone and concrete span that washed out — should be ready soon, O’Leary said.

“In a normal year, they easily have 400,000 visitors that come to the park,” he said. “That’s really the draw that brings people here.”

One recent evening, Rose Senehi walked down Main Street, stopping to peer into shop windows to see how much progress had been made.

Twenty-two years ago, the novelist stopped in town to buy an ice cream cone. As she licked, she crossed a small bridge, climbed a rickety staircase to a small house, looked around “and saw that mountain.”

“Within an hour, I signed the contract and bought it. Out of the blue,” she said, her eyes lighting up. “Never been to this town. But I knew this is what I wanted.”

The bridge is gone. So is that ice cream shop. But Senehi said there’s more to this place than stores and treats.

“There’s something about this area that, it’s just compelling. The mountains. The green. It’s just beautiful,” she said. “It’ll de nitely come back. And it won’t be the same; it’ll be better.”

O’Leary said he thinks some Main Street businesses will be open sometime this summer. The council is looking for village-owned properties that can be leased or sold to business owners.

“I can see progress on all fronts,” said O’Leary, who came for a park job 35 years ago and never left. But he cautions that recovery will be slow.

“We don’t want everybody to come at the same time, but we do want people to visit and be patient with us,” he said. “This is a long rebuild. But I think it’s going to be worth it.”

ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO

The Carter Lodge hangs precariously over the ood-scoured bank of the Broad River in Chimney Rock Village earlier this month.

SHELLY MCCORMACK VIA AP

Amish volunteers from Pennsylvania rebuild a deck along the banks of the Broad River in Chimney Rock Village earlier this month.

ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO

David Cruz mixes cement in the bucket of an end loader for a sewer manhole on Main Street in Chimney Rock Village.

Forsyth SPORTS

College Football Playo shifts to straight seeding model

The

change should allow the best teams to play each other later in the playo

By Eddie Pells The Associated Press

THE COLLEGE Football Playo will go to a more straightforward way of lling the bracket next season, announcing it will place teams strictly on where they are ranked instead of moving pieces around to reward conference champions.

Ten conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director came to the unanimous agreement they needed to shift the model that drew complaints last season.

The new format will no longer guarantee an opening bye week for the four highest-ranked league champions, reserving that bene t for the four top-ranked teams in general. The change was widely expected after last season’s jumbled bracket gave byes to Big 12 champion Arizona State and Mountain West champion Boise State, even though they were ranked 12th and ninth, respectively, by the playo selection committee.

That system made the rankings and the seedings in the tournament two di erent things and resulted in some matchups — for instance, the quarternal between top-ranked Oregon and eventual national champion Ohio State — that came earlier than they otherwise might have.

“After evaluating the rst year of the 12-team Playo , the CFP Management Committee felt it was in the best interest of the game to make this adjustment,” said Rich Clark, executive director of the CFP.

The ve highest-ranked conference champions will still be guaranteed spots in the playo , meaning it’s possible there could be a repeat of a di erent sort of shu ing seen last season when CFP No. 16 Clemson was seeded 12th in the bracket after winning the Atlantic Coast Conference. That ended up costing 11th-ranked

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Ethan Norby

Alabama a spot in the playo .

Under the new arrangement, the four top-ranked conference champions will still receive $8 million for their leagues — representing the $4 million they earn for making the playo and $4 million for advancing to the quarter nals.

“That was the commissioners’ way of — at least for this year — holding to the commitment that they have made nancially to those teams, those conference champions in particular, that would have been paid those amounts under the former system that we used last year,” Clark told ESPN.

Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey was among those who pushed for the change in the upcoming second year of the 12-team playo , though he remained cautious about it being approved because of the unanimous vote needed.

Smaller conferences had a chance to use the seeding issue as leverage for the next set of negotiations, which will come after this season and could include an expansion to 14 teams and more guaranteed bids for certain leagues. The SEC and Big Ten will have the

biggest say in those decisions.

As it stands, this will be the third di erent playo system for college football in the span of three years. For the 10 years leading into last season’s inaugural 12-team playo , the CFP was a four-team a air.

A look at possible rst-round matchups had straight seeding been in play last season:

• No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Notre Dame. The Tigers still would have gotten in despite being ranked 16th. Notre Dame, a team without a conference, could bene t from this new arrangement because it is now eligible for a bye.

• No. 11 Arizona State at No. 6 Ohio State. The Sun Devils face a juggernaut instead of receiving a rst-round bye.

• No. 10 SMU at No. 7 Tennessee. Yes, Alabama, 11th in CFP’s nal ranking, still would’ve been the odd man out because of Clemson.

• No. 9 Boise State at No. 8 Indiana. It could’ve been Ashton Jeanty vs. the Hoosiers in a matchup of two of the season’s best stories.

Byes: No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Penn State.

East Forsyth alum, baseball

Ethan Norby is a 2023 graduate of East Forsyth, where he was a two-time all-conference player on the conference champion baseball team.

Now in his sophomore season with ECU, Norby was named second-team All-AAC Conference after ranking among league leaders in strikeouts, opposing batting average and earned run average.

ECU is headed to the NCAA Tournament after winning the AAC Tournament last week. Norby pitched in three of the four games, all Pirates victories, starting one. In the tourney, he earned a win — his seventh of the year — and stuck out 14 in 8.2 innings.

Palou makes history as 1st Spanish driver to win

The three-time IndyCar champion earned his rst Indy 500 win

By Jenna Fryer

The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — Alex

Palou took the ceremonial swig of milk in Victory Lane at the Indianapolis 500. He allowed his wife to have a sip, she in turn gave a sip to their baby, and team owner Chip Ganassi ended up with the bottle and took a drink, as well.

Then, the rst Spaniard to win “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” took a victory lap with them around Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the back of a pickup truck. At one point, Palou climbed onto its roof and raised his arms in triumph, the winning wreath draped around his neck.

“All my family around, it’s amazing, honestly,” he said, smiling. “All the team around, they make me look really good on the track.”

Palou came to the speedway as the two-time defending IndyCar champion — he has three titles in four years — and had opened this year with victories in four of the rst ve races. It’s the kind of start not seen since 1964, when A.J. Foyt won the rst seven races of the season, including the Indy 500.

But it was win No. 6 that Palou had circled on his calendar. Without an Indy 500 win, he said, his career would be incomplete. He was in fuel-saving mode

over the closing laps, following former Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Marcus Ericsson. Palou got tired of staying put with 16 laps remaining and charged ahead — a move Ericsson said “will keep me up at night. What I did and what I didn’t do.” Palou was never challenged from there, tak-

ing the checkered ag as a crash brought out a caution. He was engulfed by his father, Ramon, and his team in a jubilant celebration. Scott Dixon gave him a big hug, as did Dario Franchitti, as the Ganassi Indy 500 winners welcomed him to an exclusive club.

“I cannot believe it. What an amazing day. What an amazing race,” Palou said. “I cannot believe it. It was tough. Tough conditions out there, especially if you were like, third or fourth in the pack. Even leading, the fuel consumption was super high, so they didn’t want me to lead. I wanted to lead, honestly,

Indy 500

“I cannot believe it. What an amazing day. What an amazing race.” Alex Palou

so yeah, made it happen.” Meanwhile, Ericsson climbed from his car in pit lane and pressed his hands to his face, the disappointment of coming oh-so-close to a second Indianapolis 500 victory etched across his face. David Maluks was third for A.J. Foyt Racing.

“It’s pretty painful,” Ericsson said of his second career Indy 500 runner-up nish. “I need to look at it again. You replay it in your head a million times after the nish, wondering what I could have done di erently. Second means nothing in this race.”

Josef Newgarden’s bid to win three consecutive Indy 500s ended with a fuel pump issue.

Will Power wound up 19th, the highest- nishing Team Penske driver.

It was the sixth Indy 500 win for Ganassi, who has been on a dominating wave since hiring Palou before the 2021 season. Palou won the championship in his rst year with the team, added two more titles and now seems on pace for a fourth one.

“The guy is just unbelievable. I don’t know what else to say,” Ganassi said. “It is an incredible thing. (The Indy 500) is going to make Alex Palou’s career. It is going to make his life. And it has certainly made mine.”

AJ MAST / AP PHOTO

Alex Palou, left, of Spain, has his winner’s ring kissed by his daughter Lucia on the Yard of Bricks on the start/ nish line after winning the Indianapolis 500.

JOE MAIORANA / AP PHOTO

The College Football Playo National Championship Trophy sits on display before the Ohio State Buckeyes National Championship celebration. The path to the title should be less convoluted with the CFP’s change.

SIDELINE REPORT

AUTO RACING

Indy 500 rookie Shwartzman crashes into crew members on pit road

Indianapolis Indianapolis 500 rookie Robert Shwartzman crashed into crew members on pit road on Sunday, ending his improbable run in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” One of the crew was taken away on a stretcher. Shwartzman had been the rst rookie on the pole since 1983. He tried to pit after 87 laps and had his brakes lock up, sliding into four crew members. Shwartzman has dual Israeli and Russian nationality and used the platform the pole a orded him to make a passionate plea for peace in both the Middle East and Ukraine.

ICE HOCKEY

U.S. wins world championship gold with 1-0 OT win against Switzerland

Stockholm The United States prevailed over Switzerland 1-0 in overtime of the nal of the ice hockey world championship. Tage Thompson wristed a shot past goaltender Leonardo Genoni from the top of the right circle for the winner 2:02 into overtime. Logan Cooley and Brady Skjei provided the assists, and goaltender Jeremy Swayman shut out the Swiss with 25 saves. It is the second trophy won at the tournament by the Americans after winning in 1933. The Americans were also formally awarded the title in 1960 when they won the Olympics and the worlds did not take place.

NCAA FOOTBALL

Notre Dame, Wisconsin to have Sunday kicko for 2026 Lambeau game

Green Bay, Wis. Notre Dame’s 2026 football game with Wisconsin at Lambeau Field will now have a Sunday kicko . The two schools announced they’ll be facing o at the home of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers on Sept. 6, 2026. The game previously was set for a Saturday kicko on Sept. 5. NBC will televise the game. This is part of a two-game, neutral-site series. Notre Dame defeated Wisconsin 41-13 at Chicago’s Soldier Field in 2021. The Lambeau Field matchup initially was supposed to take place in 2020. The pandemic caused that game to get pushed back to 2026.

NCAA BASKETBALL

Green Bay seeking waiver allowing it to play in The Basketball Tournament

Green Bay, Wis. Green Bay is seeking NCAA approval to compete in The Basketball Tournament. The event typically features former college basketball players and o ers a $1 million prize to the winning team. ESPN says that Green Bay is seeking an NCAA waiver that would enable it to compete in The Basketball Tournament rather than going on an international tour. NCAA rules allow college teams to make an overseas trip to play in exhibition games once every four years.

Dogs trained to handle burglars as sports stars boost security

Athletes are reacting to a rash of high-pro le home burglaries

By Ken Maguire The Associated Press

EMBOROUGH, England —

Expensive protection dogs have been in demand among professional athletes to guard against burglars who target wealthy homes often as part of sophisticated crime rings. Athletes are particularly vulnerable while they’re away at games.

“He will end up in somebody’s home with high-net worth that is potentially at risk from more than your opportunist burglar,” Bly said of Lobo, a $60,000 German Shepard from K9 Protector, the company Bly owns.

The lengthy list of athletes whose residences have been hit includes Premier League stars Jack Grealish and Alexander Isak and England cricket captain Ben Stokes.

It’s becoming a major problem in the United States, too, with former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman a recent example.

The homes of Kansas City Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were burglarized in October as part of a wave of break-ins that also targeted Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Seven Chilean men were charged in connection with those burglaries, as well as the break-in at Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis’ home, where nearly $1.5 million in cash and valuables were stolen.

After consulting the FBI, the NBA drew up guidance for players.

One of the recommendations: “Utilize dogs for home protection.”

While almost any dog can provide some deterrence, protection-dog providers o er breeds like German shepherd, Belgian Malinois, Rottweiler, Doberman and Cane Corso.

K9 Protector works predominantly with German shepherds.

“They are the most proven dogs at being family dogs,” Bly said. They begin to di erentiate early on which pups show potential.

“If we’ve got a puppy that’s really con dent, is chasing a

rag, biting hold of the rag and their food drive is high, that’s a good starting point,” wife and co-owner Sian Bly said. “We look at how competitive they are with their siblings, as well. You’re looking for quite a strong dog.”

Dogs that don’t make the cut might get routed to prison service or police duty.

“You can’t place a dog with young kids that’s nervous or that the temperament isn’t 100%,” she said.

The handful of K9 Protector dogs that reach “high-threat environment” status cost up to $100,000.

It can take a couple of years to train for all sorts of scenarios.

“It’s vast — the ability to deal with four intruders at once, vehicle carjacking tactics, being acceptant of multihandlers,” Alaster Bly said. “Husband, wife, nanny, housekeeper, estate manager all be -

“Utilize

dogs for home protection.”

FBI recommendation to NBA players

ing able to handle that dog in an equal way in a threat scenario, and the dog still responding in the same way — is very di erent to a pet-level-trained dog with protection training.”

Between 10-15% of their clients are professional athletes, and they typically require nondisclosure agreements, as do the actors and singers who come calling. They sell about two or three dogs per month. When the economy is bad and crime increases — demand is higher.

UFC heavyweight Tom As-

pinall added a protection dog to his family after moving to a new house. The Manchester native posted a video about it.

“I’m not here all the time. I just wanted someone else kind of looking after the family, as well as me, even when I’m here,” Aspinall said of his German shepherd.

U.S. soccer mid elder Tyler Adams opted for a Rottweiler. Tottenham mid elder James Maddison got a 145-pound Cane Corso.

The NBA memo urged removing online real estate listings that show interiors.

Some stars post their protection dogs on social media along with the pets’ names — but they probably shouldn’t.

“There is nothing more o -putting to a dog than being called by its own name when you’re breaking into the home,” Alaster Bly said.

Team Penske driver Cindric not concerned about future with team after father red

Tim Cindric was red following an Indy 500 cheating scandal

By Steve Reed The Associated Press

CONCORD — Austin Cin-

dric is not worried about his future with Team Penske after his father, Tim Cindric, was red by team owner Roger Penske as the team’s IndyCar president earlier this week following a cheating scandal at the Indianapolis 500.

Cindric drives the No. 2 Ford Mustang for Penske in the NASCAR Cup Series, and is currently 12th in the points standings with three top-10 nishes in 12 races, including a win at Talladega. That victory was Team Penske’s rst of the 2025 NASCAR season.

Still, given the family ties with Team Penske it raised some speculation about how his father’s departure might impact the younger Cindric.

Penske met with all of his NASCAR drivers in person in Charlotte following the moves, including Austin Cindric.

When asked if he was given any assurances from Penske that it will not impact his future with Penske’s NASCAR team, Cindric shook his head and said “I don’t think it was even in question.”

“Their support has always

been very strong and also very transparent,” Cindric said following qualifying Saturday for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “When I have not performed to my best we have had those conversations. But past that it’s business as usual for me.”

Tim Cindric was one of three executives red by Penske after two Penske cars were found to be illegal following qualifying runs at the Indianapolis 500. Along with Cindric, IndyCar managing director Ron Ruzewski and IndyCar general manager Kyle Moyer were also terminated.

“Nothing is more important than the integrity of our sport and our race teams,” Penske said in a statement. “We have had organizational failures during the last two years, and we had to make necessary changes. I apologize to our fans, our partners and our organization for letting them down.” Penske is owner of the threecar team, IndyCar, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500. He has won the Indy 500 a record 20 times. The rings and Penske’s statement have been his rst public reaction since twotime defending Indianapolis

500 winner Josef Newgarden and teammate Will Power were found to have an illegally modi ed spec part on their cars ahead of the nal round of quali cations for the 109th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

Penske after the rings were announced held a team owner’s meeting remotely in which he took responsibility for his team’s actions. Some who dialed-in told The Associated Press the meeting lasted 20 minutes and the owners were satis ed with the outcome; no owners called for the Penske cars to be kicked out of the race, and the only questions asked were about how IndyCar moves on from the scandal ahead of the biggest race in the world.

Cindric called this the best start to his career and believes his team has plenty of momentum following the win at Talladega.

Cindric said his father’s ring wouldn’t impact how his approach.

“Professionally, I’m in no different of a place than I was a week ago,” Cindric said. “I feel like we have a lot of momentum on our team right now in the the No. 2 car. I’ve never felt better and had a better start to the season. So for me I’m just focused on execution. I feel like we have had some really fast cars.”

BUTCH DILL / AP PHOTO

NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Cindric celebrates after winning at Talladega Superspeedway in April.

JEFFREY PHELPS / AP PHOTO

Bobby Portis lost nearly $1.5 million in a home burglary.

the stream

‘Mountainhead’, Bono doc, Banks, Biel as sisters

Sheléa celebrates the immortal Aretha Franklin in a PBS special

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong’s satirical drama “Mountainhead” and Elizabeth Banks and Jessica Biel playing dysfunctional siblings in the murder thriller series “The Better Sister” are some of the new television, lms, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also, among the streaming o erings worth your time: a new concert special featuring Aretha Franklin, U2’s frontman reveals all in the documentary “Bono: Stories of Surrender,” and multiplayer gamers get Elden Ring: Nightreign, sending teams of three warriors to battle the amboyant monsters of a haunted land.

MOVIES TO STREAM

Armstrong makes his feature debut with the satirical drama “Mountainhead,” streaming on HBO Max on Saturday. The lm stars Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Ramy Youssef and Cory Michael Smith as tech titans on a boys’ trip whose billionaire shenanigans are interrupted by an international crisis that may have been in amed by their platforms. The movie was shot earlier this year, in March.

The story of hostage crisis at the 1972 Munich Olympics has been told in many lms, but “September 5” takes audiences inside the ABC newsroom as it all unfolded. The lm, from Tim Fehlbaum and starring Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro and Ben Chaplin, is a semi- ctionalized telling of those tense 22 hours, where a group of sports reporters including Peter Jennings managed to broadcast this international incident live to the world for the rst time. AP lm writer Jake Coyle said that news junkies will nd much to enjoy in the spirited debates over journalistic ethics and the vintage technologies. It’s also just a riveting tick-tock. “September 5” is available to watch on Prime Video.

The directing team (and real-life partners) behind “Saint Frances” made one of AP Film Writer Jake Coyle’s favorite movies of 2024 in “Ghostlight,” streaming Friday on Kanopy. The movie centers on a construction worker who joins a community theater production of “Romeo & Juliet” after the death of his teenage son. Coyle called it “a sublime little gem of a movie about a Chicago family struggling to process tragedy.”

MUSIC TO STREAM

Celebrate the late, great, eter-

nal Aretha Franklin with a glorious new concert special, “Aretha! With Sheléa and the Paci c Symphony” airing on PBS. The title is a giveaway: Sheléa and the Paci c Symphony team up to perform the Queen of Soul’s larger-than-life hits: “Respect,” “Natural Woman,” and “Chain of Fools” among them. On Friday, it will become available to stream on PBS: Public Broadcasting Service and the PBS App.

“These are the tall tales of a short rock star,” U2 frontman Bono introduces “Bono: Sto -

ries of Surrender,” a documentary lm based on his memoir, “Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story.” The project will become available to stream globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, and for the tech heads among us, it is also the rst full-length lm to be available in Apple Immersive on Vision Pro. That’s 180-degree video!

For lm fans, Yeule may be best known for their contribution to the critically acclaimed “I Saw The TV Glow,” which featured their dreamy cover of Broken Social Scene’s “Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl” as a kind of theme song. On Friday, the singer-songwriter-producer will release their latest album, “Evangelic Girl Is a Gun” via Ninja Tune Records — an ambitious collection of electronic pop from a not-to-distant future.

TELEVISION TO STREAM

Sheri Papini, a woman who pleaded guilty and served jail time for lying to law enforcement about being kidnapped, is sharing her story for the rst time. A new docuseries features interviews with Papi-

ni, her family, attorneys and psychiatrist. She also takes a lie-detector test on camera and participates in reenactments. Papini maintains she was kidnapped by an ex-boyfriend but says they were having an emotional a air at the time. She claims he held her against her will, sexually and physically abusing her, before letting her go. “Sheri Papini: Caught in the Lie” is a four -part series streaming on Max.

Banks and Biel are Nicky and Chloe, dysfunctional sisters in the new Prime Video series “The Better Sister.”

It’s based on a novel by Alafair Burke. The two are estranged, and Chloe is raising Nicky’s son as her own — and also married to her ex. When a murder occurs, the sisters must become a united front. It premieres Thursday on Prime Video. In “Downton Abbey” and “The Crown,” Matthew Goode plays a charming English gentleman. In his new series “Dept. Q” for Net ix, he’s ... English. Goode plays Carl, a gru detective who is banished to the police station basement and assigned to cold cases. He forms a rag tag group to solve a crime that no one, not even himself, thinks can be cracked. “Dept. Q” is from the writer and director of “The Queen’s Gambit.” It premieres Thursday.

A new PBS documentary looks at the life and impact of artist George Rodrigue. He’s known for paintings of a big blue dog with yellow eyes (called Blue Dog) but also is credited for art that depicted Cajun life in his home state of Louisiana. Rodrigue’s paintings helped to preserve Cajun culture. What people may not realize is how the Blue Dog is connected to Cajun folklore. “Blue: The Art and Life of George Rodrigue” debuts Thursday and will also stream on PBS.

VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

Tokyo-based From Software is best known for morbid adventures like Dark Souls and Elden Ring — games that most players tackle solo, though they do have some co-op options. Elden Ring: Nightreign is built for multiplayer, sending teams of three warriors to battle the amboyant monsters of a haunted land called Limveld. Your goal is to survive three days and three nights before you confront an overwhelming Nightlord. This isn’t the sprawling, character-building epic fans would expect from the studio, but those who are hungry for more of its brutal, nearly sadistic action will

swords

STATE & NATION

Two border collies fend o wildlife at West Virginia’s busiest airport

Hercules and Ned go after geese and visit with passengers

By John Raby The Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va. —

Hercules and Ned have quite the spacious o ce at West Virginia’s busiest airport.

The border collies and their handler make daily patrols along the milelong air eld to ensure birds and other wildlife stay away from planes and keep passengers and crew safe.

Hercules is also the chief ambassador, soaking in a ection from passengers inside the terminal while calming some nervously waiting to board a ight at West Virginia International Yeager Airport.

Chris Keyser, the dogs’ handler and the airport’s wildlife specialist, said preventing a bird from hitting a plane “can make a di erence for someone’s life.”

How it started

Collisions between wildlife and planes are common at airports nationwide. With that in mind, Yeager management in 2018 bought Hercules at the recommendation of a wildlife biologist.

Hercules spent the rst 18 months of his life training to herd geese and sheep around his birthplace at Charlotte-based Flyaway Geese, which teaches border collies to help businesses address nuisance wildlife problems.

When Hercules stepped onto Charleston’s air eld for the rst time, “I held my breath,” Flyaway Geese owner Rebecca Gibson said. “But boy, he took hold

of the reins. It was his place.

“He’s done an amazing job and has just been a great dog for them. We’re very proud of him.”

Along the way, Hercules became a local celebrity. He has his own Instagram and TikTok accounts and regularly hosts groups of schoolchildren.

Now 8, Hercules has some help. Ned was 2 when he was welcomed into the fold last year from another kennel where he trained to herd goats and geese. Ned has shadowed Hercules, following commands from Keyser and learning safety issues such as not venturing onto the runway.

“Ned’s ready to go,” Keyser said. “He’s picked up on all that. He’s doing fantastic, running birds o .”

Inside the airport operations center, Hercules is laid back until he’s told it’s time to work, barking at the door in anticipation. Ned, on the other hand, is always mov-

ing. When not outside, he’ll bring his blue bouncy ball to anyone willing to play fetch.

A mountaintop menagerie

Charleston’s airport is on top of a mountain and has a menagerie of wildlife, including Canada geese, hawks, ducks, songbirds and bats. After it rains, worms come to the surface and cause an increase in bird activity, Keyser said.

In addition to taking the dogs on their regular rounds, Keyser is in constant contact with the airport tower, which looks for birds on the eld or relays reports from airplanes that see wildlife nearby.

“We get plenty of exercise,” Keyser said. “You don’t gain no weight in this job. It’s an all-day job. You’re always got your eyes on the eld, you’ve got your ears open listening to the radio.”

Border collies are among the most energetic dog breeds. They’ve been used for decades to shoo Canada geese o golf courses. They’ve also scared away birds at other airports, military bases, and locks and dams.

The dogs’ instincts are to herd, not to kill. “But in the mind of the bird, they’re no di erent than a coyote or a fox, which is a natural predator for the bird,” Gibson said.

Bird strikes cause delays

About 19,000 strikes involving planes and wildlife occurred at U.S. airports in 2023, of which 95% involved birds, according to a Federal Aviation Administration database. From 1988 to 2023, wildlife collisions in the U.S. killed 76 people and destroyed 126 aircraft.

Perhaps the most famous birdplane strike occurred in January

2009 when a ight from New York’s LaGuardia Airport almost immediately ew into a ock of Canada geese, knocking out both engines. Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger guided the powerless jet into the frigid Hudson River. All 155 people on board survived the incident, which was captured in the 2016 movie “Sully,” starring Tom Hanks.

At the Charleston airport, wildlife-plane incidents vary each year from a few to a couple dozen.

“Anytime a plane hits a bird, it has to be inspected, and it causes a delay in the ight,” Keyser said. “And sometimes you don’t make your connecting ights. So that’s how important it is to keep everything going smooth.”

In 2022 alone, there were ve airplane strikes at the airport involving bats. In December 2000, a plane collided with two deer after landing. The tip of the right engine propeller blade separated and punctured the plane’s fuselage, seriously injuring a passenger, according to the FAA.

A comforting paw

Inside the terminal, Hercules wags his tail as he moves about greeting passengers. Among them was Janet Spry, a Scott Depot, West Virginia, resident waiting to board a ight to visit her daughter and grandchildren in San Antonio. Spry needed a bit of cheering up. In addition to having a fear of ying, Spry’s 15-year-old cat was euthanized the previous day after being diagnosed with an inoperable condition.

An impromptu visit from Hercules brought a smile — and more. Hercules placed a paw on Spry’s arm and delivered plenty of wet kisses.

“He’s making my day better,” Spry said.

She also joked whether the airport might want to let Hercules stay with her a while longer.

“I think there was an empty seat on the plane beside me,” Spry said.

JOHN RABY / AP PHOTO Hercules greets a passenger at West Virginia International Yeager Airport, where he is used to keep birds and other wildlife away from the air eld.

JOHN RABY / AP PHOTO

Left, West Virginia International Yeager Airport wildlife specialist and dog handler Chris Keyser poses with Hercules and Ned. Right, Ned and Hercules pose at West Virginia International Yeager Airport in Charleston, where they are used to keep birds and other wildlife away from the air eld.

Randolph record

WHAT’S HAPPENING A full-throttle military tribute

10 people shot at holiday weekend

S.C. boat party

Little River, S.C. Authorities say 10 people were shot during a ght that started on a private boat holding a holiday weekend party on the South Carolina coast. Horry County Police say no one died in the shooting in Little River around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, although some of the wounded are in critical condition. At least one person was taken to the hospital who was not hurt by gun re. Police said the shooting happened around a dock where a private charter boat leaves for cruises. The boat was docked, and police are trying to determine where the ght and shooting began.

NPR sues Trump admin over funding cuts to public media

National Public Radio and three local stations are suing President Donald Trump, arguing that an executive order aimed at cutting federal funding for the organization is illegal. The lawsuit was led in federal court in Washington, D.C., by NPR, Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Public Radio and KUTE. It argues that Trump’s order to slash public subsidies to PBS and NPR violates the First Amendment. Trump issued the order earlier this month, instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies “to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS” and requires they work to root out indirect sources of public nancing for the news organizations.

The Memorial Day weekend race doubled as a salute to patriotism

By Jason Jackson For Randolph Record

CHARLOTTE — The 2025 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway wasn’t just a race — it was a powerful salute to the military, woven into every moment of the Memorial Day weekend event.

With 100,000 fans lling the stands, the day pulsed with patriotism, honoring the sacri ces of service members through ceremonies, tributes and the race itself. From the prerace reverence to thenal lap, the military’s role took center stage, creating an unforgettable tribute.

Secretary of Defense sets the tone

Before the engines red up, the Coca-Cola 600 took a moment to honor the true meaning of Memorial Day. U.S.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, serving as the grand marshal, brought his military background and passion to the forefront with a stirring prerace presence. Hegseth delivered the State of Freedom address.

“Freedom comes at a cost,” he declared, paying tribute to the sacri ces of service members past and present. As a veteran himself, Hegseth reminding everyone why this race, held on a weekend dedicated to remembrance, holds such signi cance.

The prerace ceremonies am-

pli ed this sentiment. Haunting renditions of “Amazing Grace” and “Taps” lled the air, honoring fallen heroes, while Danlie Cuenca of the United States Navy Band delivered a powerful national anthem. A yover of A-10 Warhogs followed. Hegseth, anked by Army, Marine Corps and Navy representatives, all bellowed, “Gentlemen, start your engines!” — a command that bridged the solemn tribute with the adrenaline of the race ahead.

A race for the ages

As the green ag waved around 6:20 p.m., the race unfolded under a fading sun, transitioning from daylight to the glow of oodlights — a shift that tests drivers’ adapt-

County checks on election equipment upgrades

Machines or software could be replaced to speed up the process of obtaining results

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

ASHEBORO — A demonstration of new voting equipment was a step toward possible upgrades for Randolph County machines.

Melissa Kirstner, elections director of the Randolph County Board of Elections, said the goal is to provide voting results in a faster manner.

“The reason we did (the demonstration) is we have equipment with some of it that is 10 years old,” Kirstner said. “Our board is talking about whether we want to update equipment or software.”

This month’s presentation of newly certi ed voting equip -

ment at the county’s board of elections o ce was given by Michelle Mrozkowski of Printelect.

Kirstner said much of the county’s election equipment has probably used up about two-thirds of its lifespan.

There’s a process involving obtaining new equipment and one of those is holding a public demonstration. If new equipment is purchased, there would be simulated elections conducted as part of that process. With the North Carolina leg-

ability as track conditions evolve. Chase Briscoe led the eld from the pole, but the story of the night belonged to Ross Chastain.

After a crash in practice relegated him to the back of the pack, Chastain staged a comeback for the ages. Lap by lap, he carved through the eld, and in the nal stage, he overtook William Byron duel to claim victory. It was a win that embodied the grit and determination NASCAR fans love, proving that in a 600-mile marathon, anything can happen.

A day to remember

The Coca-Cola 600 was more than a sporting event — it was a celebration of resil-

See TRIBUTE, page A2

“I know it’s just one night, but people are jumping at the bit to get those results.”

Melissa Kirstner, county elections director

islature seeking ways to obtain election results faster, Kirstner said Randolph County wants to be ready to keep up the pace.

“It’s a rst step in the process,” Kirstner said. “There’s not any de nite steps that the board has taken.”

Randolph County has nearly 100,000 registered voters. Because of certain regulations regarding tabulating votes from early voters and absentee voters, Randolph County didn’t complete tallying its votes from last November’s Election Day until about 1 a.m. the next day, Kirstner said.

“The faster turnaround we can have on Election Night makes a di erence,” Kirstner said. “I know it’s just one night, but people are jumping at the bit to get those results.”

JANN ORTIZ FOR RANDOLPH RECORD

Michelle Mrozkowski with Printelect gives a demonstration earlier this month of voting equipment at the Randolph County Board of Elections. See ELECTION, page A2

JASON JACKSON FOR RANDOLPH RECORD

The Coca-Cola 600 was awash in patriotism on Sunday, with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth acting as grand marshal and countless members of the U.S. military involved in prerace festivities and recognition at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Toyota promotes Stewart to top position in Liberty

The battery manufacturing plant continues to grow as a change in leadership takes place

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

LIBERTY — There’s a change at the top of the Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina plant as operations at the site continue to ramp up.

Sean Suggs, who had been president at the Liberty plant, is retiring.

Don Stewart is next up as president at the plant. He has been vice president of manufacturing for the facility.

Stewart had been with Toyota since 1997 as a maintenance group leader at a plant in Bu alo, West Virginia. In 2018, he moved to Hino Motor Manufacturing before rejoining Toyota in 2021. He had held a role of plant operations lead at the Liberty site for parts of three years.

There are various avenues the county could take in terms of election equipment. An update in software would boost the speed and wouldn’t be as costly as fully replacing election machines.

“It would give us a little more speed,” Kirstner said. However, new equipment would be accompanied by a newer version of software.

Stewart’s new role became e ective May 19.

Suggs began in his position, which was newly created for the Liberty location, in June 2022. His retirement date is June 6.

There’s also restructuring among the top brass. Stewart also will be group vice president of Manufacturing Region 7, reporting to Kevin Voelkel, who’s now senior vice president of manufacturing operations and responsible for all of Toyota’s vehicle and unit plants in North America.

Stewart is an Army veteran.

Either way, Randolph County will continue to use hand-marked paper ballots fed into DS200 precinct-based ballot scanners and vote tabulators, according to information from the county’s Board of Elections.

This summer, there’s an expected turnover on the county’s ve-member elections board. Some decisions about equipment might come once any new board members take

THURSDAY MAY 29

FRIDAY MAY 30

SATURDAY MAY 31

SUNDAY JUNE 1

CRIME LOG

May 17

• Vasco Glen Fernandez Jr., 63, was arrested for felony break/enter to terrorize/injure and misdemeanor cruelty to animals.

May 20

• Ashley Nicole Helton, 38, was arrested for two counts felony larceny of rearm, two counts felony possession of stolen rearm, felony break/enter motor vehicle and misdemeanor resisting a public o cer.

• Carson Taylor Ferguson, 31, was arrested for felony possession of heroin and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

May 21

• Austin Dale Layton, 21, was arrested for felony ee/elude arrest with motor vehicle, misdemeanor speeding, misdemeanor reckless driving with wanton disregard and misdemeanor fail to heed lights or siren.

May 22

• John Dallas Idol Jr., 40, was arrested for felony possession of methamphetamine, misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while license revoked, ctitious tag and no liability insurance.

• Barry Anthony Blake, 36, was

He has degrees from West Virginia Institute of Technology, University of Charleston and University of Wisconsin. Construction at the Liberty site, which is Toyota’s newest plant in North Carolina, began in 2021. Employment numbers have been growing there and are expected to reach about 5,000. Also, Toyota made a donation of $250,000 to Asheboro City Schools to create an innovation lab and global innovation center at the high school. That presentation was made during a reception at Hayeld at Murchison Farms in Liberty.

School o cials said the donation will go toward the creation of a lab without its Global Innovation Center. The lab will be designed to teach students about Toyota careers and skills with hands-on opportunities for career exploration. The district and a design team from Texas are working on details for the layout of the lab, according to information from the school.

an oath in late July, Kirstner said. There were less than a dozen members of the public on hand for the equipment demonstration May 15. Mrozkowski is a former worker for the North Carolina State Board of Elections and private companies supporting elections. Printelect is a New Bern-based company, which describes itself as a national elections solutions provider.

arrested for felony tra cking in opium or heroin, felony possession with intent to manufacture/sell/ deliver schedule II, felony maintain vehicle/dwelling/place for controlled substance, felony possession of stolen rearm, felony possession of rearm by felon and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

May 23

• Dakota Mastin Aldridge, 34, was arrested for felony break/enter to terrorize/injure, misdemeanor assault on a female, misdemeanor interfere with emergency communication and misdemeanor injury to real property.

May 24

• Rolando Mareno, 30, was arrested for felony ee/elude arrest with motor vehicle, felony assault physical injury to law enforcement, misdemeanor speeding, misdemeanor reckless driving with wanton disregard, two counts fail to stop at steady red light, following too closely and unsafe movement.

May 26

• Christopher Lee Edwards, 29, was arrested for felony breaking and/or entering, felony larceny after break/ enter, misdemeanor injury to personal property and misdemeanor larceny of motor fuel.

Randolph Guide

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

May 29, 31 & June 3

City of Asheboro Farmers Market

7 a.m.-1 p.m.

Fresh seasonal produce, farm-fresh products, baked goods, and a variety of owers and plants are available for purchase directly from local farmers. Open weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays through the end of October.

134 S. Church St. Asheboro

June 1

Party @ The Pond

All-Day Music Fest

11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Perfect for music lovers, this family-friendly event o ers a day lled with live music and fun outdoor summer activities, including yard games and hayrides. Listen to tunes performed by two bands, including headliner Band of Oz, while you enjoy good food and fellowship. All proceeds bene t the Randolph Partnership for Children in alliance with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.

Millstone Creek Orchards 506 Parks Crossroads Church Road Ramseur

June 2 & 4

Liberty Farmers Market

4-7 p.m.

Purchase a wide array of high-quality, fresh produce from local farmers and growers at this convenient downtown location. Open every Monday and Wednesday through the end of October.

423 W. Swannanoa Ave. Liberty

June 3

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 p.m. classes are for ages 8-9. Asheboro Public Library 201 Worth St. Asheboro

TRIBUTE from page A1

ience, both on the track and in the nation it honored. NASCAR’s 600 Miles of Remembrance program saw each driver carry the name of a fallen service member on their windshield, weaving a thread of gratitude through the high-octane action. From Hegseth’s rousing speech to Chastain’s triumphant charge, the day captured the essence of what makes this race special: a blend of

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

| DAVID HARSANYI

Welcome to the intifada, America

Any editor or reporter who repeated such a preposterous claim is either too gullible or too dishonest to be in a newsroom.

NOW WE KNOW what “globalize the intifada” means.

After a pro-Palestinian Marxist was arrested after shooting and killing Yaron Lischinsky, a German-born evangelical Christian, and his American girlfriend, Sarah Milgrim, in front of the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., he chanted, “Free, free Palestine.”

The murderer, who reportedly traveled from Chicago to kill two innocent 20-somethings, surely knew the embassy workers were Jewish. His justi cation, as far as we know, was a blood libel that is a millennium old. The slander has simply been repackaged for the modern audience.

Indeed, the “genocide” libel is spread by Qatari-bought pseudo-intellectuals on elite U.S. campuses, New York Times and Washington Post editorialists, liberal activists, right-wing paleo “in uencers,” European powers, Democratic House members, big media and many others.

“Palestine,” something most intifada protesters know virtually nothing about, has replaced Black Lives Matter as the cause of the morally vacuous and dangerously illiterate activist class. An entire generation of young people has been brainwashed. It’s only a matter of time before it gets worse.

Only a few days ago, media outlets, including NBC News, reported, without a hint of skepticism, a United Nations warning that 14,000 babies were going to die from starvation in Gaza within 48 hours.

Fourteen thousand babies?

Two days?

Any editor or reporter who repeated such a preposterous claim is either too gullible or too dishonest to be in a newsroom. However, at this

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

point, the establishment media will amplify any unsubstantiated and unhinged accusation if the target is right.

As it turns out, the U.N. retracted the claim. What the report actually said was that 14,100 cases of malnutrition could occur among children, not babies, if aid did not reach them over the next year.

Then again, as with most U.N. reports, even that number is likely a concoction. The Hamas-run “Gaza Health Ministry,” which is less reliable than the U.N. and doesn’t distinguish between civilians and armed terrorists, lies about death tolls and puts on low-budget Pallywood productions for credulous Western audiences.

The U.N. has issued more condemnations of Israel than all other nations combined. Not long ago, UNESCO passed a resolution denying Jews any historical connection to the Temple Mount and Western Wall, which came as a surprise to anyone who’s read a book.

Then, of course, we know that 12 of UNRWA’s employees took part in the Hamas massacre of Jews on Oct. 7, not merely o ering logistical help or coordination, but participating in the actual kidnapping and murdering of civilians.

If the U.N. were a country, Israel would be compelled to declare war on it.

No, Israel is not wantonly murdering children in Gaza. It has temporarily blocked “aid” because Hamas steals it, sells it and uses food to control civilians.

How many of the “protesters” who “occupy” college libraries know that Gaza, which was given autonomy all the way back in 2006, is provided food, clean water and electricity by Israel? How many know that the Israeli government forcibly removed thousands of Jews

Democrats are discredited and o -kilter

Most of what used to be called the mainstream media has also been discredited, long since distrusted by perhaps half of Americans, and now shown to have been incompetent or partisanshiply complicit.

HOW DOES a political party with overwhelming advantages, including increasing support from the growing bloc of highly educated and a uent voters, almost monopoly support from the press and broadcast media, and with burgeoning nancial and high-tech sectors of the economy, manage to lose just about everything across the board?

The Biden administration has been repudiated by voters over the in ation that resulted from its heedless spending and open border policy on immigration, and it has been discredited by recent disclosures of former President Joe Biden’s incapacity and by Democrats in and outside the White House who concealed and lied about his condition.

Most of what used to be called the mainstream media has also been discredited, long since distrusted by perhaps half of Americans, and now shown to have been incompetent or partisanshiply complicit. The Democratic Party’s hopes that President Donald Trump’s job approval rating would zoom down toward zero have been temporarily frustrated, as it has risen slightly in May and is higher than at any point in his rst term.

To illustrate the pickle Democrats are in, it’s helpful to provide a little historical perspective, at least as far back as a dozen years, on the very di erent political climate following the 2012 election. That saw the third consecutive reelection of an incumbent president, something not seen since 1820.

The respected Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg argued that Democrats’ increased support from college graduates, plus huge margins from blacks, Hispanics and young people, would form a “coalition of the ascendant” dominant for years to come.

Greenberg was right about trends up to that point. However, he failed to account for the

Newtonian law that says for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. His coalition spurred a coalition of the nonascendant. White non-college-educated people living outside million-dollar-plus metropolitan areas spurned Democrats and elected Trump over Hillary Clinton. A similar coalition in Britain produced the unexpected victory for Brexit ve months before.

By 2024, after one term each from Trump and Biden, that movement continued, including among non-college-educated Hispanics, Asians and blacks. Figures compiled by the Democratic rm Catalist and spotlighted by Republican pollster Patrick Ru ni showed Republicans gaining 36 points among Latinos aged 18 to 29, 33 points among black men, and 30 points among non-college-educated Asians between 2012 and 2024.

In the process, the Democratic Party has become increasingly dominated by white college-educated people who reliably turn out to vote, contribute lots of money and have poor judgment about what matters will appeal to majorities of the entire electorate. As the nancial adviser Dave Ramsey put it, “The hardest people to convince to use common sense are the smart people.”

High-education voters, repelled by Trump’s crudeness, provided the enthusiasm behind the Russia collusion hoax and the various lawfare prosecutions and attempts to remove Trump from o ce somehow. They provided the impetus behind the awed “science” to extend school closings and other undue COVID-19 restrictions.

After George Floyd’s death in May 2020, they gave support or silent acquiescence to radical calls for defunding the police, to reparations for descendants of slaves, and to continued racial quotas and preferences — all positions opposed by large majorities of voters. Biden, having secured

from Gaza because Palestinians can only live Judenfrei?

American Jews even purchased 3,000 greenhouses that stood over 1,000 acres for $14 million and gave them to the Palestinian Authority so they could become self-su cient, gratis. Palestinians destroyed them. There was no peace. Because peace was never the point. Israel doesn’t target civilians, either. It is constantly sending warnings to the population about its operations, often putting its own soldiers in additional danger. Israel is ghting a war against Hamas, which unleashed a 9/11 on it and then cowered behind civilians, purposely churning out martyrs.

There is real su ering in Gaza. It was brought on by one side. All of it could end tomorrow if Hamas returned the remaining hostages and surrendered.

Let’s be honest, though, reality doesn’t matter to the “Free Palestine” crowd. There is a reason Western intifada targets Jewish businesses, Holocaust museums, Hillels, synagogues and innocent people on the streets of D.C. It has nothing to do with “cease res” or aid. The tragedy at the Capital Jewish Museum, where Lischinsky and Milgrim were killed, was not pro-Israel. It wasn’t sponsored by Mossad, but by the American Jewish Congress.

Recall that the rst “protests” against Israel broke out in Times Square and college campuses hours after the Oct. 7 massacre, before the bodies of the dead were identi ed or any retaliation occurred.

“Anti-Zionism” is now the most signi cant form of antisemitism in the world. It has long been the predominant justi cation for violence and hatred against Jews in Europe and the Middle East for a long time. And now it’s here.

David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner.

the nomination after winning the majority-black South Carolina primary, felt obliged to name a black woman for vice president, although the party nominated a black presidential candidate twice in the previous three contests.

That didn’t happen when “the (mostly) safe middle” was typi ed by Richard Scammon and Ben Wattenberg’s non-college-educated housewife from Dayton married to a machinist. However, it has happened now that the voter looks like the college-educated professional woman married to a lawyer in the a uent suburbs of Philadelphia.

In contrast, transgender activists impinge on others. They insist that inevitably more muscular biological men must compete in female sports, and they pummel the rare Democrat, such as Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), when they question that. As transgender demands have become better known, they have lost support, as Pew Research reported.

Most voters are motivated by concrete concerns — direct economic interests and ethnic or racial concerns. College-educated voters tend to have more theoretical concerns. Sometimes they may alert others to injustice and persuade them to address it, such as supporters of equal rights for blacks. The danger is that their high regard for their own views leads them to take impolitic stands, such as former Vice President Kamala Harris’ support of government-paid transgender surgeries for prisoners and illegal immigrants.

Every political party must strike some balance between the demands of its core constituencies and the beliefs of voters. That’s hard for a party dominated by college-educated activists with theoretical rather than practical concerns. The Democratic Party today, with its discredited leadership and its college-educated core, seems badly o kilter.

Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and longtime coauthor of “The Almanac of American Politics.”

COLUMN

Chimney Rock Village was one of the hardest hit hamlets

By Allen G. Breed

The Associated Press

CHIMNEY ROCK VIL -

LAGE — The brightly colored sign along the S-curve mountain road beckons visitors to the Gemstone Mine, the “#1 ATTRACTION IN CHIMNEY ROCK VILLAGE!” But another sign, on the shop’s mud-splattered front door, tells a di erent story.

“We will be closed Thursday 9-26-2024 due to impending weather,” it reads. It promised to reopen the next day at noon, weather permitting.

That impending weather was the remnants of Hurricane Helene. And that reopening still hasn’t arrived.

The storm smashed into the North Carolina mountains last September, killing more than 100 people and causing an estimated $60 billion in damage. Chimney Rock, a hamlet of about 140 named for the 535-million-year-old geological wonder that underpins its tourism industry, was hit particularly hard.

Eight months later, the mine, like most of the surviving businesses on the village’s quaint Main Street, is still an open construction site. A ashing sign at the guard shack on the town line warns: “ROAD CLOSED. LOCAL TRAFFIC ONLY.”

Village Mayor Peter O’Leary had optimistically predicted that downtown would open in time for Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of the summer tourist season. He now realizes that was too ambitious.

“We had set that date as a target, early on,” he said, sitting in the still-stripped main room of his Bubba O’Leary’s General Store. “But I always try to remind people you don’t always hit the target. Anybody that’s shot a gun or bow and arrow knows you don’t always hit the target.”

The Broad River — which gave the restaurants and inns lining its banks their marketable water views — left its course, carving away foundations and sweeping away the bridge to Chimney Rock State Park. O’Leary said about a third of the town’s businesses were “totally destroyed.”

Several are gone for good.

At the north end of town, all that remains of Bayou Billy’s Chimney Rock Country Fair amusement park is a pile of twisted metal, tattered awnings and jumbled train cars. A peeling, cracked yellow carousel horse that owner Bill Robeson’s children once rode balances precariously on a debris pile, its mouth agape to the sky.

At 71, Robeson — who also

lost a two-story building where he sold popcorn, pizza and souvenir tin cups — said he doesn’t have the heart to rebuild.

“We made the dream come true and everything,” said Robeson, who’s been coming to Chimney Rock since he was in diapers. “I hate I had to leave like it was. But, you know, life is short. You just can’t ponder over it. You’ve got to keep going, you know?”

At the other end of town, the Carter Lodge boasted “BALCONIES OVERLOOKING

RIVER.” Much of the back side of the 19-room hotel now dangles in midair, an angry red-brown gash in the soil that once supported it. Barely a month before Helene,

Linda Carter made the last loan payments on repairs from a 100year ood in 1996. Contractors estimate it will cost $2.6 million to rebuild.

So the widow said she’s waiting to see how much the federal government will o er her to let the lot become a ood-mitigation zone.

“I just don’t have it in me,” said Carter, who lived in the hotel. “I’m 74. I don’t want to die and leave my children in debt. I also don’t want to go through the pain of rebuilding.”

But others, like Matt Banz, still think Chimney Rock is worth the risk of future heartache.

The Florida native fell in love with a fudge shop here during a

vacation more than 30 years ago. Today, he and his family own four businesses in town, including the gem mine and the RiverWatch Bar & Grill.

“The day after the storm, we didn’t even question whether we were going to rebuild,” Banz said, with workers rebuilding the riverfront deck on new cement footers. “We knew right away that we weren’t going to let go.”

O’Leary, Banz and others say federal relief has been slow. But volunteers have lled the gaps.

Down the street, Amish workers from Pennsylvania pieced together a mold before pouring a new reinforced foundation for

the Broad River Inn, among the oldest businesses in town. The river undermined the back end and obliterated the neighboring miniature golf course.

“We de nitely could not have done what we’re doing without them, that is for certain,” inn co-owner Kristen Sottile said. “They have brought so much willpower, hope, as well as many other things to our community.”

The Amish are working in concert with Spokes of Hope, a Christian nonpro t formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, which hit the Carolinas in September 2018.

Jonathan Graef and his siblings bought the Best View Inn in late 2023 and were halfway through renovations when Helene struck. They’ve been ooded twice since, but the new rafters and framing the Amish workers constructed have held.

“It’s really trying to kick us down,” said Graef, whose property borders what is left of the Bayou Billy’s park. “But our spirits are high, our hopes are high and nothing’s going to stop us from opening this place.”

Throughout town, the ring of hammers and saws mingles with the sizzle of welding and the rumble of debris-removal trucks.

Workers lay sewer lines. A temporary steel bridge to the state park — replacing the ornate stone and concrete span that washed out — should be ready soon, O’Leary said.

“In a normal year, they easily have 400,000 visitors that come to the park,” he said. “That’s really the draw that brings people here.”

One recent evening, Rose Senehi walked down Main Street, stopping to peer into shop windows to see how much progress had been made.

Twenty-two years ago, the novelist stopped in town to buy an ice cream cone. As she licked, she crossed a small bridge, climbed a rickety staircase to a small house, looked around “and saw that mountain.”

“Within an hour, I signed the contract and bought it. Out of the blue,” she said, her eyes lighting up. “Never been to this town. But I knew this is what I wanted.”

The bridge is gone. So is that ice cream shop. But Senehi said there’s more to this place than stores and treats.

“There’s something about this area that, it’s just compelling. The mountains. The green. It’s just beautiful,” she said. “It’ll de nitely come back. And it won’t be the same; it’ll be better.”

O’Leary said he thinks some Main Street businesses will be open sometime this summer. The council is looking for village-owned properties that can be leased or sold to business owners.

“I can see progress on all fronts,” said O’Leary, who came for a park job 35 years ago and never left. But he cautions that recovery will be slow.

“We don’t want everybody to come at the same time, but we do want people to visit and be patient with us,” he said. “This is a long rebuild. But I think it’s going to be worth it.”

ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO

The Carter Lodge hangs precariously over the ood-scoured bank of the Broad River in Chimney Rock Village earlier this month.

ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO

David Cruz mixes cement in the bucket of an end loader for a sewer manhole on Main Street in Chimney Rock Village.

Richard Blaine Richardson

Oct. 29, 1934 – May 22, 2025

Richard Blaine Richardson, age 90, peacefully transitioned to his eternal home in Heaven on Thursday, May 22, 2025, and is now reunited with his loving wife of 65 years, Judith Anne Queen Richardson.

Richard was born on October 29, 1934, in Randleman, NC, and lived there his entire life. He graduated from Randleman High School in 1953 and joined the Navy soon thereafter. For many years, he owned and operated Richardson’s Welding and was a skilled master of his trade. He loved Randleman and all of Randolph County, often remarking that he thought it was the best place in the whole world to live! He lived life on his own terms -freely- and was truly one of a kind. Richard de nitely stood out from the crowd and wasn’t restricted by societal expectations—like it or not! He was richly blessed to have enjoyed over 90 years of very good health, and he knew it.

Richard loved connecting with others—and he really loved to talk! He had a unique ability to e ortlessly remember and recall dates, names, people, places, and history, and he loved sharing that knowledge with anyone willing to listen. He had many friends from all walks of life and was happiest when spending time with them.

Richard had traveled extensively. His rst taste of the world outside Randolph County came when he joined the Navy at the age of 19—a decision he often said was one of the best he ever made. His Navy tenure took him to many countries and ports around the world and opened his eyes to new perspectives on life. He loved reminiscing about his Navy adventures and attended many reunions with his “Battleship New Jersey” crewmates, always enjoying the chance to reconnect.

Richard also enjoyed many travels with his family—to the beach, the mountains, overseas, and several road trips across the United States. Countless hours were spent driving with his wife Judy by his side, as well as his sister-in-law by marriage, Shirley Queen, as they set o for yet another destination. When asked recently about his favorite place he had ever been, he quickly replied, “Paris, France!.”

Richard had many interests. He enjoyed collecting old coins, license plates (from all 50 states), and most notably, bicycles— owning literally hundreds in every

obituaries

make and model. He loved the hunt for them over the years. He also loved animals, nature, and gardening. He planted a big garden every year for decades and was “farm to table” long before that even became a popular phrase. He enjoyed the fruits of his labor and loved sharing them with others. He could often be seen strolling around his property, sampling whatever happened to be growing: grapes from the vine, raspberries, gs, apples, pears— even picking persimmons from his neighbor Sally’s tree in hopes that someone would later make him a persimmon pudding, his favorite! In the summer months, he could amusingly be seen wandering the garden wearing a big-brimmed straw hat with Bounce dryer sheets attached all around the rim by clothespins to keep the mosquitoes away! (They were particularly fond of him).

Richard thoroughly enjoyed various types of music— especially gospel, bluegrass, country, and old-time rock ’n’ roll. He loved watching and listening to anyone play the guitar or banjo. His love of life never faded, even up to his nal days.

Finally, but most importantly, Richard loved his family and the Lord. He was a longtime member of First Baptist Church in Randleman and, more recently, a member of Balfour Baptist Church in Asheboro, NC. He was also a member of The Freemasons for many years.

Richard is survived by his family: his son, Marc Richardson (Gwen) of Asheboro; his daughter, Rita Brown (John) of Doylestown, PA; and his son, Ronald “Ronny” Richardson (Ti any) of Cary, NC. He is also survived by his grandsons: Corbin Richardson, Alex Brown and Jackson Richardson; as well as his sisters: Lois Hinshaw (Paul) of Asheboro, Pennie Davidson (Bill) of Asheboro, Sandra Adams (Van) of Randleman and Karen Wooten (Roger) of Randleman; brother-in-law Roy Smith of Denton, NC; as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.

In addition to his wife, Judy, Richard was preceded in death by his parents, Penn Luther and Laura Jean Richardson; his daughter, Leigh Anne Richardson; his grandson, Austin Brown; his sister, Linda Smith; and his brother, Raymond Richardson. We will always carry his memory in our hearts. He was dearly loved and will be forever missed, but never forgotten. Farewell Sailor!

Relatives and friends are invited to gather for visitation at Balfour Baptist Church at 1642 N Fayetteville Street, Asheboro, NC 27203, from 1 p.m. until 1:45 p.m. this Friday, May 30th. The funeral service will begin at 2 p.m.

Special thanks to the caring sta at Clapp’s Nursing Home in Asheboro, NC, who looked after him in his nal days. In lieu of owers, donations may be made in his memory to Balfour Baptist Church at 1642 N Fayetteville Street, Asheboro, NC 27203 and/ or Shriners Children’s Hospital, PO Box 947765, Atlanta, GA 30394.

Jerry Gray Pugh

Jan. 18, 1944 – May 22, 2025

Jerry Gray Pugh, aged 81, of Asheboro, passed away on May 22, 2025, at the Randolph Hospice House.

Mr. Pugh was born in Gobbler, Missouri on January 18, 1944 to AB and Trannie Lindsay Pugh. Jerry served his country in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and served in Okinawa. He was employed with Technimark for over 12 years, where his “Angel Daughters” cared for him. Every time he had a break, he called his wife, Carol, whom he a ectionately referred to as “Sugarbear”. Everyone loved Mr. Terry and Mama Carol. He loved to sh and watch westerns. Jerry was in a bowling league for quite some time and was a big fan of Pro Wrestling.

He is survived by his wife, Carol Jane Pugh; son, Je Pugh; daughter, Sheila Pugh; stepsons, Tom Vance, Johnny Vance, and Daniel Vance; 16 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; sister, Betty Mikowski; and his aunt, Shirley.

A celebration of Jerry’s life will be held at a later date.

Pugh Funeral Home in Asheboro is serving the Pugh family.

Sandra Julian Hiatt

Dec. 30, 1949 – May 19, 2025

Sandra Julian Hiatt, age 75, of Randleman, passed away May 19, 2025, at Randolph Hospice House surrounded by her family. Mrs. Hiatt was born on December 30, 1949, the daughter of William McKinnly Julian and Mozell Trotter Julian.

Sandra was a native of Randolph County. She worked for 30 years at Lo in Hosiery Mill and 10 years at Walmart in Randleman. Sandra loved to sh and watch the races.

Sandra was preceded in death by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Julian; her husband, Bobby Wayne Hiatt Sr.; her son, William Lee Hiatt; and her granddaughter, Kiesha Annette Hendricks.

Phyllis Jean Wimmer Shelton

Oct. 20, 1944 – May 19, 2025

Phyllis Jean Wimmer Shelton, aged 80, of Asheboro, NC, formerly of Rose City, Michigan, passed away peacefully on May 19, 2025, at Randolph Hospice House.

Phyllis was born on October 20, 1944, in Whitewood, Virginia, to Hubert Wimmer and Laura Dotson. She loved spending time with her family and friends and found joy in homemaking, cooking and baking meals that brought everyone together.

Phyllis shared 57 beautiful years of marriage with her beloved husband, Adam Shelton, and was devoted to her role as a wife, mother, grandmother and greatgrandmother.

Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in Randolph Record at obits@ randolphrecord.com

Sandra is survived by her ancé, Yewell “Butch” Ray Maness; son, Bobby Wayne Hiatt Jr.; daughter, Sandra Hiatt Michael (Timmy); grandchildren, Billy Webster, Kimberly Moore (Zack), John Lambe (Tracie), Braxton Hiatt (Holli), Katee Carter (Paul); great-grandchildren, Whyatt Hendricks, Dalton Todd, Khloee Hendricks, Noah Todd, Harlee Carter, Hudson Hiatt, Hayes Hiatt; sisters, Peggy Cox, Brenda Trotter, Phyllis Simmons. She had many nieces and nephews she loved and cared for as her own. The family will receive friends Thursday, May 22, 2025, from 6–8 p.m. at Pugh Funeral Home, 600 S. Main Street in Randleman. A graveside service will follow on Friday, May 23, 2025, at 11 a.m. at Bethany Community Methodist Church in Franklinville with Reverend Scott Hyatt o ciating. In lieu of owers, donations in Sandra’s name can be made to Randolph Hospice House, 416 Vision Drive, Asheboro, NC 27203. The family would like to thank the sta and all the amazing people who took great care of Mrs. Hiatt. Pugh Funeral Home in Randleman is honored to serve the Hiatt family.

She was a liated with both Foster Street Wesleyan Church and Central Wesleyan Church, where her faith and fellowship were an important part of her life.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Adam Shelton; her son, Adam Wesley; her parents; and her brothers, Bobby, Allen and Coy Wimmer.

Phyllis is survived by her daughter, Marsha Baker (Dillis); her son, Brad Shelton (Deena); her grandchildren, Brandon Baker (Lynn), Bradley Shelton (Kelli), and Tyler Shelton; and her great-grandchildren, Daniel Baker, Hailey Baker, Oliver Baker, Joella Baker and Riley Baker. She is also survived by her brothers, Roger Wimmer (Brenda) and Lonnie Wimmer (Tonya); and her sister, Carla Clark (Derrick) and various nieces and nephews.

Phyllis’s love, warmth and strength will be deeply missed and forever remembered by her family and all who knew her.

The family with receive friends at 1 p.m. Friday, May 23, at Central Wesleyan Church, 614 Hoover Street, Asheboro. Service to follow with Brandon Baker o ciating. A Graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 24, at Fairview Cemetery, 2224 Pea Patch Road.

Longtime US Rep. Charles Rangel dead at 94

He represented New York for almost half a century

By Deepti Hajela and Cedar Attanasio

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Former

U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel of New York, an outspoken, gravel-voiced Harlem Democrat who spent nearly ve decades on Capitol Hill and was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, died Monday at age 94. His family con rmed the death in a statement provided by City College of New York spokesperson Michelle Stent. He died at a hospital in New York, Stent said. A veteran of the Korean War, he defeated legendary Harlem politician Adam Clayton Powell in 1970 to start his congressional career. During the next 40-

cloud, and the House censured him in 2010. But he continued to serve in Congress until his retirement in 2017.

Rangel was the last surviving member of the Gang of Four — African American political gures who wielded great power in New York City and state politics. The others were David Dinkins, New York City’s rst black mayor; Percy Sutton, who was Manhattan Borough president; and Basil Paterson, a deputy mayor and New York secretary of state.

plus years, he became a legend himself as dean of the New York congressional delegation and, in 2007, the rst African American to chair the powerful Ways and Means Committee. He stepped down from that committee amid an ethics

“Charlie was a true activist — we’ve marched together, been arrested together and painted crack houses together,” the Rev. Al Sharpton, leader of the National Action Network, said in a statement, noting that he met Rangel as a teenager.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Je ries issued a statement calling Rangel “a patriot, hero, statesman, leader, trail-

blazer, change agent and champion for justice who made his beloved Harlem, the City of New York and the United States of America a better place for all.”

Few could forget Rangel after hearing him talk. His distinctive gravel-toned voice and wry sense of humor were a memorable mix.

That voice — one of the most liberal in the House — was loudest in opposition to the Iraq War, which he branded a “death tax” on poor people and minorities. In 2004, he tried to end the war by o ering a bill to restart the military service draft. Republicans called his blu and brought the bill to a vote. Even Rangel voted against it.

A year later, Rangel’s ght over the war became bitterly personal with then-Vice President Dick Cheney.

Rangel said Cheney, who has a history of heart trouble, might be too sick to perform his job.

“I would like to believe he’s sick rather than just mean and evil,” Rangel said. After several such verbal jabs, Cheney hit back, saying Rangel was “losing it.”

The charismatic Harlem lawmaker rarely backed down from a ght after he rst entered the House in 1971 as a dragon slayer of sorts, having unseated Powell in the Democratic congressional primary in 1970. The amboyant elder Powell, a city political icon rst elected to the House in 1944, was ill and haunted by scandal at the time. In 2010, a House ethics committee conducted a hearing on 13 counts of alleged nancial and fundraising misconduct over issues surrounding nancial disclosures and use of congressional resources.

He was convicted of 11 ethics violations. The House found he had failed to pay taxes on a vacation villa, led misleadingnancial disclosure forms and improperly solicited donations from corporations with business before his committee.

LAUREN VICTORIA BURKE / AP PHOTO

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington in June 2016.

STATE & NATION

NC Supreme Court says it’s OK to swap jurors while they are deliberating

Jurors must restart discussions with the new jury

By Gary D. Robertson

The Associated Press

RALEIGH — North Carolina’s highest court on Friday left intact a murder conviction that a lower appeals court had thrown out on the grounds that a jury shake-up during deliberations violated the defendant’s rights and required a new trial.

By a 5-2 decision, the state Supreme Court reversed last year’s decision of a state Court of Appeals panel that had sided with Eric Ramond Chambers, who has been serving a sentence

of life in prison without parole.

The state constitution says no one can be convicted of a crime except by “the unanimous verdict of a jury in open court” that state justices have declared in the past repeatedly must be composed of 12 people.

A 2021 state law says an alternate juror can be substituted for one of the 12 after deliberations begin as long as the judge instructs the amended jury to begin deliberations anew. The judge at Chambers’ 2022 trial did just that when an alternate juror joined deliberations because an original juror couldn’t continue the next day due to a medical appointment.

The original 12 had deliberated for less than 30 min-

“Any discussion in which the excused juror participated is disregarded and entirely new deliberations are commenced by the newly-constituted twelve.”

Court opinion

utes the day before. Chambers, who was representing himself in the trial, was not in the courtroom when the substitution oc-

How a Raleigh ministry decided to help resettle

The unusual refugees still needed assistance

By Yonat Shimron Religion News Service

RALEIGH — The 12-by-30foot storage unit in a Raleigh suburb is crammed full of chairs, tables, mattresses, lamps, pots and pans.

Most of its contents will soon be hauled o to two apartments that Welcome House Raleigh is furnishing for three newly arrived refugees. It’s a job the ministry, which is a project of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina, has handled countless times on behalf of newly arrived refugees from such places as Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria and Venezuela.

But these two apartments are going to three Afrikaners — whose status as refugees is, according to many faith-based groups and others, highly controversial.

Last week, Marc Wyatt, director of Welcome House Raleigh, received a call from the North Carolina eld o ce of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants asking if he could help furnish the apartments for the refugees, among the 59 Afrikaners who arrived in the U.S. last week from South Africa, he told RNS. It was a common request for the ministry that partners with refugee resettlement agencies to provide temporary housing and furniture for people in need.

And at the same time, the request was extremely challenging. After thinking about it, consulting with the Welcome House network director and asking for feedback from minis-

Afrikaners

try volunteers, Wyatt said yes.

“Our position is that however morally and ethically charged it is, our mandate is to help welcome and love people,” said Wyatt, a retired Cooperative Baptist Fellowship missionary who now works for CBF North Carolina.

“Our holy book says God loves people. We don’t get to discriminate.”

He recognized that Afrikaners are part of a white ethnic minority that created and led South Africa’s brutal segregationist policies known as apartheid for nearly 50 years. That policy, which included denying the country’s black majority rights to voting, housing, education and land, ended in 1994, when the country elected Nelson Mandela in its rst free presidential election.

Like Wyatt and Welcome House, many faith-based groups are now considering whether to help the government resettle Afrikaners after the Trump administration shut down refugee resettlement for all others.

Last week, the Episcopal Church chose to end its refugee resettlement partnership with the U.S. government rather than resettle Afrikaners. Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe said his church’s commitment to racial justice and reconciliation, and its long relationship with the late Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu made it impossible for the church to work with the government on resettling Afrikaners.

In January, in one of his rst executive orders, President Donald Trump shuttered the decades-old refugee program, which brings people to the U.S. who are displaced by war, natural disasters or persecution. The decision left thousands of refugees, many living in camps for years and having under-

gone a rigorous vetting process, stranded.

But then Trump directed the government to fast-track the group of Afrikaners for resettlement, saying these white farmers in South Africa are being killed in a genocide, a baseless claim. The order left many refugee advocates who have worked for years to resettle vulnerable people enraged.

“Refugees sit in camps for 10, 20 years, but if you’re a white South African Afrikaner, then suddenly you can make it through in three months?” asked the Rev. Randy Carter, director of the Welcome Network and a pastor of a CBF church. “There’s a lot of words I’d like to attach to that, but I don’t want any of those printed.”

Carter said he respects and honors the Episcopal Church’s decision not to work with the government on resettling the Afrikaners, even if his network has taken a di erent approach.

“The call to welcome is not always easy,” Carter said. “Sometimes it’s hard.”

At the same time, he said, it’s important resettlement volunteers keep in mind that the ministry opposes apartheid and racism, both in the U.S. and abroad, and is committed to repentance and repair.

The North Carolina eld ofce for the USCRI resettlement group also recognized how fraught this particular resettlement is for its faith-based partners.

“In our communication with them, we said, ‘Look, we know this is not a normal issue. You or your constituencies may have reservations, and we understand that. That should not a ect our partnership,’” said Omer Omer, the North Carolina eld o ce di-

curred. By midday, the reconstituted jury had reached a verdict, and Chambers was convicted of rst-degree murder and a serious assault charge for the 2018 shooting in a Raleigh motel room.

Chambers petitioned the Court of Appeals, which later ruled that his right to a “properly constituted jury” had been violated and the 2021 law couldn’t supersede the state constitution because 13 people had reached the verdict. State attorneys then appealed.

Writing for last Friday’s majority, Chief Justice Paul Newby said the 2021 law doesn’t violate Chambers’ rights because it provides “critical safeguards that ensure that the twelve-juror threshold remains sacrosanct.”

Newby wrote the law says no more than 12 jurors can participate in the jury’s deliberations and that a judge’s instruction to begin deliberations anew means “any discussion in which the excused juror participated is disregarded and entirely new deliberations are commenced by the newly-constituted twelve.”

The four other justices who are registered Republicans joined Newby in his opinion.

In a dissenting opinion to retain the new trial, Associate Justice Allison Riggs wrote the 2021 law is an unconstitutional departure from the concept of 12-member juries and “endangers the impartiality and unanimity of the jury.”

No matter what directions a trial judge gives to jurors to begin deliberations anew, Riggs added, “we must assume by law that the original juror’s mere presence impacted the verdict.”

Associate Justice Anita Earls — who with Riggs are the court’s two registered Democrats — also dissented.

“Our position is that however morally and ethically charged it is, our mandate is to help welcome and love people.”

Marc Wyatt, director, Welcome House Raleigh

rector for USCRI. “If you want to participate, welcome. If not, we understand.”

Wyatt got nearly two dozen comments on his Facebook post in which he announced his decision to work with the refugee agency in resettling the Afrikaners. Nearly all wrote in support of his decision. “I’m up sleepless pondering this,” acknowledged one person. “Complicated, but the right call,” wrote another. USCRI did not release the names of the three Afrikaners who chose to settle in Raleigh, a couple and a single individual. Other Afrikaners chose to be resettled in Idaho, Iowa, New York and Texas.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested last week that more Afrikaners are on the way. The Trump administration argues white South Africans are being discriminated against by the country’s government, pointing to a law potentially allowing the government to seize privately held land under certain conditions. Since the end of apartheid, the South African government has made e orts to level the economic imbalance and redistribute land to black South Africans that had been seized by the former colonial and apartheid governments.

Wyatt, who has been running the Welcome House Raleigh ministry for 10 years, providing temporary housing and a furniture bank for refugees, and now asylum seekers, said he has settled the matter in his mind.

“My wife and I have come to the position that if it’s not a full welcome, just like we would with anybody else, then it’s not a welcome,” he said. “If we don’t actually seek to include them into our lives like we would anybody else, then we’re withholding something and that’s not how we understand our holy book.”

JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON / AP PHOTO

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau greets Afrikaner refugees from South Africa earlier this month at Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

RandolpH SPORTS

PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH

his attention to a new summer league role

UCA coach takes role with college summer team

The championship coach of a high school team has joined a Coastal Plain League team as well

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

ASHEBORO — Uwharrie Charter Academy baseball coach Rob Shore added another summer gig, and that will have him in Randolph County for some games.

Shore has taken the job as head coach of the High Point-Thomasville HiToms of the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer circuit.

But rst, he has the business of guiding UCA into the Class 1A state championship series for the third year in a row. The Eagles have won the past two.

“The owner (of the HiToms) is fully aware that this is where I’m committed rst,” Shore said, referring to his position with UCA.

The Eagles are 67-27-1 in three seasons under Shore.

With the HiToms beginning games this week, the overlap is welcome because it means UCA has made another deep playo run. The Eagles take on Perquimans on Friday and Saturday in the state nals at Holly Springs.

For Shore, the HiToms will have to wait.

“We’ve got a good coaching sta with the HiToms,” Shore said.

Shore said getting back into summer ball is something he sought. He took a break from that last year, going to Alaska for a 25th wedding anniversary.

After meeting with the HiToms o - eld sta in October, he said he knew it would be a good t.

“It’s a familiar place for me,” Shore said. “It’s a blessing to be able to do it.”

Shore spent 14 years as manager of High Point Post 87’s American Legion team, which shares Finch Field with the HiToms. He said he had a good relationship with the CPL team during those years.

“Some of my greatest baseball memories,” Shore said. “During that time, I grew and learned so much as a coach. It molded me as a leader and shaped me as a professional.

“The opportunity Greg Suire gave me in 2008 to lead the Post 87 HiToms has led me to this new Coastal Plain League opportunity within the HiToms

“It’s a familiar place for me. It’s a blessing to be able to do it.”

Rob Shore, baseball coach

organization. He entrusted me then to help bring life to the Legion program, and he’s asking me again to step up and bring a spark back to a storied organization. I’m completely ready to give it a go.”

Shore’s connections to the High Point area run deep. He was manager of the High Point Hushpuppies, a summer collegiate team in the Old North State League, in 2022 and 2023.

Shore said he likes the nine-inning format for the col-

legiate league, something that previously was used in American Legion until that was reduced to seven innings.

He expects a Triad presence on the HiToms roster. Former Randleman pitcher Drake Purvis and ex-Southwestern Randolph in elder Tyler Parks on are listed on the roster

“It’s a very, very competitive league,” Shore said. The HiToms are a rival of the Asheboro ZooKeepers. High Point-Thomasville will visit the ZooKeepers on Friday along with June 23, July 5, July 23 and July 30, while the teams also will meet four times in Thomasville.

Shore also previously coached in high school at Trinity and Ledford as a head coach after a role as an assistant coaching at Southwest Guilford.

Duo keeps hoop dreams alive ZooKeepers embark on another season

The players from Asheboro and Randleman are teammates on a travel basketball squad

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

GRAHAM — Tyshaun Goldston of Randleman and Elijah Woodle of Asheboro completed their high school basketball careers, but they have additional hoop dreams.

They’re teammates with the same travel club looking for a shot to latch on with college programs.

“I wanted another chance,” Woodle said.

Woodle, a guard, and Goldston, a versatile player with a wide skill set, are members of the Graham-based Mid-State Magic. They have tournaments to play in this spring, hoping to get noticed for an opportunity on the collegiate level.

“We got to push it as long as we can,” Goldston said.

They both were wide receivers on their football teams, but they were most drawn to basketball.

“That has always been my main focus,” Woodle said.

“It was in my head I love basketball.”

Tyshaun Goldston, Randleman senior

“Football was a close second.” Woodle, 5-foot-11 and 140 pounds, was a two-year starter for Asheboro. The Blue Comets were a high-powered team in

2023-24 before a dip during the past season.

“School ball didn’t end well,”

See HOOPS, page B2

The summer collegiate team is scheduled to play more than 25 games at McCrary Park

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

ASHEBORO — The Asheboro ZooKeepers begin another baseball season this week, with the home opener set for Friday night at McCrary Park. Third-year coach Korey Dunbar will direct the ZooKeepers, who nished their 2024 season with seven consecutive victories. There was scheduled free admission as part of what the ZooKeepers, a summer collegiate team, labeled a fanfest for an exhibition game against Randolph County Post 45 earlier this week. That Tuesday event was canceled because of rain.

Asheboro plays its rst Coastal Plain League game Thursday night against the host Holly Springs Salamanders.

Friday’s home game is against the High Point-Thomasville HiToms. Game times are set for 6:30 p.m. for all games (excluding any doubleheaders that end up on the slate). The team’s roster has been taking shape, though Dunbar said it’s unclear

See ZOOKEEPERS, page B2

“Last year we had a hard time getting everyone here, so this should be a lot better-”

Korey Dunbar, ZooKeepers coach

RECORD

Coach Rob Shore has more time left with the Uwharrie Charter Academy baseball team this season before turning

with the High Point-Thomasville HiToms of the Coastal Plain League.

BOB SUTTON / RANDOLPH RECORD

Tyshaun Goldston, left, and Elijah Woodle have been working out with Mid-State Magic while competing in spring basketball tournaments.

Logun Wilkins

UCA dispatches Wildcats again to reach state nals

The two PAC schools had the last remaining baseball teams in the Class 1A West Region

Randolph Record sta

Uwharrie Charter Academy, baseball

Wilkins has carried a big load on the mound during the postseason for the Eagles. UCA is 6-0 in the state playo s, with Wilkins the winning pitcher in three of those games.

The senior right-hander should have another opportunity in the Class 1A state championship series this week against Perquimans.

Wilkins was the winning pitcher in the West Region semi nal upset of top-seeded Cherryville followed by the Game 2 victory against Eastern Randolph in the regional nals. He also won a rst-round game vs. Bessemer City.

fensive backs. He received Division I inquiries for football

Woodle said. “(But) the family bond we had, we were all together.”

Goldston was a high-scoring player for Randleman’s Piedmont Athletic Conference championship team. The Tigers lost just once in the regular season on the way to repeating as the league’s title team.

Goldston, who’s 6-foot-5, led the Tigers in points (17.5), rebounds (5.5), assists (3.3) and blocked shots (1.6). He was the team’s top scorer for three consecutive seasons.

There was football recruiting interest in Goldston, whose big-play ability made him a deep threat along with his ability to snatch balls away from de-

“It was in my head I love basketball,” Goldston said. “I like football.”

He was at North Asheboro Middle School before changing districts for high school. But his admiration for basketball had been established.

“Everybody talking to me about playing guard,” he said.

Both athletes competed in track and eld for their respective schools.

Since March, Goldston and Woodle often traveled to Graham twice a week for basketball practices with Mid-State Magic.

The players said junior colleges might be their basketball destinations for the coming year.

RAMSEUR — Uwharrie Charter Academy’s baseball team is back in the Class 1A state nals, seeking a third consecutive championship.

The Eagles swept Eastern Randolph in the West Region’s best-of-3 nals, winning 12-1 in six innings in Thursday night’s Game 2 on the road.

Two nights earlier, UCA won 2-1 in the series opener at home.

The Eagles (18-11) have leaned on their experienced players, with several seniors in their nal high school postseason.

“You have your opportunity right now to lead us to another state championship,” UCA coach Rob Shore said of his message. At this stage of the season, seniors realize “I got to be that dog,” he said.

UCA will face Perquimans (25-6) in the best-of-3 statenals at Ting Stadium in Holly Springs. Game 1 is at 8 p.m. Friday and Game 2 is at 2 p.m. Saturday. If a third game is necessary, it will be later Saturday.

Just like two years ago, the West Region nals ended on Eastern Randolph’s eld with UCA clinching the series in the second game.

Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Alex Carver is red up after scoring in Game 1 of the Class 1A West Region nals.

The Eagles were up 7-0 through four innings, with Daniel Brandon’s three-run, two-out triple in the third the big blow.

“We put pressure on them early,” Shore said. “It builds con dence going into the state championship.”

Alex Carver had three hits and scored three runs, Jake Hunter and Grat Dalton both had two hits. Brandon nished with four runs batted in.

Logun Wilkins was the winning pitcher, striking out eight batters.

Alex Kivett, Lucas Smith and Cade McCallum all had two hits for Eastern Randolph (15-14-1). Starting pitch-

“We put pressure on them early.”

Rob Shore, UCA coach

er Bryson Marley took the loss, while Chance Holdaway and Smith pitched in relief.

In Game 1, UCA’s Brett Smith threw a ve-hitter with ve strikeouts.

“For us to hold them to one unearned run, I think was great by Brett,” Shore said.

The Eagles went up 1-0 with an unearned run in the second inning. Jose Ramirez, who struck out twice earlier in the game, tripled and scored on Carver’s sacri ce y for a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning.

“(Carver) had a two-strike approach and drove it in the gap and Alex had a great at-bat getting him in,” Shore said. Jake Hunter had two hits for UCA.

McCallum took the loss, allowing three hits and three walks with eight strikeouts. He had the Eagles largely out of kilter at the plate.

“A lot of times when you’re this deep into the playo s, you just have to tip the cap to the other guy,” Shore said.

Eastern Randolph nished with its rst winning season since 2017.

UCA won all four meetings against the Wildcats this year.

delivers a pitch for Uwharrie Charter Academy during his complete game in the opener of the Class 1A West Region nals.

Post 45 starts season with two victories

Liberty Post 81 endured a rough stretch as its schedule began

Randolph Record sta

ASHEBORO — Randolph County Post 45 began its baseball season with a pair of victories during the weekend at McCrary Park.

Post 45 topped Moore County Post 12 by 13-3 in its opener as Drew Harmon pitched four innings and Elijah Prince worked the fth. Zack Scruggs had two doubles

and Jake Riddle scored three runs. Then came Sunday’s 7-3 decision against Mocksville-Davie Post 54. ** Liberty Post 81 got started a weekend earlier and struggled with losses in its rst three games. Liberty lost twice at home to Moore County on separate days, falling 17-9 and 16-5 and then dropped a 9-3 decision at Davidson County Post 8. Post 81 had limited player availability because Eastern Randolph’s team was in the high school state playo s.

during the season opener for Randolph

Season ends for Tigers in regional nal

Randleman’s softball team produced strong performances in the postseason

Randolph Record sta

RANDLEMAN — Randleman’s softball team made it to the Class 2A West Region nals before hitting glitches against top-seeded West Wilkes. So the season ended last Thursday night for the Tigers.

how many of the players will be available at the beginning of the season. But the breakdown of the CPL season should be bene cial compared to some past seasons.

“Last year we had a hard time getting everyone here, so this should be a lot better,” Dunbar said.

Among those expected to

West Wilkes topped the Tigers 6-5 at home and 8-0 on the road to sweep the best-of-3 West Region nals. West Wilkes (25-3) takes on North Lenoir (20-3), which will be in the nals for the rst time in 20 years, in the best- of-3 state nals.

Randleman (20-7) won six consecutive games before encountering the Blackhawks. For the season, the Tigers had their most victories since winning 18 times in 2012.

suit up for the ZooKeepers is Randleman alum Hunter Atkins. He played last year for the CPL team as well, mostly as an in elder, though he was a left elder for Catawba during this year’s college season. Other returning players might include Dylan Driver (Catawba) and Sal Laimo (Barton). There have been more up -

In the clinching game, West Wilkes scored two rst-inning runs. Randleman stranded eight runners. Losing pitcher Kinzie Ivey posted three hits. The rst game in Millers Creek came with much more drama. Randleman led 5-4 before two sixth-inning runs for West Wilkes. Ivey and Addyson Dees shared the pitching for the Tigers. Dees, who drove in two runs, and Kadie Green, who scored two runs, each had three hits.

grades at McCrary Park, some of which have been evident at various high school games during the spring. Parking areas have expanded beyond the out eld. Cooling fans were to be installed in the grandstand by late May.

Among the promotions for this year is an Independence Day week postgame reworks show July 2.

PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD

HOOPS from page B1

PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD Drew Harmon throws a pitch

County Post 45.

PHOTOS BY PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD

Brett Smith

pen & paper pursuits

this week in history

Joan of Arc burns for heresy, Battle of Midway begins, bloodshed at Tiananmen Square

MAY 29

1790: Rhode Island became the 13th and nal original colony to ratify the United States Constitution.

1914: The Canadian Ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland sank in the St. Lawrence River in eastern Quebe. Of the 1,477 people on board the Empress of Ireland, 1,012 died.

1953: Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal became the rst climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

1977: Janet Guthrie became the rst woman to race in the Indianapolis 500, nishing in 29th place.

MAY 30

1431: Joan of Arc, condemned as a heretic, was burned at the stake in Rouen, France.

1911: The rst Indianapolis 500 auto race was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

1922: The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated Washington, D.C.

1935: Babe Ruth played in his last major league baseball game for the Boston Braves, leaving after the rst inning of the rst game of a double-header against the Philadelphia Phillies.

MAY 31

1790: President George Washington signed into law the rst U.S. copyright act.

1921: A two-day massacre erupted in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as

white mobs began looting and burning the a uent black district of Greenwood over reports a black man had assaulted a white woman in an elevator.

1949: Former State Department o cial and accused spy Alger Hiss went on trial in New York, charged with perjury.

JUNE 1

1813: Capt. James Lawrence, mortally wounded commanding the USS Chesapeake, ordered, “Don’t give up the ship,” during a losing battle with the British HMS Shannon in the War of 1812.

1962: Former Nazi o cial Adolf Eichmann was executed after being found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his actions during World War II.

1980: Cable News Network, the rst 24-hour television news channel, made its debut.

JUNE 2

1924: Congress passed, and President Calvin Coolidge signed, the Indian Citizen-

ship Act, a measure guaranteeing full American citizenship for all Native Americans born within U.S. territorial limits.

1941: Baseball’s “Iron Horse,” Lou Gehrig, died in New York at 37 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig’s disease.

1953: Queen Elizabeth II was crowned at age 27 at a ceremony in London’s Westminster Abbey.

JUNE 3

1888: The poem “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer was rst published in the San Francisco Daily Examiner.

1935: The French liner SS Normandie set a record on its maiden voyage, arriving in New York after crossing the Atlantic in just four days.

1943: A clash between U.S. Navy sailors and Mexican American youth in Los Angeles sparked the Zoot Suit Riots, with white mobs injuring more than 150 people citywide.

JUNE 4

1812: The U.S. House of Representatives passed its rst war declaration, approving by a vote of 79-49 a declaration of war against Britain.

1940: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill declared to the House of Commons: “We shall ght on the beaches, in the elds, streets, and hills; we shall never surrender.”

1942: The World War II naval Battle of Midway began.

1989: Thousands of pro-democracy protesters and dozens of soldiers were killed when Chinese troops crushed a seven-week protest in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.

AP PHOTO

Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for heresy on May 30, 1431.

AP PHOTO

Ray Harroun drives his No. 32 Marmon Wasp race car to victory in the inaugural Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 30, 1911.

Strauss’ ‘Blue Danube’ waltz launching into space to mark 200th birthday

The piece is heard in Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey”

By Marcia Dunn The Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.

— Johann Strauss’ “Blue Danube” is heading into space this month to mark the 200th anniversary of the waltz king’s birth.

The classical piece will be beamed into the cosmos as it’s performed by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. The celestial send-o on May 31 — livestreamed with free public screenings in Vienna, Madrid and New York — also will celebrate the European Space Agency’s founding 50 years ago.

Although the music could be converted into radio signals in real time, according to o cials, ESA will relay a prerecorded version from the orchestra’s rehearsal the day before to avoid any technical issues. The live performance will provide the accompaniment.

The radio signals will hurtle away at the speed of light, or a mind-blowing 670 million mph.

That will put the music past the moon in 1½ seconds, past Mars in 4½ minutes, past Jupiter in 37 minutes and past Neptune in four hours. Within 23 hours, the signals will be as far from Earth as NASA’s Voyager 1, the world’s most distant spacecraft at more than 15 billion miles in interstellar space.

NASA also celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008 by transmitting a song directly into deep space: the Beatles’ “Across the Universe.” And last year, NASA beamed up Missy Elliott’s “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” toward Venus.

Music has even owed from another planet to Earth — courtesy of a NASA Mars rover. Flight controllers at California’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory sent a recording of /will.i.am ‘s “Reach for the Stars” to Curi-

“Music connects us all through time and space in a very particular way.”

Josef Aschbacher, European Space Agency director

osity in 2012, and the rover relayed it back.

These are all deep-space transmissions as opposed to the melodies streaming between NASA’s Mission Control and orbiting crews since the mid-1960s.

Now it’s Strauss’ turn, after getting passed over for the Voyager Golden Records nearly a half-century ago.

Launched in 1977, NASA’s twin Voyagers 1 and 2 each carry a gold-plated copper phonograph record, along with a stylus and playing instructions for anyone or anything out there.

The records contain sounds and images of Earth as well as 90 minutes of music. The late astronomer Carl Sagan

led the committee that chose Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Stravinsky pieces, along with modern and Indigenous selections.

Among those skipped was Strauss, whose “Blue Danube” graced Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 sci- opus “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

The tourist board in Vienna, where Strauss was born on Oct. 25, 1825, said it aims to correct this “cosmic mistake” by sending the “the most famous of all waltzes” to its destined home among the stars.

ESA’s big radio antenna in Spain, part of the space agency’s deep-space network, will do the honors.

“Music connects us all through time and space in a very particular way,” ESA’s director general Josef Aschbacher said in a statement. “The European Space Agency is pleased to share the stage with Johann Strauss II and open the imaginations of future space scientists and explorers who may one day journey to the anthem of space.”

New essays from bestselling writer Russo on how his life informs his art

“Life and Art” is divided into personal memoirs and cultural criticisms

By Rob Merrill The Associated Press

RICHARD RUSSO, whose “Fool” trilogy is beloved for the characters he created to populate a ctional upstate New York town, freely admits he’s always pulled from his real life to write his novels.

“I was born in exactly the right place at exactly the right time,” he writes in one of 12 essays that make up his slim new volume “Life and Art.” Russo scholars — there must be some in American literature departments somewhere, right? — will devour this book.

Russo writes lovingly of both his father and mother, draws explicit connections between his characters and people from his real life, takes a road trip back to his hometown Gloversville, and even throws in an homage to the late Paul Newman, whose portrayal of Sully in his “Nobody’s Fool” helped Russo’s work nd an audience well beyond readers.

The 12 essays here are divided into the two parts noted in the title. “Life” is more memoir, with Russo sharing what he did during the COVID-19 pandemic, among many other things.

“I’d been waiting for more than a decade … for somebody to tell me to go home and stay there, and somebody nally had.”

The rst half is stu ed with stories about his mother and father, anchored by “Marriage

KNOPF VIA AP

“Life and Art” is the latest book by Richard Russo.

Story,” which reveals the illnesses they both su ered (gambling and alcoholism for Dad, anxiety for Mom), and how the dream life his mother envisioned after her husband survived World War II never materialized (“She and my father stalled.”). But Russo doesn’t write to assign blame. At age 75 and with both parents buried, he takes a more thoughtful approach in these essays. Not yet a teenager when Dad left, he realizes now that Mom was just doing what he does for a living as a storyteller — controlling the narrative. Aspiring writers should appreciate the advice Russo doles out in these pages. He credits his childhood and the people who loved him as his “greatest strength” — “Like Faulkner, I’d been gifted the perfect lens through which to view Amer-

SOLUTIONS FOR THIS WEEK

“No matter how gifted you are, or how hardworking, you’re never going to be any good until you know who and what you love, because until then you won’t know who you are.” Richard Russo

ica” — and tells would-be authors, “No matter how gifted you are, or how hardworking, you’re never going to be any good until you know who and what you love, because until then you won’t know who you are.”

The second half of the collection — “Art” — is a more acquired taste, with an essay about writing movies and TV shows vs. books, as well as a rather odd one that nds life lessons in the 1969 lm “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” starring Newman and Robert Redford. There’s another that heaps praise on the speci c word choices contained in the lyrics to the 1972 Townes Van Zandt song “Pancho and Lefty,” and another that nds echoes of society’s reaction to George Floyd’s murder in a scene from “The Maltese Falcon.” Considered all together, readers can judge if the essays, like the collection’s title, truly inform each other, or if it’s enough to simply enjoy these snippets before Russo graces the world with another novel.

FRITZ LUCKHARDT VIA WIKIPEDIA

Johann Strauss II was an Austrian composer best known for his waltzes, including “The Blue Danube.”

Clint Eastwood turns 95, Morgan Freeman hits 88, Angelina Jolie reaches 50

THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week.

MAY 29

Composer Danny Elfman (Oingo Boingo) is 72. Singer LaToya Jackson is 69. Actor Ted Levine (“Monk,” “The Silence of the Lambs”) is 68. Actor Annette Bening is 67. Singer Melissa Etheridge is 64.

MAY 30

Guitarist Lenny Davidson of The Dave Clark Five is 81. Actor Stephen Tobolowsky (“Groundhog Day,” “Sneakers”) is 74. Actor Ted McGinley (“Hope and Faith,” “Married... With Children”) is 67. Country singer Wynonna Judd is 61.

MAY 31

Actor-director Clint Eastwood is 95. Actor Sharon Gless (“Cagney and Lacey”) is 82. Actor Tom Berenger is 75.

JUNE 1

Actor Morgan Freeman is 88.

Actor Brian Cox (“Succession,” “Deadwood”) is 79. Guitarist Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones is 78. Model Heidi Klum is 52. Singer Alanis Morissette is 51.

JUNE 2

Actor Jerry Mathers (“Leave It To Beaver”) is 77. Comedian Dana Carvey is 70. TV personality Andy Cohen is 57.

JUNE 3

Singer Eddie Holman is 79. Singer Deniece Williams is 75. Actor Scott Valentine (“Family Ties”) is 67. Bassist Mike Gordon of Phish is 60. TV journalist Anderson Cooper is 58.

JUNE 4

(The

Michelle

and

the stream

‘Mountainhead’, Bono doc, Banks, Biel as sisters

Sheléa celebrates the immortal Aretha Franklin in a PBS special

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong’s satirical drama “Mountainhead” and Elizabeth Banks and Jessica Biel playing dysfunctional siblings in the murder thriller series “The Better Sister” are some of the new television, lms, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also, among the streaming o erings worth your time: a new concert special featuring Aretha Franklin, U2’s frontman reveals all in the documentary “Bono: Stories of Surrender,” and multiplayer gamers get Elden Ring: Nightreign, sending teams of three warriors to battle the amboyant monsters of a haunted land.

MOVIES TO STREAM

Armstrong makes his feature debut with the satirical drama “Mountainhead,” streaming on HBO Max on Saturday. The lm stars Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Ramy Youssef and Cory Michael Smith as tech titans on a boys’ trip whose billionaire shenanigans are interrupted by an international crisis that may have been in amed by their platforms. The movie was shot earlier this year, in March.

The story of hostage crisis at the 1972 Munich Olympics has been told in many lms, but “September 5” takes audiences inside the ABC newsroom as it all unfolded. The lm, from Tim Fehlbaum and starring Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro and Ben Chaplin, is a semi- ctionalized telling of those tense 22 hours, where a group of sports reporters including Peter Jennings managed to broadcast this international incident live to the world for the rst time. AP lm writer Jake Coyle said that news junkies will nd much to enjoy in the spirited debates over journalistic ethics and the vintage technologies. It’s also just a riveting tick-tock. “September 5” is available to watch on Prime Video.

The directing team (and real-life partners) behind “Saint Frances” made one of AP Film Writer Jake Coyle’s favorite movies of 2024 in “Ghostlight,” streaming Friday on Kanopy. The movie centers on a construction worker who joins a community theater production of “Romeo & Juliet” after the death of his teenage son. Coyle called it “a sublime little gem of a movie about a Chicago family struggling to process tragedy.”

MUSIC TO STREAM

Celebrate the late, great, eter-

nal Aretha Franklin with a glorious new concert special, “Aretha! With Sheléa and the Paci c Symphony” airing on PBS. The title is a giveaway: Sheléa and the Paci c Symphony team up to perform the Queen of Soul’s larger-than-life hits: “Respect,” “Natural Woman,” and “Chain of Fools” among them. On Friday, it will become available to stream on PBS: Public Broadcasting Service and the PBS App.

“These are the tall tales of a short rock star,” U2 frontman Bono introduces “Bono: Sto -

ries of Surrender,” a documentary lm based on his memoir, “Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story.” The project will become available to stream globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, and for the tech heads among us, it is also the rst full-length lm to be available in Apple Immersive on Vision Pro. That’s 180-degree video!

For lm fans, Yeule may be best known for their contribution to the critically acclaimed “I Saw The TV Glow,” which featured their dreamy cover of Broken Social Scene’s “Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl” as a kind of theme song. On Friday, the singer-songwriter-producer will release their latest album, “Evangelic Girl Is a Gun” via Ninja Tune Records — an ambitious collection of electronic pop from a not-to-distant future.

TELEVISION TO STREAM

Sheri Papini, a woman who pleaded guilty and served jail time for lying to law enforcement about being kidnapped, is sharing her story for the rst time. A new docuseries features interviews with Papi-

ni, her family, attorneys and psychiatrist. She also takes a lie-detector test on camera and participates in reenactments. Papini maintains she was kidnapped by an ex-boyfriend but says they were having an emotional a air at the time. She claims he held her against her will, sexually and physically abusing her, before letting her go. “Sheri Papini: Caught in the Lie” is a four -part series streaming on Max.

Banks and Biel are Nicky and Chloe, dysfunctional sisters in the new Prime Video series “The Better Sister.”

It’s based on a novel by Alafair Burke. The two are estranged, and Chloe is raising Nicky’s son as her own — and also married to her ex. When a murder occurs, the sisters must become a united front. It premieres Thursday on Prime Video. In “Downton Abbey” and “The Crown,” Matthew Goode plays a charming English gentleman. In his new series “Dept. Q” for Net ix, he’s ... English. Goode plays Carl, a gru detective who is banished to the police station basement and assigned to cold cases. He forms a rag tag group to solve a crime that no one, not even himself, thinks can be cracked. “Dept. Q” is from the writer and director of “The Queen’s Gambit.” It premieres Thursday.

A new PBS documentary looks at the life and impact of artist George Rodrigue. He’s known for paintings of a big blue dog with yellow eyes (called Blue Dog) but also is credited for art that depicted Cajun life in his home state of Louisiana. Rodrigue’s paintings helped to preserve Cajun culture. What people may not realize is how the Blue Dog is connected to Cajun folklore. “Blue: The Art and Life of George Rodrigue” debuts Thursday and will also stream on PBS.

VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

Tokyo-based From Software is best known for morbid adventures like Dark Souls and Elden Ring — games that most players tackle solo, though they do have some co-op options. Elden Ring: Nightreign is built for multiplayer, sending teams of three warriors to battle the amboyant monsters of a haunted land called Limveld. Your goal is to survive three days and three nights before you confront an overwhelming Nightlord. This isn’t the sprawling, character-building epic fans would expect from the studio, but those who are hungry for more of its brutal, nearly sadistic action will

your swords Friday

HOKE COUNTY

WHAT’S HAPPENING

10 people shot at holiday weekend

S.C. boat party

Little River, S.C. Authorities say 10 people were shot during a ght that started on a private boat holding a holiday weekend party on the South Carolina coast. Horry County Police say no one died in the shooting in Little River around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, although some of the wounded are in critical condition. At least one person was taken to the hospital who was not hurt by gun re. Police said the shooting happened around a dock where a private charter boat leaves for cruises. The boat was docked, and police are trying to determine where the ght and shooting began.

NPR sues Trump admin over federal funding cuts to public media

New York

National Public Radio and three local stations are suing President Donald Trump, arguing that an executive order aimed at cutting federal funding for the organization is illegal. The lawsuit was led in federal court in Washington, D.C., by NPR, Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Public Radio and KUTE. It argues that Trump’s order to slash public subsidies to PBS and NPR violates the First Amendment. Trump issued the order earlier this month, instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies “to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS” and requires they work to root out indirect sources of public nancing for the news organizations.

A full-throttle military tribute

prerace reverence to thenal lap, the military’s role took center stage, creating an unforgettable tribute.

By Jason Jackson For North State Journal

CHARLOTTE — The 2025

Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway wasn’t just a race — it was a powerful salute to the military, woven into every moment of the Memorial Day weekend event.

With 100,000 fans lling the stands, the day pulsed with patriotism, honoring the sacri ces of service members through ceremonies, tributes and the race itself. From the

Secretary of Defense sets the tone

Before the engines red up, the Coca-Cola 600 took a moment to honor the true meaning of Memorial Day. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, serving as the grand marshal, brought his military background and passion to the forefront with a stirring prerace presence. Hegseth delivered the State of Freedom address.

“Freedom comes at a cost,”

he declared, paying tribute to the sacri ces of service members past and present. As a veteran himself, Hegseth reminding everyone why this race, held on a weekend dedicated to remembrance, holds such signi cance.

The prerace ceremonies ampli ed this sentiment. Haunting renditions of “Amazing Grace” and “Taps” lled the air, honoring fallen heroes, while Danlie Cuenca of the United States Navy Band delivered a powerful national anthem. A yover of A-10 Warhogs followed.

Hegseth, anked by Army, Marine Corps and Navy representatives, all bellowed, “Gen-

Scars from Helene healing slowly in one Appalachian

tourist town

Chimney Rock Village was one of the hardest hit hamlets

By Allen G. Breed The Associated Press

CHIMNEY ROCK VIL -

LAGE — The brightly colored sign along the S-curve mountain road beckons visitors to the Gemstone Mine, the “#1 ATTRACTION IN CHIMNEY ROCK VILLAGE!” But another sign, on the shop’s mud-splattered front door, tells a di erent story.

“We will be closed Thursday 9-26-2024 due to impending weather,” it reads. It promised to reopen the next day at noon, weather permitting. That impending weather was the remnants of Hurricane Helene. And that reopening still hasn’t arrived.

The storm smashed into the North Carolina mountains last September, killing more than 100 people and causing an estimated $60 billion in damage. Chimney Rock, a hamlet of about 140 named for the 535-million-year-old geological

tlemen, start your engines!” — a command that bridged the solemn tribute with the adrenaline of the race ahead.

A race for the ages

As the green ag waved around 6:20 p.m., the race unfolded under a fading sun, transitioning from daylight to the glow of oodlights — a shift that tests drivers’ adaptability as track conditions evolve. Chase Briscoe led the eld from the pole, but the story of the night belonged to Ross Chastain. After a crash in practice

wonder that underpins its tourism industry, was hit particularly hard.

Eight months later, the mine, like most of the surviving businesses on the village’s quaint Main Street, is still an open construction site. A ashing sign at the guard shack on the town line warns: “ROAD CLOSED. LOCAL TRAFFIC ONLY.”

Village Mayor Peter O’Leary had optimistically predicted that downtown would open in time for Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of the summer tourist season. He now realizes that was too ambitious.

“We had set that date as a target, early on,” he said, sitting in the still-stripped main room of his Bubba O’Leary’s General Store. “But I always try to remind people you don’t always hit the target. Anybody that’s shot a gun or bow and arrow knows you don’t always hit the target.”

The Broad River — which gave the restaurants and inns lining its banks their marketable water views — left its course, carving away foundations and sweeping away the bridge to Chimney Rock State Park. O’Leary said about a third of the town’s businesses were “totally destroyed.”

Several are gone for good.

At the north end of town, all that remains of Bayou Billy’s Chimney Rock Country Fair

THE HOKE COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH

ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO David Cruz mixes cement in the bucket of an end loader for a sewer manhole on Main Street in Chimney Rock Village.

The Memorial Day weekend race doubled as a salute to patriotism

JASON JACKSON FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL

The Coca-Cola 600 was awash in patriotism on Sunday, with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth acting as grand marshal and countless members of the U.S. military involved in prerace festivities and recognition at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

North

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THURSDAY

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sacri ce

Past Commander George Balch presents a folded American ag to Michael Miller in memory of his uncle, United States Navy Veteran Leslie Irion of Hoke County, at a Memorial Day Ceremony in Raeford.

MEMORIAL from page A1 relegated him to the back of the pack, Chastain staged a comeback for the ages. Lap by lap, he carved through the eld, and in the nal stage, he overtook William Byron duel to claim victory. It was a win that embodied the grit and determination NASCAR fans love, proving that in a 600-mile marathon, anything can happen.

A day to remember

The Coca-Cola 600 was more than a sporting event — it was

a celebration of resilience, both on the track and in the nation it honored. NASCAR’s 600 Miles of Remembrance program saw each driver carry the name of a fallen service member on their windshield, weaving a thread of gratitude through the high-octane action.

From Hegseth’s rousing speech to Chastain’s triumphant charge, the day captured the essence of what makes this race special: a blend of raw competition and deep respect for those who’ve paid the ultimate price for freedom.

marriages, graduations and other announcements: hokecommunity@northstatejournal.com Weekly deadline is Monday at Noon

ELAINA J. MARTIN FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

| DAVID HARSANYI

Welcome to the intifada, America

Any editor or reporter who repeated such a preposterous claim is either too gullible or too dishonest to be in a newsroom.

NOW WE KNOW what “globalize the intifada” means.

After a pro-Palestinian Marxist was arrested after shooting and killing Yaron Lischinsky, a German-born evangelical Christian, and his American girlfriend, Sarah Milgrim, in front of the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., he chanted, “Free, free Palestine.”

The murderer, who reportedly traveled from Chicago to kill two innocent 20-somethings, surely knew the embassy workers were Jewish. His justi cation, as far as we know, was a blood libel that is a millennium old. The slander has simply been repackaged for the modern audience.

Indeed, the “genocide” libel is spread by Qatari-bought pseudo-intellectuals on elite U.S. campuses, New York Times and Washington Post editorialists, liberal activists, right-wing paleo “in uencers,” European powers, Democratic House members, big media and many others.

“Palestine,” something most intifada protesters know virtually nothing about, has replaced Black Lives Matter as the cause of the morally vacuous and dangerously illiterate activist class. An entire generation of young people has been brainwashed. It’s only a matter of time before it gets worse.

Only a few days ago, media outlets, including NBC News, reported, without a hint of skepticism, a United Nations warning that 14,000 babies were going to die from starvation in Gaza within 48 hours.

Two days? Fourteen thousand babies?

Any editor or reporter who repeated such a preposterous claim is either too gullible or too dishonest to be in a newsroom. However, at this

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

point, the establishment media will amplify any unsubstantiated and unhinged accusation if the target is right.

As it turns out, the U.N. retracted the claim. What the report actually said was that 14,100 cases of malnutrition could occur among children, not babies, if aid did not reach them over the next year.

Then again, as with most U.N. reports, even that number is likely a concoction. The Hamas-run “Gaza Health Ministry,” which is less reliable than the U.N. and doesn’t distinguish between civilians and armed terrorists, lies about death tolls and puts on low-budget Pallywood productions for credulous Western audiences.

The U.N. has issued more condemnations of Israel than all other nations combined. Not long ago, UNESCO passed a resolution denying Jews any historical connection to the Temple Mount and Western Wall, which came as a surprise to anyone who’s read a book.

Then, of course, we know that 12 of UNRWA’s employees took part in the Hamas massacre of Jews on Oct. 7, not merely o ering logistical help or coordination, but participating in the actual kidnapping and murdering of civilians.

If the U.N. were a country, Israel would be compelled to declare war on it.

No, Israel is not wantonly murdering children in Gaza. It has temporarily blocked “aid” because Hamas steals it, sells it and uses food to control civilians.

How many of the “protesters” who “occupy” college libraries know that Gaza, which was given autonomy all the way back in 2006, is provided food, clean water and electricity by Israel? How many know that the Israeli government forcibly removed thousands of Jews

Democrats are discredited and o -kilter

Most of what used to be called the mainstream media has also been discredited, long since distrusted by perhaps half of Americans, and now shown to have been incompetent or partisanshiply complicit.

HOW DOES a political party with overwhelming advantages, including increasing support from the growing bloc of highly educated and a uent voters, almost monopoly support from the press and broadcast media, and with burgeoning nancial and high-tech sectors of the economy, manage to lose just about everything across the board?

The Biden administration has been repudiated by voters over the in ation that resulted from its heedless spending and open border policy on immigration, and it has been discredited by recent disclosures of former President Joe Biden’s incapacity and by Democrats in and outside the White House who concealed and lied about his condition.

Most of what used to be called the mainstream media has also been discredited, long since distrusted by perhaps half of Americans, and now shown to have been incompetent or partisanshiply complicit. The Democratic Party’s hopes that President Donald Trump’s job approval rating would zoom down toward zero have been temporarily frustrated, as it has risen slightly in May and is higher than at any point in his rst term.

To illustrate the pickle Democrats are in, it’s helpful to provide a little historical perspective, at least as far back as a dozen years, on the very di erent political climate following the 2012 election. That saw the third consecutive reelection of an incumbent president, something not seen since 1820.

The respected Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg argued that Democrats’ increased support from college graduates, plus huge margins from blacks, Hispanics and young people, would form a “coalition of the ascendant” dominant for years to come. Greenberg was right about trends up to that point. However, he failed to account for the

Newtonian law that says for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. His coalition spurred a coalition of the nonascendant. White non-college-educated people living outside million-dollar-plus metropolitan areas spurned Democrats and elected Trump over Hillary Clinton. A similar coalition in Britain produced the unexpected victory for Brexit ve months before.

By 2024, after one term each from Trump and Biden, that movement continued, including among non-college-educated Hispanics, Asians and blacks. Figures compiled by the Democratic rm Catalist and spotlighted by Republican pollster Patrick Ru ni showed Republicans gaining 36 points among Latinos aged 18 to 29, 33 points among black men, and 30 points among non-college-educated Asians between 2012 and 2024.

In the process, the Democratic Party has become increasingly dominated by white college-educated people who reliably turn out to vote, contribute lots of money and have poor judgment about what matters will appeal to majorities of the entire electorate. As the nancial adviser Dave Ramsey put it, “The hardest people to convince to use common sense are the smart people.”

High-education voters, repelled by Trump’s crudeness, provided the enthusiasm behind the Russia collusion hoax and the various lawfare prosecutions and attempts to remove Trump from o ce somehow. They provided the impetus behind the awed “science” to extend school closings and other undue COVID-19 restrictions.

After George Floyd’s death in May 2020, they gave support or silent acquiescence to radical calls for defunding the police, to reparations for descendants of slaves, and to continued racial quotas and preferences — all positions opposed by large majorities of voters. Biden, having secured

from Gaza because Palestinians can only live Judenfrei?

American Jews even purchased 3,000 greenhouses that stood over 1,000 acres for $14 million and gave them to the Palestinian Authority so they could become self-su cient, gratis. Palestinians destroyed them. There was no peace. Because peace was never the point. Israel doesn’t target civilians, either. It is constantly sending warnings to the population about its operations, often putting its own soldiers in additional danger. Israel is ghting a war against Hamas, which unleashed a 9/11 on it and then cowered behind civilians, purposely churning out martyrs.

There is real su ering in Gaza. It was brought on by one side. All of it could end tomorrow if Hamas returned the remaining hostages and surrendered.

Let’s be honest, though, reality doesn’t matter to the “Free Palestine” crowd. There is a reason Western intifada targets Jewish businesses, Holocaust museums, Hillels, synagogues and innocent people on the streets of D.C. It has nothing to do with “cease res” or aid. The tragedy at the Capital Jewish Museum, where Lischinsky and Milgrim were killed, was not pro-Israel. It wasn’t sponsored by Mossad, but by the American Jewish Congress.

Recall that the rst “protests” against Israel broke out in Times Square and college campuses hours after the Oct. 7 massacre, before the bodies of the dead were identi ed or any retaliation occurred.

“Anti-Zionism” is now the most signi cant form of antisemitism in the world. It has long been the predominant justi cation for violence and hatred against Jews in Europe and the Middle East for a long time. And now it’s here.

David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner.

the nomination after winning the majority-black South Carolina primary, felt obliged to name a black woman for vice president, although the party nominated a black presidential candidate twice in the previous three contests.

That didn’t happen when “the (mostly) safe middle” was typi ed by Richard Scammon and Ben Wattenberg’s non-college-educated housewife from Dayton married to a machinist. However, it has happened now that the voter looks like the college-educated professional woman married to a lawyer in the a uent suburbs of Philadelphia.

In contrast, transgender activists impinge on others. They insist that inevitably more muscular biological men must compete in female sports, and they pummel the rare Democrat, such as Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), when they question that. As transgender demands have become better known, they have lost support, as Pew Research reported.

Most voters are motivated by concrete concerns — direct economic interests and ethnic or racial concerns. College-educated voters tend to have more theoretical concerns. Sometimes they may alert others to injustice and persuade them to address it, such as supporters of equal rights for blacks. The danger is that their high regard for their own views leads them to take impolitic stands, such as former Vice President Kamala Harris’ support of government-paid transgender surgeries for prisoners and illegal immigrants.

Every political party must strike some balance between the demands of its core constituencies and the beliefs of voters. That’s hard for a party dominated by college-educated activists with theoretical rather than practical concerns. The Democratic Party today, with its discredited leadership and its college-educated core, seems badly o kilter.

Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and longtime coauthor of “The Almanac of American Politics.”

COLUMN

How a Raleigh ministry decided to help resettle Afrikaners

The unusual refugees still needed assistance

By Yonat Shimron Religion News Service

RALEIGH — The 12-by-30foot storage unit in a Raleigh suburb is crammed full of chairs, tables, mattresses, lamps, pots and pans.

Most of its contents will soon be hauled o to two apartments that Welcome House Raleigh is furnishing for three newly arrived refugees. It’s a job the ministry, which is a project of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina, has handled countless times on behalf of newly arrived refugees from such places as Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria and Venezuela.

But these two apartments are going to three Afrikaners — whose status as refugees is, according to many faith-based groups and others, highly controversial.

Last week, Marc Wyatt, director of Welcome House Raleigh, received a call from the North Carolina eld o ce of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants asking if he could help furnish the apartments for the refugees, among the 59 Afrikaners who arrived in the U.S. last week from South Africa, he told RNS. It was a common request for the ministry that partners with refugee resettlement agencies to provide temporary housing and furniture for people in need.

And at the same time, the request was extremely challenging. After thinking about it, consulting with the Welcome House network director and asking for feedback from minis-

HELENE from page A1

amusement park is a pile of twisted metal, tattered awnings and jumbled train cars. A peeling, cracked yellow carousel horse that owner Bill Robeson’s children once rode balances precariously on a debris pile, its mouth agape to the sky.

At 71, Robeson — who also lost a two-story building where he sold popcorn, pizza and souvenir tin cups — said he doesn’t have the heart to rebuild.

“We made the dream come true and everything,” said Robeson, who’s been coming to Chimney Rock since he was in diapers. “I hate I had to leave like it was. But, you know, life is short. You just can’t ponder over it. You’ve got to keep going, you know?”

At the other end of town, the Carter Lodge boasted “BALCONIES OVERLOOKING RIVER.” Much of the back side of the 19-room hotel now dangles in midair, an angry red-brown gash in the soil that once supported it.

Barely a month before Helene, Linda Carter made the last loan payments on repairs from a 100-

try volunteers, Wyatt said yes.

“Our position is that however morally and ethically charged it is, our mandate is to help welcome and love people,” said Wyatt, a retired Cooperative Baptist Fellowship missionary who now works for CBF North Carolina.

“Our holy book says God loves people. We don’t get to discriminate.”

He recognized that Afrikaners are part of a white ethnic minority that created and led South Africa’s brutal segregationist policies known as apartheid for nearly 50 years. That policy, which included denying the country’s black majority rights to voting, housing, education and land, ended in 1994, when the country elected Nelson Mandela in its rst free presidential election.

Like Wyatt and Welcome House, many faith-based groups are now considering whether to help the government resettle Afrikaners after the Trump administration shut down refugee resettlement for all others.

Last week, the Episcopal Church chose to end its refugee resettlement partnership with the U.S. government rather than resettle Afrikaners. Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe said his church’s commitment to racial justice and reconciliation, and its long relationship with the late Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu made it impossible for the church to work with the government on resettling Afrikaners.

In January, in one of his rst executive orders, President Donald Trump shuttered the decades-old refugee program, which brings people to the U.S. who are displaced by war, natural disasters or persecution. The decision left thousands of refugees, many living in camps for years and having under-

year ood in 1996. Contractors estimate it will cost $2.6 million to rebuild.

So the widow said she’s waiting to see how much the federal government will o er her to let the lot become a ood-mitigation zone.

“I just don’t have it in me,” said Carter, who lived in the hotel. “I’m 74. I don’t want to die and leave my children in debt. I also don’t want to go through the pain of rebuilding.”

But others, like Matt Banz, still think Chimney Rock is worth the risk of future heartache.

The Florida native fell in love with a fudge shop here during a vacation more than 30 years ago. Today, he and his family own four businesses in town, including the gem mine and the RiverWatch Bar & Grill.

“The day after the storm, we didn’t even question whether we were going to rebuild,” Banz said, with workers rebuilding the riverfront deck on new cement footers. “We knew right away that we weren’t going to let go.”

O’Leary, Banz and others say federal relief has been slow. But

gone a rigorous vetting process, stranded.

But then Trump directed the government to fast-track the group of Afrikaners for resettlement, saying these white farmers in South Africa are being killed in a genocide, a baseless claim. The order left many refugee advocates who have worked for years to resettle vulnerable people enraged.

“Refugees sit in camps for 10, 20 years, but if you’re a white South African Afrikaner, then suddenly you can make it through in three months?” asked the Rev. Randy Carter, director of the Welcome Network and a pastor of a CBF church. “There’s a lot of words I’d like to attach to that, but I don’t want any of those printed.”

Carter said he respects and honors the Episcopal Church’s decision not to work with the government on resettling the Afrikaners, even if his network has taken a di erent approach.

“The call to welcome is not always easy,” Carter said. “Sometimes it’s hard.”

At the same time, he said, it’s important resettlement volunteers keep in mind that the ministry opposes apartheid and racism, both in the U.S. and abroad, and is committed to repentance and repair.

The North Carolina eld ofce for the USCRI resettlement group also recognized how fraught this particular resettlement is for its faith-based partners. “In our communication with them, we said, ‘Look, we know this is not a normal issue. You or your constituencies may have reservations, and we understand that. That should not a ect our partnership,’” said Omer Omer, the North Carolina eld o ce di-

volunteers have lled the gaps. Down the street, Amish workers from Pennsylvania pieced together a mold before pouring a new reinforced foundation for the Broad River Inn, among the oldest businesses in town. The river undermined the back end and obliterated the neighboring miniature golf course.

“We de nitely could not have done what we’re doing without them, that is for certain,” inn co-owner Kristen Sottile said.

“They have brought so much willpower, hope, as well as many other things to our community.”

The Amish are working in concert with Spokes of Hope, a Christian nonpro t formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, which hit the Carolinas in September 2018.

Jonathan Graef and his siblings bought the Best View Inn in late 2023 and were halfway through renovations when Helene struck. They’ve been ooded twice since, but the new rafters and framing the Amish workers constructed have held.

“It’s really trying to kick us down,” said Graef, whose prop-

Open Arms Residents of the Month

Robert General has been a resident at Open Arms since August 2021. He was born in South Carolina, relocated to Richmond Virginia and later moved to North Carolina. Robert enjoys BINGO, church and knitting. He is a joy to have here at Open Arms Retirement Center.

“Our position is that however morally and ethically charged it is, our mandate is to help welcome and love people.”

Marc Wyatt, director, Welcome House Raleigh

rector for USCRI. “If you want to participate, welcome. If not, we understand.”

Wyatt got nearly two dozen comments on his Facebook post in which he announced his decision to work with the refugee agency in resettling the Afrikaners. Nearly all wrote in support of his decision. “I’m up sleepless pondering this,” acknowledged one person. “Complicated, but the right call,” wrote another.

USCRI did not release the names of the three Afrikaners who chose to settle in Raleigh, a couple and a single individual. Other Afrikaners chose to be resettled in Idaho, Iowa, New York and Texas.

erty borders what is left of the Bayou Billy’s park. “But our spirits are high, our hopes are high and nothing’s going to stop us from opening this place.”

Throughout town, the ring of hammers and saws mingles with the sizzle of welding and the rumble of debris-removal trucks.

Workers lay sewer lines. A temporary steel bridge to the state park — replacing the ornate stone and concrete span that washed out — should be ready soon, O’Leary said.

“In a normal year, they easily have 400,000 visitors that come to the park,” he said. “That’s really the draw that brings people here.”

One recent evening, Rose Senehi walked down Main Street, stopping to peer into shop windows to see how much progress had been made.

Twenty-two years ago, the novelist stopped in town to buy an ice cream cone. As she licked, she crossed a small bridge, climbed a rickety staircase to a small house, looked around “and saw that mountain.”

“Within an hour, I signed the

Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested last week that more Afrikaners are on the way. The Trump administration argues white South Africans are being discriminated against by the country’s government, pointing to a law potentially allowing the government to seize privately held land under certain conditions. Since the end of apartheid, the South African government has made e orts to level the economic imbalance and redistribute land to black South Africans that had been seized by the former colonial and apartheid governments.

Wyatt, who has been running the Welcome House Raleigh ministry for 10 years, providing temporary housing and a furniture bank for refugees, and now asylum seekers, said he has settled the matter in his mind.

“My wife and I have come to the position that if it’s not a full welcome, just like we would with anybody else, then it’s not a welcome,” he said. “If we don’t actually seek to include them into our lives like we would anybody else, then we’re withholding something and that’s not how we understand our holy book.”

contract and bought it. Out of the blue,” she said, her eyes lighting up. “Never been to this town. But I knew this is what I wanted.”

The bridge is gone. So is that ice cream shop. But Senehi said there’s more to this place than stores and treats.

“There’s something about this area that, it’s just compelling. The mountains. The green. It’s just beautiful,” she said. “It’ll de nitely come back. And it won’t be the same; it’ll be better.”

O’Leary said he thinks some Main Street businesses will be open sometime this summer. The council is looking for village-owned properties that can be leased or sold to business owners.

“I can see progress on all fronts,” said O’Leary, who came for a park job 35 years ago and never left. But he cautions that recovery will be slow.

“We don’t want everybody to come at the same time, but we do want people to visit and be patient with us,” he said. “This is a long rebuild. But I think it’s going to be worth it.”

Mrs. Florence Herbert has been a resident here since May 2021. She moved to North Carolina from Pennsylvania to escape the bad weather. Florence enjoys word searches, BINGO, watching TV and spending time with her friends on the Special Care Unit at Integrity Open Arms.

Mrs. Betty Purcell is from Raeford, North Carolina. She moved into our assisted living this past June. Besides being the mother of two, she worked for many years at Burlington Mills. Betty enjoys church, watching youtube and doing word searches.

Alice is an experienced Med tech that has been with our company for almost 20 years. She has a background in PCA, Supervisor and Special Care Coordinator. Mrs McRae remains one of our Head Med Techs at Integrity Open Arms and the residents appreciate and love her. She is from the Raeford area and during her time off she enjoys being with her family and especially spending time with her boys whom she truly loves. She enjoys watching movies and sports and is a huge Pittsburgh Steelers Fan! Congratulations Mrs. McRae.

JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON / AP PHOTO

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau greets Afrikaner refugees from South Africa earlier this month at Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

HOKE SPORTS

Hoke County announces Future Bucks Summer Camps

Aspiring high school athletes can train in nine sports

North State Journal sta

HOKE COUNTY High School sports are over for the 2024-25 school year, but aspiring high school athletes can get a head start. The future Bucks and Lady Bucks have a wide variety of summer sports camp options.

The Future Bucks Summer Camps program starts in mid June and runs through the month of July. Baseball gets things started with a two-day camp on June 16-17. The program is open for players as young as third grade, up to

Cost for the Hoke cheerleading camp, the lowest-priced of the nine o ered

eighth graders. It costs $30.

Softball has a one-day camp on June 17. It’s open for third to ninth graders and is $30.

Girls’ basketball has a pair of one-day camps, on June 19 and July 12, for third to eighth graders and is $25.

Cheerleading has a one-day camp on June 23 for third to eighth graders at $20.

Soccer o ers a pair of

three - day camps. The rst runs from June 23-26. The second is July 11 to 13. It’s open for ages 3 to 15 and costs $75.

Football is the last June camp, running June 26-27. It’s for seventh to 11th graders and costs $30.

Volleyball has a two-day session July 8 and 9 for second graders to eighth graders. It costs $30.

Boys’ basketball runs a twoday camp July 10-11 for third to eighth graders. It’s $30.

The schedule concludes with a two-day wrestling camp, July 26-27. Kindergartners through high school seniors are welcome. It costs $30.

Registration information is available at FightingBucks.com or by calling 910-366-7557.

SPORTS BLAST

Hoke County High School seniors sign letters of intent to play sports at the college level. As they leave, the school is o ering summer camps to help get the next generation of Bucks ready for the courts and elds.

College Football Playo

The change should allow the best teams to play each other later in the playo

By Eddie Pells

The Associated Press

THE COLLEGE Football Playoff will go to a more straightforward way of filling the bracket next season, announcing it will place teams strictly on where they are ranked instead of moving pieces around to reward conference champions.

Ten conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director came to the unanimous agreement they needed to shift the model that drew complaints last season.

The new format will no longer guarantee an opening bye week for the four highest-ranked league champions,

reserving that benefit for the four top-ranked teams in general. The change was widely expected after last season’s jumbled bracket gave byes to Big 12 champion Arizona State and Mountain West champion Boise State, even though they were ranked 12th and ninth, respectively, by the playo selection committee.

That system made the rankings and the seedings in the tournament two di erent things and resulted in some matchups — for instance, the quarter nal between topranked Oregon and eventual national champion Ohio State — that came earlier than they otherwise might have.

“After evaluating the rst year of the 12-team Playo , the CFP Management Committee felt it was in the best interest of the game to make this adjustment,” said Rich Clark, executive director of the CFP.

The five highest-ranked

conference champions will still be guaranteed spots in the playo , meaning it’s possible there could be a repeat of a di erent sort of shu ing seen last season when CFP No. 16 Clemson was seeded 12th in the bracket after winning the Atlantic Coast Conference. That ended up costing 11thranked Alabama a spot in the playo .

Under the new arrangement, the four top-ranked conference champions will still receive $8 million for their leagues — representing the $4 million they earn for making the playo and $4 million for advancing to the quarter nals.

“That was the commissioners’ way of — at least for this year — holding to the commitment that they have made nancially to those teams, those conference champions in particular, that would have been paid those amounts un-

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Alyssa Cascavilla

Hoke County, softball

Alyssa Cascavilla is a shortstop for the Hoke County softball team. Hoke had one of its best seasons ever, and Cascavilla was a big factor. She led the team in batting and hits and was second in on-base percentage and steals.

Cascavilla was also a big winner at the Hoke County High School year-end sports banquet. She was recognized for making all-conference, and she picked up team MVP honors as well as the big trophy for being named the school’s female athlete of the year.

der the former system that we used last year,” Clark told ESPN.

Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey was among those who pushed for the change in the upcoming second year of the 12-team playo , though he remained cautious about it being approved because of the unanimous vote needed.

Smaller conferences had a chance to use the seeding issue as leverage for the next set of negotiations, which will come after this season and could include an expansion to 14 teams and more guaranteed bids for certain leagues. The SEC and Big Ten will have the biggest say in those decisions.

As it stands, this will be the third di erent playo system for college football in the span of three years. For the 10 years leading into last season’s inaugural 12-team playo , the CFP was a four-team a air.

A look at possible rst-round matchups had straight seeding been in play last season:

• No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Notre Dame. The Tigers still would have gotten in despite being ranked 16th. Notre Dame, a team without a conference, could bene t from this new arrangement because it is now eligible for a bye.

• No. 11 Arizona State at No. 6 Ohio State. The Sun Devils face a juggernaut instead of receiving a rst-round bye.

• No. 10 SMU at No. 7 Tennessee. Yes, Alabama, 11th in CFP’s nal ranking, still would’ve been the odd man out because of Clemson.

• No. 9 Boise State at No. 8 Indiana. It could’ve been Ashton Jeanty vs. the Hoosiers in a matchup of two of the season’s best stories.

Byes: No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Penn State.

Palou makes history as 1st Spanish driver to win Indianapolis 500

The three-time IndyCar champion earned his rst Indy 500 win

By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — Alex

Palou took the ceremonial swig of milk in Victory Lane at the Indianapolis 500. He allowed his wife to have a sip, she in turn gave a sip to their baby, and team owner Chip Ganassi ended up with the bottle and took a drink, as well.

Then, the rst Spaniard to win “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” took a victory lap with them around Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the back of a pickup truck. At one point, Palou

climbed onto its roof and raised his arms in triumph, the winning wreath draped around his neck.

“All my family around, it’s amazing, honestly,” he said, smiling. “All the team around, they make me look really good on the track.”

Palou came to the speedway as the two-time defending IndyCar champion — he has three titles in four years — and had opened this year with victories in four of the rst ve races. It’s the kind of start not seen since 1964, when A.J. Foyt won the rst seven races of the season, including the Indy 500.

But it was win No. 6 that Palou had circled on his calendar. Without an Indy 500 win, he said, his career would be incomplete.

“I cannot believe it. What an amazing day. What an amazing race.”

Alex Palou

He was in fuel-saving mode over the closing laps, following former Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Marcus Ericsson. Palou got tired of staying put with 16 laps remaining and charged ahead — a move Ericsson said “will keep me up at night. What I did and what I didn’t do.” Palou was never challenged from there, taking the checkered ag as a crash brought out a caution. He was engulfed by his father,

Ramon, and his team in a jubilant celebration.

Scott Dixon gave him a big hug, as did Dario Franchitti, as the Ganassi Indy 500 winners welcomed him to an exclusive club.

“I cannot believe it. What an amazing day. What an amazing race,” Palou said. “I cannot believe it. It was tough. Tough conditions out there, especially if you were like, third or fourth in the pack. Even leading, the fuel consumption was super high, so they didn’t want me to lead. I wanted to lead, honestly, so yeah, made it happen.”

Meanwhile, Ericsson climbed from his car in pit lane and pressed his hands to his face, the disappointment of coming ohso-close to a second Indianapo-

lis 500 victory etched across his face. David Maluks was third for A.J. Foyt Racing.

“It’s pretty painful,” Ericsson said of his second career Indy 500 runner-up nish. “I need to look at it again. You replay it in your head a million times after the nish, wondering what I could have done di erently. Second means nothing in this race.”

Josef Newgarden’s bid to win three consecutive Indy 500s ended with a fuel pump issue.

Will Power wound up 19th, the highest- nishing Team Penske driver.

It was the sixth Indy 500 win for Ganassi, who has been on a dominating wave since hiring Palou before the 2021 season. Palou won the championship in his rst year with the team, added two more titles and now seems on pace for a fourth one.

“The guy is just unbelievable. I don’t know what else to say,” Ganassi said. “It is an incredible thing. (The Indy 500) is going to make Alex Palou’s career. It is going to make his life. And it has certainly made mine.”

AUTO RACING

Indy 500 rookie Shwartzman crashes into crew members on pit road

Indianapolis Indianapolis 500 rookie

Robert Shwartzman crashed into crew members on pit road on Sunday, ending his improbable run in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” One of the crew was taken away on a stretcher. Shwartzman had been the rst rookie on the pole since 1983. He tried to pit after 87 laps and had his brakes lock up, sliding into four crew members. Shwartzman has dual Israeli and Russian nationality and used the platform the pole a orded him to make a passionate plea for peace in both the Middle East and Ukraine.

ICE HOCKEY

U.S. wins world championship gold with 1-0 OT win against Switzerland

Stockholm

The United States prevailed over Switzerland 1-0 in overtime of the nal of the ice hockey world championship. Tage Thompson wristed a shot past goaltender Leonardo Genoni from the top of the right circle for the winner 2:02 into overtime.

Logan Cooley and Brady Skjei provided the assists, and goaltender Jeremy Swayman shut out the Swiss with 25 saves. It is the second trophy won at the tournament by the Americans after winning in 1933. The Americans were also formally awarded the title in 1960 when they won the Olympics and the worlds did not take place.

NCAA FOOTBALL

Notre Dame, Wisconsin to have Sunday kicko for 2026 Lambeau game

Green Bay, Wis. Notre Dame’s 2026 football game with Wisconsin at Lambeau Field will now have a Sunday kicko . The two schools announced they’ll be facing o at the home of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers on Sept. 6, 2026. The game previously was set for a Saturday kicko on Sept. 5. NBC will televise the game. This is part of a two-game, neutral-site series. Notre Dame defeated Wisconsin 41-13 at Chicago’s Soldier Field in 2021. The Lambeau Field matchup initially was supposed to take place in 2020. The pandemic caused that game to get pushed back to 2026.

NCAA BASKETBALL

Green Bay seeking waiver allowing it to play in The Basketball Tournament

Green Bay, Wis. Green Bay is seeking NCAA approval to compete in The Basketball Tournament. The event typically features former college basketball players and o ers a $1 million prize to the winning team. ESPN says that Green Bay is seeking an NCAA waiver that would enable it to compete in The Basketball Tournament rather than going on an international tour. NCAA rules allow college teams to make an overseas trip to play in exhibition games once every four years.

Alex Palou, left, of Spain, has his winner’s ring kissed by his daughter Lucia on the Yard of Bricks on the start/ nish line after winning the Indianapolis 500.

Susan Monroe Polston

Aug. 7. 1945 – May 19, 2025

Mrs. Susan Monroe Polston, of Raeford, NC, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Monday, May 19, 2025, at the age of 79.

She was born in Lumberton on August 07, 1945, to the late Thomas and Eula Monroe.

Along with her parents, she was preceded in death by her brothers, Thomas Monroe Jr., and Hartwell Colon Monroe, and

her half-brothers and sister. Susan was a member of the Church of God at Rock sh. She was a wonderful mother and would do anything she could to help people. She enjoyed shopping and caring for her animals.

Susan is survived by her husband of 60 years, Grady Polston; her two children, Timothy (Tonya) and Angela Gayle Polston; and her grandsons, Michael Riddle (Breanna) and Matthew Scott Deaton.

A visitation will be held on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, from 12-1 p.m. at the Church of God in Rock sh, 7869 Rock sh Rd. Raeford, NC 28376.

A service will follow at 1 p.m. with Pastor Gary Leviner o ciating. Burial will be held in the Cumberland Memorial Gardens Cemetery, 4509 Raeford Rd, Fayetteville, NC 28304. Online condolences may be made on the Crumpler Funeral Home Website.

Indianapolis Colts’ music-loving owner Jim Irsay dies at age 65

He led the colts from the bottom to be Super Bowl champions

By Michael Marot

The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — Jim Ir-

say, the Indianapolis Colts’ owner who leveraged the popularity of Peyton Manning into a new stadium and a Super Bowl title, died Wednesday at age 65.

Pete Ward, Irsay’s longtime right-hand man and the teams chief operating o cer, made the announcement in a statement from the team. He said Irsay died peacefully in his sleep.

“Jim’s dedication and passion for the Indianapolis Colts in addition to his generosity, commitment to the community, and most importantly, his love for his family were unsurpassed,” Ward said. “Our deepest sympathies go to his daughters, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt, Kalen Jackson, and his entire family as we grieve with them.”

Irsay had a profound impact on the franchise.

With Hall of Fame general manager Bill Polian, Hall of

“Jim’s dedication and passion for the Indianapolis Colts in addition to his generosity, commitment to the community, and most importantly, his love for his family were unsurpassed.”

Pete Ward, Indianapolis Colts COO

Fame coach Tony Dungy and Manning, Irsay helped turn the Colts from a laughingstock into a perennial title contender.

But Irsay had battled health problems in recent years and became less visible following a fall at his home. Police o cers from Carmel, Indiana, a northern suburb of Indy, responded to a 911 call from Irsay’s home Dec. 8. According to the police report, the o cers found Irsay breathing but unresponsive and with a bluish skin tone.

Ward, the report said, told

o cers he was worried Irsay was su ering from congestive heart failure and that Irsay’s nurse had said Irsay’s oxygen level was low, his breathing was labored and he was “mostly” unconscious.

A month later, he was diagnosed with a respiratory illness.

During his annual training camp news conference last summer, Irsay told reporters he was continuing to rehab from two subsequent surgeries — though he remained seated in his golf cart. Irsay did not speak during the recent NFL draft as he typically did.

He had also battled addictions to alcohol and painkillers.

Irsay began his football life as a ball boy after his late father, Robert, acquired the team in a trade with the late Carroll Rosenbloom, who took over the Los Angeles Rams. The younger Irsay then worked his way up, becoming the youngest general manager in NFL history at age 24. He succeeded his father as owner in early 1997.

He also collected guitars, befriended musicians and often found inspiration in rock ’n’ roll lyrics.

Longtime US Rep. Charles Rangel dead at 94

He represented New York for almost half a century

By Deepti Hajela and Cedar Attanasio

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Former

U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel of New York, an outspoken, gravel-voiced Harlem Democrat who spent nearly ve decades on Capitol Hill and was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, died Monday at age 94. His family con rmed the death in a statement provided by City College of New York spokesperson Michelle Stent. He died at a hospital in New York, Stent said. A veteran of the Korean War, he defeated legendary Harlem politician Adam Clayton Powell in 1970 to start his congressional career. During the next 40plus years, he became a legend himself as dean of the New York congressional delegation and, in 2007, the rst African American to chair the powerful Ways and Means Committee.

He stepped down from that committee amid an ethics cloud, and the House censured him in 2010. But he continued to serve in Congress until his retirement in 2017.

Rangel was the last surviving member of the Gang of Four — African American political gures who wielded great power in New York City and state politics. The others were David

LAUREN VICTORIA BURKE / AP PHOTO

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington in June 2016.

Dinkins, New York City’s rst black mayor; Percy Sutton, who was Manhattan Borough president; and Basil Paterson, a deputy mayor and New York secretary of state.

“Charlie was a true activist — we’ve marched together, been arrested together and painted crack houses together,” the Rev. Al Sharpton, leader of the National Action Network, said in a statement, noting that he met Rangel as a teenager.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Je ries issued a statement calling Rangel “a patriot, hero, statesman, leader, trailblazer, change agent and champion for justice who made his beloved Harlem, the City of New York and the United States of America a better place for all.”

Few could forget Rangel after hearing him talk. His distinctive gravel-toned voice and wry sense of humor were a memorable mix. That voice — one of the most liberal in the House — was loudest in opposition to the Iraq War, which he branded a “death tax” on poor people and minorities. In 2004, he tried to end the war by o ering a bill to restart the military service draft. Republicans called his blu and brought the bill to a vote. Even Rangel voted against it.

A year later, Rangel’s ght over the war became bitterly personal with then-Vice President Dick Cheney.

Rangel said Cheney, who has a history of heart trouble, might be too sick to perform his job.

“I have always been committed to ghting for the little guy.”

Rep. Charles Rangel

“I would like to believe he’s sick rather than just mean and evil,” Rangel said. After several such verbal jabs, Cheney hit back, saying Rangel was “losing it.” The charismatic Harlem lawmaker rarely backed down from a ght after he rst entered the House in 1971 as a dragon slayer of sorts, having unseated Powell in the Democratic congressional primary in 1970. The amboyant elder Powell, a city political icon rst elected to the House in 1944, was ill and haunted by scandal at the time.

In 1987, Congress approved what was known as the “Rangel amendment,” which denied foreign tax credits to U.S. companies investing in apartheid-era South Africa.

Rangel became leader of the main tax-writing committee of the House, which has jurisdiction over programs including Social Security and Medicare, after the 2006 midterm elections when Democrats ended 12 years of Republican control of the chamber. But in 2010, a House ethics committee conducted a hearing on 13 counts of alleged nancial and fundraising misconduct over issues

surrounding nancial disclosures and use of congressional resources.

He was convicted of 11 ethics violations. The House found he had failed to pay taxes on a vacation villa, led misleadingnancial disclosure forms and improperly solicited donations for a college center from corporations with business before his committee.

The House followed the ethics committee’s recommendation that he be censured, the most serious punishment short of expulsion.

Rangel looked after his constituents, sponsoring empowerment zones with tax credits for businesses moving into economically depressed areas and developers of low income housing.

“I have always been committed to ghting for the little guy,” Rangel said in 2012.

Rangel was born June 11, 1930. During the Korean War, he earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. He would always say that he measured his days, even the troubled ones around the ethics scandal, against the time in 1950 when he survived being wounded as other soldiers didn’t make it. It became the title of his autobiography: “And I Haven’t Had A Bad Day Since.”

A high school dropout, he went to college on the G.I. Bill, getting degrees from New York University and St. John’s University Law School.

ZACH BOLINGER / AP PHOTO

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay talks during the Hall of Fame ring ceremony for Peyton Manning and Edgerrin James in September 2021 in Indianapolis.

STATE & NATION

Two border collies fend o wildlife at West Virginia’s busiest airport

Hercules and Ned go after geese and visit with passengers

By John Raby The Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va. —

Hercules and Ned have quite the spacious o ce at West Virginia’s busiest airport.

The border collies and their handler make daily patrols along the milelong air eld to ensure birds and other wildlife stay away from planes and keep passengers and crew safe.

Hercules is also the chief ambassador, soaking in a ection from passengers inside the terminal while calming some nervously waiting to board a ight at West Virginia International Yeager Airport.

Chris Keyser, the dogs’ handler and the airport’s wildlife specialist, said preventing a bird from hitting a plane “can make a di erence for someone’s life.”

How it started

Collisions between wildlife and planes are common at airports nationwide. With that in mind, Yeager management in 2018 bought Hercules at the recommendation of a wildlife biologist.

Hercules spent the rst 18 months of his life training to herd geese and sheep around his birthplace at Charlotte-based Flyaway Geese, which teaches border collies to help businesses address nuisance wildlife problems.

When Hercules stepped onto Charleston’s air eld for the rst time, “I held my breath,” Flyaway Geese owner Rebecca Gibson said. “But boy, he took hold

of the reins. It was his place.

“He’s done an amazing job and has just been a great dog for them. We’re very proud of him.”

Along the way, Hercules became a local celebrity. He has his own Instagram and TikTok accounts and regularly hosts groups of schoolchildren.

Now 8, Hercules has some help. Ned was 2 when he was welcomed into the fold last year from another kennel where he trained to herd goats and geese.

Ned has shadowed Hercules, following commands from Keyser and learning safety issues such as not venturing onto the runway.

“Ned’s ready to go,” Keyser said. “He’s picked up on all that. He’s doing fantastic, running birds o .”

Inside the airport operations center, Hercules is laid back until he’s told it’s time to work, barking at the door in anticipation. Ned, on the other hand, is always mov-

ing. When not outside, he’ll bring his blue bouncy ball to anyone willing to play fetch.

A mountaintop menagerie

Charleston’s airport is on top of a mountain and has a menagerie of wildlife, including Canada geese, hawks, ducks, songbirds and bats. After it rains, worms come to the surface and cause an increase in bird activity, Keyser said.

In addition to taking the dogs on their regular rounds, Keyser is in constant contact with the airport tower, which looks for birds on the eld or relays reports from airplanes that see wildlife nearby.

“We get plenty of exercise,” Keyser said. “You don’t gain no weight in this job. It’s an all-day job. You’re always got your eyes on the eld, you’ve got your ears open listening to the radio.”

Border collies are among the most energetic dog breeds. They’ve been used for decades to shoo Canada geese o golf courses. They’ve also scared away birds at other airports, military bases, and locks and dams.

The dogs’ instincts are to herd, not to kill. “But in the mind of the bird, they’re no di erent than a coyote or a fox, which is a natural predator for the bird,” Gibson said.

Bird strikes cause delays

About 19,000 strikes involving planes and wildlife occurred at U.S. airports in 2023, of which 95% involved birds, according to a Federal Aviation Administration database. From 1988 to 2023, wildlife collisions in the U.S. killed 76 people and destroyed 126 aircraft.

Perhaps the most famous birdplane strike occurred in January

2009 when a ight from New York’s LaGuardia Airport almost immediately ew into a ock of Canada geese, knocking out both engines. Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger guided the powerless jet into the frigid Hudson River. All 155 people on board survived the incident, which was captured in the 2016 movie “Sully,” starring Tom Hanks.

At the Charleston airport, wildlife-plane incidents vary each year from a few to a couple dozen.

“Anytime a plane hits a bird, it has to be inspected, and it causes a delay in the ight,” Keyser said. “And sometimes you don’t make your connecting ights. So that’s how important it is to keep everything going smooth.”

In 2022 alone, there were ve airplane strikes at the airport involving bats. In December 2000, a plane collided with two deer after landing. The tip of the right engine propeller blade separated and punctured the plane’s fuselage, seriously injuring a passenger, according to the FAA.

A comforting paw

Inside the terminal, Hercules wags his tail as he moves about greeting passengers. Among them was Janet Spry, a Scott Depot, West Virginia, resident waiting to board a ight to visit her daughter and grandchildren in San Antonio. Spry needed a bit of cheering up. In addition to having a fear of ying, Spry’s 15-year-old cat was euthanized the previous day after being diagnosed with an inoperable condition.

An impromptu visit from Hercules brought a smile — and more. Hercules placed a paw on Spry’s arm and delivered plenty of wet kisses.

“He’s making my day better,” Spry said.

She also joked whether the airport might want to let Hercules stay with her a while longer.

“I think there was an empty seat on the plane beside me,” Spry said.

JOHN RABY / AP PHOTO

Hercules greets a passenger at West Virginia International Yeager Airport, where he is used to keep birds and other wildlife away from the air eld.

JOHN RABY / AP PHOTO

Left;, West Virginia International Yeager Airport wildlife specialist and dog handler Chris Keyser poses with Hercules and Ned. Right, Ned and Hercules at West Virginia International Yeager Airport in Charleston, where they are used to keep birds and other wildlife away from the air eld.

MOORE COUNTY

WHAT’S HAPPENING

10 people shot at holiday weekend

S.C. boat party

Little River, S.C. Authorities say 10 people were shot during a ght that started on a private boat holding a holiday weekend party on the South Carolina coast. Horry County Police say no one died in the shooting in Little River around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, although some of the wounded are in critical condition. At least one person was taken to the hospital who was not hurt by gun re. Police said the shooting happened around a dock where a private charter boat leaves for cruises. The boat was docked, and police are trying to determine where the ght and shooting began.

NPR sues Trump admin over federal funding cuts to public media

New York

National Public Radio and three local stations are suing President Donald Trump, arguing that an executive order aimed at cutting federal funding for the organization is illegal. The lawsuit was led in federal court in Washington, D.C., by NPR, Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Public Radio and KUTE. It argues that Trump’s order to slash public subsidies to PBS and NPR violates the First Amendment. Trump issued the order earlier this month, instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies “to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS” and requires they work to root out indirect sources of public nancing for the news organizations.

$2.00

The Coca-Cola 600 was awash in patriotism on Sunday, with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth acting as grand marshal and countless members of the U.S. military involved in prerace festivities and recognition at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

A full-throttle military tribute

The

Day

By Jason Jackson For North State Journal

CHARLOTTE — The 2025 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway wasn’t just a race — it was a powerful salute to the military, woven into every moment of the Memorial Day weekend event.

With 100,000 fans lling the stands, the day pulsed with patriotism, honoring the sacri ces of service members through ceremonies, tributes and the race itself. From the prerace reverence to thenal lap, the military’s role took center stage, creating an unforgettable tribute.

Secretary of Defense sets the tone

Before the engines red up, the Coca-Cola 600 took a mo -

ment to honor the true meaning of Memorial Day. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, serving as the grand marshal, brought his military background and passion to the forefront with a stirring prerace presence. Hegseth delivered the State of Freedom address.

“Freedom comes at a cost,” he declared, paying tribute to the sacri ces of service members past and present. As a veteran himself, Hegseth reminding everyone why this race, held on a weekend dedicated to remembrance, holds such signi cance.

The prerace ceremonies ampli ed this sentiment. Haunting renditions of “Amazing Grace” and “Taps” lled the air, honoring fallen heroes, while Danlie Cuenca of the United States Navy Band delivered a powerful national anthem. A yover of A-10 Warhogs followed.

Hegseth, anked by Army, Marine Corps and Navy representatives, all bellowed, “Gen-

tlemen, start your engines!” — a command that bridged the solemn tribute with the adrenaline of the race ahead.

A race for the ages

As the green ag waved around 6:20 p.m., the race unfolded under a fading sun, transitioning from daylight to the glow of oodlights — a shift that tests drivers’ adaptability as track conditions evolve. Chase Briscoe led the eld from the pole, but the story of the night belonged to Ross Chastain.

After a crash in practice relegated him to the back of the pack, Chastain staged a comeback for the ages. Lap by lap, he

Commissioners to hold public hearing on FY 2025-26 county budget

The recommended budget is balanced at roughly $237 million

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

CARTHAGE — The Moore County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing next month for its recommended FY 2025-26 county budget.

At its May 20 meeting, the board was presented with the budget, which is balanced at a gross total of approximately $237 million.

“As in all the years that I’ve had the opportunity and pleasure of working on the budget, it prioritizes education, public safety and health and human services,” said County Manager Wayne Vest.

According to Vest, property and sales tax account for approximately 67% of the general fund revenue utilized in the budget.

Out of the gross budget, the county is looking to allocate approximately $55 million (about 40% of general fund budget) to Moore County Schools and around $8 million to Sandhills Community College.

The budget also heavily invests in county employees.

Vest referenced fully funding components of retirement, longevity, wellness, 401K, vacation and sick leave, as well as a full-year, 3.5% COLA increase for employees.

“Equally as important are our employees who we look to take those numbers and dollars and turn them into successful services for our citizens,”

Vest said. “So a big part of the budget is making sure we are very competitive, that we preserve the competitiveness of our bene ts and compensation package.”

Along with the budget, county sta is recommending a reduction in the property tax rate from $0.435 per $100 valuation to $0.42 per $100 valuation.

This recommended rate is also $0.0473 less than the revenue-neutral tax rate.

“The most recent reevaluation year was in 2023, so there’s a rate that has to be calculated that is called revenue neutral, but it doesn’t have to be adopted,” Vest said. “It just has to be calculated and posted as part of the budget adoption process.”

The board will hold a pub -

carved through the eld, and in the nal stage, he overtook William Byron duel to claim victory. It was a win that embodied the grit and determination NASCAR fans love, proving that in a 600-mile marathon, anything can happen.

A day to remember

The Coca-Cola 600 was more than a sporting event — it was a celebration of resilience, both on the track and in the nation it honored. NASCAR’s 600 Miles of Remembrance program saw each driver carry the name of a fallen service member on their windshield, weaving a thread of gratitude through the high-octane action.

From Hegseth’s rousing speech to Chastain’s triumphant charge, the day captured the essence of what makes this race special: a blend of raw competition and deep respect for those who’ve paid the ultimate price for freedom.

“The budget prioritizes education, public safety and health and human services.”

County Manager Wayne Vest.

lic hearing on the budget on June 3 and are scheduled to vote on its approval on June 5. The board also approved a conditional rezoning request for 0.63 acres of property located at 3636 Murdocksville Road from Highway Commercial (B-2) and Residential Agricultural (RA-40) to Highway Commercial Conditional Zoning (B2-CZ) for the purpose of a self-service, miniwarehouse facility

“It’s currently operating and has been at this location since prior to county-wide zoning in 1999,” said Senior Planner

Freedom comes at a cost.”

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth

Memorial

weekend race doubled as a salute to patriotism

JASON JACKSON FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL

THURSDAY 5.29.25

“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

Ryan Henkel, Reporter

P.J. Ward-Brown, Photographer

BUSINESS

David Guy, Advertising Manager Published each Thursday

POSTMASTER:

May 20

• Bryan Keith Andino, 29, was arrested by Moore County Sheri ’s O ce (MCSO) for resisting a public o cer.

• Dejarez Iasiah Smith, 27, was arrested by Aberdeen PD for damaging property.

• Roneisha Amanda Williams, 29, was arrested by Moore County Schools Special Police for child abuse causing serious bodily injury.

May 22

• Jennifer Ann Casper, 39, was arrested by Southern Pines PD for possessing methamphetamine.

• Isaac Martinez Flores, 43, was arrested by MCSO for rstdegree sexual o ense against a child.

• Samuel Lee Hilderbrand, 27, was arrested by Southern Pines PD for second-degree trespassing.

• Conrado Arroyo Jaimes, 33, was arrested by MCSO for rstdegree statutory sexual o ense.

• Kevin Edward Makely, 36, was arrested by North Carolina Highway Patrol (NCHP) for driving while impaired.

• Elizabeth Anne Richardson, 31, was arrested by Robbins PD for misdemeanor domestic violence.

May 23

• Jamie Lynn Bullard, 44, was arrested by NCHP for speeding.

• George Riley Garner, 41, was arrested by MCSO for misdemeanor domestic violence.

• Randy Lee Ritter, 61, was arrested by MCSO for taking indecent liberties with a child.

• Casey Christina Ruiz, 42, was arrested by MCSO for failure to provide child support.

May 24

• Kaiden Abrise Jackson, 29, was arrested by MCSO for possessing a rearm as a felon.

May 25

• William Dale Davis, 39, was arrested by Aberdeen PD for breaking and entering.

• James Ryan Dupree, 41, was arrested by MCSO for possessing a controlled substance in a jail.

• Deaudra Letica Greene, 36, was arrested by Robbins PD for possessing methamphetamine.

• Ronnell Dewand Kelly, 44, was arrested by Southern Pines PD for second-degree trespassing.

FRIDAY

Two border

collies fend o wildlife at West Virginia’s busiest airport

Hercules and Ned go after geese and visit with passengers

By John Raby The Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va. —

Hercules and Ned have quite the spacious o ce at West Virginia’s busiest airport.

The border collies and their handler make daily patrols along the milelong air eld to ensure birds and other wildlife stay away from planes and keep passengers and crew safe.

Hercules is also the chief ambassador, soaking in a ection from passengers inside the terminal while calming some nervously waiting to board a ight at West Virginia International Yeager Airport. Chris Keyser, the dogs’ handler and the airport’s wildlife specialist, said preventing a bird from hitting a plane “can make a di erence for someone’s life.”

How it started

Collisions between wildlife and planes are common at airports nationwide. With that in mind, Yeager management in 2018 bought Hercules at the recommendation of a wildlife biologist.

Hercules spent the rst 18 months of his life training to herd geese and sheep around his birthplace at Charlotte-based Flyaway Geese, which teaches border collies to help businesses address nuisance wildlife problems.

When Hercules stepped onto Charleston’s air eld for the rst time, “I held my breath,” Flyaway Geese owner Rebecca Gibson said. “But boy, he took hold of the reins. It was his place.

“He’s done an amazing job and has just been a great dog for them. We’re very proud of him.”

Along the way, Hercules became a local celebrity. He has his own Instagram and TikTok accounts and regularly hosts groups of schoolchildren.

Now 8, Hercules has some help. Ned was 2 when he was welcomed into the fold last year from another kennel where he trained to herd goats and geese. Ned has shadowed Hercules, following commands from Keyser and learning safety issues such as not venturing onto the runway.

“Ned’s ready to go,” Keyser said. “He’s picked up on all that. He’s doing fantastic, running birds o .”

Inside the airport operations center, Hercules is laid back until he’s told it’s time to work, barking at the door in anticipation. Ned, on the other hand, is always moving. When not outside, he’ll bring his blue boun-

Ned and Hercules pose at West Virginia International Yeager Airport in Charleston, where they are used to keep birds and other wildlife away from the air eld.

cy ball to anyone willing to play fetch.

A mountaintop menagerie

Charleston’s airport is on top of a mountain and has a menagerie of wildlife, including Canada geese, hawks, ducks, songbirds and bats. After it rains, worms come to the surface and cause an increase in bird activity, Keyser said. In addition to taking the dogs on their regular rounds, Keyser is in constant contact with the airport tower, which looks for birds on the eld or relays reports from airplanes that see wildlife nearby.

“We get plenty of exercise,” Keyser said. “You don’t gain no weight in this job. It’s an all-day job. You’re always got your eyes on the eld, you’ve got your ears open listening to the radio.”

Border collies are among the most energetic dog breeds. They’ve been used for decades to shoo Canada geese o golf courses. They’ve also scared away birds at other airports, military bases, and locks and dams.

The dogs’ instincts are to herd, not to kill. “But in the mind of the bird, they’re no different than a coyote or a fox, which is a natural predator for the bird,” Gibson said.

Bird strikes cause delays

About 19,000 strikes involving planes and wildlife occurred at U.S. airports in 2023, of which 95% involved birds, according to a Federal Aviation Administration database. From 1988 to 2023, wildlife collisions in the U.S. killed 76 people and destroyed 126 aircraft.

Perhaps the most famous bird-plane strike occurred in January 2009 when a ight from New York’s LaGuardia Airport almost immediately ew into a ock of Canada geese, knocking out both engines. Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sul-

lenberger guided the powerless jet into the frigid Hudson River. All 155 people on board survived the incident, which was captured in the 2016 movie “Sully,” starring Tom Hanks. At the Charleston airport, wildlife-plane incidents vary each year from a few to a couple dozen.

“Anytime a plane hits a bird, it has to be inspected, and it causes a delay in the ight,” Keyser said. “And sometimes you don’t make your connecting ights. So that’s how important it is to keep everything going smooth.”

In 2022 alone, there were ve airplane strikes at the airport involving bats. In December 2000, a plane collided with two deer after landing. The tip of the right engine propeller blade separated and punctured the plane’s fuselage, seriously injuring a passenger, according to the FAA.

A comforting paw

Inside the terminal, Hercules wags his tail as he moves about greeting passengers. Among them was Janet Spry, a Scott Depot, West Virginia, resident waiting to board a ight to visit her daughter and grandchildren in San Antonio.

Spry needed a bit of cheering up. In addition to having a fear of ying, Spry’s 15-year-old cat was euthanized the previous day after being diagnosed with an inoperable condition.

An impromptu visit from Hercules brought a smile — and more. Hercules placed a paw on Spry’s arm and delivered plenty of wet kisses.

“He’s making my day better,” Spry said.

She also joked whether the airport might want to let Hercules stay with her a while longer.

“I think there was an empty seat on the plane beside me,” Spry said.

moore happening

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in and around Moore County:

May 29, 30 & 31

May Music at The Je erson Inn’s 1901 Lounge 7-10:30 p.m.

BUDGET from page A1 THURSDAY

Local bands will be playing on the outside patio area every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening. Free admission.

150 W New Hampshire Ave. Southern Pines

May 29-31

Moore County Historical Association: Shaw House and Property Tours 1-4 p.m.

The Moore County Historical Association’s Shaw House grounds and properties are open for tours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday afternoons. Tours are free and open to all ages. Enjoy learning about twhe impressive history of Moore County.

Shaw House 110 Morganton Road Southern Pines

May 31

Moore County Farmers Market

8 a.m. to noon A vast and varied selection of fresh produce, canned goods, including honey and fruit preserves and baked goods has earned this producers-only farmers market a reputation as one of the best in the region. Visitors are treated to musical performances and complimentary appetizers prepared by local chefs from fresh regional ingredients every Saturday in the summer.

156 SE Broad St. Southern Pines

Ruth Pedersen. “It started o with two miniwarehouse buildings and has expanded over time. In 2004, a conditional use permit was issued for two additional buildings and then a second conditional use permit was also issued in 2008 for four more buildings which have never been constructed to date.

“This conditional rezoning will bring the existing use into compliance with the UDO.” The Moore County Board of Commissioners will next meet June 3.

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

| DAVID HARSANYI

Welcome to the intifada, America

Any editor or reporter who repeated such a preposterous claim is either too gullible or too dishonest to be in a newsroom.

NOW WE KNOW what “globalize the intifada” means.

After a pro-Palestinian Marxist was arrested after shooting and killing Yaron Lischinsky, a German-born evangelical Christian, and his American girlfriend, Sarah Milgrim, in front of the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., he chanted, “Free, free Palestine.”

The murderer, who reportedly traveled from Chicago to kill two innocent 20-somethings, surely knew the embassy workers were Jewish. His justi cation, as far as we know, was a blood libel that is a millennium old. The slander has simply been repackaged for the modern audience.

Indeed, the “genocide” libel is spread by Qatari-bought pseudo-intellectuals on elite U.S. campuses, New York Times and Washington Post editorialists, liberal activists, right-wing paleo “in uencers,” European powers, Democratic House members, big media and many others.

“Palestine,” something most intifada protesters know virtually nothing about, has replaced Black Lives Matter as the cause of the morally vacuous and dangerously illiterate activist class. An entire generation of young people has been brainwashed. It’s only a matter of time before it gets worse.

Only a few days ago, media outlets, including NBC News, reported, without a hint of skepticism, a United Nations warning that 14,000 babies were going to die from starvation in Gaza within 48 hours.

Two days? Fourteen thousand babies?

Any editor or reporter who repeated such a preposterous claim is either too gullible or too dishonest to be in a newsroom. However, at this

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

point, the establishment media will amplify any unsubstantiated and unhinged accusation if the target is right.

As it turns out, the U.N. retracted the claim. What the report actually said was that 14,100 cases of malnutrition could occur among children, not babies, if aid did not reach them over the next year.

Then again, as with most U.N. reports, even that number is likely a concoction. The Hamas-run “Gaza Health Ministry,” which is less reliable than the U.N. and doesn’t distinguish between civilians and armed terrorists, lies about death tolls and puts on low-budget Pallywood productions for credulous Western audiences.

The U.N. has issued more condemnations of Israel than all other nations combined. Not long ago, UNESCO passed a resolution denying Jews any historical connection to the Temple Mount and Western Wall, which came as a surprise to anyone who’s read a book.

Then, of course, we know that 12 of UNRWA’s employees took part in the Hamas massacre of Jews on Oct. 7, not merely o ering logistical help or coordination, but participating in the actual kidnapping and murdering of civilians.

If the U.N. were a country, Israel would be compelled to declare war on it.

No, Israel is not wantonly murdering children in Gaza. It has temporarily blocked “aid” because Hamas steals it, sells it and uses food to control civilians.

How many of the “protesters” who “occupy” college libraries know that Gaza, which was given autonomy all the way back in 2006, is provided food, clean water and electricity by Israel? How many know that the Israeli government forcibly removed thousands of Jews

Democrats are discredited and o -kilter

Most of what used to be called the mainstream media has also been discredited, long since distrusted by perhaps half of Americans, and now shown to have been incompetent or partisanshiply complicit.

HOW DOES a political party with overwhelming advantages, including increasing support from the growing bloc of highly educated and a uent voters, almost monopoly support from the press and broadcast media, and with burgeoning nancial and high-tech sectors of the economy, manage to lose just about everything across the board?

The Biden administration has been repudiated by voters over the in ation that resulted from its heedless spending and open border policy on immigration, and it has been discredited by recent disclosures of former President Joe Biden’s incapacity and by Democrats in and outside the White House who concealed and lied about his condition.

Most of what used to be called the mainstream media has also been discredited, long since distrusted by perhaps half of Americans, and now shown to have been incompetent or partisanshiply complicit. The Democratic Party’s hopes that President Donald Trump’s job approval rating would zoom down toward zero have been temporarily frustrated, as it has risen slightly in May and is higher than at any point in his rst term.

To illustrate the pickle Democrats are in, it’s helpful to provide a little historical perspective, at least as far back as a dozen years, on the very di erent political climate following the 2012 election. That saw the third consecutive reelection of an incumbent president, something not seen since 1820.

The respected Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg argued that Democrats’ increased support from college graduates, plus huge margins from blacks, Hispanics and young people, would form a “coalition of the ascendant” dominant for years to come. Greenberg was right about trends up to that point. However, he failed to account for the

Newtonian law that says for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. His coalition spurred a coalition of the nonascendant. White non-college-educated people living outside million-dollar-plus metropolitan areas spurned Democrats and elected Trump over Hillary Clinton. A similar coalition in Britain produced the unexpected victory for Brexit ve months before.

By 2024, after one term each from Trump and Biden, that movement continued, including among non-college-educated Hispanics, Asians and blacks. Figures compiled by the Democratic rm Catalist and spotlighted by Republican pollster Patrick Ru ni showed Republicans gaining 36 points among Latinos aged 18 to 29, 33 points among black men, and 30 points among non-college-educated Asians between 2012 and 2024.

In the process, the Democratic Party has become increasingly dominated by white college-educated people who reliably turn out to vote, contribute lots of money and have poor judgment about what matters will appeal to majorities of the entire electorate. As the nancial adviser Dave Ramsey put it, “The hardest people to convince to use common sense are the smart people.”

High-education voters, repelled by Trump’s crudeness, provided the enthusiasm behind the Russia collusion hoax and the various lawfare prosecutions and attempts to remove Trump from o ce somehow. They provided the impetus behind the awed “science” to extend school closings and other undue COVID-19 restrictions.

After George Floyd’s death in May 2020, they gave support or silent acquiescence to radical calls for defunding the police, to reparations for descendants of slaves, and to continued racial quotas and preferences — all positions opposed by large majorities of voters. Biden, having secured

from Gaza because Palestinians can only live Judenfrei?

American Jews even purchased 3,000 greenhouses that stood over 1,000 acres for $14 million and gave them to the Palestinian Authority so they could become self-su cient, gratis. Palestinians destroyed them. There was no peace. Because peace was never the point. Israel doesn’t target civilians, either. It is constantly sending warnings to the population about its operations, often putting its own soldiers in additional danger. Israel is ghting a war against Hamas, which unleashed a 9/11 on it and then cowered behind civilians, purposely churning out martyrs.

There is real su ering in Gaza. It was brought on by one side. All of it could end tomorrow if Hamas returned the remaining hostages and surrendered.

Let’s be honest, though, reality doesn’t matter to the “Free Palestine” crowd. There is a reason Western intifada targets Jewish businesses, Holocaust museums, Hillels, synagogues and innocent people on the streets of D.C. It has nothing to do with “cease res” or aid. The tragedy at the Capital Jewish Museum, where Lischinsky and Milgrim were killed, was not pro-Israel. It wasn’t sponsored by Mossad, but by the American Jewish Congress.

Recall that the rst “protests” against Israel broke out in Times Square and college campuses hours after the Oct. 7 massacre, before the bodies of the dead were identi ed or any retaliation occurred.

“Anti-Zionism” is now the most signi cant form of antisemitism in the world. It has long been the predominant justi cation for violence and hatred against Jews in Europe and the Middle East for a long time. And now it’s here.

David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner.

the nomination after winning the majority-black South Carolina primary, felt obliged to name a black woman for vice president, although the party nominated a black presidential candidate twice in the previous three contests.

That didn’t happen when “the (mostly) safe middle” was typi ed by Richard Scammon and Ben Wattenberg’s non-college-educated housewife from Dayton married to a machinist. However, it has happened now that the voter looks like the college-educated professional woman married to a lawyer in the a uent suburbs of Philadelphia.

In contrast, transgender activists impinge on others. They insist that inevitably more muscular biological men must compete in female sports, and they pummel the rare Democrat, such as Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), when they question that. As transgender demands have become better known, they have lost support, as Pew Research reported.

Most voters are motivated by concrete concerns — direct economic interests and ethnic or racial concerns. College-educated voters tend to have more theoretical concerns. Sometimes they may alert others to injustice and persuade them to address it, such as supporters of equal rights for blacks. The danger is that their high regard for their own views leads them to take impolitic stands, such as former Vice President Kamala Harris’ support of government-paid transgender surgeries for prisoners and illegal immigrants.

Every political party must strike some balance between the demands of its core constituencies and the beliefs of voters. That’s hard for a party dominated by college-educated activists with theoretical rather than practical concerns. The Democratic Party today, with its discredited leadership and its college-educated core, seems badly o kilter.

Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and longtime coauthor of “The Almanac of American Politics.”

COLUMN

Chimney Rock Village was one of the hardest hit hamlets

By Allen G. Breed

The Associated Press

CHIMNEY ROCK VIL -

LAGE — The brightly colored sign along the S-curve mountain road beckons visitors to the Gemstone Mine, the “#1 ATTRACTION IN CHIMNEY ROCK VILLAGE!” But another sign, on the shop’s mud-splattered front door, tells a di erent story.

“We will be closed Thursday 9-26-2024 due to impending weather,” it reads. It promised to reopen the next day at noon, weather permitting.

That impending weather was the remnants of Hurricane Helene. And that reopening still hasn’t arrived.

The storm smashed into the North Carolina mountains last September, killing more than 100 people and causing an estimated $60 billion in damage. Chimney Rock, a hamlet of about 140 named for the 535-million-year-old geological wonder that underpins its tourism industry, was hit particularly hard.

Eight months later, the mine, like most of the surviving businesses on the village’s quaint Main Street, is still an open construction site. A ashing sign at the guard shack on the town line warns: “ROAD CLOSED. LOCAL TRAFFIC ONLY.”

Village Mayor Peter O’Leary had optimistically predicted that downtown would open in time for Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of the summer tourist season. He now realizes that was too ambitious.

“We had set that date as a target, early on,” he said, sitting in the still-stripped main room of his Bubba O’Leary’s General Store. “But I always try to remind people you don’t always hit the target. Anybody that’s shot a gun or bow and arrow knows you don’t always hit the target.”

The Broad River — which gave the restaurants and inns lining its banks their marketable water views — left its course, carving away foundations and sweeping away the bridge to Chimney Rock State Park. O’Leary said about a third of the town’s businesses were “totally destroyed.”

Several are gone for good.

At the north end of town, all that remains of Bayou Billy’s Chimney Rock Country Fair amusement park is a pile of twisted metal, tattered awnings and jumbled train cars. A peeling, cracked yellow carousel horse that owner Bill Robeson’s children once rode balances precariously on a debris pile, its mouth agape to the sky.

At 71, Robeson — who also

lost a two-story building where he sold popcorn, pizza and souvenir tin cups — said he doesn’t have the heart to rebuild.

“We made the dream come true and everything,” said Robeson, who’s been coming to Chimney Rock since he was in diapers. “I hate I had to leave like it was. But, you know, life is short. You just can’t ponder over it. You’ve got to keep going, you know?”

At the other end of town, the Carter Lodge boasted “BALCONIES OVERLOOKING RIV-

ER.” Much of the back side of the 19-room hotel now dangles in midair, an angry red-brown gash in the soil that once supported it.

Barely a month before Helene,

Linda Carter made the last loan payments on repairs from a 100year ood in 1996. Contractors estimate it will cost $2.6 million to rebuild.

So the widow said she’s waiting to see how much the federal government will o er her to let the lot become a ood-mitigation zone.

“I just don’t have it in me,” said Carter, who lived in the hotel. “I’m 74. I don’t want to die and leave my children in debt. I also don’t want to go through the pain of rebuilding.”

But others, like Matt Banz, still think Chimney Rock is worth the risk of future heartache.

The Florida native fell in love

with a fudge shop here during a vacation more than 30 years ago. Today, he and his family own four businesses in town, including the gem mine and the RiverWatch Bar & Grill.

“The day after the storm, we didn’t even question whether we were going to rebuild,” Banz said, with workers rebuilding the riverfront deck on new cement footers. “We knew right away that we weren’t going to let go.”

O’Leary, Banz and others say federal relief has been slow. But volunteers have lled the gaps. Down the street, Amish workers from Pennsylvania pieced together a mold before pouring a new reinforced foundation for

the Broad River Inn, among the oldest businesses in town. The river undermined the back end and obliterated the neighboring miniature golf course.

“We de nitely could not have done what we’re doing without them, that is for certain,” inn co-owner Kristen Sottile said. “They have brought so much willpower, hope, as well as many other things to our community.”

The Amish are working in concert with Spokes of Hope, a Christian nonpro t formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, which hit the Carolinas in September 2018.

Jonathan Graef and his siblings bought the Best View Inn in late 2023 and were halfway through renovations when Helene struck. They’ve been ooded twice since, but the new rafters and framing the Amish workers constructed have held.

“It’s really trying to kick us down,” said Graef, whose property borders what is left of the Bayou Billy’s park. “But our spirits are high, our hopes are high and nothing’s going to stop us from opening this place.”

Throughout town, the ring of hammers and saws mingles with the sizzle of welding and the rumble of debris-removal trucks.

Workers lay sewer lines. A temporary steel bridge to the state park — replacing the ornate stone and concrete span that washed out — should be ready soon, O’Leary said.

“In a normal year, they easily have 400,000 visitors that come to the park,” he said. “That’s really the draw that brings people here.”

One recent evening, Rose Senehi walked down Main Street, stopping to peer into shop windows to see how much progress had been made.

Twenty-two years ago, the novelist stopped in town to buy an ice cream cone. As she licked, she crossed a small bridge, climbed a rickety staircase to a small house, looked around “and saw that mountain.”

“Within an hour, I signed the contract and bought it. Out of the blue,” she said, her eyes lighting up. “Never been to this town. But I knew this is what I wanted.”

The bridge is gone. So is that ice cream shop. But Senehi said there’s more to this place than stores and treats.

“There’s something about this area that, it’s just compelling. The mountains. The green. It’s just beautiful,” she said. “It’ll de nitely come back. And it won’t be the same; it’ll be better.”

O’Leary said he thinks some Main Street businesses will be open sometime this summer. The council is looking for village-owned properties that can be leased or sold to business owners.

“I can see progress on all fronts,” said O’Leary, who came for a park job 35 years ago and never left. But he cautions that recovery will be slow.

“We don’t want everybody to come at the same time, but we do want people to visit and be patient with us,” he said. “This is a long rebuild. But I think it’s going to be worth it.”

ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO

The Carter Lodge hangs precariously over the ood-scoured bank of the Broad River in Chimney Rock Village earlier this month.

ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO

David Cruz mixes cement in the bucket of an end loader for a sewer manhole on Main Street in Chimney Rock Village.

MOORE SPORTS

BOYS AND GIRLS LACROSSE ROUNDUP

Union Pines makes girls’ lax nal four

North State Journal sta

UNION PINES is the last team standing in the high school sports year for Moore County. The Vikings played in the state semi nals after press time, looking for a spot in the championship game.

Girls’ lacrosse

Union Pines will play in the NCHSAA class 1A/2A/3A state sem nals. The No. 3 seeded Vikings opened with a 22-0 shutout of No. 14 Jacksonville. Union Pines then took out No. 6 First Flight, 19-2, in round two. The Vikings reached the state nal four with a 12-7 upset of No. 2 Croatan. They played J.H. Rose for a berth in the state title game on Wednesday. The Vikings are 12-6 on the season headed into that game.

The Pinecrest girls saw their season end in the third round of

Goals scored by Union Pines in an opening-round shutout

the state class 4A playo s. The Patriots got a rst-round bye as the No. 4 seed, then beat No. 13 Broughton 14-11. Cardinal Gibbons got a 20-3 win to end the Pinecrest playo run, ending the Patriots’ season at 17-5. The team loses a pair of seniors in So e Bayless and Livia Pratt.

Boys’ lacrosse

The Union Pines boys fell just short of a nal four berth, falling in the fourth round of the class 1A/2A/3A bracket.

The No. 4-seed Vikings got a rst-round bye, then beat No. 13

Northwood 10-6 and No. 12 Cedar Ridge 11-4. Top-seeded Croatan sent Union Pines home with a 20-3 win, however. The Vikings nish 16-9 and say goodbye to seniors Maddox Carter, Justin Cole, Anthony (Alfaro) Goswick and Jacob Blackmore.

The Pinecrest boys nished their season at 14-8 following a second-round loss in the class 4A playo s. The No. 8 Patriots got a rst-round bye, then were upset by No. 9 Apex 11-5. Pinecrest moves on without its ve-member senior class of Jonathan Cox, Wesley Little, Jack Ray, Tyler Remzi and Josh Brown.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Ellie Powell

Ellie Powell is a sophomore on the Union Pines girls’ lacrosse team. The Vikings are competing in the state semi nals of the NCHSAA class 3A playo s. Powell helped get them there by leading the way in a 12-7 win over Croatan.

Powell scored ve goals in 10 shots and added an assist, playing a role in half of the team’s scoring for the day. For the year, Ellie led the Sandhills Conference in goals and points and was among the state 1A/2A/3A leaders in scoring, assists and ground balls.

College Football Playo shifts to straight seeding model

The change should allow the best teams to play each other later in the playo

By Eddie Pells The Associated Press

THE COLLEGE Football

Playo will go to a more straightforward way of lling the bracket next season, announcing it will place teams strictly on where they are ranked instead of moving pieces around to reward conference champions.

Ten conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director came to the unanimous agreement they needed to shift the model that drew complaints last season.

The new format will no longer guarantee an opening bye week for the four highest-ranked league champions, reserving that bene t for the four topranked teams in general. The change was widely expected after last season’s jumbled bracket gave byes to Big 12 champion Arizona State and Mountain West champion Boise State, even though they were ranked 12th and ninth, respectively, by the playo selection committee.

That system made the rankings and the seedings in the tournament two di erent things and resulted in some matchups — for instance, the quarternal between top-ranked Oregon and eventual national champion Ohio State — that came earlier than they otherwise might have.

“After evaluating the rst year of the 12-team Playo , the CFP Management Committee felt it was in the best interest of the game to make this adjustment,” said Rich Clark, executive director of the CFP.

The ve highest-ranked conference champions will still be guaranteed spots in the playo , meaning it’s possible there could

“The CFP Management Committee felt it was in the best interest of the game to make this adjustment.”

Rich Clark, CFP executive director

be a repeat of a di erent sort of shu ing seen last season when CFP No. 16 Clemson was seeded 12th in the bracket after winning the Atlantic Coast Conference. That ended up costing 11th-ranked Alabama a spot in the playo .

Under the new arrangement, the four top-ranked conference champions will still receive $8 million for their leagues — representing the $4 million they earn for making the playo and $4 million for advancing to the quarter nals.

“That was the commissioners’ way of — at least for this year — holding to the commitment that they have madenancially to those teams, those conference champions in particular, that would have been paid those amounts under the former system that we used last year,” Clark told ESPN.

Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey was among those who pushed for the change in the upcoming second year of the 12-team playo , though he remained cautious about it being approved because of the unanimous vote needed.

Smaller conferences had a chance to use the seeding issue as leverage for the next set of negotiations, which will come after this season and could include an expansion to 14 teams and more guaranteed bids for certain leagues. The SEC and Big

JOE MAIORANA / AP PHOTO

The College Football Playo National Championship Trophy on display before the Ohio State Buckeyes National Championship celebration. The path to the title should be less convoluted with the CFP’s change.

Ten will have the biggest say in those decisions. As it stands, this will be the third di erent playo system for college football in the span of three years. For the 10 years leading into last season’s inaugural 12-team playo , the CFP was a four-team a air.

A look at possible rst-round matchups had straight seeding been in play last season:

• No. 12 Clemson at No. 5

Notre Dame. The Tigers still would have gotten in despite being ranked 16th. Notre Dame, a team without a conference, could bene t from this new arrangement because it is now eligible for a bye.

• No. 11 Arizona State at No. 6 Ohio State. The Sun Devils face a juggernaut instead of receiving a rst-round bye.

• No. 10 SMU at No. 7 Tennessee. Yes, Alabama, 11th in CFP’s nal ranking, still would’ve been the odd man out because of Clemson.

• No. 9 Boise State at No. 8 Indiana. It could’ve been Ashton Jeanty vs. the Hoosiers in a matchup of two of the season’s best stories.

Byes: No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Penn State.

Union Pines, girls’ lacrosse

DAVID SINCLAIR FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL

DAVID SINCLAIR FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Pinecrest seniors (L to R) Josh Brown, Tyler Remzi, Jack Ray, Wesley Little and Jonathan Cox.

win in the girls’ lacrosse state playo s

SIDELINE REPORT

AUTO RACING

Indy 500 rookie Shwartzman crashes into crew members on pit road

Indianapolis Indianapolis 500 rookie Robert Shwartzman crashed into crew members on pit road on Sunday, ending his improbable run in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” One of the crew was taken away on a stretcher. Shwartzman had been the rst rookie on the pole since 1983. He tried to pit after 87 laps and had his brakes lock up, sliding into four crew members. Shwartzman has dual Israeli and Russian nationality and used the platform the pole a orded him to make a passionate plea for peace in both the Middle East and Ukraine.

ICE HOCKEY

U.S. wins world championship gold with 1-0 OT win against Switzerland

Stockholm The United States prevailed over Switzerland 1-0 in overtime of the nal of the ice hockey world championship. Tage Thompson wristed a shot past goaltender Leonardo Genoni from the top of the right circle for the winner 2:02 into overtime. Logan Cooley and Brady Skjei provided the assists, and goaltender Jeremy Swayman shut out the Swiss with 25 saves. It is the second trophy won at the tournament by the Americans after winning in 1933. The Americans were also formally awarded the title in 1960 when they won the Olympics and the worlds did not take place.

NCAA FOOTBALL

Notre Dame, Wisconsin to have Sunday kicko for 2026 Lambeau game

Green Bay, Wis. Notre Dame’s 2026 football game with Wisconsin at Lambeau Field will now have a Sunday kicko . The two schools announced they’ll be facing o at the home of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers on Sept. 6, 2026. The game previously was set for a Saturday kicko on Sept. 5. NBC will televise the game. This is part of a two-game, neutral-site series. Notre Dame defeated Wisconsin 41-13 at Chicago’s Soldier Field in 2021. The Lambeau Field matchup initially was supposed to take place in 2020. The pandemic caused that game to get pushed back to 2026.

NCAA BASKETBALL

Green Bay seeking waiver allowing it to play in The Basketball Tournament

Green Bay, Wis. Green Bay is seeking NCAA approval to compete in The Basketball Tournament. The event typically features former college basketball players and o ers a $1 million prize to the winning team. ESPN says that Green Bay is seeking an NCAA waiver that would enable it to compete in The Basketball Tournament rather than going on an international tour. NCAA rules allow college teams to make an overseas trip to play in exhibition games once every four years.

Dogs trained to handle burglars as sports stars boost security

Athletes are reacting to a rash of high-pro le home burglaries

By Ken Maguire The Associated Press

EMBOROUGH, England —

Expensive protection dogs have been in demand among professional athletes to guard against burglars who target wealthy homes often as part of sophisticated crime rings. Athletes are particularly vulnerable while they’re away at games.

“He will end up in somebody’s home with high-net worth that is potentially at risk from more than your opportunist burglar,” Bly said of Lobo, a $60,000 German Shepard from K9 Protector, the company Bly owns.

The lengthy list of athletes whose residences have been hit includes Premier League stars Jack Grealish and Alexander Isak and England cricket captain Ben Stokes.

It’s becoming a major problem in the United States, too, with former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman a recent example.

The homes of Kansas City Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were burglarized in October as part of a wave of break-ins that also targeted Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Seven Chilean men were charged in connection with those burglaries, as well as the break-in at Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis’ home, where nearly $1.5 million in cash and valuables were stolen.

After consulting the FBI, the NBA drew up guidance for players.

One of the recommendations: “Utilize dogs for home protection.”

While almost any dog can provide some deterrence, protection-dog providers o er breeds like German shepherd, Belgian Malinois, Rottweiler, Doberman and Cane Corso.

K9 Protector works predominantly with German shepherds.

“They are the most proven dogs at being family dogs,” Bly said. They begin to di erentiate early on which pups show potential.

“If we’ve got a puppy that’s really con dent, is chasing a

rag, biting hold of the rag and their food drive is high, that’s a good starting point,” wife and co-owner Sian Bly said. “We look at how competitive they are with their siblings, as well. You’re looking for quite a strong dog.”

Dogs that don’t make the cut might get routed to prison service or police duty.

“You can’t place a dog with young kids that’s nervous or that the temperament isn’t 100%,” she said.

The handful of K9 Protector dogs that reach “high-threat environment” status cost up to $100,000.

It can take a couple of years to train for all sorts of scenarios.

“It’s vast — the ability to deal with four intruders at once, vehicle carjacking tactics, being acceptant of multihandlers,” Alaster Bly said. “Husband, wife, nanny, housekeeper, estate manager all be -

“Utilize

dogs for home protection.” FBI recommendation to NBA players

ing able to handle that dog in an equal way in a threat scenario, and the dog still responding in the same way — is very di erent to a pet-level-trained dog with protection training.”

Between 10-15% of their clients are professional athletes, and they typically require nondisclosure agreements, as do the actors and singers who come calling. They sell about two or three dogs per month. When the economy is bad and crime increases — demand is higher.

UFC heavyweight Tom As-

pinall added a protection dog to his family after moving to a new house. The Manchester native posted a video about it.

“I’m not here all the time. I just wanted someone else kind of looking after the family, as well as me, even when I’m here,” Aspinall said of his German shepherd.

U.S. soccer mid elder Tyler Adams opted for a Rottweiler. Tottenham mid elder James Maddison got a 145-pound Cane Corso.

The NBA memo urged removing online real estate listings that show interiors.

Some stars post their protection dogs on social media along with the pets’ names — but they probably shouldn’t.

“There is nothing more o -putting to a dog than being called by its own name when you’re breaking into the home,” Alaster Bly said.

Team Penske driver Cindric not concerned about future with team after father red

Tim Cindric was red following an Indy 500 cheating scandal

By Steve Reed The Associated Press

CONCORD — Austin Cin-

dric is not worried about his future with Team Penske after his father, Tim Cindric, was red by team owner Roger Penske as the team’s IndyCar president earlier this week following a cheating scandal at the Indianapolis 500.

Cindric drives the No. 2 Ford Mustang for Penske in the NASCAR Cup Series, and is currently 12th in the points standings with three top-10 nishes in 12 races, including a win at Talladega. That victory was Team Penske’s rst of the 2025 NASCAR season.

Still, given the family ties with Team Penske it raised some speculation about how his father’s departure might impact the younger Cindric.

Penske met with all of his NASCAR drivers in person in Charlotte following the moves, including Austin Cindric.

When asked if he was given any assurances from Penske that it will not impact his future with Penske’s NASCAR team, Cindric shook his head and said “I don’t think it was even in question.”

“Their support has always

been very strong and also very transparent,” Cindric said following qualifying Saturday for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “When I have not performed to my best we have had those conversations. But past that it’s business as usual for me.”

Tim Cindric was one of three executives red by Penske after two Penske cars were found to be illegal following qualifying runs at the Indianapolis 500. Along with Cindric, IndyCar managing director Ron Ruzewski and IndyCar general manager Kyle Moyer were also terminated.

“Nothing is more important than the integrity of our sport and our race teams,” Penske said in a statement. “We have had organizational failures during the last two years, and we had to make necessary changes. I apologize to our fans, our partners and our organization for letting them down.” Penske is owner of the threecar team, IndyCar, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500. He has won the Indy 500 a record 20 times. The rings and Penske’s statement have been his rst public reaction since twotime defending Indianapolis

500 winner Josef Newgarden and teammate Will Power were found to have an illegally modi ed spec part on their cars ahead of the nal round of quali cations for the 109th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

Penske after the rings were announced held a team owner’s meeting remotely in which he took responsibility for his team’s actions. Some who dialed-in told The Associated Press the meeting lasted 20 minutes and the owners were satis ed with the outcome; no owners called for the Penske cars to be kicked out of the race, and the only questions asked were about how IndyCar moves on from the scandal ahead of the biggest race in the world.

Cindric called this the best start to his career and believes his team has plenty of momentum following the win at Talladega.

Cindric said his father’s ring wouldn’t impact how his approach.

“Professionally, I’m in no different of a place than I was a week ago,” Cindric said. “I feel like we have a lot of momentum on our team right now in the the No. 2 car. I’ve never felt better and had a better start to the season. So for me I’m just focused on execution. I feel like we have had some really fast cars.”

BUTCH DILL / AP PHOTO

NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Cindric celebrates after winning at Talladega Superspeedway in April.

JEFFREY PHELPS / AP PHOTO

Bobby Portis lost nearly $1.5 million in a home burglary.

Matthew Curtis Ingram

March 26, 1992 – May 23, 2025

It is with deep sadness and love that we announce the passing of Matthew Curtis Ingram, age 33, who left this world far too soon on May 23, 2025, in West End, NC.

Matthew was a vibrant soul whose talents and passions touched the lives of everyone lucky enough to know him. To know him was to love him! Born in Pinehurst, NC, to Kathy Gail Blake and Anthony Curtis Ingram. He grew up with a deep love for the outdoors and an adventurous spirit that NEVER faded.

Matthew found peace where the water met the sky, with a rod in his hand he was never happier than when he was near the water. If you could not nd him on a river bank, he was perfecting his golf game in e orts to beat his “Unc” (George Jr.) in a round of golf. Matthew’s tackle box may now be closed, but his memory will live on in every cast line and every still morning on the lake.

Matthew’s life was lled with music from a very young age, and his soul spoke through the strings of a guitar; it was clear he was born to play. He was a gifted multi-instrumentalist, ranging from the piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, banjo and pretty much any other instrument that was put in his hand. Matthew had a natural ear for music, his guitar told stories that words never could. Although his hands are still now, the music he gave us lives on, loud and full of life.

Matthew is preceded in death by his grandfather, Earl Wayne Poe “Papa Wayne”, his greatgrandmother, Edith Swaringen Poe “Granny”, and his uncle, George Ingram Jr. “Unc” [Sherrie Ingram]; and is survived by his parents, Anthony Ingram, Kathy Blake; daughter, Mattilyn Claire Ingram [Candace Ferguson], sisters Kayla Gail Womble, Carrie Nicole Ingram, Mandie Ingram Scott [Matthew Scott], Mistie Ingram Andrews [Waylon Andrews]; grandparents George & Betty Ingram, aunts, Tammy Ingram Thomas [Mike Thomas], Amy Ingram Garrison [Casey Garrison]; Amy Lee Poe, uncle, Travis Poe;. He leaves behind a host of cousins, nieces and nephews.

He has left an imprint on all our lives that will never be forgotten.

A graveside service will be conducted at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at Culdee Presbyterian Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 12:30-2:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Boles Funeral Home in Seven Lakes.

Services are entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Seven Lakes.

Elsie Mary Love

July 13, 1943 – May 22, 2025

Elsie Mary Love, 81 of Raeford, North Carolina, passed away peacefully on May 22, 2025, at Firsthealth Moore Regional in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Mary, also known to many as Elsie, was a native of Robeson County, NC. She was born July 13, 1943, to Virgie and Elvie Hollingsworth in St. Pauls, North Carolina. She was the youngest of three children. She would tell stories of how poor they were growing up and how they could see the dirt and chickens under the house between the cracks in the oor. Her mom made their clothes out of material from produce and tobacco sacks or whatever they could a ord, but they lacked nothing.

She attended Hoke County High School and received her teaching certi cate from the Women’s College of the University of North Carolina, now known as the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. During this time, she married a young farmer from Hoke County named Shelby, and between 1963 and 1975, she had ve children. Mary helped farm while raising children and always planted massive gardens to help feed those ve children.

Mary took great pride in her position as a teacher in the HeadStart preschool program at South Hoke Elementary School and later as a substitute teacher. To this day, many of her students still remember her fondly and always spoke and hugged her neck when they bumped into her around town.

In April of 1982, Mary’s life changed when she married Bill Love, who was in the military. She continued to work and raise her family with Bill’s help. Mary’s priority was always her family, and helping others was her passion. All of her children’s friends became her children, too. Mary was a wonderful and attentive wife and homemaker. She took great care of her home and her children, but when grandchildren came along, it was a game changer. Being a Grandma, Mimi, or Momo, lit up her life and heart… She loved her grands and great grands with all her heart!

Mary was one of the kindest

people you could ever meet. She also had a great sense of humor. She was a mother to everyone and never met a stranger. You hear people say how someone would give the shirt o their back, well, she would. Even if she didn’t have one to spare. She never thought about herself or put herself rst, it was always everyone else. Mary was always eager to lend a helping hand to those in need, even a bed or a oor to sleep on. Her generosity and warmth were well-known, and she made a lasting impact on everyone she met. She had a remarkable ability to make others feel valued and cherished, leaving a legacy of love and kindness. Mary loved nothing more than spending time with her family, particularly if there were hot dogs involved. If there was a holiday, the family was going to get together to eat! She loved growing things too, especially tomatoes, and looked forward to planting her garden every year. One of her favorite pastimes was mowing the grass, not just her grass, but anyone who would let her. Second only to her Saturday yardin’ adventures.

Mary loved a good bargain and a Saturday morning with a biscuit and a list of yard sales was her happy place. Her family was a guiding force in her life, and she dedicated herself to them. Her legacy will be carried on through the countless lives she touched and the values she instilled in her children and grandchildren. Her memory will forever be cherished by those who had the privilege of knowing her.

Mary was preceded in death by her brother, James Edward Hollingsworth, and beloved son and best buddy, Jonathan Shelton Calloway.

She is survived by her husband of 43 years, William “Bill” Love; son Steven Calloway and wife Leanne of Raeford, daughter Kelly Calloway Peele and husband Timothy of Aberdeen, daughter Shelly Blanton and husband Andy of Raeford, son Lawrence Calloway of Wilmington and adopted daughter Lee Ann Paul of St. Pauls. Grandsons Logan Calloway, Matthew Peele and wife Grace, Vincent Smith, and Justin Smith. Greatgranddaughter Pressley Smith and great-grandson Colton Smith. Sister Betty Joyce Snyder and her husband, Paul, and many nieces and nephews.

A funeral service will be conducted at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 29, 2025, at Boles Funeral Home Chapel in Southern Pines. The family will receive friends from 7-9 p.m. at Boles Funeral Home on Wednesday. Burial will follow the service at Five Points Community Chapel Cemetery. Service arrangements are entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Southern Pines.

Christina Bower “Crissy” Seastrunk

March 24, 1974 – May 21, 2025

Christina Bower “Crissy” Seastrunk, 51, of Carthage and formerly Raleigh, passed suddenly at her home on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. Born in Raleigh, NC, on March 24, 1974, she was the daughter of Terry and Dianna Bower. Crissy was the loving wife of Jason Seastrunk. She was the mother of Caitlyn Seastrunk Bair (Cole). Crissy was the sister of Kim Bower Williams (Steve) and Sara Bower (Blake). She was the daughter–in–law to Cli and Susan Seastrunk and sister–inlaw to Chad Seastrunk (Rachel) and David Seastrunk (Ashley). She is survived by her nephews Matthew and Josh Weddle, Braxton and Brody Seastrunk and Jaxon Williams. Crissy is also survived by her aunt Linda Sears (Vernon), aunt Ann Bower, uncle Dusty Nutter (Drema) uncle Darrell Nutter (Jean) and uncle Steve Eidson and many cousins. Crissy grew up in southern West Virginia before returning to Raleigh, NC, where she graduated from Friendship Christian School, class of 1992. She would continue her education, earning her degree from Wake Technical College. On March 11, 1995, she married her high school sweetheart, Jason Seastrunk. The couple were active and faithful members of Crossroads Fellowship Church in Wake Forest and Grace Chapel of Sanford.

Crissy enjoyed going on boat rides and appreciating birds and their songs. She was an enthusiastic supporter of her favorite sports teams: The Atlanta Braves, NC State and the Carolina Hurricanes. Crissy also loved to bake for all of her family and friends, gifting them with her delicious homemade creations.

A celebration of her life will be held at the Crossroads Fellowship Church, 13029 Keith Store Road, Wake Forest, NC, on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at 11 a.m. Rev. Ryan Siegers to o ciate. There will be a live stream option for those who are unable to attend. Please email Caitlyn at cnseastr@gmail.com for details.

In lieu of owers, donations in her memory may be made to Grace Christian School, 2601 Je erson Davis Hwy., Sanford, NC 27332, or to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Services are entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Southern Pines.

STATE & NATION

NC Supreme Court says it’s OK to swap jurors while they are deliberating

Jurors must restart discussions with the new jury

By Gary D. Robertson

The Associated Press

RALEIGH — North Carolina’s highest court on Friday left intact a murder conviction that a lower appeals court had thrown out on the grounds that a jury shake-up during deliberations violated the defendant’s rights and required a new trial.

By a 5-2 decision, the state Supreme Court reversed last year’s decision of a state Court of Appeals panel that had sided with Eric Ramond Chambers, who has been serving a sentence

of life in prison without parole.

The state constitution says no one can be convicted of a crime except by “the unanimous verdict of a jury in open court” that state justices have declared in the past repeatedly must be composed of 12 people.

A 2021 state law says an alternate juror can be substituted for one of the 12 after deliberations begin as long as the judge instructs the amended jury to begin deliberations anew. The judge at Chambers’ 2022 trial did just that when an alternate juror joined deliberations because an original juror couldn’t continue the next day due to a medical appointment.

The original 12 had deliberated for less than 30 min-

“Any discussion in which the excused juror participated is disregarded and entirely new deliberations are commenced by the newly-constituted twelve.”

Court opinion

utes the day before. Chambers, who was representing himself in the trial, was not in the courtroom when the substitution oc-

How a Raleigh ministry decided to help resettle Afrikaners

The unusual refugees still needed assistance

By Yonat Shimron Religion News Service

RALEIGH — The 12-by-30foot storage unit in a Raleigh suburb is crammed full of chairs, tables, mattresses, lamps, pots and pans.

Most of its contents will soon be hauled o to two apartments that Welcome House Raleigh is furnishing for three newly arrived refugees. It’s a job the ministry, which is a project of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina, has handled countless times on behalf of newly arrived refugees from such places as Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria and Venezuela.

But these two apartments are going to three Afrikaners — whose status as refugees is, according to many faith-based groups and others, highly controversial.

Last week, Marc Wyatt, director of Welcome House Raleigh, received a call from the North Carolina eld o ce of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants asking if he could help furnish the apartments for the refugees, among the 59 Afrikaners who arrived in the U.S. last week from South Africa, he told RNS. It was a common request for the ministry that partners with refugee resettlement agencies to provide temporary housing and furniture for people in need.

And at the same time, the request was extremely challenging. After thinking about it, consulting with the Welcome House network director and asking for feedback from minis-

try volunteers, Wyatt said yes.

“Our position is that however morally and ethically charged it is, our mandate is to help welcome and love people,” said Wyatt, a retired Cooperative Baptist Fellowship missionary who now works for CBF North Carolina.

“Our holy book says God loves people. We don’t get to discriminate.”

He recognized that Afrikaners are part of a white ethnic minority that created and led South Africa’s brutal segregationist policies known as apartheid for nearly 50 years. That policy, which included denying the country’s black majority rights to voting, housing, education and land, ended in 1994, when the country elected Nelson Mandela in its rst free presidential election.

Like Wyatt and Welcome House, many faith-based groups are now considering whether to help the government resettle Afrikaners after the Trump administration shut down refugee resettlement for all others.

Last week, the Episcopal Church chose to end its refugee resettlement partnership with the U.S. government rather than resettle Afrikaners. Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe said his church’s commitment to racial justice and reconciliation, and its long relationship with the late Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu made it impossible for the church to work with the government on resettling Afrikaners.

In January, in one of his rst executive orders, President Donald Trump shuttered the decades-old refugee program, which brings people to the U.S. who are displaced by war, natural disasters or persecution. The decision left thousands of refugees, many living in camps for years and having under-

gone a rigorous vetting process, stranded.

But then Trump directed the government to fast-track the group of Afrikaners for resettlement, saying these white farmers in South Africa are being killed in a genocide, a baseless claim. The order left many refugee advocates who have worked for years to resettle vulnerable people enraged.

“Refugees sit in camps for 10, 20 years, but if you’re a white South African Afrikaner, then suddenly you can make it through in three months?” asked the Rev. Randy Carter, director of the Welcome Network and a pastor of a CBF church. “There’s a lot of words I’d like to attach to that, but I don’t want any of those printed.”

Carter said he respects and honors the Episcopal Church’s decision not to work with the government on resettling the Afrikaners, even if his network has taken a di erent approach.

“The call to welcome is not always easy,” Carter said. “Sometimes it’s hard.”

At the same time, he said, it’s important resettlement volunteers keep in mind that the ministry opposes apartheid and racism, both in the U.S. and abroad, and is committed to repentance and repair.

The North Carolina eld ofce for the USCRI resettlement group also recognized how fraught this particular resettlement is for its faith-based partners.

“In our communication with them, we said, ‘Look, we know this is not a normal issue. You or your constituencies may have reservations, and we understand that. That should not a ect our partnership,’” said Omer Omer, the North Carolina eld o ce di-

curred. By midday, the reconstituted jury had reached a verdict, and Chambers was convicted of rst-degree murder and a serious assault charge for the 2018 shooting in a Raleigh motel room.

Chambers petitioned the Court of Appeals, which later ruled that his right to a “properly constituted jury” had been violated and the 2021 law couldn’t supersede the state constitution because 13 people had reached the verdict. State attorneys then appealed.

Writing for last Friday’s majority, Chief Justice Paul Newby said the 2021 law doesn’t violate Chambers’ rights because it provides “critical safeguards that ensure that the twelve-juror threshold remains sacrosanct.”

Newby wrote the law says no more than 12 jurors can participate in the jury’s deliberations and that a judge’s instruction to begin deliberations anew means “any discussion in which the excused juror participated is disregarded and entirely new deliberations are commenced by the newly-constituted twelve.”

The four other justices who are registered Republicans joined Newby in his opinion.

In a dissenting opinion to retain the new trial, Associate Justice Allison Riggs wrote the 2021 law is an unconstitutional departure from the concept of 12-member juries and “endangers the impartiality and unanimity of the jury.”

No matter what directions a trial judge gives to jurors to begin deliberations anew, Riggs added, “we must assume by law that the original juror’s mere presence impacted the verdict.”

Associate Justice Anita Earls — who with Riggs are the court’s two registered Democrats — also dissented.

“Our position is that however morally and ethically charged it is, our mandate is to help welcome and love people.”

Marc Wyatt, director, Welcome House Raleigh

rector for USCRI. “If you want to participate, welcome. If not, we understand.”

Wyatt got nearly two dozen comments on his Facebook post in which he announced his decision to work with the refugee agency in resettling the Afrikaners. Nearly all wrote in support of his decision. “I’m up sleepless pondering this,” acknowledged one person. “Complicated, but the right call,” wrote another.

USCRI did not release the names of the three Afrikaners who chose to settle in Raleigh, a couple and a single individual. Other Afrikaners chose to be resettled in Idaho, Iowa, New York and Texas.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested last week that more Afrikaners are on the way. The Trump administration argues white South Africans are being discriminated against by the country’s government, pointing to a law potentially allowing the government to seize privately held land under certain conditions. Since the end of apartheid, the South African government has made e orts to level the economic imbalance and redistribute land to black South Africans that had been seized by the former colonial and apartheid governments.

Wyatt, who has been running the Welcome House Raleigh ministry for 10 years, providing temporary housing and a furniture bank for refugees, and now asylum seekers, said he has settled the matter in his mind.

“My wife and I have come to the position that if it’s not a full welcome, just like we would with anybody else, then it’s not a welcome,” he said. “If we don’t actually seek to include them into our lives like we would anybody else, then we’re withholding something and that’s not how we understand our holy book.”

JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON / AP PHOTO

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau greets Afrikaner refugees from South Africa earlier this month at Dulles International Airport in Virginia.