Raleigh President Donald Trump nominated four individuals for judgeships in two districts in North Carolina. Susan Rodriguez and Matthew Orso were nominated to serve in the state’s Western District, and David Bragdon and Lindsey Freeman were tapped in the Middle District. All four nominees were recommended by North Carolina’s Republican Sens. Ted Budd and Thom Tillis. Rodriguez currently serves as a U.S. magistrate judge in the Western District of North Carolina. She was previously a partner at the law rm McGuireWoods. Orso currently serves as a partner at Troutman Pepper Locke. Bragdon currently serves as the appellate chief for a U.S. Attorneys’ O ce and previously clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Freeman currently serves as an assistant U.S. attorney and previously clerked for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
N.C. native takes over as top Navy o cer
Washington, D.C.
Adm. Daryl Caudle, a Winston-Salem native and NC State graduate, took over as the Navy’s highest-ranking o cer Monday, ending a sixmonth vacancy created by the Trump administration’s ring of his predecessor. Caudle, who until the promotion was commanding U.S. Fleet Forces Command, said he wanted to be “judged by the results we achieved.” He replaces Adm. Lisa Franchetti. Caudle cited the number of ships delivered and repaired on time, the number of ships that are fully manned, and ordinance production as meeting the Navy’s demands.
Police child care pilot program seeks funding the
State education leaders roll out strategic plan
State Superintendent Mo Green set his vision for the next ve years
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
China buying decision impacts NC tobacco farmers
The nation canceled ue-cured tobacco contracts
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
RALEIGH — North Carolina’s ue-cured tobacco sector is staring at a volatile harvest season as U.S.-China trade tensions shift month to month and buyers reassess 2025 contracts. China Tobacco International has noti ed suppliers it will not purchase ue-cured tobac-
co from the 2025 crop — the same crop farmers are currently harvesting — citing uncertainty related to the unstable geopolitical landscape, particularly tari s. The cancellation, e ective last Tuesday, was con rmed to North State Journal by N.C. Agribusiness Council President Je rey Lee.
“It’s the whole entire ue-cured tobacco belt,” Lee said. “Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.”
RALEIGH — North Carolina State Superintendent Mo Green unveiled an ambitious ve-year strategic plan aimed at transforming its public education system into the nation’s best by 2030 during a press event on Aug. 20 at the Centennial Campus Center for Innovation Magnet Middle School in Wake County. The event kicked o with a tour of the school led by school Principal Jesse Gore. There was also a student dance performance. “The goal is to be the best public schools in the nation,” Green said. “And to declare that, absolutely it is visionary.”
Green was joined by N.C. State Board of Education Chair Eric Davis, Wake County Superintendent Robert Taylor, Wake County School Board Chair Chris Heagarty and 2024 Principal of the Year Beckie Spears. Rep. Cynthia Ball (D-Wake) and former Rep. Je rey Elmore (R-Wilkes) also attended. Gov. Josh Stein was unable to attend due to responsibilities dealing with Hurricane Erin. The “Achieving Educational Excellence” initiative represents the rst collaborative ef-
“The goal is to be the best public schools in the nation. And to declare that, absolutely it is visionary.” N.C. State Superintendent Mo Green
The center would need between $5 million and $15 million
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
RALEIGH — Customized child care for law enforcement may be coming to North Carolina if a pilot program o ered by the National Law Enforcement Foundation receives funds from the General Assembly. The National Law Enforcement Foundation (NLEF) is a nonpro t organization dedicated to supporting law enforcement personnel by addressing recruitment and retention challenges through specialized child care and early childhood education services.
NLEF focuses on alleviating the unique demands of police work, such as irregular shifts on nights, weekends and holidays, which often conict with standard child care options.
Retired San Diego Det. Jim Mackay, the cofounder and CEO of NLEF, told North State Journal the group got its start through a grant in California, leading to the formation of NLEF to bring the model to other states.
“I retired in the fall of ’21, and then the group that was doing it in San Diego created the National Law Enforcement Foundation to be able to take the model that was built in San Diego and move
“The state can a ord it. It’s just reaching a budget agreement that has that language in there.”
Sen. Danny Britt (R-Robeson)
PJ WARD-BROWN / NORTH STATE JOURNAL
State Superintendent Mo Green speaks during a press conference last Wednesday announcing the state’s ve-year strategic plan for schools at Centennial Campus Magnet Middle School in Raleigh.
the word | Loyalty to Christ
Loyalty to Christ begins in the heart. We must love him supremely. “He who loves father or mother more than me — is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me — is not worthy of me.” Nothing makes worthy discipleship, if love is lacking. In these days, Christian activity is emphasized. This is beautiful but with all our activity, we fear lest we are not loving Christ as we should. In one of the epistles to the seven churches, Jesus commends the church of Ephesus for many things — its works, its toil, its patience and that it could not bear evil men. “But,” he adds, “I have this against you — that you have left your rst love.” With all its activity and self-sacri ce — it did not love Jesus as it used to do.
We are in danger of being so busy in the Lord’s work — that we cannot be enough with the Lord in love’s fellowship. He may say to us, “I like your works, your toils, your service — but I miss the love you gave me at rst.” There is real danger that we get so busy in striving to be active Christians, so absorbed in our tasks that Christ himself shall be less loved and shall miss our communing with him!
Loyalty means rst of all heart devotion. Has Christ really the highest place in your heart? It is not your work he wants most — it is you!
There must be loyalty of life. If there is true love in the heart — there should be a holy life and character. We need to guard against devotion to the work of Christ — while in the life the world sees there are aws that do not honor Christ. He is patient with our stumblings. If he were not, who of us could hope to please him?
We are inexperienced, mere learners, at rst. We misspell words and sing out of tune. Some of us are just beginning our Christian life, and are discouraged because we have failed to be what we meant to be and live as beautifully as we meant to. Christ is patient with us — when he knows that we are true in our heart, that we want to be faithful.
Christ never forgets how frail we are. But he does not want us to give up. Though we stumble when learning to walk, he wants us to get up and try again. Though we are defeated tomorrow, he wants us to rise and keep ghting.
A true soldier may be wounded, may be beaten — but he never is a deserter or traitor. He is always loyal. It is only when we desert Christ, become false to him — that we really fail. You never can fail — if you are true, if you are faithful.
There must also be loyalty in character. Paul suggests a cluster of the fruits of the Spirit: “Love, joy, peace, longsu ering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control.” Most of these are quiet virtues. They are
“The
in
qualities of character. Yet these graces are essential to a complete Christian life.
Loyalty to Christ must also be active. The Christian belongs to the army of Christ and must follow his King to battle. He who fails to do his part in the conquest of the world, cannot call himself fully loyal to Christ.
Loyalty to Christ means activity in his service. Find your work — what you can do to make the world holier, happier, truer — and do it with all your might.
Loyalty to Christ demands sincerity and truth in all our living. God desires truth in the inward parts. A life of loyalty to Christ — means a life that is clean through and through. None can build a shining character — upon covered sins. Joy is part of a Christian life, and no one can be joyous — with sins concealed in his heart.
Paul says to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. We should test every feeling, every disposition, all conduct, by this test — loyalty to Christ.
Loyalty to Christ. There is really nothing else in religion. It is all in these three words. I will be faithful to Christ! I will be true to Christ. I will please Christ. I will be obedient to Christ. I will do his will. I will submit to his discipline. I will bear the cross he lays upon me!
J. R. Miller (1840-1912) was a pastor and former editorial superintendent of the Presbyterian Board of Publication from 1880 to 1911. His works are now in the public domain. This is an edited version of his original.
Elections watchdog prods board of elections
Public Interest Legal Foundation says the state’s rolls have 29,414 potential interstate duplicate registrations
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
RALEIGH — An elections watchdog has sent a letter to the North Carolina State Board of Elections regarding the possibility of nearly 30,000 interstate duplicate voter registrations.
The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) sent the letter about the duplicate registrations it found to N.C. State Board of Elections (NCSBE) Executive Director Sam Hayes on Aug. 4. According to PILF, its study for potential interstate duplicate registrations for North Carolina in spanned only seven states, implying the duplications could be far higher if expanded to all 50 states.
The largest number duplicates of the 29,414 were found in Florida with 17,817, followed by New York (6,247) and California (4,383). The other four states were New Jersey (382), Pennsylvania (304), Ohio (239) and Maine (42).
“These ndings suggest North Carolina’s voter rolls are plagued by the same types of errors we’ve documented in other
fort between the State Board of Education and the state superintendent, developed through extensive stakeholder engagement including regional “Mo wants to know” listening sessions and school visits across the state.
“This plan belongs to all North Carolinians,” Green said while describing the plan’s “call to action.” He added this plan “is for the entire state,” and everyone needs to “do their part.”
It centers on guaranteeing every student’s right to an excellent public education and making public schools as the preferred choice for families statewide. Green said the plan will need “strategic nancial investments” and mentioned discussions with lawmakers about the support the plan might need.
states,” PILF President J. Christian Adams said in a press release. “We applaud the State Board’s ‘Registration Repair’ initiative, but the real test will be whether this data leads to meaningful cleanup.”
A primary objective involves increasing public school enrollment from the current 84% to 89% of school-aged children by 2030, demonstrating condence in the system’s ability to attract and retain students through improved quality and outcomes.
The plan is rooted in eight pillars: preparing each student for their next phase in life; revering public school educators; enhancing parent, caregiver and community support; ensuring healthy, safe and secure learning environments; optimizing operational excellence; leading transformative change; celebrating the excellence in public education; and galvanizing champions to fully invest in and support public education.
The plan establishes speci c goals for 2030 and more than 100 action items that will
Of the total duplicates found, more than 12,700 were same-address duplicates that were “often due to name typos, hyphenation issues, or missing Social Security data,” according to PILF’s press release.
be tracked and for which Green said results would be made public at state board of education meetings on a quarterly basis.
“We want to be upfront and honest,” Green said about the progress of the plan’s action items.
The four-year graduation rate target increases from 86.9% to 92%, while ACT composite scores aim to rise from 18.5 to 20.
Advanced Placement participation among high school students should expand from 21.5% to 30%, and Career Technical Education engagement across all K-12 students is projected to grow from 36.1% to 41%.
Additionally, the state seeks national leadership in reading and mathematics scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, with all metrics tracked through disaggre-
Additionally, “230 inter-county duplicates,” were identi ed, and 613 registrants had placeholder or fake birthdates.
In its letter, PILF requested a meeting with Hayes.
“We plan to meet with PILF
gated data to ensure equitable progress across demographic groups.
Beyond academic achievement, the plan emphasizes character education through increased recognition as National Schools of Character, comprehensive character education program implementation and expanded service-learning opportunities.
“We appreciate and understand that our students are more than test measures,” Greene said, underscoring the plan being student-centric and educator focused.
The O ce of Strategic Planning will coordinate e orts in achieving the plan’s goals alongside a Monitoring and Accountability Committee providing quarterly progress reports.
representatives next month,” NCSBE Executive Director Sam Hayes said in a statement to North State Journal. “I welcome ideas on how we can continue to improve our list maintenance practices.”
Green said the plan functions as a “living document,” subject to annual reviews and adaptations based on emerging needs and changing circumstances. Some actions are already underway, such as the migration to In nite Campus, the new school and student data system. Green also mentioned a $25 million Golden LEAF Foundation investment targeting math instruction in rural middle schools and the NC College Connect, which guarantees college admission for North Carolina students who have a GPA of 2.8 or higher. Additionally, Green said the plan seeks to create an endowment for two years of free tuition for post-secondary North Carolinian students. More complex initiatives, such as system modernization and comprehensive program rollouts, will be phased in over the ve-year period.
PUBLIC DOMAIN
GEORGE WALKER IV / AP PHOTO
Calling of Saint Matthew” by Caravaggio (1609) is a painting
the collection of the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome.
Echevarria discusses long session, reelection
The freshman Cabarrus representative is a parents’ rights supporter
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
RALEIGH — New N.C.
House Rep. Brian Echevarria (R-Cabarrus) says joining the legislature was what he expected civics-wise, and his time on the nance and the oversight committees have been highlights of his rst term.
“I love nance, and that’s because I had the opportunity to work with Julia Howard and Mitchell Setzer,” Echevarria said. “And they are a world of intellect and institutional knowledge, and that’s why I requested nance — for that opportunity — and that’s been one of the most enriching things.”
Echevarria said House Bill 432, his bill that proposed a property tax relief study, and House Bill 244 — known as the Depoliticize Government Property Act, stating, “The only winner in that bill is civility” — are two pieces of legislation he’s focused on.
“You don’t get to y any political ags on government property,” Echevarria said of House Bill 244. “Which would be amazing because anyone who comes to their government should realize the service rendered from their government without being ostracized or treated di erently.”
Echevarria also highlighted bills protecting teachers from assault on school property, saying there’s a double standard in reporting of those crimes.
“If you assault teacher in a grocery store, there’s going to be a conversation with law enforce-
it across the country,” Mackay said.
Mackay said in the last year and a half the group opened a center in Missouri’s St. Louis County for o cers there and is bringing another to Idaho.
“And we just broke ground in the Boise area, that’s an area called the Treasure Valley, for nine di erent agencies in that area to bring the customization that we have used in San Diego to those areas,” said Mackay. “The center is open 18 hours a day, seven days a week and all holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, all of that. But if there’s a necessity that arises to where the need is that it needs to be open 24 hours a day, then the center is capable of doing that as well.”
According to its website, NLEF assumes full operational oversight, from site selection and construction to daily management, while forming local advisory boards for community input. Construction costs per center range from $1 million to $2 million, with annual operating expenses between $2 million and $6 million.
ment,” he said. “But if you assault them in the hallway, all of the sudden it’s up to the principal and maybe the superintendent, and it’s not a mandatory report.”
Language requiring mandatory reporting of teacher assaults was included in his legislation, House Bill 846. While that bill has not emerged from the House Committee on K-12 Education, he added an amendment for the provisions to be added to House Bill 775, which is currently in the House Rules Committee.
Echevarria also addressed what he sees as inappropriate contact between education sta and students, including through texting and social media apps.
“I can’t gure out a reason why a student should be texting a teacher or a teacher texting a student if you’re not a friend
“When we talk about parental rights and we talk about child-rearing, we’re in this custody battle with the state.”
Rep. Brian Echevarria (R-Cabarrus)
of the family,” said Echevarria. “And I think it should be a crime. It should be a misdemeanor of some sort for a teacher to contact a student on a personal level.”
As a parent who spoke out for parents rights at Cabarrus County school board meetings prior to running for o ce, Echevarria touched on what he thought was one of the most important pieces of legislation this session: House
Bill 519, known as the Parents’ Medical Bill of Rights.
“I just want to kind of hopefully get it passed because it passed the House, but it’s sitting in the rules of the Senate,” he said. “It’s a 90-10 issue.”
The other big bill in his mind, which is now law following a veto override, is House Bill 318, which requires law enforcement o cials in the state to cooperate with federal o cials on immigration detainments and related reporting.
He applauded Rep. Carla Cunningham (D-Mecklenburg) for her role in overriding Gov. Stein’s veto of House Bill 318, saying she was “punished” by her party for it.
“It was a political risk which you saw unprecedented. … I’ve never witnessed someone of the same party call the question on
increase in resignations reported in recent studies.
High turnover rates in North Carolina Corrections are one area Mackay underscored.
“It’s a very, very tough job, and there seems to be a 30% to 40% voluntary like resigning after within the rst ve years just because of the job and because of child care,” said Mackay, adding that being unable to bring your phone into a prison made it hard for o cers who are parents to be informed by a child care facility.
their own person,” said Echevarria. “(Democrats) punished her for having her own perspective and casting the vote that her people in her district elected her to cast, which was an amazing thing to watch out in the open.” He said Democrats were dishonest in trying to brand the bill as “mass deportation” legislation.
“It’s one thing to have a different perspective on law,” said Echevarria. “That is completely acceptable. We all have our own brain. It’s another thing to completely be dishonest about it all, and that’s what we encountered on the House oor, in committee. We encountered dishonesty.”
Echevarria also underscored why he is still passionate about parental rights.
“When we talk about parental rights and we talk about child-rearing, we’re in this custody battle with the state,” said Echevarria. “Democrats are the attorney who represent the government, and Republicans are the attorney who represents the parents. But when you go and you listen to a debate on the House oor involving anything with parental rights, it’s nothing short of a custody hearing.”
Echevarria told North State Journal he is running for reelection.
“In my community, I believe there’s a vote of con dence,” he said, citing early internal polling showing him with an 87% approval rating.
Echevarria won the House District 82 seat in the November 2024 General Election over Democrat Sabrina Berry by more than 4,300 votes (8.7%). He rst ran in 2022 against Diamond Staten Williams but lost by 628 votes.
“very, very well receptive” of the idea, but he noted that the state has had several natural disasters that have taken priority over other projects like the child care pilot.
Britt told North State Journal the General Assembly was interested in the pilot and hopes it will be part of a budget agreement.
“We have the money to fund a program like this in the state,” said Britt. “The state can afford it. It’s just reaching a budget agreement that has that language in there.
Mackay said NLEF is trying to bring its child care option to North Carolina, with a potential regional-type center in an area like Greensboro or Raleigh.
President Donald Trump has used tari s as a bargaining chip against other nations in an e ort to lessen levies on American goods. The Trump administration has engaged in back-and-forth negotiations with China that have led to a 10% increase on Chinese goods, but proposed sti er tari s have been paused multiple times as the two nations discuss a trade deal. The tobacco decision threatens to eliminate approximately $220 million in export value and diminish farm output by 65 million pounds, a hit that could push many farmers out of tobacco production.
North Carolina produces more than half of all U.S. ue-cured tobacco, so any disruption would a ect the state. After weather-damaged yields in 2024, NC State economists expect a tighter world leaf market and strong 2025 prices — roughly $2.40 per pound, depending on quality — though rising labor and input costs continue to squeeze mar-
“We’re going to be looking at, hopefully, a grant from the state of North Carolina for the pilot project for a small center, maybe 75 seats for the regional approach,” said Mackay. “Where the center will be hasn’t been determined yet, but it would encompass all commis-
gins. Harvest is underway now and typically runs through late summer. Even with rmer prices, growers are exposed to trade risk. In 2024, North Carolina exported $5.9 billion in goods to China, according to the O ce of the U.S. Trade Representative. China remains a key buyer across multiple N.C. commodities, including oilseeds and meat. Trade groups and USDA data show farm communities remain tightly tied to export demand — about one- fth of U.S. farm production by value is sold abroad. The state’s tobacco footprint extends far beyond elds. According to an IMPLAN-based analysis, North Carolina’s 822 tobacco farms generated $557 million in revenue and $197 million in state GDP in 2025. Tobacco manufacturing generates roughly $36 billion in output, adds $31 billion to GDP and employs approximately 5,000 workers earning $370 million in wages. The wholesale sector contributes another $15.3 billion in revenue, adds $9 billion to GDP and employs 4,500 jobs.
sioned peace o cers in that area — could be troopers, probation, corrections, sheri ’s deputies, police o cers.”
NLEF claims the centers are cost-e ective ways to retain ofcers, noting they compare favorably to the roughly $250,000 required to recruit and train a single o cer, especially given industry-wide issues like a 45% rise in retirements and an 18%
According to the N.C. Department of Public Safety’s October 2024 survey research project, law enforcement agencies in the state were experiencing a decreasing number of recruits and nding it harder to attract and retain new recruits. The vacancy issue exists both in rural and urban areas. The survey showed 45% of agencies had vacancy rates of more than 10%, and 23% of agencies had vacancy rates “greater than 20%.”
Mackay said NLEF has been working with both large and small agencies in North Carolina as well as having discussions with various legislators, including Sen. Danny Britt (R-Robeson).
Mackay said legislators are
“There’s a pretty high need for child care in the state as it is. But speci cally, in some exit interviews from people who have left the Department of Corrections, one of the primary issues, as well as people who are looking at potentially taking jobs with Department of Corrections, one of the largest issues is child care given the type of schedule that they would work, most of them operating outside of earlier than 7 a.m. and later than 5 p.m.” Britt said there have been discussions with NLEF about whether it would be a large- or small-scale pilot with estimates of between $5 million and $15 million, depending on the size and location.
China has raised tari s on U.S. goods, with reports in the tobacco trade press citing increases from 34% to 84%. Subsequent updates reported temporary tari reductions in May while negotiations continued — underscoring how quickly the landscape can change and why exporters are hesitating.
“Without the Chinese market, many farmers may have no choice but to abandon tobacco or even exit agriculture altogether,” said Brooks Barnes, a third-generation tobacco farmer in Lucama. “This is a decision I hope I am not forced to make.”
For North Carolina, with an identity and economy built on to-
bacco for generations, the trade disruption isn’t just a market loss, it’s a turning point. Whether 2025 ends up as a pro table rebound or a painful retrenchment will hinge on the U.S.-China tari climate, whether Chinese buyers follow through on existing 2025 contracts and whether tight global supply keeps prices
COURTESY NCGA
Rep. Brian Echevarria (R-Cabarrus) speaks during debate on the House oor in May.
JANET S. CARTER / DAILY FREE PRESS VIA AP
TOBACCO from page A1
CARE from page A1
COURTESY CITY OF SAN DIEGO
O cials in San Diego perform a ribbon cutting for the nation’s rst child care facility speci cally for law enforcement. The program, which expanded to Missouri and Idaho, could be coming to North Carolina.
Dust kicks up over long rows of tobacco in Pink Hill in 2017.
THE CONVERSATION
Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
EDITORIAL | TRIP HOFFEND
Usually, a change in leadership means a change in direction. I promise this is far from the case here.
SIR ISAAC NEWTON once wrote, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
As I sit in my o ce, trying to imagine a proper way to introduce myself as the next publisher of North Carolina’s only statewide newspaper, few quotes seem more appropriate. North State Journal was founded by visionaries and dreamers, and it has collected tremendous talent over the last 10 years. I could not ask for a better group of people to help me nd my footing in a job that has only ever been held by one other North Carolinian. Usually, a change in leadership means a change in direction. I promise this is far from the case here. While names may change, our goals remain the same. We will continue to elevate the conversation, report on statewide and local issues with depth and fairness, and give an N.C.minded perspective to national and international events. From our inception, it has been our goal to present facts, not opinion. It is this belief in our readers that has helped us become one of the few newspapers in the state to have a growing circulation.
It is my honor and privilege to succeed Neal Robbins as
EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL
publisher and CEO of North State Journal. I have spent the last two years as president of Charlotte Publishing Company and have been a part of North State Journal since 2019. I have considered North Carolina home since 2004, when I got to Wake Forest University to pursue my MBA. Although business moved us a few times, N.C. is where my wife and I chose to call home and return to raise our three children. North Carolina has been very good to me, and I intend to return the favor.
When standing on the shoulders of giants, one can’t help but feel the responsibility that comes with such an opportunity. Our industry is based on trust — both in the reader and in the reporting. You trust us to present the facts, and we trust you to help grow our readership. Together, we can see Murphy from Manteo. So let’s continue to grow together. Send us your thoughts, questions and concerns, as well as your likes and dislikes. Help us continue to elevate the conversation — ever higher.
Trip Ho end is publisher of North State Journal and CEO of North State Media and Charlotte Publishing Company.
The practical personal side of politics
No one selects a repairman to come to their house just because they are friendly and they like to chat with them.
THE 2026 U.S. Senate race in North Carolina shaping up to be between Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley looks like it is going to test the judgment of North Carolinian voters over the old notion of voting for someone you may like personally versus someone who may be able to get more things done for the state of North Carolina.
Whatley certainly has a close personal relationship with President Donald Trump and many of the current elected Republican majority members in Congress due to his days as counsel and chairman of the RNC. Cooper has been elected in North Carolina for close to half of his adult life, all as a Democrat, many times ghting against policies put forth by the Republican majorities now running the Congress he is seeking to join and the president in the White House.
Oftentimes decisions made in the politics of the day are driven more by personal relationships than by the merits of the issue one way or another. I remember one lobbyist who worked in previous Democratic White Houses who seemed to want to make it their duty to let every Republican senator and sta er know how much they hated Republican policy and how stupid every GOP member and sta er really was. It really was not a good way to win friends and in uence people ― or get things done in Washington for their client.
When it was said in general, that was one thing. When it became speci c to certain members or about me, then that became hard to swallow. The last thing I heard was this lobbyist’s next job was working for the Sustainable Energy Derived From Periodic Seismic Activity Association of Western Manitoba in Canada or something like that.
Cooper may not have been a prominent anti-Trump advocate alongside people such as Alexandria OcasioCortez and other members of The Trump Derangement Caucus, but such things come into play when legislation, grants or regulations are considered in Washington. Such things are not usually taken into deep consideration by voters during the heat of a political campaign, but they should.
Politics has long been interjected with bourbon and endless games of gin rummy in someone’s den or parlor after work. Long personal friendships drive politics as much as policy does. Had the Research Triangle Park not been established in the 1950s, after a group of longtime
Democratic friends and public leaders not gotten together outside the public limelight to hammer out the details of getting the project done ― imagine where North Carolina would be today. Try to imagine where North Carolina can and should be in 20 to 30 years with the advent of AI and all the medical advances on the horizon.
Electing our next U.S. senator will have a direct bearing on whether North Carolina can meet that challenge or not. The Good Ole Boys Network might not exist as solidly as it did 50-100 years ago, but those networks helped transform North Carolina from primarily an agriculture-based economy into a thriving high-tech, educational and manufacturing state.
People often make voting decisions based on whether they like someone personally or if they will vote for or against a single hot-button issue. But the real question in the 2026 U.S. Senate campaign will be who is going to be able to work with the Trump administration for the remainder of his term and Congress to get the necessary funding or support for any of the major projects the NCGA and Gov. Josh Stein need to prepare North Carolina for the future.
It sounds purely utilitarian, but in many ways, elective politics is just that: Who can get the majority of senators, members of Congress and the sitting president to support their e orts to get the most done for the voters in their state or district. No one selects a repairman to come to their house just because they are friendly and they like to chat with them. If they can’t x the leak in the basement, then that is a decision wasted.
Voting for a candidate as a protest or act of rebellion against the policies of the other party is a normal act of life in American politics, and it’s everyone’s constitutional right to do so. Sometimes over a long arc of time, it brings change. However, North Carolina has pressing needs in workforce development, child care and public education that need near-term attention, or we won’t remain at the top of the best states for businesses. The main people who will be adversely a ected by that will be the people who will not be able to work at new innovative places such as JetZero in the Triad or Amazon or Google across the state.
Nothing says Cooper can’t have a cordial relationship with Trump, that is unless he joins or has already joined the rabid Trump Derangement Caucus. Then the odds will be against a cordial relationship going forward.
New revelations in Paramount-Trump settlement deal explain a lot
It sounds like one big reason they decided to settle is because they were sitting on something they feared would prove Trump right.
THE SETTLEMENT deal announced in early July between CBS News’ parent company, Paramount Global, and President Donald Trump outraged many on the left and in media world, with the prevailing sentiment being that Paramount had set freedom of the press back decades with its decision to bend the knee in the face of immense public pressure from Trump.
The lawsuit in question was led in the aftermath of an October 2024 “60 Minutes” interview with the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump alleged illegal election interference, saying the segment was deliberately and deceptively edited to make her look better and hurt his chances in November.
Paramount’s defense, in a nutshell, was that it was part of the standard editing process that news outlets typically follow for anyone they interview. And initially, they vowed to ght the lawsuit on First Amendment grounds.
Instead of a protracted battle playing out in the courts and the media amid a highly publicized impending merger with Skydance Media, Paramount decided on a $16 million settlement with Trump to cover legal fees, some of which would also be put toward the future Trump presidential library.
After the deal was announced, some conservative political observers, like Substack writer Stephen L. Miller (not the administration o cial), speculated there was an ulterior motive behind the decision that had nothing to do with Paramount simply wanting to move on.
“The reason they keep settling is not because of capitulation. It’s because these media companies know what comes out in discovery (emails, texts like with [Jake] Tapper and CNN) is more damaging,” he wrote on X at the time.
Sure enough, that appears to be the case if one reads between the lines of remarks made during a New York Times interview earlier this month with former CBS Corporation vice chair Shari Redstone, who the Times says “personally
COLUMN
| SHERI FEW
withdrew” from settlement discussions in January but “remained the public face of Paramount and CBS as nonexecutive chair.”
The Times reported that “the Redstones also worried that Mr. Trump’s lawyers could cherrypick raw footage and internal communications and do more damage to CBS News’ reputation than any settlement would.”
Shari Redstone, the paper revealed, “said CBS personnel had told her that in October 2023, when Scott Pelley of ‘60 Minutes’ interviewed President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the president had seemed drowsy and had to be prodded to answer.”
Redstone and one of her sons, Tyler Kor , feared “CBS might be accused of editing the interview to conceal Mr. Biden’s failings.”
For good measure, though — and no doubt an attempt to discredit Redstone’s account — the newspaper also talked to two unnamed sources who disputed her characterization of the unaired footage of Biden.
They called concerns about the Biden interview “overblown,” claiming the then-president “never had to be prodded” and that he merely appeared “tired,” the latter of which was an excuse we heard all too often to explain away Biden’s lack of vigor and confused moments during public appearances and sit-down interviews with other media outlets.
Put simply, it sounds like one big reason they decided to settle is because they were sitting on something they feared would prove Trump right — if not in a court of law, then the court of public opinion, the latter of which could hurt CBS News for decades to come.
So as it turns out, those who called the Paramount/Trump lawsuit settlement deal a media scandal of epic proportions were right — just not in the way they initially suggested.
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.
The AI threat to critical thinking in our classrooms
Solving the challenge of safety for Israel among its neighbors is not a military or diplomatic problem.
TECHNOLOGY has no place in kindergarten through eighth grade (K-8). Evidence abounds that learning through books, pencil and paper, and dialogue with real people builds the strongest foundation for learning and provides cognitive, emotional and practical bene ts.
The expensive private Waldorf School of the Peninsula in the Silicon Valley, where technology executives send their kids, has ZERO technology in grades K-8. Their website says, “Brain research tells us that media exposure can result in changes in the actual nerve network in the brain, which a ects such things as eye tracking (a necessary skill for successful reading), neurotransmitter levels, and how readily students receive the imaginative pictures that are foundational for learning.”
Antero Garcia, associate professor in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University, explains why he has grown skeptical about digital tools in the classroom: “Despite their purported and transformational value, I’ve been wondering if our investment in educational technology might in fact be making our schools worse.”
States like Ohio are now requiring arti cial intelligence (AI) policies for all K-12 schools, and AI appears to be the latest technology fad for government-sponsored education.
Most government (public) schools have already morphed into digital-based learning centers, relegating teachers to facilitators, with no improvement in student achievement. But adding AI to the tech-driven education system poses a great threat to a child’s cognitive development and safety.
According to Harvard University, “Brains are built over time, from the bottom up. The brain’s basic architecture is constructed through an ongoing process that begins before birth and continues into adulthood. After a period of especially rapid growth in the rst few years, the brain re nes itself through a process called pruning, making its circuits more e cient.”
These “use it or lose it” developmental phases of the brain happen in early childhood and through adolescence. If an adolescent depends on AI to think for his academic success, rather than his developing brain, his brain, and he will be shortchanged. Harvard says, “While the process of building new connections and pruning unused ones continues throughout life, the connections that form early provide either a strong or weak foundation for the connections that form later.”
An MIT study, coordinated with OpenAI, involved more than 1,000 people who interacted with OpenAI’s ChatGPT for over four weeks. It revealed that some users became overly reliant on the tool’s capabilities, leading to “an unhealthy emotional dependency” on ChatGPT as well as “addictive behaviors and compulsive use that ultimately results in negative consequences for both physical and psychosocial well-being.”
A more recent study by MIT found that using ChatGPT and similar tools to write essays resulted in lower brain activity. Students who relied on AI got worse at writing essays when asked to perform that task without the AI assistance. The lead author of the study, who released the ndings prior to the traditional peer review process, said, “What really
motivated me to put it out now before waiting for a full peer review is that I am afraid in six-toeight months, there will be some policymaker who decides, ‘let’s do GPT kindergarten.’ I think that would be absolutely bad and detrimental.” She went on to say, “Developing brains are at the highest risk.” AI can pose other serious risks to children, as recently proven when ChatGPT was caught steering gender-confused children toward radical LGBTQ groups that prey on their vulnerabilities, according to a Daily Wire investigation. The investigation revealed that ChatGPT encourages genderconfused children to reach out to radical LGBTQ organizations, obtain so-called “gender-a rming” resources like chest binders, and directs them to YouTube channels that contain graphic reviews of fake male genitalia. This information is provided to children as young as 12 years old, and the platform egregiously advises how to access services behind their parents’ backs.
Many concerns have been raised about data privacy during the technology boom of the last few decades. The data privacy threat with AI is much more concerning! A white paper from Stanford University reports, “AI systems are so data-hungry and intransparent that we have even less control over what information about us is collected, what it is used for, and how we might correct or remove such personal information.”
Supporters of AI in education argue it prepares children for the job market, but this is questionable since technology evolves so rapidly — even current computer science majors are obsolete. Teaching advanced math and science equips students better for an unpredictable future, as forecasting technological trends is unrealistic.
Given that there is already evidence that AI can lie, be biased and make up source references, it should not be a tool used by anyone trying to teach children to understand truth, logic, fairness, values and subjects like literature and history.
Dependency on AI technology will only add to the decline of academic achievement and a student’s desire to learn. And, what’s worse, AI can corrupt children and extract untold amounts of private data without their knowledge, much less the knowledge and consent of their parents.
As schools — especially government schools — rush into using AI and other technological crutches, children will su er.
I pray that decision makers will take a long pause on implementing AI in schools, especially in grades K-8. As the MIT study proved, AI actually impedes learning, while there is abundant evidence that books, paper, pencils and human teachers are e ective learning tools.
Sheri Few is the founder and president of United States Parents Involved in Education. This column was originally published by Daily Caller News Foundation.
The only strategy for peace in Gaza
ISRAEL’S MILITARY e ort to destroy Hamas is doomed to fail. There are simply too many Gazans willing to join Hamas. If the Israeli army wiped out all of them, there would be worldwide condemnation.
There are an estimated 2.1 million people living in the Gaza Strip. Before October 2023, Hamas had an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 ghters in its military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
Hamas estimates between 6,000 and 7,000 members of its military wing have been killed in two years of war. Israeli and other estimates range from 8,500 militants killed (the Armed Con ict and Event Data Project) to 20,000 killed with 15,000 remaining, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
The challenge for Israel and those of us who want a path to peace is to try to understand how many of the remaining 2.1 million citizens of Gaza will be willing to help rebuild Hamas or a parallel anti-Israeli organization.
In March 2024, the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies reported on a poll in which only 7% of Gazans blamed Hamas for the su ering they were experiencing. Some 71% of all Palestinians supported Hamas’ decision to attack Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Some 70% were comfortable with the role Hamas has played in the war.
As a sign of popular militancy, in a hypothetical Palestinian election, 56% of voters in Gaza and the West Bank would support Marwan Barghouti, who is currently imprisoned for his role in the murder of Jews during the Second Intifada. Thirty-two percent would support Qatar-based Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (he was subsequently killed by the Israelis in a visit to Iran), and only 11% would support Mahmoud Abbas, who the West tries to pretend is the legitimate leader of the Palestinian people.
The depth of radicalism among Gaza residents runs throughout the FDD report on Gaza. Only 5% of Palestinians said they considered Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack a war crime. This could be because 80% of Palestinians said they had never seen videos of Hamas’ brutal actions, and 60% said the media they watched didn’t show them.
Relatedly, among those surveyed, Qatar-owned Al-Jazeera was by far the most popular television station, with 61% saying it was the channel they watched most over the past two months. Recent reports indicate that a number of Al-Jazeera reporters are also Hamas members. On March 21, Al-Jazeera released a video investigation seeking to minimize Hamas’ brutality on Oct. 7. The program not only insinuated that Israeli soldiers killed Israelis on Oct. 7 but also denied that Hamas used rape as a weapon of war, according to the foundation’s report.
Solving the challenge of safety for Israel among its neighbors is not a military or diplomatic problem. Military force and diplomatic meetings may be necessary, but they will not be su cient. (To be clear, I am totally for an all-out strategic Israeli e ort to wipe out Hamas –including going after their leaders in Qatar.)
Ultimately, peace will come only through an intense, e ective deradicalization program on a scale we have never seen. The only successful Middle Eastern deradicalization attempt has been the intense e ort of the United Arab Emirates after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. However, the UAE had a much smaller, more manageable problem. Israel and its allies need to focus resources and smart people on an historic deradicalization program for Gaza and secondarily for the West Bank. There is no other road to peace when people have been trained and conditioned to hate and want to kill their neighbors from childhood.
We need an honest, courageous public focus on the problem of radicalization – and a serious, wellthought-out strategy for a decade or longer deradicalization campaign. There is no other road to peace between Israel and its immediate neighbors.
Newt Gingrich was the 50th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
NATION & WORLD
Trump envoy: O cials working ‘very, very hard’ on ending Russia-Ukraine war
The president attempted to broker peace last week in meetings with the nations’ leaders
By Illia Novikov The Associated Press
KYIV, Ukraine — U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg said in Kyiv on Monday that o cials are “working very, very hard” on efforts to end the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine, as a lack of progress fuels doubts about whether a peace settlement could be on the horizon.
O cials are “hoping to get to a position where, in the near term, we have, with a lack of a better term, security guarantees” that address Ukraine’s fears of another invasion by Russia in the future, Kellogg said.
“That’s a work in progress,” Kellogg said of the potential security guarantees after attend-
ing Ukraine’s annual National Prayer Breakfast along with politicians, business leaders and diplomats.
A week ago, Trump said he had set in motion arrangements for direct peace talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy. But Russian o cials have signaled that such a summit won’t happen any time soon.
Trump said last Friday he expects to decide on next steps in two weeks if direct talks aren’t scheduled.
A stream of high-ranking visitors to Kyiv in recent days re ects concerns around the U.S.-led peace drive.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Kyiv on Sunday for meetings with Zelenskyy, pledging 2 billion Canadian dollars in aid, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was in the Ukrainian capital last Friday. Germany’s vice chancellor and nance minister, Lars Klingbeil, arrived in Kyiv on
Monday to discuss “how Germany can best support Ukraine in a possible peace process.”
Putin spoke on the phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday, the Kremlin said. Russia and Iran have close relations, and Putin has also deepened ties with China, India and North Korea as Western countries have sided with Ukraine in the war.
Putin and Pezeshkian are expected to meet next week when China hosts the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s annual summit, in Tianjin.
Klingbeil, the German vice chancellor, told Zelenskyy that Ukraine’s allies have to “talk about what happens if President Putin does not relent, if he wants to continue the war.”
Germany will continue to stand by Ukraine, he said, echoing sentiments by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store earlier in the day.
Norway’s multibillion-dollar military and civilian support
for Ukraine’s ght to defeat Russia’s invasion will stretch into next year, Store said in Kyiv. He said he will propose to the Norwegian Parliament spending $8.45 billion on Ukraine next year.
Store, whose country borders Russia, told a news conference with Zelenskyy that Ukraine is “defending a critical principle on the European level” by refusing to accept Russia’s seizure of territory.
Analysts say Putin thinks he can outlast Western governments’ commitment to Ukraine and use his bigger army to capture more Ukrainian land while peace e orts are under discussion.
Norway on Sunday pledged about 7 billion kroner ($695 million) toward air defense systems for Ukraine. Norway and Germany are jointly funding two U.S.-made Patriot anti-missile systems, including missiles, with Norway also helping procure air defense radar, Store said.
Mexican drug lord ‘El Mayo’ pleads guilty in US
The Sinaloa cartel kingpin will be imprisoned for life
By Michael R. Sisak and Jennifer Peltz
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Former Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada will spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty Monday to U.S. drug tra cking charges and saying he was sorry for helping ood the U.S. with cocaine, heroin and other illicit substances and for fueling deadly violence in Mexico.
“I recognize the great harm illegal drugs have done to the people of the United States, of Mexico, and elsewhere,” Zambada, 75, said through a Spanish-language interpreter. “I take responsibility for my role in all of it, and I apologize to everyone who has su ered or been a ected by my actions.”
Under Zambada’s leadership and that of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the Sinaloa cartel evolved from a regional player into the largest drug tra cking organization in the world, prosecutors say.
“Culpable,” Zambada said, using the Spanish word for “guilty” as he entered his plea in a Brooklyn courtroom, about 2,200 miles from Mexico’s Sinaloa state.
He acknowledged the extent of the Sinaloa operation, including underlings who built relationships with cocaine producers in Colombia, oversaw importing cocaine to Mexico by boat and plane, and smuggling the drug across the U.S.-Mexico
border. He said the cartel raked in hundreds of millions of dollars a year and admitted that people working for him paid bribes to Mexican police and military commanders “so they could operate freely.”
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi ew to New York to herald Zambada’s guilty plea as a “landmark victory,” telling reporters at a news conference that he “will die in a U.S. federal prison, where he belongs.”
“This guy, ‘El Mayo,’ was living like a king,” Bondi said. “Now he’s living like a criminal for the rest of his life.” Bondi’s visit to Brooklyn underscored President Donald Trump’s anti-cartel crusade.
His administration has declared drug cartels to be terrorist organizations, positioned
“This guy, ‘El Mayo,’ was living like a king. Now he’s living like a criminal for the rest of his life.”
Pam Bondi, U.S. attorney general
military assets o Venezuela and compelled the Mexican government to hand over several dozen high-ranking cartel ofcials for prosecution.
Sought by U.S. law enforcement for more than two decades, Zambada was arrested in Texas last year, at the end of the Biden administration, when the drug lord arrived in a private plane with one of Guz-
Phoenix dust storm leaves thousands without power
Phoenix
A towering wall of dust rolled through metro Phoenix on Monday with storms that left thousands of people without power and temporarily grounded ights at the city airport. Motorists hurried home through strong winds and rain as the dust storm, commonly referred to as a haboob, approached. Haboobs are associated with collapsing thunderstorms and strong winds and can make driving on roads nearly impossible.
Fire ghter dies while battling Mont. wild re Billings, Mont.
A 60-year-old contract re ghter from Oregon died after su ering a cardiac emergency while battling a wild re in southwestern Montana. Ruben Gonzales Romero collapsed while conducting suppression work on the ground and received medical aid within three minutes, a spokesperson for the Bivens Creek re burning in the Tobacco Root Mountains said. However, resuscitation attempts failed and the Keizer, Oregon, man died Sunday afternoon. Gonzales Romero had more than 20 years experience as a re ghter, mainly doing chainsaw work, according to his company TJ Forestry Contracting. Gonzales Romero was among more than 700 re ghters working on the lightning- caused re in the Tobacco Root Mountains about 15 miles north of Virginia City, Montana.
House
subpoenas Epstein’s estate for documents
Washington, D.C.
mán’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán López. Zambada says he was kidnapped in Mexico and taken against his will to the U.S.
His arrest, along with that of Guzmán López, touched o deadly ghting in his home state of Sinaloa between rival cartel factions, pitting his loyalists against backers of Guzmán’s sons, dubbed the Chapitos, or “little Chapos.”
Considered a good negotiator, Zambada was seen as the cartel’s strategist and dealmaker who was more involved in its day-to-day doings than the amboyant Guzmán. Prosecutors have said Zambada was enmeshed in the group’s violence, at one point ordering the murder of his own nephew.
Zambada’s plea came two weeks after prosecutors said they wouldn’t seek the death penalty.
His lawyer, Frank Perez, stressed after court that the plea agreement doesn’t obligate Zambada to cooperate with government investigators. The attorney said his client never really wanted to go to trial, and that once the death penalty was o the table, his “focus shifted to accepting responsibility and moving forward.”
Bondi noted Mexico’s opposition to the death penalty, which is a factor in its willingness to extradite suspects to the U.S. Although Zambada wasn’t extradited, she alluded to the nations’ understanding that “we cannot seek the death penalty” for those who are. Zambada is due to be sentenced Jan. 13 to life in prison. He also faces billions of dollars in nancial penalties.
The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the estate of the late Je rey Epstein on Monday as congressional lawmakers try to determine who was connected to the disgraced nancier and whether prosecutors mishandled his case. The committee’s subpoena is the latest e ort by both Republicans and Democrats to respond to public clamor for more disclosure in the investigation into Epstein, who was found dead in his New York jail cell in 2019. Lawmakers are trying to guide an investigation into who among Epstein’s high-powered social circle may have been aware of his sexual abuse of teenage girls, delving into a criminal case that has spurred conspiracy theories and roiled top o cials in President Donald Trump’s administration.
Australia expels
Iranian envoy over antisemitic allegations Melbourne, Australia Australia’s prime minister accused Iran of organizing two antisemitic attacks in Australia and said the country was cutting o diplomatic relations with Tehran in response on Tuesday. The Australian Security Intelligence Organization concluded that the Iranian government had directed arson attacks on a kosher food company in Sydney last October and on the Addas Israel synagogue in Melbourne last December, it said. Shortly before the announcement, the Australian government told Iran’s ambassador to Australia Ahmad Sadeghi that he would be expelled.
JANE ROSENBERG VIA AP
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, left, speaks to Judge Brian Cogan (not pictured) in Brooklyn federal court as his defense attorney Frank Perez looks on Monday in New York.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, shakes hands with Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, in Kyiv on Monday.
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS OFFICE VIA AP
Cracker Barrel’s new logo sparks social media ire
New York
Cracker Barrel is marching forward with an ongoing makeover. And to some fans’ dismay, the chain’s new logo now ditches the barrel itself. Or rather, the drawing many have associated with Cracker Barrel over the years. The man leaning on that barrel is also gone, as are the words “Old Country Store.” Instead, the new emblem features a simpler design with just “Cracker Barrel” written on a gold background, which also has a semi-updated shape.
X reaches tentative settlement with former Twitter workers
San Francisco Elon Musk’s X has reached a tentative settlement with former employees of the company then known as Twitter who’d sued for $500 million in severance pay. The parties disclosed the deal in a court ling last Wednesday asking for a scheduled Sept. 17 hearing in the case to be postponed. The San Francisco federal appeals court last Thursday agreed to postpone the hearing so that both sides could nalize the settlement agreement. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Lowe’s to buy Foundation Building Materials
Charlotte Lowe’s is buying Foundation Building Materials, a distributor of drywall, insulation and other products, for approximately $8.8 billion as the home improvement retailer intensi es its focus on professional builders. Lowe’s deal for FBM is expected to close in the fourth quarter. The company also raised its full-year sales outlook.
Walmart recalls contaminated frozen shrimp
Bentonville, Ark.
Walmart has recalled frozen, raw shrimp sold in 13 states after federal health o cials warned of potential radioactive contamination. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked Walmart to pull certain lots of Great Value brand frozen shrimp from stores after the agency detected potential contamination with Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope. The contamination was found in shipping containers and a sample of breaded shrimp. The shipping containers and shrimp were processed by a company doing business as BMS Foods of Indonesia.
Trump blames renewables for rising power bills; experts cite other causes
Pushback is coming from both sides of the aisle
By Matthew Daly The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C.
—
With electricity prices rising at more than twice the rate of in ation, President Donald Trump has lashed out at renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, blaming them for skyrocketing energy costs.
Trump called wind and solar power “THE SCAM OF THE CENTURY!” in a social media post and vowed not to approve wind or “farmer destroying Solar” projects. “The days of stupidity are over in the USA!!!” he wrote on his Truth Social site.
Energy analysts say renewable sources have little to do with recent price hikes, which are based on increased demand, aging infrastructure and increasingly extreme weather events such as wildres that are exacerbated by climate change.
The rapid growth of cloud computing and arti cial intelligence has fueled demand for energy-hungry data centers that need power to run servers, storage systems, networking equipment and cooling systems. Increased use of electric vehicles also has boosted demand, even as the Trump administration and congressional Republicans move to restrict tax credits and other incentives for EV purchases approved under the Biden administration.
Natural gas prices, meanwhile, are rising sharply amid increased exports to Europe and other international customers.
Trump promised during the 2024 campaign to lower Americans’ electric bills by 50%.
Democrats have been quick to blame him for the price hikes, citing actions to hamstring clean energy in the sprawling tax-and-spending cut bill approved last month, as well as regulations since then to further restrict wind and solar power.
Advocates say renewables provide needed extra energy
“Now more than ever, we need more energy, not less, to meet our increased energy demand and power our grid. Instead of increasing our energy supply Donald Trump is taking a sledgehammer to the clean energy sector, killing jobs and projects,” said New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, the top Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
A report from Energy Innovation, a nonpartisan think tank, found the GOP tax law will increase the average family’s energy bill by $130 annually by 2030. “By quickly phasing out technology-neutral clean energy tax credits and adding
complex material sourcing requirements,” the tax law will “signi cantly hamper the development of domestic electricity generation capacity,” the report said.
Renewable advocates were blunter.
“The real scam is blaming solar for fossil fuel price spikes,” the Solar Energy Industries Association said in response to Trump’s post.
“Farmers, families, and businesses choose solar to save money, preserve land, and escape high costs of the old, dirty fuels being forced on them by this administration,” the group added.
As technology improves, wind and solar o er some of the cheapest and fastest ways to provide electric power. More than 90% of new energy capacity that came online in the U.S. in 2024 was clean energy, said Jason Grumet, CEO of the American Clean Power Association, another industry group.
States with the highest share of clean energy production have seen prices decline in the past year, according to data from
the U.S. Energy Information Administration, while prices have gone up in states with the least renewable energy use.
“By slowing clean energy deployment, the Trump administration is directly fueling cost increases,” Grumet said
“Blocking cheap, clean energy while doubling down on outdated fossil fuels makes no economic or environmental sense,” added Ted Kelly, director of U.S. clean energy for the Environmental Defense Fund, a nonpro t advocacy group.
Partisanship anchors debate over rising energy prices/// Energy Secretary Chris Wright blamed rising prices on “momentum” from Biden-era policies that backed renewable power over fossil fuel sources such as oil, coal and natural gas.
“That momentum is pushing prices up right now. And who’s going to get blamed for it? We’re going to get blamed because we’re in o ce,” Wright told POLITICO during a visit to Iowa last week. About 60% of the state’s electricity comes from wind.
Not all the pushback comes from Democrats.
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican who backs wind power, has placed a hold on three Treasury nominees to ensure wind and solar have “an appropriate glidepath for the orderly phase-out of the tax credits” approved in the 2022 climate law under former President Joe Biden.
Grassley said he was encouraged by new Treasury guidance that limits tax credits for wind and solar projects but does not eliminate them. The guidance “seems to o er a viable path forward for the wind and solar industries to continue to meet increased energy demand,” Grassley said in a statement.
Nexstar buying Tegna in $6.2 billion deal
The agreement still needs approval from Tegna shareholders
By Wyatte Grantham-Philips and Michelle Chapman The Associated Press
NEW YORK— Nexstar Media Group is buying broadcast rival Tegna for $6.2 billion, bringing together two major players in U.S. television and the country’s local news landscape.
If the transaction is approved, Nexstar will pay $22 in cash for each share of Tegna’s outstanding stock. And the regulatory greenlight could be likely under President Donald Trump’s administration, which has long advocated for loosening industry restrictions.
Announcing the proposed merger last Tuesday, Nexstar CEO Perry Sook pointed directly to actions being pursued by the Trump administration, which he said, “o er local broadcasters the opportunity to expand reach, level the playing eld, and compete more effectively with the Big Tech and legacy Big Media companies that have unchecked reach and vast nancial resources.” He added that “Tegna represents the best option for Nexstar to act on this opportunity.”
headwinds on the revenue side,” Hardart said. But for local communities that rely on the company’s stations, the bad news is that “there will be a homogenization of content,” he added.
Other experts note that previous consolidation in the industry has already shown this.
NCDOT CASH REPORT FOR THE WEEK ENDING AUG. 22
Beginning Cash
$2,777,920,616
Receipts (income)
$130,785,823
Disbursements
$154,740,150
Cash Balance
$2,753,928,994
Nexstar oversees more than 200 owned and partner stations in 116 markets nationwide and also runs networks like The CW and NewsNation. Meanwhile, Tegna owns 64 news stations across 51 markets.
Consolidation would mean pooling together all of these resources — and that typically includes cutting any “redundancies” identi ed in the process, explained Paul Hardart, director of the entertainment, media and technology program at New York University’s Stern School of Business.
“The good news for Nexstar is that makes it run at a lower cost rate, which they need to do because there’s all these
Nexstar, founded in 1996, has itself grow substantially with acquisitions over the latest two decades, becoming the biggest operator of local TV stations in the U.S. after it purchased Tribune Media back in 2019. And Danilo Yanich, professor of public policy at the University of Delaware, said the company is the “biggest duplicator” of news content today — pointing to recent research he worked on that looked at how often local TV news used the exact same words in at least 50% on their broadcasts.
Nexstar’s size gives it the most opportunity to syndicate information in this way, Yanich noted, and further duplication seems all but likely as the company looks to “achieve economies of scale,” he added. Nexstar maintained the deal
“The good news for Nexstar is that makes it run at a lower cost rate, which they need to do because there’s all these headwinds on the revenue side.”
Paul Hardart, New York University
will also help it give advertisers a bigger variety of local and national broadcast and digital advertising options. The potential purchase arrives amid wider regulatory shifts. Brendan Carr, the Trump-appointed chairman the Federal Communications Commission, which will need to give the transaction the green light, has long advocated for loosening industry restrictions. On Aug. 7, the FCC announced that it would be repealing 98 broadcast rules and requirements that it identi ed as “obsolete, outdated, or unnecessary.”
Some of those rules date back nearly 50 years, the FCC said, and apply to “old technology that is no longer used.” Carr maintained that such provisions no longer serve public interest.
In late July, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit also vacated the FCC’s “top four” rule, which has long prohibited ownership of more than one of the top four stations in a single market. The ruling is still subject to a monthslong assessment by the FCC but could signi cantly clear the way for future mergers in the industry.
In company earnings calls held in early August, before Tegna and Nexstar publicly con rmed merger talks, both Tegna CEO Michael Steib and Nexstar’s Sook pointed directly to this ruling and applauded Carr’s deregulation agenda as a whole.
“We believe that deregulation is necessary, important and coming,” Steib said in Tegna’s Aug. 7 call, noting that local broadcasters are “up against big tech competitors who have absolutely no encumbrances in how they compete.”
Beyond their core broadcast TV businesses, both Nexstar and Tegna also boast digital news, mobile app and streaming o erings, all of which have played key roles for the industry as consumers change the way they consume news and other entertainment.
Broadcast TV has been hit particularly hard by “cord-cutting,” with more and more households trading their cable or satellite subscriptions into content they can get via the internet.
“The challenge has been recently of ‘cord cutters’ — but the bigger concern is the ‘cord nevers,’ of people who grew up never watching television, or linear television,” said Hardart, noting that most consumers, particularly young people, have just about all the content they want on social media or their phone.
EVAN VUCCI / AP PHOTO
Energy Secretary Chris Wright walks past reporters after doing an interview at the White House on Aug. 19.
EVAN AGOSTINI / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Perry Sook, head of Nexstar Broadcasting Group, attends the 24th Annual Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame Awards in New York.
features
Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here’ turns 50; Brit Floyd pays tribute
The Greensboro audience was given the full experience
By Dan Reeves North State Journal
GREENSBORO — Over the last two decades, an unquenchable thirst for nostalgia has permeated popular culture in almost all mediums, especially music. No matter the city, big or small, or venue, opulent hall or tiny dive bar, the event schedule is guaranteed to have a cover or tribute band on the docket.
Author, essayist and pop culture critic Chuck Klosterman once wrote that tribute bands are “arguably the most universally maligned sector of rock ’n’ roll,” and I agree. Seeing a shirtless grown man swing a microphone around believing he’s Robert Plant is truly saddening. Or worse, yacht rockers dressed in “Love Boat” attire. Still, people love it, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Nostalgia is a powerful drug. I just refuse to fork over $50 or more for a ticket.
Admittedly, I will make a few exceptions. Dark Star Orchestra is extraordinary and recreate the Grateful Dead experience spot-on, but you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a Dead cover band playing at a bar nearby. And of course, the Grateful Dead lives on through Dead & Co., the aforementioned orchestra and countless reiterations.
But what about Pink Floyd? Arguably one of the most impactful and de ning bands of the 20th century and without question the most in uential and eye-opening bolts of lightning to hit me as a kid. The imagery their music and lyrics created was like watching a horror movie between my hands. I was scared of Pink Floyd, and I loved it.
“The Wall,” with its crazed
militaristic overtones, malevolent teachers and kids in revolt, had me hooked. There was no turning back from David Gilmour’s piercing guitar and his voice that could switch from the warmth of a down comforter to a block of ice. Roger Waters was the razor blade, whose sorrow and anger I always thought were coming from two di erent people.
All these impressions were immediately embedded before my rst viewing of the movie “Pink Floyd: The Wall” or seeing the video for “Learning to Fly” on MTV. Before then, I had no idea what they looked like. As a kid, the striking iconography of animated marching hammers or the giant disc and ying pig — symbols of their famously laser-heavy live performances — provided a sensory overload I couldn’t get enough of.
When they played at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh in 1994, I was 13. This was my
From ‘The Bear’ to the big screen: writer tackles celebrity in new lm
“Lurker” is in theaters now
By Lindsey Bahr
The Associated Press
FANDOM is a funny thing in the age of social media. Spend enough time scrolling and it’s easy to feel like you really know a celebrity and all their friends. The new lm “Lurker,” a Sundance breakout in theaters now, explores the question of what might happen if a certain type of fan got a foot in the door, and what they might do to stay there.
Archie Madekwe’s Oliver hardly knows what’s coming when he walks into a trendy Los Angeles clothing shop. A rising music star, Oliver seems already accustomed to a certain amount of attention wherever he goes, with asks for sel es and autographs just part of the deal. So of course he’s taken aback when one of the employees, Théodore Pellerin’s Matthew, doesn’t seem to know or care who he is. Oliver doesn’t see that it’s an act and is soon asking this stranger to come around and hang with his entourage.
“At the beginning, Matthew thinks Oliver has this God-given place of celebrity and success,” Pellerin said. “He quickly understands that he will have
to give things to serve a certain purpose in Oliver’s world and his ego. But also that they’re not dissimilar. They’re both playing by a certain rule book that is written by Oliver. If the power becomes Matthew’s, he can also write the rules.”
Hot script, rst-time lmmaker
The lm is the directorial debut of Alex Russell, whose own star is rising. He wrote “Forks,” widely considered one of the best episodes of “The Bear,” and won an Emmy for co-executive producing the Net ix series “Beef.” His script for “Lurker,” which he wrote sort of as a challenge for himself during COVID-19 lockdowns, immediately became a hot commodity. Madekwe remembers being bummed when he didn’t hear back after he put himself on tape to play the hanger-on.
A few years later, Madekwe’s agent called and said Russell wanted to meet him. Not for Matthew, but for Oliver.
“I had to completely rethink the lm and the structure and what it was about,” Madekwe said. “But it was most daunting to imagine myself needing to go and meet Alex and convince him that I could play some-
chance. But my mother, to quote her exactly, said, “Absolutely not! I heard they ‘main rail’ drugs on stage.” I’m not sure what main railing drugs means or looks like, but she had a point: I had no business attending a Pink Floyd show at that age. I missed my only chance but dived deeper into their story that inspired the music: how founding member Syd Barrett went insane and what “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” really meant, and the glaring metaphor of “The Wall.” When I was in my 30s, Roger Waters brought his “The Wall: Live” tour to Raleigh. It was visually and conceptually mind-blowing (to put it crudely). But by that time, I knew too much about his ego and politics, which I didn’t agree or disagree with but certainly didn’t appreciate having shoved down my throat during what I saw as my chance to experience Pink Floyd. In some ways, I grew out
of Pink Floyd but never let go and remained in awe. Word of a band — sigh, another tribute band — came across my radar called Brit Floyd, which I dismissed at rst but, after some research, decided I would see what they were all about. It could be my chance to get as close to the Pink Floyd experience as possible.
The Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts in Greensboro is architecturally out tted to experience live music or stage productions of any type with the highest visual and auditory quality, so I knew it was the right place to give Brit Floyd a shot. Sunday night, the “Wish You Were Here: 50th Anniversary Tour,” led by multi-instrumentalist and musical director Damian Darlington, backed by at least 10 band members, delivered to a mesmerized audience the closest one could ever get to the Pink Floyd experience. Over two sets, with the icon-
MATT LICARI / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Alex Russell, from left, Archie Madekewe and Theodore Pellerin pose to promote “Lurker,” a new lm by Alex Russell, on Aug. 18 in New York.
“My goal was to get what I felt like were underrated actors. People who could come in and really hit it out of the park.”
Alex Russell
body like this cool character.” He needn’t have been so worried. Unbeknownst to Madekwe, Russell had been doing some stealth behind-the-scenes work. After someone recommended his name, Russell saw Madekwe in a co ee shop one day and just watched him for 20 minutes. His conclusion: This is Oliver.
Charmed production of young creatives
Russell was cognizant of the limitations he was faced with as a rst-time director making an independent lm, where things like casting and hiring are often rushed.
ic lunar disk ashing images and the animated language singular to Pink Floyd looming behind them, Brit Floyd performed with three female vocalists, a percussion section the size of a jungle gym and a drummer with an equally ample kit. A throned keyboardist was surrounded by the required synths and organ, and two guitarists — with Darlington taking lap steel guitar duties. The lighting director was as much a member as the players on stage, ooding the 3,000-seat venue with the colors and symbols of Pink Floyd’s canon in sync with every note.
The rst set covered as much as time would allow — “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2,” “Time” and “The Great Gig in the Sky,” to name a few. The tribute was evident, and the nostalgia played its part to many. But as Brit Floyd closed the rst act with “Pigs (Three Di erent Ones),” the sheer talent of each player took center stage. Yes, they are a tribute band, but on their own two feet, a combo of phenomenal musicians shined through.
“Wish You Were Here,” Pink Floyd’s 1975 release, turns 50 in September, and to honor the occasion, Brit Floyd played it in its entirety. “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” “Have a Cigar” were stunningly executed. When the ominous “Welcome to the Machine” began, I turned to my friend and said, “I’m still so scared of Pink Floyd.” When the opening notes to the song “Wish You Were Here” rang out, a moment of catharsis infected the Tanger Center. Young and old, every single person in attendance felt it. Instead of lighters, cell phones lled the room. What Pink Floyd meant to the audience Sunday night represented a microcosm of the band’s in uence on the world, including the now 44-year-old who nally got to come as close as I could to the live experience. Comparatively speaking, the Tanger Center isn’t Carter-Finley Stadium, and Brit Floyd isn’t Pink Floyd. But the purity with which they’ve managed to compact and present the sound, mystique and visual landscape of such a legendary musical behemoth deserves a label better than “tribute band.”
“Then people would look at this movie and be like, ‘Wow, they really took a step up here,” he said. “That’s kind of where you can punch above your weight if you’re making your rst movie and don’t have a huge budget.”
It wasn’t just his leads either but the full ensemble, including Sunny Suljic, Havana Rose Liu, Zack Fox and Daniel Zolghadri — faces you might recognize but names you might not yet know. Putting it together was hard work, with strict limits on budget and time, but Russell said the experience of “Lurker” was charmed nonetheless.
“It’s only because I got so lucky with decisions I made early on with casting and hiring,” he said. “So much of it is like I’m just a kid with a screenplay and everyone else has to be really good at their job.”
When it came to directing the actors, he had a simple litmus test: “Do I believe it?
Russell’s friends in the music world would often ome around set, giving the o camera times a bit of a meta quality.
“It didn’t feel a little like the movie sometimes, like just like a group of like young creatives,” Pellerin said. “There was a real LA lm and music scene that was very present. That was helpful for me — it was like the fun aspect of the movie, not the hard-core humiliation.”
Many involved describe the process as uniquely collaborative. Madekwe also stepped up as a producer, which wasn’t just a vanity title. He was actually involved in many major creative decisions, including recommending Suljic, who he’d just worked with on a music video, and nding locations and some of the music for the lm, including a song called “Love and Obsession,” written by Rex Orange County.
Obsessive thriller for parasocial age
“It’s an incredibly important lm for now,” Madekwe said. “The relationship that we have with people that we don’t know. I think that conversation is really interesting and exciting. But most importantly, I think it’s really exciting to be at the beginning of Alex Russell’s career and to invest into a lmmaker that I think is gonna be making incredible lms for a very long time.”
The power shifting power dynamics between Matthew and Oliver aren’t just relevant to celebrities and hangers on. It could apply to any group of friends.
As Russell explained: “You get a text from your new shiny friend and a text from your old friend: Who do you text back rst?”
“You’re watching the monitor and like, ‘Do I buy that?’ Because everyone else is going to have to,” he said. “I just think my cast was very good. I didn’t have to force any performance.”
DAN REEVES / NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Pink Floyd tribute band Brit Floyd performed at the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts in Greensboro last Sunday.
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ hits theaters, transforms into cultural phenomenon
The hit sing-along event was the highest showing of any movie over the weekend
By Bob Garver The Sun
THIS PAST weekend’s biggest big-screen hit didn’t go straight to the big screen. Animated actioner “KPop Demon Hunters” premiered in June on Net ix, reportedly racking up more than 180 million views in its rst eight weeks. A special one-weekend-only “Sing-Along” version of the lm was released to select theaters this past Saturday and Sunday, taking in an estimated $18 million. A haul like that warrants a review, even though the theatrical “Sing-Along” version is not scheduled to play beyond its speci ed engagement (plans could always change, of course). This review is based on the Netix version of the lm, which is how it will be available for the foreseeable future. Sorry, but I just can’t take “it gives the sold- out theater a raucous party atmosphere” into account on this one.
cutesy Zoey (Ji-young Yoo), split their time between being the biggest popstars in the world and ghting the occasional demons that make it through the Honmoon. With the rise in population and social media in recent years, their music may soon be heard by a wide enough audience to permanently fortify the Honmoon and keep demons away forever. Rumi looks forward to the day when demons are no longer a threat to humanity because then she won’t have to worry about the world freaking out upon learning that she’s half-demon. Until then, it has to remain her shameful secret, even to her best friends.
The premise is that demons once had run of the Earth, sucking out people’s souls whenever they wanted. A team of erce Korean warriors found a way to banish the demons to the underworld using their voices, creating a shield called a Honmoon through which most of
them could never pass, and the few that could get in could be fought o by the warriors and the people they inspired with their singing. The tradition of singing warriors passed down through the generations with the current incarnation being a KPop girl group called Huntrix.
The members of Huntrix, leader Rumi (Arden Cho), hardened Mira (May Hong) and
Demon leader Gwi-Ma (Lee Byung-hun), having gotten nowhere for centuries by sending up occasional vicious demons to battle the hunters, takes a suggestion from long-su ering musician demon Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop) to send up seemingly benevolent K-pop boy band Saja Boys. The group, led by Jinu himself, is tasked with stealing fans away from Huntrix so Gwi-Ma can greedily feast on their souls. A professional rivalry ensues, eventually evolving into a battle for the universe.
The lm is very much setting itself up as the rst chapter in a long series. Future installments will no doubt esh out the back-
stories of the members of Huntrix, especially Rumi and her half-demon heritage. Normally I’d complain about the lm getting too cocky in assuming that there will be future installments, but its success is already established, and it was probably a safe bet that a property with this wide-appealing subject matter was going to be a hit anyway. How was my introduction to “KPop Demon Hunters”? OK, I guess. The human vs. demon action isn’t particularly memorable, and while I know I’m going to get in trouble for saying this, I wasn’t crazy about the songs. It’s not unusual for a good KPop song to turn me into a zombie fanboy before it’s through the rst chorus, but something, maybe the wordiness, kept these songs from having that e ect on me. But I did like the personalities of the main characters and the way they played o each other and the Saja Boys. Plus, there are some good visual gags courtesy of some of the animation team behind those inspired “Spider-verse” movies. I don’t like the property enough to stay with it if its success drops o , but as long as it stays successful, I’ll enjoy its success.
Grade: B-
Marton Fucsovics wins Winston-Salem Open, B3
the Thursday SIDELINE REPORT
NCAA FOOTBALL
Mosley rushes for 180 yards in NC Central’s 31-14 win over Southern
Atlanta
Chris Mosley ran for a career-high 180 yards, the NC Central defense didn’t allow a point in the second half, and the Eagles defeated Southern 31-14 in the season-opening MEAC/SWAC Challenge
Kicko . Mosley had a 49-yard touchdown run to give Central a 17-14 halftime lead. In the second half, NCCU cashed in on a Walker Harris touchdown pass to Kyle Morgan and an Aleni Mageo’s 6-yard touchdown run.
MLB
Raleigh sets MLB season home run mark for catchers
Seattle Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh hit his major league-leading 48th and 49th home runs against the Athletics, setting a single-season record for catchers and passing Salvador Perez’s total with the Kansas City Royals in 2021. The Cullowhee native’s record-breaking home run also marked his ninth multihome run game of the season, passing Mickey Mantle for most multi-home run games by a switch-hitter in a season.
LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL
Taiwan shuts out
Nevada 7- 0, wins rst Little League World Series title since 1996
Williamsport, Pa.
Lin Chin-Tse retired the rst 13 batters he faced and allowed one hit in ve innings as Taiwan beat Nevada 7-0 in the Little League World Series championship, ending a 29-year title drought for the Taiwanese. Its 18 titles are the most of any country beside the United States, including ve straight from 1977 to 1981. Nevada was appearing in its rst championship game.
Tar Heels looking to bring better product to Kenan Stadium this fall
Bill Belichick is hoping to point UNC football in the right direction
By Asheebo Rojas North State Journal
AS THE CALENDAR turns from week zero to week one, UNC’s monthslong anticipation can nally come to an end.
Tar Heel fans will nally get to see the beginning of the Bill Belichick era as his team hosts TCU under the bright lights Monday at 8 p.m.
Before expectations are played out on the eld and not on paper, here’s one last preseason outlook for Carolina football.
Last year: The Tar Heels’ 2024 campaign was another year during which the talent didn’t match the results, leading to a a disappointing end to the Mack Brown 2.0 era. UNC
went 6-7, including a 3-4 record at home (its worst home record since 2018), and lost three straight games to end the season.
Changes and newcomers: There isn’t much that’s not new with UNC. The Tar Heels brought in a completely new coaching sta except for Freddie Kitchens, who will take over as the o ensive coordinator this fall. Steve Belichick will be the defensive coordinator after one season with the same title at Washington. On the player level, UNC brought in more than 40 transfers with nearly 50 players transferring out of the program. Notable players from last year such as linebacker Amare Campbell, receiver Gavin Blackwell, edge rusher Beau Atkinson, defensive lineman Travis Shaw and the two quarterbacks, Jacolby Criswell and Conner Harrell are playing elsewhere this fall.
to watch: Regarding transfers, defensive back Thaddeus Dixon is a familiar face from Stephen Belichick’s Washington defense who can do big things this fall.
East Carolina wants to keep good times rolling in 2025
A midseason coaching change triggered an epic run last year
By Shawn Krest North State Journal
THIS SEASON is picking up right where the last one left o . For East Carolina, that’s the best possible news.
ECU saw a rebirth in the second half of the 2024 campaign, ending with a bowl win over NC State. Those same two teams open the 2025 season, and the Pirates hope this will be the fth quarter of that game.
Last year: It was shaping up to be a season to forget in Greenville. ECU had lost four of ve, including a 55-24 boatrace in Charlotte and an embarrassing 17-point loss at Army. The Pirates made a change at coach and won four straight, ending the season on a 5-1 run and nding themselves a future.
Changes and newcomers: Former defensive coordinator Blake Harrell has the full-time coaching gig after one of the best interim performances in recent memory.
Leading rusher Rahjai Harris is gone after gaining 1,166 yards and scoring 11 touchdowns last year. He had 3,096 yards and 29 scores in ve years with the Pirates. Second-lead-
Gio Lopez, a transfer from South
ing receiver Chase Sowell (34 catches, 678 yards) is also gone, via the portal, to Iowa State. Jaquaize Pettaway is likely the top incoming transfer. The former Oklahoma Sooner leads a group of incoming receivers that also includes Tyler Johnson (Penn State) and Payton Mangrum (South Carolina). The defense also adds transfers at every level, led by a pair of Houston Cougars in lineman Justin Benton and safety (and previous ECU Pirate) Teagan Wilk.
Players to watch: ECU’s midseason turnaround was led by the o ense, and, for the most part, the key contributors return. Quarterback Katin Houser threw for 2,006 yards and 18 scores in a little over half a season as starter. He also showed some dual-threat wheels in the bowl game, running for 84 yards and two scores against State.
Anthony Smith, last year’s top receiver, is back, joined by Yannick Smith. The two Smiths combined for 66 catches, 1,233 yards and nine touchdowns. There are plenty of candidates to replace Harris at running back, with three ball carriers on
Players
Dixon is a versatile corner who brings veteran leadership and championship experience.
See UNC, page B3
NELL REDMOND / AP PHOTO
East Carolina’s turnaround came when Katin Houser stepped in as starting quarterback.
CHRIS SEWARD / AP PHOTO
UNC wide receiver Kobe Paysour (8) celebrates a touchdown last season against Syracuse. The returning playmaker is one of the few parts of the program that isn’t brand new.
MATTHEW HINTON / AP PHOTO
Quarterback Gio Lopez throws for South Alabama in a game last season. He’’ll be throwing passes for UNC this fall.
THURSDAY
8.28.25
TRENDING
Ryan Browne:
The only quarterback on the Purdue depth chart who was with the Boilermakers last season was named the starter by coach Barry Odom Browne made two starts last season but also had the shortest amount of time to learn Odom’s playbook Browne transferred to UNC in the spring before deciding to return to Purdue Browne beat out three transfers for the job
Humpy Wheeler:
The pioneering motorsports promoter and former president of Charlotte Motor Speedway died of natural causes surrounded by family at 86 Known as the “P.T Barnum of motorsports ” Wheeler transformed CMS into a must-visit racing and entertainment complex Earlier this year, Wheeler won NASCAR s Landmark Award and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame next year
Carson Wentz:
The Raleigh-born former No. 2 draft pick is back in the NFL The Minnesota Vikings signed Wentz to back up quarterback J J McCarthy and traded former UNC passer Sam Howell to the Philadelphia Eagles The reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles are sending -round pick and 2027 seventh-rounder to Minnesota for Howell and a 2027 sixth-rounder
Beyond the box score
POTENT QUOTABLES
“I’ve
accomplished a lot of them, but there’s still meat on the bone ”
NC State football coach Dave Doeren on his goals at with the Wolfpack
UNC defensive back Thaddeus Dixon on the impact of coach Bill Belichick (pictured).
NASCAR Ryan Blaney won a thr illing race at Day tona International Speedway, secur ing hopes alive Blaney was 13th w ith t wo laps lef t but surged ahead to w in by a
Team Penske and Ford
Auburn w ill retire former quar terback Cam New ton’s No 2 jersey at a home game against Georg ia on Oct 11 New ton won the Heisman Trophy w ith the Tigers in 2010 He w ill become the four th player in program histor y to receive the honor, joining Pat Sullivan (No 7), Bo Jackson (No 34) and Terr y Beasley No 88)
Taylor Moton is stay ing in Carolina The Panthers announced they’ve signed the right tack le to a two-year contract ex tension, keeping him w ith the team through 2027 Moton w ill make $44 million, including $40 million g uaranteed. The Panthers under contract through 2026
Percentage of times in 50 simulations of the upcoming college football season r un by Fox Spor ts that the Duke Blue Dev ils won the national championship Duke was one of 16 teams w ith at least one E A Spor ts simulated title Clemson, G eorg ia and Penn State won most of ten, at 16% each
major leag ue star ts last week, Nolan McLean showed he’s no ordinar y rookie The Willow Spr ing native and Garner High graduate moved to 2- 0 for the Mets w ith a w in over the Atlanta Braves Manager Carlos Mendoza was impressed that McLean was so composed while pitching in Atlanta , the team McLean cheered for while grow ing up
Appalachian State heading into 2025 season with plethora of new faces
After su ering their rst losing FBS season, the Mountaineers are looking to bounce back
By Ryan Henkel North State Journal
APPALACHIAN STATE will be looking to bounce back after su ering its rst losing season since joining FBS in 2014.
There’s been a lot of turnover this o season for the Mountaineers, who have not only a new coaching sta but also a lot of new faces on the eld.
Here’s how Appalachian State looks heading into the 2025 college football season.
Last year: It was a disappointing 2024 season for Appalachian State as the Mountaineers nished with their rst losing record since 2013.
With a porous defense and an inconsistent o ense, Appalachian State nished 5-6 and did not qualify for a bowl game, resulting in the ring of fth-year head coach Shawn Clark.
Changes and newcomers:
The Mountaineers have a new head coach at the helm as former South Carolina o ensive coordinator Dowell Loggains has taken over the program.
Loggains brings nearly 20 years of coaching experience, having also spent a proli c
Then-LSU quarterback AJ Swann (15) reacts to a play on the sideline last season. Now with App State, Swann will likely be on the eld for big moments.
amount of time as a playcaller in the NFL.
Along with Loggains, App State also brought back former Mountaineer linebacker D.J. Smith, who played in Boone from 2007-11, as defensive coordinator.
Outside of the coaching sta , Appalachian State is looking at virtually an entirely new team as the program lost a ton of talent to the transfer portal. App State saw the arrival
of more than 30 transfers this season with additions at nearly every position, especially on defense, which has just three returning starters.
Players to watch: While the Mountaineers certainly lost a lot of talent this o season, there are still a few interesting pieces.
A big piece coming into the depleted receiving corp is Austin Peay transfer Jaden Barnes, who had more than 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns
last year for the Governors. There will also be a new playcaller under center for the Mountaineers, and it will likely be LSU transfer AJ Swann.
The junior quarterback was the Tigers’ backup last season after having spent two years with Vanderbilt (2,700 yards, 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions).
Couple them with a rebuilt running game focused on a healthy returning Kanye Roberts and Arkansas transfer Rashod Dubinion, and App State should have a much more balanced o ensive product this season.
Biggest strength: The offensive side of the ball should still be a strength for the Mountaineers, who led the Sun Belt in passing yards per game last season despite the down year.
Even though App State lost a few key pieces of that o ense (quarterback Joey Aguilar, receivers Kaedin Robinson and Makai Jackson, and tight end Eli Wilson), there is still a lot to like with the incoming pieces and the experience Loggains has in that area of the game.
Biggest worry: Last season, the Mountaineers struggled to win the turnover battle.
There was a distinct lack of big plays in the secondary — App State had just four interceptions on the year — and while the front end did manage
Fucsovics survives nal set stumble to claim Winston-Salem Open singles title
Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo staged a comeback to claim the doubles title
By Jesse Deal North State Journal
WINSTON-SALEM — The
Winston-Salem Open, an annual ATP 250 men’s tennis tournament for the past 15 years and the nal tune-up before the U.S. Open, wrapped up last Saturday at the Wake Forest University Tennis Complex.
For the rst time since 2021, the event crowned unseeded champions in both singles and doubles.
Hungarian veteran Marton Fucsovics captured the singles championship, while the Brazilian duo of Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo claimed the doubles title in the weeklong event that featured 48 singles players and 16 doubles teams.
Fucsovics — now ranked 63rd globally — fought hard to claim his third career ATP title as he overcame a comeback e ort from Botic van de Zandschulp (No. 73) in Saturday’s nal.
Fucsovics appeared to have the nal in hand after racing ahead 6-3, 5-1, but a double fault on match point at 5-2 opened the door for Van de Zandschulp. The 29-year-old Dutchman surged back and held a set point at 6-5, putting the 33-year-old Hungari-
UNC from page B1
Alabama, is another player to watch as he battles for the starting quarterback position. Sophomores Jordan Shipp and Davion Gause are returners to look out for as they could have breakout years. Shipp, a receiver, showed promising ashes as all but two of his receptions from last season went for over 10 yards. Gause played behind a rst-round pick in Omarion Hampton in 2024 and exploded for 105 yards and a touchdown against Charlotte as a freshman. Redshirt senior Kobe Paysour is a veteran receiver who could again have a signi cant impact on the Tar Heels’ o ense. He hauled in 365 receiving yards last year after a
an on the brink of a collapse.
However, Fucsovics steadied under pressure, forcing a tiebreak and capitalizing as Van de Zandschulp piled up errors to seal a 6-3, 7-6 (3) win for his rst career title on hard courts.
The victory was Fucsovics’ rst ATP singles title since winning the Bucharest Open in 2024 and only the third of his career, following his 2018 triumph at the Geneva Open.
“I’m speechless — I’ve had a long career, a couple of trophies,” Fucsovics said. “Actually, this is my third. I’m 33 and a half years old. I belong to the older generation, but I’m still here winning an ATP 250. I will keep on ghting. I’m enjoying tennis right now, and I’m going to play as long as I can. I love this sport, so it’s very emotional for me.”
In the semi nals leading up to the championship match, Fucsovics advanced after 11th-seeded Sebastian Korda (No. 75) withdrew due to an illness, while Van de Zandschulp defeated ninth-seeded Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (No. 37) 6-4, 7-5.
“This is tennis. We have to be able to learn to deal with these situations,” Fucsovics said of the title match’s close call after being up 5-1 in the second set.
“Sometimes you are up, sometimes you are down. There is a roller coaster on each match. It depends how big the ups and downs are. But you have to stay solid, focus on the next point and
to force a few turnovers, with nine fumble recoveries, it could do little against the run.
If the defense can’t nd a way to make stops and ip the eld, there’s little hope for the Mountaineers to have a successful season.
Best case: There are no Power Four programs on the schedule this season, so if the Mountaineers can nd their footing early, then getting back to bowl contention shouldn’t be too hard.
And nothing brings a group together like winning, so if Appalachian State can get some mojo in the rst few games on the schedule (Charlotte, Lindenwood, Southern Miss), then just maybe it can nd a bit of magic for the biggest games on the docket (Boise State, Oregon State, JMU).
Worst case: Growing pains are to be expected with as much turnover as the Mountaineers saw, and this could be a long year of feeling and guring things out.
Loggains has also never been a head coach before, and the team is going to be elding a group with essentially no continuity or familiarity.
There are no easy games in college football, and it could be a long season if this group can’t nd a way to mesh.
Outlook: Appalachian State isn’t too used to losing. After having been an FCS powerhouse, the Mountaineers carried over their success to the FBS and were consistently a winning program until last season.
There’s a lot of pride on the line for App State, but plenty will have to go right for all the new pieces to nd a quick t.
under pressure to secure their second trophy of the year after a victory in Rio de Janeiro back in February.
For Melo, 41, the victory marked his 40th career tour-level doubles title, showcasing his longevity in the sport. Matos, 29, is continuing to rise as one of Brazil’s top doubles players, adding to a resume that includes the 2023 Australian Open mixed doubles title and a growing collection of ATP trophies.
“It means a lot. I think we had a great week since the rst match,” Melo said. “I think we played very good in every single match. Today was not the start we wanted, but we could take everything from the rst matches to turn this match for us.”
In the doubles semis, Melo and Matos took down second-seeded Michael Venus and Yuki Bhambri 6 -7 (4), 6 -2, 13-11, while Lucas Miedler and Francisco Cabral advanced after the top seed pairing of Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski withdrew (reason unspeci ed).
“We had some good weeks this year, but we had some ups and downs also,” Matos said. “It’s important to do this a week before a Grand Slam, a good week to be there preparing.”
UNC opponent ranked in the preseason AP poll
season-ending injury in 2023. Biggest strength: UNC’s biggest strength will be its coaching sta and the preparedness that comes with it. The Tar Heels have plenty of NFL coaching experience that can provide schematic advantages and squeeze more potential out of the roster. That preparedness also comes with the experience UNC has in crucial positions such as quarterback,
try to win the match as you can.” Van de Zandschulp didn’t make it easy for Fucsovics, who is now the second-oldest champion in Winston-Salem Open history, behind Adrian Mannarino, who won the title at age 34 in 2022.
receiver and defensive back.
Biggest worry: A big question is just how talented this UNC team is. According to 247Sports, the Tar Heels have the nation’s ninth-best transfer portal cohort coming into the season, but at the same time, it has one of the largest groups of transfers. Although it includes starters, there are not many big names that have come in, leaving a lot to be proven and a worry about UNC’s chances against elite teams such as Clemson.
Best case: UNC has a favorable schedule for its rst season under Belichick with Clemson (No. 4) being the only opponent ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 poll. It also avoids the other projected ACC contenders in Miami, SMU, Geor-
Over in the doubles bracket, Matos and Melo, now No. 17 in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, overcame a set de cit to topple third-seeded Francisco Cabral and Lucas Miedler 4 - 6, 6 - 4, 10 -8 in a 93-minute title match, rallying
gia Tech and Louisville. The best case for the Tar Heels is getting through its nonconference schedule without a hiccup and taking its rst loss to Clemson on Oct. 4. A win would be the very best, but a close defeat could still serve well for any postseason possibilities. From there, UNC would win out until its battle against Duke and nish strong at NC State, ending the year with a best-case record of 10-2.
Worst case: The worst case for UNC will be to struggle through its ACC schedule. Although they’re projected to nish well below the Tar Heels in the preseason poll, teams like Virginia, Wake Forest and NC State have been tight battles and trap games that haven’t
The Winston-Salem Open will return to the Wake Forest University Tennis Complex again next year with a start date of Aug. 16, 2026. Since moving to Winston-Salem in 2011, the tournament has built a reputation for top-notch facilities and a player-friendly atmosphere. It was recognized in 2016 as the ATP 250 Tournament of the Year, honoring its status as one of the premier stops in the U.S. Open Series.
helped UNC’s resume. Syracuse, Wake Forest and NC State will be games worth caution because they’re on the road. If UNC isn’t careful, it’s worst case could be a 6-6 nish and a low-pro le bowl game.
Outlook: UNC likely won’t go undefeated nor make the College Football Playo right away, but it will set a higher bar for what to expect as a program. With its experience and coaching, the Tar Heels can win more than six games and earn a bowl win — just not more than that. Overall, one can expect a better football product in this rst year of the Belichick era, especially on the defensive end where the Tar Heels have heavily struggled the past few years.
TYLER KAUFMAN / AP PHOTO
GUSTAVO GARELLO / AP PHOTO
Brazil’s Rafael Matos, left, and teammate Marcelo Melo react after losing a point during a match in Argentina earlier this year. The duo won the doubles draw at the Winston-Salem Open.
Everything new in ’25 for Charlotte
Only a few players return after wholesale o season changes
By Shawn Krest North State Journal
WE’RE HAPPY to report that the NASCAR Hall of Fame is still in Charlotte. Bank of America Stadium is also still in town. Carowinds, Lake Norman State Park — both where they should be.
We did a quick drive around the area to make sure because after looking at the Charlotte 49ers football team, we thought everything might be gone. Perhaps, after a busy few months in the portal, we now had the St. Louis Arch, the Riverwalk and South of the Border.
It’s impossible to tell whether the last 49er to leave turned out the lights, but the spotlight is now shining on a new era of Charlotte football.
Last year: Charlotte got behind the eight ball early, losing to James Madison, UNC and Indiana in its rst four games. A four-game skid later in the year, during which the 49ers were outscored by a combined 177-72, cost coach Bi Poggi his job. Interim coach Tim Brewster won the nal two games to nish a 5-7 campaign, the fth losing season in a row for the 49ers.
Changes and newcomers: Quite simply, it’s all changes and newcomers. One o ensive starter returns — center Jonny King — along with ve on defense. Tim Albin, who led Ohio to the MAC title, takes over as coach. He had three 10win seasons and two coach of the year awards in four years.
Albin brought more than a half-dozen Ohio assistants with him, led by defensive coordinator Nate Faanes. He also brought nine Ohio players, including linebacker and team captain Shay Taylor.
Charlotte had the third-ranked transfer class in the American Conference, inclduing former UNC quarterback Connor Harrell, who is expected to start ahead of Grayson Loftis (Duke) and Zach Wilcke (Southern Miss).
The 49ers also have new uniforms and are renovating their stadium.
Players to watch: In addi-
Plenty of newcomers for Demon Deacons
A new coach, new o ense and 35 transfers give Wake a di erent look
By Shawn Krest North State Journal
WAKE FOREST coach Jake Dickert has heard all your numbers. He has some numbers of his own.
Yes, Wake might have the smallest enrollment of any power conference school. Yes, the Demon Deacons might be picked to nish 16th in the 17-team ACC.
But let Dickert hit you with some digits.
There’s 146 — Wake’s win total since the year 2000. There’s four — the number of ACC teams in the state — 40 and one.
“We are the winningest football program in the state of North Carolina this century,” he said. “We’re the only one in the last 40 years to win an ACC championship. We have 19 players that are going to start their NFL journey this fall, and just excited to build on the success that’s been laid before us.”
Last year: Wake went 4-8 — the second season in a row with that record after six winning seasons in seven years. The Demon Deacons won three of four in October, including wins over bowl-bound UConn and NC State but then closed the year with four straight losses to miss the postseason in back-to-back years after seven straight bowl bids.
Changes and newcom-
ECU from page B1
the watch list for the Doak Walker Award for top college running back: London Montgomery (359 yards), Marlon Gunn (224) and Parker Jenkins (498 in two years at Houston). On defense, JD Lampley is an all-conference defensive end. Safety Ja’Marley Riddle could join him on this year’s All-AAC squad.
Biggest strength: The offense carried ECU last season.
ers: The biggest change came in mid-December when Dave Clawson stepped down after 11 seasons as head coach. That also meant the departure of Wake’s unique slow-mesh o ense that, despite its odd look, rewrote the school record book. Wake went from one of the ACC’s coaching old guard to Jake Dickert, who just turned 42 during fall camp. He arrives from Washington State, where he earned three bowl bids in four years, including an 8-4 campaign last year.
Dickert added 35 transfers, including receivers Carlos Hernandez and Chris Barnes, offensive linemen Fa’alili Fa’amoe, Devin Kylany, Rodrick Tialavea and AJ Hasson, who all followed Dickert from Washington State.
Players to watch: Quarterback Robby Ashford won the starting job. The sixth-year senior previously played for Oregon, Auburn and South Carolina.
“Robby right now, there’s a tough physical guy in there,” Dickert said. “There’s a guy that plays with a chip on his shoulder. There’s a guy that has always competed, no matter what situation we put him in. And excited for him to take the next step.”
Wake also has a core of returning players it will lean on. Leading rusher Demond Claiborne ran for 1,049 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. Safety Nick Anderson earned national attention with three interceptions in one game as a freshman, back in 2020.
Biggest strength: The offensive skill positions are im-
The Pirates averaged 32 points — 38.2 points per game after the coaching change — and were No. 24 in the country in yardage. A full year with Houser, and the increased number of targets available to him, could push those numbers even higher. The defense also had big moments. It was among the top teams in tackles for loss and takeaways and was top-15 in the red zone.
Biggest worry: When it wasn’t providing highlight plays,
Returning starters on both sides of the ball and special teams, combined
tion to King, Henry Rutledge is a returning 49er who should have an impact on o ense. He has never run for more than 174 yards in a season, but the senior return specialist will be the main running back option after Charlotte lost all three
of last season’s top rushers to the portal. Don Chaney, formerly of Miami and Louisville, was expected to start, but he was removed from the roster in July. “Don Chaney is no longer a member of our football program. We wish him well in his future endeavors,” was the only explanation from the school.
Linebacker Reid Williford and safety Ja’Qurious Conley, both seniors, are returning stars on defense. Williford led the team in tackles last year. Among the newcomers, tight end Jake Young (Western Carolina), receiver Jayden McGowan (Boston College), line -
backer Gavin Willis (Bucknell) and defensive lineman Braden Mullen (Dartmouth) should have an impact. Willis had 129 tackles last season, which would have led Charlotte by 50. Biggest strength: It’s tough to say what the strength of the team will be. The element of surprise, perhaps? No one knows what to expect from this accumulation of talent. Given the large number of Ohio coaches and players, it’s possible chemistry might be a surprise early strength. Albin, a rising star in the coaching ranks, is also a strength.
Biggest worry: Expectations are low for the season, so there aren’t many things keeping fans up at night. The biggest source of anxiety might be how long the school can hang onto Albin before a program in a bigger conference backs up the armored truck.
Best case: The opener against an App State team that is expected to be down is winnable. If the skill players on offense can hit some big plays, Charlotte may surprise people early (Maybe even UNC, in Charlotte, in Week 2?) A bowl bid might be a stretch goal, but the hopes of one will last deeper into the season than expected.
Worst case: Charlotte has App, UNC and Georgia on the schedule, with the former two coming in the rst two games. A team full of newcomers and cast o s may take a hit to its con dence that’s tough to recover from. With ECU looking to avenge a lopsided Charlotte win that got its coach red last year, the nal month of the schedule looks brutal.
Outlook: It will be a roller coaster. All the new faces will be inconsistent, but the highs will give fans the assurance that Albin has the program headed in the right direction.
pressive, with several imported receivers and a new passer joining Claiborne’s running attack. The line is new, but many of the newcomers played together under Dickert, so things could come together quickly. With an o ensive coach rebuilding Clawson’s scheme on that side of the ball, the defense saw much less turnover and turmoil.
Biggest worry: The defense needed work after struggling last year. Eight Wake opponents completed at least two thirds of their passes, and the Demon Deacons had the second-worst completion rate allowed in the nation. Wake struggled to pressure the quarterback as well. Dickert brought in four pass rushers by transfer and will rely on returning players improving
the defense was a trouble spot. It ranked 100th in yards allowed and 83rd in scoring.
For all the positives on offense, the biggest Achilles heel might have been ball security. Houser threw 11 picks in a half season, and ECU had six more interceptions than any other team in the country.
Best case: ECU keeps the train rolling with a second win over State in as many games.
Houser is able to reduce his turnover total while keeping
“We are the winningest football program in the state of North Carolina this century.”
Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert
with experience at linebacker and in the secondary.
Best case: The schedule maker had Wake’s back. The Demon Deacons play their rst month of the season at home and play 10 of 12 in N.C or Virginia. The two signi cant trips are to Oregon State (5-7 in 2024) and Florida State (2-10). If Wake can win September home games against NC State and Georgia
the o ense as explosive as it was down the stretch. The defense is able to get big plays while improving on a down-to-down basis. Trips to Coastal Carolina and Tulane are trouble, but the rest of the schedule is manageable, and ECU is chasing an eight-to-nine-win season down the stretch.
Worst case: State gets its revenge, and a physical, emotional opener has ECU looking for a spark in the early season. Coastal, BYU and Army in
Tech, it will match last year’s win total before playing a road game. An eight-win season is not out of the question.
Worst case: The worst case is pretty much what the voters in the ACC preseason poll called for. The o ense is forced to lean too hard on Claiborne, who wears down or misses time, and the defense is still not up to snu . With Kennesaw State, Western Carolina and Delaware on the slate, the oor is likely three wins.
Outlook: Wake is good enough to spring some upsets. State, UNC, FSU and Oregon State are all vulnerable. UVA, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech could also have bad days. Wake should be playing November games with bowl hopes still alive.
consecutive weeks have the Pirates sitting at 1-4 with a trip to Tulane looming. The defense can’t match its takeaway prowess of 2024 and struggles with consistency. ECU may be in the position of having to win out in November to have hopes of returning to a bowl game.
Outlook: If ECU can get a couple high-pro le upsets in its pre-bye quintent of games, the Pirates should be able to return to the postseason with a comfortable seven-to-eight-win year.
CARLOS OSORIO / AP PHOTO
Coach Tim Albin arrives from Ohio with a clean slate as Charlotte makes wholesale changes.
LYNNE SLADKY / AP PHOTO
Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne is all smiles after scoring a touchdown against Miami last year.
CUMBERLAND
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA CUMBERLAND COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NUMBER:
25E001107-250 In the Matter of the Estate of:
WILLIAM ELIJAH AUTRY
Deceased. ))))) EXECUTOR’S NOTICE
The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of William Elijah Autry, 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 November 14, 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 14th day of August, 2025.
William Craig Autry, Executor of the Estate of William Elijah Autry, Deceased
c/o J. Thomas Neville Yarborough, Winters & Neville, P.A. P.O. Box 705 Fayetteville, NC 28302-0705 Publish: 08/14/2025, 08/21/2025, 08/28/2025 and 09/04/2025
Administrator’s / Executors’ Notice
The undersigned, having quali ed as Byron Cousin of the Estate of James Eltion Barlow Jr., Deceased, late of Cumberland County, herby noti es all persons, rms, and corporations having Claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 30th day of November, 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 1st day of August, 2025 Byron Cousin 5117 Queensdale DR Fayetteville, NC 28304
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
ESTATE OF OPHELIA RUTH BOZEMAN Cumberland County Estate File No. 25E000550-250 All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Ophelia Ruth Bozeman, 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 8th day of November 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 Administrator named above.
This the 1st day of August, 2025. Davis W. Puryear Administrator of the Estate of Ophelia Ruth Bozeman Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm Attorneys for the Estate 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28311 Run dates: August 7, August 14, August 21 and August 28, 2025
NOTICE
In the General Court of Justice Superior Court Division Before the Clerk Estate File # 23 E1963 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA CUMBERLAND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR NOTICE The undersigned having quali ed as executor of the estate of Lillie Mae Campbell, deceased, late of Cumberland County North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to present them to the undersigned on or before the 14th day of November, 2025, 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 14th day of August 2025. Maxine McNeill Johnson 1 634 Joye Street West Columbia SC 29169 Executor of the Estate of Lillie Mae Campbell
NOTICE TO CREDITORS IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION ESTATE FILE NO. 25E000848-250 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Jose Joaquim D’Arruda, 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 2517 Raeford Road, Fayetteville, NC 28305, on or before November 7, 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 7th day of August, 2025. Dorothy Ann D’Arruda, Executor of the Estate of Jose Joaquim D’Arruda NICOLE A. CORLEY MURRAY & CORLEY, P.A. N.C. BAR NO. 56459 2517 RAEFORD ROAD FAYETTEVILLE, NC 28305 – 3007 (910) 483 – 4990 COUNSEL FOR EXECUTOR
Notice to Creditors
Estate of Charles Taylor Huggins Date of Birth June 19, 1960 Notice To Creditors: The decedent, Charles Taylor Huggins, who lived at 2910 Chicken Foot Rd, Hope Mills, North Carolina 28348. Died June 18, 2025. Creditors of the decedent are noti ed that all claims against the estate will be forever barred unless Presented to Michael Cox, named personal representative or proposed personal representative, at 3556 Belridge Drive, Fayetteville, North
NOTICE
State of North Carolina County of Cumberland In the General Court of Justice Superior Court Division Estate File 25E001222-250 In the Matter of the Estate of Edward Keith Hairr Administrator’s Notice The undersigned, having quali ed as Administrator of the estate of Edward Keith Hairr, Eddie Hairr, deceased, late of Cumberland County, this is to notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the 28th day of November, 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 persons indebted to said estate will please immediate payment to the undersigned. This 28th day of August, 2025 Bobby Ray Hairr 4428 Dunn Rd. Eastover, NC 28312 Administrator of the estate of Edward Keith Hairr, Eddie Hairr, Deceased
NOTICE TO CREDITORS IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION ESTATE FILE NO. 25E001219-250 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND Having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Ronald Edward Gordy, 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 2517 Raeford Road, Fayetteville, NC 28305, on or before November 14, 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 14th day of August, 2025. Diana Vogel, Administrator of the Estate of Ronald Edward Gordy NICOLE A. CORLEY MURRAY & CORLEY, P.A. N.C. BAR NO. 56459 2517 RAEFORD ROAD FAYETTEVILLE, NC 28305 – 3007 (910) 483 – 4990 COUNSEL FOR ADMINISTRATOR
NOTICE OF CREDITORS:
Decedent: Donald Leon Ferebee IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION ESTATE FILE 24E000882-250 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Donald Leon Ferebee 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 405 Southwick Dr., Fayetteville, NC 28303, not later than November 07, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms, and corporations indebted to the Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. Dated this 7th day of August 2025. Viola Ferebee, Executor of the Estate of Donald Leon Ferebee, 405 Southwick Rd., Fayetteville, NC 28303.
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA County of Cumberland In the General Court of Justice Superior Court Division Estate le#25E001243-250
The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Maria Luise Davis, deceased, late of Cumberland County, North Carolina, hereby noti es all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 21st day of November, 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 15th day of August 2025 Daniel H. Davis III Executor of the Estate of Maria Luise Davis 2855 Linden Road Aberdeen, NC 28315
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
ESTATE OF LARRY HURLEY, SR. Cumberland County Estate File No. 23E001988-250 All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Larry Hurley, Sr., 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 8th day of November, 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 Administrator named above.
This the 4th day of August, 2025. Davis W. Puryear Administrator of the Estate of Larry Hurley, Sr. Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm Attorneys for the Estate 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28311 Run dates: August 7, August 14, August 21 and August 28, 2025
Notice to Creditors
Having quali ed as Executor/ Administrator of the Estate of Lucy Marie Sharp deceased, late of Fayetteville North Carolina, Cumberland County File No. 25E000798-250 this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the said decedent to present the same to the undersigned on or before November 30, 2025, or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All people indebted to the Estate, please make immediate payment. This is the 28th day of August 2025. Candace Felecia Sharp 3308 Argyle Lane Greensboro, North Carolina 27406
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
In The General Court Of Justice County of Cumberland Superior Court Division Estate File # 25E000077-250
Administrator’s Notice The undersigned, having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Jerry Michael Idol, 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 21st day of November, 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 payments to the undersigned. This the 21st day of August, 2025. Christopher Michael Idol Administrator 2266 Dunn Road Eastover, NC 28312 Of the Estate of Jerry Michael Idol, Deceased
NOTICE
State of North Carolina In The General Court of Justice County of Cumberland Superior Court Division Estate File # 25E000601-250
Administrator’s/Executor’s Notice
The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Lorease Murchison King, 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 28 Day of November, 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 to the estate are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 21st day of August, 2025. Sheila D. Spence, Executor PO Box 153 Spring Lake, NC 28390 Of the Estate of Lorease Murchison King, Deceased
08/28/2025 09/04/2025 09/11/2025 09/18/2025
EXECUTOR’S NOTICE
In the General Court of Justice Superior Court Division Estate File # 25E001112-250 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND
The undersigned having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Flora I. Marrow, 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 November 7, 2025 at Post O ce Box 53555, Fayetteville, North Carolina 28305, 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 7th day of August, 2025 Daniel L. Poindexter, Jr., Executor of the Estate of Flora I. Marrow c/o Gilliam Law Firm, PLLC Post O ce Box 53555 Fayetteville, NC 28305 (910) 485-8899 08/07/2025, 08/14/2025, 08/21/2025, 08/28/2025
NOTICE
In the General Court of Justice Superior Court Division Before the Clerk Estate File #25E001132-250 State of North Carolina Cumberland County Administrator Notice The undersigned having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Hwa Cha Martin, 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 7th day of November, 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 persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 7th day of August, 2025. Sandra M. Pate Administrator of the Estate of Hwa Cha Martin 3755 Burbank Lane, Winston-Salem, NC 27106
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
State of North Carolina Cumberland County Administrator Notice In the General Court of Justice Superior Court Division Estate File #: 25E001165-250
The undersigned, having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Guy Daniel Reed, 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 7th day of November, 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 7th day of August, 2025. Matthew Guy Reed Administrator 1338 Sawyer Ct. Hope Mills, NC 28348 Run dates: August 7, August 14, August 21, August 28, 2025
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
In the General Court of Justice County of Cumberland Superior Court Division Estate File # 25E000339-250 Administrator’s/Executor’s Notice
The undersigned, having quali ed as administrator of the Estate of Mickey Charles Stoker, 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 21st day of November, 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 the 12th day of August, 2025. Meghann C. Stoker, administrator of the estate of Mickey Charles Stoker. 6233 Lakehaven Dr. Fayetteville, NC 28304.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
ESTATE OF TOMMIE EDWARD PURSER, SR. CUMBERLAND County Estate File No. 25E001261-250 All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Tommie Edward Purser, Sr., deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are noti ed to present their claims to Tommie Edward Purser, Jr., Administrator, at 1809 Lakeshore Dr., Fayetteville, NC 28305, on or before the 29th day of November, 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 22nd day of August, 2025. Tommie Edward Purser, Jr. Administrator of the Estate of Tommie Edward Purser, Sr. Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm Attorneys for the Estate 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28311 Run dates: August 28, September 4, September 11 and September 18, 2025
EXECUTOR’S NOTICE
In the General Court of Justice Superior Court Division Estate File # 25E001102-250 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND
The undersigned having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Kathleen Louise Piecuch, 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 November 21, 2025 at Post O ce Box 53555, Fayetteville, North Carolina 28305, 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 August, 2025 J. Duane Gilliam, Jr., Executor of the Estate of Kathleen Louise Piecuch c/o Gilliam Law Firm, PLLC Post O ce Box 53555 Fayetteville, NC 28305 (910) 485-8899 08/21/2025, 08/28/2025, 09/04/2025 and 09/11/2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION ESTATE FILE NO. 24E002857-250 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND
Having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Raymond Joseph Ortega, 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 2517 Raeford Road, Fayetteville, NC 28305, on or before November 14, 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 14th day of August, 2025. Gina Gentry, Administrator of the Estate of Raymond Joseph Ortega NICOLE A. CORLEY MURRAY & CORLEY, P.A. N.C. BAR NO. 56459 2517 RAEFORD ROAD FAYETTEVILLE, NC 28305 – 3007 (910) 483 – 4990 COUNSEL FOR ADMINISTRATOR
NOTICE
County of Cumberland. Superior Court Division Estate le. #25E001269-250
Administrators Notice The Undersigned having Quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Lucille Anne Newman, 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 of November 2025.(Which is three months after the rst publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All debetors of the decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 22nd day of August 2025 Ronald Hardin Newman Administrator 1544 Rossmore Drive Fayetteville, NC 28314 Of the Estate of Lucille Anne Newman, Deceased
NOTICE
State of North Carolina In The General Court of Justice County of Cumberland Superior Court Division Estate File # 25e001254-250 Administrators’s/Executor’s Notice The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the estate of David R. Sager, 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 Twenty First day of November, 2025, (which is three after the day of the rst publication 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 eighteenth day of August, of 2025 Lennon Sager 812 Poplar Drive Fayetteville, NC 28304 Of the estate of Davd R, Sager, Deceased
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
ESTATE OF BEATRICE STEADMAN Cumberland County Estate File No. 25E001158-250
All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Beatrice Steadman, deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are noti ed to present their claims to Jesse Auttwon Steadman, Administrator, at 10131 Barr Lake Dr., Houston, TX 77095, on or before the 8th day of November 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 Administrator named above.
This the 1st day of August, 2025. Jesse Auttwon Steadman Administrator of the Estate of Beatrice Steadman Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm Attorneys for the Estate 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28311 Run dates: August 7, August 14, August 21 and August 28, 2025
NOTICE In the General
NEW HANOVER
Ricky Johnson, having quali ed on the 9th day of July, 2025, as Executor of the Estate of Thomas Preston Barham (25E001877640), 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 17th day of November, 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 14th day of August 2025. Ricky Johnson Executor ESTATE OF THOMAS PRESTON BARHAM David Anderson Attorney at Law 9111 Market St, Ste A Wilmington, NC 28411 Publish: August 14, 2025 August 21, 2025 August 28, 2025 September 4, 2025
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA NEW HANOVER COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS THE UNDERSIGNED, Lisa C. Johnson, having quali ed on the 4th day of August, 2025, as Ancillary Administrator of the Estate of Ernesteen Bar eld Bradley (25E001934-640), 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 10th day of November, 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 7th day of August 2025. Lisa C. Johnson. Ancillary Administrator ESTATE OF ERNESTEEN BARFIELD BRADLEY David Anderson Attorney at Law 9111 Market St, Ste A Wilmington, NC 28411 Publish: August 7, 2025 August 14, 2025 August 21, 2025 August 28, 2025
NORTH CAROLINA NEW HANOVER COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS THE UNDERSIGNED, Danse Dare Mulvihill, having quali ed on the 21st day of July, 2025, as Executor of the Estate of Greg Michael Mulvihill (25E001794640), 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 December, 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 28th day of August 2025. Danse Dare Mulvihill Executor ESTATE OF GREG MICHAEL MULVIHILL David Anderson Attorney at Law 9111 Market St, Ste A Wilmington, NC 28411
Publish: August 28, 2025 September 4, 2025 September 11, 2025 September 18, 2025 NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA NEW HANOVER COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS THE UNDERSIGNED, Malin Wrenn, having quali ed on the 23rd day of June, 2025, as Executor of the Estate of Per Ake Svensson (25E001815-640), 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 17th day of November, 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 14th day of August 2025. Malin Wrenn Executor ESTATE OF PER AKE SVENSSON
David Anderson Attorney at Law 9111 Market St, Ste A Wilmington, NC 28411 Publish:
CUMBERLAND
NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE
25SP000682-250
Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Annemarie Nicole Tardie and Michael J. Tardie (Deceased) (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Michael James Tardie, Jr. and Annemarie Nicole Tardie) to Allan B. Polunsky, Trustee(s), dated May 22, 2020, and recorded in Book No. 10776, at Page 0214 in Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the O ce of the Register of Deeds Cumberland County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er
23SP001134-250
NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, CUMBERLAND COUNTY
Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale
contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Johnnie E Montgomery Jr to William R. Echols, Trustee(s), which was dated November 26, 2012 and recorded on January 7, 2013 in Book 9081 at Page 676, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina. Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located,
NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 25SP000656-250 Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Louis R. Martinez (Deceased) and Lola Martinez (Deceased) (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Barrett Galloway) to Vylla Title, LLC - RamquestDC, Trustee(s), dated April 30, 2019, and recorded in Book No. 10496, at Page 0042 in Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the O ce of the Register of Deeds Cumberland County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the courthouse door in Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, or the customary location
NOTICE
NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA RANDOLPH COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO.
25SP214-750 FOR THE ADOPTION OF A FEMALE
MINOR TO: the biological father of Baby Girl Edwards, a female child, born on July 28, 2025 in Asheboro, North Carolina, to Tequira Isabel Edwards. Take notice that a Petition for Adoption was led with the Clerk of Superior Court for Randolph County, North Carolina in the above entitled special proceeding. The Petition relates to Baby Girl Edwards, a female child, born on July 28, 2025 in Asheboro, North Carolina, to Tequira Isabel Edwards. Ms. Edwards reports that there are two possible biological fathers; “Alex Unknown” and “Robert Unknown”. PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that you are required to le a response to such pleading not later than 40 days from the rst day of publication of this notice, that date being August 21, 2025, and upon your failure to do so the Petitioner will apply to the Court for relief sought in the Petition. Any parental rights you may have will be terminated upon the entry of the decree of adoption. Kelly T. Dempsey, Attorney for Petitioners, 101 S Tryon Street, Charlotte, North Carolina 28280.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Stephen Russell Headlee, late of Randolph County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of the decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the o ce of Ivey & Eggleston, Attorneys at Law, 111 Worth Street, Asheboro, North Carolina 27203, on or before November 22, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms or corporations indebted to said estate should make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 21st day of August, 2025
ROBERT MICHAEL HEADLEE Administrator of the Estate of STEPHEN RUSSELL HEADLEE
S. SCOTT EGGLESTON, Attorney IVEY & EGGLESTON, ATTORNEYS AT LAW 111 Worth Street Asheboro, NC 27203 (336) 625-3043
PUBL/DATES: 08/21/25 08/28/25 09/04/25 09/11/25
for sale at the courthouse door in Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on September 8, 2025 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Fayetteville in the County of Cumberland, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: All that certain lot or parcel of land situated in or near the City of Fayetteville, Rock sh Township, Cumberland County, North Carolina and more particularly described as follows: Being all of Lot 71, in a subdivision, known as Beaver Creek, Section Two, according to a map of same duly recorded in Book of Plats 65, Page 4, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 5621 Goose Creek Lane, Fayetteville, North Carolina. Parcel #: 0406-60-5827
Also known as: 5621 Goose Creek Lane, Fayetteville, NC 28304
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of MARK LEWIS PAGE, late of Randolph County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of the decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the o ce of Ivey & Eggleston, Attorneys at Law, 111 Worth Street, Asheboro, North Carolina 27203, on or before November 06, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms or corporations indebted to said estate should make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This 7th day of August 2025.
JORDAN LEIGH PAGE aka JORDAN PAGE BEASON Executor of the Estate of MARK LEWIS PAGE S. SCOTT EGGLESTON, Attorney IVEY & EGGLESTON, ATTORNEYS AT LAW 111 Worth Street Asheboro, NC 27203 (336) 625-3043
Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Charles Carson Lewis, late of Randolph County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of the decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the o ce of Ivey & Eggleston, Attorneys at Law, 111 Worth Street, Asheboro, North Carolina 27203, on or before December 1, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms or corporations indebted to said estate should make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 28th day of August, 2025 Phillip Charles Lewis Executor of the Estate of Charles Carson Lewis S. SCOTT EGGLESTON, Attorney IVEY & EGGLESTON, ATTORNEYS AT LAW 111 Worth Street Asheboro, NC 27203 (336) 625-3043
PUBL/DATES: 08/28/25 09/04/25 09/11/25 09/18/25
Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to three hours as provided in N.C.G.S. 45-21.23.
or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on September 10, 2025 at 01:30 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Cumberland County, North Carolina, to wit: BEING ALL OF LOT 19 IN A SUBDIVISION KNOWN AS MORGAN PLACE, SECTION ONE, ACCORDING TO A PLAT OF SAME BEING DULY RECORDED IN BOOK OF PLATS 85, PAGE 16, CUMBERLAND COUNTY REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 5777 Senoma Place, Fayetteville, NC 28314. 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
designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on September 8, 2025 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Eastover in the County of Cumberland, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: All that certain lot or parcel of land situated in the City of Eastover Township, Cumberland County, North Carolina and more particularly described as follows: BEING all of Lot 11, Block B, Tranquil Acres according to a plat of same duly recorded in Book of Plats 27, Page 55, Cumberland County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 1103 Asbury Road, Eastover, North Carolina. Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to three hours as provided in N.C.G.S. 45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. 7A-308(a)(1).
Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. 7A-308(a)(1). The property to be o ered pursuant to this notice of sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the o cers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being o ered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded
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 All lawful Heirs of Johnnie E. Montgomery, Jr. 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
Notice to Creditors Having quali ed as Co-Executors of
SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC.
SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm, LLP P.O. Box 1028 Fayetteville, NC 28302 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28311 Phone No: (910)864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslaw rm.com Firm Case No: 10975 - 136642
releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of ve percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certi ed funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the ling of a bankruptcy petition prior to the con rmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. 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 foreclosure 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 not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the e ective date of the termination.
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,
The property to be o ered pursuant to this notice of sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the o cers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being o ered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of ve percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certi ed funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the ling of a
RANDOLPH
is
NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 24 SP 260 Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by April Brown and Mudrick R. Hayes (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): April Brown and Armani Chanel Johnson) to PRLAP, Inc., Trustee(s), dated September 28, 2007, and recorded in Book No. RE 2786, at Page 2222 in Forsyth County Registry, North Carolina. The Deed of Trust was modi ed by the following: A Loan Modi cation recorded on November 24, 2010, in Book No. RE 2976, at Page 2777 A Loan Modi cation recorded on February 19, 2021, in Book No. RE 3588, at Page 46, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the O ce of the Register of Deeds Forsyth County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be
25SP000315-330 NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE
NORTH CAROLINA, FORSYTH COUNTY
Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by William R Eagle and Rebecca B Eagle to BB&T Collateral Service Corporation, Trustee(s), which was dated July 27, 2009 and recorded on August 4, 2009 in Book RE 2906 at Page 1287, Forsyth County Registry, North Carolina.
Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale
NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE
25SP000315-500 Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by James Spradlin (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): James Spradlin) to Tina Sorum, Trustee(s), dated June 10, 2022, and recorded in Book No. 6277, at Page 450 in Johnston County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the O ce of the Register of Deeds Johnston County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the
or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on September 4, 2025 at 11:30 AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Durham County, North Carolina, to wit: Lying and being in the City of Durham, Lebanon Township, Durham County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: All of Lot 25 in Madison Glen II, Phase 1, Plat Book 178, Page 283-288 (286), Durham County Registry, reference to which is hereby made for a more particular description.
Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.
Said property is commonly known as 403 Hidden Treasure Drive, Durham, NC 27712.
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
foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the courthouse door in Winston Salem, Forsyth County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 1:00 PM on September 10, 2025 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Winston Salem in the County of Forsyth, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: Beginning at an iron stake lying in the west right-of-way line of Shaftesbury Lane (formerly known as Gwynevere Lane) said iron stake being the northeast corner of the within described lot and being the southeast corner of the property of Raymond Crowder (Deed Book 1036, Page 311); and running thence from said beginning point with the west right-of-way line of Shaftesbury Lane South 6 degrees 47 minutes West 120 feet to an iron stake, said iron stake being located North 6 degrees 47 minutes East (along the west right-of-way line of Shaftesbury Lane) 240 feet from an iron stake, the northeast corner of the property of Allan Holmes (Deed Book 1041, Page 964); running thence North 83 degrees 13 minutes West 190 feet to an iron stake; running thence North 6 degrees 47 minutes East 120 feet to an iron stake; and running thence South 83 degrees 13 minutes East 190 feet to an iron stake, the point and place
on September 4, 2025 at 10:00 AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Forsyth County, North Carolina, to wit: BEING KNOWN AND DESIGNATED AS LOT NUMBER 21, AS SHOWN ON THE MAP OF LASATER DOWNS, AS RECORDED IN PLAT BOOK 27, PAGE 51 (2) IN THE OFFICE OF THE REGISTER OF DEEDS OF FORSYTH COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, REFERENCE TO WHICH IS HEREBY MADE FOR A MORE PARTICULAR DESCRIPTION.
Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.
Said property is commonly known as 8185 Steeplechase Circle, Clemmons, NC 27012.
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
courthouse door in Smith eld, Johnston County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 11:00 AM on September 9, 2025 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Garner in the County of Johnston, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: BEING all of 123, Section One, The Meadows at Adams Point Subdivision, as depicted in Plat Book 75, Pages 131132, Johnston County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 236 Fieldtrial Circle, Garner, North Carolina.
Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to three hours as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1). The property to be o ered
time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be 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 Teresa Butler.
of beginning. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 3200 Shaftesbury Lane, Winston Salem, North Carolina. Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to three hours as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23.
Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1). The property to be o ered pursuant to this notice of sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the o cers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being o ered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes,
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 William R. Eagle and Rebecca B. Eagle.
An Order for possession of the property may
pursuant to this notice of sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance
“AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the o cers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being o ered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of ve percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certi ed funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to
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
DATED SEPTEMBER 21, 1999 AND RECORDED IN
1164 AT
IREDELL COUNTY
1738 IN
NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in payment of the secured debt and failure to perform the agreements contained therein and, pursuant to demand of the holder of the secured debt, the undersigned will expose for sale at public auction at the usual place of sale at the Iredell County courthouse at 10:00AM on September 9, 2025, the following described real estate and any improvements situated thereon, in Iredell County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Clarence Bennett and Debbie Bennett, dated September 21, 1999 to secure the original principal amount of $71,244.00, and recorded in Book 1164 at Page 1738 of the Iredell County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modi ed by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended. Address of property: 168 Trailway Dr, Statesville, NC 28625 Tax Parcel ID: 4705486371.000
Book 33 at Page 26, Iredell County Registry. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 147 Gabriel Dr, Mooresville, NC 28115. 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
special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of ve percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certi ed funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not
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”.
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 trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties
Present Record Owners: The Heirs of Debbie Bennett The record owner(s) of the property, according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are The Heirs of Debbie Bennett. The property to be o ered pursuant to this notice of sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance AS IS, WHERE IS. Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust being foreclosed, nor the o cers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property o ered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is subject to all prior liens and encumbrances and unpaid taxes and assessments including any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of ve percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required from the highest bidder and must be tendered in the form of certi ed funds at the time of the sale. Cash will not be accepted. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. After the expiration of the upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds
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 Jonathon Cox and wife, Christina Kisielewski. 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)].
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 trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they
Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite
Youth tackle football is underway again in Siler City, across four age groups, thanks to programs from Siler City Parks and Recreation.
On Saturday, the Siler City Jets played Triad Elite in their rst game of the season.
the BRIEF this week
DOT threatens funding for 3 states for not enforcing trucker English pro ciency
Transportation Secretary Sean Du y says California, Washington and New Mexico could lose millions of dollars of federal funding if they continue failing to enforce English language requirements for truckers.
An investigation launched after a deadly Florida crash involving a foreign truck driver who made an illegal U-turn earlier this month found what Du y called signi cant failures in the way all three states are enforcing rules that took e ect in June after one of President Donald Trump’s executive orders. Truckers are supposed to be disquali ed if they can’t demonstrate English pro ciency.
Wisconsin judge accused of helping man evade ICE denied immunity
A federal judge is allowing a case to proceed against a Wisconsin judge accused of helping a man evade U.S. immigration agents seeking to arrest him in her courthouse. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested in April and indicted on federal charges in May. U.S. District Judge Lynne Adelman on Tuesday rejected Dugan’s motion to dismiss the charges against her. Adelman’s decision could be appealed.
$2.00
NC’s Main Street revitalization program accepts Siler City
The town will receive two years of downtown technical assistance through the program
By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record
SILER CITY — The Town of Siler is making headway in its efforts to revitalize its downtown.
At the Town of Siler City Board of Commissioners’ Aug. 18 regular business meeting, town sta presented that Siler City has been accepted into the North Carolina Main Street
Downtown Associate Community (DAC) program. The DAC program is focused on creating economic development strategies that will transform downtown through an implementation plan methodology organized around a revitalization process focused on economic vitality, design,
Cowboy churches promoting traditional Chatham culture
A little bit cowboy, a little bit Jesus Christ
By Bob Wachs For Chatham News & Record
IN HIS BOOK of words, Mr. Webster de nes “culture” as “the concepts, skills, arts and institu-
tions of a given people in a given period.” And while that’s true, at times, through no fault of their own, those given people can see outside forces a ecting changes in their culture, as is happening across many parts of Chatham County now.
Despite those changes, however, two nontraditional local
churches are working to maintain and even grow a culture that harkens back to earlier days in Chatham County — namely, a cowboy culture.
“We call ourselves cowboy churches,” said the Rev. Wesley Thomas, pastor of Cool Water Cowboy Church, which meets in the Asbury commu-
NC Supreme Court says bars’ COVID-19 lockdown lawsuits can proceed
The lawsuits can proceed under the state constitution’s “Fruits of Labor” clause
The Associated Press
RALEIGH — The North Carolina Supreme Court issued favorable rulings Friday for bars and their operators in litigation seeking monetary compensation from the state for COVID-19 restrictions rst issued by then-Gov. Roy Cooper that shuttered their doors and, in their view, treated them unfairly compared to restaurants.
“On the Fruits of Labor claim, we modify and a rm in part the decision of the Court of Appeals and remand this matter to the trial court to reopen factual discovery and provide a new discovery schedule for the parties,” Associate Justice Phil Berger Jr. wrote in the majority opinion in N.C. Bar and Tavern Ass’n v. Stein. “We reverse the Court of Appeals on its Equal Protection determination and a rm on plainti s’ statutory claims.”
Chief Justice Paul Newby authored the ruling in the second
“From the beginning, we never asked for special treatment, only equal treatment.”
Zack Medford, N.C. Bar and Tavern Association president
promotion and organization.
Acceptance into the DAC program is also the rst step toward an N.C. Main Street designation.
“This was a really huge collaborative e ort,” said Community Development Planner Sara
See PROGRAM, page A10
nity near the Chatham-Lee county line. “It might be more accurate to think of us as rural. I like to say if you’re comfortable shopping at Tractor Supply, you know what I’m talking about. We’ve got some folks who still are active farmers and cowboys, but there are also others who were raised on the farm but maybe aged out of horses and went into other professions.”
“Either way,” he said, “our objective is to impact Chatham County with a cowboy culture
See COWBOY, page A7
THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
CRIME LOG
Aug. 18
• Clayborn Michael Rattz, 64, of Sanford, was arrested for assault by pointing a gun and assault with a deadly weapon.
• Pate Russell Scott, 35, of Bear Creek, was arrested for possession of rearm by felon, possession of weapon of mass destruction, possession of methamphetamine, assault with deadly weapon with intent to kill, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of marijuana, second degree kidnapping and intimidating witness.
Aug. 19
• Laura Gibbs, 52, of Chapel Hill, was arrested for simple assault. Noe Wuilfredo Perla, 25, of Siler City, was arrested for discharge rearm on educational property and possession of gun on educational property.
• Alayna Ruth Townsend, 23, of Siler City, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and drug equipment violations.
• Kenyada Isaiah Nettles, 21, of Pittsboro, was arrested for domestic violence protective order violation.
Aug. 20
• Jameel Rafael Sellars, 36, of Sanford, was arrested for second degree forcible rape.
Anthony Wayne Boone, 23, of Pittsboro, was arrested for simple possession of controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, larceny of a motor vehicle and possession of stolen property.
Dalton John Earl Rattz, 28, of Pittsboro, was arrested for breaking and entering, assault and battery and injury to real property.
Aug. 21
• Charles Allen Tysor Sr., of Siler City, was arrested for malicious conduct by inmate and communicating threats.
• Richard Thomas Jordan, 67, of Siler City, was arrested for hit and run leaving scene with property damage, resisting, delaying or obstructing an o cer and failure to heed light or siren.
traditions
Old Fashioned Farmers’ Days
Members of the Silk Hope Ruritan Club and volunteers demonstrated traditional tobacco stringing methods Tuesday at the Silk Hope Farm Heritage Park, preparing for the 50th annual Old Fashioned Farmers’ Days this weekend. Volunteer Betty Johnson and club member David Hobson tied tobacco leaves for curing in an 1849 tobacco barn, with members Missy Thompson and Mike Hecken assisting them. The technique represents farming methods used for generations before modern curing processes were developed.
The Old Fashioned Farmers’ Days festival runs Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 30-31, featuring demonstrations of historical farming practices, the cured tobacco display, food vendors and the event’s signature Steam Cream Ice Cream. Musical entertainment is scheduled for the outdoor stage Saturday and in the music barn both Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Get more information at silkhopenc.org.
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Chatham County:
Aug. 28
Opinionation Trivia at House of Pops
6-8 p.m.
Two sessions of this “Family Feud”-style game are held each Thursday evening, rst round at 6 p.m. and the second at 7 p.m., o ering contestants two opportunities to win House of Hops gift cards worth $15 and $25 each.
12 Russet Run Suite 110 Pittsboro
Bynum’s Byte Night
6-8 p.m.
Bynum’s Byte Night happens every other Thursday evening and provides a semiweekly tech hangout for anyone curious about computers, electronics or AI. A virtual reality headset is on hand if you want to step into another world for a bit. All skill levels are welcome; contact John G. Helbragga at 919-593-3559 with any questions.
Front Porch,
Bynum General Store
950 Bynum Road Bynum
Aug. 30
Chatham Mills Farmers Market
8 a.m. to noon
Producers-only farmers market o ering a wide variety of goods from fresh produce to other groceries, including eggs, cheese, meat, health and wellness items and crafts. Everything is created by the vendors themselves.
Lawn of the historic Chatham Mills 480 Hillsboro St. Pittsboro
Sanford Farmers Market
8:30 a.m. to noon
It creates the ideal place for local food producers to build connections within the community while giving the public a place to sample and purchase foods and crafts made by their neighbors. Experience the ultimate in food, fun and fellowship in the Sandhills region.
115 Chatham St. Chatham
Evangelism
Park Explosion
4-7 p.m.
A community event hosted by area churches with the uni ed purpose of spreading an uplifting message to those who feel left behind. Participants will have access to fresh food, health and counseling screenings, as well as employment information and other resources.
Washington Park
1305 Washington
COURTESY
Siler City’s Broken Spit sets the bar for BBQ
The restaurant lives up to its “We don’t B.S. BBQ” motto
By Shawn Krest Chatham News & Record
THE BROKEN SPIT passes the rst rule of a BBQ joint: Upon arriving, you say, “Maybe we should go somewhere else.”
No one has ever had great BBQ at a pretty restaurant. If it doesn’t look like it’s teetering on the verge of being condemned, the people inside don’t know how to cook meat.
At the start of what should be the dinner rush, there are three cars in the large gravel parking lot. One, in the far corner, has its hood up. A stray cat naps on the roof of a second. Plastic sheeting covers the broken-out window of a third.
None look like they belong to a customer. The only indication that the small shack is open is a small pink sign in the shape of a pig, lit in the window.
Maybe they left the sign on when they closed yesterday. Maybe they’re takeout only. Maybe, we should go somewhere else.
This is going to be great.
The smell of grilling meats hits a few steps from the entrance, and any thoughts of eating elsewhere are dispelled. Leaving without trying some is now an impossibility. Rule No. 2 of a BBQ joint, achieved.
The interior of the Broken Spit is just as worn and workday. Mismatched vinyl booths and tables that have lived a lifetime greet you, as does the large logo behind the counter promising “We don’t B.S. BBQ.”
The menu is simple. One page, front and back, with lots of white space: Five meats, a half-dozen sauces, eight sides. There are four appetizers, four sandwiches. What do you want?
It’s not cheap: Two people are going to be hard-pressed to eat
Church News
HOUSE OF PRAYER FELLOWSHIP CHURCH
The House of Prayer Fellowship Church, 549 Horton Road in Goldston will be having our annual Family and Friends Day on Sunday, Aug. 31 at 11am. The speaker will be Assistant Pastor Je Covington of the House of Prayer Fellowship Church. Dinner will be served immediately after service (eat in or take out.) The pastor is the Rev. Annie C. Glover. Everyone is invited to attend this great celebration!
The Broken Spit crushes the third rule of BBQ: The sides tell you how good it is, and the meat is more than worthy of its supporting cast.
for less than $50. But it’s not exorbitant. The best deal might be the mini-sampler for two, which gives you all the meats and sauces, two sides and hush puppies for $55. There’s also a full-sized version that feeds 4 to 6 for $80. The food arrives, and the Broken Spit crushes the third rule of BBQ: The sides tell you how good it is. It’s relatively easy (for some) to do meat well, but the quality of the extras tells you about their attention to detail and pride in their work. Where other places get bogged down in soggy breading and mush, everything the Spit o ers has strong, distinctive taste and was prepared with the care of an entrée.
The fried pickles crunch, and
the taste of kosher dill blends with the ranch dip instead of getting overwhelmed. The mac and cheese has a sharp blend of cheeses rather than an nondenominational “sauce.” And the baked beans? The smoky taste hits immediately and assures you that something burned to make the beans hit this hard.
The sauces display a similar focus on quality and taste. It’s easy to forget that honey BBQ should taste sweet. The red hot BBQ burns with spice, but they didn’t forget the last half of the name — it’s BBQ sauce, not a “Hot Ones” dare. Most importantly, the di erent sauces make the meat taste di erently. The small number of menu options create a nearly unlimited number of unique combinations.
The meat is more than worthy of its supporting cast. Tender, moist and delicious without the sauces and sides, it is the centerpiece of a meal you won’t forget.
The Broken Spit should be your rst stop upon arriving in Siler City. And trust us: You shouldn’t go somewhere else.
UNC’s Belichick tells players that Hulu will feature Tar Heels program in a show this fall
The Associated Press
CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina will get an in-season close-up for its rst season under coach Bill Belichick.
In a social media video posted by the program Sunday, Belichick told the players that streaming provider Hulu will feature the Tar Heels in what he described as a season-long show “that will showcase our football program.”
“It’ll show our commitment to winning,” Belichick told players. “It’ll show our commitment to the team. and that’s our priority.”
Belichick, who coached the NFL’s New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles, is a rst-time college coach. UNC opens the season on Labor Day against TCU in a college version of “Monday Night Football.”
case, Howell v. Cooper, writing that “We acknowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic was a chaotic period of time,” and that the governor was not the only one facing uncertainty — small businesses did as well.
“It may be that the executive orders’ restrictions on bars were reasonably necessary, but the state constitution gives plainti s the opportunity to put them to the test,” Newby wrote.
“Plainti s have stated colorable constitutional claims under Article I, Sections 1 and 19. Because they have satis ed the requirements to successfully plead a Corum claim, sovereign immunity does not bar plainti s’ suit.”
The majority decisions by the justices mean a pair of lawsuits remain alive, and future court orders directing the state pay them nancial damages are possible.
As a way to ease the spread of coronavirus, Cooper — a Democrat who left o ce last December and is now running for U.S. Senate — issued a series of executive orders that closed bars starting in March 2020. By that summer, bars still had to remain closed, but restaurants and breweries could serve alcohol during certain hours. Later in 2020, bars could serve alcoholic drinks in outdoor seating, with time limits later added, but the plainti s said it was unpro table to operate. All temporary restrictions on bars were lifted in May 2021.
Lawyers defending Cooper have said the orders were based on the most current scienti c studies and public health data available at a time when thousands were ill or dying and vaccines weren’t widely available.
On Friday, the court’s ve Republican justices in one lawsuit agreed it could continue to trial, rejecting arguments from state attorneys that the litigation must be halted based on a legal doctrine that exempts state government from most lawsuits. That decision largely upheld a Court of Appeals decision from two years ago that had a rmed a trial judge’s order to allow the action led by Ti any Howell, seven other people and nine businesses to be heard.
“We acknowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic was a chaotic period of time,” Newby wrote in the prevailing opinion. “It is important to remember, however, that the Governor was not the only person facing uncertainty. Small business owners across the state dutifully shuttered their doors and scaled back operations without knowing exactly when they could open or operate fully again.”
A broader group of plainti s — the North Carolina Bar and Tavern Association and scores of private bars — that sued separately but made similar claims received a favorable ruling last year from a Court of Appeals panel that reversed a trial judge’s decision to dismiss the lawsuit.
Friday, the same ve justices ruled that the Court of Appeals shouldn’t have allowed the association to sue based on claims its members’ constitutional rights for equal treatment were violated. But the plainti s can return to a trial judge now and present evidence on the claim that their right under the state constitution to earn a living was violated, Berger wrote in the majority opinion.
The association and the private bars “su ciently alleged unconstitutional interference, and thus have a right to seek discovery to prove those allegations are true,” Berger wrote.
The Supreme Court’s two Democratic justices opposed decisions made by the majority in both cases and said the lawsuits should be dismissed. Associate Justice Allison Riggs wrote that the Bar and Tavern Association failed to signal it had evidence of a more reasonable plan to contain the virus’ impact than what Cooper chose.
Writing the dissent in the Howell case, Associate Justice Anita Earls said the majority “grants itself a roving license to second-guess policy choices, reweigh trade-o s, and displace decisions appropriately made by the political branches.”
The state Attorney General’s O ce, which represented Cooper in both cases, said Friday it was reviewing the decisions. Through a spokesperson, Cooper’s Senate campaign declined to comment.
The N.C. Bar and Tavern Association called the decision in its case a “major victory.”
“From the beginning, we never asked for special treatment, only equal treatment,” association President Zack Medford said. Chuck Kitchen, a lawyer representing plainti s in the Howell case, also praised the ruling in their litigation. Cooper was the subject of several lawsuits challenging his COVID-19 actions early in the pandemic, and he was largely successful in court. In August 2024, the state Supreme Court sided with a small racetrack that was closed briefly for defying state gathering limits and said the track and its operators could sue the top health regulator in Cooper’s administration.
BARS from page A1
North State Journal’s A.P. Dillon contributed to this report.
SHAWN KREST / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
The Broken Spit logo and slogan greets visitors as they enter the unassuming shack. So does the smell of the area’s best barbecue.
PHOTOS BY SHAWN KREST / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
While the Broken Spit’s meat steals the show, the sides are an outstanding supporting cast, including tangy mac and cheese and smoky baked beans.
CHRIS SEWARD / AP PHOTO UNC coach Bill Belichick speaks during a press conference in Chapel Hill back in March.
GERRY BROOME / AP PHOTO
A sign indicates that a hotel in Chapel Hill is closed due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in March 2020.
THE CONVERSATION
Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
Many songs, one faith
I was reminded of the biblical refrain, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!”
“THANK YOU, JESUS! You’ve been good to me.” The Male Choir at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church opened up with this spirited refrain for their 56th anniversary concert. The program called for them to march to the front, but the leader laughed and said they were seated before the guests arrived because it took old men too long to get on stage!
In addition to the ve singers, there were gentlemen playing the keyboard, guitar, bass and drums. The next song was the famous “Working on a Building,” which I’ve heard at bluegrass concerts over the years. This version was more bluesy. Despite their often overlooked and underappreciated genius, African Americans have made indelible contributions to roots music. I contemplated the delicate distinction between imitation and appropriation. Primarily, I concentrated on the music and made every e ort to synchronize my clapping with the 2s and 4s alongside the rest of the congregation. Besides clapping on the 1s and 3s,
COLUMN | BOB WACHS
another major di erence between the black and white church is that, while we pass a collection plate down the rows of pews or chairs, they invite people to come forward. And forward they came — clapping and dancing and laughing and singing! Yes, the Apostle Paul enjoined us to do things “decently and in good order,” but watching this o ering, I was reminded of the biblical refrain, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!”
After the o ering, the choir sang “Standing on the Rock,” which one of the speakers clari ed was not one of the rocks out on the side of the road! More than 2,000 years ago, when a Palestinian rabbi renamed a poor sherman as “the rock,” I doubt he meant for his followers to be as fragmented and fractured as we are today. Sunday morning remains one of the most segregated hours of the week or, if you worship at Mount Zion, several hours. But I didn’t begrudge the time.
There are valuable aspects to di erent traditions: Black Baptists o er joyful
Try these 10 Commandments for ‘back-to-school’ time
There’s a whole big school year stretched out in front of us; do your part to be on the honor roll.
MUCH HAS BEEN written and said through the years about the original Ten Commandments as found in the Bible. And like so many other signi cant matters in the Book, many times more is said than is actually done. But even though they’re old, they’re still the “Ten Commandments” and not the “Ten Suggestions” or the “Ten Good Ideas.” Whether we practice them or not… well, that’s the issue.
Anyway, a few days ago I ran across what could be called “The Ten Commandments for Back to School” and as the 2025-26 school year gets cranked up, take a peek at these and see if you don’t think there’s a place in life for them for students and parents.
I: Thou shalt not depend on school for moral and spiritual teaching. There are some upright folks scattered across the school system, but we should be more concerned if there’s no prayer at home more than if there’s none at school. No institution — school or even church — should replace the home as the rst stop for instructing children on what’s important.
II: Thou shalt not compare a child with his or her brother(s) or sister(s). The Book says each child is “wonderfully made,” so treat them like the individual they are.
III: Thou shalt teach them to do their best yet leave room for failure.
It’s not so important to be the best but to do your best.
IV: Be aware of the general content being taught. Know what’s going on. Support the teachers, but never forget you’re the parent. They are your children.
V: Thou shalt not criticize teachers in your children’s presence. Don’t be guilty of helping to break down authority. Question it where it needs to be questioned, but don’t do it in front of your children.
VI: Thou shalt laugh — and often. Many homes are not happy places. Are you fun to be with? Many folks are as funny as a pain in the neck. Say “yes” as often as you can; lighten up when you can.
VII: Thou shalt respect and show interest in knowing your children’s friends. Parents might not like to know this, but most children and teen surveys show friends are the most important people in your children’s lives. One survey indicates friends come in at 80%, while parents clock in at 60%. To build relationships with your children, listen but remember you’re not out to be their best friend. You’re out to be the parent. Many arguments have started over friends when children have said to their parents, “You don’t even know them.” Find out rst; than act accordingly.
VIII: Thou shalt treat teens like
worship, Episcopalians have beautiful liturgy, and Roman Catholics maintain a robust social justice ministry to the community. We Presbyterians have committees.
As the Male Choir led our diverse congregation in worshipping together, I dreamed of a way for all of us to gather under the same enormous tent every Sunday. Sure, there are thorny theological issues and more than a few logistical matters. But just imagine, if we did unite, there would be a remarkable number of people devoted to peace, mercy and humility.
When the program was almost over, the leader of the Male Chorus thanked everyone in attendance. He said, “Y’all being here makes my heart feel good.” I couldn’t have said it any better.
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.
adults but expect them to act like children at least two days a week. A teenager will act like a baby if you don’t treat them as adults. Young children think you’re great; teens think you’re old. Therefore, if you can be half as wonderful as your child thinks you are and only half as dumb as your teen thinks you are, you may be on the right track. Give them room to grow; try to recognize opportunities to trust their judgment.
IX: Thou shalt keep in check the “over” principle. Overprotection, over control, overindulgence, overreact, over liberate, but remember not to let the tail wag the dog.
X: Thou shalt maintain a home of security. Your life and relationships are the greatest example for your children. The Bible story of the wayward son is the perfect example. Make your home a place where the prodigal son or daughter come back. In the story of the Prodigal Son, you don’t need to look any further than the older brother to see why he left, and you don’t need to look any further than the father to see why he returned. There’s a whole big school year stretched out in front of us; do your part to be on the honor roll.
Bob Wachs is a native of Chatham County and emeritus editor at Chatham News & Record. He serves as pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church.
You just never know, do you?
Suddenly, I was a goner … for George Harrison.
THE BEATLES hit the big time when I was a very young teen. It was mass hysteria among all of us teenage girls. Cry! Scream! Keep crying and screaming! Even if you were only a mild Beatles fan, the peer pressure to cry and scream was a must. (Remember peer pressure at that age? Do what everyone else does or be dropped from the tribe. No way!)
And of course, there were the Beatles themselves: John, Paul, George and Ringo. Heartthrob city. In all honesty, I paid very little attention to George except for feeling a bit quizzical regarding his interest in Eastern meditation and spirituality. But hey, he was a Beatle and therefore allowed some level of weirdness. (Clearly, I was magnanimous at that young age.)
Life moved on (as did our teenage hormones), and the Beatles receded to background music.
Present day, which is many, many days past the Beatlemania of my early teen years: Both John and George have died, Ringo is still Ringo, and Paul is now Sir Paul. And I’ve reached the stage where daily exercise on my stationary bike is a necessity that I could never have even contemplated during the raging days of Beatlemania.
Sigh.
Somehow, I have to make that daily
COLUMN | SUSAN ESTRICH
‘The
30-minute stationary bike ride palatable. And when I say “palatable,” I don’t mean eating dark chocolate while I’m cycling. Yep, I was forced into branching out, nding new-to-me music to support that passage of time while bike-bound.
Some bug in my bonnet (synchronicity, magic, inner light, whatever) pointed me toward returning to the historical George Harrison and exploring his music. I listened and fell in absolute love with his lyrics. Suddenly, I was a goner … for George Harrison. As gone as I was as a young screaming teenager during those early Beatle years. (Well, minus the screaming and peer pressure to prove that I bowed to the gods of Beatlemania.)
His lyrics have touching drifts of the spirituality and mindfulness that are now woven into my life and, yes, about which I need constant reminders. George’s unexpected reappearance in my life o ered words I continually need to hear:
“Little things that will change you forever, May appear from out of the blue…”
A reminder that hope abides and the universe unexpectedly opens.
Jan Hutton, a resident of Chatham County and retired hospice social worker, lives life with heart and humor.
Epitome of Dumbness’
Trump says Smithsonian focuses too much on ‘how bad slavery was.’
SOME HEADLINES are just too stupid to pass by. Yes, this is the Donald Trump era, and Trump being Trump and all that. But even so, there should be some things a president doesn’t say or do. This is one.
“Trump Says Smithsonian Focuses Too Much on ‘How Bad Slavery Was,’” The New York Times screamed this morning. Yes, he really said that.
In a post on social media on Tuesday, Trump wrote:
“The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been — Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future. This Country cannot be WOKE, because WOKE IS BROKE. We have the ‘HOTTEST’ Country in the World, and we want people to talk about it, including in our Museums.”
Too much on how bad slavery was? Was it better than we think? Did it not cause a civil war? Are museums supposed to show us what we need to know about our history or what Trump and his white nationalist friends would like to hear?
The social media post comes a week after the Trump administration warned the Smithsonian that its museums must, within 120 days, adjust any content the administration nds problematic in “tone, historical framing and alignment with American ideals.” In his social media post, Trump said that he had instructed his lawyers “to go through the Museums, and start the exact same process that has been done with Colleges and Universities.”
Could it be any worse? Do to the Smithsonian what he has done, and is doing, to America’s leading educational institutions? Strip them of their independence, of their academic freedom and integrity, in the name of ghting
antisemitism. As the Jewish faculty of UCLA has rightly stood up and said, “No, thanks.” And double, “No, thanks” to whitewashing our history. What message does that send to a black schoolchild who visits the museum?
“It’s the epitome of dumbness to criticize the Smithsonian for dealing with the reality of slavery in America,” Douglas Brinkley, one of America’s most respected presidential historians, told The New York Times. “It’s what led to our Civil War and is a de ning aspect of our national history. And the Smithsonian deals in a robust way with what slavery was, but it also deals with human rights and civil rights in equal abundance.”
The “epitome of dumbness.” Trump has been there before. The e ort to whitewash our history extends to other stupid things this administration and this president have done, from minimizing the contributions of black heroes, including the Tuskegee Airmen who fought in World War II and Harriet Tubman, who led blacks to freedom on the Underground Railroad, to advocating the return of Confederate insignia and statues honoring those who fought to preserve slavery. On Juneteenth, the celebration of the end of slavery in the United States that became a federal holiday in 2021, Trump “celebrated” by complaining that there were too many nonworking holidays in America.
From the halls of the Smithsonian to the streets of Los Angeles, Trump’s war on diversity, equity and inclusion has morphed into a war on black and brown people. He makes no bones about it. He is playing to the white nationalist fringe of his MAGA movement, and it is not just dumb but ugly. And racist. The Smithsonian needs to resist and to ght back, and it needs Congress’ support — and the public’s — to do so.
Susan Estrich is a lawyer, professor, author and political commentator.
Is socialism as popular as the media think?
“DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS” have been getting the teenage-idol treatment from giddy reporters and editors at legacy media outlets for years. Their newest crush, as New Yorkers already know, is jihadi-apologist and Marxist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
In a 4,500-word cover story headlined “The Meaning of Zohran Mamdani,” Time magazine paints a caricature of a well-meaning, authentic and not-really-so-radical go-getter. An “ideologue interested in creative solutions” is how Time puts it.
Sure, Mamdani might support genocidal rhetoric, but the Jewish community will be pleased to learn that he “often talked about the problem of antisemitism and the need for antihate-crime funding.”
Is Mamdani, as many would have it, a generational talent whose campaign should be mimicked nationally by Democrats?
Yes, the resentful young have convinced themselves they’re living in the worst era ever to have befallen man. “People our age have never experienced American prosperity in our adult lives — which is why so many millennials are embracing democratic socialism,” Harvardeducated writer Charlotte Alter once put it in a Time cover piece on a previous darling, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
But George Will recently argued that a Mamdani win would be bene cial in reminding the nation of “socialism’s many harms.”
Collectivist ideas always fail, yet they never die.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) championed Hugo Chavez in the 2000s — and even after Venezuelans predictably began foraging for food, Sanders, one of the most popular politicians in the country, was still championing the same system. So it’s not as if we don’t have the lessons already. Indeed, we’ve been having the same debates in perpetuity. The zero-sum fallacy that capitalism is inherently evil and rigged has been hammered into our conscience for centuries. We’ve convinced millions of Americans that a gaggle of rich people can trigger economic havoc for pro t, control the economy to undermine the working class and push commodity prices higher to reap the pro ts. It is a tragedy that Democrats continue to stagger leftward on all fronts to mollify and placate their activist class. And it’s not merely economics. The modern “democratic” socialist comes with a slew of positions that not only undermine quality of life but clash with the moral outlook of normies: the pro-terrorist, pro-identitarian rhetoric; the championing of criminality and illegal immigration; the antimodernity climate hysteria; and the deranged social science quackery on gender — just for starters. So I wonder how popular socialism really is.
Right now, there is no real evidence that a socialist outlook plays in most places. It barely plays in cities. If NYC’s Democrats didn’t split the vote between Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and perhaps found themselves a candidate who hadn’t already tarnished themselves with scandal, Mamdani would likely lose.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, former Chicago mayor and would-be 2028 presidential hopeful Rahm Emanuel pushed back on hard-left ideas, contending Democrats should run on centrist slogans, such as “build, baby, build.”
How Democrats plan on doing this without rolling back the climate hysteria that undermines growth and squanders billions on half-baked energy plans is going to be interesting. But he has a point. Centrist Democrats are poised to win entire purple states like Virginia, showing far wider appeal than Mamdani — but they can barely get any attention.
One of the most popular governors in the country right now is Kentucky’s Andy Beshear, a Democrat in a state with a Republican-controlled legislature that President Donald Trump won by more than a 30-point margin. Why isn’t he the way forward for Democrats? Other governors in the top 10 have similar dispositions, including North Carolina’s Josh Stein and Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, both in states Trump won. All of them take moderated left-of-center positions without a full-throated embrace of anti-market, anti-Western, racialist positions that are in vogue in cities.
No GQ covers for them.
The Democrats have become a party of the rich and the dependent poor — because the rich can a ord socialism and the poor marginally bene t.
Since the market-fueled gentri cation of the ’90s, cities have become increasingly progressive and correspondingly more expensive and poorly run.
California, Illinois, Massachusetts and New York have seen signi cant net outward migration since then, while market-driven states with lower regulations and taxes like Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas have seen signi cant increases in newcomers. This is before New York City installed a socialist mayor. How popular is socialism? Far too popular. But not as popular as Democrats and the media would have us believe. At least, not yet.
David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner.
JACQUELYN MARTIN / AP PHOTO
President Donald Trump speaks alongside the FIFA World Cup Winners Trophy in the Oval O ce last Friday in Washington, D.C.
obituaries
IN MEMORY
AIDEN MICHAEL ALBRIGHT
AUGUST 22, 2025
Aidan Michael Albright age 20, of Sanford passed away on August 22, 2025. Aidan came into this world with not just ery red hair, but a re inside that burned brightly through his entire life. He was a force of nature and stubborn, but so driven, it showed in the incredible things he’d done in his short lifetime. He was an incredible athlete and highly intelligent. Loyal to a fault, and the kindest soul. He could make a room laugh. He started a business that soared and found the love of his life we knew would last forever. To know him was to love him. To be near him, spread joy. He is loved by so many and his love spread far and wide. This son, brother, and friend will be forever in our hearts, and his actions and love in life will reach beyond this moment in time. Aidan was an organ donor and the lives of four people and their families have been blessed by his gift of life. Aidan is survived by his mother, Mary-Jo Thompson (Justin) of Sanford and siblings; Gabriel Albright of Melbourne, Florida, Madison Thompson, Aidan Thompson of Sanford, NC; his father David Albright (Brittany) and family of Sanford and his siblings; Lilah Dixon, Robert James Hughes, Phillip James Hughes, and Declan Albright, all of Sanford, NC; Grandparents; Joann and Richard Dyson, of Sanford, NC; Barbara Squitieri of St. Petersburg, Florida, Deborah and Mark Michna of Ohio; great grandma, Marjean Bush of Ohio and girlfriend, Macie Whitt of Broadway, NC.
‘Sopranos’ star Jerry Adler, Broadway backstage vet turned actor, dead at 96
He had a long theater career before moving in front of the camera
The Associated Press NEW YORK — Jerry Adler, who spent decades behind the scenes of storied Broadway productions before pivoting to acting in his 60s, has died at 96.
Adler died Saturday, according to a brief family announcement con rmed by the Riverside Memorial Chapel in New York. Adler “passed peacefully in his sleep,” Paradigm Talent Agency’s Sarah Shulman said on behalf of his family. No immediate cause was given.
Among Adler’s acting credits are “The Sopranos,” on which he played Tony Soprano adviser Hesh Rabkin across all six seasons, and “The Good Wife,” where he played law partner Howard Lyman. But before Adler had ever stepped in front of a lm or television camera, he had 53 Broadway productions to his name — all behind the scenes, serving as a stage manager, producer or director.
He hailed from an entertainment family with deep roots in Jewish and Yiddish theater, as he told the Jewish Ledger in 2014. His father, Philip Adler, was a general manager for the famed Group Theatre and Broadway productions, and his cousin Stella Adler was a legendary acting teacher.
“I’m a creature of nepotism,” Adler told TheaterMania in 2015. “I got my rst job when I was at Syracuse University and my father, the general manager of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, called me (because) there was an opening for an assistant stage
manager. I skipped school.”
After a long theater career, which included the original production of “My Fair Lady” and working with the likes of Marlene Dietrich, Julie Andrews and Richard Burton, among many others, Adler left Broadway during its 1980s slump. He moved to California, where he worked on television productions like the soap opera “Santa Barbara.”
“I was really getting into the twilight of a mediocre career,” he told The New York Times in 1992.
But the retirement he was contemplating was staved o when Donna Isaacson, the casting director for “The Public Eye” and a longtime friend of one of Adler’s daughters, had a hunch about how to cast a hard-to- ll role, as The New York Times reported then. Adler had been on the other side of auditions, and, curious to experience how actors felt, agreed to try out. Director Howard Franklin, who auditioned dozens of actors for the role of a newspaper columnist in the Joe Pesci-starring lm, had “chills” when Adler read for the part, the newspaper reported.
So began an acting career that had him working consistently in front of the camera for more than 30 years.
An early role on the David Chase-written “Northern Exposure” paved the way for his time on a future Chase project, “The Sopranos.”
“When David was going to do the pilot for ‘The Sopranos’ he called and asked me if I would do a cameo of Hesh. It was just supposed to be a oneshot,” he told Forward in 2015. “But when they picked up the show they liked the character, and I would come on every fourth week.”
Humpy Wheeler, former Charlotte Motor Speedway president, dead at 86
The Belmont native was known as “The
By Jenna Fryer
The Associated Press
CHARLOTTE — Humpy Wheeler, a pioneering motorsports promoter and former president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway, has died, NASCAR said. He was 86.
Charlotte Motor Speedway said Wheeler died of natural causes Wednesday in Charlotte, surrounded by his family.
“Humpy Wheeler was a visionary whose name became synonymous with promotion and innovation in our sport,” said NASCAR chairman Jim France. “During his decades leading Charlotte Motor Speedway, Humpy transformed the fan experience through his creativity, bold ideas and tireless passion. His e orts helped expand NASCAR’s national footprint, cement Charlotte as a must-visit racing and entertainment complex.”
Howard Augustine Wheeler Jr. was born in 1938 in Belmont in Gaston County and gained his rst major publicity job with Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. He held several other positions after Firestone shut down its racing program in 1970 and was hired at Charlotte Motor Speedway by owner Bruton Smith as president in 1975.
He became a transformative gure in promoting racing and was known as the “P.T. Barnum of motorsports” for ashy prerace stunts, elaborate productions and sparing no expense in ensuring fans had the most enjoyable experience possible at his events.
Wheeler earlier this year was named winner of NASCAR’s prestigious Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR, to which he’d have been inducted into the Hall of Fame next year.
“Humpy’s contributions to and accomplishments in NASCAR are without parallel. The breadth and depth of his legacy,
“Humpy’s contributions to and accomplishments in NASCAR are without parallel. The breadth and depth of his legacy, and those whom he in uenced, assisted and mentored, cannot be overstated.”
Winston Kelley, executive director, NASCAR Hall of Fame
and those whom he in uenced, assisted and mentored, cannot be overstated,” said Winston Kelley, executive director of the Hall of Fame. “Frequently adding new dynamics to the sport, Humpy’s visionary leadership and creativity helped shape today’s fan experience.
“Through his innovative promotions and stunts, Wheeler’s contributions expanded NASCAR’s national and international presence during the 1990s and early 2000s, solidifying Charlotte as ‘NASCAR’s Home for Racing.’”
Wheeler mentored “hundreds, if not thousands,” of people throughout his life, Kelley said, including inaugural NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt and Landmark Award recipient Janet Guthrie.
Wheeler spent 33 years running Charlotte Motor Speedway. His innovation and prerace extravaganzas recreated numerous military operations — including the invasion of Grenada — that made the facility a gold standard in NASCAR. He promoted school-bus races during the week, grassroots series for young aspiring racers, stunts and even the “Robosaurus,” a towering, re-breathing, car-crunching mechanical robot.
Wheeler and his boss, the late Smith, grew Charlotte Motor Speedway into the ownership group Speedway Motorsports Inc., which acquired multiple race tracks that play a pivotal role in American motorsports today. Charlotte was the rst track to build condominiums on site, built a restaurant overlooking the race track and was the rst speedway of its size to install lights for night racing.
“Charlotte Motor Speedway was blessed to have a lead-
er in Humpy Wheeler who can only be described as ONE of a kind,” the speedway said in a statement. “For more than 30 years, Humpy was a promoter’s promoter at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Alongside our founder Bruton Smith, Humpy pushed the speedway to new and greater heights — establishing the famed 1.5-mile superspeedway as not only the most innovative facility in NASCAR for fan, partner and competitor amenities, but also one of the most progressive in all of sports.
“Humpy’s engaging smile and air for promotion were legendary, and his impact on every stakeholder in motorsports will be long-lasting. Humpy not only made his mark with publicity, but also with a laser-focus toward the fans. He would often tell his sta to pay attention to ‘the three Ts — tickets, tra c and toilets,’ in order to ensure fans have the best possible experience. He would also say it was our job to put a little ‘technicolor in people’s blackand-white lives.’” Wheeler retired from Charlotte Motor Speedway and Speedway Motorsports in 2008 after a bitter falling out with Smith but remained active in motorsports through his own consulting company and was on the voting panel for the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
He is survived by his wife, Pat; daughters, Traci and Patti; son, Trip; and four grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are pending and the family request donations be made in Wheeler’s name to the Belmont Abbey College Motorsports Management Program, which Wheeler was instrumental in launching more than 20 years ago.
P.T. Barnum of Motorsports”
CHUCK BURTON / AP PHOTO
Humpy Wheeler addresses fans at the track prior to the 2008 NASCAR Cup Series’ CocaCola 600 auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Wheeler, who retired after the race, died Wednesday.
Musk accuses Apple, OpenAI of sti ing AI competition in antitrust lawsuit
The lawsuit was led by two of Musk’s companies, xAI and X Corp.
By Michael Liedtke
The Associated Press
ELON MUSK on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in articial intelligence.
The 61-page complaint led in Texas federal court follows through on a threat that Musk made two weeks ago when he accused Apple of unfairly favoring OpenAI and ChatGPT in the iPhone’s app store rankings for top AI apps.
Musk’s post insinuated that Apple had rigged the system against ChatGPT competitors such as the Grok chatbot made by his own xAI. Now Musk is detailing a litany of grievances in the lawsuit — led by xAI and another of his corporate entities, X Corp. — in an attempt to win monetary damages and a court order prohibiting the alleged illegal tactics.
The double-barreled legal attack weaves together several recently unfolding narratives to recast a year-old partnership between Apple and OpenAI as a veiled conspiracy to sti e com-
petition during a technological shift that could prove as revolutionary as the 2007 release of the iPhone.
“This is a tale of two monopolists joining forces to ensure their continued dominance in a world rapidly driven by the most powerful technology humanity has ever created: arti cial intelligence,” the lawsuit asserts. The complaint portrays Apple as a company that views AI as an “existential threat” to its future success, prompting it to collude with OpenAI in an at-
tempt to protect the iPhone franchise that has long been its biggest moneymaker.
Some of the allegations accusing Apple of trying to shield the iPhone from do-everything “super apps,” such as the one Musk has long been trying to create with X, echo an antitrust lawsuit led against Apple last year by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The complaint casts OpenAI as a threat to humanity bent on putting pro ts before public safety as it tries to build on its
Chatham County Aging Services Weekly Activities Calendar
Monday, September 1 Aging Services Centers Closed (Labor Day)
Tuesday, September 2 Pittsboro Center for Active Living
8:30 a.m. - QiGong
9 a.m. - 3G’s Men’s Group
10 a.m. - Woodcarvers; Cardio Drumming
10:30 a.m. - Gym Orientation; Healing Hearts
11 a.m. - Weight Machine Orientation; Birthday Bingo with Mr.Ed
12:30 a.m. - Arthritis Foundation Exercise
1 p.m. - Rummikub
2 p.m. - Zumba Gold Siler City Center for Active Living
8 a.m. - Quilting and Sewing Time
9 a.m. - Cardio Drumming
10:30 a.m. - Bible Study; Mental Health with Mary Anne Fritz
Wednesday, September 3 Pittsboro Center for Active Living
8:30 a.m. - Cardio & Lower Body Strength
10 a.m. - Chair Yoga with Liz; Music Jam
10:30 a.m. - Co ee & Games with Law Enforcement
11 a.m. - Weight Machine Orientation; “The Chosen” with Discussion
11:30 a.m. - German Conversation Lunch
1 p.m. - Leaving Your Legacy with Jessica Bryan; Spades Siler City Center for Active Living
9 a.m. - Strong & Fit
10 a.m. - Sunshine Walkers
1 p.m. - Pickleball & Cornhole
2 p.m. - Minor Tech Support (by appointment only)
3 p.m. - Garden TLC Thursday, September 4 Pittsboro Center for Active Living
8:30 a.m. - QiGong
9:30 a.m. - Blood Pressure Clinic
10 a.m. - Hooks & Needles; Chair Zumba Gold
10:45 a.m. - African American Studies Group
11 a.m. - Kindermusik
12:30 p.m. -
1
1:30
3
9
10
1
2
3
8:30
10
11
1
8 a.m. - Quilting and Sewing Time
9 a.m. - Zumba Gold; Faith-Based Devotions
10 a.m. - Gaither Homecoming Videos
10:15 a.m. - STEP-tember Noon - Cornhole
12:30 p.m.
7
ongoing pattern of harassment,” OpenAI said in a statement. Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The crux of the lawsuit revolves around Apple’s decisionto use ChatGPT as an AI-powered “answer engine” on the iPhone when the built-in technology on its device couldn’t satisfy user needs. The partnership announced last year was part of Apple’s late entry into the AI race that was supposed to be powered mostly by its own on-device technology, but the company still hasn’t been able to deliver on all its promises.
Apple’s own AI shortcomings may be helping drive more usage of ChatGPT on the iPhone, providing OpenAI with invaluable data that’s unavailable to Grok and other would-be competitors because it’s currently an exclusive partnership.
phenomenal growth since the late 2022 release of ChatGPT.
The depiction mirrors one already being drawn in another federal lawsuit that Musk led last year, alleging OpenAI had betrayed its founding mission to serve as a nonpro t research lab for the public good.
OpenAI has countered with a lawsuit against Musk accusing him of harassment — an allegation that the company cited in its response to Monday’s antitrust lawsuit. “This latest ling is consistent with Mr. Musk’s
The alliance has provided Apple with an incentive to improperly elevate ChatGPT in the AI rankings of the iPhone’s app store, the lawsuit alleges. Other AI apps from DeekSeek and Perplexity have periodically reached the top spot in the Apple app store’s AI rankings in at least some parts of the world since Apple announced its deal with ChatGPT.
The lawsuit doesn’t mention the potential threat that ChatGPT could also pose to Apple and the iPhone’s future popularity. As part of its expansion e orts, OpenAI recruited former Apple designer Jony Ive to oversee a project aimed at building an AI-powered device that many analysts believe could eventually mount a challenge to the iPhone.
COWBOY from page A1 and present the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
To that end, Thomas and the Rev. Willie Pickard, who leads the other cowboy church — Stockyard Cowboy Church, which appropriately enough meets at Carolina Stockyards west of Siler City — their churches and several traditional area churches are spearheading a worship service at the county Agricultural Center just west of Pittsboro on Friday, Sept. 5 beginning at 6:30 p.m.
The evening will feature music by a variety of groups from bluegrass to Southern gospel to soulful spirituals featuring a variety of instruments. Additionally, Pickard will present a Gospel message.
“Our objective is to impact Chatham County with a cowboy culture and present the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Pastor Wesley Thomas, Cool Water Cowboy Church
Pittsboro
Siler City Center for Active Living 112 Village Lake Road 919-742-3975
“What we do in no way is aimed at taking away from the traditional local church,” Pickard says. As a matter of fact, both he and Thomas are also pastors of two traditional churches — Pickard at Pleasant Hill Christian Church in Liberty and Thomas at Hunt Springs Baptist Church in Sanford. “But we know not everyone is accustomed to or comfortable at regular Sunday services, so we try to have Cowboy Church a little more informal but still true to the Gospel.”
The two cowboy churches have been around for some
time — Stockyard for 10 years and Cool Water for seven. Both have active memberships with regularly scheduled worship services (both at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays), guest speakers and musicians from time to time, and outreach and service activities. The event at the agricultural center is the second such worship service, and planners and organizers are hoping for a big crowd.
“The reason we do this is twofold,” Thomas says. “We want to get believers together so they can worship together,” he said, “but we also want folks who are not in church on Sunday mornings to hear the Gospel through music and a message.”
Pickard echoes that sentiment. “What we’re all about,” he said, “is to impact the community of cowboy culture with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe this is just one way of doing that.”
BOB WACHS FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Wesley Thomas, left, pastor of Cool Water Cowboy Church, poses with Willie Pickard of Stockyard Cowboy Church.
COURTESY APPLE
Apple announced last week that it is expanding the capacity of its data center in Maiden, supporting the growth of Apple’s services and its AI ambitions.
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NOTICE
1A Towers, LLC is proposing to construct a 199-foot overall height monopole telecommunications structure located near 714 N Dogwood Avenue, Siler City, Chatham County, North Carolina (35° 43’ 42.0” N, 79° 28’ 12.4” W). The proposed tower is anticipated to utilize FAA Style E (medium intensity, dual red/white strobes) lighting.
1A Towers, LLC invites comments from any interested party on the impact the proposed undertaking may have on any districts, sites, buildings, structures, or objects signi cant in American history, archaeology, engineering, or culture that are listed or determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Comments may be sent to Environmental Corporation of America, ATTN: Annamarie Howell, 1375 Union Hill Industrial Court, Suite A, Alpharetta, GA 30004 or via email to publicnotice@ eca-usa.com. Ms. Howell can be reached at (770) 667-2040 x 108 during normal business hours. Comments must be received within 30 days of the date of this notice. In addition, any interested party may also request further environmental review of the proposed action under the FCC’s National Environmental Policy Act rules, 47 CFR §1.1307, by notifying the FCC of the speci c reasons that the action may have a signi cant impact on the quality of the human environment. This request must only raise environmental concerns and can be led online using the FCC pleadings system at www.fcc.gov or mailed to FCC Requests for Environmental Review, Attn: Ramon Williams, 445 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20554 within 30 days of the date that notice of this proposed action is published on the FCC’s website. Refer to File No. A1316914 when submitting the request and to view the speci c information about the proposed action. 25-002541/CLS
NOTICE
City of Sanford / TriRiver Water REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
HVAC Maintenance and Repairs Advertisement
The City of Sanford is seeking quali ed companies to provide HVAC maintenance and repairs for facilities in the TriRiver Water service area. After the selection and award, selected rms will submit pricing proposals. This Request for Quali cations and others can be found on the TriRiver Water “Bid Opportunity” webpage at https://www. tririverwater.com/Bids.aspx?CatID=17, or companies may call 919-777-1122 for the quali cation requirements. Submittals are due by 10:00 a.m. on Monday, October 6, 2025.
NOTICE
City of Sanford / TriRiver Water REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS Janitorial Services Advertisement
The City of Sanford is seeking quali ed companies to provide janitorial services for city owned buildings in the TriRiver Water service area. After the selection and award, selected rms will submit pricing proposals. This Request for Quali cations and others can be found on the TriRiver Water “Bid Opportunity” webpage at https://www. tririverwater.com/Bids.aspx?CatID=17, or companies may call 919-777-1122 for the quali cation requirements. Submittals are due by 10:00 a.m. on Monday, October 6, 2025.
NOTICE
City of Sanford / TriRiver Water REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS Lawn Maintenance Services Advertisement
The City of Sanford is seeking quali ed companies to provide lawn maintenance services for facilities in the TriRiver Water service area. After the selection and award, selected rms will submit pricing proposals. This Request for Quali cations and others can be found on the TriRiver Water “Bid Opportunity” webpage at https://www. tririverwater.com/Bids.aspx?CatID=17, or companies may call 919-777-1122 for the quali cation requirements. Submittals are due by 10:00 a.m. on Monday, October 6, 2025.
NOTICE
City of Sanford / TriRiver Water REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS Roof and Gutter Inspection, Repairs/ Replacement Advertisement
The City of Sanford is seeking quali ed companies to provide roof and gutter repairs and maintenance for facilities in the TriRiver Water service area. After the selection and award, selected rms will submit pricing proposals. This Request for Quali cations and others can be found on the TriRiver Water “Bid Opportunity” webpage at https://www. tririverwater.com/Bids.aspx?CatID=17, or companies may call 919-777-1122 for the quali cation requirements. Submittals are due by 10:00 a.m. on Monday, October 6, 2025.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA Chatham COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION
25E000168-180 Having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Ronald Lee Ballard, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the Estate of said Ronald Lee Ballard to present them to the undersigned on or before the 11th day of November, 2025 (this date being 3 months from the rst publication date of this notice) or same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment.
This the 7th day of August, 2025. Leonard L. Ballard 532 Stewart Ave Glen Burnie, MD 21061 Administrator of the Estate of Ronald Lee Ballard
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000228-180 The undersigned, AMY CRABTREE SEAGROVES, having quali ed on the 22ND Day of JULY, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of TERRY GENE SEAGROVES 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 7TH Day NOVEMBER 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 7TH DAY OF AUGUST 2025.
Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Regina Pasterczyk, late of Chatham 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 the o ce of their attorney at 110 Oakwood Drive, Suite 300, Winston-Salem, NC 27103-1958, on or before the 14th day of November, 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 14th day of August, 2025. Kenneth Michael Pasterczyk, Executor Estate of Regina Pasterczyk c/o Craige Jenkins Liipfert & Walker LLP 110 Oakwood Drive, Suite 300 Winston-Salem, NC 27103 Craige Jenkins Liipfert & Walker, LLP Published: August 14, 21, 28 and September 4, 2025
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS CHATHAM COUNTY
HAVING QUALIFIED as Executor of the Estate of Lewis Keith Kidd 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 27th day of November, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 21st day of August, 2025. Kayla Kidd Humphries, Executor of the Estate of Lewis Keith Kidd 313 Sanctuary Way, Apt. 105 Pittsboro, North Carolina 27312 MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE ATTORNEYS AT LAW BOX 629 SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850 4tp
NOTICE
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of John Kevin Conlon aka John K. Conlon, Deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate to exhibit them to the undersigned at the o ces of Tillman, Whichard & Cagle, PLLC, 501 Eastowne Drive, Suite 130, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, on or before the 21st day of November, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment. This 21st day of August, 2025. DONNA CONLON, EXECUTOR ESTATE OF JOHN KEVIN CONLON AKA JOHN K. CONLON
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
All persons having claims against Nanette Swift Melcher, of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to present them to Mathew Melcher, Executor of the Estate of Nanette Melcher, to Brittany N. Porter of NextGen Estate Solutions, 1340 Environ Way, Chapel Hill, NC 27517 or before November 28th, 2025. Failure to present a claim in timely fashion will result in this Notice being pleaded in bar of recovery against the estate, the Personal Representative, and the devisees of Nanette Melcher. Those indebted to Nanette Melcher are asked to make prompt payment to the Estate. Matthew Melcher, Executor of the Estate of Nannette Melcher Brittany N. Porter, Attorney NextGen Estate Solutions 1340 Environ Way, Chapel Hill, NC 27517
NOTICE
City of Sanford / TriRiver Water REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS Vehicle Maintenance and Repairs Advertisement The City of Sanford is seeking quali ed companies to provide vehicle maintenance and repairs for vehicles and trucks owned by TriRiver Water. After the selection and award, selected rms will submit pricing proposals. This Request for Quali cations and others can be found on the TriRiver Water “Bid Opportunity” webpage at https://www. tririverwater.com/Bids.aspx?CatID=17, or companies may call 919-777-1122 for the quali cation requirements. Submittals are due by 10:00 a.m. on Monday, October 6, 2025.
NOTICE NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS The undersigned, having quali ed on the 13th day of August, 2025, as CoExecutors of the Estate of Elizabeth Fletcher, deceased, of Chatham 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 21st day of November, 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 21st day of August, 2025. Kathryn Bethune and Ramon Gomez, Co-Executors of the Estate of Elizabeth Fletcher c/o Candace B. Minjares, Kennon Craver, PLLC 4011 University Drive, Suite 300 Durham, North Carolina 27707 THE CHATHAM NEWS: 8/21, 8/28, 9/4, and 9/11/2025
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
NOTICE TO CREDITORS COUNTY OF CHATHAM
THE UNDERSIGNED, having quali ed on the 15th day of August, 2025, as Executor of the ESTATE OF JOHN HOYT KELLEY, Deceased, of Chatham 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 November 22, 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 21st day of August 2025. Sandra Loen Kelley
EXECUTOR
ESTATE OF John Hoyt Kelley
c/o Richard G. Long III, Attorney Walker Lambe, PLLC Post O ce Box 51549 Durham, North Carolina 27717
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
25E000272-180 ALL persons having claims against Joan Covey Lawson, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before Nov 21 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment.
This the 21st day of August, 2025. Patrick Lawson, Limited Personal
All persons, rms and corporations having claims against William Charles Swan, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before November 10, 2025 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 7th day of August, 2025. Susan Hodge, Administrator c/o W. Thomas McCuiston
200 Towne Village Drive Cary, NC 27513
NOTICE
ALL PERSONS, rms, and corporations having claims against Kevin Wayne Anderson , deceased, of Chatham County, N.C., are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before November 7, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 7th of August, 2025. Kim McCullough Anderson , Administrator of the Estate of Kevin Wayne Anderson, c/o Amanda Honea, Attorney, 1033 Wade Avenue, Suite 104, Raleigh, NC 27605.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Max Allen Maples, deceased, of Chatham County, N.C., the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to exhibit them on or before the 21st day of November 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. Published on the 21st day of August 2025. Shanda Hardin, Administrator, 5216 Eastview Lane, Ramseur, NC 27316.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
25E000267-180 ALL persons having claims against William Davis Brown, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before Nov 28 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 28th day of August, 2025. LINDSAY BROWN, Administrator CTA C/O F. Timothy Nicholls, Nicholls & Crampton, P.A. PO Box 18237 Raleigh, NC 27619 A28, 4, 11 and 18
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
25E000390-180 ALL persons having claims against Matthew Gerard Cecil, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before Nov 07 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 7th day of August, 2025. Stephen Gerard Cecil, Executor C/O Lenfestey, Maxie & Burger, PLLC 5640 Dillard Drive, Suite 101 Cary, North Carolina 27518 A7, 14, 21 and 28
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E00187-180 The undersigned, STEPHEN THOMAS WILLETT, having quali ed on the 18TH Day of AUGUST, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of STEPHEN LEROY WILLETT, deceased, of Chatham 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 28TH Day NOVEMBER 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 28TH DAY OF AUGUST 2025. STEPHEN THOMAS WILLETT, EXECUTOR 2010 EDWARDS HILL CH RD SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: A28,S4,11,18p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000416-180
The undersigned, DONALD WAYNE CHAMBERS, having quali ed on the 8TH Day of AUGUST, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of ROYCE DILLARD CHAMBERS 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 14TH Day NOVEMBER 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 14TH DAY OF AUGUST 2025. DONALD WAYNE CHAMBERS, EXECUTOR 111 POLKS LANDING RD. CHAPEL HILL, NC 27516 Run dates: A14,21,28,S4p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000412-180
The undersigned, JOHN MONROE WALTERS, having quali ed on the 30TH Day of JULY, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of PHALA DOROTHY LAMOUR WALTERS 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 7TH Day NOVEMBER 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 7TH DAY OF AUGUST 2025. JOHN MONROE WALTERS, EXECUTOR 119 CHATHAM DR. CHAPEL HILL, NC 27516 Run dates: A7,14,21,28p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000401-180
The undersigned, MICHAEL ALFRED JAMES MOORE, having quali ed on the 28TH Day of JULY, 2025 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of MICHAEL THOMAS MOORE 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 7TH Day NOVEMBER 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 7TH DAY OF AUGUST 2025.
MICHAEL ALFRED JAMES MOORE, ADMINISTRATOR 1705 ELMER MOORE RD. SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: A7,14,21,28p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000455-180
The undersigned, KENNETH A HENDERSON, having quali ed on the 18TH Day of AUGUST, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of DEBRA LYNN HENDERSON, deceased, of Chatham 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 28TH Day NOVEMBER 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 28TH DAY OF AUGUST 2025.
KENNETH A HENDERSON, EXECUTOR 2294 US 64 BUSINESS W. PITTSBORO, NC 27312 Run dates: A28,S4,11,18p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000342-180 The undersigned, KENNETH EUGENE POWELL, having quali ed on the 1ST Day of AUGUST, 2025 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of CAROLYN JEAN MILLER POWELL, deceased, of Chatham 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 21ST Day NOVEMBER 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 21ST DAY OF AUGUST 2025. KENNETH EUGENE POWELL, ADMINISTRATOR 3933 HIGHLAND CREEK CT. PFAFFTOWN, NC 27040 Run dates: A21,28,S4,11p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000424-180
The undersigned, JAMES RAY HOLDER, JR., having quali ed on the 4TH Day of AUGUST, 2025 as ADMINISTRATOR, CTA of the Estate of THERESA E. HOLDER 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 21ST Day NOVEMBER 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 21ST OF AUGUST 2025. JAMES RAY HOLDER, JR., ADMINISTRATOR CTA 462 DUBLIN DR. SANFORD, NC 27330 Run dates: A21,28,S4,11p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000182-180
The undersigned, MICHAEL W. PAIGE, having quali ed on the 31ST Day of JULY, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of WILLIAM LEE PAIGE 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 7TH Day NOVEMBER 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 7TH DAY OF AUGUST 2025. MICHAEL W. PAIGE, EXECUTOR 18818 PIER TRAIL DIVE TRIANGLE, VA 22172 Run dates: A7,14,21,28p
HEARING NOTICE
TOWN OF PITTSBORO, NC
On Monday, September 8, 2025 at 6:00 pm, the Pittsboro Board of Commissioners will hold the following public hearing in person at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center at 1192 Hwy 64 Business West, Pittsboro, NC: A public hearing to receive comments on the proposed acquisition and nance plan of real property located at 274 Pittsboro Elementary School Road, Pittsboro, NC for the purpose of expanding municipal facilities. The proposed acquisition is anticipated to be nanced through installment nancing. The estimated maximum amount of nancing required is $1,050,000.00.
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 a hearing.
Contact the Town Clerk, Carrie Bailey, by 4 pm on September 8, 2025 to sign up to speak at the hearing at cbailey@ pittsboronc.gov, (984) 282-6647, or PO Box 759, Pittsboro, NC 27312.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHATHAM THE UNDERSIGNED, having quali ed on the 13th day of August, 2025, as CoExecutors of the ESTATE OF GRETCHEN R. BRUCE, Deceased, of Chatham 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 29th day of November, 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 28th day of August, 2025.
Christopher Bruce and Robin Bruce CO-EXECUTORS ESTATE OF GRETCHEN R. BRUCE c/o Richard G. Long III, Attorney Walker Lambe, PLLC Post O ce Box 51549 Durham, North Carolina 27717
Chasing a ‘mega tick’ on the Chobe River
Birding in Namibia brings humor, missteps and one big misunderstanding
By Erika Ho man For Chatham New & Record
WE CLIMBED into tenders and motored to the Zambezi Queen, a riverboat that became our home for the near future on the Chobe River in Namibia. Early the next morning, I went out birding. I’d always used the term “birdwatching” but “birding” — the South African expression — does sound a lot cooler. Decked out with my late father’s binoculars and my iPad, I was certain I’d spot some exotic species. I tumbled into the boat with the rest of the gang.
“Mind the step!” Andrew, our Afrikaans guide, advised, a little late. Lathered in insect gel and sunscreen bought at the Aloe Store near the penguin nesting place at Boulders Beach near Simon’s Town the day before, I sat peeking out from my huge REI hat ready to witness any elusive bird that might perch on yonder branch on nearby shore.
“Look, there’s the blue-cheeked bee-eater,” Andrew exclaimed. A sea of tourists turned their heads, their cameras with behemoth telescopic lens already focused. They snapped away. I put down my pen and paper, grabbed up my iPad, poked in the security code, which wasn’t correct due to the hot glare on the screen. I had to reenter it. Hurriedly, I lifted the iPad in the direction of the little bugger and … gone. Soon Andrew shouted something about a red bishop. I scrambled to capture the image of this dar-
A blue-cheeked
ling and … too late. A snake-like head in the water Andrew called a reed cormorant, but the picture I took didn’t show much. It could have been a curved stick. Andrew heard the call of Cape turtle doves, which sounded like our mourning doves, but I had my iPad upside down and … you know the story. He’d spot a darter. Everyone’s head would swivel in the direction and then, oops, it was gone. I thought I’d get whiplash as many times as I pivoted quickly to catch an evasive, iridescent, lilac-breasted roller take ight from a branch right as I nished entering my security code for the umpteenth time.
“Oh, did you see that? There? Over there? See that. That’s a mega tick. A rare nd. Indeed.” Andrew, South African tour guide
“Polee, polee,” Andrew advised as we gee-hawed back and forth in the boat trying to catch sight of a swift wing and then capture an amazing species with a click click click. I attempted to jot down the names in a wee notebook of what I wasn’t quite sure I’d heard right. Did he just say, “Jesus bird who walks on water?” Perhaps, in retrospect, he had mumbled something about ticking something o , but I didn’t understand what he meant. The way he pro-
nounced words with his South African accent di ered so much from the way we Americans accent syllables that even common words and expressions sounded foreign to me.
“Polee, polee,” Andrew cautioned, which apparently meant “slow down or take it easy.” Often, he exclaimed this as he looked straight at me. I gured out its meaning after initially thinking he was calling me “roly-poly.” Trouble was Andrew inserted “polee polee” so often and so indiscriminately I wasn’t sure if he were telling us to smell the roses or calming his own frazzled self after a day of escorting the gang, which must have been akin to herding cats old cats.
“Oh, did you see that? There? Over there? See that. That’s a mega tick. A rare nd. Indeed,” he announced proudly. When we returned to our oating lodge, I asked Andrew about the birds I didn’t catch on lm or iPad. Nor did I grasp the nomenclature since Andrew, though looking Scottish, spoke with a thick Afrikaans accent. I discovered a little book in our cabin where we could check o birds we’d spotted. So, consulting that book, I asked Andrew if it had been a red-billed quelea I’d seen.
“Yes,” he told me.
“And was the eagle which resembled our bald eagle called African sh eagle?”
Yes. I had that right too, along with the jacana, wire-tailed swallow and pied wagtail. I’d found photos of most birds he’d mentioned in the small bird book in our cabin. Yet there was one I couldn’t locate in the book.
Beaches reopen after Hurricane Erin passes
Several people were killed in the rough conditions
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — North Carolina and other states on the eastern seaboard have begun to reopen beaches that had been closed due to Hurricane Erin, which sent strong winds and dangerous waves across the U.S. East Coast.
Erin’s outer bands brushed North Carolina last Wednesday, but the storm never made landfall and caused no widespread damage to infrastructure despite being twice the size of an average hurricane. After progressing north in the Atlantic, it weakened into a post-tropical cyclone Friday, far from land.
In North Carolina’s Outer
from page A1
Martin. “I want to publicly thank everyone that supported that process. It was really everyone that made this happen.”
Siler City will receive two years of downtown technical assistance through the program and if the town meets preset requirements, they’ll gain the opportunity to move up to an o cial N.C. Main Street designation. Communities who receive N.C. Main Street designations are able to bene t from partner-
Banks, Highway 12 on Hatteras Island opened at noon Saturday for residents, property owners and workers, according to North Carolina’s Department of Transportation. All restrictions lifted at 5 a.m. Sunday. The Outer Banks — essentially sand dunes sticking out of the ocean a few feet above sea level — are vulnerable to erosion. Storm surges can cut through them, washing tons of sand and debris onto roads and sometimes breaking up pavement and creating new inlets.
The dunes took a beating by Erin but there were no new inlets or signi cant structural damage to homes or businesses.
Elsewhere, there were several deaths attributed to the rough conditions caused by the storm.
In Massachusetts, a team of
ships with the N.C. Department of Commerce, available training, technical assistance networking, marketing and recognition and most importantly funding and resources.
According to the N.C. Department of Commerce, since 1980, N.C. Main Street communities have leveraged more than $5.5 billion in public and private investment in their downtown districts, which has created more than 37,000 net new jobs and rehabilitated around 7,500 buildings.
police and U.S. Coast Guard members were resuming their search Monday for a man in his 50s who was missing after a boat capsized o of Salisbury Beach on Saturday. The other
“We’re delighted to help Siler City strengthen their revitalization e orts through the Downtown Associate Community program,” said N.C. Main Street & Rural Planning Center Director Liz Parham in a press release.
The board also held a public hearing for a rezoning request for a parcel of property totalling approximately 1.5 acres and located on Piney Grove Church Road from Agricultural Residential to Highway Commercial.
“It’s currently vacant and
Sebastian Kettner shes on Jennette’s Pier as waves from Hurricane Erin crash ashore in Nags Head last Thursday.
person in the boat was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Despite challenging weather and sea conditions including 6- to 8-foot swells, the team
has been since it was created in 2008,” said Director of Planning and Community Development Timothy Mack. “It came under the ownership of Ms. Marcia Friday in October of 2024 and now she’s just looking to have it rezoned to make it a little more marketable.”
Although the parcel is designated as suburban within the future land use map, it borders the industrial and employment designated area. Currently, there is no water or sewer availability at the property
I added I’d even perused the larger bird book in the lounge without luck.
Feeling very proud of myself and emboldened, I then asked a question that made his head swivel. He tilted his square jaw toward me and stared strangely at me, like I was cuckoo or a dumb American.
“Which bird is that?” he asked solicitously.
“I can’t nd the Megatick,” I said. He squinted. His lips turned down. He sti ed a condescending smirk.
“The what?”
“You said it was a rare sighting.” I held up a small bird book. I shu ed through the pages. “The megatick?”
“Oh,” he said and surprisingly well held back breaking into a full- edged grin although he must have thought I was the stupidest tourist he’d ever encountered in all his years of shepherding tourists down the Chobe. Acting serious, he explained, “I want you to tick o the birds you see in the species checklist booklet. A mega tick is … a really big nd to check o .” I stared blankly straight ahead as it dawned on me that “mega” was an adjective meaning “big.” “Tick” Andrew was using as a verb meaning “check.” A mega tick was a big nd. I started laughing. “No wonder I couldn’t nd that bird species.”
Later, I asked another American lady who seemed a tad more alert than I what kind of actual bird was this elusive “mega tick,” and she thought the rare mega tick was a pygmy goose, but she wouldn’t swear to it.
performed sonar scans, dives, surface and aerial patrols on Sunday, the state police said in a news release. In Maine, a man was rescued Saturday after his sailboat capsized in high surf in York Harbor.
In New Hampshire, authorities are investigating the death of a 17-year-old boy who had been swimming with family members o of Hampton Beach on Sunday night.
Witnesses said he was pulled away by a strong ocean current and his father unsuccessfully tried to rescue him. Lifeguards brought both to shore and began livesaving e orts on the teen, who was later pronounced dead at a hospital. The father was treated there.
A man drowned Saturday after being caught in a strong rip current o the New York coast, at Sailors Haven in the Fire Island Natoinal Seashore in Suffolk County, authorities said. Ishmoile Mohammed, 59, was visiting from South Carolina.
according to Mack.
Following the hearing, the board approved both the rezoning of the property as well as an adjustment to the future land use map to align the property with its new designation.
Since the application was for a general use rezoning request, a site plan was not required and all potential uses allowed within the Highway Commercial zoning can be considered.
The Town of Siler City Board of Commissioners will next meet Sept. 15.
CLPRAMOD VIA WIKIPEDIA
bee-eater devours a dragon y near the Chobe River in Namibia, Africa.
PROGRAM
ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO
CHATHAM SPORTS
for
The Hawks fell short despite four defensive takeaways
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
CHAPEL HILL — Despite the defense coming away with four turnovers, including a pick-six by senior Nick Gregory in the third quarter, Seaforth (0-1) came up short in a 27-21 loss against Chapel Hill (1-0) on Friday in new coach Tolbert Matthews’ debut.
Chapel Hill junior running back CJ Brooks-McMillan powered the Tigers’ offense with 80 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. He made up for the struggles in the passing game — senior
quarterback Sam Zimmerman threw for two touchdowns with three interceptions.
“We knew the routes and concepts that they wanted the most,” Matthews said. “We know (Austin Campos), he’s a good player, so we knew we had to stay over the top of that guy.”
Seaforth’s o ense, on the other hand, couldn’t capitalize on favorable eld position. The Hawks trailed 20-7 when Zimmerman threw a pick to senior Noah Williams on the rst play of the second half. Williams returned it to the Chapel Hill 25-yard line. With some solid runs from junior quarterback Duncan Parker and running back Jayden Riley, the Hawks got to the 5-yard line. On second and goal from the 4, Parker
burrowed his way into the end zone, but the play was called back for illegal assistance on the run.
Chapel Hill made a fourth down stand by stopping a Parker scramble at the 1-yard line. On the next play, the Tigers lost a fumbled snap recovered by Seaforth at the 3. Seaforth’s drive once again ended with a turnover on downs. The Hawks forced a three and out on the next possession, and senior Patrick Miller blocked the punt to once again set the o ense up in the red zone.
This time another costly penalty put the Hawks back, and Parker threw an interception to Chapel Hill’s
The Bears opened their season with a 30-26 win over Graham
By Asheebo Rojas
Chatham News & Record
THE FOOTBALL season o cially kicked o in Chatham County on Friday.
The opening week saw comeback wins for two local teams, leading to a shake -up of the power rankings going into Week 2. Here are recaps of last week’s action and previews of what’s next Friday.
Chatham Central 30, Graham 26
For the rst time since 2020, Chatham Central is 1-0. The Bears clawed their way to a victory over Graham on Friday after building a 22-0 lead, losing it and taking all the marbles in the game’s nal minute.
Down 26-22 with 30 seconds left and deep in Graham territory, sophomore quarterback Brooks Albright placed the ball just over a defender’s head and into junior Sayvion Burnette’s hands
for a go - ahead touchdown. Albright nished the night completing 16 of 24 passes for 218 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for 103 yards on nine carries. Senior receiver Nic Glover nished with six receptions, 93 yards, two touchdowns and nine tackles. Sophomore Gavin Williams led the defensive e ort with 12 tackles, including four tackles for loss.
Week 2: Jordan-Matthews at Chatham Central (7 p.m.)
Chatham Central will host in-county rival Jordan-Matthews on Friday. The Bears last beat the Jets in 2022, winning 19-6. This year’s matchup feels much di erent than the recent past as both teams are looking to avoid their rst loss.
For the Bears, this game will be a test of their physicality and ability to play consistently throughout an entire game. Jordan-Matthews will mix it up o ensively and operate the short game with its dual-threat quarterback, and it also has power in its rushing attack. The Bears, who mostly play both sides of the
The Jets got their rst win of 2025 against their rivals
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
SILER CITY — Jordan-Matthews’ rst volleyball win of the season was served with sweet revenge.
The Jets took down rival Chatham Central in straight sets Aug. 21, avenging a 3-2 loss to the Bears a week prior.
Jordan-Matthews broke its four-game losing streak with its rst shutout of the year and beat the Bears for the rst time since 2023. “I’m really happy for the girls,” Jordan-Matthews coach Johnny Alston said. “They’ve been really working hard in practice, and today, they showed results from their hard work.”
Senior setter Maggy Jaimes-Pulido led the Jets with 23 assists, and junior outside hitter Jasmine Sorto re -
corded a team-high seven kills. After taking a 2-0 lead, Jordan-Matthews put the game away in the middle of the third set. With the Jets up 12-9, Jaimes-Pulido notched three aces and led a run to give Jordan-Matthews a 17-9 lead. Chatham Central could only get within six points from there, and an attack error gave the Jets the game-clinching score at the end of the set.
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
The Siler City Jets played Triad Elite in their rst game of the season Saturday. Siler City Parks and Recreation is providing youth tackle football once again
four age groups.
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
JordanMatthews celebrates a point in its 3-0 win over Chatham Central on Aug. 21.
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Seaforth quarterback Duncan Parker runs around a Chapel Hill defender in the Hawks’ season-opening loss.
Brooks Albright
Chatham Central, football
Chatham Central sophomore quarterback Brooks Albright earns athlete of the week honors for the week of Aug. 18.
In the Bears’ season-opening win over Graham on Friday, Albright completed 16 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns. Down 26-22 with 30 seconds remaining, Albright threw the game-winning touchdown to Sayvion Burnette, helping Chatham Central earn its rst season-opening win since 2020. Albright also rushed for 103 yards on nine carries in the win.
Seaforth volleyball falls in tight nonconference battle
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record Volleyball
After another 3-0 win over Northwood on Aug. 20, Seaforth took its rst loss of the season to Cleveland in the HighSchoolOT Garner Showcase Saturday 3-2. The Hawks fell to 2-1 and won a thrilling 29-27 fourth set to stay alive. Seaforth lost thenal set 15-10. Junior Ally Forbes logged a team-high 16 kills, and senior Josie Valgus and junior Abigail Valgus combined for 41 assists.
To bounce back from a 3-0 loss to Cary Academy, Woods Charter ended last week with straight-set conference wins over River Mill and Chatham Charter. The Wolves have won four out of their last ve as of Sunday.
Chatham Charter earned its rst win of the season over Phoenix Academy in straight sets Aug. 18. However, its struggles continued later in the week with a 3-0 loss to North Moore.
Northwood is still looking for its rst win after a 3-2 loss to Lee County on Aug. 21. Conference standings as of Sunday (overall, conference): Four Rivers 3A/4A: 1. North Moore (4-0, 0-0); 2. Eastern Randolph (2-1, 0-0); 3. Uwharrie Charter (5-3, 0-0); 4. Southwestern Randolph (2-5, 0-0); 5. Jordan-Matthews (1-4, 0-0); 6. Northwood (0-6, 0-0)
Central Tar Heel 1A: T1. Woods Charter (4-1, 2-0); T1. Clover Garden School (4-1, 1-0); T1. Southern Wake Academy (1-1, 1-0); 4. River Mill (2-3, 1-1); T5. Ascend Leadership (0-2, 0-1); T5. Chatham Charter (1-5, 0-1); 7. Central Carolina Academy (0-3, 0-2) Greater Triad 1A/2A: 1. Bishop McGuinness (3-2, 0-0); 2. South Stokes (2-3, 0-0); 3. College Prep and Leadership (1-4, 0-0); 4. Winston-Salem Prep (1-4, 0-0); 5. Chatham Central (1-4, 0-0); 6. South Davidson (1-5, 0-0); 7. North Stokes (0-3, 0-0)
Big Seven 4A/5A: 1. Cedar Ridge (5-0, 0-0); 2. Seaforth (3-1, 0-0); 3. Durham School of the Arts (4-2, 0-0); 4. J.F. Webb (3-2, 0-0); 5. Carrboro (3- 4, 0-0); 6. Orange (2-3, 0-0); 7. South Granville (1-4, 0-0) Boys’ soccer
Jordan-Matthews let the close
Girls’ tennis
Chatham Charter boys in the top ve of the season’s rst race
games get away last week as it lost to Providence Grove 5-4 on Aug. 20 and Currituck County 1-0 on Friday. The Jets haven’t lost consecutive games since Aug. 19, 2024. Seaforth’s struggles in nonconference play continued with a 2-1 loss to Chapel Hill on Aug. 18 and a 6-2 loss to Western Alamance two days later. Northwood split its week with a 2-1 win over Graham on Aug. 18 and a 1-0 loss to Hillside on Aug. 21. The Chargers, boasting the best record in Chatham County as of Sunday, have only allowed two goals in three games.
Conference standings as of Sunday (overall, conference): Big Seven 4A/5A: 1. J.F. Webb (1-0, 0-0); 2. Cedar Ridge (1-1, 0-0); 3. Orange (2-2, 0-0); 4. South Granville (1-1-1, 0-0); 5. Carrboro (0-2-1, 0-0); 6. Seaforth (0-3, 0-0); 7. Durham School of the Arts (0-2-1, 0-0) Four Rivers 3A/4A: 1. Southwestern Randolph (4-0, 0-0); 2. Northwood (2-1, 0-0); 3. Jordan-Matthews (1-2, 0-0); 4. Eastern Randolph (0-1, 0-0); 5. North Moore (0-1-1. 0-0); 6. Uwharrie Charter (0-0, 0-0)
Seaforth split the week with an 8-1 loss to Carrboro on Aug. 19 and an 8-1 win over Northwood on Aug. 21. After beating Chatham Central 7-2 on Aug. 19, Jordan-Matthews fell to Montgomery Central 9-0 on Aug. 21.
Cross-country
Chatham Charter and Woods Charter hit the trails for the rst time this season at the meet hosted by Ascend Leadership Academy on Aug. 20. Chatham Charter junior Torris Price won the boys’ 3,000-meter run with a time of 10 minutes, 22.10 seconds. His teammates Eli Coleman (second place) and Adam Reese (fourth place) also nished in the top ve to help the Knights top the boys’ team standings. Woods Charter’s Holt Mody nished in fth place. In the girls’ race, Woods Charter junior So a Rodriguez nished second (13:42.40) and Chatham Charter sophomore Emily Scheidt (14:16.20) nished third.
Girls’ golf
Chatham Central played a round against Southeast Alamance at Quaker Creek in Mebane on Aug. 20. The Bears lost 168-170, but they had three golfers — Payten Suits (56, second place), Madalyn Holton (57) and Eva Patin (57) — nish in the top ve.
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Seaforth blockers get their hands on a shot from Northwood’s Mikaylah Glover (7) in a game on Aug. 20.
Local baseball umpire takes talents to Cooperstown
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
WITH ALL THE things to love about the game of baseball, umpires are not usually one of them.
While players are cheered on, umpires are the rst to hear boos and shouts of “bad call” from spectators in the crowd and participators in the diamond. Sometimes, they’re accused of blindness.
But for Siler City native Husani “Hoodie” Williams, a longtime caller of balls and strikes, that wasn’t the case Aug. 10. Williams served as the home plate umpire in the Cooperstown Dreams Park Tournament No. 13 championship game in Cooperstown, New York — a prestigious honor for umps where the game’s greatest names are enshrined. While the No. 1 ranked Pioneers Baseball Red (Pennsylvania) beat the No. 11 New Hampshire Prospects for the title, Williams also claimed a personal victory.
“That was a big accomplishment,” Williams said. “Something checked o my bucket list.” Leading up to the big day, Williams spent nearly two months in Cooperstown o ciating elite 12U baseball games and learning from other umpires at the tournament.
“We’re all like a sponge when you get there,” Williams said. “Every night, we’ll talk about di erent rules, di erent scenarios. ‘Would you do this?’ I met a lot of DI umpires. I met an umpire that did a lot of college baseball games.”
SEAFORTH from page B1
Nicholas Kelly in the end zone.
“Three straight stops, honestly, that’s just unacceptable,” Matthews said. “I know we’re early in this thing, and we’re still trying to nd what works best and well for us, but we have to nd something that we can master and be well at, and run consistently and do well that we can rely on and get us in the box when we need to get there.” Things weren’t all bad for
Siler City native Husani “Hoodie” Williams holds the American ag while the national anthem plays before the Cooperstown Dreams Park Tournament No. 13 championship game.
Said Williams, “I really got a lot of connections when I was up there.” Williams also shared positive interactions with the young players and fans, which
the Seaforth o ense, though. The Hawks received the opening kick and started hot thanks to a solid running tandem of Riley and Parker. On a fourth down later in the opening drive, Parker scrambled and found sophomore Jude O’Neill down the sideline for a 20-yard gain. Riley punched in a 2-yard score on the next play to give the Hawks a 7-0 lead. The Tigers returned the favor with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Campos on the following possession. That was the
he posted on his “hoodiedaumpire” Instagram page, handing out wristbands branded with his social media name and signing baseballs for kids.
“When you see the di er -
start of 20 unanswered points in which Brooks-McMillan ran in a 6-yard touchdown and, after an interception to Seaforth senior Jacob Winger, Zimmerman connected with sophomore Deuce Geer for a 16-yard score with 11 seconds left in the rst half.
Brooks-McMillan put the Tigers up by two scores once again in the fourth quarter, running in a 2-yard touchdown with seven minutes left to play. Seaforth didn’t lay down,
ent kids saying, ‘There goes Hoodie Da Umpire. There goes Hoodie,’ you know, just talking to them and everything, it was awesome,” Williams said.
For Williams, his love for baseball and his eventual a nity for umpiring began when he was a child like his supporters.
Williams fell in love with the game between the ages of 9 and 10 while playing youth ball at Bray Park. He also played at Chatham Middle School and at Jordan-Matthews for a couple of seasons.
“I always wanted to be an umpire because I would look at the umpire like, ‘Man, they control the game,’” Williams said. “My mom wouldn’t let me say nothing to the umpires. I’d get in trouble if I said something. So I just saw how they control the game, calling safe, out, ball, strike, and it was a big thing.”
Williams started umpiring after returning home from college in 2002. With the help and guidance of former Siler City Parks and Recreation director Donald Dones, Williams started umpiring local youth games with ages as young as 8 years old.
“I thought I was going to be a great umpire because I was good playing baseball,” Williams said. “But it’s a whole different side when you’re umpiring. You could be a great person in the sport, but once you get on the other side, you’ve got to know di erent situations, different scenarios. It’s more than just knowing the rules.”
Learning the ropes was a “process” for Williams as he also had to learn how to deal with parents and coaches getting upset. As he moved to Georgia, Williams worked his way up into o ciating high
though, as it responded with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Parker to junior Max Hinchman with three minutes left.
Through its rolling ground attack, Chapel Hill picked up crucial rst downs on the next possession and ran out the clock.
Despite the loss, Matthews felt “proud” of his team for how hard they competed and played for each other.
Matthews said he got a little emotional before the game
“Something checked o my bucket list.”
Hoodie Williams
school games and high-level tournaments such as Perfect Game. He’s also an o cial for high school softball, volleyball and ag football, and he’s looking to work college baseball games in the future.
Williams has started to teach others about umpiring through his own organization, and to give back to his hometown, he hopes to do an umpire clinic in Siler City one day. As much as he loves baseball and his hometown, both showed love to him earlier this month.
Prior to the championship’s rst pitch, Williams and the three other umpires standing behind home plate had their names and hometowns shouted out by the announcer.
When the announcer said, “From Siler City, North Carolina,” there was a loud crowd of cheers from the out eld seating area.
“It was such a coincidence,” Williams said. “A team from Sanford was there. I had talked to them that week, and one of the ladies that was there, she was from Chatham Central, and she was like, ‘Hoodie!’ Her name is Randi Jo Kivett, and I talked to her.
“When they said Siler City, North Carolina, their whole team and parents and stu stood up. It was awesome. It was something that I’ll never forget. Like I said, no matter how big I do, how big I make it, I’ll never forget where I’m from.”
started, for he nally got to witness all his team’s e orts from his rst o season as a head coach play out on Friday. He feels his team is headed in the right direction as they look ahead to Southeast Alamance in Week 2.
“Not the outcome we wanted,” Matthews said. “We made a bunch of mistakes, but nothing that we can’t get cleaned up. So we’re going to get those things cleaned up, and I guarantee you’ll see a better team next Friday night.”
Hoodie Williams of Siler City o ciated a championship game
COURTESY HUSANI WILLIAMS
Blaney’s last-second surge at Daytona denies underdogs Cinderella moment
race to claim the checkered ag — a victory that denied a Cinderella moment and gave Alex Bowman the nal spot in the playo s.
By Jenna Fryer
The Associated Press
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—
The Cup Series’ playo system is designed to give a long shot a chance to race for the championship.
As a pack of underdogs hurtled toward the nish line at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night, there was a real possibility of an upset and someone racing their way into the postseason by winning the regular-season nale.
Then a favorite spoiled it all.
Ryan Blaney won a four-wide
Blaney was 13th with two laps to go, then muscled his Team Penske Ford to the front and surged slightly ahead right before the nish line. He beat Daniel Suarez by 0.031 seconds, Justin Haley by 0.036 seconds and Cole Custer by 0.049 seconds.
Erik Jones was fth, Kyle Larson sixth, Chris Buescher seventh and Ty Gibbs eighth. Any of the seven drivers behind Blaney besides Larson would have been rst-time winners this season and claimed the nal spot in the 16-driver playo eld.
But Blaney — a former series champion already locked into
In the rst and second sets, Jordan-Matthews pulled away toward the end. The teams were knotted at 20-20 in the rst set before the Jets went on a 5-1 run. Senior Cassidy Graves started the late -set push with an ace, and a kill from junior Delaney Fuquay alongside two attack errors by the Bears gave Jordan-Matthews the set 25-21. “We really had to learn where
they were going,” Dekaney said. “Closer to the end of the set, they get a little softer and tip a lot more. So I think learning their behaviors helped us win that rst set especially.” Solid serving once again helped the Jets in the second set. Senior Emily Dekaney and Graves earned a few more aces to lead the Jets out of a back-and-forth battle. Jordan-Matthews ended the night with 11 aces — one more than the rst meeting against the Bears.
the eld — denied them all. His victory assured Bowman, who crashed early in the race and had to watch for more than three hours on TV to learn his fate, would race for the championship this season.
The rst 19 cars across the nish line were all within a half-second of Blaney, who wound up second in the regular-season standings. Daytona 500 winner William Byron had already wrapped up the regular-season title.
“What a wild couple last laps,” said Blaney, who waited until the end to aggressively move through tra c. “It’s de nitely not as traditional a way as we like to run them; we like to lead laps and things like that. We just
ROUNDUP from page B1
ball, will have to dig deep to defend it for 48 minutes.
Jordan-Matthews 20, Carrboro 15
Jordan-Matthews shined in the second half of its win over Carrboro, outscoring the Jaguars 12-0. Having senior Kamarie Hadley at quarterback added another dimension to the Jets’ offense as it opened passing opportunities and gave the Carrboro defense another runner to worry about in read options.
Down 15-8 late in the third quarter, Hadley hit junior receiver Namir Wiley for a 27-yard touchdown, bringing the Jets within one point. Sophomore Nolan Mitchell came up with a huge interception deep in Jordan-Matthews’ territory in the fourth quarter, setting up a short, go - ahead touchdown run for senior Jakari Blue. Blue finished the game with two scores on the ground.
An improved Chatham Central team is up next for the Jets. After giving up 301 yards through the air to the Jaguars, Jordan-Matthews will need a better performance from its secondary to be successful against a pass-heavy Chatham Central offense. The Jets have a chance at going 2-0 for the first time since 2013 with a win Friday.
Harnett Central 55, Northwood 7
There was no doubt that Northwood’s nonconference schedule was going to be tough, and 6A opponent Harnett Cen-
For a better result in its second shot at the Bears, Jordan-Matthews played with improved consistency and togetherness throughout the game. The Jets also didn’t allow the impact of Chatham Central’s powerful outside hitter Addison Goldston to dictate the outcome. “I told them she was going to bring it, and she did,” Alston said. “She had some nice swings and some good kills. We just had to brace ourselves to be
couldn’t really get there until the last second.”
Suarez, who is being replaced at Trackhouse Racing at the end of the season, was disappointed not to make the playo s.
“All in all, a good car. Just not enough and a little too late,” Suarez said.
Haley, who is likely to be replaced at Spire Motorsports at the end of the year, also was frustrated. Haley and Spire’s only Cup Series win came in this race in 2019, when it was shortened by rain while Haley was the leader.
“It hurts, especially with the year the 7 car has had. We obviously had a rough season,” Haley said. “You’re counting them down and just trying to play ev-
tral did everything to prove it.
The Trojans shut down Northwood’s o ense, allowing just 104 passing yards, zero passing touchdowns and snagging four interceptions between quarterbacks Grayson Cox and Finn Sullivan. Junior receivers Raje Torres and Nick Armstrong were the bright spots of the unit. Torres accumulated 139 all-purpose yards, and Armstrong caught the Chargers’ only score of the night. On the ip side, the Chargers couldn’t stop the run, allowing 292 yards and ve scores on the ground between Ro’Shawn Towson and Josiah Grice. Junior receiver Kole Thompson also had an outstanding night with 114 yards and a touchdown on three receptions.
Week 2: Asheboro at Northwood (7 p.m.)
Northwood will have to regroup and prepare for another tough opponent in Asheboro (6A). The Blue Comets are coming o a 59-0 win over High Point Central in which they rushed for 154 yards and six touchdowns. Not only will the Chargers need a better effort in their run defense, they will also have to limit turnovers to compete.
Seaforth
Week 2: Southeast Alamance at Seaforth (7 p.m.)
Seaforth and Southeast Alamance are familiar foes after spending multiple seasons together in the former Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference. Southeast Alamance has seen near instant success in football, logging winning records in its rst two varsity
ready to play it up. We played some of them up. She burned us on some of them, and over the course of the match, we were able to just do good in other categories.” Jordan-Matthews is already o to a better start than last season, when it didn’t earn its rst victory until the second week of September. Prior to its rst victory of 2025, the Jets, 1-4 as of Sunday, won three sets in the rst four games of the season. They
erything out. It stings, but still a good night.”
Buescher said coming up short of the playo s would force him to “just be mad about it for a while.
“Not trying to pout, just I’m proud of this team,” he continued. “It was a great night. We certainly had a shot and had the speed again, so want to be excited about that, and I am. But man, it’s just another one of those we had the ability to win this race, had the speed, had the handling, and no champagne to celebrate.”
The victory was on brand for Team Penske, winner of the last three Cup Series championships. Joey Logano won in 2023, Blaney in 2024 and Logano again last year.
The team has won those titles by overcoming summer slumps and then turning it up when the playo s begin. Blaney’s win snapped an 11-race losing streak for Penske and Ford.
Roger Penske, who was in Victory Lane to celebrate with the No. 12 team, has all three of his drivers in the playo eld.
seasons, while the Hawks have yet to do so in its rst three campaigns. Last year, Southeast Alamance smothered Seaforth 44-7.
The Stallions have picked up where they left o after an 11-1 run in 2024. Southeast Alamance dominated Orange last Friday 55-22 with 403 yards of total o ense. Junior DJ Callis led the rushing attack with 87 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries, and he combined with four other running backs to average 8.3 yards per tote. Callis had 147 yards and two rushing touchdowns in last year’s meeting with the Hawks.
Seaforth’s defense has shown to be solid in its pass defense, but the run game is what’s keeping the chains moving, especially at the end of the game, against Chapel Hill. If the Hawks can limit the Stallions’ running success, they can make for a much closer battle with their former conference opponent.
Power rankings (after Week 1)
1. Jordan-Matthews
2. Chatham Central
3. Seaforth
4. Northwood
Week 2 score predictions
Jordan-Matthews 26, Chatham Central 18
Southeast Alamance 35, Seaforth 14
Asheboro 27, Northwood 17
have more tough nonconference games to look ahead to, including Asheboro on Thursday and Union Pines on Wednesday, before conference play begins at North Moore on Sept. 9. For Chatham Central, also sitting at 1-4 as of Sunday, its 2025 hasn’t had an ideal start. Last week’s loss to Jordan-Matthews was its fourth defeat in a row. The Bears will look to get back on track as they dive into conference play next week.
VOLLEYBALL from page B1
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Jordan-Matthews’ Jakari Blue runs through a Carrboro defender during the Jets’ 20-15 season opening win.
A late run moved him from 13th to rst
Ryan Blaney (12) crosses the nish line to win Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona.
JOHN RAOUX / AP PHOTO
SIDELINE REPORT
NFL
Sanders waived by Buccaneers
Tampa, Fla.
Shilo Sanders was waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, less than 24 hours after he was ejected from a game for throwing a punch. Sanders, the son of Hall of Fame
cornerback Deion Sanders, was battling for a roster spot after going undrafted out of Colorado, where he played for his father. He was also penalized for pass interference earlier in Tampa Bay’s 23-19 loss to Bu alo. The Buccaneers could still add Sanders to the practice squad if he doesn’t get claimed o waivers by another team.
BOXING
Boxer Chávez Jr. to stand trial in Mexico over alleged cartel ties
Hermosillo, Mexico
A judge in Mexico says Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. will stand trial over alleged cartel ties but can await trial outside of detention. The court granted three months of additional investigation into the case. Chávez, who had been living in the United States for several years, was arrested in early July by federal agents outside his Los Angeles home for overstaying his visa and lying on an application to obtain a green card. He was deported by the U.S. on Aug. 19 to Mexico, where he faced an arrest warrant.
NBA Former NBA star Kemp gets 30 days of home monitoring for Wash. shooting Tacoma, Wash.
Former NBA star Shawn Kemp was sentenced to 30 days of electronic home monitoring for shooting at two men inside a vehicle in a Washington state mall parking lot. Kemp must begin home monitoring within two weeks. He must also serve one year of Department of Corrections supervision and complete 240 hours of community service. Prosecutors had recommended the six-time NBA All-Star be sentenced to nine months in jail, a year of supervision and pay restitution. But the judge found the circumstances surrounding the crime warranted a lesser sentence. Kemp said he acted in self- defense.
NFL Police noti ed after sex toy thrown onto eld during Titans preseason game
Nashville, Tenn. The NFL joined the WNBA in having a sex toy thrown onto the eld when someone tossed one during the Tennessee Titans’ preseason nale. The neon green sex toy landed near the 6-yard line with about ve minutes left in the Titans’ win over the Minnesota Vikings. The teams were on the eld with the Titans on o ense near mid eld when the object hit the eld close to the Tennessee sideline. The Titans say they reported the incident to police. Similar toys have been tossed at several WNBA games, resulting in at least three arrests.
Sharapova, Bryan brothers enter tennis hall
Serena Williams made a surprise appearance
By Jimmy Golen The Associated Press
NEWPORT, R.I. — Serena Williams made a surprise — and early — appearance at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, emerging from behind the stage to introduce “former rival, former fan and forever friend” Maria Sharapova for her induction.
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion who will be eligible for her own enshrinement in 2027, drew gasps and shrieks from the crowd at the Newport shrine.
“There are only a few players in my career who challenged me to be the very best, every single time we stepped out on the court,” Williams said. “Maria Sharapova was one of them. Whenever I saw her name next to mine in the draw, I made sure I practiced harder.”
And the feeling was mutual.
“It’s a gift to have someone who motivates you to reach those heights. And I’ll forever be grateful for bringing out the best in me,” Sharapova said in her acceptance speech. “We both knew no other way than to ght our hearts out. ... We both hated to lose more than anything on this Earth, and we both knew that the other was the biggest obstacle between ourselves and the trophy.”
The rst Russian woman ever to reach No. 1 in the rankings and one of 10 women to complete the career Grand Slam, Sharapova was joined in the Class of 2025 by domi-
nating doubles team Mike and Bob Bryan. The twin brothers nished their speech with one of their trademark chest bumps.
Hall of Famers Martina Navratilova, Jim Courier, Stan Smith and Andy Roddick were among those in the crowd, wearing their blue Hall of Fame blazers. Sharapova and the Bryan brothers also received a cast tennis racket that is the hall’s newest o ering to inductees.
Sharapova was described in her introductory video as someone who “combined grit with glamour,” and some of the stylish out ts she competed in are already displayed in the
“When voices inevitably tell you to ease up, to round your edges, dull your ambition, I hope you can nd a way to ignore them.”
Maria Sharapova
hall — including a tuxedo-inspired dress she wore at Wimbledon in 2008. Williams noted that her rival was the highest-paid female athlete in the world for 11 straight years — bolstered by
endorsement income that surpassed her on-court winnings.
“She showed us all how to take excellence on the court and turn it into excellence in business, and fashion, branding and everything that she touched,” Williams said. “She changed how women not only approached tennis, but sports and opportunity. She showed us that you can be erce on the court and strategic o the court, and unapologetically herself the entire time.”
Sharapova said her induction gave her a chance to look back — something she tried not to do when she was playing. And she credited her success to “embracing the struggles and leaning into the hard stu .”
“When voices inevitably tell you to ease up, to round your edges, dull your ambition, I hope you can nd a way to ignore them,” she said. “Compete ercely. Raise your standard. Set goals that intimidate you. And don’t forget to celebrate your victories, no matter how small.
“In giving my life to tennis, tennis gave me a life. And what a remarkable, remarkable life. And I’m so deeply grateful for it.”
The Bryans shared a speech as if they were taking turns hitting on a court, alternating at the microphone as they thanked coaches, friends and Davis Cup teammates from a career in which they won 119 ATP titles, including 16 Grand Slams, and an Olympic gold medal. They spent a record 438 weeks atop the world rankings.
Bob Bryan said he was fortunate because “for most of my career, I had the No. 1 player in the world across the hall.”
“Doubles was our love from Day 1,” Mike Bryan said. “We loved everything about doubles. We loved the strategy, the teamwork, sharing the highs and lows. Like our personalities, our games complemented each other perfectly.”
Women’s Professional Baseball League o ers new hope for female athletes
Launching in 2026, the league held tryouts in Washington, D.C.
By Alanis Thames The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Victoria Ruelas was 12 years old when she made history as the rst American girl to play in the Little League World Series. That was in 1989. And while Ruelas is proud of how far women in sports have come since her childhood, she can’t help but wish there were more opportunities for them to shine. Especially in baseball, where opportunities beyond youth leagues have so often required girls to take unusual paths, most of them alongside men.
“We keep saying how much strides we’re making,” Ruelas said. “But they’re so slow in coming. It just should be faster.
“I get excited when I see girls playing and getting to go to the Little League World Series every year. But to still be one here, one there — that’s upsetting to me. There’s so much more of us out there that play.”
Ruelas and many other women have carved out their own spaces in baseball over the years. Now, the wait for something more unifying is on the horizon with next year’s launch of the Women’s Professional Baseball League.
The league is holding its tryouts in Washington, D.C. While baseball stars like former Little League phenom Mo’ne Davis and USA baseball women’s national team player Kelsie Whitmore are already signed to the WPBL, the league’s tryouts are open to all women.
That has made way for competitors of all ages to chase their dream of playing professionally. For many, the tryouts are one of the rst times they’ve seen so many women’s baseball players in one place.
“I never thought I’d see this, ever,” said Monica Holguin, of Burbank, California. “You’re told when you’re younger, ‘Hey, you have to transition from baseball to softball because there’s no future in (baseball) for women.’ And so you just do it.”
The result for Holguin, 45, was turning her focus to raising her two children instead of pursuing a professional career.
“And then something like this pops up and you just say, ‘Hey, let’s just go do it,’” added Holguin, who tried out at third base. “You know, I really did it. I wanted to come out here, compete, and I wanted to show my kids, it doesn’t matter how old you are, you can chase a dream.”
Age is no deterrent for Holguin and several other WPBL hopefuls, who are trying to open doors for the next generation of girls baseball players.
Ruelas, 48, played college
“I wanted to show my kids, it doesn’t matter how old you are, you can chase a dream.”
Monica Holguin
softball at San Jose State and was on the U.S. team that competed in the 2001 Women’s World Series. She ew to Washington from Honolulu, Hawaii, for the tryouts and said, “Until my body says I cannot do this anymore, I’d like to keep playing.”
Micaela Minner, who owns a sports training company with her wife in Akron, Ohio, has accomplished plenty in her athletic career. She played baseball until age 15. She was a softball state champion in high school. She helped Missouri’s softball team reach the
2009 Women’s College World Series. And she played professional softball with the Akron Racers in Ohio.
Minner, now 40 and retired from softball, still feels a deep pull toward baseball — the sport that she said gave her a sense of belonging growing up in the small town Sanger, Texas.
Minner said her stepdad put her in baseball to keep “me out of trouble.”
Even though she played with boys, the sport made her feel part of something bigger.
“They loved me,” she said. “I t in, and me tting in made me love myself. And it saved me.”
Minner is trying out at rst base and as a left-handed pitcher for the WPBL. She said even if she doesn’t make the league, her hope is that playing professional baseball becomes a tangible goal for younger girls.
JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON / AP PHOTO
Lauren Boden, second from right, Stephanie Everett, right, and other players talk in the dugout during the rst day of tryouts for the Women’s Professional Baseball League in Washington, D.C.
MICHEL EULER / AP PHOTO
Maria Sharapova holds the trophy after winning the 2012 French Open. The Russian star was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
New Beatles ‘Anthology’ projects to be released this fall
A restored version of the 1995 music documentary comes to Disney+ on Nov. 26
The Associated Press
BEATLES FANS will be feeling some “real love” for this: New content from the iconic band is coming this fall on screen, in music and in print.
“The Beatles Anthology” will be returning “in its ultimate form,” according to a release issued last Thursday.
The famed 1995 “Anthology” music documentary, recounting the band’s journey beginning with its Liverpool roots through to its explosive stardom, has been restored and remastered, and it will feature a new, ninth episode. It will stream on Disney+ beginning Nov. 26.
The ninth episode features behind-the-scenes footage of Paul McCartney, George Har -
rison and Ringo Starr coming together in 1994-95 to work on the series and “re ecting on their shared life as the Beatles.” Giles Martin, son of the late Beatles producer George Martin, who died in 2016, has created new audio mixes for the majority of the featured music.
New “Anthology” music will be released Nov. 21. A fourth album, to be released alongside remastered versions of the rst three, includes 13 previously unreleased demos, session recordings and other rare recordings.
“Anthology 4” also includes, according to the release, new mixes of the Beatles’ “Anthology”-related hit singles: “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love.” The original “Free As A Bird” music video has also been restored. The two new mixes come alongside 2023’s “Now And Then,” the last Beatles song.
(All three singles were created from home demos that John Lennon, who was killed in
1980 outside the Dakota apartment building, recorded not long before, with vocal and instrumental parts later recorded by McCartney, Harrison and Starr.)
A 25th anniversary edition of the Beatles Anthology Book will arrive Oct. 14. In the book, all four Beatles recall the band’s journey. They’re joined by colleagues including Neil Aspinall, George Martin, Derek Taylor and others.
“‘The Anthology’ was always about their past, but this new edition con rms its enduring place in the present and future,’” the release noted.
The “Anthology” updates come as Beatles fans ready for not one, not two, but four feature lms about the band. All directed by Sam Mendes, the lms each focus on one Beatle. The lead actors will be Paul Mescal as McCartney, Joseph Quinn as Harrison, Barry Keoghan as Starr and Harris Dickinson as Lennon.
Teen girl murdered in paradise in twisty thriller ‘High
The book is reminiscent of Gillian Flynn’s “Sharp Objects”
The Associated Press
KATIE BISHOP nds heart and poignancy at the center of her artfully crafted thriller, “High Season,” setting it apart from other by-the-numbers beach reads.
At the center of the story is Nina Drayton, who, 20 years ago at age 5, was the sole witness to the murder of her sister, Tamara, by Josie Jackson, the daughter of their family’s summer housekeeper and her childhood babysitter. Nina was brought up to believe that her account of that wine-soaked night at her mother’s French villa was the reason Josie was put away and justice served. After the case faces renewed interest from a true crime in uencer, Nina begins to suspect that her story was faulty. At the same time, Josie returns to the scene of the crime searching for answers.
“High Season” has many moving parts — two timelines, ve viewpoints in total — and it also manages to serve as an exploration of our true crime obsession. Bishop acknowledges the double-edged sword of armchair detecting: the interest brings attention to forgotten cases but also makes it impossible for anyone to move on from it under renewed scrutiny. The promise of
Season’
for hiding their suspicions for 20 years.
justice is thinner than the promise of entertainment and gossip about a cast of suspects and victims, most of whom will never meet. The POV shifts feel natural rather than jarring, jagged pieces of a story. Bishop knows when it makes sense to see the world through one character, and then, in the next chapter, add a piece of the puzzle from a di erent character. It serves as a reminder that everyone has their own story of what they believed happened the night of the murder and their reasons
The most poignant parts of the novel are told by Tamara herself — Bishop could have easily made her victim another “poor little rich girl” by just having other people’s memories and judgments of her serve as her narrative. By giving Tamara her part of the story and making her a eshed-out character, we feel the grief that comes with her death and the hole it’s made for so many people. The novel also does a good job exploring how the glittering glamor of the Drayton family is out of reach for the working-class teenage girls in town and the lengths they will go to try to t in (or not) with the shiny elite. Josie’s teenage best friend, Hannah, has a crucial arc about the dangers of trying to shape yourself into someone else’s world at any cost. The treatment Hannah receives at the hands of Blake, Nina’s older brother, is chilling and an accurate depiction of how some men treat women they feel are beneath them.
The weak part of the novel is the climax of the truth coming out. It felt like an arti cial set-up for a story that otherwise owed along on the merits of Bishop’s lyrical writing and the tense atmosphere she created. What might have been cathartic felt too much like spectacle and deprived the reader of the emotion and suspense of the rest of the book.
ST. MARTIN’S PRESS VIA AP
“High Season” author Katie Bishop writes for several outlets, including The New York Times, The Guardian, The Independent, Vice and Vogue.
this week in history
King delivers “I Have a Dream,” Katrina hits Gulf Coast, Diana dies in Paris crash
The Associated Press
AUG. 28
1845: The rst issue of “Scienti c American” magazine was published; it remains the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States.
1898: Pharmacist Caleb Bradham of New Bern renamed his carbonated drink Pepsi-Cola, ve years after rst creating it as Brad’s Drink.
1955: Emmett Till, a black teen from Chicago, was abducted in Mississippi after allegedly whistling at a white woman and was found slain days later.
1963: During the March on Washington, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech before an estimated 250,000 people in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
AUG. 29
1814: During the War of 1812, Alexandria, Virginia, formally surrendered to British military forces, which occupied the city until Sept. 3. 1944: Approximately 15,000
American troops of the 28th Infantry Division marched down the Champs-Élysées in Paris to celebrate its liberation from the Nazis.
2005: Hurricane Katrina struck the U.S. Gulf Coast in southeast Louisiana, breaching levees and spurring oods that devastated New Orleans. Katrina caused nearly 1,400 deaths and an estimated $200 billion in damage.
AUG. 30
1916: On his fourth attempt, explorer Ernest Shackleton rescued 22 crew members stranded on Antarctica’s Elephant Island for four and a half months after the Endurance sank.
1963: The “Hot Line” communications link between Washington and Moscow went into operation.
1967: The Senate con rmed the appointment of Thurgood Marshall as the rst black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
AUG. 31
1881: The rst U.S. tennis championships (for men only) began in Newport, Rhode Island.
1886: An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of up to 7.3 devastated Charleston, South Carolina, killing at least 60 people.
bird species on Earth, went extinct as the last known example, named Martha, died.
1939: Nazi Germany invaded Poland, an event regarded as the start of World War II.
1985: A U.S.-French expedition located the wreckage of the Titanic o the coast of Newfoundland.
SEPT. 2
1666: The Great Fire of London began, which would destroy more than 13,000 homes and hundreds of additional structures, including St Paul’s Cathedral.
Aug. 28, 1898.
1962: The Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago became independent of British colonial rule.
1997: Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed after the car she was riding in crashed in Paris; her partner Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul also died.
SEPT. 1
1715: Following a reign of 72 years, King Louis XIV of France died four days before his 77th birthday; he was succeeded by his 5-year-old great-grandson, Louis XV.
1914: The passenger pigeon, once one of the most abundant
In ‘Splitsville,’ a screwball comedy of in delity with some cinematic verve
The lm belongs more to a zany tradition stretching back to the 1930s
By Jake Coyle The Associated Press
YOU CAN SAY THIS: Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin know how to start a movie.
Their 2020 breakout lm, “The Climb,” begins with two best friends on a bike ride just before Kyle (Marvin) is to be wed. Mid-climb, Mike (Covino) confesses he slept with the bride-to-be. In one long take, an argument on two wheels ensues, with hu ng and pu ng in between.
Their new follow-up to that lm, “Splitsville,” likewise kicks o with heartbreak on the open road. This time, Carey (Marvin), a gym teacher, is driving along a highway with his life coach wife, Ashley (Adria Arjona). They seem happy enough, though there are hints of trouble. When Ashley says she wants to have new experiences, Carey suggests pottery. Ashley corrects him: “I meant sexual.”
When an erratic driver careens o the road, they run to check on the passengers. Finding the woman thrown clear of the car, Ashley — faced with her own mortality — decides then and there to get a divorce.
In both “The Climb” and “Splitsville,” these are just the rst sharp turns in relationship roller coasters that unfold in clattering one-take set piec-
solutions
es mixed with nakedly frank heart-to-hearts. Their movies — Covino directs; they write together — are a little like Wile E. Coyote versions of a rom-com. And part of their considerable appeal is in how much Marvin and Covino are willing to put themselves through the ringer.
Like “The Climb,” “Splitsville” is a relationship farce that keeps amplifying and recycling.
From the scene of the accident, as the credits unspool, Carey trudges seemingly aimless across the countryside. (Splitsville is Nowheresville.) Eventually, though, he arrives at the handsome lakeside home of his childhood best friend, Paul (Covino), who lives there with his wife Julie (Dakota Johnson) and young son Russ (Simon Webster).
1789: The United States Treasury Department was established.
1864: During the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s forces occupied Atlanta. 1945: Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War II.
SEPT. 3
1783: Representatives of the United States and Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, which o cially ended the Revolutionary War and recognized U.S. sovereignty.
1861: During the Civil War, Confederate forces invaded the border state of Kentucky.
Paul and Carey have a close enough relationship that Paul comes right into the shower to check for ticks on Carey. Later that night, he and Julie casually acknowledge that they have an open marriage. Julie, for instance, could sleep with anyone. Even Carey, they note. Much of the fun of “Splitsville” is seeing how things topple from here, but it’s obvious enough that Julie and Paul’s agreement will get tested, very quickly. From there, the four central characters of the lm — Carey, Paul, Julie and Ashley — will take various turns in less of a romantic triangle than an adult game of musical chairs.
Though there are elaborately choreographed long takes that smack of contemporary moviemaking, “Splitsville” belongs more to a screwball tradition stretching back to the 1930s.
I’m convinced, though, that the performer here who would have been most at home in that bygone comedy heyday is Johnson. For the second time this year, following “Materalists,” she nds herself caught between the a ections of two men.
The twists and turns of “Splitsville” can grow a little tiresome. Reversals pile on top of each other. But in a movie about in delity where everyone is lying more to themselves than to their partners, those patterns e ectively lead back to where everyone started.
Three stars out of four.
THE INDEPENDENT VIA WIKIPEDIA
New Bern pharmacist Caleb Bradham renamed his tonic Brad’s Drink to Pepsi-Cola on
NEON VIA AP
From left, Michael Angelo Covino, Kyle Marvin, Adria Arjona and Dakota Johnson star in “Splitsville.”
MOVIE REVIEW
famous birthdays this week
Shania Twain is 60, Warren Bu et turns 95, Cameron Diaz turns 53, Van Morrison hits 80
THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week.
AUG. 28
Actor Ken Jenkins (“Scrubs”) is 85. Former MLB manager and player Lou Piniella is 82. Former MLB pitcher Ron Guidry is 75. Actor Daniel Stern is 68. Jennifer Coolidge is 64. Film director David Fincher is 63. Country singer Shania Twain is 60. Actor Jack Black is 56. Actor Jason Priestley is 56.
AUG. 29
Actor Elliott Gould is 87. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin is 87. Olympic gold medal sprinter Wyomia Tyus is 80. Animal behaviorist and autism educator Temple Grandin is 78. Rebecca De Mornay is 66.
AUG. 30
Investor and philanthropist Warren Bu et is 95. Actor Elizabeth Ashley is 86. Actor John Kani is 83. Cartoonist Robert Crumb is 82. Comedian Lewis Black is 77. North Carolina U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis is 65. Actor Cameron Diaz is 53.
AUG. 31
Violinist Itzhak Perlman is 80. Singer Van Morrison is 80. Rock musician Rudolf Schenker (The Scorpions) is 77. Actor Richard Gere is 76. Attorney and author Marcia Clark is 72. Actor Chris Tucker is 54.
SEPT. 1
Attorney and law professor Alan Dershowitz is 87. Comedian-actor Lily Tomlin is 86. Singer Barry Gibb is 79. Talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw is 75.
Singer Gloria Estefan is 68.
SEPT. 2
Former Major League Baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth is 88. Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw is 77.
Actor Mark Harmon is 74. Tennis Hall of Famer Jimmy Con-
nors is 73.
61.
SEPT. 3
Singer-musician Al Jardine (The Beach Boys) is 82. Actor Valerie Perrine is 82. Filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet is 72. Rock guitarist Steve Jones (The Sex Pistols) is 70. Actor Steve Schirripa (“The Sopranos”) is 67. Author Malcolm Gladwell is 62. Actor Charlie Sheen is 60.
Actor Keanu Reeves is
Boxing Hall of Famer Lennox Lewis is 60.
ROB BOGAERTS VIA WIKIPEDIA
Actor Valerie Perrine, seen in a scene from the 1974 lm “Lenny,” turns 82 on Wednesday.
ANDY KROPA / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Dr. Phil McGraw visits “Jesse Watters Primetime” in New York in 2024. The famous TV show host turns 75 on Monday.
KEVORK DJANSEZIAN / AP PHOTO
Lennox Lewis throws a right at David Tua during the second round of their heavyweight championship bout in 2000. The boxing hall of famer turns 60 on Tuesday.
the stream
Sabrina Carpenter, Eminem’s ‘Stans,’ sci- comedy ‘Upload’ returns to Prime
Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley play detective in “The Thursday Murder Club”
The Associated Press
SABRINA CARPENTER’S seventh studio album, “Man’s Best Friend,” and Marvel’s “Thunderbolts*” starring Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan 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: Some of the West’s biggest musicians are getting the K-pop treatment in the TV series “KPopped,” video game maker Sega tries to revive the Shinobi franchise and there’s Season 2 of “With Love, Meghan,” a lifestyle series from the Duchess of Sussex.
MOVIES TO STREAM
Marvel Studios’ “Thunderbolts*” didn’t make quite the mark in theaters that many expected it to, but the Jake Schreier-directed lm was still one of the most acclaimed MCU releases in years. After hitting theaters in early May, “Thunderbolts*” is now streaming on Disney+. With an ensemble including Pugh, Stan, Wyatt Russell and David Harbour, it follows a gang of ragtag superheroes who reluctantly come together as a team.
Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie play elderly amateur sleuths in Chris Columbus’ “The Thursday Murder Club” (Net ix, Thursday). In the lm, based on Richard Osman’s 2020 novel, the group attempts to solve a crime from their seniors’ residence, Coopers Chase. Expect a cozy murder mystery with mature star power. Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s “The Friend” (Now on Paramount+) stars Naomi Watts as a New York writer who reluctantly inherits the dog of her deceased mentor (Bill Murray). The dog isn’t just any dog, either, but a mammoth Great Dane named Apollo. The adaptation of Sigrid Nunez’s National Book Award-winning novel is very much a dog movie, but it’s also one about processing grief. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr called it “one of those movies people complain they don’t make anymore, although its existence is a reminder that they
do still make ‘them,’ meaning smart, emotionally authentic stories about people who seem real.”
MUSIC TO STREAM
Who’s a good girl? Carpenter hopes to be when she releases her seventh studio album, “Man’s Best Friend.” It will drop almost exactly a year after she released breakthrough album “Short n’ Sweet,” which spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Carpenter has been enlisting a golden retriever puppy and fans to unveil
her track list on social media. Stans of stans, unite. “Stans,” the Marshall Mathers-produced documentary about a cast of superfans of Eminem, directed by Steven Leckart, is on Paramount+. Eminem named the phenomenon 25 years ago with the release of his song “Stan” about an obsessive fan, which prompted the Oxford English Dictionary to eventually add the term. The lm “o ers a raw, loud and revealing journey across Eminem’s career — and the passionate audience that has grown with him.” Apple TV+ has a new mu-
sic competition series featuring iconic songs by some of the world’s biggest Western pop stars as they get the K-pop treatment. “KPopped” features K-pop groups ITZY, JO1, Kiss of Life, Blackswan, STAYC, KEP1ER, Ateez and Billlie teamed up with Western artists like Meg, Kesha, Patti Labelle, Kylie Minogue, the Spice Girls’ Mel B and Emma Bunton, Vanilla Ice, Taylor Dayne, Eve, J Balvin, Ava Max, Boyz II Men, Boy George, TLC and Jess Glynne. Together, o er new spins on classic songs like “Ice Ice Baby,” “Lady Marmalade,” “Waterfalls,” “Motownphilly” and “Karma Chameleon.” All eight episodes stream Friday.
SERIES TO STREAM
The sci- comedy “Upload” hits Prime Video for its fourth and nal season. Starring Robbie Amell, the series takes place in the not-too-distant future where humans can pay to upload their mind to a virtual afterlife when they die. Amell’s Nathan uploads in the rst episode and ends up falling for Nora, a human concierge assigned to help his transition go smoothly. Talk about a long-distance relationship! Created by Greg Daniels, who also created “The O ce,” the show deals with themes of class and ethics in technology.
“My Funeral” is a new Icelandic dark comedy about a man who on the same day as his retirement, a cantankerous man learns he has an incurable brain tumor and decides to host his own funeral. “My Funeral” can be seen on MhZ Choice, a streaming service for international titles.
More ower sprinkles! Season 2 of “With Love, Meghan,” a lifestyle series from the Duchess of Sussex is back on Net ix. The new episodes feature celebs like Chrissy Teigen, Tan France and chef José Andrés, who visit the former actor living well in Montecito.
Prime Video’s “The Terminal List” rewinds with a new prequel series starring Taylor Kitsch’s Navy SEAL-turned- CIA operative. “The Terminal List: Dark Wolf” is now available. Chris Pratt (who is also working on a second season of the original) also reprises his character. The franchise is based on books by Jack Carr.
Thanks to celebrities like Halle Berry and Naomi Watts, menopause has become a more mainstream topic in recent years, and a new comedy pokes fun at a woman’s journey through what grandma used to call “the change” or “the change of life.” “Middlehood” stars Elena Wohl as a woman going through a bit of a midlife crisis as she deals aging. The eight-episode series is streaming on YouTube.
For those hooked on the love triangle between Belly and brothers Jeremiah and Conrad in Prime Video’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” Net ix has a returning title to o er. Season two of “My Life with the Walter Boys” arrives on the streamer on Thursday. It follows a teen who moves in with family friends after her parents die and nds herself torn between two brothers. “Walter Boys” is based on a book by Ali Novak that was rst published on Wattpad.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
The Knightling is hardly your typical dragon slayer — for starters, he doesn’t even have a sword. He does, however, have a magic shield that he can ride, kind of like a ying saucer. That’s enough to get him around the exotic land of Clesseia as he searches for the legendary Sir Lionstone. The journey begins Thursday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.
DISNEY-MARVEL STUDIOS VIA AP
From left, Sebastian Stan, Hannah John-Kamen, Florence Pugh, Wyatt Russell and David Harbour star in “Thunderbolts*.”
Naomi Watts stars in the adaptation of Sigrid Nunez’s National Book Award-winning “The Friend.”
“Stans,” a documentary about a cast of superfans of Eminem, left, and the series “The Terminal List: Dark Wolf,” right, are streaming this week.
Duplin Journal
Duplin celebrates excellence in education
The Duplin County Education Foundation and Duplin County Schools came together to honor outstanding teachers and support sta across the county at a formal banquet held at the River Landing Clubhouse on Aug. 21. From left to right: Olivia Tate, Amanda
Patrick Williams, Melsheena Wilson, Katrina Whitehead, Lindsay
Karen
Beth
Laterri Underwood, Lamanda Flowers and Melanie Powell hold their plaques. Turn to A3 for the story and more photos.
the BRIEF this week
Board of County Commissioners to meet next Monday
Kenansville
Due to the Labor Day holiday, the Board of County Commissioners will meet on Tuesday, Sept. 2 at 6 p.m. at the Administrative Building located at 224 Seminary St. in Kenansville. For information, call 910-296-2100.
Duplin County Cattlemen’s Association resumes monthly meetings
Kenansville
The Duplin County Cattlemen’s Association meetings will resume on Sept. 4 at 6:30 p.m.
Membership includes access to the association’s portable corral, guest speakers, food and fellowship with others in the local cattle industry. The group meets the rst Thursday of each month at 165-C Agriculture Drive in Kenansville.
Area Small Grains meeting
9 a.m. Don’t miss the Area Small Grains meeting at the N.C. Cooperative Extension –Duplin County Center on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 9 a.m. at 165 Agriculture Drive in Kenansville. Register by calling 910-296-2143.
$2.00
Building boom reshapes property values, taxes across Duplin County
By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal
KENANSVILLE — A rainy
Monday morning brought more than just bad weather for Duplin County residents; it also delivered higher-than-ex-
pected property tax bills following a county-wide revaluation. This revaluation has resulted in dramatic increases in assessed property values, with some values more than doubling. Despite months of assur-
ance from county o cials that the revaluation wouldn’t necessarily mean tax increases, and even dropping its tax rate to $0.58 per $100 of assessed value — a 15.5-cent decrease citizens are reporting tax increases ranging from $500 to $3,000. Many are grappling with in ated home valuations and inaccurate property data.
Some residents have appealed their assessments, calling for accountability, and others are concerned about the abilty to a ord their homes.
“I paid $280,000 and now $410,000,” shared Leroy Chasten from Magnolia in a survey conducted by Duplin Journal
Magnolia PD addresses stray dog concerns
Chief Jerry Wood set the record straight in a message to residents
By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal
MAGNOLIA — In a recent public statement, Magnolia Police Department Chief Jerry Wood addressed a negative comment made on social media regarding the town’s handling of stray dogs.
The comment, shared by a third party on a repost of a department update about a recently found dog, claimed the town “never does anything” about dogs running at large. To provide clarity and transparency about the town’s e orts, Wood decided to issue an o cial state-
The e ort follows a federal push to bring all voter records into compliance with longstanding law
By Mark Grady For Duplin Journal
KENANSVILLE — When the Duplin County Board of Elections met on Aug. 19, they took care of important business necessary for the upcoming Nov. 4 municipal elections. The meeting was originally scheduled for Aug. 7 but was moved.
North Carolina statutes require a chief judge and two additional judges be select -
ment explaining the situation. Wood highlighted that the Town of Magnolia, through coordination between the police department and public works, actively enforces laws concerning loose dogs. That includes issuing warnings or nes to dog owners who fail to control their pets and setting humane traps on public land or with the permission of private property owners. He pointed out that the individual who made the complaint had previously been o ered a trap but declined the o er, later expressing concerns that the trap might catch his own dog. Wood explained that all dogs, regardless of ownership, are subject to the same laws.
ed for each precinct. Duplin County completed that task at the meeting. Most citizens are familiar with the term “poll workers,” yet many are unaware of the importance of the judge positions.
Specifically, the state statute requiring the positions reads, “The chief judges and judges of election shall conduct the primaries and elections within their respective precincts fairly and impartially, and they shall enforce peace and good order in and about the place of registration and voting.”
In an interview with Duplin
THE DUPLIN COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Jenkins,
McLamb,
Rouse,
Rose, Kari Roberts, Hannah Bell,
Ena
Loretta Carey
O ce Manager CONTACT US
O ce Phone: 910 463-1240
To place a legal ad: 919 663-3232; Fax: 919 663-4042
THURSDAY
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Weekly deadline is Monday at noon.
Sheri shares back-to-school safety tips
From code words to cell phone location, Stratton Stokes highlights awareness at every level
By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal
KENANSVILLE — As Duplin County students return to school, Duplin County Sheri Stratton Stokes is urging families to make student safety a priority. In a recent statement, Stokes outlined several important tips parents should discuss with their children to ensure a safe school year.
“Teaching children in our community about the potential dangers they may face will empower them with the knowledge they need to keep themselves and their peers safe,” said Stokes. His o ce encourages parents to talk to their children about how to avoid strangers, the importance of walking in groups, and what to do in case of an emergency. Stokes also suggested families establish a “code word” to help children verify if an adult they don’t know can be trusted.
“If a stranger claims to know your family but does not know the code word, do not go with them,” Stokes said.
“Strangers may use a variety
ELECTIONS from page A1
County Board of Elections Director Carrie Sullivan, she emphasized the role the judges play in all elections.
“The chief judges are the ones that maintain order at the precincts, along with the judges,” she said. “All three of them make sure that they sign off and verify everything from their precinct and return everything to our office on election night.”
Judges are selected from both major political parties to ensure fairness.
“For chief judges, we have nine Republicans and eight Democrats,” Sullivan said. That fills the roles required at all of Duplin County’s 17 precincts.
Duplin County Board of Elections Board Chairman Ann Henderson said she was pleased with how smoothly the selection of judges went.
“I think it went great,” Henderson told Duplin Jour -
“Sharing certain information, especially their location, may put them and their classmates at risk.”
Sheri Stratton Stokes
of tricky tactics to get you to come with them.”
In addition to physical safety, Stokes highlighted the importance of digital safety. He advised parents to review the location-sharing settings on their children’s devices and to remind students not to share personal information, especially their location, on social media platforms.
“It is important to teach young people that sharing certain information, especially their location, may put them and their classmates at risk,” he said.
Stokes also expressed gratitude for the ongoing collaboration between the Duplin County Sheri ’s O ce and Duplin County Schools.
nal. “We had a lot more participation from people who wanted to voluntarily work at the polls, whether as chief judge, a judge position or just as poll workers. I see a lot more interest, and that’s a good thing. We’ve needed that for a long time.”
Another task the Board of Elections has completed in preparation for the upcoming election is attempting to verify the voter registrations of 900 voters in the county.
In response to a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice, North Carolina began seeking out voters whose registrations lacked either their driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. This information has been required by federal and state law since 2004, but a large number of voter registration forms in North Carolina lacked the information.
The Duplin County Board of Elections has attempt -
SAFETY TIPS
Don’t talk to strangers. A stranger is anyone you or your parents don’t know well. If approached, tell a trusted adult right away.
Walk with a buddy. It’s safer to walk to and from school with a friend, and it’s easier to get help in an emergency.
Know what to do if you feel unsafe. Yell for help and run to the nearest school, business, crossing guard or law enforcement officer.
Set a family code word. If someone claims to know your family, make sure they know the code word. If they don’t, don’t go with them.
Watch out for tricks. Strangers may try to:
Ask you to help find a lost pet or person • Offer to show you something
Say a family member is hurt and they were sent to help. Don’t go with them — even if they seem friendly.
Never accept candy or medicine from someone you don’t know. It could be harmful.
Stay alert. Avoid wearing headphones or earbuds while walking; you need to be aware of your surroundings and be able to hear if someone is approaching you.
ed to contact as many voters as possible who did not have the required information on their voter registration form. The ones the county failed to reach should have received a letter from the state requesting the missing information.
“We have completed our portion,” Sullivan said. She said the state sent letters on Aug. 15 to everyone who is still affected.
“They now have the chance to respond to the letter to provide us with the information or fill out a new voter registration,” said Sullivan, adding that if voters don’t have it done by the time the elections come, they will have to vote on a provisional ballot.
Duplin County successfully reached 258 voters with missing information on their voter registration, leaving 642 who will receive letters from the state requesting the information.
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in
Aug. 29
Bill Lord Memorial Knights of Columbus Charity Golf
Tee up for a great cause at the 17th Annual Bill Lord Memorial Knights of Columbus Charity Golf Tournament. The four-person scramble welcomes men and women of all skill levels, with unlimited range balls, golf carts, refreshments, prizes and a luncheon on the terrace. Proceeds support Duplin County Schools’ Exceptional Children’s Program, funding grants that make a real di erence in students’ lives. Hosted by the L.A.M.B. Foundation, which has raised over $23 million for special needs children. For more information, call Mike Vandiver 910-271-4444.
River Landing, Wallace
Aug. 30
The Black Male Expo 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Black Male Expo 2025 will be at the KEMBA Center. The one-day event is designed for men ages 16-25, o ering tools for personal growth, career readiness and community leadership. Hear from keynote speaker Girard Newkirk, CEO of Genesis Block, and engage in roundtable talks, breakout sessions on fatherhood and leadership, mental health resources, networking, music, food and more.
124 Water Tank Road, Warsaw
Notice of Public Hearing to Solicit Input for the Town Of Wallace
Community Development Block Grant Neighborhood Revitalization Program Application
Notice is hereby given that The Town of Wallace will hold a Public Hearing on Thursday, September 11, 2025, at 6:00 pm at 216 NE Railroad Street, Wallace, NC.
The hearing will be held before the Wallace Town Council in order to solicit citizen input in the development of a 2025 Community Development Block Grant Neighborhood Revitalization Program (CDBG-NR) application.
CDBG-NR funds can be used for a variety of di erent activities in support of the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division’s three livability principles: (1) to promote equitable, a ordable housing; (2) support existing communities; and (3) value communities and neighborhoods. Eligible activities must meet at least one of the three CDBG national objectives to be eligible: (1) bene t low-and-moderate income (LMI) persons; (2) prevent or eliminate slums or blight; or (3) meeting other community development needs that are deemed to be urgent because of existing conditions that pose a serious and immediate threat to the health and welfare of the community, and other nancial resources are not available to meet the need. Eligible activities include Community Revitalization, Housing Rehabilitation, Clearance, Scattered-Site Housing, Public Facilities, Housing Development, and Water and Sewer Connections to Existing Housing.
The maximum CDBG-NR award amount is $950,000 and there is no minimum award amount. A separate 2nd public hearing will be held to discuss and approve the application prior to submittal to the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
If you are unable to provide public comment during the September 11, 2025 meeting, you may: direct written comments to the Planning and Community Development Department at 316 E. Murray Street, Wallace, NC or telephone the Planning and Community Development Department directly at (910) 285-4136; or email at rfritz@wallacenc.gov.
Special requests for accommodation should be submitted by individuals at least 48 hours before the scheduled meeting time. Contact Jacqueline Nicholson, Town Clerk at (910) 285-4136 for additional information.
This information is available in Spanish or any other language upon request. Please contact Jacqueline Nicholson, Town Clerk at (910) 285-4136 regarding accommodation for this request.
Esta información está disponible en español o en cualquier otro idioma a pedido. Comuníquese con Jacqueline Nicholson, Town Clerk al (910) 285-4136 para obtener los arreglos necesarios para esta solicitud.
Duplin County.
Duplin ’s best educators receive top honors
Beth Rose and Laura Thornton were among the
By Rebecca J. Whitman Cooke For Duplin Journal
WALLACE — Educators from all over the county were honored Aug. 21 at a banquet at the River Landing Clubhouse Ballroom. The Duplin County Education Foundation and Duplin County Schools combined to honor teachers and support sta with plaques and monetary gifts.
Each school year, teachers from every school in the district nominate their own Teachers of the Year. Individual schools also do this for Support Sta of the Year. The winners are honored at their local schools but also go on to present before a panel of judges for the overall countywide Teacher of the Year and Support Sta of the Year awards from the Duplin County Education Foundation.
“This is the third year I have been a part of the interviews and the judging, and it has always been a very rewarding experience,” said Wayne Casteen, Duplin County Education Foundation president.
The Duplin County Education Foundation has been supporting education since its founding in 1983 under the vision of Austin Carter. In addition to banquets and awards to educators, they also give scholarships to students.
“This past year, the foundation funded over $79,000 in scholarships for our senior graduates,” Casteen said.
An invocation by Pastor Aaron Smith of Kenansville Baptist Church preceded a bu et dinner. Two Kenansville Elementary School sixth graders, Chasen McLamb and Rainor Bland, then sang “A Million Dreams” from the musical “The Greatest Showman.”
Following the entertainment, Interim Superintendent for Duplin County Schools Daren Tyndall presented the awards for Assistant Principal of the Year and Principal of the Year.
Thomas Nichols of Wallace-Rose Hill High School won Principal of the Year, and Beverly Sholar of East Duplin High School was named Assistant Principal of the Year. Both recipients were given engraved plaques and monetary awards of $1,000.
Kendra Jones, vice president of the Duplin County Education Foundation, then presented engraved plaques and monetary awards of $500 to each of the school and department representatives.
Support Sta candidates were:
The chief acknowledged the di culties associated with
• Laura Thornton, digital learning and media coordinator
Teri Jo Davis, school social worker
• Emelie Anderson, school nurse
• Tracy Cruse, school counselor
Teacher candidates were:
• Kari Roberts, Beulaville Elementary
• Karen Rouse, B.F. Grady Elementary
• Je ery Hall, Center of Opportunity
are pretty smart,” he explained. He also emphasized that the problem is not unique to Magnolia. Discussions with neigh-
• Olivia Tate, Chinquapin Elementary
• Patrick Williams, Duplin Early College High
• Amanda Jenkins, East Duplin High
• Hannah Bell, James Kenan High
• Linsey McLamb, Kenansville Elementary
• Melanie Powell, North Duplin Elementary
• Beth Rose, North Duplin Jr./Sr.
• Melsheena Wilson, Rose Hill-Magnolia Elementary
would open the door to unrestricted animal farming and hoarding, which Magnolia aims to prevent.
• Katrina Whitehead, Wallace Elementary
• Laterri Underwood, Wallace-Rose Hill High
• Lamanda Flowers, Warsaw Elementary Laura Thornton won the 2025-26 Support Sta of the Year Award. In her letter of recommendation, Thornton’s principal said, “Mrs. Thornton brings unmatched passion, creativity, and leadership to everything she does. She quite literally puts the ‘rock’ in rockstar.” Thornton was awarded a plaque and a monetary award of $2,500. Daylan Wise of North Du-
“The town could create its own animal control unit. The cost of the required shelter would be around $3 million to $4 million, vehicles, and up t required by law would add another quarter million,” Wood explained while addressing the impracticality of creating a full- edged municipal animal control department. He noted that such an endeavor would likely triple the town’s tax rate unless it is privately funded. As a more realistic alternative, the town has allocated limited funds to hire a licensed trapper when situations escalate beyond what current town resources can manage.
plin Elementary won the 2025 -26 Beginning Teacher of the Year with a plaque and a monetary award of $1,000.
Beth Rose won the 2025 -26 Teacher of the Year Award. The North Duplin Jr./Sr. High School teacher was awarded a plaque and a monetary award of $5,000.
“Mrs. Rose is everything we hope for in a teacher,” said NDJS principal Tony Jones.
“She promotes excellence in education, uplifts those around her, and makes a lasting di erence in the lives of her students.”
Rose and Nichols will go on to represent the county in state-level Teacher of the Year and Principal of the Year competitions.
“While there’s no magic x, we feel that we’ve taken the most feasible actions allowed by law to curb the issue as much as possible,” he said. “I invite anyone who has an issue the police department can help resolve to discuss it with me. Your mayor and town manager are quite happy to help nd resolutions to other town-related concerns as well.”
honorees at the education awards
MAGNOLIA from page A1
Top left, 2025-26 Support Sta of the Year gather for pictures after the banquet. From left to right: TeriJo Davis, Laura Thornton, Emelie Andersson and Tracy Cruse. Top right, 202526 Principal of the Year Thomas Nichols poses with 2025-26 Assistant Principal of the Year Beverly Sholar for a photo at the River Landing Clubhouse on Aug. 21. Left, North Duplin Jr./Sr. High Principal
Tony Jones poses with Beth Rose, Tracy Cruse and Laura Thornton at last week’s awards dinner.
REBECCA J. WHITMAN COOKE FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL
THE CONVERSATION
Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
LETTERS
While not above criticism, Cooper is a steward to North Carolina
Dear Editor,
IN THE AUG. 14 edition of this paper, Rep. Jimmy Dixon’s column bore the headline “Liberal machine backs Roy Cooper’s bid to ‘Californicate’ North Carolina.” I do not know if Dixon wrote that headline or if it was supplied for him. Either way, the headline is hardly worthy of publication and appeals to the baser instincts of your readers and Duplin County voters.
The term “Californication” rst appeared in Time magazine in 1966 and later in the 1970s to describe the widespread development of land and the increasing in uence of California culture nationwide. Nevertheless, the combination of the words California and fornication is not a subtle or innocent description.
Cooper has faithfully served North Carolina for several decades. It is one thing to disagree with your opponent and o er constructive alternative policies. It is quite another thing to disparage that person’s character and motives, even with a casual reference to “Californication.” While the headline supposedly lays blame on the “liberal machine,” it also directly attributes a vulgar intent to Cooper.
Cooper is a man of faith and a ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) who has dedicated his life to serving the people of North Carolina. Disagree with him if you must, but do not stoop so low as the article’s headline blatantly does.
Philip and Nancy Gladden Wallace
COLUMN | REP. JIMMY DIXON
What time teaches us about truth
We have lived to see the day when “men call good evil and call evil good.”
SOMEONE HAS SAID that “life” is what happens while we are making other plans. Said another way, our history began one second ago. Thus, every generation learns that time really does “ y.”
There is also another universal phenomenon associated with the aging process, which includes some form of the expression, “I declare the older I get, the busier I get.” Ol’ man time at some point will say to you, “You’re not busier, you’re slower.” Then we might repeat that often-used phrase, “If I had known then what I know now, I would have …”
Those of a younger generation may, at this point, begin to discount the value of this article in their daily lives. Those of the older generations will smile, chuckle and maybe think, “Oh, how right those thoughts are.” The aging process has the tendency to move us from thoughts and actions that are temporal in nature to thoughts and actions which are spiritual in nature.
The aging process also engenders deeper thoughts about the purpose of life and a greater desire for peace in this life.
It seems to me that the best hope for peace in this life has its foundation resting on the Judeo-Christian belief that God lives and loves us as His children. Christian theology teaches that our brother, Jesus Christ, condescended to come to this Earth and teach us, by example, the di erence between good and evil.
His message to us, His brothers and His sisters, is profoundly simple, “Come follow me.” He instructs us, who may be “heavily laden,” to come unto Him and He will give us rest. He promises us peace, even in all the Monday morning storms of life.
Additionally, Christian theology teaches that Lucifer rebelled against our Father and our brother and has been cast out of Heaven to this Earth and is here to tempt
us to follow him and do that which is evil. He is the father of all lies and wants us to be miserable both in this life and everlastingly miserable in the next life.
Further, we are taught that Jesus, who has atoned for our sins and su ered for our pains, a ictions and in rmities in Gethsemane and again on the cross, gives us the agency to do good or to do evil. He will not force us to do good and He will not force us to not do evil.
We are free to choose.
Lucifer, on the other hand, will bind us with the heavy “chains of iniquity” and force us to follow him. So, reduced to the simplest facts, good and evil do exist. In reality, we have lived to see the day when “men call good evil and call evil good.”
What will we do and what will we teach our children to do? Will we one day say, “If I had known then what I know now, I would have …”
First, we must realize that, “We wrestle not against esh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Eph. 6:12
Lucifer is the master of deception and he is boldly working overtime to convince men and women “in high places” to challenge the most basic tenets of human existence. There is nothing more basic than gender. There is no more basic human institution than marriage. There is no more basic human organization than the family. All these are fundamental elements of Christian doctrine and they are under attack.
We the people should teach each other and our children to “come follow Him.”
Rep. Jimmy Dixon represents Duplin and Wayne counties in the North Carolina General Assembly.
Is socialism as popular as the media think?
“DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS” have been getting the teenage-idol treatment from giddy reporters and editors at legacy media outlets for years.
Their newest crush, as New Yorkers already know, is jihadi-apologist and Marxist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
In a 4,500-word cover story headlined “The Meaning of Zohran Mamdani,” Time magazine paints a caricature of a well-meaning, authentic and not-reallyso-radical go-getter. An “ideologue interested in creative solutions” is how Time puts it.
Sure, Mamdani might support genocidal rhetoric, but the Jewish community will be pleased to learn that he “often talked about the problem of antisemitism and the need for anti-hate-crime funding.”
Is Mamdani, as many would have it, a generational talent whose campaign should be mimicked nationally by Democrats?
Yes, the resentful young have convinced themselves they’re living in the worst era ever to have befallen man. “People our age have never experienced American prosperity in our adult lives — which is why so many millennials are embracing democratic socialism,” Harvard-educated writer Charlotte Alter once put it in a Time cover piece on a previous darling, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
But George Will recently argued that a Mamdani win would be bene cial in reminding the nation of “socialism’s many harms.” Collectivist ideas always fail, yet they never die.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) championed Hugo Chavez in the 2000s — and even after Venezuelans predictably began foraging for food, Sanders, one of the most popular politicians in the country, was still championing the same system. So it’s not as if we don’t have the
lessons already.
Indeed, we’ve been having the same debates in perpetuity. The zero-sum fallacy that capitalism is inherently evil and rigged has been hammered into our conscience for centuries. We’ve convinced millions of Americans that a gaggle of rich people can trigger economic havoc for pro t, control the economy to undermine the working class and push commodity prices higher to reap the pro ts.
It is a tragedy that Democrats continue to stagger leftward on all fronts to mollify and placate their activist class. And it’s not merely economics. The modern “democratic” socialist comes with a slew of positions that not only undermine quality of life but clash with the moral outlook of normies: the pro-terrorist, proidentitarian rhetoric; the championing of criminality and illegal immigration; the anti-modernity climate hysteria; and the deranged social science quackery on gender — just for starters.
So I wonder how popular socialism really is.
Right now, there is no real evidence that a socialist outlook plays in most places. It barely plays in cities. If NYC’s Democrats didn’t split the vote between Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and perhaps found themselves a candidate who hadn’t already tarnished themselves with scandal, Mamdani would likely lose.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, former Chicago mayor and would-be 2028 presidential hopeful Rahm Emanuel pushed back on hard-left ideas, contending Democrats should run on centrist slogans, such as “build, baby, build.”
How Democrats plan on doing this without rolling back the climate hysteria that undermines growth and squanders billions on half-baked energy plans is going
to be interesting. But he has a point. Centrist Democrats are poised to win entire purple states like Virginia, showing far wider appeal than Mamdani — but they can barely get any attention.
One of the most popular governors in the country right now is Kentucky’s Andy Beshear, a Democrat in a state with a Republican-controlled legislature that President Donald Trump won by more than a 30-point margin. Why isn’t he the way forward for Democrats?
Other governors in the top 10 have similar dispositions, including North Carolina’s Josh Stein and Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, both in states Trump won. All of them take moderated left-of-center positions without a fullthroated embrace of anti-market, anti-Western, racialist positions that are in vogue in cities.
No GQ covers for them.
The Democrats have become a party of the rich and the dependent poor — because the rich can a ord socialism and the poor marginally bene t.
Since the market-fueled gentri cation of the ’90s, cities have become increasingly progressive and correspondingly more expensive and poorly run.
California, Illinois, Massachusetts and New York have seen signi cant net outward migration since then, while market-driven states with lower regulations and taxes like Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas have seen signi cant increases in newcomers. This is before New York City installed a socialist mayor.
How popular is socialism? Far too popular. But not as popular as Democrats and the media would have us believe. At least, not yet.
David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner.
COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI
Warsaw sees growth, surge in housing development
Longtime locals
may bear the cost if infrastructure doesn’t keep up
By Mark Grady For Duplin Journal
WARSAW — Much of the news on the growth in Duplin County has been focused on the Wallace area due to the large number of new homes and businesses coming to town. However, Wallace is not alone. Warsaw is seeing its own wave of growth, according to Richmond Dugger, the town’s new zoning and code enforcement director.
Dugger, who assumed the role three weeks ago, told Duplin Journal he’s had plenty to do since assuming his new role.
“We are busy with new housing in particular, along with some potential businesses seeking zoning approval,” Dugger said.
Business development is in its early stages, with housing growth happening faster, according to Dugger.
“Most of what I’m seeing is individual homeowners building,” he said. “We have a fair number of them. We have 60-something
zoning permits out for houses spread out all through the town.”
What is bringing people to Warsaw? Dugger has insight into that due to his opportunity to speak to people seeking zoning and building permits in town.
“We’re getting a lot of folks
from the larger cities, Wilmington in particular,” he said. “They’re moving here because of insurance and storms in the coastal area. They are close enough to enjoy the beach when they want to, but it’s not in their face when a hurricane hits.”
The tra c, congestion and overdevelopment in Wilmington are also factors.
“That’s the second thing I’ve heard,” Dugger added. “(Warsaw’s) not built up nearly as much as the towns closer to Wilmington. We’re kind of the next one out. Whatever the reason they are moving to Warsaw, we’ll welcome them to town.”
With Dugger’s newness in the position, he has some personal insights as to what may be missing.
“Nobody in these small towns seems to be requiring or looking at the people moving into the area to o er pro ers for schools or medical (services),” Dugger said. “That’s a big deal in the big cities. They’ve been doing it for years. It hasn’t gotten to the small towns yet.”
With more people arriving, Dugger said there’s a need to think beyond housing.
Dugger fears that if towns don’t consider what growth means to everything from schools to infrastructure, it could place the burden on longtime residents of a small town.
“If we are going to grow, we’re going to have to have the infra-
We have 60-something zoning permits out for houses spread out all through the town.”
Richmond Dugger
structure to support it,” he said, adding that without any pro er or contributions from new people moving into the area, the local people could be left holding the bag.
“It’s going to have to come from the local people who are pretty much taxed out, in my opinion,” he added. On the commercial side, one notable project is already underway. A former bank building at the corner of West Hill Street and Highway 117 is being converted into an upscale billiards venue.
“They are going to have team-type billiard championships,” Dugger said. While Warsaw’s growth may be on a smaller scale compared to Wallace, town o cials believe this is just the beginning.
Duplin County survey shows widespread assessment disputes
More than 138 survey responses provide insight on revaluations
By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal
IN DUPLIN COUNTY, residents are expressing widespread concerns that the county’s new property assessments do not accurately re ect their homes’ true market values. Last week, Duplin Journal conducted a survey to better understand these community concerns. In more than 100 responses, homeowners cited no major improvements, aging structures, rural locations and in some cases storm-damaged or ood-prone land, yet many saw their values double or even triple. Mobile and manufactured home owners were particularly vocal, stating their properties do
REVALUATION from page A1
for this story.
“My appraisal says $109,000. They now tax it at $203,600. I sure couldn’t sell it for that,” Wolfscrape resident Linda Williamson wrote.
The nancial strain is echoed by many. “How are people a ording these tax bills when the average income is under $40,000?” said Zack Fussell, emphasizing how the burden falls on working families.
“Most of the citizens are struggling as it is,” said Williamson, who is about to retire. “It’s sad that you work all your life and at the end you are taxed out of your home.”
Gary Rose, County Tax Administration Department head, attributes the steep increases to real estate appreciation since the last revaluation in 2017.
“Duplin County has experienced a lot of appreciation in
not appreciate in value like traditional homes but are taxed as though they do. Several respondents noted that their homes are in disrepair or unlivable yet received signi cantly in ated valuations. A common frustration was the lack of physical inspections, leaving residents confused about the justi cation for the increased assessments. While a few acknowledged the housing market has risen in recent years, they still questioned whether tax assessments should re ect inated market trends. For most, the revaluation process appears arbitrary, inequitable and out of touch with reality.
Geographic analysis
Among the respondents, the majority are concentrated in a few key towns, with Beulaville leading at 32 responses — roughly 23% of the total.
the real estate market since that time,” Rose told Duplin Journal. “The largest increases percentage-wise are coming in the residential properties. The lower-priced to medium-priced homes and doublewide mobile homes saw the highest rates of increase. That directly correlates to what is happening in the real estate markets.”
A signi cant driver is the surge in new development projects across Duplin County, which raises comparable sales prices and pushes older properties’ values upward even without physical improvements. Development of upscale or modern homes tends to elevate the perceived value of neighborhoods, creating a halo e ect that drives up the values of surrounding older homes.
In towns like Wallace, Beulaville, Warsaw and Teachey, new homes, subdivisions and multifamily projects are emerging quickly. Wallace is planning
Warsaw and Kenansville follow closely, with 16 and 14 responses, and Wallace came in next with 13.
The four towns accounted for more than half (56.8%) of all responses, signaling strong engagement in areas more a ected or more vocal about the tax revaluation.
Smaller communities like Rose Hill, Magnolia, Chinquapin, Mount Olive, Potters Hill, Teachey, Sarecta and Faison also had notable participation, while several smaller areas had one or two responses, highlighting how the tax concerns reach even the county’s most remote corners. Forty-six percent have lived at their current home for more than 10 years.
Property value changes
More than 95% of
more than 900 residential lots across two large projects, and Warsaw has more than 60 zoning permits out for new homes.
Data from the Federal Reserve Bank indicates that 134 building permits were approved for new private housing structures in Duplin County last year.
Wallace, Beulaville and Teachey rank among the top 30 towns statewide with signicant investor activity driving up prices. Wallace is ranked 15th for the “Investor Feeding Frenzy Factor,” with home values rising nearly 28% above their 10-year average. Beulaville is 20th, showing a 20.8% increase in home prices compared to historical trends, while Teachey ranks 25th due to increased investor interest, based on data from Zillow Home Values Index and HomeStratosphere.
Additional information from Stacker shows that Magnolia experienced a 20.2% increase,
respondents said their property values increased
• Most value increases ranged from $30,000 to $150,000
Some increases were more than $200,000
Several properties more than doubled or tripled in value
Tax bill impacts
Multiple people reported yearly tax increases of $400 to $3,000 or more
• One or two responses indicated their property value decreased
• A few said their value stayed the same
One said “It went down a few thousand dollars”
Teachey saw a 14.4% rise and Warsaw’s home values grew by 15.7%.
While these trends can indicate economic growth, they also re ect the challenges faced by residents during this transition.
Understanding the factors behind the revaluation may help residents facing signi cant tax increases build stronger cases for appealing what they perceive as excessive assessments based on inaccurate comparables.
“Any valid and quali ed sale in the county was included as comparables,” Rose said.
He also noted that some residents are seeing larger tax bill increases due to town taxes.
“Some of the towns did not reduce their tax rates and others only reduced a small amount,” Rose said.
When asked about the property inspection process, Rose said the county tried to conduct in-person reviews on all im-
Concerns and hardship
• About 75.5% of respondents expressed concern about their ability to a ord staying in their homes long term
Twenty- ve percent of respondents are senior citizens, and 46% are on xed incomes
• Many fear being forced to sell family land, going into debt or being taxed out of their homes.
• The majority of survey responses disagree with the new valuations, with several respondents arguing that the reassessed values far exceed their property’s actual market value, citing surrounding property conditions and professional appraisals that contradict assessments.
proved parcels, but rural areas posed challenges.
“Aside from the 10 small towns and the River Landing area, most of Duplin County is rural. We tried to do in-person inspections on all the improved parcels,” said Rose. “Now the poultry and swine farms are di erent. With the concerns of spreading diseases and such, we relied on looking at farms from the road and using the 2024 aerial photographs.”
Rose said they did the best they could with properties with fences and “no trespassing” signs.
“Vacant farmland and woodland we tried to verify if there were any improvements or changes,” he said.
Rose noted that approximately 1,500 appeals were led, with around 30% resulting in value adjustments.
For more information, call the County Tax Administration Department at 910-296-2110.
MARK GRADY FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL
A former bank building at the corner of Hill Street and Highway 117 in downtown Warsaw is slated to become an upscale billiards venue.
Rose Hill remembers iconic book that stirred town
A New York Times assignment turned into a book that residents say misrepresented their lives
By Mark Grady For Duplin Journal
ROSE HILL — In the early 1970s, a young freelance writer named Reed Wolcott arrived in Rose Hill. A graduate of a small college in Vermont and originally from upstate New York, she had secured an assignment with The New York Times to write a story about a small Southern town during a time when the country was experiencing significant turmoil, including race riots and the Vietnam War. Unbeknownst to the townspeople, her visit would lead to a book that would be talked about in Rose Hill for years to come — though not with fondness.
In typical small-town fashion, word spread quickly that a writer was in town to write a story about Rose Hill. That created some excitement among the residents.
“I was a young fellow whenever she came to town,” Rose Hill Mayor Davy Buckner said in an interview with Duplin Journal.
“Everybody knew (she was in town), and they were waiting for her to interview them. She made her rounds.”
Buckner said she frequently ate in his restaurant.
Wolcott ended up staying in Rose Hill for about two years, at rst checking into the Rose Hill Motel before moving into a home with a rough reputation in town.
“She stayed in an old house across the street (from the current town hall),” Rose Hill native Bobby Ward told Duplin Journal.
Buckner acknowledged the household’s reputation at the time, saying locals considered it one of the more troubled homes in town.
Ward said Wolcott interviewed both him and his father, Robert Ward. While parts of his
“We
Davy Buckner, Rose Hill mayor
father’s interview appear in the book, his interview with her did not because he would not sign a release after the interview.
Expecting a story in The New York Times about Rose Hill, the town was surprised when word made its way through the area that a book had been released in 1976 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons, a New York publishing house. There was no doubt what, or who, the book was about. The title was Rose Hill.
“I do know everybody around here got a copy,” Buckner said. In the book, Wolcott used the names of real people in some cases and used ctitious names in other interviews. Buckner said it was the ctitious names that attracted attention locally.
“We read it to see if we could gure out who the chapter was about,” he said.
Buckner admitted some of the stories appearing in the book are “kind of funny,” and there were some moving stories about some of the young men who went to serve in Vietnam. However, with a few exceptions, most Rose Hill residents were disgusted with the overall tone of the book that bore their town’s name.
“It was very negative because it put a black eye on Rose Hill,” Ward said. “She came to a small Southern town to degrade it. She did it to sell a book.”
Buckner said he was equally unimpressed.
“In my opinion, it was basically somebody coming to write a book about the trash in Rose Hill, about a little Peyton Place, who was ‘doing who’ and that sort of thing,” Buckner said.
Buckner said he recalled one particular interview in the book with a lady in which Wolcott used her real name.
“She was known for always
criticizing the area,” Buckner said. “She always talked bad about our schools. She even talked about how the schools didn’t have enough money to put (feminine products) in the girls’ bathroom.”
“She wanted to look at the bad,” Ward said of Wolcott. “She didn’t want to look at the good.”
Not all memories of Wolcott’s time in Rose Hill are void of any humor. Former mayor Sue Lynn
Bowden, whose parents opened the Rose Hill Motel, recalled a time she walked into the motel o ce to nd her mother at the switchboard with the headset to her ear.
“I tried to talk to Mom and she held up her hand for me to hush, to be quiet,” Bowden said.
“Later, she told me she was listening in on a call Reed was making.”
After the release of the book,
Wolcott was never seen in Rose Hill again. A few people in town said it was likely in her best interest not to come back to town.
While the book never became a bestseller, it was reviewed by several nationally recognized newspapers, including The New York Times. Nearly 50 years later, copies of the book are hard to nd, but the wounds it left behind are still apparent.
MARK GRADY FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL
DUPLIN SPORTS
Three-TD explosion ignites Panthers past Bulldogs
“Our guys played disciplined defense with high e ort and extreme intensity,”
Seth Sandlin, ED defensive coordinator
ED whipped WRH to ring the River Classic Bell for rst landslide rivalry win in 10 games
By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal
WALLACE — Keeshon
Mckinnie had the breakout game Panthers fans have waited for since he was a freshman. Heralded fullback Shawn Davis was a terror on defense.
Running backs Aaron Hall and Allen Stukes showed up strong and faster, and quarterback Branson Norris chipped in with 102 yards for the Wing-T o ense.
Yet the other critical part of the equation was a Panthers defense that kept Wallace-Rose Hill out of the end zone at the Jack Holley Football Complex last Friday in a 21-0 win.
Mckinnie, who played on two bad knees in 2024 as a junior, scored a touchdown, intercepted a pass, made eight tackles and had a sack.
“Finally,” said Mckinnie. “This (moment) is what we’ve been waiting for and all week in practice. It was the focus.”
Hall (12-69) and Stukes also had touchdown runs in the rst half when all the game’s points were scored.
“Every day in the o season was about this,” said Hall, who
ran for 799 yards in his debut campaign. “This means a lot to me and my team. To come out of this always-tough game with a win is a great way to start the season.”
Indeed.
In a game that was equal after halftime, the Panthers claimed the rst victory in 10 rivalry games that was not decided eight points or fewer.
ED snapped WRH’s two -game winning streak in the series, which this season was celebrated with a River Classic Bell that will reside at the school of the winner.
WRH still leads the all-time
See EAST DUPLIN, page B2
No time to sulk as Bulldogs visit pass-happy Vikings
WRH looks to rebound after getting shut down by ED in its season opener
By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal
WALLACE — Don’t write the obituary for the Wallace-Rose Hill football team after one game.
Head coach Kevin Motsinger still believes his young Bulldogs will be ne despite a 21-0 loss to rival East Duplin last Friday night.
“This is going to be a very special group, and not one of our kids got ugly with any of our guys and in fact lifted one another up the entire game,” said Motsinger, who has won the previous two rivalry matchups.
“We lined up wrong defensively in the rst half and got caught on outside runs on a big stage since it’s East Duplin.”
WRH yielded three rst-half scores but held ED to ve yards of rushing in the second half.
“They got two of their touchdowns on great calls by Battle (Holley),” Motsinger said. “Kudos to Tyler (Pugh), (Jordan) Boser and (Logan) Kissner for coaching up the defense. We had 11 kids that played o ense for the rst time, and it showed. We started pressing, trying to make things happen individually, and that’s never a good thing.”
It was the rst time WRH had been shut out since 2008, though Motsinger said his ’Dawgs are far from dead.
“Anyone who wants to get us better get us now, both JV and varsity,” he warned opponents. “I can’t wait until everyone sees what I’ve
See WRH, page B4
Rebels sink ’Hawks in preparation for ‘early’ battle with Eagles
Hugh Martin and his ND football team travel to Goldsboro on Thursday to face longtime rival Rosewood, which hasn’t whipped the Rebels since 2022.
North Duplin shut out Southside-Chocowinity in advance of its grudge match with Rosewood
By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal
CHOCOWINITY — The goal for the North Duplin football team following a 72-mile drive last Friday was to leave Southside High with a victory — and healthy bodies.
Contributions from Carell Phillips, Vance Carter, Noa Quintanilla, Ethan Turnage and Garris Warren were too much as North Duplin clubbed the Seahawks 27-0 on opening night. And aside from the usual
bumps and bruises, the Rebels exited their opener with no serious injuries.
“We did a lot of good things o ensively and recovered defensively after giving up a couple long runs when we were out of position,” said ND head coach Hugh Martin. “Penalties and turnover hurt us o ensively. We ran the ball well, played very hard and with lots of enthusiasm. It was a great team e ort. It was the second consecutive win over the Beaufort County school, which beat ND in ’21 (32-0) and ’19 (41-32). ND captured the game last fall (50-8) as part of a repayment from being dunked in ’21. The
See REBELS, page B4
“We ran to the ball well on defense and had some good pressure up front that forced a lot of things.” Hugh Martin, ND head coach
EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL
Shawn Davis leads the way as Keeshon Mckinnie heads to the end zone. ED beat archrival Wallace-Rose Hill 21-0 last Friday at the Jack Holley Football Complex in Wallace.
EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL
EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL Devon Sloan, Aspen Brown and a host of Bulldogs bring down ED’s Shawn Davis. WRH’s defense was strong despite a lopsided loss.
Cal Avent
James Kenan, football
Cal Avent is by far the biggest member of the Avent family, and he’s making contributions twin brother Eli, older sibling JT Avent and cousin Ken Avent III never made.
He is a fullback and defensive end. The other four zoned in as quarterbacks.
The senior made a team-high seven tackles against Southern Wayne during a 56-3 win and also scored a touchdown.
JK went 12-2 last season, and the return of Avent provides the Tigers coaching sta with options.
“He’s our adjustable wrench,” said head coach Tim Grady.
Crusaders’ su ocating defense puts hurting on Lions
added seven, including three for lost yardage, while Noah Tanner and Newton each had four takedowns.
By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal
HARRELLS — Shut down, shut out and left to dry rot in the slightly moist gridiron sod of Murphy-Johnson Field.
That’s a fairly accurate summation of how South Wake must have felt after Harrells Christian Academy rolled to a 38-0 win last Friday.
“Our defense was really good,” said head coach Clayton Hall. “Amir (Moore, a defensive end) created a lot of havoc, and Davis Bradshaw was making tackles all over the eld. It gave our o ense good starting position all night and gave us short elds and good eld position.
Hall said the defense was an extension of the o ense.
“Our special teams were exceptional as well, whether it was returning kicks and making picks or just giving us an advantage,” he said.
The Crusaders’ defense cre -
rivalry 43-23-2, though the teams have split 32 games since 1996.
According to longtime sportswriter Bill Rollins, the Bulldogs su ered their rst shutout since 2008 when they were whitewashed by Hobbton (12 - 0) and James Kenan (37-0 in rst round of the playo s).
WRH has only been shut out in an opener three times since consolidation in 1956. Southern Wayne had the other two shutouts (1976, 1979).
“We played great in the rst half,” said ED head coach Battle Holley. “We were sloppy in the second half. But we have things that can be cleaned up.”
Defensive coordinator Seth Sandlin crew ran to the ball to limit WRH to 85 yards rushing and 148 yards of total o ense. The Bulldogs were 3 of 13 on third down and 1 of 8 on fourth down.
And while WRH kept Davis (13-70) under control offensively, he had eight tackles as a linebacker, which were matched by teammates Jacuari Hill and Bryson Brown.
“Our guys played disciplined defense with high effort and extreme intensity,” Sandlin said. “It more about putting our guys in places to make plays and not so much about a scheme. (Dwayne Davis) was also a big key with all the motion they run. And we’re asking a lot of Shawn (Davis), who will be good on both sides of the ball this year.”
ED’s o ense had 267 yards, including Norris’ (6 of 8) passing as he targeted Zachary Ball (2-47), Hall (1-27) and McKinnie (2-21) for big plays.
Throws to Hall and Mckinnie set up Stukes’ score to make it 7-0.
A 26-yard pass from Mat-
ated short elds for the HCA
o ense as more than a handful of skill-position players earned stars for their helmets.
Senior quarterback Reid Strickland (5-9 for 60 yards) tossed short touchdown passes to Jeremiah Davis and Riley Falatovich, with his longest completion coming after Davis Bradshaw went for a rst down following his 28-yard catch and run.
HCA’s running attack was on track as well.
Jarrod Miller (7-89) and Dashaun McKoy (3-15) each hit pay dirt for a score, while Demetrius Jones had 64 yards on 11 totes, and Chamani Newton and Davis combined for 56 yards on eight carries.
Davis added an 89-yard kicko return, and McKoy had 89 yards in punt returns, one of which he took to the 1-yard line.
Bradshaw’s nine tackles paced the HCA defense. Moore
Jesse Smith backed up the Lions 12 yards with a sack, and Luke Weeks turned the ball over to HCA with an interception.
Hall’s club had two shutouts in 2024 and three games in which the defense surrendered seven points or less. The Crusaders led 24-0 at halftime and e ciently dismantled the Lions.
Friday’s contest against the Eagles is the second of four consecutive games in Harrells. HCA popped Wayne Christian 23-7 last season to go to 2-0. Meanwhile, the Eagles recovered from an opening night loss to go 7-3. The Crusaders won 36-16 in 2023.
And while the Eagles lost 19-12 to Bear Grass last Friday, Hall is concerned about quarterback DJ Deal, who hit on 9 of 13 for 107 yards and two scores and rushed for 90 yards in the loss to the Bears.
thew Wells to Adrian Glover got WRH to the ED 24 early in the second quarter as the senior made a catch while on the ground and covered by two Panthers. WRH fumbled the ball away two plays later to set up ED at the Bulldogs 45. Three plays later, Ball caught a 37-yard pass at the 11 and Mckinnie went untouched into the end zone on the next play.
ED was up 15-0 at the 6:20 mark, and four plays later, JP Murphy picked o a Wells pass to give the Panthers possession at the WRH 28. Davis scored from the 7 at
the 2:22 mark for the nal scoreboard dent following a PAT by Gavin Jarman. Defense ruled the second half. ED had a pair of three -and-outs in the third quarter and WRH one. The Bulldogs had two drives that consumed a lot game clock but were fruitless because of multiple presnap penalties. Davis’ only lengthy run came late in the game when he went for 12 yards. Four plays later, the clock expired. ED hosts Princeton (1-0) on Friday. WRH is at Kinston (0-1).
EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL
EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL
ED’s Zachary Ball catches a pass from Branson Norris over the WRH’s Adrian Glover during the rst half of the Panthers’ 21-0 win. Both schools have won 16 times since 1996, though WRH has a 43-23-2 edge in the all-time series.
EAST DUPLIN from page B1
ALICIA SUTTON FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL
HCA fullback Jarrod Miller’s blocking helps Chamani Newton, who takes a hando from senior quarterback Reid Strickland in a 38-0 win over South Wake last Friday in Harrells.
Harrells Christian Academy dominated all phases of the game to shut down South Wake 38-0
Betton’s 4 FGs, Mills’ pick-6 send Wildcats past Stallions
Richlands beats rival SWO 18-6 for its fourth straight win following a 32-game losing skid
By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal
JACKSONVILLE — Isaiah
Betton booted four eld goals of at least 30 yards and Beau Mills returned an interception for a score late in the fourth quarter as Richland beat Southwest Onslow 18-6 in the season opener for both schools.
The past is now a ghost to Southwest Onslow after the Stallions’ fourth straight loss in the rivalry series. SWO won the previous 32 games.
Furthermore, it was the rst win for rst-year head coach Bill Good, who took over in June after losing more than 20 seniors from a 9-2 team.
“It’s a huge boost of condence,” Good said. “The Daily News picked us to win three games and Southwest to win many more than that. But it’s what we’ve seen recently. We’re always going to be out-numbered, undersized and overlooked.
“This is a great morale booster, and I’m proud of how we played in all facets of the game. We have full con dence in Isiah and he’s just as good on a
football eld as he is the soccer eld.”
Yet plenty of praise goes to the Wildcats defense, which has limited SWO to 23 points in four straight victories.
“We’ve got something to prove,” Good said. “I’ve been to a lot of clinics and coaching meetings where coaches say they have 75, 80, 85 players. We’ve got 66 with big hearts. We made some mistakes, but we continued to ght and kept ghting back.”
In fact, the defense bailed out Richlands twice in the third quarter after the o ense fumbled the ball away at its own 23and 24-yard line.
“They played their butts o and found ways to stop them,”
Good said.
Betton hit a pair of 30-yard shots and two from 35 yards out.
His rst two kicks gave Richlands a 6-0 lead. SWO tied it at 6-6 early in the third quarter via a passing score from Davion Cephus to Ton Bolden.
Pressure by defensive linemen Nicholas Herrin, Trea’vaun Flanagan and Joel Roberts helped out the rest of the Wildcat defense, and linebackers Mills, JT Bratcher and Matthew Stein, which reinforced both the line and the play of defensive backs Rocco Welsh, Gabriel Mentor and Matthew Storjohann.
Richlands allowed less than
50 yards of total o ense and two rst downs via e orts from SWO, which had the yardsticks moved from Wildcats penalties.
An old foe with loads of weapons
Richlands travels to White Oak on Friday to face a Vikings team that tagged the Wildcats with a 34-14 loss in what was a title game in the Coastal 3A Conference last season. Both are in the Coastal 5A/6A, with Swansboro as the lone 5A school.
White Oak lost 35-16 last Friday to Northside-Jacksonville.
But Richlands knows Vikings quarterback Joshua Smith is dangerous on two fronts — passing (47-91 for 726 yards, 9 TDs) and running (106-1,304 yards, 11 TDs).
“We don’t have any easy games,” said Good, whose club will face 4A power East Duplin the following week and then powerhouse Havelock on Sept. 19. In between is South Brunswick, which has beaten Richlands three of the past four games.
“There were a lot of plays in which one or two little things — holding a block a second longer or getting the ball out a little quicker — stopped us from having a big play,” Good said. “But were aware that every game is going to be a ght.”
Seven Tigers score in rout of struggling Southern Wayne
The Tigers took no prisoners and left a trail of destruction after their 56-3 win over the Saints
By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal
DUDLEY — While the possibility of an upset always lurks, con dent teams don’t overlook foes and take care of gridiron business — quickly and e ciently.
The James Kenan football team did that and much more last Friday before leaving Southern Wayne with a 56-3 triumph.
The overwhelming favorites took the steps necessary to both force the mercy ruling at the start of the second half and before boarding the bus to Warsaw nearly every Tiger had a tale of production.
“I was pleased with the way we executed,” said head coach Tim Grady. “The kids understand Southern Wayne is rebuilding, and all the coach-talk in the world won’t let them forget that. So I was impressed how we handled things quickly from start to nish.”
JK is coming o a 12-2 campaign with a cast of o ensive skill players back on the eld.
“We’ve got some fast kids,” Grady said. “Five or six that can y. And this was a game in which our backup quarterback and backup center played. A lot of kids got reps. I was impressed how we handled this situation.
yards to score in the lone time he carried the football
• Christopher Hill had two catches for 32 yards but did not score.
Tigers return to practice eld
JK has a bye week Friday and won’t play until it travels to Southern Nash on Sept. 5. The following week, the Tigers host Duplin County rival East Duplin, which dunked Wallace-Rose Hill 21-0 last Friday.
“We came out of Southern Wayne healthy, and we have long-term goals,” Grady said. “A Week 2 bye is early, but it will allow us to catch up from summer, camps and all the hard work. We’re looking at it as be ready to lock it in and ride when we return.”
Defensive coordinator John Bert Avent said the next two games will be de ning moments.
Multiple Tigers cleared for takeo
“Southern Wayne has always been a tough place to play, and it ended little Ken’s (Ken Avent III) career. So we prayed nothing bad would happen.”
JK scored three times in both the rst and second quarter to go in front 42-0 at halftime as the Tigers’ defensive line of Cal Avent, Alex Vazquez and Jaylon
Smith were steel curtain-tough on the Saints.
The lone score by Southern Wayne came after a eld goal in the third quarter.
O ensive highlights were abundant for the Tigers as the following six players scored touchdowns:
• Senior running back David Zelaya (2-29) caught a pass from Eli Avent (4-4 for 60 yards)
• Newcomer Taulil Pearsall ran the ball ve times for 87 yards
• Senior running back Jeremiah Hall toted the pig eight times for 97 yards
• Classmate and split end/ running back ZaMarion Smith ran twice for 27 yards
• Junior Keyshaun Murray touched the ball once and turned it into a 41-yard score
• Cal Avent just needed four
“While we feel good about what happened defensively, the next two will tell us how good we are,” he said. “Southern Nash will come right at us and has been very good at what they do over the last few years.”
But Avent said mistakes against higher-level competition are often unforgiveable.
“Our front three are good and in the scheme, and linebackers have to make plays,” he said. “We got in trouble with that a few times, and the speed of our secondary helped out. We can’t do that and get away with it against Southern Nash and East Duplin.”
AIDEN TOKONITZ FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL
Camden Good and the Richlands football team have four straight wins over archrival Southwest Onslow.
EDWARDO PUAC
Bulldogs bulldoze 5 foes in buildup to clash with Midway
East Duplin and North Duplin sport 3-1 record as conference play approaches
By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal
TEACHEY — Angelina Cavallaro and Jansley Page are point producers on the volleyball court.
Wallace-Rose Hill’s dynamic hitters have combined for 187 of the team’s 219 kills, leading the Bulldogs to a 5-0 mark.
After going 21-3 a season ago, head coach Kevin William’s team has lost only three sets and whipped rival East Duplin in the rst full week of the season.
Yet the Bulldogs are winning close matches as teams are playing them tough.
Last week, both Clinton and Pender nabbed opening-set wins only to see WRH rally to take the next three sets.
Cavallaro and Page combined for 55 kills against the Patriots and 36 against the Dark Horses. It was the second win of the season over Clinton.
WRH (5-0) meets Princeton this week and will travel to Midway early next week fora battle with powerhouse Midway.
Panthers recover to take two wins
The Raiders whipped Princeton 3-1 last week in a key Swine Conference matchup.
East Duplin knocked o North Duplin and Richlands after falling to the Bulldogs.
Kinsey Cave rattled in 14 kills in the 26-24, 25-17, 25-13 triumph over the Wildcats.
Zoe Turner and Zoe Cavanaugh combined for 10 kills and 16 digs and Bennett Holley had 11 assists.
ED (3-1) has a pair of 3-0 victories over both Richlands and took down North Duplin by the same score. In fact, the Panthers have lost just three sets — all of which came at the hands of WRH.
Coach Susan Raynor’s club faces 5A Jacksonville twice in the next two weeks.
Turner and Sophia Jones lead the team in aces with 11 apiece. Karsyn Parker’s 38 assists are a team high.
Rebels continue dominance over Tigers
North Duplin (3-1) enters Carolina 1A/2A Conference play this week after sweeping a two-game series against James Kenan, which is coached this season by Hannah Blaylock. The Rebels ruined her debut with a 3-1 opening match win and need just three sets last week to dust o the Tigers 25-14, 25-20 and 25-15.
Melany Sanchez had seven kills, Abby Norris two kills and three blocks, and Lilly Fulghum 13 assists. Maggie Brown netted 12 kills in the rst win for ND, which plays league foes East Columbus and Union this week.
JK (3-3, 1-0) has two wins over the Spartans and a triumph over conference opponent Spring Creek. All three victories came via 3-0 scores.
SOCCER
Tigers-Bulldogs clash if weather cooperates
Soccer is o to a slow start because of rainy condi-
tions the previous two weeks.
But both Wallace-Rose Hill (0-1-1) and East Duplin (0 -2) played matches over the weekend at the Soccer Kicko Classic at WakeMed Park in Cary.
The Bulldogs lost 3-0 to powerhouse Franklin Academy, a team that beat them 1-0 in 2024.
WRH opened up with a 1-1 tie with Topsail 15 days earlier as Bulldog Wilmer Flores netted a second half goal that was matched by Ryan Dollaman. First-year coach Aaron Murray’s club squares o against the Panthers this week.
ED got scores from Osiris Mendoza and a penalty kick goal from Yoskar in the Panther’s 6-2 loss to Newton-Conover (4-1), a school that has won 58 matches in the past three seasons.
WRH and ED clash this week, but not before James Kenan and ED lock horns.
JK (0-0-2) played South Brunswick to a scoreless draw and tied 5A Fike 2-2.
North Duplin (0-1), which is coached by Luis Villalon, lost 4-0 to Spring Creek.
WRH from page B1
seen from in this group. They were embarrassed but stuck together because they know that’s not who we are. This was a playo -mentality game out of the gate, and it’s Week 1.”
Up Friday is a trip to Kinston to face quarterback Tyler Jones, who threw for more than 2,000 yards and 32 touchdowns in 2024, and NC State-bound wide receiver Tyreek Cooper (71-1,391 yards, 16 TDs) and a cast of other receivers that led the Vikings to the fourth round of the 2A playo s despite nishing third in the ECC.
“A lot of people feel they are the best 3A team in the East,” Motsinger said. “You stop them twice or more and then one play goes 100 yards. They have speed, length and size everywhere.
WRH nipped Kinston 14-13 last season as part of its three late-season wins that included triumphs over ED and James Kenan. Run-ins with Clinton and
REBELS from page B1
two schools did not play in 2020.
Phillips ran for a score, new quarterback Keiz Brock had a pair of touchdown plunges, Quintanilla a pick-six and Warren a punt return to set up a score. Carter also had an interception and 78 yards in rushing.
“We ran to the ball well on defense and had some good pressure up front that forced a lot of things, including the interceptions,” Martin said. “We moved the ball well in spite of our mistakes.”
ND is rebuilding both of its lines, though returned key players at nearly every other position.
Senior running back Quan Stevens tallied 86 yards on 14 totes as another highlight of the Rebels’ skill position players. Garris, who had six interceptions a season ago, returned a punt 29 yards to the 2 to foreshadow a 13-0 lead in the rst quarter.
Phillips hit pay dirt from the 38 after a ve-play, 51-yard march.
Quintanilla’s dash to the endzone following his interception came from 49 yards out.
Thursday football before Labor Day
ND traditionally schedules a game the Thursday before Labor Day, and this fall that means a confrontation with Rosewood, which this fall moved from the Carolina Conference and into the Swine Valley Conference.
The two schools have locked horns more than 50 times.
“It’s odd to play this early given that game always meant a key conference matchup,” Martin said. “It’s a great measuring
Zoe Cavanaugh and her ED teammates had a hard time nding holes in the WRH defense during a 3-0 win for the Bulldogs.
Pender follow before WRH opens Swine Valley Conference play on Sept. 26 as the nonconference schedule for the Bulldogs remains harder than loop play until a Halloween showdown with James Kenan.
“Even though we had kids out, it was a blessing for so many of our kids to get reps,” Motsigner said of shu ing around players on the o ensive line. “It’s going to pay o by the end of this year, into next season and two years from now.
“Jacoby (Dixon) was moved to center where he never wanted to play and made the rst mistake, but the guys rallied around him. They know the story of what’s going on and don’t listen to all the noise that always surrounds us.”
If Motsinger is correct, a devastating loss to ED will look more like a terrible bump in the road, though in this rivalry, that win remains huge in Panther land. Both are in di erent conferences and classi cations and won’t play again until 2026.
stick as to where we are, how much and what areas we need to improve and to how we handle the pressure.”
Yet the short week leading up to a trip to the Eagles’ gridiron isn’t something Martin likes.
“It’s more about the recovery rate of the kids’ bodies,” he said. “They will be really, really sore on Monday (and mostly unable to practice full throttle). I also don’t like less preparation time.”
The Eagles, who lost to 5A C.B. Aycock last Friday, went 7-6 last season and return quarterback Giovannia Pineda (7147 for 1,249 yards, 20 TDs; 303 rushing yards and 5 TDs).
The Rebels won last fall’s matchup 27-7 and by a 39-32 tally in 2023.
ND then faces a pair of cupcakes — Spring Creek and Jones Senior — before hiking to Lakewood for its annual blood war with the Leopards on Sept. 19.
NOTICE
TO
EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL
Assistant coach Wilfredo Puac is one of several former Rebels to coach on Hugh Martin’s football sta .
PHOTOS BY EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL
ND’s Yesenia Gomez-Maldonaldo tries to slip the ball past JK’s Journal Joe in a match won by the Rebels.
Brinkley Dean Scott
April 3, 1945 – Aug. 17, 2025
Brinkley “Bill” Dean Scott departed his earthly life on Sunday afternoon, August 17, 2025, while at home in Teachey, NC. Born on April 3, 1945, he is the son of the late Brinkley Cohen and Magnolia Dempsey Scott. Also preceading him in death are siblings—Marilyn Roberts, Donald Scott, and Jim Scott.
Left to cherish his memory are his wife—Malinda Marie Keithley Scott; son—Tim Scott and wife Lori of Middleburg (FL); stepdaughter— Melissa Anding and husband Rome of Rochester (MN); grandchildren— Brandon Scott and wife Christy of Middleburg (FL), Nathan Keithley of Rochester (MN), Anthony Anding of Rochester (MN), Daciavonn Anding of Rochester (MN); great grandchildren—Beckett Scott of Middleburg (FL) and Julian Keithley of Miami (FL).
Bill was born in eastern North Carolina in the town of Columbia. In the service of his country, he spent three years in the US Army as a paratrooper and ri eman. A signi cant part of his career involved working as a cable provider lineman. Early in life, he developed a passion for antique automobiles and enjoyed working on all cars. In this delight, he learned how to rebuild auto engines and restore cars as well. He also cherished shing or a day of gol ng with his friends. With a great love of animals, he made sure that he had his dog Jake with him when not at work. His family was the most important thing on earth to him, and his love for them was endless.
The family will greet friends at a visitation set for 2 p.m. on Thursday, August 28, 2025, in the chapel of Padgett Funeral Home of Wallace, NC, with military honors. Padgett Funeral Home is proudly serving the Scott family.
Bobby Dare Lanier
Nov. 23, 1936 – Aug. 21, 2025
Bobby Dare Lanier passed away at ECU Health Duplin Hospital on August 21, 2025, at the age of 88.
He was born in Duplin County. He is survived by his wife, Faye Paderick Lanier, and their daughter, Jennifer Mobley (Joe), and grandsons Matthew and Miles Mobley.
He was preceded in death by his sister, Helen James (William).
Bobby joined the Air Force after graduating from Beulaville High School in 1955. He was stationed in Abilene, Texas, for four years. Afterwards, he began a long and successful career with DuPont in Kinston, North Carolina.
He was an avid East Duplin Panthers fan and supported the players and coaching sta for many years. He enjoyed his day lily garden and made many friends throughout the state as his garden grew. Bobby attended Cabin Original Free Will Baptist Church in Beulaville.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 6 p.m. at Community Funeral Home in Beulaville, on Sunday, August 24, at 2 p.m. at East Duplin Memorial Gardens.
In remembrance of Bobby’s life, the family requests memorials be made to Cabin Original Free Will Baptist Church at 2167 Sarecta Road, Beulaville, NC.
Alice Mae Turner Devane
July 28, 1932 – Aug. 18, 2025
Alice Mae Turner Williams DeVane passed away peacefully from her earthly life on August 18, 2025, with her family by her side. A private family burial will be held on August 21, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. at the Devotional Gardens in Warsaw, NC.
Alice was the widow of Lloyd Hampton Williams (1982) and Thomas Jonathan DeVane Jr. (2017). Alice is survived by her daughter, Connie Williams Taylor (Fred), grandchildren Karen Taylor Herring (Will) and William Taylor, and great-grandchildren Taylor Herring and Mattie Herring. Alice is also survived by step-daughter, Patsy Van Ouwerkerk (John), stepsons, Steve DeVane (Brenda), Gene DeVane (Mary Graham), Andy DeVane (Norma), and Kevin DeVane (Gayle), brothers, Wayne D. Turner (Kate) and Steve H. Turner (Mary), brother-in-law, J.D. Williams (Sandy), sister-in-
Edward “Tootsie” Davenport
Aug. 9, 1935 – Aug. 19, 2025
Edward “Tootsie” Davenport, 90, passed away on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, in ECU Health Duplin Hospital, Kenansville, NC.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Thurman and Arlene Davenport, his son, Ronald “Ronnie” Davenport, and his brothers, Kenneth Davenport and Tex Davenport.
The memorial service is Saturday, August 23, 2025, at 2 p.m. with visitation at 1 p.m. at Community Funeral Home in Beulaville.
He is survived by his wife, Geraldine Brinkley Davenport of Kenansville, daughter Teresa D. Marriott (Terence) of Beulaville sisters-in-law Ina Davenport of Charlotte and Linda Davenport of Millersville, MD., and grandchildren Jamie Davenport and Destiny Marriott. Community Funeral Home of Beulaville is honored to serve the Davenport family.
law, Josephine Kelly (John), and sister-in-law, Toby Williams; seven step-grandchildren; 10 step-great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
Alice was born on July 28, 1932, in Teachey (also known as Wells Town) to the late Otto and Clara Alice Kelhum Turner. She is also preceded in death by her sweet sister, Lucy Jane Turner.
Alice was a farm girl at heart. Growing up, she worked in the elds with her Daddy. As a young girl, she enjoyed hunting and riding her horse, Charlie. She had a love for all animals and always had a pet dog. Alice enjoyed the outdoors, especially as an adult working in her yard. She had a knack for “rooting new owers” from existing yard clippings.
Alice became a member of Concord Baptist Church in 1952 and remained a faithful member until her death. Alice volunteered in many church roles and especially enjoyed WMU, Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and all social church events. She also enjoyed time spent at the Baptist Association in Warsaw and sitting with elderly and Hospice patients. She was a devoted wife, mother, stepmother, grandmother, sister and aunt.
The family would like to thank the entire sta at The Gardens of Rose Hill and Gentiva Hospice of Clinton, NC, especially Deborah and Jessica.
In lieu of owers, please consider donating to Harrells Christian Academy, Box 88, Harrells, NC 28444 (attention: Eva Thornton).
Julaine Bennerman
Aug. 20, 1942 – Aug. 20, 2025
Julaine Bennerman, 83, of Rose Hill, NC, answered the Master’s call at her residence on August 20, 2025. Funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday, August 25, 2025, at New Christian Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, Rose Hill, NC. Visitation will be from noon to 1 p.m. (one hour prior to the service)—interment following the service at Duplin Memorial Gardens in Teachey, NC.
Jacqueline Regina Garner
Dec 19, 1964 – Aug. 19, 2025
Warsaw - Ms. Jacqueline Regina Garner, 60, was called from labor to reward on Tuesday, August 19, 2025. God, in His in nite way, has plucked another beautiful ower. Please join us in prayer with this family as they make arrangements to lay their loved one to rest. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
John Oakley Thornhill
July 19, 1943 – Aug. 18, 2025
John Oakley Thornhill of Rose Hill, NC, passed from his life on earth to his heavenly resting place in the afternoon of Monday, August 18, 2025, while in the care of Wallace Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Wallace. Born on July 19, 1943, he is the son of the late Frederick Homer and Marjorie Nichols Thornhill.
Left to cherish his memory are his wife of sixty years— Jo Thornhill; children— Stephanie Gonzales of Wallace and Paul Thornhill of Pikeville; grandchildren—Lauren Thornhill Godwin and husband Ebe III of Burgaw, Benjamin Gonzales of Wallace, Makayla Thornhill of Raleigh, and Jonathan Gonzales of Wallace; greatgranddaughter—Claire Elizabeth Godwin of Burgaw.
Mr. Thornhill was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and lived in St. Louis during his early childhood. While in his early twenties, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps for a tour of duty that lasted ve years. Not long after enlistment, he met and married the love of his life, “Jo”, and they eventually found their way to Rose Hill, NC. John was known at his beloved Wallace Methodist Church as a “ xer” and a “do-er” and was an in uential leader in many areas of the church while he served on many committees. He had a tremendous love for God and a servant’s heart. It has been said about him that “to know him is to love him”. According to the family, he was a determined ‘one of a kind’ individual with a gold heart. He had an unusual sense of humor and was a man of his word, dependable and loyal. An avid reader, he was something of an expert in the elds of Bible reading, gardening, and genealogy.
Family will greet friends at 6-8 p.m. visitation on Friday, August 22, 2025, in the chapel of Padgett Funeral Home. A memorial service is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 23, in the Wallace Methodist Church. Interment is set for noon on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, in the East Carolina Veterans Cemetery, 164 Longs Plant Farm Road, Goldsboro, NC 27534. The family requests that, rather than oral gifts, consideration be given to contributions to the
Hazel Belle Lawson
Jan. 31, 1950 – Aug. 20, 2025
Kinston- It is with deepest sympathy that we announces the passing of Ms. Hazel Belle Lawson age,75 who completed her earthly journey and entered into eternal peace on August 20, 2025 at UNC Lenoir Hospital in Kinston, North Carolina. The arrangements are incomplete at this time. We extend our deepest condolences to the family and please keep the family lifted in your prayers during their time of bereavement.
Ted William Norris
Nov. 3, 1959 – Aug. 18, 2025
Ted William Norris, age 65, of Willard, passed from this life to his eternal home in Heaven on Monday, August 18, 2025.
He was born on November 3, 1959, in Pender County, the son of John Norris of Wallace and the late Mollie Parker Norris. He was also preceded in death by his son, Jonathan Norris, and two brothers, Richard Norris and David Norris.
Mr. Norris is survived, in addition to his father, by his loving and devoted wife of thirteen years Julia Lanier Norris of the home; children Christopher Norris and wife Kelsey of Rose Hill, Angel Norris of Willard and Kyle Norris of Willard; sisters Betty Sherrill and husband Bob of Willard and Darlene Norris of Burgaw; numerous nieces, nephews, extended family and friends who loved Ted dearly. Ted was a wonderful husband, great father, and brother. He was a simple man who enjoyed simple things, but his greatest joy was his family. Ted was a hard worker and a good provider for his wife and children. He had a heart that was full of love and grace. He was always upbeat and never allowed anything to bring him down. Ted enjoyed playing golf, and being an avid animal lover, he enjoyed taking care of animals. First and foremost, Ted’s main desire in life was to glorify God and live the Word. He had a deeply rooted relationship with Jesus and always put him rst. Ted will surely be missed but treasured memories will forever remain in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.
Memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 23, 2025, at Potts Memorial Presbyterian Church in Willard, NC. Quinn-McGowen Funeral Home and Cremation Service of Wallace.
Aug. 18, 2025
Selma- Mr. Obadiah Montel Speight, 33, completed his earthly journey and transitioned from labor to reward, Monday, August 18, 2025, at home. The arrangements are currently incomplete.
Joseph “Joe” Cavenaugh
Aug. 20, 1939 – Aug. 18, 2025
Joseph J. Cavenaugh, 85, of Wallace, North Carolina, passed from his earthly life to his eternal rest on Monday, August 18, 2025.
He was born on August 20, 1939, in Duplin County, the son of the late Paul M. and Ethel English Cavenaugh. He was also preceded in death by his greatgranddaughter Ava Powell, brother Billy Holmes Cavenaugh, and sonin-law Ricky Kelley.
Surviving to cherish his memory is his best friend and wife of 64 years Judy McCoy Cavenaugh; their children Regina Ann Drew and husband Murphy of Magnolia, Karen Faye Powell and husband Charles of Harrells and Teresa Joe Kelley of Wallace; grandchildren Chancey Drew (Brittany), Carlie Drew (Justin), Kayla Tyndall (Clifton), Anthony Powell (Samantha), Brandon Kelley (Sarah) and Courtney Hollingsworth (Justin), great grandchildren Caroline Drew, Isla Drew, Hunter Pierce, Payton Tyndall, Jayleigh Tyndall, Wyatt Powell, Isaac Kelley, Lydia Kelley and Everleigh Hollingsworth; sister Annie Elizabeth Lanier of Richmond, Virginia; numerous nieces, nephews, extended family
and friends that loved Joe dearly. Joe was a devoted husband and loving father, grandfather and brother. He was a hard worker who always got the job done. Being an avid outdoorsman, he enjoyed deer hunting, shing, riding his air boat, but he especially enjoyed being on his backhoe at the river. Joe’s life was dedicated to God and providing for his family. He also knew the importance of prayer as he would pray with his girls every night before going to bed. Joe’s greatest joy was spreading the gospel by sharing his cards with others. He loved to see the smiles that came on people’s faces when they read the words. Joe loved his entire family, but his grandchildren were the apples of his eye. They could always put a smile on his face and make his day brighter. Joe was known as a “friend” to many, and without a doubt, he was a true gift from God. All who knew him were truly blessed. Joe will surely be missed but never forgotten.
Funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, August 21, 2025, at Quinn-McGowen Funeral Home Wallace Chapel with Reverend Brandon Kelley and Reverend Richie Padrick o ciating.
The family will receive friends from 10-11 a.m., one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.
Burial will follow at Cavenaugh Cemetery, NC Hwy. 41, Wallace, NC.
Casket bearers will be Chancey Drew, Justin Pierce, Anthony Powell, Clifton Tyndall, Justin Hollingsworth and Chris Padrick.
The family would like to give special thanks to caregivers Beverly Bailey and Angela Lee, nurses Deanne and Shanda, and the sta of ECU Hospice for all the love and great care you gave to Joe during his illness.
Wallace Methodist Church in John’s memory.
Joao Barboza Filho’s journey from Brazil to a prestigious internship shows the power of perseverance
Duplin Journal sta
JOAO BARBOZA Filho’s story is one of transformation — both personal and professional. Arriving in the U.S. from Brazil at age 16, Barboza faced the daunting challenge of learning a new language and culture. Despite these hurdles, he not only became uent in English but also found his passion in accounting.
Now a senior at the University of Mount Olive, he is excelling as an accounting major, with a prestigious internship at top accounting rm RSM under his belt. His journey re ects how grit, family in uence and the right environment can turn potential into progress.
“Learning English was one of my biggest wins,” said Barboza. “And as someone who’s introverted, I’ve had to push myself to grow socially, too.”
While many students discover their career paths through classes, Barboza’s interest in
Joao Barboza Filho
accounting started around the dinner table, sparked by a conversation with his aunt. That curiosity deepened with research, guidance from his accountant sister and, eventually, real-world experience.
“The more I learned, the more I liked it,” he said.
His choice of UMO wasn’t just about academics — it was also about balance. The university o ered him the ability to play soccer and stay close to family.
“I’ve built great friendships, enjoyed my classes, and had professors who make the journey special and meaningful.
I admire the way (professor Waylon Woodall) teaches and the kind of person he is,” Barboza said. “He’s always willing to help students grow and prepare for the real world.”
The internship at RSM has served as a proving ground for Barboza, testing his classroom
knowledge in a fast-paced, real-world environment. Far from being just a resume-booster, the role has given him a deeper appreciation for the profession’s demands and rewards. He’s embraced early mornings, technical challenges and professional development activities like the “Bottom Line” exercise, where he got to step into a partner’s shoes and analyze client scenarios. Through it all, he’s learned that technical expertise is only part of the equation — communication, adaptability and a willingness to learn are just as vital.
“Everyone is incredibly supportive and willing to help,” he said. “I thought it would be very formal, but people actually take the time to teach you.”
With graduation in sight in 2026, he’s already planning to earn a master’s degree and complete the CPA exam before entering the workforce full time. His goal isn’t just to land a job — it’s to build a career he’s proud of in a specialization like international tax or nancial services.
His advice to others pursuing a similar path is grounded in his own experience: ask questions, stay curious and lean into real-world learning.
COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MOUNT OLIVE
University of Mount Olive senior Joao Barboza Filho is completing an internship this summer at RSM,
Stanly NewS Journal
A summer swim
This raccoon took an afternoon swim in Lake Tillery on Friday. Why did the raccoon swim across the cove, you ask? To get to the other side, of course.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Swift, Kelce announce engagement
It’s a love story and, baby, she said yes: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are engaged. The superstar singer and football player revealed the news in a ve-photo joint post Tuesday on Instagram. It’s the fairytale culmination of a courtship that for two years has thrilled and fascinated millions around the world. It’s unclear when and where the two got engaged. The announcement comes not long after Swift’s appearance on “New Heights,” the podcast hosted by the Kansas City Chiefs tight end and his brother, retired Philadelphia Eagles o ensive lineman Jason Kelce.
DOT threatens funding for 3 states for not enforcing trucker English pro ciency
Transportation Secretary Sean Du y says California, Washington and New Mexico could lose millions of dollars of federal funding if they continue failing to enforce English language requirements for truckers. An investigation launched after a deadly Florida crash involving a foreign truck driver who made an illegal U-turn earlier this month found what Du y called signi cant failures in the way all three states are enforcing rules that took e ect in June after one of President Donald Trump’s executive orders. Truckers are supposed to be disquali ed if they can’t demonstrate English pro ciency, and Du y said these states have hardly done that. The states didn’t immediately respond to the proposed sanctions that were announced Tuesday morning.
Locust receives $500K grant for Shelton Park redevelopment
It will be an accessibility-focused improvement project
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
LOCUST — O cer Je Shelton Memorial Park, located within the Locust City Park complex, is set for major upgrades thanks to a highly competitive state grant for redevelopment.
The city announced last week that it received a $500,000 award from the North Carolina Accessible Parks Grant Funding Program to move forward with a major accessibility-focused improvement project for the park.
Out of 29 statewide applications requesting more than $11 million, Locust’s project was one of nine selected and tied for the highest score calculated by the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Parks
O cer Je Shelton Memorial Park in Locust is set to undergo a redevelopment project.
Division, which had $3.76 million available to distribute.
Work on the park may begin as soon as Sept. 1 and must be completed within three years.
The redevelopment will fea-
ture a new universal playground with accessible play structures, upgraded restrooms that meet ADA standards, new ADA-compliant pathways, a bridge, improved parking, up-
Rich eld commissioners debate charter changes with versus nominations for mayor
Board members di ered on the right path forward
By Charles Curcio Stanly News Journal
THE TOPIC of not having a mayor, along with the possibility of changing the town’s charter, generated spirited discussion between the Rich eld Town Commission and members of the community at Monday’s meeting. Rich eld has been without a mayor since the recent resignation of Ian Focht, who was elected to the nonvoting o ce running unopposed in November 2022. Since then, Commissioner
Barry Byrd was elected mayor pro tem and has served in that capacity for several meetings.
The topic of nominating a mayor came up when C.J. Crisco, a local citizen, asked to speak to the commission about the possibility of nominating him to the position.
Crisco graduated from North Stanly High School and works at Charlotte Pipe in Oakboro. He has served in the community, umpiring and coaching youth sports, and previously was the public address announcer for Comets football.
“I believe this is a pivotal moment for us to unite and
“I believe this is a pivotal moment for us to unite and continue moving Rich eld toward progress and prosperity”
C.J. Crisco
“I think this is an incredible opportunity for Locust.”
dated signage, and planning and contingency funds to ensure quality and exibility.
“I think this is an incredible opportunity for Locust,” City Manager Cesar Correa said, “A few years ago, our city council made a commitment to really focus on our ability to expand and elaborate on the amenities that we provide for Locust Parks and Recreation. This is their leadership and e ort put into practice.”
The Locust City Council has committed just over $300,000 to support the project due to a required 20% local match, bringing the total investment to
THE STANLY COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Cesar Correa, city manager
WEDNESDAY
North State Journal (USPS 518620) (ISSN 2471-1365)
Trip Ho end, Publisher
Jim Sills, VP of Local Newspapers
Cory Lavalette, Senior Editor
Jordan Golson, Local News Editor
Shawn Krest, Sports Editor
Dan Reeves, Features Editor
Charles Curcio, Reporter
Jesse Deal, Reporter
PJ Ward-Brown, Photographer
BUSINESS
David Guy, Advertising Manager
Published Wednesday and Sunday as part of North State Journal
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Albemarle tra c stop results in meth, fentanyl bust
Two arrests were made in the operation
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
ALBEMARLE — A traf-
c stop in Albemarle conducted by the Stanly County Sheri ’s O ce last week led to the seizure of methamphetamine, fentanyl and a rearm.
According to the sheri ’s o ce, the Aug. 18 drug bust was conducted by the Special Operations Group with assistance from the Narcotics Unit.
Deputies reported nding more than 59 grams of methamphetamine, over 10 grams of fentanyl, multiple prescription medications not prescribed to the occupants and a rearm.
The driver, Brandy Sue Tucker, and the passenger, Darren Lynn Moore Jr., were arrested on multiple felony drug and rearm charges.
“The successful operation underscores the ongoing commitment of the Stanly County Sheri ’s O ce to combat drug tra cking and associated criminal activity within our community,” the SCSO said in a statement.
“The collaborative e orts between the Special Operations Group and the Narcotics Unit are vital in disrupting the ow of illegal drugs and ensuring the safety and well-being of Stanly County residents.”
Tucker was charged with multiple drug and rearm o enses, including tra cking methamphetamine, conspiring to deliver methamphetamine and conspiring to tra c heroin and opium,
“The successful operation underscores the ongoing commitment of the Stanly County Sheri ’s O ce to combat drug tra cking and associated criminal activity within our community.” Stanly County Sheri ’s O ce
according to court records. She also faces charges of possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver methamphetamine, Schedule II, III and VI controlled substances and felony conspiracy; additional charges include maintaining a vehicle or dwelling for controlled substances, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a rearm by a felon and a parole violation.
Tucker’s bond was set at $100,000 on the maintaining a dwelling charge and an
additional $100,000 on the conspiracy to tra c opium and heroin charge.
Moore faces multiple felony charges including trafcking methamphetamine, tra cking heroin and opium, conspiring to deliver methamphetamine and conspiring to tra c heroin and opium, according to court records.
He was also charged with possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver methamphetamine, Schedule II, III and VI controlled substances, felony conspiracy, maintaining a vehicle or dwelling for controlled substances, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a rearm by a felon and a parole violation.
Moore’s bond was set at $100,000 on the maintaining a dwelling charge and an additional $100,000 on one of the heroin tra cking charges.
The case remains under investigation. The SCSO advises anyone with information about drug activity to submit a drug tip at stanlysheri .us/submitatip.
Locust Farmers Market
Conveniently located across the street from Locust Elementary School. Open May through September. Corner of 24/27 and Vella Drive Locust
Shake, Rattle & Roll 10:45-11:15 a.m.
Music and movement class for children ages 0-4 and their caregivers. These classes are designed to promote emotional, cognitive, and social development, improve social skills, and encourage caregiver/ child bonding.
Albemarle Main Library
133 E. Main St. Albemarle
Sept.
1
Color & Connect: Drop In 9:30-11:30 a.m.
For those who need some relaxing “me” time. Come to the library and enjoy co ee or tea while you get a little creative! Supplies are provided, or feel free to bring your own.
Share with your community! Send us your births, deaths, marriages, graduations and other announcements to be published in Stanly News Journal. community@ stanlynewsjournal.com
Weekly deadline is Monday at Noon
Aug. 18
• Chasze Leonard Green, 37, was arrested for larceny after breaking and entering and breaking and entering.
Aug. 19
• Dakota Wayne Rowland, 29, was arrested for felony possession of controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• David Alexander Carpenter, 40, was arrested for defrauding drug or alcohol test.
Aug. 20
• Johnny Lynn Scott, 47, was arrested for misdemeanor larceny, rst degree trespass and breaking or entering.
Aug. 21
• Casey Renee Turner, 34, was arrested for larceny of a rearm, obtaining property by false pretense, felony conspiracy and breaking and entering.
• Mary Juliana Mabry, 24, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, larceny of a rearm, obtaining property by false pretense, felony conspiracy, possession of drug paraphernalia and breaking or entering.
Aug. 23
• Je rey Nicholas Hathcock, 31, was arrested for breaking or entering and injury to real property.
• Danielle Lee Carr, 35, was arrested for misdemeanor crime of domestic violence and assault with deadly weapon.
Aug. 24
• Jacob Erin Johnson, 23, was arrested for misdemeanor crime of domestic violence and assault on a female.
• Debra Jean Hartsell, 33, was arrested for felony possession of controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, misdemeanor larceny and second degree trespass.
Main Library 133 E. Main St. Albemarle
Needle Bugs, Knitting and Crocheting
10:30-11:30 a.m.
Social group for those who enjoy any type of needlework. Bring your supplies.
Norwood Branch Library 207 Pee Dee Ave. Norwood
Sept. 3
Albemarle Downtown Farmers Market
8 a.m. to noon
Locally grown and created items are available from this farmers market, representing vendors from across Stanly County.
Market Station 501 W. Main St. Albemarle
COURTESY STANLY COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Darren Lynn Moore Jr., left, and Brandy Sue Tucker were arrested in a drug bust last week following a tra c stop.
THE CONVERSATION
Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
Is socialism as popular as the media think?
Collectivist ideas always fail, yet they never die.
“DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS” have been getting the teenage-idol treatment from giddy reporters and editors at legacy media outlets for years.
Their newest crush, as New Yorkers already know, is jihadi-apologist and Marxist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
In a 4,500-word cover story headlined “The Meaning of Zohran Mamdani,” Time magazine paints a caricature of a well-meaning, authentic and not-really-so-radical go-getter. An “ideologue interested in creative solutions” is how Time puts it.
Sure, Mamdani might support genocidal rhetoric, but the Jewish community will be pleased to learn that he “often talked about the problem of antisemitism and the need for anti-hate-crime funding.”
Is Mamdani, as many would have it, a generational talent whose campaign should be mimicked nationally by Democrats?
Yes, the resentful young have convinced themselves they’re living in the worst era ever to have befallen man. “People our age have never experienced American prosperity in our adult lives — which is why so many millennials are embracing democratic socialism,” Harvard-educated writer Charlotte Alter once put it in a Time cover piece on a previous darling, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
But George Will recently argued that a Mamdani win would be bene cial in reminding the nation of “socialism’s many harms.” Collectivist ideas always fail, yet they never die.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) championed Hugo Chavez in the 2000s — and even after Venezuelans predictably began foraging for food, Sanders, one of the most popular politicians in the country, was
still championing the same system. So it’s not as if we don’t have the lessons already. Indeed, we’ve been having the same debates in perpetuity. The zero-sum fallacy that capitalism is inherently evil and rigged has been hammered into our conscience for centuries. We’ve convinced millions of Americans that a gaggle of rich people can trigger economic havoc for pro t, control the economy to undermine the working class and push commodity prices higher to reap the pro ts.
It is a tragedy that Democrats continue to stagger leftward on all fronts to mollify and placate their activist class. And it’s not merely economics.
The modern “democratic” socialist comes with a slew of positions that not only undermine quality of life but clash with the moral outlook of normies: the pro-terrorist, pro-identitarian rhetoric; the championing of criminality and illegal immigration; the anti-modernity climate hysteria; and the deranged social science quackery on gender — just for starters.
So I wonder how popular socialism really is.
Right now, there is no real evidence that a socialist outlook plays in most places. It barely plays in cities. If NYC’s Democrats didn’t split the vote between Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and perhaps found themselves a candidate who hadn’t already tarnished themselves with scandal, Mamdani would likely lose.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, former Chicago mayor and would-be 2028 presidential hopeful Rahm Emanuel pushed back on hard-left ideas, contending Democrats should run on centrist slogans, such as “build, baby, build.”
How Democrats plan on doing this without rolling back the climate hysteria that undermines growth and squanders billions on half-baked
The woke media is wrong. America’s cities need to be safe again
D.C. police o cials are accused of manipulating crime statistics in the weeks leading up to the federal takeover, allegedly reclassifying or downgrading violent incidents to mask the true scale of lawlessness.
From the nation’s capital to sanctuary cities coast-to-coast, President Donald J. Trump is demonstrating unwavering resolve and e ective leadership in restoring law and order and the safety American families deserve.
In the heart of Washington, D.C., under Trump’s decisive leadership, the federal government invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to declare a “crime emergency” and place the Metropolitan Police Department under federal control — an unprecedented move guided by the urgent need to protect Americans under siege. This bold action deployed National Guard troops and federal agents, resulting in more than 400 arrests, including 60 individuals suspected of being undocumented immigrants and the seizure of 27 rearms. This marks a serious restoration of public safety in our Nation’s capital.
While critics cite data showing violent crime in D.C. was at a 30-year low and trending downward — including a 35% overall decline and a 37% drop in carjackings in 2025 — recent reporting suggests these numbers may not tell the whole story. According to Fox News, D.C. police o cials are accused of manipulating crime statistics in the weeks leading up to the federal takeover, allegedly reclassifying or downgrading violent incidents to mask the true scale of lawlessness. This raises a chilling question: Were Americans being misled about the reality on the ground just to protect political narratives?
Trump certainly thought so, and his hunch was right. Ask anyone who lives or has visited D.C. recently, and they’ll tell you the streets of our capital have been a mess. Now, thanks to Trump, it’s starting to feel like a safer environment for families, as it should.
Beyond Washington, D.C., the Trump-Vance
administration is placing sanctuary jurisdictions squarely on notice. More than 500 jurisdictions, including states like California, Illinois, New York and Washington, and in uential counties such as Cook County and San Francisco, have been o cially designated as obstructing federal immigration enforcement. Attorney General Pam Bondi has signaled that continued de ance could trigger withdrawal of federal funding and criminal enforcement, powerful measures designed to protect American communities from criminal alien elements.
Take New York City, for instance, where the U.S. Department of Justice has led suit, asserting that sanctuary policies have allowed “thousands of criminals” back onto the streets without accountability. Trump is not only demanding cooperation; he’s demanding accountability and refers to sanctuary policies not as protections, but as threats to public safety.
Earlier this year, the Trump-Vance administration launched a nationwide immigration enforcement campaign that so far has resulted in the arrests of more than 300,000 illegal aliens. About 70% of those are criminal illegal aliens with criminal charges or convictions. These actions reinforce the administration’s commitment to safeguarding communities from criminal elements hiding behind sanctuary policies.
This past January, Trump issued Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, which expanded deportation tools such as expedited removal, denied federal funding to sanctuary jurisdictions, and increased sta ng for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, reinforcing priorities for immigrationrelated public safety enforcement.
energy plans is going to be interesting. But he has a point. Centrist Democrats are poised to win entire purple states like Virginia, showing far wider appeal than Mamdani — but they can barely get any attention.
One of the most popular governors in the country right now is Kentucky’s Andy Beshear, a Democrat in a state with a Republican-controlled legislature that President Donald Trump won by more than a 30-point margin. Why isn’t he the way forward for Democrats? Other governors in the top 10 have similar dispositions, including North Carolina’s Josh Stein and Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, both in states Trump won. All of them take moderated left-of-center positions without a fullthroated embrace of anti-market, anti-Western, racialist positions that are in vogue in cities.
No GQ covers for them.
The Democrats have become a party of the rich and the dependent poor — because the rich can a ord socialism and the poor marginally bene t. Since the market-fueled gentri cation of the ’90s, cities have become increasingly progressive and correspondingly more expensive and poorly run.
California, Illinois, Massachusetts and New York have seen signi cant net outward migration since then, while market-driven states with lower regulations and taxes like Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas have seen signi cant increases in newcomers. This is before New York City installed a socialist mayor. How popular is socialism? Far too popular. But not as popular as Democrats and the media would have us believe. At least, not yet.
David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner.
Trump also zeroed out wasteful “consent decrees” that hampered state and local governments’ ability to address vagrancy and public disorder, redirecting federal funds toward substance-abuse programs and civil commitment where appropriate. This brings practical solutions to streets once marred by chaos. Trump’s approach is neither abstract rhetoric nor symbolic; it is action-driven. From exposing manipulated crime statistics in Washington, D.C., and tens of thousands of deportations in sanctuary cities to restoring federal cooperation and securing our borders, he is delivering on his promise to make America safe again.
Looking past the woke media noise, Americans will be glad he did it. Consider the latest news from this D.C. crime crackdown, where an MS13 gang member was arrested. Had Trump not stepped in, a local resident or future visitor could’ve been this criminal’s next victim.
If we are to preserve the American dream and the stability our children inherit, law and order must remain foundational. Standing up to sanctuary jurisdictions, enforcing federal immigration laws, reclaiming urban streets and deploying resources where they matter, the president is making our communities safe for all of us. In D.C. and cities across the country, Americans should start to feel safe again, thanks to the Trump administration. If it’s not clear to the critics, it certainly is to the rest of us; all we ever needed was a new president.
Jorge Martínez is senior adviser and National Director of Hispanic Outreach for America First Works. He formerly served as press secretary at the U.S. Department of Justice. This column was originally published by Daily Caller News Foundation.
COLUMN | JORGE MARTÍNEZ
COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI
NC Supreme Court says bars’ COVID-19 lawsuits can proceed
the opportunity to put them to the test,” Newby wrote. “Plainti s have stated colorable constitutional claims under Article I, Sections 1 and 19. Because they have satis ed the requirements to successfully plead a Corum claim, sovereign immunity does not bar plainti s’ suit.”
The majority decisions by the justices mean a pair of lawsuits remain alive, and future court orders directing the state pay them nancial damages are possible.
A sign indicates that a hotel in Chapel Hill is closed due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in March 2020.
treated them unfairly compared to restaurants.
“On the Fruits of Labor claim, we modify and a rm in part the decision of the Court of Appeals and remand this matter to the trial court to reopen factual discovery and provide a new discovery schedule for the parties,” Associate Justice Phil Berger Jr. wrote in the majority opinion in N.C. Bar and Tavern Ass’n v. Stein. “We reverse the Court of Appeals on its Equal Protection determination and a rm on plainti s’ statutory claims.”
Chief Justice Paul Newby authored the ruling in the second case, Howell v. Cooper, writing that “We acknowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic was a chaotic period of time,” and that the governor was not the only one facing uncertainty — small businesses did as well.
“It may be that the executive orders’ restrictions on bars were reasonably necessary, but the state constitution gives plainti s
As a way to ease the spread of coronavirus, Cooper — a Democrat who left o ce last December and is now running for U.S. Senate — issued a series of executive orders that closed bars starting in March 2020. By that summer, bars still had to remain closed, but restaurants and breweries could serve alcohol during certain hours. Later in 2020, bars could serve alcoholic drinks in outdoor seating, with time limits later added, but the plainti s said it was unpro table to operate. All temporary restrictions on bars were lifted in May 2021.
Lawyers defending Cooper have said the orders were based on the most current scientific studies and public health data available at a time when thousands were ill or dying and vaccines weren’t widely available.
On Friday, the court’s ve Republican justices in one lawsuit agreed it could continue to trial, rejecting arguments from state attorneys that the litigation must be halted based on a legal doctrine that exempts state government from most lawsuits. That
“From the beginning, we never asked for special treatment, only equal treatment.”
Zack Medford, N.C. Bar and Tavern Association president
decision largely upheld a Court of Appeals decision from two years ago that had a rmed a trial judge’s order to allow the action led by Ti any Howell, seven other people and nine businesses to be heard.
“We acknowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic was a chaotic period of time,” Newby wrote in the prevailing opinion. “It is important to remember, however, that the Governor was not the only person facing uncertainty. Small business owners across the state dutifully shuttered their doors and scaled back operations without knowing exactly when they could open or operate fully again.”
A broader group of plainti s — the North Carolina Bar and Tavern Association and scores of private bars — that sued separately but made similar claims received a favorable ruling last year from
a Court of Appeals panel that reversed a trial judge’s decision to dismiss the lawsuit.
Friday, the same ve justices ruled that the Court of Appeals shouldn’t have allowed the association to sue based on claims its members’ constitutional rights for equal treatment were violated. But the plainti s can return to a trial judge now and present evidence on the claim that their right under the state constitution to earn a living was violated, Berger wrote in the majority opinion.
The association and the private bars “su ciently alleged unconstitutional interference, and thus have a right to seek discovery to prove those allegations are true,” Berger wrote.
The Supreme Court’s two Democratic justices opposed decisions made by the majority in both cases and said the lawsuits should be dismissed. Associate Justice Allison Riggs wrote that the Bar and Tavern Association failed to signal it had evidence of a more reasonable plan to contain the virus’ impact than what Cooper chose.
Writing the dissent in the Howell case, Associate Justice Anita Earls said the majority “grants itself a roving license to second-guess policy choices, re-
weigh trade-o s, and displace decisions appropriately made by the political branches.”
The state Attorney General’s O ce, which represented Cooper in both cases, said Friday it was reviewing the decisions. Through a spokesperson, Cooper’s Senate campaign declined to comment.
The N.C. Bar and Tavern Association called the decision in its case a “major victory.”
“From the beginning, we never asked for special treatment, only equal treatment,” association President Zack Medford said. Chuck Kitchen, a lawyer representing plainti s in the Howell case, also praised the ruling in their litigation.
Cooper was the subject of several lawsuits challenging his COVID-19 actions early in the pandemic, and he was largely successful in court. In August 2024, the state Supreme Court sided with a small racetrack that was closed briefly for defying state gathering limits and said the track and its operators could sue the top health regulator in Cooper’s administration.
North State Journal’s A.P. Dillon contributed to this report.
GERRY BROOME / AP PHOTO
Former Harmanco’s restaurant takes new direction
Tanner Denton, a former partner at Courthouse Tavern, purchased the old Harmanco’s building
By Charles Curcio Stanly News Journal
ALBEMARLE — Social media has been abuzz recently with the closure of a longtime Albemarle restaurant on the east side of town, Harmanco’s.
Now one local restaurateur has purchased the building and the process is underway for its transformation.
Tanner Denton, who previously was one of the partners involved with the restaurant now known as Courthouse Tavern and Table, has purchased the old Harmanco’s building.
Denton said the process of purchasing the building started around January and included some of the equipment, but mostly the purchase was the about the building.
“We don’t have a concrete timeline, but we are working with the architects to get our
MAYOR from page A1
continue moving Rich eld toward progress and prosperity, and that’s why I’m here tonight to express my interest in being appointed,” Crisco said.
He expressed his vision for the town, which included “supporting education and youth programs to build a stronger tomorrow, promoting responsible growth that creates revenue while preserving our smalltown roots, the feeling that we all love about Rich eld, and ensuring transparent, collaborative leadership where every voice matters.”
After Crisco nished speaking, Byrd moved to adjourn the meeting, but Commissioner Kevin Almond interjected, asking if the board was going to discuss the issue.
Almond asked Byrd if the board was going “to leave you as mayor pro tem,” to which Byrd said no.
“What I’m saying is, if (Crisco) wants to do it, what if we give it 30 days, and if somebody else wants to come forward with their name and what they can bring, let’s pick the best candidate,” Almond said. “Are we going to ll the mayor’s seat back, or are we going to keep it like it is until the election?”
The mayor pro tem said the board previously had discussed
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more than $800,000 as the city aims to create a “more inclusive and welcoming space for individuals and families of all abilities.”
The former Harmanco’s building on East Main Street in Albemarle has been purchased by
drawings submitted, to get our permits pulled,” Denton said.
Much of the online discussion was the new restaurant will be a steakhouse, which Denton said is not untrue, adding, “I prefer to say we’re focusing on steak. There’s a lot of things that come with a steakhouse that I’m not sure we will be doing.”
Denton said the new place will feature steak and pairings with seafood, while another feature of the restaurant will
with the League of Municipalities updating the town’s charter to possibly reorganize the board into a di erent structure.
“We have the opportunity to decide when the board decides what they want to do with the charter,” Byrd said. “It had been discussed to completely do away with the mayor’s position and change the form of our charter.”
He added the charter was written in 1905 and “has so much language in it that has nothing to do with anything going on in this day and time. It needs to be updated.”
Almond responded: “But how long will that take? I thought they talked about that it could take years.”
Byrd said he has an attorney named David Ford who has relatives in the area with whom he has discussed the town’s situation. He added any change in the charter would have to be approved by the North Carolina General Assembly before it could be implemented.
Almond again asked if Byrd wished to remain mayor pro tem, and Byrd responded, “Denitely not.”
Commissioner Christy NeCaise said she had no problems with people submitting their names, adding, “As the time came that we decided to do it, we would already know ahead of time (who wanted to serve) so
be a fresh salad bar, “a buildyour- own bu et salad bar.”
A smaller selection of appetizers will be on the menu, he said, adding steaks and sh will be among the entrees with chances to combine both for a surf and turf dish.
“It’s going to be like you can make it any experience you want,” Denton said.
“I don’t want us to be branded as a steakhouse. The rst couple of months being open, I’ll be re-
“We’re not looking for a transactional dollar. We’re looking to build relationships and to o er something special to the community.”
Tanner Denton
ceiving feedback on what people in our community are looking for. We will revisit and revamp our menu.”
The new owner said the building will be totally renovated and have a new name, which he is asking members of the community to suggest via email or other ways.
“I think this could be a fun thing for the community, which is a big thing for me,” Denton said. That is what I tried to do at Courthouse.”
The feel for the new restaurant, he added, will be rustic, with the amount of wood inside it, but still intimate, which
The Rich eld commissioners had a spirited discussion over the best way to select a new mayor.
we are not waiting a whole other month or two.”
NeCaise added while Byrd had spoken with an attorney, he “has not proceeded to get this thing redone. I don’t want that to come across.”
Byrd mentioned previous issues the town has had with having a town attorney who did not return their phone calls.
NeCaise said she wanted 60 days for citizens to submit their names, but Byrd said, “I don’t want to put a deadline on it.”
Almond mentioned the absence of Commissioner Mike Beaver, who had missed two consecutive town meetings earlier this year and was not in attendance Monday night.
“We aren’t going to replace him,” Almond said.
Planning for the new redevelopment project began in summer 2024 with community forums, meetings with local disability advocates, and review from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. The Locust City Council approved the proposal in March 2025. In the next phase of park redevelopment, the city will continue working with disability advocates, building on the partnerships formed during the grant application process.
City o cials said the project will preserve the O cer Je Shelton Memorial while enhancing the park’s accessibility.
The park was renamed in 2007 to honor Shelton, a Locust native and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police o cer who was killed in the line of duty. City
“Mike basically can’t be replaced,” Byrd answered.
The mayor pro tem suggested the town needed a workshop with an attorney to discuss the options for the charter.
“I think we need to do something instead of sitting still,” Almond said.
After discussing when the workshop could be, Almond asked if the board wanted to open nominations for someone to submit their name for the position.
NeCaise appeared to make a motion, saying, “I make a motion,” but before she nished, Byrd said, “Do you just want to keep a list of people’s names?”
Almond said, “It’s been hard to get somebody to ll in,” to
leaders dedicated the park to preserve his legacy and provide a community space that reects his commitment to public service.
he called “an approachable upscale. It’s not going to be somewhere you feel like you have to wear a dress shirt.” He added he will be using Chima Steakhouse in uptown Charlotte as some inspiration for the new place, though maybe not quite that upscale.
Denton said he believes in the revitalization e orts on the east side of town, which includes the old Harmanco’s.
“It’s important because it’s not going to be a chain restaurant, which is what’s dominating over there right now,” Denton said.
The experience Denton wants people to have at the new place is not one of being a customer but being a guest of his family.
“I want our sta to understand that we’re not looking for a transactional dollar,” he said. “We’re looking to build relationships and to o er something special to the community.”
Denton can be emailed at 1407emainst@gmail.com for people to give suggestions for the name of his future place.
which Byrd responded, “I can understand why.”
After the meeting was adjourned, the topic was discussed during the public comments section.
Crisco spoke again briefly, saying, “If it goes to a board-and-manager government, or stays mayor and government, the board can appoint somebody, no matter what, until the charter is changed.”
Another citizen, Jennifer Lehn, noted the City of Albemarle’s recent opening following the resignation of Chris Whitley has asked for letters from those wishing to serve on the council before Sept. 12, ahead of the council’s Sept. 15 meeting.
“I just wanted to make the suggestion that maybe you follow their lead,” Lehn said to the board.
When another citizen asked if the board was going to give people 30 days to submit names, Byrd said, “I don’t think we ever agreed to that.”
She asked again if the board was going to open it up, and Byrd said, “I didn’t say that either. … The only thing we decided on is to meet with an attorney to see what our options are. We haven’t set a date on when we are going to make that decision.” NeCaise said, “We did say we were going to open for everyone to turn in (letters).”
“We are very proud of everything that we’re trying to do over here with Locust Parks and Rec,” Correa said. “Fortunately, this is just the beginning of our e orts over there. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before we’re able to get it all nished up and reopen to the public and invite everybody to come out and enjoy it.”
All updates on the project’s timeline and planning process will be shared at locustnc.com and on the city’s social media accounts.
CHARLES CURCIO / STANLY NEWS JOURNAL
CHARLES CURCIO / STANLY NEWS JOURNAL
Tanner Denton.
OBITUARIES
NELLIE CROPSEY BOST
MARCH 10, 1931 – AUG. 21, 2025
Nellie Cropsey Bost, 94, of Oakboro, passed away peacefully on August 21, 2025, at Bethany Woods Nursing and Rehab in Albemarle. A graveside service to honor her life will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 23, 2025, at Oakboro Cemetery.
Born on March 10, 1931, in Stanly County, NC, Cropsey was the beloved daughter of the late George Walter Bost and Vinnie Phillips Bost. She dedicated many years of her life as an employee of Stanly Knitting Mill and was a proud and faithful member of West Oakboro Baptist Church.
Cropsey will be remembered as strong-willed and determined, a woman who stood rmly by her values and beliefs. She had a gift for storytelling and loved sharing memories of days gone by, often re ecting on family, friends, and the simple joys of life.
She leaves behind a loving extended family, including numerous cousins, who will cherish her memory and the legacy of strength and faith she leaves behind. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a sister, Virginia Bost, and a brother, George Junior Bost.
The family requests that memorials be made to West Oakboro Baptist Church, 16803 Silver Road, Oakboro, NC 28129.
REBECCA “BECKY” DUNN
MARCH 2, 1946 – AUG. 22, 2025
Rebecca “Becky” Thompson Dunn, 79 of Mt. Gilead, died Friday Evening, August 22, 2025, at Trinity Place in Albemarle.
Funeral Services will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 30, 2025, at Liberty Hill Baptist Church, Mt. Gilead. Rev. Davie Wensil will o ciate, and burial will follow in Hamer Creek Baptist Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends 30 minutes prior to the service at the church.
Becky was born March 2, 1946, in Montgomery County to the late Lacy and Ruth Harris Thompson. She was a member of Liberty Hill Baptist Church.
Becky worked at Pee Dee Hosiery Mill during her teenage years and retired after thirty years of employment with Burger Shack in Mt. Gilead. She was an excellent cook and loved cooking a big ham and a bowl of potato salad for family gatherings. She took great pride in her home and in decorating. She developed Lewy Body Dementia in 2020 when she was admitted to Trinity Place in Albemarle.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Harold “Scott” Dunn, brothers Philip and Brad Thompson, sister Argene McKeithan, and her in-laws, Harold and Mary Sue Dunn.
She is survived by her son Harold “Todd” Dunn (Sarah) and granddaughter Caitlyn Elizabeth Dunn all of Southport. Her Siblings, Tony (Dempsey) Surratt, Sam Thompson, Marie (Jim) Bowles, Alice (Phillip) Richardson, Jason (Reba) Thompson and Brenda (Larry) Marley.
DONNIE RICHARD LOVE
JANUARY 11, 1948 – AUG. 23, 2025
Donnie Richard Love, 77, of Stan eld, North Carolina, passed away peacefully at his home on Saturday, August 23, 2025, surrounded by the love of his family. A private family gathering to honor his life will be held at a later date.
Born on January 11, 1948, in Stanly County, Donnie was the son of the late Richard C. Love and Atha Fink Love. He spent his career with Southern Mechanical Services and retired after years of hard work and dedication.
Donnie shared his life with his devoted wife, Ruby Pickler Love, and together they built a home lled with love, care, and countless cherished memories. A man of many talents, Donnie was known for his love of hunting and shing, his passion for drag racing, and his incredible ability to x just about anything. His family remembers him as loyal and dependable—a man who always kept his word. He loved going to races with his stepchildren and often reminded his family that they could accomplish anything they set their minds to.
Donnie’s legacy of love, strength, and determination lives on through his family. He is survived by his loving wife, Ruby; two children, Lisa Simpson (Kenny) of Monroe and Michael Love of Kannapolis; four stepchildren, Savannah Burris of Albemarle, Darrin Pankey of Albemarle, Tammy Pankey of Albemarle, and Johnny Pankey (Sandy) of Monroe; and three brothers, Ronnie Love of Salisbury, Cli ord Love of Stan eld, and Rick Love of Albemarle.
He was a proud grandfather to thirteen grandchildren: Jessica Haigler, Matthew Simpson, Coleton Simpson, Johnny Adams, Jaimie Adams, Heather Chastain, Dakota Wade, McKinsie Fesperman, Hunter Fesperman, Trevor Pankey, Sarah Pankey, Miranda Pankey, and Dylan Love; and a loving great-grandfather to twenty great-grandchildren who brought him endless joy.
His family and friends will deeply miss Donnie, but his memory will continue to inspire those who knew and loved him.
‘Sopranos’ star Jerry Adler, Broadway backstage vet who later acted, dead at 96
He had a long theater career before moving in front of the camera
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Jerry Adler, who spent decades behind the scenes of storied Broadway productions before pivoting to acting in his 60s, has died at 96.
Adler died Saturday, according to a brief family announcement con rmed by the Riverside Memorial Chapel in New York. Adler “passed peacefully in his sleep,” Paradigm Talent Agency’s Sarah Shulman said on behalf of his family. No immediate cause was given.
Among Adler’s acting credits are “The Sopranos,” on which he played Tony Soprano adviser Hesh Rabkin across all six seasons, and “The Good Wife,” where he played law partner Howard Lyman. But before Adler had ever stepped in front of a lm or television camera, he had 53 Broadway productions to his name — all behind the scenes, serving as a stage manager, producer or director.
He hailed from an entertainment family with deep roots in Jewish and Yiddish theater, as he told the Jewish Ledger in 2014. His father, Philip Adler, was a general manager for the famed Group Theatre and Broadway productions, and his cousin Stella Adler was a legendary acting teacher.
“I’m a creature of nepotism,” Adler told TheaterMania in 2015. “I got my rst job when I was at Syracuse University and my father, the general manager of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, called me (because) there was an opening for an assistant stage manager. I skipped school.”
After a long theater career, which included the original production of “My Fair Lady” and working with the likes of Marlene Dietrich, Ju-
lie Andrews and Richard Burton, among many others, Adler left Broadway during its 1980s slump. He moved to California, where he worked on television productions like the soap opera “Santa Barbara.”
“I was really getting into the twilight of a mediocre career,” he told The New York Times in 1992. But the retirement he was contemplating was staved o when Donna Isaacson, the casting director for “The Public Eye” and a longtime friend of one of Adler’s daughters, had a hunch about how to cast a hard-to- ll role, as The New York Times reported then. Adler had been on the other side of auditions, and, curious to experience how actors felt, agreed to try out. Director Howard Franklin, who auditioned dozens of actors for the role of a newspaper columnist in the Joe Pesci-starring lm, had “chills” when Adler read for the part, the newspaper reported.
So began an acting career that had him working consistently in front of the camera for more than 30 years. An early role on the David Chase-written “Northern Exposure” paved the way for his time on a future Chase project, “The Sopranos.”
“When David was going to do the pilot for ‘The Sopranos’ he called and asked me if I would do a cameo of Hesh. It was just supposed to be a one-shot,” he told Forward in 2015. “But when they picked up the show they liked the character, and I would come on every fourth week.”
Films included Woody Allen’s “Manhattan Murder Mystery,” but Adler was perhaps best known for his television work. Those credits included stints on “Rescue Me,” “Mad About You,” “Transparent” and guest spots on shows ranging from “The West Wing” to “Broad City.” He even returned to Broadway, this time onstage, in
“When David was going to do the pilot for ‘The Sopranos’ he called and asked me if I would do a cameo of Hesh. It was just supposed to be a one-shot. … But when they picked up the show they liked the character.”
Jerry Adler
Elaine May’s “Taller Than a Dwarf” in 2000. In 2015, he appeared in Larry David’s writing and acting stage debut, “Fish in the Dark.”
“I do it because I really enjoy it. I think retirement is a road to nowhere,” Adler told Forward, on the subject of the play. “I wouldn’t know what to do if I were retired. I guess if nobody calls anymore, that’s when I’ll be retired. Meanwhile this is great.”
Adler published a memoir, “Too Funny for Words: Backstage Tales from Broadway, Television and the Movies,” last year. “I’m ready to go at a moment’s notice,” he told CT Insider then, when asked if he’d take more acting roles. In recent years, he and his wife, Joan Laxman, relocated from Connecticut back to his hometown of New York. Survivors include his four daughters, Shulman said.
For Adler, who once thought he was “too goofy-looking” to act, seeing himself on screen was odd, at least initially. And in multiple interviews with various outlets, he expressed how strange it was to be recognized by the public after spending so many years working behind the scenes. There was at least one advantage to being preserved on lm, though, as he told The New York Times back in 1992.
“I’m immortal,” he said.
Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in Stanly News Journal at obits@northstatejournal.com
RICHARD DREW / AP PHOTO
Actor Jerry Adler arrives for the funeral service of James Gandol ni in New York in 2013.
STANLY SPORTS
South Stanly kicks o football season with West Stanly shutout
The Rebel Bulls posted the program’s rst shutout of the Colts since 1984
By Charles Curcio Stanly News Journal
RED CROSS — The South Stanly football squad opened the 2025 season by accomplishing a feat against county rival West Stanly that the program had not seen since Charlie Phillips was head coach.
South’s defense pitched a shutout Friday night in opening the season with a 27-0 road win at West. The Bulls had not shut out the Colts since Oct. 5, 1984, when South beat West 6-0. The win also narrowed the gap in the all-time series between the two schools, which the Colts still lead 35-28-2.
South senior quarterback Kaleb Richardson came out ring down eld on the rst play of the game, drawing a pass inter-
ference penalty. Richardson nished the game 9 of 18 for 195 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.
“We were intentional about being aggressive,” South head coach Terry Shankle said. “We just react and are taking what the defense gives us.”
Carter Calicutt had a solid night for the Bulls, catching three passes for 101 yards and a touchdown along while adding a rushing score.
The Bulls’ defense limit-
ed West Stanly (0-1) to 163 net yards of o ense and forced ve turnovers, three fumbles and a pair of picks. West had 87 net yards on the ground on 26 carries, while Colts quarterback Maverick Scott was 7 of 15 for 76 yards and two interceptions. Scott was also sacked three times.
It was West Stanly’s defense that came up big in the rst quarter two times. South took the opening kicko and drove to the Colts’ 3-yard line, but
West stopped the Bulls on four straight plays.
A bad punt by West kept the Colts pinned deep for South’s next possession, but Richardson’s pass was picked o by Carter Yow.
Two plays later, West lost a fumble and South scored on the next play. Richardson found Callcutt for a 55-yard touchdown pass. Jose Garcia’s extra point put South up 7-0 with 39 seconds left in the opening quarter.
South made it 14-0 after recovering the ensuing kicko and driving 30 yards in under two minutes. Richardson found Jaylen Woods for a 19 -yard touchdown pass one minute into the second quarter.
“We were communicating on See SOUTH, page B3
Bulldogs open gridiron season with home win
Albemarle’s win versus CBLA was the Bulldogs’ rst win to open a season since 2017
By Charles Curcio Stanly News Journal
ALBEMARLE — The Albemarle football squad opened the 2025 season at home against a team the Bulldogs had never faced in school history.
Coming from Jamestown on the coast, the College Prep and Leadership Academy Royals paid a visit to the Bulldogs’ football stadium Friday.
Trailing after one quarter, the Bulldogs rallied to open the season with a 48-14 win, the rst time since 2017 Albemarle opened the season with a victory.
Albemarle (1-0) outscored CPLA 20-0 in the second quarter to lead 26-8 at halftime, then continued in the second half, scoring 22 points to the Royals’ six.
The Bulldogs scored ve rushing touchdowns, led by A.J. Butler, who rushed for 121 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns. Skylar Potts added 66 yards on three rushes, with 64 coming on a touchdown run, while Ray Blakeney, Joneil Cabrera Arroyo and Treyvian Legrande also added rushing scores. As a team, the Bulldogs had 310 on 31 carries, averaging nearly 10 yards per rush. Blakeney was a perfect 4 for 4
for 75 yards through the air, including tossing two touchdowns to Jaymi Campbell, who nished with a team-high 49 receiving yards.
Defensively, Tahj McLendon led the “Oak Tree” defense with ve tackles, including one for a loss, while Campbell, A.J. Butler and Jon Pierre Browne had
four tackles each. Daniel Brahman had a sack in the game for the Bulldogs, and Browne also had a fumble recovery, forced by Rashawn Thompson.
Albemarle will be at home
Friday night against the North Wake Saints. The game will be the season opener for the Saints, who hail from Wake Forest.
CHARLES CURCIO / STANLY NEWS JOURNAL
South Stanly’s Kaleb Richardson hands o to Carter Callicutt in the rst quarter of the Bulls’ road win at West Stanly last Friday.
Joneil Cabrera Arroyo nds room to run up eld in the Bulldogs’ home win Friday.
Blaney’s last-second surge at Daytona denies underdogs Cinderella moment
A late run moved him from 13th to rst
By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—
The Cup Series’ playo system is designed to give a long shot a chance to race for the championship.
As a pack of underdogs hurtled toward the nish line at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night, there was a real possibility of an upset and someone racing their way into the postseason by winning the regular-season nale.
Then a favorite spoiled it all.
Ryan Blaney won a four-wide race to claim the checkered ag — a victory that denied a Cinderella moment and gave Alex Bowman the nal spot in the playo s.
Blaney was 13th with two laps to go, then muscled his Team Penske Ford to the front and surged slightly ahead right before the nish line. He beat Daniel Suarez by 0.031 seconds, Justin Haley by 0.036 seconds and Cole Custer by 0.049 seconds. Erik Jones was fth, Kyle Larson sixth, Chris Buescher seventh and Ty Gibbs eighth. Any of the seven drivers behind Blaney besides Larson would have been rst-time winners this season and claimed thenal spot in the 16-driver playo eld.
But Blaney — a former series champion already locked into the eld — denied them all. His victory assured Bowman, who crashed early in the race and had to watch for more than three hours on TV to learn his fate, would race for
“It’s de nitely not as traditional a way as we like to run them, we like to lead laps and things like that.”
Ryan Blaney
the championship this season.
The rst 19 cars across the nish line were all within a half-second of Blaney, who wound up second in the regular-season standings. Daytona 500 winner William Byron had already wrapped up the regular-season title.
“What a wild couple last laps,” said Blaney, who waited until the end to aggressively move through tra c. “It’s
de nitely not as traditional a way as we like to run them; we like to lead laps and things like that. We just couldn’t really get there until the last second.”
Suarez, who is being replaced at Trackhouse Racing at the end of the season, was disappointed not to make the playo s.
“All in all, a good car. Just not enough and a little too late,” Suarez said.
Haley, who is likely to be replaced at Spire Motorsports at the end of the year, also was frustrated. Haley and Spire’s only Cup Series win came in this race in 2019, when it was shortened by rain while Haley was the leader.
“It hurts, especially with the year the 7 car has had. We obviously had a rough season,” Haley said. “You’re counting them down and just trying to
play everything out. It stings, but still a good night.”
Buescher said coming up short of the playo s would force him to “just be mad about it for a while.
“Not trying to pout, just I’m proud of this team,” he continued. “It was a great night. We certainly had a shot and had the speed again, so want to be excited about that, and I am. But man, it’s just another one of those we had the ability to win this race, had the speed, had the handling, and no champagne to celebrate.”
The victory was on brand for Team Penske, winner of the last three Cup Series championships. Joey Logano won in 2023, Blaney in 2024 and Logano again last year.
The team has won those titles by overcoming summer slumps and then turning it up when the playo s begin. Blaney’s win snapped an 11-race losing streak for Penske and Ford.
Roger Penske, who was in Victory Lane to celebrate with the No. 12 team, has all three of his drivers in the playo eld.
Sharapova, Bryan brothers enter tennis hall
Serena Williams made a surprise appearance
By Jimmy Golen
The Associated Press
NEWPORT, R.I. — Serena Williams made a surprise — and early — appearance at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, emerging from behind the stage to introduce “former rival, former fan and forever friend” Maria Sharapova for her induction.
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion who will be eligible for her own enshrinement in 2027, drew gasps and shrieks from the crowd at the Newport shrine.
“There are only a few players in my career who challenged me to be the very best, every single time we stepped out on the court,” Williams said. “Maria Sharapova was one of them. Whenever I saw her name next
to mine in the draw, I made sure I practiced harder.”
And the feeling was mutual.
“It’s a gift to have someone who motivates you to reach those heights. And I’ll forever be grateful for bringing out the best in me,” Sharapova said in her acceptance speech. “We both knew no other way than to ght our hearts out. ... We both hated to lose more than anything on this Earth, and we both knew that the other was the biggest obstacle between ourselves and the trophy.”
The rst Russian woman ever to reach No. 1 in the rankings and one of 10 women to complete the career Grand Slam, Sharapova was joined in the Class of 2025 by dominating doubles team Mike and Bob Bryan. The twin brothers nished their speech with one of their trademark chest bumps.
Hall of Famers Martina Navratilova, Jim Courier, Stan Smith and Andy Roddick were
“When voices inevitably tell you to ease up, to round your edges, dull your ambition, I hope you can nd a way to ignore them.”
Maria Sharapova
among those in the crowd, wearing their blue Hall of Fame blazers. Sharapova and the Bryan brothers also received a cast tennis racket that is the hall’s newest o ering to inductees.
Sharapova was described in her introductory video as someone who “combined grit with glamour,” and some of the stylish out ts she competed in are already displayed in the hall — including a tuxedo-inspired dress she wore at Wimbledon in 2008.
Williams noted that her rival was the highest-paid female athlete in the world for 11 straight years — bolstered by endorsement income that surpassed her on-court winnings.
“She showed us all how to take excellence on the court and turn it into excellence in business, and fashion, branding and everything that she touched,” Williams said. “She changed how women not only approached tennis, but sports and opportunity. She showed us that you can be erce on the court and strategic o the court, and unapologetically herself the entire time.”
Sharapova said her induction gave her a chance to look back — something she tried not to do when she was playing. And she credited her success to “embracing the struggles and leaning into the hard stu .”
“When voices inevitably tell you to ease up, to round your edges, dull your ambition, I hope you can nd a way to ig-
nore them,” she said. “Compete ercely. Raise your standard. Set goals that intimidate you. And don’t forget to celebrate your victories, no matter how small.
“In giving my life to tennis, tennis gave me a life. And what a remarkable, remarkable life. And I’m so deeply grateful for it.”
The Bryans shared a speech as if they were taking turns hitting on a court, alternating at the microphone as they thanked coaches, friends and Davis Cup teammates from a career in which they won 119 ATP titles, including 16 Grand Slams, and an Olympic gold medal. They spent a record 438 weeks atop the world rankings.
Bob Bryan said he was fortunate because “for most of my career, I had the No. 1 player in the world across the hall.”
“Doubles was our love from Day 1,” Mike Bryan said. “We loved everything about doubles. We loved the strategy, the teamwork, sharing the highs and lows. Like our personalities, our games complemented each other perfectly.”
JOHN RAOUX / AP PHOTO
Ryan Blaney (12) crosses the nish line to win Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona.
teams
South Stanly and Albemarle are both at home this week
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
ALBEMARLE — Three of Stanly County’s four varsity football teams kicked o the 2025 season with victories. Week 2 brings another intracounty clash, while the other two squads aim to protect their home turf in nonconference play.
North Stanly at West Stanly
North opened the football season with a win for the third straight year
By Charles Curcio Stanly News Journal
NEW LONDON — The North Stanly football program took on a highly successful charter school program Friday night to open the 2025 season.
North hosted the Community School of Davidson Spartans, who won 20 games combined over the past two seasons.
Down 14 points with 8:55 left in the game, the Comets scored three unanswered touchdowns and roared back for a 27-21 home win.
The rushing attack of Juice Lilly and Jaden Little combined for 137 yards on 18 carries for North (1-0), with Little scoring two rushing touchdowns. As a team, the Comets had 40 carries for 243 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry.
Through the air, Brady Lowder, in his rst year as North Stanly’s quarterback, was 8 for 12 for 120 yards, including a game-tying touchdown to Jaden Little.
Head coach Chad Little said the team had some jitters early on as the Comets drove the ball three times inside the CSD 35-yard line but fumbled twice.
“After that, we settled in
Points the Comets scored in the nal nine minutes to earn the win
and played good defense,” Coach Little said.
The Spartans (0-1) led 7-0 when Tyler Johnson scored on a 2-yard touchdown run with 6:05 left in the opening quarter.
Jaden Little scored the rst of his two rushing touchdowns with just under two minutes left in the rst half to tie the game, 7-7.
CSD took the lead with exactly four minutes left in the third quarter when Johnson scored on a 4-yard bootleg to the right side of the line. The extra point was good, putting the Spartans up 14-7.
The Spartans made it 21-7 with 8:55 left in the game on a 16-yard touchdown pass before the Comets’ rally began.
North went to the air on the team’s ensuing drive as Lowder found Kylan Dockery for a long gain downeld to the Spartans’ 35-yard line. On the next play, Lowder rolled to his right and connected with Dockery in double coverage in the end zone for the touchdown. The extra point was no good, leaving the Comets down 21-13.
With just under ve minutes to play in the fourth, R.A. Bruton returned a punt 70 yards for a touchdown, and a two-point conversion tied the game.
The Comets’ Little recovered a fumble at the CSD 47-yard line with 3:06 left in the game, giving North the chance for the win.
Kaden Little then went straight up the middle with 50.1 seconds left for his second rushing touchdown of the game to put North ahead for good.
The Comets’ R.J. Brooks recovered another fumble on the Spartans’ nal drive of the game in the last 20 seconds to seal the win.
Brett Curlee led North’s defense with 10 tackles, while Nathan Helms added nine tackles and an interception. Little also recovered a fumble late in the game to help lead the Comets to the win.
For the Spartans, Johnson nished with 124 rushing yards on 13 carries with two touchdowns to go with 120 receiving yards. Quarterback Ty Sigler was 15 of 23 through the air for 183 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
“So many players made this win happen,” Little said. “Our coaches coached their tails o from spring until now.”
North goes on the road Friday to face county rival West Stanly.
One week after a 27-0 shutout loss at Larry Wagner Field against South Stanly (1-0), the West Stanly Colts (0-1) will look for their rst points of the season as they host the North Stanly Comets (1-0), who edged out Community School of Davidson 27-21 on Friday. Last fall, North came out on top in the annual matchup between the two schools with a 38-37 double overtime home victory in New London. The Comets haven’t lost to the Colts since the 2019 season.
West senior quarterback Maverick Scott will try to get the Colts’ o ense into a rhythm as the team aims to snap its ve-game losing streak dating back to Oct. 10, 2024.
Piedmont at South Stanly
Fresh o their aforemen-
SOUTH from page B1 the sidelines,” Richardson said of the team’s strong start early in the game.
“Everybody kept their head up and were talking,” he said. “That’s what we wanted to do coming into this game.”
Later in the second, another West fumble set up the Bulls at the West 45-yard line. Six plays later, Calicutt scored on an 11-yard touchdown run to put South up 21-0. Turnovers came back again for the Colts in the second half as South turned it into instant points. From his cornerback position, Woods jumped in front of a short slant route and picked o Scott’s pass, returning it 55 yards for a touchdown.
The extra point was blocked.
Regarding the team’s defense, South’s Jasiah Holt, who also picked o a West pass in the win, said the team studied lm all week.
tioned shutout road victory, the South Stanly Rowdy Rebel Bulls are set for their home opener in K.L. Young Stadium, where they will face the Southern Carolina Conference’s Piedmont Panthers.
The Panthers (0-1) began their 2025 campaign with a 28-12 loss at Parkwood last weekend, trailing by two points at halftime as they failed to put any points on the board in the second half.
Coming o a two-touchdown night, South’s senior quarterback Kaleb Richardson has a chance to help continue the Bulls’ strong start to the season if the team can take down a larger school in front of South’s home crowd.
North Wake at Albemarle
The Albemarle Bulldogs, who rolled to a 48-14 road win over College Prep and Leadership Academy last weekend, are scheduled to open a three-game homestand this week at Bulldog Stadium.
Albemarle will begin its homestand against the North Wake Saints, an independent squad based in Wake Forest for homeschool, private and charter school players. The Saints nished 4-6 last season.
This game will serve as both the Bulldogs’ home opener and the Saints’ season opener. After dominating the ground game with ve rushing touchdowns in Week 1, Albemarle’s running back corps could be put to the test again.
5
Number of turnovers forced by South Stanly
“Our coaches told us we had to rush the quarterback and make them throw it,” Holt said. “When they throw it, I’m just a ball hawk. I just go wherever the ball is.”
South’s quarterback, talking about the defense, said, “I love our defense. I think they are going to be the best in the state.” The Bulls host Piedmont (0 -1) this Friday. The Panthers lost their rst game of the season 28-12 against Parkwood. West Stanly will host North Stanly (1-0) . The Comets rallied late for a 27-21 home win versus the Community School of Davison last Friday.
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219 W. Main Street Albemarle, NC 28001
COURTESY OF DAWN LUCAS PHOTOGRAPHY
Jaden Little, right, had two rushing touchdowns, including the winning score, in North Stanly’s home win overthe CSD Spartans last Friday.
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NOTICE
August 13, 2025 ADVERTISEMENT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Sealed Request for Proposals for furnishing the City of Albemarle NC with a Proposal for Solid Waste and Recycling Collection Services in accordance with speci cations, conditions and instructions, will be received by the City of Albemarle, Assistant Finance Director, 144 North Second Street, Albemarle NC 28001; or by Mail at P O Box 190, Albemarle NC 28002-0190; on or before 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, September 10, 2025; in a Sealed Envelope, Clearly Marked RFP 2026-01 Solid Waste and Recycling Collection Services. Instructions for submitting the Proposal and Complete Speci cations may be obtained at the O ce of Ross Holshouser, Director Public Works Department, 704984-9675, rholshouser@albemarlenc. gov; or by visiting the following Website: https://www.albemarlenc.gov/ departments/ nance/purchasing/bidopportunities. The City of Albemarle, North Carolina, reserves the right to reject any or all proposals for any reason determined to be in the best interest of the City of Albemarle.
CITY OF ALBEMARLE
Jacob W. Weavil Finance Director RFP NUMBER: 2026-01 PUBLICATION DATES: Wednesday, August 20, 2025 Wednesday, August 27, 2025 Wednesday, September 3, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Lisa A. L. Deese, Sherrill D. Lowder, Jr. and Sally M. Lowder have quali ed as Co-Executors of the Estate of Shirley Jo Lowder a/k/a Shirley D. Lowder a/k/a Shirley Di ee Lowder, deceased, of Stanly County, North Carolina, and do hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to present them to the undersigned in care of Crisp Cherry McCraw PLLC, Attn: C. Michael Crisp, 615 S. College Street, Suite 1430, Charlotte, NC 28202, on or before the 13th day of November, 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 13th day of August, 2025.
Lisa A. L. Deese Sherrill D. Lowder, Jr. Sally M. Lowder c/o Crisp Cherry McCraw PLLC 615 S. College Street, Suite 1430 Charlotte, NC 28202 (704) 332.0203
NOTICE
The undersigned, having quali ed as Co-Administrators 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 November 20, 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 20th day of August, 2025. Ashley Grace Elliott Co-Administrator 102 Windmill Road Salisbury, North Carolina 28147
Emily G. Thompson, Esq. Attorney for Co-Administrators Reed & Thompson, PLLC 204 Branchview Dr SE Concord, NC 28025
Estate File No.: 25E000290-830
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having quali ed as Executor of the ESTATE OF DONNA ROSE SMART HUNEYCUTT, deceased of 16207 Pless Mill Road, Stan eld, NC 28163 (Stanly County Clerk of Court Case No. 25E000464-830), the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the Estate of said Decedent DONNA ROSE SMART HUNEYCUTT to present them to the undersigned RICHARD LEON HUNEYCUTT, Executor, PO Box 56, Locust, NC 28097, in care of Tanya N. Oesterreich, Oesterreich Law PLLC, at PO Box 2067, Concord, North Carolina 28026, on or before the 20th day of November, 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to the said ESTATE OF DONNA ROSE SMART HUNEYCUTT will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This the 20th day of August, 2025.
RICHARD LEON HUNEYCUTT, Executor ESTATE OF DONNA ROSE SMART HUNEYCUTT PO Box 56 Locust, NC 28097
c/o Tanya N. Oesterreich, Esq. Oesterreich Law PLLC PO Box 2067 Concord, North Carolina 28026
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 25E000431-830 Having quali ed as Administrator of the estate of Jason Allen Huneycutt, deceased, of Stanly County, North Carolina. This is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said Jason Allen Huneycutt to present them to the undersigned on or before November 20, 2025, or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment. This 20th day of August, 2025 Cassidy Huneycutt 20890 Ridgecrest Road Locust, NC 28097 Administrator
NOTICE
25SP000032-830 AMENDED
or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate place make immediate payment. This sixth day of August , 2025. Amanda Rose Aplin 28109 McSwain Rd Lot 39 Albemarle NC 28001
Notice to Creditors
Having quali ed as
NOTICE
Deceased. NOTICE TO CREDITORS Having quali ed as Personal Representative of the Estate of Marie Josephine L. Tucker of Stanly County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of the said Marie Josephine L. Tucker, to present them to the undersigned or her attorney on or before the 1st day of December, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the said Estate please make immediate payment.
This the 27th day of August, 2025.
Administrator: Gina Douglas 20167 Tucker Road Oakboro, NC 28129
Attorney for Estate: Connie E. Mosher 239 N. First Street Albemarle, NC 28001
704-983-0086
Dates of publication: August 27, September 3, 10 and 17
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 25E000291-830 Having quali ed as Co-Executors of the estate of Glenna Collett Kirk, deceased, of Stanly County, North Carolina. This is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said Glenna Collett Kirk to present them to the undersigned on or before November 20, 2025, or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery.
All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment.
This 20th day of August, 2025 Ronald James Kirk 44009 Cat sh Road New London, NC 28127 Co-Executor Sandra Lee Kirk P.O. Box 451 New London, NC 28127 Co-Executor
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 25E000416-830 Having quali ed as Executor of the estate of Janet D. Kupfer, deceased, of Stanly County, North Carolina.
This is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said Janet D. Kupfer to present them to the undersigned on or before November 6, 2025, or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery.
All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment.
This 6th day of August, 2025 Adam Kupfer aka Adam R. Kupfer 3101 Loveland Avenue Erie, PA 16506 Executor
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION COUNTY OF STANLY. BEFORE THE CLERK File No. 25E000451-830 IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF JASPER TURNER Deceased.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of JASPER TURNER, of Stanly County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of the said JASPER TURNER to present them to the undersigned or his attorney on or before November 12, 2025 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the said Estate please make immediate payment.
This the 13th day of August, 2025.
Executor: Bobby Turner 231 Poplin Street Norwood, NC 28128 Attorney for Estate: Connie Edwards Mosher 239 N. First Street Albemarle, NC 28001 704-983-0086 Publication dates: August 13, August 20, August 27, September 3
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
Section 5311 (ADTAP), 5310, 5339, 5307 and applicable State funding, or combination thereof.
This is to inform the public that a public hearing will be held on the proposed Stanly County Community Transportation Program Application to be submitted to the North Carolina Department of Transportation no later than October 4th 2025. The public hearing will be held on September 3rd at 6:00 pm before the Stanly County Board of Commissioners.
Those interested in attending the public hearing and needing either auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or a language translator should contact Tyler Brummit on or before August 29, 2025, at telephone number 704.986.3602 or via email at tbrummit@stanlycountync.gov. The Community Transportation Program provides assistance to coordinate existing transportation programs operating in Stanly County as well as provides transportation
through June 30, 2027.
NOTE: Local share amount is subject to State funding availability.
This application may be inspected at Stanly County Senior Center Albemarle NC 28001 from 8:30am-5:00pm. Written comments should be directed to Pamela Sullivan before August 29 2025.
AVISO DE AUDIENCIA PÚBLICA
Esto es para informar al público que se llevará a cabo una audiencia pública sobre la propuesta del programa de aplicación del Transporte de la Comunidad del Condado de Stanly que se enviará al Departamento de Transporte de Carolina del Norte a más tardar el 4 de octobre de 2025. La audiencia pública se llevará a cabo el 3 de septiembre 2025 a las 6:00 pm antes de Los Comisionarios del Condado de Stanly. Los interesados en asistir a la audiencia pública y necesitan de cualquier recursos y servicios bajo la Ley Estadounidenses con Discapacidades o un traductor de idiomas deben contactar a Tyler Brummitt en o antes del 29 de agosto 2025, al número de teléfono 704-986-3602 o vía correo electrónico al tbrummitt@ stanlycountync.gov . El Programa de Transporte de la Comunidad proporciona asistencia para coordinar programas de transporte existentes en el Condado de Stanly , así como proporciona opciones de transporte y servicios para las comunidades dentro de esta área de servicio. Estos servicios son proporcionados actualmente usando rutas de suscripción, respuestas y demandas. Los servicios se proporcionan por vans y vehículos de transporte ligeros.
La cantidad total estimada para el periodo 1 de julio del 2026 al 30 de junio del 2027.
Comentarios
Head Deacon
Wake Forest head coach Jake Dickert named transfer Robby Ashford as the starting quarterback for the rst game against Kennesaw State on Friday. Ashford is entering his sixth college season, with previous stops at South Carolina, Auburn and Oregon.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
DOT threatens funding for 3 states for not enforcing trucker
English pro ciency
Transportation Secretary Sean Du y says California, Washington and New Mexico could lose millions of dollars of federal funding if they continue failing to enforce English language requirements for truckers. An investigation launched after a deadly Florida crash involving a foreign truck driver who made an illegal U-turn earlier this month found what Du y called signi cant failures in the way all three states are enforcing rules that took e ect in June after one of President Donald Trump’s executive orders. Truckers are supposed to be disquali ed if they can’t demonstrate English pro ciency.
Wisconsin judge accused of helping man evade ICE denied immunity
A federal judge is allowing a case to proceed against a Wisconsin judge accused of helping a man evade U.S. immigration agents seeking to arrest him in her courthouse. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested in April and indicted on federal charges in May.
U.S. District Judge Lynne Adelman on Tuesday rejected Dugan’s motion to dismiss the charges against her. Adelman’s decision could be appealed.
Winston-Salem City Council OKs multiple rezonings for housing
Site plans proposed both townhome and single-family uses
By Ryan Henkel Twin City Herald
WINSTON-SALEM — The Winston-Salem City Council met Aug. 18 with an agenda full of public hearings.
The council rst held multiple hearings related to the development of housing in Winston-Salem.
The rst hearing was for a rezoning request for approximately 0.1 acres of property located at the northeast intersection of Dixie Broadway and Fayetteville Street to allow for the development of various residential uses on a vacant property.
The council also heard a rezoning request for just under nine acres of property located along the east side of Willard Road and south of Interstate 40 to allow for the construction of a 57-unit townhome development. The nal rezoning request re-
lated to housing was to grant a special use zoning for 4.5 acres of property located along the east side of East Salisbury Road and south of Brewer Road in order to allow for a greater variety of single-family and low-density attached residential housing uses on the property.
Following each hearing, the council approved the request.
“Tonight, we voted on (multiple) acres of property to build housing on,” said Mayor Pro Tem Denise Adams. “As tough as it is to do this, I want to commend everyone on that.”
The council also approved a request to rezone around 4.5 acres of property located at the northeast intersection of Thomasville Road and East Clemmonsville Road for the development of a small shopping center. The site plan proposes the construction of eight buildings totaling just under 29,500 feet.
The council also held two hearings related to businesses located within residential areas.
The rst hearing was for the rezoning of approximately 0.3 acres of property locat-
“Tonight, we voted on (multiple) acres of property to build housing on.”
Adams, mayor pro tem
ed at the northeast intersection of East Clemmonsville Road and Peachtree Street to add an additional use for an existing neighborhood business.
“What we are requesting is a commissary kitchen, which doesn’t really require any restaurant services,” said applicant Juan Carlos Mariche Ayala. “It’s just a commercial kitchen for food truck purposes, really. There’s not going to be any customers coming in or out.”
The subject property has been zoned for neighborhood business for 26 years according to Planning Director Chris Murphy.
Following the hearing, the council approved the request.
The second hearing was to rezone approximately two acres of property located on the west side of Chatham Road and north of Buxton Street from General Industrial (GI) to Pedestrian Business (Limited Use) for an arts studio event space.
“The main reason we’re wanting to do the rezoning is because, while it is GI and it can be necessarily operated as a lm and photography studio, we would like to put an events center in the back of the warehouse,” said applicant James Canty. “Our goal is to make EUG a central hub for art in the Triad area.”
However, due to neighbor complaints regarding late-night parties, noise, trash and similar problems with the business, the council unanimously voted to deny the change in zoning.
“Since June, I have been receiving emails and telephone calls on this location,” said Council Member Regina Ford Hall. “Overwhelmingly, what I have heard is that this would just be more of the same.”
The Winston-Salem City Council will next meet Sept. 2.
Board of Education approves calendar change in lieu of upcoming reduction in force
Sept. 15 was previously a full school day, but will now be a teacher and sta workday
By Ryan Henkel Twin City Herald
At its Aug. 26 meeting, the WSFCS Board of Education approved a change to the district’s 2025-26 calendar in order to designate a set transition day in response to reduction in force (RIF).
things that came out of that meeting was the idea of a transitional day on Sept. 15.”
The change entails taking Sept. 15 from a full school day and instead making it a teacher and sta workday while counting it as a banked day toward potential inclement weather make-up.
Coun-
WINSTON-SALEM — Winston-Salem/Forsyth
ty Schools continues to prepare for its upcoming reduction in force that was approved Aug. 19.
“This is really about a response to principal requests from last week,” Interim Superintendent Catty Moore said. “We met with principals to talk about the RIF protocols that would be going on in their buildings, and one of the
At its Aug. 19 special called meeting, the board gavenal approval for the RIF that will result in the elimination of 344 positions — impacting
between 268 and 275 employees — and the reduction of 289 positions within the district. According to Moore, the last day of employment for employees who will be a ected by the reduction in force will be Sept. 12. Therefore, the set aside time will give sta structured time to plan for student transitions, collaborate on co-teaching models to support inclusive practices and review
Denise
PHELAN M. EBENHACK / AP PHOTO
“Join the conversation”
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and align student individualized education programs with instructional strategy.
“Everybody wants that day, everybody needs that day,” said Ward Elementary School Principal Colin Tribby. “I think it’s important. There’s going to be a lot of transition, a lot of sit downs.”
Moore also gave an update about the next steps and the support the district will be offering to a ected employees.
It include communication to impacted sta through in-person meetings to administer the RIF letters — these meetings will also provide a ected employees with detailed transition information as well as support
Beaches reopen after Hurricane Erin passes
Several people were killed in the rough conditions
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — North Carolina and other states on the eastern seaboard have begun to reopen beaches that had been closed due to Hurricane Erin, which sent strong winds and dangerous waves across the U.S. East Coast.
Erin’s outer bands brushed North Carolina last Wednesday, but the storm never made landfall and caused no widespread damage to infrastructure despite being twice the size of an average hurricane. After progressing north in the Atlantic, it weakened into a post-tropical cyclone last Friday, far from land.
In North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Highway 12 on Hatteras Island opened at noon Saturday for residents, property owners and workers, accord-
ing to North Carolina’s Department of Transportation. All restrictions lifted at 5 a.m. Sunday.
The Outer Banks — essentially sand dunes sticking out of the ocean a few feet above sea level — are vulnerable to erosion. Storm surges can cut through them, washing tons of sand and debris onto roads and sometimes breaking up pavement and creating new inlets. The dunes took a beating by Erin but there were no new inlets or signi cant structural damage to homes or businesses.
Elsewhere, there were several deaths attributed to the rough conditions caused by the storm.
In Massachusetts, a team of police and U.S. Coast Guard members were resuming their search Monday for a man in his 50s who was missing after a boat capsized o of Salisbury Beach on Saturday. The other person in the boat was taken to
a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Despite challenging weather and sea conditions including 6- to 8-foot swells, the team performed sonar scans, dives, surface and aerial patrols on Sunday, the state police said in a news release. In Maine, a man was rescued Saturday after his sailboat capsized in high surf in York Harbor.
In New Hampshire, authorities are investigating the death of a 17-year-old boy who had been swimming with family members o of Hampton Beach on Sunday night.
Witnesses said he was pulled away by a strong ocean current and his father unsuccessfully tried to rescue him. Lifeguards brought both to shore and began livesaving efforts on the teen, who was later pronounced dead at a hospital. The father was treated there.
A man drowned Saturday after being caught in a strong rip current o the New York coast, at Sailors Haven in the Fire Island Natoinal Seashore in Su olk County, authorities said. Ishmoile Mohammed, 59, was visiting from South Carolina.
from mental health counselors — paying the employer portion of COBRA health bene ts for up to one year and o ering 12 free supportive counseling sessions from School Health Alliance.
The district will also be hosting a “reverse” job fair Sept. 4 with neighboring school systems, Forsyth Technical Community College and other businesses throughout Forsyth County.
“We have to make sure that we’re accurate and that we have compassion,” said board member Richard Watts. “We have to get it right because lives are impacted by this.”
“Everybody wants that day, everybody needs that day.”
the process and evaluate your systems and supports, and it brings a solid number and aids in the cost estimation and value engineering component of the project.”
ing with local subcontractors.
“Their proposal was very clear about creating local jobs and having local, minority participation,” Walker said. “They had a really solid response to that in their response about using local subcontractors. That was a big piece of why we chose them.”
“We’ve used various delivery sources in construction projects in the past, but the construction manager at risk allows us to get the contract to the table early,” said Darrell Walker, executive director of facility planning and construction.
“It allows the owner and the architect to aid in the design and
The board also approved the selection of Balfour Beatty as the construction manager at risk for the new Ashley Elementary School project.
According to Walker, the construction manager at risk approach also allows the risk to fall on the contractor for any costs over the guaranteed maximum price. The cost for estimation services from Balfour Beatty is just over $46,000, and the funding for it will come from the 2023 Additional Capacity two-thirds bond funds.
“These funds cannot be used for operating expenses,” Moore said.
Walker also stated that Balfour Beatty have committed to work-
“I’m excited about this project coming forward,” said board member Leah Crowley. “This was promised by the school board of 2012 and was also promised through the 2016 bond with the money being earmarked for land for a new Ashley. It’s good that we’re nally moving forward with this.”
The WSFCS Board of Education will next meet Sept. 9.
ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO
Sebastian Kettner shes on Jennette’s Pier as waves from Hurricane Erin crash ashore in Nags Head last Thursday.
THE CONVERSATION
Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
Is socialism as popular as the media think?
Collectivist ideas always fail, yet they never die.
“DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS” have been getting the teenage-idol treatment from giddy reporters and editors at legacy media outlets for years.
Their newest crush, as New Yorkers already know, is jihadi-apologist and Marxist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
In a 4,500-word cover story headlined “The Meaning of Zohran Mamdani,” Time magazine paints a caricature of a well-meaning, authentic and not-really-so-radical go-getter. An “ideologue interested in creative solutions” is how Time puts it.
Sure, Mamdani might support genocidal rhetoric, but the Jewish community will be pleased to learn that he “often talked about the problem of antisemitism and the need for anti-hate-crime funding.”
Is Mamdani, as many would have it, a generational talent whose campaign should be mimicked nationally by Democrats?
Yes, the resentful young have convinced themselves they’re living in the worst era ever to have befallen man. “People our age have never experienced American prosperity in our adult lives — which is why so many millennials are embracing democratic socialism,” Harvard-educated writer Charlotte Alter once put it in a Time cover piece on a previous darling, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
But George Will recently argued that a Mamdani win would be bene cial in reminding the nation of “socialism’s many harms.” Collectivist ideas always fail, yet they never die.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) championed Hugo Chavez in the 2000s — and even after Venezuelans predictably began foraging for food, Sanders, one of the most popular politicians in the country, was
still championing the same system. So it’s not as if we don’t have the lessons already.
Indeed, we’ve been having the same debates in perpetuity. The zero-sum fallacy that capitalism is inherently evil and rigged has been hammered into our conscience for centuries. We’ve convinced millions of Americans that a gaggle of rich people can trigger economic havoc for pro t, control the economy to undermine the working class and push commodity prices higher to reap the pro ts.
It is a tragedy that Democrats continue to stagger leftward on all fronts to mollify and placate their activist class. And it’s not merely economics. The modern “democratic” socialist comes with a slew of positions that not only undermine quality of life but clash with the moral outlook of normies: the pro-terrorist, pro-identitarian rhetoric; the championing of criminality and illegal immigration; the anti-modernity climate hysteria; and the deranged social science quackery on gender — just for starters.
So I wonder how popular socialism really is.
Right now, there is no real evidence that a socialist outlook plays in most places. It barely plays in cities. If NYC’s Democrats didn’t split the vote between Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and perhaps found themselves a candidate who hadn’t already tarnished themselves with scandal, Mamdani would likely lose.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, former Chicago mayor and would-be 2028 presidential hopeful Rahm Emanuel pushed back on hard-left ideas, contending Democrats should run on centrist slogans, such as “build, baby, build.”
How Democrats plan on doing this without rolling back the climate hysteria that undermines growth and squanders billions on half-baked
The woke media is wrong. America’s cities need to be safe again
D.C. police o cials are accused of manipulating crime statistics in the weeks leading up to the federal takeover, allegedly reclassifying or downgrading violent incidents to mask the true scale of lawlessness.
From the nation’s capital to sanctuary cities coast-to-coast, President Donald J. Trump is demonstrating unwavering resolve and e ective leadership in restoring law and order and the safety American families deserve.
In the heart of Washington, D.C., under Trump’s decisive leadership, the federal government invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to declare a “crime emergency” and place the Metropolitan Police Department under federal control — an unprecedented move guided by the urgent need to protect Americans under siege. This bold action deployed National Guard troops and federal agents, resulting in more than 400 arrests, including 60 individuals suspected of being undocumented immigrants and the seizure of 27 rearms. This marks a serious restoration of public safety in our Nation’s capital.
While critics cite data showing violent crime in D.C. was at a 30-year low and trending downward — including a 35% overall decline and a 37% drop in carjackings in 2025 — recent reporting suggests these numbers may not tell the whole story. According to Fox News, D.C. police o cials are accused of manipulating crime statistics in the weeks leading up to the federal takeover, allegedly reclassifying or downgrading violent incidents to mask the true scale of lawlessness. This raises a chilling question: Were Americans being misled about the reality on the ground just to protect political narratives?
Trump certainly thought so, and his hunch was right. Ask anyone who lives or has visited D.C. recently, and they’ll tell you the streets of our capital have been a mess. Now, thanks to Trump, it’s starting to feel like a safer environment for families, as it should.
Beyond Washington, D.C., the Trump-Vance
administration is placing sanctuary jurisdictions squarely on notice. More than 500 jurisdictions, including states like California, Illinois, New York and Washington, and in uential counties such as Cook County and San Francisco, have been o cially designated as obstructing federal immigration enforcement. Attorney General Pam Bondi has signaled that continued de ance could trigger withdrawal of federal funding and criminal enforcement, powerful measures designed to protect American communities from criminal alien elements.
Take New York City, for instance, where the U.S. Department of Justice has led suit, asserting that sanctuary policies have allowed “thousands of criminals” back onto the streets without accountability. Trump is not only demanding cooperation; he’s demanding accountability and refers to sanctuary policies not as protections, but as threats to public safety.
Earlier this year, the Trump-Vance administration launched a nationwide immigration enforcement campaign that so far has resulted in the arrests of more than 300,000 illegal aliens. About 70% of those are criminal illegal aliens with criminal charges or convictions. These actions reinforce the administration’s commitment to safeguarding communities from criminal elements hiding behind sanctuary policies.
This past January, Trump issued Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, which expanded deportation tools such as expedited removal, denied federal funding to sanctuary jurisdictions, and increased sta ng for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, reinforcing priorities for immigrationrelated public safety enforcement.
energy plans is going to be interesting. But he has a point. Centrist Democrats are poised to win entire purple states like Virginia, showing far wider appeal than Mamdani — but they can barely get any attention.
One of the most popular governors in the country right now is Kentucky’s Andy Beshear, a Democrat in a state with a Republican-controlled legislature that President Donald Trump won by more than a 30-point margin. Why isn’t he the way forward for Democrats? Other governors in the top 10 have similar dispositions, including North Carolina’s Josh Stein and Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, both in states Trump won. All of them take moderated left-of-center positions without a fullthroated embrace of anti-market, anti-Western, racialist positions that are in vogue in cities.
No GQ covers for them.
The Democrats have become a party of the rich and the dependent poor — because the rich can a ord socialism and the poor marginally bene t. Since the market-fueled gentri cation of the ’90s, cities have become increasingly progressive and correspondingly more expensive and poorly run.
California, Illinois, Massachusetts and New York have seen signi cant net outward migration since then, while market-driven states with lower regulations and taxes like Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas have seen signi cant increases in newcomers. This is before New York City installed a socialist mayor. How popular is socialism? Far too popular. But not as popular as Democrats and the media would have us believe. At least, not yet.
David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner.
Trump also zeroed out wasteful “consent decrees” that hampered state and local governments’ ability to address vagrancy and public disorder, redirecting federal funds toward substance-abuse programs and civil commitment where appropriate. This brings practical solutions to streets once marred by chaos. Trump’s approach is neither abstract rhetoric nor symbolic; it is action-driven. From exposing manipulated crime statistics in Washington, D.C., and tens of thousands of deportations in sanctuary cities to restoring federal cooperation and securing our borders, he is delivering on his promise to make America safe again.
Looking past the woke media noise, Americans will be glad he did it. Consider the latest news from this D.C. crime crackdown, where an MS13 gang member was arrested. Had Trump not stepped in, a local resident or future visitor could’ve been this criminal’s next victim.
If we are to preserve the American dream and the stability our children inherit, law and order must remain foundational. Standing up to sanctuary jurisdictions, enforcing federal immigration laws, reclaiming urban streets and deploying resources where they matter, the president is making our communities safe for all of us. In D.C. and cities across the country, Americans should start to feel safe again, thanks to the Trump administration. If it’s not clear to the critics, it certainly is to the rest of us; all we ever needed was a new president.
Jorge Martínez is senior adviser and National Director of Hispanic Outreach for America First Works. He formerly served as press secretary at the U.S. Department of Justice. This column was originally published by Daily Caller News Foundation.
COLUMN | JORGE MARTÍNEZ
COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI
‘No magic xes’ for Democrats as party confronts internal, fundraising struggles
Approval ratings are down, and so is the party’s bank balance
By Steve Peoples The Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS — Ken Martin is in the ght of his life.
The low-pro le political operative from Minnesota, just six months on the job as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is charged with leading his party’s formal resistance to President Donald Trump and xing the Democratic brand.
“I think the greatest divide right now in our party, frankly, is not ideological,” Martin told The Associated Press. “The greatest divide is those people who are standing up and ghting and those who are sitting on the sidelines.”
“We’re using every single lever of power we have to take the ght to Donald Trump,” he said of the DNC.
And yet, as hundreds of Democratic o cials gather in Martin’s Minneapolis hometown on Monday for the rst o cial DNC meeting since he became chair, there is evidence that Martin’s ght may extend well beyond the current occupant of the Oval O ce.
Big Democratic donors are unhappy with the direction of their own party and not writing checks. Political factions are fragmented over issues such as the Israel-Hamas war. The party’s message is murky. Key segments of the Democratic base — working-class voters and young people, among them — have drifted away.
And there is deep frustration that the Democratic Party under Martin’s leadership is not doing enough to stop the Republican president — no matter how tough his rhetoric may be.
“There are no magic xes,” said Jeanna Repass, the chair of the Kansas Democratic Party, who praised Martin’s performance so far. “He is trying to lead at a time where everyone wants it to be xed right now. And it’s just not going to happen.”
At this week’s three-day summer meeting, DNC o cials hope to make real progress in reversing the sense of pessimism and frustration that has consumed Democrats since Republicans
seized the White House and control of Congress last fall.
It may not be so easy.
Con dence questions and money trouble
At least a couple of DNC members privately considered bringing a vote of no condence against Martin this week in part because of the committee’s underwhelming fundraising, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation who was granted anonymity to share internal discussions. Ultimately, the no con dence vote will not move forward because Martin’s critics couldn’t get su cient support from the party’s broader membership, which includes more than 400 elected ocials from every state and several territories. Still, the committee’s nancial situation is weak compared with the opposition’s.
The most recent federal lings reveal that the DNC has $14 million in the bank at the end of July compared with the Republican National Committee’s $84 million. The Democrats’ gure represents its lowest level of cash on hand in at least the last ve years.
Martin and his allies, in-
$14M
DNC cash on hand compared with the Republican National Committee’s $84 million
cluding his predecessor Jaime Harrison, insist it’s not fair to compare the party’s currentnancial health with recent years, when Democratic President Joe Biden was in the White House. Harrison pointed to 2017 as a more accurate comparison. That year, the committee struggled to raise money in the months after losing to Trump the rst time. And in the 2018 midterm elections that followed, Harrison noted, Democrats overcame their fundraising problems and won the House majority and several Senate seats.
“These are just the normal pains of being a Democrat when we don’t have the White House,” Harrison said. “Ken is nding his footing.” Martin acknowledged that big donors are burnt out after the last election, which has forced the committee to turn to smaller-dollar donors, who have responded well.
“Money will not be the ultimate determinant in this (midterm) election,” Martin said. “We’ve been making investments, record investments, in our state parties. ... We have the money to operate. We’re not in a bad position.”
Gaza debate could get ugly
While Martin is broadly popular among the DNC’s rank and le, internal divisions may are publicly this week when the committee considers competing resolutions about the Israel-Hamas war.
One proposed resolution would have the DNC encourage Democratic members of Congress to suspend military aid to Israel, establish an arms embargo and recognize Palestine as a country, according to draft language reviewed by the AP. The measure also states that the crisis in Gaza has resulted in the loss of more than 60,000 lives and the displacement of 1.7 million Palestinians “at the hands of the Israeli government.” The DNC leadership, led by Martin, introduced a competing resolution that adds more context about Israel’s challenges.
One line, for example, refers to “the su ering of both Pales-
tinians and Israelis” and notes the number of Israelis killed in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Martin’s version calls for a two-state solution, but there is no reference to the number of Palestinians killed or displaced, nor is there a call for an end to military aid or an arms embargo.
Meanwhile, another proposed resolution would reafrm the DNC’s commitment to “diversity, equity and inclusion.” Many Democrats, businesses and educational institutions have distanced themselves from DEI programs after Trump and other Republicans attacked them as Democrats’ “woke” policies.
Ultimately, Martin said the party needs to focus its message on the economy.
“There’s no doubt we have to get back to a message that resonates with voters,” he said. “And focusing on an economic agenda is the thing that brings all parts of our coalition and Americans into the conversation.”
“We have work to do for sure,” he added.
Presidential prospects on the agenda
The DNC is years away from deciding which states vote rst on the 2028 presidential primary calendar, but that discussion will begin in earnest at the Minneapolis gathering, where at least three presidential prospects will be featured speakers: Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Martin said the DNC is open to changes from the 2024 calendar, which kicked o in South Carolina, while pushing back traditional openers Iowa and New Hampshire. In recent days, Iowa Democrats have publicly threatened to go rogue and ignore the wishes of the DNC if they are skipped over again in 2028.
The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws committee this week is expected to outline what the next calendar selection process would look like, although the calendar itself likely won’t be completed until 2027.
“We’re going to make sure that the process is open, that any state that wants to make a bid to be in the early window can do so,” Martin said.
Homeland Security says entire southern border wall to be painted black to stop people from climbing it
It should absorb heat and make it more di cult to scale
By Rebecca Santana
The Associated Press
to not come into our country illegally,” Noem said.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks, who attended the event with Noem, said the paint would also help deter rust.
During Trump’s rst term,
Secretary
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Homeland Security
Kristi Noem said last Tuesday that the entire wall along the southern border with Mexico is going to be painted black to make it hotter and deter illegal immigration — and she credited President Donald Trump with the idea.
Noem spoke during a visit to a portion of the wall in New Mexico, where she also picked up a roller brush to help out with the painting.
She touted the height of the wall as well as the depth as ways to deter people seeking to go over or under the walls. And then Noem said Homeland Security was going to be trying black paint to make the metal hotter.
“That is speci cally at the request of the president, who understands that in the hot temperatures down here when something is painted black it gets even warmer and it will make it even harder for people to climb. So we are going to be painting the entire southern border wall black to make sure that we encourage individuals
building the wall was a central focus of his hardline immigration policy. During his second term, his mass deportation agenda with arrests in the interior of the country has been the main focus, but Homeland Security will be getting about $46 billion to complete the wall as part of new funding passed by Congress this summer.
Noem said they have been building about a half mile of barrier every day.
“The border wall will look very di erent based on the topography and the geography of where it is built,” she said.
She said that in addition to barriers like the one she visited last week, the department is also working on “water-borne infrastructure.” Long sections of the roughly 2,000-mile border between the U.S. and Mexico sit along the Rio Grande River in Texas.
The Trump administration is pushing forward with completing the wall at the same time that the number of people crossing the border illegally has plummeted.
ROD LAMKEY JR. / AP PHOTO
Democratic National Committee chairman Ken Martin speaks after winning the vote at the Democratic National Committee winter meeting this past February.
JORDAN GOLSON / STANLY NEWS JOURNAL The government plans to paint its border wall black.
Forsyth SPORTS
Humpy Wheeler, former Charlotte Motor Speedway president,
The Belmont native was known as “The P.T. Barnum of Motorsports”
By Jenna Fryer
The Associated Press
CHARLOTTE — Humpy Wheeler, a pioneering motorsports promoter and former president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway, has died, NASCAR said. He was 86.
Charlotte Motor Speedway said Wheeler died of natural causes last Wednesday in Charlotte, surrounded by his family.
“Humpy Wheeler was a visionary whose name became synonymous with promotion and innovation in our sport,” said NASCAR chairman Jim France. “During his decades leading Charlotte Motor Speedway, Humpy transformed the fan experience through his creativity, bold ideas and tireless passion. His e orts helped expand NASCAR’s national footprint, cement Charlotte as a must-visit racing and entertainment complex.”
Howard Augustine Wheeler Jr. was born in 1938 in Belmont in Gaston County and gained his rst major publicity job with Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. He held several other positions after Firestone shut down its racing program in 1970 and was hired at Charlotte Motor Speedway by owner Bruton Smith as president in 1975.
He became a transformative gure in promoting racing and was known as the “P.T. Barnum of motorsports” for ashy prerace stunts, elaborate productions and sparing no expense in ensuring fans had the most enjoyable experience possible at his events.
Wheeler earlier this year was named winner of NASCAR’s prestigious Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR, to which he’d have been inducted into the Hall of Fame next year.
“Humpy’s contributions to and accomplishments in NASCAR are without parallel. The breadth and depth of his legacy, and those whom he in uenced, assisted and mentored, cannot be overstated,” said Winston Kelley, executive director of the Hall of Fame. “Frequently adding new dynamics to the sport, Humpy’s visionary leadership and creativity helped
A
By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—
The Cup Series’ playo system is designed to give a long shot a chance to race for the championship.
As a pack of underdogs hurtled toward the nish line at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night, there was a real possibility of an upset and someone racing their way into the postseason by winning the regular-season nale.
Then a favorite spoiled it all.
Ryan Blaney won a four-wide race to claim the checkered ag — a victory that denied a Cinderella moment and gave Alex Bowman the nal spot in the playo s.
Blaney was 13th with two laps to go, then muscled his Team Penske Ford to the front and surged slightly ahead right before the nish line. He beat Daniel Suarez by 0.031 seconds, Justin Haley by 0.036 seconds and Cole Custer by 0.049 seconds. Erik Jones was fth, Kyle Larson sixth, Chris Buescher seventh and Ty Gibbs eighth. Any of
dead at 86
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Elly Randolph
shape today’s fan experience.
“Through his innovative promotions and stunts, Wheeler’s contributions expanded NASCAR’s national and international presence during the 1990s and early 2000s, solidifying Charlotte as ‘NASCAR’s Home for Racing.’” Wheeler mentored “hundreds, if not thousands,” of people throughout his life, Kelley said, including inaugural NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt and Landmark Award recipient Janet Guthrie. Wheeler spent 33 years running Charlotte Motor Speedway. His innovation and pre-race extravaganzas recreated numerous military operations — including the invasion of Grenada — that made the facility a gold standard in NASCAR. He promoted school-bus races during the week, grassroots series for young aspiring racers, stunts and even the “Robosaurus,” a towering, re-breathing, car-crunching mechanical robot.
Wheeler and his boss, the late Smith, grew Charlotte Motor Speedway into the ownership group Speedway Motorsports Inc., which acquired multiple race tracks that play a pivotal role in American motorsports today. Charlotte was the rst track to build condominiums on site, built a restaurant overlooking the race track and was the rst speedway of its size to install lights for night racing.
“Charlotte Motor Speedway was blessed to have a leader in Humpy Wheeler who can only be described as ONE of a kind,” the speedway said in a state-
ment. “For more than 30 years, Humpy was a promoter’s promoter at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Alongside our founder Bruton Smith, Humpy pushed the speedway to new and greater heights — establishing the famed 1.5-mile superspeedway as not only the most innovative facility in NASCAR for fan, partner and competitor amenities, but also one of the most progressive in all of sports.
“Humpy’s engaging smile and air for promotion were legendary, and his impact on every stakeholder in motorsports will be long-lasting. Humpy not only made his mark with publicity, but also with a laser-focus toward the fans. He would often tell his sta to pay attention to ‘the three Ts — tickets, trafc and toilets,’ in order to ensure fans have the best possible experience. He would also say it was our job to put a little ‘technicolor in people’s black-and-white lives.’”
Wheeler retired from Charlotte Motor Speedway and Speedway Motorsports in 2008 after a bitter falling out with Smith but remained active in motorsports through his own consulting company and was on the voting panel for the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
He is survived by his wife, Pat; daughters, Traci and Patti; son, Trip; and four grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are pending and the family request donations be made in Wheeler’s name to the Belmont Abbey College Motorsports Management Program, which Wheeler was instrumental in launching more than 20 years ago.
Reagan, volleyball
Elly Randolph is a junior outside hitter on the Reagan volleyball team.
The Raiders are 9-2 on the season and won three straight last week. Randolph had 19 kills against Grimsley, 27 against Northern Guilford and 14 against East Surry. She also had 44 digs and 42 receptions in the three games.
Randolph currently leads the NCHSAA (all regions and classes) in kills and is in the top 10 in service aces.
the seven drivers behind Blaney besides Larson would have been rst-time winners this season and claimed the nal spot in the 16-driver playo eld. But Blaney — a former series champion already locked into the eld — denied them all. His victory assured Bowman, who crashed early in the race and had to watch for more than three hours on TV to learn his fate, would race for
the championship this season.
The rst 19 cars across the nish line were all within a half-second of Blaney, who wound up second in the regular-season standings. Daytona 500 winner William Byron had already wrapped up the regular-season title.
“What a wild couple last laps,” said Blaney, who waited until the end to aggressively move through tra c. “It’s de nite-
ly not as traditional a way as we like to run them; we like to lead laps and things like that. We just couldn’t really get there until the last second.” Suarez, who is being replaced at Trackhouse Racing at the end of the season, was disappointed not to make the playo s.
“All in all, a good car. Just not enough and a little too late,” Suarez said. Haley, who is likely to be re-
placed at Spire Motorsports at the end of the year, also was frustrated. Haley and Spire’s only Cup Series win came in this race in 2019, when it was shortened by rain while Haley was the leader.
“It hurts, especially with the year the 7 car has had. We obviously had a rough season,” Haley said. “You’re counting them down and just trying to play everything out. It stings, but still a good night.”
Buescher said coming up short of the playo s would force him to “just be mad about it for a while.
“Not trying to pout, just I’m proud of this team,” he continued. “It was a great night. We certainly had a shot and had the speed again, so want to be excited about that, and I am. But man, it’s just another one of those we had the ability to win this race, had the speed, had the handling, and no champagne to celebrate.”
The victory was on brand for Team Penske, winner of the last three Cup Series championships. Joey Logano won in 2023, Blaney in 2024 and Logano again last year.
The team has won those titles by overcoming summer slumps and then turning it up when the playo s begin. Blaney’s win snapped an 11-race losing streak for Penske and Ford.
Roger Penske, who was in Victory Lane to celebrate with the No. 12 team, has all three of his drivers in the
o eld.
late run moved him from 13th to rst
play-
JOHN RAOUX / AP PHOTO
Ryan Blaney (12) crosses the nish line to win Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona.
CHUCK BURTON / AP PHOTO
Humpy Wheeler addresses fans at the track prior to the 2008 NASCAR Cup Series’ Coca-Cola 600 auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Wheeler, who retired after the race, died Wednesday.
SIDELINE REPORT
NFL Sanders waived by Buccaneers
Tampa, Fla.
Shilo Sanders was waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, less than 24 hours after he was ejected from a game for throwing a punch. Sanders, the son of Hall of Fame
cornerback Deion Sanders, was battling for a roster spot after going undrafted out of Colorado, where he played for his father. He was also penalized for pass interference earlier in Tampa Bay’s 23-19 loss to Bu alo. The Buccaneers could still add Sanders to the practice squad if he doesn’t get claimed o waivers by another team.
BOXING
Boxer Chávez Jr.
to stand trial in Mexico over alleged cartel ties
Hermosillo, Mexico
A judge in Mexico says Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. will stand trial over alleged cartel ties but can await trial outside of detention. The court granted three months of additional investigation into the case. Chávez, who had been living in the United States for several years, was arrested in early July by federal agents outside his Los Angeles home for overstaying his visa and lying on an application to obtain a green card. He was deported by the U.S. on Aug. 19 to Mexico, where he faced an arrest warrant.
NBA Former NBA star Kemp gets 30 days of home monitoring for Wash. shooting
Tacoma, Wash.
Former NBA star Shawn Kemp was sentenced to 30 days of electronic home monitoring for shooting at two men inside a vehicle in a Washington state mall parking lot. Kemp must begin home monitoring within two weeks. He must also serve one year of Department of Corrections supervision and complete 240 hours of community service. Prosecutors had recommended the six-time NBA All-Star be sentenced to nine months in jail, a year of supervision and pay restitution. But the judge found the circumstances surrounding the crime warranted a lesser sentence. Kemp said he acted in self- defense.
NFL Police noti ed after sex toy thrown onto eld during Titans preseason game
Nashville, Tenn. The NFL joined the WNBA in having a sex toy thrown onto the eld when someone tossed one during the Tennessee Titans’ preseason nale. The neon green sex toy landed near the 6-yard line with about ve minutes left in the Titans’ win over the Minnesota Vikings. The teams were on the eld with the Titans on o ense near mid eld when the object hit the eld close to the Tennessee sideline. The Titans say they reported the incident to police. Similar toys have been tossed at several WNBA games, resulting in at least three arrests.
Sharapova, Bryan brothers enter tennis hall
Serena Williams made a surprise appearance
By Jimmy Golen The Associated Press
NEWPORT, R.I. — Serena Williams made a surprise — and early — appearance at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, emerging from behind the stage to introduce “former rival, former fan and forever friend” Maria Sharapova for her induction.
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion who will be eligible for her own enshrinement in 2027, drew gasps and shrieks from the crowd at the Newport shrine.
“There are only a few players in my career who challenged me to be the very best, every single time we stepped out on the court,” Williams said. “Maria Sharapova was one of them. Whenever I saw her name next to mine in the draw, I made sure I practiced harder.”
And the feeling was mutual.
“It’s a gift to have someone who motivates you to reach those heights. And I’ll forever be grateful for bringing out the best in me,” Sharapova said in her acceptance speech. “We both knew no other way than to ght our hearts out. ... We both hated to lose more than anything on this Earth, and we both knew that the other was the biggest obstacle between ourselves and the trophy.”
The rst Russian woman ever to reach No. 1 in the rankings and one of 10 women to complete the career Grand Slam, Sharapova was joined in the Class of 2025 by domi-
nating doubles team Mike and Bob Bryan. The twin brothers nished their speech with one of their trademark chest bumps.
Hall of Famers Martina Navratilova, Jim Courier, Stan Smith and Andy Roddick were among those in the crowd, wearing their blue Hall of Fame blazers. Sharapova and the Bryan brothers also received a cast tennis racket that is the hall’s newest o ering to inductees.
Sharapova was described in her introductory video as someone who “combined grit with glamour,” and some of the stylish out ts she competed in are already displayed in the
“When voices inevitably tell you to ease up, to round your edges, dull your ambition, I hope you can nd a way to ignore them.”
Maria Sharapova
hall — including a tuxedo-inspired dress she wore at Wimbledon in 2008. Williams noted that her rival was the highest-paid female athlete in the world for 11 straight years — bolstered by
endorsement income that surpassed her on-court winnings.
“She showed us all how to take excellence on the court and turn it into excellence in business, and fashion, branding and everything that she touched,” Williams said. “She changed how women not only approached tennis, but sports and opportunity. She showed us that you can be erce on the court and strategic o the court, and unapologetically herself the entire time.”
Sharapova said her induction gave her a chance to look back — something she tried not to do when she was playing. And she credited her success to “embracing the struggles and leaning into the hard stu .”
“When voices inevitably tell you to ease up, to round your edges, dull your ambition, I hope you can nd a way to ignore them,” she said. “Compete ercely. Raise your standard. Set goals that intimidate you. And don’t forget to celebrate your victories, no matter how small.
“In giving my life to tennis, tennis gave me a life. And what a remarkable, remarkable life. And I’m so deeply grateful for it.”
The Bryans shared a speech as if they were taking turns hitting on a court, alternating at the microphone as they thanked coaches, friends and Davis Cup teammates from a career in which they won 119 ATP titles, including 16 Grand Slams, and an Olympic gold medal. They spent a record 438 weeks atop the world rankings. Bob Bryan said he was fortunate because “for most of my career, I had the No. 1 player in the world across the hall.”
“Doubles was our love from Day 1,” Mike Bryan said. “We loved everything about doubles. We loved the strategy, the teamwork, sharing the highs and lows. Like our personalities, our games complemented each other perfectly.”
Women’s Professional Baseball League o ers new hope for female athletes
Launching in 2026, the league held tryouts in Washington, D.C.
By Alanis Thames The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Victoria
Ruelas was 12 years old when she made history as the rst American girl to play in the Little League World Series.
That was in 1989. And while Ruelas is proud of how far women in sports have come since her childhood, she can’t help but wish there were more opportunities for them to shine. Especially in baseball, where opportunities beyond youth leagues have so often required girls to take unusual paths, most of them alongside men.
“We keep saying how much strides we’re making,” Ruelas said. “But they’re so slow in coming. It just should be faster.
“I get excited when I see girls playing and getting to go to the Little League World Series every year. But to still be one here, one there — that’s upsetting to me. There’s so much more of us out there that play.”
Ruelas and many other women have carved out their own spaces in baseball over the years. Now, the wait for something more unifying is on the horizon with next year’s launch of the Women’s Professional Baseball League.
The league is holding its tryouts in Washington, D.C. While baseball stars like former Little League phenom Mo’ne Davis and USA baseball women’s national team player Kelsie Whitmore are already signed to the WPBL, the league’s tryouts are open to all women.
That has made way for competitors of all ages to chase their dream of playing professionally. For many, the tryouts are one of the rst times they’ve seen so many women’s baseball players in one place.
“I never thought I’d see this,
ever,” said Monica Holguin, of Burbank, California. “You’re told when you’re younger, ‘Hey, you have to transition from baseball to softball because there’s no future in (baseball) for women.’ And so you just do it.”
The result for Holguin, 45, was turning her focus to raising her two children instead of pursuing a professional career.
“And then something like this pops up and you just say, ‘Hey, let’s just go do it,’” added Holguin, who tried out at third base. “You know, I really did it. I wanted to come out here, compete, and I wanted to show my kids, it doesn’t matter how old you are, you can chase a dream.”
Age is no deterrent for Holguin and several other WPBL hopefuls, who are trying to open doors for the next generation of girls baseball players.
Ruelas, 48, played college
“I wanted to show my kids, it doesn’t matter how old you are, you can chase a dream.”
Monica Holguin
softball at San Jose State and was on the U.S. team that competed in the 2001 Women’s World Series. She ew to Washington from Honolulu, Hawaii, for the tryouts and said, “Until my body says I cannot do this anymore, I’d like to keep playing.”
Micaela Minner, who owns a sports training company with her wife in Akron, Ohio, has accomplished plenty in her athletic career. She played baseball until age 15. She was a softball state champion in high school. She helped Missouri’s softball team reach the
2009 Women’s College World Series. And she played professional softball with the Akron Racers in Ohio.
Minner, now 40 and retired from softball, still feels a deep pull toward baseball — the sport that she said gave her a sense of belonging growing up in the small town Sanger, Texas.
Minner said her stepdad put her in baseball to keep “me out of trouble.”
Even though she played with boys, the sport made her feel part of something bigger.
“They loved me,” she said. “I t in, and me tting in made me love myself. And it saved me.”
Minner is trying out at rst base and as a left-handed pitcher for the WPBL. She said even if she doesn’t make the league, her hope is that playing professional baseball becomes a tangible goal for younger girls.
JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON / AP PHOTO
Lauren Boden, second from right, Stephanie Everett, right, and other players talk in the dugout during the rst day of tryouts for the Women’s Professional Baseball League in Washington, D.C.
MICHEL EULER / AP PHOTO
Maria Sharapova holds the trophy after winning the 2012 French Open. The Russian star was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
the stream
Sabrina Carpenter, Eminem’s ‘Stans,’ sci- comedy ‘Upload’ returns to Prime
Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley play detective in “The Thursday Murder Club”
The Associated Press
SABRINA CARPENTER’S seventh studio album, “Man’s Best Friend,” and Marvel’s “Thunderbolts*” starring Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan 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: Some of the West’s biggest musicians are getting the K-pop treatment in the TV series “KPopped,” video game maker Sega tries to revive the Shinobi franchise and there’s Season 2 of “With Love, Meghan,” a lifestyle series from the Duchess of Sussex.
MOVIES TO STREAM
Marvel Studios’ “Thunderbolts*” didn’t make quite the mark in theaters that many expected it to, but the Jake Schreier-directed lm was still one of the most acclaimed MCU releases in years. After hitting theaters in early May, “Thunderbolts*” is now streaming on Disney+. With an ensemble including Pugh, Stan, Wyatt Russell and David Harbour, it follows a gang of ragtag superheroes who reluctantly come together as a team.
Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie play elderly amateur sleuths in Chris Columbus’ “The Thursday Murder Club” (Net ix, Thursday). In the lm, based on Richard Osman’s 2020 novel, the group attempts to solve a crime from their seniors’ residence, Coopers Chase. Expect a cozy murder mystery with mature star power. Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s “The Friend” (Now on Paramount+) stars Naomi Watts as a New York writer who reluctantly inherits the dog of her deceased mentor (Bill Murray). The dog isn’t just any dog, either, but a mammoth Great Dane named Apollo. The adaptation of Sigrid Nunez’s National Book Award-winning novel is very much a dog movie, but it’s also one about processing grief. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr called it “one of those movies people complain they don’t make anymore, although its existence is a reminder that they
do still make ‘them,’ meaning smart, emotionally authentic stories about people who seem real.”
MUSIC TO STREAM
Who’s a good girl? Carpenter hopes to be when she releases her seventh studio album, “Man’s Best Friend.” It will drop almost exactly a year after she released breakthrough album “Short n’ Sweet,” which spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Carpenter has been enlisting a golden retriever puppy and fans to unveil
her track list on social media. Stans of stans, unite. “Stans,” the Marshall Mathers-produced documentary about a cast of superfans of Eminem, directed by Steven Leckart, is on Paramount+. Eminem named the phenomenon 25 years ago with the release of his song “Stan” about an obsessive fan, which prompted the Oxford English Dictionary to eventually add the term. The lm “o ers a raw, loud and revealing journey across Eminem’s career — and the passionate audience that has grown with him.” Apple TV+ has a new mu-
sic competition series featuring iconic songs by some of the world’s biggest Western pop stars as they get the K-pop treatment. “KPopped” features K-pop groups ITZY, JO1, Kiss of Life, Blackswan, STAYC, KEP1ER, Ateez and Billlie teamed up with Western artists like Meg, Kesha, Patti Labelle, Kylie Minogue, the Spice Girls’ Mel B and Emma Bunton, Vanilla Ice, Taylor Dayne, Eve, J Balvin, Ava Max, Boyz II Men, Boy George, TLC and Jess Glynne. Together, o er new spins on classic songs like “Ice Ice Baby,” “Lady Marmalade,” “Waterfalls,” “Motownphilly” and “Karma Chameleon.” All eight episodes stream Friday.
SERIES TO STREAM
The sci- comedy “Upload” hits Prime Video for its fourth and nal season. Starring Robbie Amell, the series takes place in the not-too-distant future where humans can pay to upload their mind to a virtual afterlife when they die. Amell’s Nathan uploads in the rst episode and ends up falling for Nora, a human concierge assigned to help his transition go smoothly. Talk about a long-distance relationship! Created by Greg Daniels, who also created “The O ce,” the show deals with themes of class and ethics in technology.
“My Funeral” is a new Icelandic dark comedy about a man who on the same day as his retirement, a cantankerous man learns he has an incurable brain tumor and decides to host his own funeral. “My Funeral” can be seen on MhZ Choice, a streaming service for international titles.
More ower sprinkles! Season 2 of “With Love, Meghan,” a lifestyle series from the Duchess of Sussex is back on Net ix. The new episodes feature celebs like Chrissy Teigen, Tan France and chef José Andrés, who visit the former actor living well in Montecito.
Prime Video’s “The Terminal List” rewinds with a new prequel series starring Taylor Kitsch’s Navy SEAL-turned- CIA operative. “The Terminal List: Dark Wolf” is now available. Chris Pratt (who is also working on a second season of the original) also reprises his character. The franchise is based on books by Jack Carr.
Thanks to celebrities like Halle Berry and Naomi Watts, menopause has become a more mainstream topic in recent years, and a new comedy pokes fun at a woman’s journey through what grandma used to call “the change” or “the change of life.” “Middlehood” stars Elena Wohl as a woman going through a bit of a midlife crisis as she deals aging. The eight-episode series is streaming on YouTube.
For those hooked on the love triangle between Belly and brothers Jeremiah and Conrad in Prime Video’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” Net ix has a returning title to o er. Season two of “My Life with the Walter Boys” arrives on the streamer on Thursday. It follows a teen who moves in with family friends after her parents die and nds herself torn between two brothers. “Walter Boys” is based on a book by Ali Novak that was rst published on Wattpad.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
The Knightling is hardly your typical dragon slayer — for starters, he doesn’t even have a sword. He does, however, have a magic shield that he can ride, kind of like a ying saucer. That’s enough to get him around the exotic land of Clesseia as he searches for the legendary Sir Lionstone. The journey begins Thursday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.
DISNEY-MARVEL STUDIOS VIA AP
From left, Sebastian Stan, Hannah John-Kamen, Florence Pugh, Wyatt Russell and David Harbour star in “Thunderbolts*.”
Naomi Watts stars in the adaptation of Sigrid Nunez’s National Book Award-winning “The Friend.”
“Stans,” a documentary about a cast of superfans of Eminem, left, and the series “The Terminal List: Dark Wolf,” right, are streaming this week.
STATE & NATION
Four ways ICE is training new agents, scaling up
The immigration agency is hiring thousands of new recruits
By Rebecca Santana
The Associated Press
BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Immigration and Customs Enforcement is an agency inside the Department of Homeland Security that is integral to President Donald Trump’s vision of carrying out the mass deportations he promised during the campaign.
Deportation o cers within a unit called Enforcement and Removal Operations are the ones who are responsible for immigration enforcement. They nd and remove people from the United States who aren’t American citizens and, for a variety of reasons, no longer can stay in the country.
Some might have gone through immigration court and a judge ordered them removed. Or they were arrested or convicted of certain crimes, or they’ve repeatedly entered the country illegally or overstayed a visa. ICE also manages a growing network of immigration detention facilities around the country where it holds people suspected of immigration violations.
Overall, its activities — and how it carries them out — have polarized many Americans in recent months.
After years when the number of deportation o cers largely remained even, the agency is now rapidly hiring. Congress this summer passed legislation giving ICE $76.5 billion in new money to help speed up the pace of deportations. That’s nearly 10 times the agency’s current annu-
al budget. Nearly $30 billion is for new sta . Last week, The Associated Press got a chance to visit the base in southern Georgia where new ICE recruits are trained and to talk to the agency’s top leadership. Here are details about four things ICE is doing that came out of those conversations.
ICE surging its hiring
ICE currently has about 6,500 deportation o cers, and it is aggressively looking to beef up those numbers. Acting Director Todd Lyons says he wants to hire an additional 10,000 by year’s end.
The agency has launched a new recruiting website, offered hiring bonuses as high as $50,000 and is advertising at career expos. Lyons said the agency has already received 121,000 applications — many from former o cers. New recruits are trained at the Federal Law Enforcement
Training Center in Brunswick, Georgia. That’s a sprawling facility near the coast where federal law enforcement o cers — not just ICE agents — from around the country live and train. ICE is looking to more than double the number of instructors who train deportation o cers.
Caleb Vitello, who runs training for ICE, says it has cut Spanish-language requirements to reduce training by ve weeks, and he’s been looking for ways to streamline the training and have recruits do more at the eld o ces where they’re assigned. ICE also preparing for con ict
As Trump’s e ort to deport millions of people has intensied, violent episodes have unfolded as ICE seeks to arrest people. Critics have said ICE is being too heavy-handed in carrying out arrests while ICE says its people are the ones being attacked.
Great white sharks moving north; numbers point to warm water, food
There are more seals for them to feast upon
By Patrick Whittle
The Associated Press
SCARBOROUGH, Maine
— New data shows that great white sharks are spending more time in the chilly waters o New England and Canada’s Atlantic coast.
That means boaters, beachgoers and shermen who spend time in the northern waters are learning to live with the predators made famous by the movie “Jaws” 50 years ago. Sightings of the sharks are up in places like Maine, where they were once very rarely spotted.
Scientists link the white shark sightings to increased availability of the seals the sharks feast on, and say beachgoers are gen-
erally very safe from shark bites. Here’s a breakdown by the numbers.
93 great white sharks identi ed o Maine from 2020 to 2024
The Maine Department of
Marine Resources has been monitoring great white shark activity in the Gulf of Maine since 2020. The department has said it intends to use the data to better understand white shark distribution o the state’s coast.
Nineteen unique white
Vitello said the agency tracks every time o cers use force as well as any time someone attacks its o cers. According to the agency’s data, from Jan. 21 through Aug. 5 there were 121 reported assaults of ICE ocers compared with 11 during the same period last year.
Lyons said that after recent operations in Los Angeles turned violent, ICE is making gas masks and helmets standard issue for new agents. “Right now, we’re seeing and we’re having to adapt to all different scenarios that we were never trained for in the past,” he said.
Lyons says the agency is also starting to send out security teams to accompany agents making arrests: “We’re not gonna allow people to throw rocks anymore because we’re going to have our own agents and ofcers there to protect the ones that are actually out there making that arrest.”
Bee ng up specialized units for risky situations
About eight deportation ofcers dressed in military-style camou age uniforms, helmets and carrying an assortment of weapons stand outside a house yelling “Police! We have a warrant!” before entering and clearing the house.
They are members of a Special Response Team taking part in a demonstration at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. These o cers are like a SWAT team — deportation ocers with special training to assist in di cult situations. They also accompany detainees the agency deems dangerous when they are deported.
“Everybody is trained to serve a warrant,” Vitello said. “These guys are trained to serve high-risk warrants.”
There are roughly 450 deportation o cers with the special training to serve on these teams, and Lyons says they have been deployed to assist
sharks were recorded in 2024 on 47 unique dates, the department reported.
2 con rmed unprovoked shark attacks in Maine waters since 1837
The rst recorded fatal shark attack in Maine happened in 2020 when a great white shark killed 63-year-old Julie Dimperio Holowach o Bailey Island.
Shark experts describe fatal shark bites as exceedingly rare, in Maine and everywhere else.
Nearly 2.5-fold increase in detection of white sharks o Nova Scotia
The number of white sharks detected o Halifax, Nova Scotia, increased about 2.5 times from 2018 to 2022, according to a paper published in May in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series. Even farther north, the number detected in the Cabot Strait that separates Nova Scotia and Newfoundland increased nearly four times over, the paper said.
with immigration enforcement in Los Angeles, Portland, Oregon, and Washington.
He said he’d like to have more such units but wouldn’t put an exact number on how many. Vitello said they’re also in the process of getting more of the specially armored vehicles.
ICE teaches whom agents can arrest — and when
New recruits to ICE receive training on immigration law and the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unlawful searches. Longtime o cers get regular refreshers on these topics.
In limited situations, ICE agents are allowed to enter someone’s home. Generally, when they’re seeking someone they’re trying to remove from the country, they have an administrative warrant as opposed to a criminal warrant. That administrative warrant doesn’t allow them to enter the house without rst getting permission.
Vitello says the new recruits are taught about the di erent warrants and how the rules differ. And they’re taught how those who allowed ICE to enter their house can change their mind.
“If somebody says, ‘Get out’ and you don’t have your target, you have to leave,” he said.
Multiple videos on social media have shown ICE o cers breaking car windows to pull someone out of a vehicle and arrest that person.
As ICE sees it, Vitello said, deportation o cers do have the authority to arrest someone in a car or truck. Vitello said in the rare case where a target was in a motor home, o cers would talk to the agency’s lawyers rst to gure out what protections apply.
Advocates for immigrants and the government have often disagreed about how much authority ICE has to make those arrests and where.
8 shark species known to live in Maine waters
In addition to the great white shark, at least seven other shark species live in Maine’s waters. They are the basking shark, porbeagle, blue shark, sand tiger shark, common thresher, short n mako and spiny dog sh.
Most of these sharks pose a very minimal threat to humans and some are harmless.
949 unprovoked shark attacks in recorded human history since 1580
The International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History keeps a record of documented shark attacks. While the great white shark holds the record for most documented attacks on humans, the totals are still very low.
The white shark has been the source of 351 documented unprovoked shark attacks, and 59 of those have been fatal, the International Shark Attack File has reported.
DAVID LANCASTER VIA AP
A great white shark swims o the coast of Scarborough, Maine, earlier this month.
FRAN RUCHALSKI / AP PHOTO Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Response Team members shows how to enter a residence in the pursuit of a wanted subject.
Randolph record
Mr. Robbins goes to Washington
Asheboro’s Neal Robbins (the former Randolph Record publisher) was sworn in as deputy undersecretary for rural development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Monday, a senior leadership position appointed by President Donald Trump. His portfolio will include oversight of federal economic development and lending programs to help rural areas of the United States. He was joined at the ceremony by his wife, Beth, and son Everett. He was sworn in by White House Liason Dominic Restuccia, taking the oath on the Meredith College bible that his wife received just before they were married.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
DOT threatens funding for 3 states for not enforcing trucker English pro ciency
Transportation Secretary Sean Du y says California, Washington and New Mexico could lose millions of dollars of federal funding if they continue failing to enforce English language requirements for truckers. An investigation launched after a deadly Florida crash involving a foreign truck driver who made an illegal U-turn earlier this month found what Du y called signi cant failures in the way all three states are enforcing rules that took e ect in June after one of President Donald Trump’s executive orders. Truckers are supposed to be disquali ed if they can’t demonstrate English pro ciency.
Wisconsin judge accused of helping man evade ICE denied immunity
A federal judge is allowing a case to proceed against a Wisconsin judge accused of helping a man evade U.S. immigration agents seeking to arrest him in her courthouse. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested in April and indicted on federal charges in May. U.S. District Judge Lynne Adelman on Tuesday rejected Dugan’s motion to dismiss the charges against her. Adelman’s decision could be appealed.
$2.00
Asheboro middle schools caught o guard by RCSS ban
The vote by county schools regarding athletics has caused reactions
By Bob Sutton Randolph Record
ASHEBORO — The decision by the Randolph County School System to nix middle school athletics connections to Asheboro City Schools and Uwharrie Charter Academy sent some shockwaves through the community last week.
For Asheboro City Schools, it’s a matter of nding the next move in an unexpected development.
“We didn’t see this coming,” said Aaron Woody, superintendent of Asheboro City Schools. “I would just say we’re disappointed and we also understand.”
The RCSS board of education voted to end athletics ties with other districts in middle school sports beginning with the 2026-27 school year.
The board spent considerable time discussing the topic, including what was called recruiting of RCSS students for athletics reasons. There was
also the sentiment that UCA, as a charter school, isn’t on the same playing level as RCSS members because of di ering rules governing that school.
The RCSS board’s discussions also pointed out that by excluding competitions with schools outside the district it would allow all ticket revenues involving its middle schools to stay with RCSS schools.
Part of the discussion involved concerns from board members about students, coaches and teachers leaving RCSS schools for either Asheboro City Schools and/or UCA.
Woody said his district wasn’t seeking a change in the set-up for middle school athletics.
“We didn’t manufacture this,” he said Monday. “We weren’t part of this decision at all. … We’re open to conversations (with RCSS). All of us are better together. We want to be good partners.”
RCSS has seven schools competing in middle school athletics. So it will be part of a seven-school arrangement instead of the 10-school middle school league that exists now.
North Asheboro Middle School and South Asheboro Middle School are part of Asheboro City Schools. Uwharrie Charter Academy also plays on the middle school level in Randolph County.
Woody said Asheboro schools will nd positives out of the situation.
“We’re all about creating opportunities and experiences for our students,” he said.
Wes Berrier, the athletics director at Asheboro High School, said options will be assessed for the two middle schools. He said reaching out to schools in Guilford Coun-
“We didn’t manufacture this. We weren’t part of this decision at all.”
Aaron Woody, ACS superintendent
ty might be a possibility because the varsity Blue Comets are now in a conference with Guilford County schools. He said connections to schools in Montgomery, Moore and Davidson counties could be considered.
Woody said it might be difcult in the short term to nd ideal solutions for his district.
“We’ll build new partnerships,” Woody said. “We’ll gure it out.” Without RCSS schools in the middle school league, there will be additional travel costs and time commitments for the Asheboro middle schools, Woody said.
The RCSS board’s vote also included the stipulation that for the 2024-25 school year that middle schools would only participate in postseason competitions on RCSS campuses.
Trinity’s search for next city manager underway
The opening came along with a severance payment to the former man in the position
Randolph Record sta
TRINITY — The process to ll a vacancy for the city manager in Trinity should accelerate by next week.
The city has listed the opening for city manager, with an application deadline at the end of August.
The vacancy occurred upon the departure of now-former
city manager Stevie Cox in July. That was part of a severance deal based on what has been described as a “personnel matter.”
Cox had been in the position since the spring of 2022.
The interim city manager is John Ogburn, who retired this year after a long tenure as city manager in Asheboro.
Cox’s severance included 2½ months of base salary ($27,932),
Listed maximum salary for the Trinity city manager opening
tion is listed as up to $150,000 based on quali cations.
The city manager serves at the will of the City Council. The job listing says the city manager’s primary concerns are providing the mayor and city council with support. The person in that position also prepares the annual budget and other duties. Trinity, with about 7,200 residents, is listed as the second-largest city in Randolph County in terms of population, behind only Asheboro and Archdale.
COURTESY Woody
CHRISTOPHE PAUL / USDA
Randolph
Trip Ho
Bob
P.J.
NC Supreme Court says bars’ COVID-19 lawsuits can proceed
The lawsuits can proceed under the state constitution’s “Fruits of Labor” clause
The Associated Press
RALEIGH — The North Carolina Supreme Court issued favorable rulings Friday for bars and their operators in litigation seeking monetary compensation from the state for COVID-19 restrictions rst issued by then-Gov. Roy Cooper that shuttered their doors and, in their view, treated them unfairly compared to restaurants.
“On the Fruits of Labor claim, we modify and a rm in part the decision of the Court of Appeals and remand this matter to the trial court to reopen factual discovery and provide a new discovery schedule for the parties,” Associate Justice Phil Berger Jr. wrote in the majority opinion in N.C. Bar and Tavern Ass’n v. Stein. “We reverse the Court of Appeals on its Equal Protection determination and afrm on plainti s’ statutory claims.”
Chief Justice Paul Newby authored the ruling in the second case, Howell v. Cooper, writing that “We acknowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic was a chaotic period of time,” and that the governor was not the only one facing uncertainty — small businesses did as well.
“It may be that the executive orders’ restrictions on bars were reasonably necessary, but the state constitution gives plainti s the opportunity to put them to the test,” Newby wrote. “Plainti s have stated colorable constitutional claims under Article I, Sections 1 and 19. Because they have satis ed the requirements to successfully plead a Corum claim, sovereign immunity does not bar plainti s’ suit.”
THURSDAY AUG 28
FRIDAY AUG 29
SATURDAY AUG 30
SUNDAY AUG 31
The majority decisions by the justices mean a pair of lawsuits remain alive, and future court orders directing the state pay them nancial damages are possible. As a way to ease the spread of coronavirus, Cooper — a Democrat who left o ce last December and is now running for U.S. Senate — issued a series of executive orders that closed bars starting in March 2020. By that summer, bars
Aug. 19
MONDAY SEPT 1
TUESDAY SEPT 2
WEDNESDAY SEPT 3
“From the beginning, we never asked for special treatment, only equal treatment.”
Zack Medford, N.C. Bar and Tavern Association president
still had to remain closed, but restaurants and breweries could serve alcohol during certain hours. Later in 2020, bars could serve alcoholic drinks in outdoor seating, with time limits later added, but the plainti s said it was unpro table to operate. All temporary restrictions on bars were lifted in May 2021.
Lawyers defending Cooper have said the orders were based on the most current scienti c studies and public health data available at a time when thousands were ill or dying and vaccines weren’t widely available.
On Friday, the court’s ve Republican justices in one lawsuit agreed it could continue to trial, rejecting arguments from state attorneys that the litigation must be halted based on a legal doctrine that exempts state government from most lawsuits. That decision largely upheld a Court of Appeals decision from two years ago that had a rmed a trial judge’s order to allow the action led by Tiffany Howell, seven other people and nine businesses to be heard.
“We acknowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic was a chaotic period of time,” Newby wrote in the prevailing opinion. “It is important to remember, however, that the Governor was not the only person facing uncertainty. Small business owners across the state dutifully shuttered their doors and scaled back operations without knowing exactly when they could open or operate fully again.”
A broader group of plainti s — the North Carolina Bar and Tavern Association and scores of private bars — that sued separately but made similar claims received a favorable ruling last year from a Court of Appeals panel that reversed a trial judge’s decision to dismiss the lawsuit.
Friday, the same ve justices ruled that the Court of Appeals shouldn’t have al-
• Diane Michelle Du y, 46, of Asheboro, was arrested by Randolph County Sheri ’s O ce (RCSO) for possession of heroin, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana paraphernalia and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• James Robert Williams, Jr., 31, of Asheboro, was arrested by RCSO for possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana paraphernalia and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Aug. 20
• Johnathen Hughes Pemberton, 36, of Trinity, was arrested by RCSO for eeing to elude arrest with a motor
lowed the association to sue based on claims its members’ constitutional rights for equal treatment were violated. But the plainti s can return to a trial judge now and present evidence on the claim that their right under the state constitution to earn a living was violated, Berger wrote in the majority opinion.
The association and the private bars “su ciently alleged unconstitutional interference, and thus have a right to seek discovery to prove those allegations are true,” Berger wrote.
The Supreme Court’s two Democratic justices opposed decisions made by the majority in both cases and said the lawsuits should be dismissed. Associate Justice Allison Riggs wrote that the Bar and Tavern Association failed to signal it had evidence of a more reasonable plan to contain the virus’ impact than what Cooper chose.
Writing the dissent in the Howell case, Associate Justice Anita Earls said the majority “grants itself a roving license to second-guess policy choices, reweigh trade-o s, and displace decisions appropriately made by the political branches.”
The state Attorney General’s O ce, which represented Cooper in both cases, said Friday it was reviewing the decisions. Through a spokesperson, Cooper’s Senate campaign declined to comment.
The N.C. Bar and Tavern Association called the decision in its case a “major victory.”
“From the beginning, we never asked for special treatment, only equal treatment,” association President Zack Medford said. Chuck Kitchen, a lawyer representing plainti s in the Howell case, also praised the ruling in their litigation.
Cooper was the subject of several lawsuits challenging his COVID-19 actions early in the pandemic, and he was largely successful in court. In August 2024, the state Supreme Court sided with a small racetrack that was closed brie y for defying state gathering limits and said the track and its operators could sue the top health regulator in Cooper’s administration.
North State Journal’s A.P. Dillon contributed to this report.
vehicle, driving without a registration plate, no liability insurance, driving with a revoked license, reckless driving, no motorcycle endorsement, speeding, failure to maintain lane control, failure to stop at a red light and unsafe passing of oncoming tra c.
Aug. 21
• Eric Dale Tucker, 48, of Asheboro, was arrested by RCSO for possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
Aug. 22
• Marcus Alexander Perry, 35, of Mebane, was arrested by RCSO for third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Randolph County:
Aug. 29
Friday Night Sunset Series: Held every Friday, May-August 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Admission for 21-plus is $8 per person. A variety of homemade concessions are available for purchase, including hard cider, local wine, craft beer and a variety of seasonal cocktails. Admission does not include food or drink but does cover musical performances.
Millstone Creek Orchards 506 Parks Crossroads Church Road Ramseur
Back in Time ’80s Rewind 6-9 p.m.
Musician/host Brandon Shepherd takes you back in time to the ’80s, when being “totally tubular” was the way to rock ’n’ roll in style. In addition to classic tunes of the era, the event will feature a costume contest with the individual dressed most appropriately for the era capturing the prize. Tickets range from $19.10 to $24.80 per person.
Sunset Theater 234 Sunset Ave. Asheboro
Aug. 30
Hip-Hop and R&B Bingo Night
7 p.m.
A night lled with games, good food and prizes for the lucky winners, and classic hits from the ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s. Must be 18-plus.
George Washington Carver Center 950 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Asheboro
Aug. 30Sept. 1
City of Asheboro Farmers Market
7 a.m. to 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 Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays through the end of October.
134 S. Church St. Asheboro
Sept. 1-2
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
THE CONVERSATION
Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
Is socialism as popular as the media think?
Collectivist ideas always fail, yet they never die.
“DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS” have been getting the teenage-idol treatment from giddy reporters and editors at legacy media outlets for years.
Their newest crush, as New Yorkers already know, is jihadi-apologist and Marxist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
In a 4,500-word cover story headlined “The Meaning of Zohran Mamdani,” Time magazine paints a caricature of a well-meaning, authentic and not-really-so-radical go-getter. An “ideologue interested in creative solutions” is how Time puts it.
Sure, Mamdani might support genocidal rhetoric, but the Jewish community will be pleased to learn that he “often talked about the problem of antisemitism and the need for anti-hate-crime funding.”
Is Mamdani, as many would have it, a generational talent whose campaign should be mimicked nationally by Democrats?
Yes, the resentful young have convinced themselves they’re living in the worst era ever to have befallen man. “People our age have never experienced American prosperity in our adult lives — which is why so many millennials are embracing democratic socialism,” Harvard-educated writer Charlotte Alter once put it in a Time cover piece on a previous darling, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
But George Will recently argued that a Mamdani win would be bene cial in reminding the nation of “socialism’s many harms.” Collectivist ideas always fail, yet they never die.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) championed Hugo Chavez in the 2000s — and even after Venezuelans predictably began foraging for food, Sanders, one of the most popular politicians in the country, was
still championing the same system. So it’s not as if we don’t have the lessons already.
Indeed, we’ve been having the same debates in perpetuity. The zero-sum fallacy that capitalism is inherently evil and rigged has been hammered into our conscience for centuries. We’ve convinced millions of Americans that a gaggle of rich people can trigger economic havoc for pro t, control the economy to undermine the working class and push commodity prices higher to reap the pro ts.
It is a tragedy that Democrats continue to stagger leftward on all fronts to mollify and placate their activist class. And it’s not merely economics.
The modern “democratic” socialist comes with a slew of positions that not only undermine quality of life but clash with the moral outlook of normies: the pro-terrorist, pro-identitarian rhetoric; the championing of criminality and illegal immigration; the anti-modernity climate hysteria; and the deranged social science quackery on gender — just for starters.
So I wonder how popular socialism really is.
Right now, there is no real evidence that a socialist outlook plays in most places. It barely plays in cities. If NYC’s Democrats didn’t split the vote between Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and perhaps found themselves a candidate who hadn’t already tarnished themselves with scandal, Mamdani would likely lose.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, former Chicago mayor and would-be 2028 presidential hopeful Rahm Emanuel pushed back on hard-left ideas, contending Democrats should run on centrist slogans, such as “build, baby, build.”
How Democrats plan on doing this without rolling back the climate hysteria that undermines growth and squanders billions on half-baked
The woke media is wrong; America’s cities need to be safe again
D.C. police o cials are accused of manipulating crime statistics in the weeks leading up to the federal takeover, allegedly reclassifying or downgrading violent incidents to mask the true scale of lawlessness.
From the nation’s capital to sanctuary cities coast-to-coast, President Donald J. Trump is demonstrating unwavering resolve and e ective leadership in restoring law and order and the safety American families deserve.
In the heart of Washington, D.C., under Trump’s decisive leadership, the federal government invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to declare a “crime emergency” and place the Metropolitan Police Department under federal control — an unprecedented move guided by the urgent need to protect Americans under siege. This bold action deployed National Guard troops and federal agents, resulting in more than 400 arrests, including 60 individuals suspected of being undocumented immigrants and the seizure of 27 rearms. This marks a serious restoration of public safety in our Nation’s capital.
While critics cite data showing violent crime in D.C. was at a 30-year low and trending downward — including a 35% overall decline and a 37% drop in carjackings in 2025 — recent reporting suggests these numbers may not tell the whole story. According to Fox News, D.C. police o cials are accused of manipulating crime statistics in the weeks leading up to the federal takeover, allegedly reclassifying or downgrading violent incidents to mask the true scale of lawlessness. This raises a chilling question: Were Americans being misled about the reality on the ground just to protect political narratives?
Trump certainly thought so, and his hunch was right. Ask anyone who lives or has visited D.C. recently, and they’ll tell you the streets of our capital have been a mess. Now, thanks to Trump, it’s starting to feel like a safer environment for families, as it should.
Beyond Washington, D.C., the Trump-Vance
administration is placing sanctuary jurisdictions squarely on notice. More than 500 jurisdictions, including states like California, Illinois, New York and Washington, and in uential counties such as Cook County and San Francisco, have been o cially designated as obstructing federal immigration enforcement. Attorney General Pam Bondi has signaled that continued de ance could trigger withdrawal of federal funding and criminal enforcement, powerful measures designed to protect American communities from criminal alien elements.
Take New York City, for instance, where the U.S. Department of Justice has led suit, asserting that sanctuary policies have allowed “thousands of criminals” back onto the streets without accountability. Trump is not only demanding cooperation; he’s demanding accountability and refers to sanctuary policies not as protections, but as threats to public safety.
Earlier this year, the Trump-Vance administration launched a nationwide immigration enforcement campaign that so far has resulted in the arrests of more than 300,000 illegal aliens. About 70% of those are criminal illegal aliens with criminal charges or convictions. These actions reinforce the administration’s commitment to safeguarding communities from criminal elements hiding behind sanctuary policies.
This past January, Trump issued Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, which expanded deportation tools such as expedited removal, denied federal funding to sanctuary jurisdictions, and increased sta ng for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, reinforcing priorities for immigrationrelated public safety enforcement.
energy plans is going to be interesting. But he has a point. Centrist Democrats are poised to win entire purple states like Virginia, showing far wider appeal than Mamdani — but they can barely get any attention.
One of the most popular governors in the country right now is Kentucky’s Andy Beshear, a Democrat in a state with a Republican-controlled legislature that President Donald Trump won by more than a 30-point margin. Why isn’t he the way forward for Democrats? Other governors in the top 10 have similar dispositions, including North Carolina’s Josh Stein and Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, both in states Trump won. All of them take moderated left-of-center positions without a fullthroated embrace of anti-market, anti-Western, racialist positions that are in vogue in cities.
No GQ covers for them.
The Democrats have become a party of the rich and the dependent poor — because the rich can a ord socialism and the poor marginally bene t.
Since the market-fueled gentri cation of the ’90s, cities have become increasingly progressive and correspondingly more expensive and poorly run.
California, Illinois, Massachusetts and New York have seen signi cant net outward migration since then, while market-driven states with lower regulations and taxes like Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas have seen signi cant increases in newcomers. This is before New York City installed a socialist mayor. How popular is socialism? Far too popular. But not as popular as Democrats and the media would have us believe. At least, not yet.
David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner.
Trump also zeroed out wasteful “consent decrees” that hampered state and local governments’ ability to address vagrancy and public disorder, redirecting federal funds toward substance-abuse programs and civil commitment where appropriate. This brings practical solutions to streets once marred by chaos.
Trump’s approach is neither abstract rhetoric nor symbolic; it is action-driven. From exposing manipulated crime statistics in Washington, D.C., and tens of thousands of deportations in sanctuary cities to restoring federal cooperation and securing our borders, he is delivering on his promise to make America safe again.
Looking past the woke media noise, Americans will be glad he did it. Consider the latest news from this D.C. crime crackdown, where an MS13 gang member was arrested. Had Trump not stepped in, a local resident or future visitor could’ve been this criminal’s next victim.
If we are to preserve the American dream and the stability our children inherit, law and order must remain foundational. Standing up to sanctuary jurisdictions, enforcing federal immigration laws, reclaiming urban streets and deploying resources where they matter, the president is making our communities safe for all of us. In D.C. and cities across the country, Americans should start to feel safe again, thanks to the Trump administration. If it’s not clear to the critics, it certainly is to the rest of us; all we ever needed was a new president.
Jorge Martínez is senior adviser and National Director of Hispanic Outreach for America First Works. He formerly served as press secretary at the U.S. Department of Justice. This column was originally published by Daily Caller News Foundation.
COLUMN | JORGE MARTÍNEZ
COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI
‘No magic xes’ for Democrats as party confronts internal, fundraising struggles
Approval ratings are down, and so is the party’s bank balance
By Steve Peoples The Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS — Ken Martin is in the ght of his life.
The low-pro le political operative from Minnesota, just six months on the job as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is charged with leading his party’s formal resistance to President Donald Trump and xing the Democratic brand.
“I think the greatest divide right now in our party, frankly, is not ideological,” Martin told The Associated Press. “The greatest divide is those people who are standing up and ghting and those who are sitting on the sidelines.”
“We’re using every single lever of power we have to take the ght to Donald Trump,” he said of the DNC.
And yet, as hundreds of Democratic o cials gather in Martin’s Minneapolis hometown on Monday for the rst o cial DNC meeting since he became chair, there is evidence that Martin’s ght may extend well beyond the current occupant of the Oval O ce.
Big Democratic donors are unhappy with the direction of their own party and not writing checks. Political factions are fragmented over issues such as the Israel-Hamas war. The party’s message is murky. Key segments of the Democratic base — working-class voters and young people, among them — have drifted away.
And there is deep frustration
It should absorb heat and make it more di cult to scale
By Rebecca Santana The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Homeland Security Secre-
tary Kristi Noem said last Tuesday that the entire wall along the southern border with Mexico is going to be painted black to make it hotter and deter illegal immigration — and she credited President Donald Trump with the idea.
Noem spoke during a visit to a portion of the wall in New Mex-
that the Democratic Party under Martin’s leadership is not doing enough to stop the Republican president — no matter how tough his rhetoric may be.
“There are no magic xes,” said Jeanna Repass, the chair of the Kansas Democratic Party, who praised Martin’s performance so far. “He is trying to lead at a time where everyone wants it to be xed right now. And it’s just not going to happen.”
At this week’s three-day summer meeting, DNC o cials hope to make real progress in reversing the sense of pessimism and frustration that has consumed Democrats since Republicans seized the White House and control of Congress last fall.
It may not be so easy.
Con dence questions and money trouble
At least a couple of DNC members privately considered bringing a vote of no condence against Martin this week in part because of the committee’s underwhelming fundraising, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation who was granted anonymity to share internal discussions. Ultimately, the no con dence vote will not move forward because Martin’s critics couldn’t get su cient support from the party’s broader membership, which includes more than 400 elected ocials from every state and several territories.
Still, the committee’s nancial situation is weak compared with the opposition’s.
The most recent federal lings reveal that the DNC has $14 million in the bank at the
$14M
DNC cash on hand compared with the Republican National Committee’s $84 million
end of July compared with the Republican National Committee’s $84 million. The Democrats’ gure represents its lowest level of cash on hand in at least the last ve years.
Martin and his allies, including his predecessor Jaime Harrison, insist it’s not fair to compare the party’s current nancial health with recent years, when Democratic President Joe Biden was in the White House.
Harrison pointed to 2017 as a more accurate comparison. That year, the committee struggled to raise money in the months after losing to Trump the rst time. And in the 2018 midterm elections that followed, Harrison noted, Democrats overcame their fundraising problems and won the House majority and several Senate seats.
“These are just the normal pains of being a Democrat when we don’t have the White House,” Harrison said. “Ken is nding his footing.”
Martin acknowledged that big donors are burnt out after the last election, which has forced the committee to turn to smaller-dollar donors, who have responded well.
“Money will not be the ultimate determinant in this (midterm) election,” Martin said. “We’ve been making investments, record investments, in
our state parties. ... We have the money to operate. We’re not in a bad position.”
Gaza debate could get ugly
While Martin is broadly popular among the DNC’s rank and le, internal divisions may are publicly this week when the committee considers competing resolutions about the Israel-Hamas war.
One proposed resolution would have the DNC encourage Democratic members of Congress to suspend military aid to Israel, establish an arms embargo and recognize Palestine as a country, according to draft language reviewed by the AP. The measure also states that the crisis in Gaza has resulted in the loss of more than 60,000 lives and the displacement of 1.7 million Palestinians “at the hands of the Israeli government.”
The DNC leadership, led by Martin, introduced a competing resolution that adds more context about Israel’s challenges.
One line, for example, refers to “the su ering of both Palestinians and Israelis” and notes the number of Israelis killed in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Martin’s version calls for a two-state solution, but there is no reference to the number of Palestinians killed or displaced, nor is there a call for an end to military aid or an arms embargo.
Meanwhile, another proposed resolution would reafrm the DNC’s commitment to “diversity, equity and inclusion.” Many Democrats, businesses and educational institutions have distanced themselves from DEI programs after Trump and other Republicans
attacked them as Democrats’ “woke” policies. Ultimately, Martin said the party needs to focus its message on the economy.
“There’s no doubt we have to get back to a message that resonates with voters,” he said. “And focusing on an economic agenda is the thing that brings all parts of our coalition and Americans into the conversation.”
“We have work to do for sure,” he added.
Presidential prospects on the agenda
The DNC is years away from deciding which states vote rst on the 2028 presidential primary calendar, but that discussion will begin in earnest at the Minneapolis gathering, where at least three presidential prospects will be featured speakers: Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Martin said the DNC is open to changes from the 2024 calendar, which kicked o in South Carolina, while pushing back traditional openers Iowa and New Hampshire. In recent days, Iowa Democrats have publicly threatened to go rogue and ignore the wishes of the DNC if they are skipped over again in 2028.
The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws committee this week is expected to outline what the next calendar selection process would look like, although the calendar itself likely won’t be completed until 2027.
“We’re going to make sure that the process is open, that any state that wants to make a bid to be in the early window can do so,” Martin said.
ico, where she also picked up a roller brush to help out with the painting.
She touted the height of the wall as well as the depth as ways to deter people seeking to go over or under the walls. And then Noem said Homeland Security was going to be trying black paint to make the metal hotter.
“That is speci cally at the request of the president, who understands that in the hot temperatures down here when something is painted black it gets even warmer and it will make it even harder for people to climb.
So we are going to be painting the entire southern border wall black to make sure that we en-
courage individuals to not come into our country illegally,” Noem said.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks, who attended the event with Noem, said the paint would also help deter rust.
During Trump’s rst term, building the wall was a central focus of his hardline immigration policy. During his second term, his mass deportation agenda with arrests in the interior of the country has been the main focus, but Homeland Security will be getting about $46 billion to complete the wall as part of new funding passed by Congress this summer.
Noem said they have been
building about a half mile of barrier every day.
“The border wall will look very di erent based on the topography and the geography of where it is built,” she said.
She said that in addition to barriers like the one she visited last week, the department is working on “water-borne infrastructure.” Long sections of the roughly 2,000-mile border between the U.S. and Mexico sit along the Rio Grande River in Texas.
The Trump administration is pushing forward with completing the wall at the same time that the number of people crossing the border illegally has plummeted.
“That is speci cally at the request of the president, who understands that in the hot temperatures down here when something is painted black it gets even warmer and it will make it even harder for people to climb.”
Kristi Noem, Homeland Security secretary
Lian Jose Moses Jimenez Gomez
Aug. 14, 2025 – Aug. 15, 2025
Lian Jose Moses Jimenez Gomez, infant son of Eddie and Miriam Jimenez, passed away on August 15, 2025, at Brenner Children’s Hospital.
In addition to his parents, Lian is survived by his brother, Aziel Jimenez Gomez; paternal grandparents, Heriberto Jimenez Sr., and Elitania Pulido Garcia; maternal grandparents, Jose Resendiz and Elda Gomez; and several aunts, uncles, and cousins.
A graveside service will be held on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, at 11 a.m. at New Hope Memorial Gardens.
Pugh Funeral Home in Asheboro is honored to be serving Lian’s family.
Bobbie Fentress Davis
July 24, 1941 – Aug. 18, 2025
Bobbie Jean Fentress Davis, 84, of Seagrove, passed away on August 18, 2025, at Forsyth Medical Center.
Bobbie was born on July 24, 1941, in Greensboro, North Carolina, to the late Charles Way Fentress and Wilma Hanner Fentress. She lived a life full of energy, love, and adventure. Family was always at the center of her heart, and she was a devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who cherished time with her loved ones above all else.
Her home was always neat and welcoming, a re ection of her caring nature. Age never slowed her down—she enjoyed going out on the boat, dancing and shagging, cheering on the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Braves, and even riding a motorcycle. She loved to travel, always ready to experience new adventures. Bobbie was truly the life of the party, able to keep up with everyone, and she would give the shirt o her back to anyone in need.
She worked for many years in textiles at Burlington Industries, where her hard work and dedication were well recognized.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Gurnie Edward Davis.
She is survived by her sons, William Davis (Cyndi Hughes) and Greg Davis (Tammy); sisters, Patty Tolbert and Brenda Tomlin (Richard); as well as eight grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren.
The family will receive friends on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Glenn “Mac” Pugh Chapel, 437 Sunset Avenue, Asheboro. The funeral service will follow at 2 p.m.
Wayne Carroll York
Dec. 27, 1947 – Aug. 21, 2025
Wayne Carroll York, 77, of Ramseur, went to his heavenly home on Thursday, August 21, 2025, at Randolph Hospice House in Asheboro.
Visitation will be held from 1010:45 a.m. on Saturday, August 30, 2025, at Lo in Funeral Home in Ramseur, followed by a Private Family Service with burial at Rocky River Friends Church Cemetery. The family will also receive friends at the home of Mike and Amy Sweeney beginning at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Wayne was born on December 27, 1947, to the late Elvin York Sr. and Kathleen Clark York in Asheboro, NC. A graduate of Asheboro High School and North Carolina State University in Textile Engineering, Wayne married his high school sweetheart, Catherine Nichols on June 3, 1967. After graduating from NC State, Wayne started his lengthy and successful textile career at Burlington Industries, later working for Uni once the companies merged.
Wayne and Cathy went on to have one daughter, Amy York Sweeney of Ramseur, NC, and Hilton Head, SC, and three grandchildren, Jacob David “Jake” Sweeney, Caitlin Carroll “Caitie” Sweeney and Emma Catherine Sweeney.
In 2019, Wayne retired from Uni after almost 50 years with the combined companies. He loved spending as much time as he could on his tractors and visiting his beloved family.
Wayne will always be remembered and loved for his gentle spirit and quiet demeanor. He was so special to his family, and they will miss him dearly.
Wayne is survived by his wife of 58 years, Cathy Nichols York of the home, daughter, Amy York Sweeney and husband Mike, of Ramseur, brother, Elvin York Jr. and wife Linda of Ramseur, grandchildren, Jake, Caitie and Emma Sweeney, as well as several nieces and nephews.
Arrangements by Lo in Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Ramseur.
Memorials may be made to Hospice of Randolph, 416 Vision Drive, Asheboro, NC 27203, or to Rocky River Friends Church, PO Box 213, Siler City, NC 27344.
Nancy Lane Lippard
March 3, 1948 – Aug. 18, 2025
Nancy Lane Lippard, 77, of Randleman, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones on Monday, August 18, 2025. She was born March 3, 1948, in Greensboro, NC, to John Edward Lane and Frances Rebecca Wilson Lane.
Nancy was a 1966 Ben L. Smith High School graduate who went on to earn her nursing degree from GTCC. She was a kind, compassionate, and loving soul who took care of everything and everyone. Nancy never forgot an anniversary, birthday, or special occasion. Her love of her family was rivaled only by her love of God and her church.
Nancy is survived by her loving husband, Ronnie Lippard of the home; children, Travis Lippard (Lana) of Randleman and Tara Prigge (Trevor) of Minnesota; and four grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her parents.
The family will receive friends on Friday, August 22, 2025, from 12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. at Pugh Funeral Home, 600 Main St., Randleman. Funeral Service will follow at 2 p.m. in the Eddie Pugh Memorial Chapel with Reverend Kevin Rollins o ciating. Burial will conclude at Randolph Memorial Park.
In lieu of owers, the family asks that donations in Nancy’s name be made to the American Cancer Society, PO Box 6704, Hagerstown, MD 21741.
Pugh Funeral Home in Randleman is honored to serve the Lippard family.
Steven Edward Irvine
Aug. 16, 1954 – Aug. 20, 2025
Steven Edward Irvine, age 71, of Asheboro, passed away on August 20, 2025, at the Piedmont Hospice House.
Mr. Irvine was born in Asheboro on August 16, 1954, to Edward and Nellie Jordan Irvine, who preceded him in death. He was a 1972 graduate of Asheboro High School. Steve retired as a rural mail carrier from the U.S. Postal Service.
Steve was a loving and caring person, had a heart of gold, and was an incredible friend to all. He enjoyed hunting, shing, and riding trails in o -road vehicles. He is survived by lots of cousins and friends.
The family will receive friends on Monday, August 25, 2025, from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m. at Pugh Funeral Home, 437 Sunset Avenue in Asheboro. Funeral services will follow on Monday at 2 p.m. at the Glenn “Mac” Pugh Chapel with Rev. Gregg Arnold o ciating. Burial will take place at Oaklawn Cemetery.
Cynthia Marie Foster Norris
Jan. 4, 1959 – Aug. 18, 2025
Cynthia Marie Foster Norris, age 66, of Asheboro, passed away on August 18, 2025, at Randolph Hospital. Mrs. Norris was born in Asheboro on January 4, 1959, to Albert and Virginia Matthews Foster. She retired from Technimark after 30 years of service. Cynthia was a very loving person, who loved going to the beach and the zoo. In addition to her parents, Cynthia was preceded in death by her husband, Donald Norris Jr., and a nephew, Daniel Norris.
She is survived by her brothers, Randal Foster (Robin), Rickey Foster (Rhonda), and Gary Foster (Amy); sisters, Deborah Coe (Kenneth) and Judy Floyd; nephews, Jeremy Foster (Jamie), Brandon Foster (Amanda), and Sawyer; nieces, Jennifer Norris, Deborah Hayes (Sunny), Stephanie Ferree (Dillon), and Gini Floyd; and several grandkids by love.
The family will receive friends on Friday, August 22, 2025, from noon to 2 p.m. at Pugh Funeral Home, 437 Sunset Avenue in Asheboro. Funeral services will follow on Friday at 2 p.m. at the Glenn “Mac” Pugh Chapel with Pastor Jack Hurley and Rev. Mark Beane o ciating. Burial will be held at Oaklawn Cemetery.
Willhelmina “Will” Mae Morris
June 7, 1948 – Aug. 23, 2025
Wilhelmina “Will” Mae Morris, 77, of Asheboro, passed away at Randolph Hospice House on August 23, 2025.
Will was born in Durham, NC, on June 7, 1948, to the late Frances and Zelma Morris. Family was everything to Will. She was a caregiver to everyone. Will was a Ward Secretary at Randolph Hospital; she then earned her Master’s in Nursing from Davidson Community College. Will continued working at Randolph Hospital and began to teach nursing classes at Randolph Community College.
Will was a devoted and loving person, especially to her grandchildren. Will loved spending time with her family, from holidays to going out to eat. She also adored her animals and taking care of them. Will was known to like shopping, and you could always be sure there was a box from QVC on the front porch, and you could nd her eating one of her favorite treats, a York Peppermint Patty.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her sister, Shelia Younts, and her faithful canine companion, Cannon.
She is survived by her children, daughter, Tracy Richardson (Rayland) of Asheboro, and son, Casey Leach (Charlene) of Charleston, SC; grandchildren, Bryce Leach (Megan), Holly Richardson, Ryan Richardson and William Leach.
In lieu of owers, memorials can be made in Will’s honor to Randolph County SPCA, 300 W. Bailey St., Asheboro, NC, 27203, or Randolph Hospice House, 416 Vision Drive, Asheboro, NC 27203. No services are planned at this time.
James Walton
Routh
April 2, 1940 – Aug. 19, 2025
James Walton Routh, 85, of Randleman, passed away Tuesday, August 19, 2025, at Randolph Hospice House. No services are planned. Pugh Funeral Home in Randleman is honored to serve the Routh family.
Lee Young
April 1, 1985 – Aug. 19, 2025
Derek Lee Young was born on April 1, 1985, in Baltimore City, Maryland, to Lisa Vanboskerck and Eric Young. He leaves behind his ve children: Alayna, Madison, Gunner, Lillian and Evelyn of Utah. He also leaves behind his father, Eric Young (Sandy); sister, Alisha Tevebaugh (Steven); and brother, Brian Young. He also left behind two stepsisters, Stephanie Clodfelter and Katrina Floyd, and two step brothers, Joshua Floyd and Stephen Floyd.
Derek graduated from Randleman High School in 2003. He served in the United States Army from 6-12-2003 to 8-112008. He was deployed to Iraq twice, earning the Iraq Campaign Medal with Bronze Service Star. After his service in the Army, Derek earned his associate’s degree in applied science in Business Administration from South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia, Washington. Derek enjoyed cooking, woodworking and playing video games. He had an amazing sense of humor and always had a witty comeback. He loved his children immensely.
After his time in the military, Derek faced the lasting e ects of PTSD and depression. In his e orts to cope, he developed alcohol use disorder. Ultimately, his body could no longer carry the weight of that struggle. Derek’s journey is a reminder of the invisible battles many face long after service. The family encourages anyone who may be experiencing similar challenges to seek help through the many resources available, especially for Veterans. No one should face their struggles alone.
The family will receive friends on Monday, August 25, 2025, from 2–2:45 p.m. at Pugh Funeral Home, 600 S. Main St., Randleman. A Celebration of Life will follow at 3 p.m. in the Eddie Pugh Memorial Chapel with Captain Jake Sanchez o ciating. In lieu of owers, donations can be made to: The Independence Fund, 412 Louise Ave., Charlotte, NC 28204 Phone: 888.851.7996.
Pugh Funeral Home in Randleman is honored to serve the Young family.
Derek
STATE & NATION
Four ways ICE is training new agents, scaling up
The immigration agency is hiring thousands of new recruits
By Rebecca Santana The Associated Press
BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Immigration and Customs Enforcement is an agency inside the Department of Homeland Security that is integral to President Donald Trump’s vision of carrying out the mass deportations he promised during the campaign.
Deportation o cers within a unit called Enforcement and Removal Operations are the ones who are responsible for immigration enforcement. They nd and remove people from the United States who aren’t American citizens and, for a variety of reasons, no longer can stay in the country.
Some might have gone through immigration court and a judge ordered them removed. Or they were arrested or convicted of certain crimes, or they’ve repeatedly entered the country illegally or overstayed a visa. ICE also manages a growing network of immigration detention facilities around the country where it holds people suspected of immigration violations.
Overall, its activities — and how it carries them out — have polarized many Americans in recent months.
After years when the number of deportation o cers largely remained even, the agency is now rapidly hiring. Congress this summer passed legislation giving ICE $76.5 billion in new money to help speed up the pace of deportations. That’s nearly 10 times the agency’s current annu-
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Response Team members shows how to enter a residence in the pursuit of a
al budget. Nearly $30 billion is for new sta . Last week, The Associated Press got a chance to visit the base in southern Georgia where new ICE recruits are trained and to talk to the agency’s top leadership. Here are details about four things ICE is doing that came out of those conversations.
ICE surging its hiring
ICE currently has about 6,500 deportation o cers, and it is aggressively looking to beef up those numbers. Acting Director Todd Lyons says he wants to hire an additional 10,000 by year’s end.
The agency has launched a new recruiting website, offered hiring bonuses as high as $50,000 and is advertising at career expos. Lyons said the agency has already received 121,000 applications — many from former o cers.
New recruits are trained at the Federal Law Enforcement
Training Center in Brunswick, Georgia. That’s a sprawling facility near the coast where federal law enforcement o cers — not just ICE agents — from around the country live and train. ICE is looking to more than double the number of instructors who train deportation o cers.
Caleb Vitello, who runs training for ICE, says it has cut Spanish-language requirements to reduce training by ve weeks, and he’s been looking for ways to streamline the training and have recruits do more at the eld o ces where they’re assigned. ICE also preparing for con ict
As Trump’s e ort to deport millions of people has intensied, violent episodes have unfolded as ICE seeks to arrest people. Critics have said ICE is being too heavy-handed in carrying out arrests while ICE says its people are the ones being attacked.
Great white sharks moving north; numbers point to warm water, food
There are more seals for them to feast upon
By Patrick Whittle
The Associated Press
SCARBOROUGH, Maine
— New data shows that great white sharks are spending more time in the chilly waters o New England and Canada’s Atlantic coast.
That means boaters, beachgoers and shermen who spend time in the northern waters are learning to live with the predators made famous by the movie “Jaws” 50 years ago. Sightings of the sharks are up in places like Maine, where they were once very rarely spotted.
Scientists link the white shark sightings to increased availability of the seals the sharks feast on, and say beachgoers are gen-
erally very safe from shark bites. Here’s a breakdown by the numbers.
93 great white sharks identi ed o Maine from 2020 to 2024
The Maine Department of
Marine Resources has been monitoring great white shark activity in the Gulf of Maine since 2020. The department has said it intends to use the data to better understand white shark distribution o the state’s coast.
Nineteen unique white
Vitello said the agency tracks every time o cers use force as well as any time someone attacks its o cers. According to the agency’s data, from Jan. 21 through Aug. 5 there were 121 reported assaults of ICE ocers compared with 11 during the same period last year.
Lyons said that after recent operations in Los Angeles turned violent, ICE is making gas masks and helmets standard issue for new agents. “Right now, we’re seeing and we’re having to adapt to all different scenarios that we were never trained for in the past,” he said.
Lyons says the agency is also starting to send out security teams to accompany agents making arrests: “We’re not gonna allow people to throw rocks anymore because we’re going to have our own agents and ofcers there to protect the ones that are actually out there making that arrest.”
Bee ng up specialized units for risky situations
About eight deportation ofcers dressed in military-style camou age uniforms, helmets and carrying an assortment of weapons stand outside a house yelling “Police! We have a warrant!” before entering and clearing the house.
They are members of a Special Response Team taking part in a demonstration at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. These o cers are like a SWAT team — deportation ocers with special training to assist in di cult situations. They also accompany detainees the agency deems dangerous when they are deported.
“Everybody is trained to serve a warrant,” Vitello said. “These guys are trained to serve high-risk warrants.”
There are roughly 450 deportation o cers with the special training to serve on these teams, and Lyons says they have been deployed to assist
sharks were recorded in 2024 on 47 unique dates, the department reported.
2 con rmed unprovoked shark attacks in Maine waters since 1837
The rst recorded fatal shark attack in Maine happened in 2020 when a great white shark killed 63-year-old Julie Dimperio Holowach o Bailey Island.
Shark experts describe fatal shark bites as exceedingly rare, in Maine and everywhere else.
Nearly 2.5-fold increase in detection of white sharks o Nova Scotia
The number of white sharks detected o Halifax, Nova Scotia, increased about 2.5 times from 2018 to 2022, according to a paper published in May in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series. Even farther north, the number detected in the Cabot Strait that separates Nova Scotia and Newfoundland increased nearly four times over, the paper said.
with immigration enforcement in Los Angeles, Portland, Oregon, and Washington.
He said he’d like to have more such units but wouldn’t put an exact number on how many. Vitello said they’re also in the process of getting more of the specially armored vehicles.
ICE teaches whom agents can arrest — and when
New recruits to ICE receive training on immigration law and the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unlawful searches. Longtime o cers get regular refreshers on these topics.
In limited situations, ICE agents are allowed to enter someone’s home. Generally, when they’re seeking someone they’re trying to remove from the country, they have an administrative warrant as opposed to a criminal warrant. That administrative warrant doesn’t allow them to enter the house without rst getting permission.
Vitello says the new recruits are taught about the di erent warrants and how the rules differ. And they’re taught how those who allowed ICE to enter their house can change their mind.
“If somebody says, ‘Get out’ and you don’t have your target, you have to leave,” he said.
Multiple videos on social media have shown ICE o cers breaking car windows to pull someone out of a vehicle and arrest that person.
As ICE sees it, Vitello said, deportation o cers do have the authority to arrest someone in a car or truck. Vitello said in the rare case where a target was in a motor home, o cers would talk to the agency’s lawyers rst to gure out what protections apply.
Advocates for immigrants and the government have often disagreed about how much authority ICE has to make those arrests and where.
8 shark species known to live in Maine waters
In addition to the great white shark, at least seven other shark species live in Maine’s waters. They are the basking shark, porbeagle, blue shark, sand tiger shark, common thresher, short n mako and spiny dog sh.
Most of these sharks pose a very minimal threat to humans and some are harmless.
949 unprovoked shark attacks in recorded human history since 1580
The International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History keeps a record of documented shark attacks. While the great white shark holds the record for most documented attacks on humans, the totals are still very low.
The white shark has been the source of 351 documented unprovoked shark attacks, and 59 of those have been fatal, the International Shark Attack File has reported.
DAVID LANCASTER VIA AP
A great white shark swims o the coast of Scarborough, Maine, earlier this month.
FRAN RUCHALSKI / AP PHOTO
wanted subject.
RandolpH SPORTS
Blue
Comets,
Cougars, Tigers overwhelm foes to open season
This week’s games
THURSDAY
• Asheboro at Northwood
FRIDAY
• Randleman at Eastern Randolph
• Southwestern Randolph at Trinity
• Eden Morehead at Providence Grove
• Forbush at Wheatmore
Randleman won an intracounty clash in a matchup with Providence Grove featuring rst-year coaches
Randolph Record sta
ASHEBORO and Southwestern Randolph posted shutout victories to open their respective football seasons, and Randleman knocked o neighbor Providence Grove. Those were among the high-
Walker’s rushing helps Wildcats win opener
Eastern Randolph scored enough in the rst quarter and largely let its defense handle matters from there
By Bob Sutton Randolph Record
MOUNT HERMON — Bur-
ton Cates has seen a few games like the one that unfolded Friday night between Eastern Randolph and Southern Alamance.
The longtime Eastern Randolph coach saw his team notch a victory, using a dogged defense and physical play along the line of scrimmage for a 20-8 nonconference outcome in the season opener.
“A typical rst game,” Cates said, re ecting on penalties and missed opportunities. “We need to nd consistency.”
But with running back Kobe Walker doing his thing carrying the ball, the Wildcats were in good shape as he ran for two touchdowns and 150 yards on 24 attempts.
“Being able to keep the run game going,” Walker said of the key to the result. “We’ve been
practicing all week for them.” Walker scored on a 1-yard run in the rst quarter and a 10-yard dash up the middle in the third quarter for the team’s second and third touchdowns. That allowed the Wildcats to build a 20-0 lead.
“It really set the tone and really quieted the other team,” Walker said of the impact of his second touchdown.
Eastern Randolph drove 73 yards on the game’s opening possession, posting points on James Combs’ 23-yard run.
“It’s a good rst win and good competition to get us ready for the next game,” Eastern Randolph quarterback Cade McCallum said. “We got the win, that’s the best part. We played as a team and played all four quarters.”
Cates said his junior-dominated roster has a good upside and that’s what he likes after passing the season’s rst test.
“When we had to make plays, we came up and made plays,” he said.
Eastern Randolph’s 200 yards rushing came against an opponent that has thrived in recent years by controlling the line of scrimmage.
lights for area teams Friday night.
Asheboro 59, High Point Central 0: At Asheboro, Connor Brinton scored on three rushing plays as the host Blue Comets rolled.
The Blue Comets racked up their highest point total since a 2016 game. The rst points came on Cole Trogdon’s fumble recovery in the end zone on the way to a 35-0 rst-quarter lead.
Dallas Brinton threw a touchdown pass to William Sherrod. Other Asheboro
“They had a good D-line, so our O-line fought against them and did good,” McCallum said. “They were sending everybody (on pass rushes). … The run game was really good, that’s what got it going.”
The outcome spoiled the coaching debut of Southern Alamance coach Jonathan Hester.
“We had a chance all night,” Hester said. “We’ll be better for it.”
The Patriots scored when linebacker Jace Rich scooped a fumble and sprinted 45 yards for a touchdown with 2:17 left in the third quarter. Jacob Alexander ran in the two-point conversion. Southern Alamance then
touchdowns came on runs by DJ Scott, Jaydon Spruill and Gavin Allen.
Southwestern Randolph 30, East Davidson 0: At Lexington, Brody Sheppard ran for two touchdowns and two two -point conversions to lead the visiting Cougars on o ense on a night that coach Seth Baxter notched his 100th coaching victory in the sport.
Sheppard posted 154 rushing yards. Quarterback Levi Dalke threw for a touchdown and ran for a touchdown. His 60-yard pass to Devonte
Dukes was one of the big plays. East Davidson didn’t record a rst-half rst down. Baxter is in his ninth season at Southwestern Randolph after eight years at Eastern Randolph.
Randleman 31, Providence Grove 14: At Randleman, John Kirkpatrick threw for three touchdowns and 274 yards in a successful debut for new Tigers coach David Diamont. Kirkpatrick, who was 22 of 26 passing, connected twice with Tate Andrews and once with Landon Whitaker for the touchdowns. Jasai Cassidy ran for a touchdown.
Cody Moran was in his rst game as Providence Grove’s coach.
After Randleman built a 14-0 rst-quarter lead, Jacob Flinchum ran 1 yard for a
Blue Comets rack up volleyball victories
Southwestern Randolph excels in soccer with a strong opening stretch
Randolph Record sta
ASHEBORO MADE it through the rst two weeks of the volleyball season without a loss.
The Blue Comets recorded two more victories last week, going on the road to top Eastern Randolph and Wheatmore. Their record moved to 4-0.
In a sweep against Eastern Randolph, Emma Kate Forester’s 12 kills and four aces and Kailey Brown’s 10 assists and nine kills helped in the 25-16, 25-15, 25-15 result.
Asheboro’s four-set victory against Wheatmore came with Kailey Brown’s 16 assists and 12 kills and Emma Ingold’s 16 digs and four aces.
• Providence Grove swept host Jordan-Matthews with Callie Hodges racking up 21 digs, Cheyenne Collins post-
ing 20 assists and Lara Wiseman recording 18 kills. Later in the week, Randleman swept host Providence Grove.
• Southwestern Randolph rallied to defeat host North Stanly in ve sets a day after falling in three sets at Watauga.
• Uwharrie Charter Academy recovered from a ve-set loss at Union Pines, cruising past host Southern Alamance in three sets later in the week.
Boys’ soccer
Southwestern Randolph had a couple of lopsided road victories, beginning with a 5-1 triumph against Trinity. Yael Rebollar-Ortiz and Fernando Hernandez each had two goals. The Cougars also drubbed Central Davidson 9-0, with Aaron Avina, Gadiel Pantoja Negret and Hernandez all with two goals.
PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD
Asheboro’s Jewell Barrett wraps up High Point Central’s X’zavier Mosley during Friday night’s season opener in Asheboro.
BOB SUTTON / RANDOLPH RECORD Kobe Walker
Kadie Green
Randleman, volleyball
Green has been a steady member of the Tigers’ volleyball team. She’s a senior libero.
Randleman has defeated Providence Grove twice across the rst two weeks of the season.
Green was an All-Piedmont Athletic Conference player in volleyball last season prior to the recon gured conference membership.
This week, Randleman has its rst matches scheduled in the new PAC, which includes seven schools — and none of those besides Randleman is in Randolph County.
The Tigers will play three other Randolph County teams in nonconference matches later this season.
Green also plays basketball and softball for the Tigers. She was an All-PAC selection in softball in the spring.
forced an Eastern Randolph punt, taking its next possession at the Wildcats’ 33-yard line. But after moving inside the 20, the Patriots were denied on fourth down and gave the ball back to Eastern Randolph with 9:45 left.
The Patriots made another venture into Eastern Randolph territory with more than four minutes left before Day’Veion Ford picked o Tustin Johnson’s long pass.
Alexander was Southern Alamance’s top rusher with 45 yards on eight carries. The Patriots had 161 yards of total o ense.
Former Trinity boys’ basketball coach Tim Kelly (back row, far left) was inducted into the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s Hall of Fame on Aug. 16 in Cary. In the photo are front row, left to right, Steve Spivey (Raleigh-area schools), Russell Woodward (Guilford County schools), Judy and Justin Hunter representing Jerry Hunter (posthumous, East Duplin); Back row: Kelly (Trinity), Doyle Whit eld (Southern Wayne), Brad Allen (Lumberton), Richard Prince (Denver) and Tommy Cole (Burlington Williams).
May eld puts on good show at Caraway
The Grand National Super Series headlined a heavy race card as the speedway’s race season hit a critical juncture
Randolph Record sta
SOPHIA — Former NASCAR Cup Series driver Jeremy May eld was one of the winners in twin features in the Grand National Super Series on Saturday at Caraway Speedway. May eld and A.J. Henriksen nabbed victories in the 50-lap races. May eld had a runner-up in the second feature, coming in less than a half-second behind Henriksen. Chris Burns was the runner-up behind May eld in the rst race.
FOOTBALL from page B1
Providence Grove touchdown for a 14-7 halftime score. The Tigers went up 28-7 before the Patriots scored again. Andrew Thomas, who scored on a 62 -yard gadget play, was the top rusher for Providence Grove with 82 yards on 10 carries. South Davidson 21, Trinity 0: At Denton, it was a rough outing for rst-year
• In Limited Late Models, Bryce Applegate held o Mason Walters for the rst-place spot. Bryson Brinkley was third, followed by Ben Mack and Larry Isenhower.
• In Chargers, Cody Gri n was ahead of Matthew Smith, Rylan Lowder, Jason Gallimore, Richard Shofner, Blake Shupe, Je rey Beck, Brian Melville, Odell Graham, Tommy Raino and Justin Hathcock. Results are uno cial pending further postrace technical evaluation.
• In 602 Modi eds, Carter McMurray prevailed ahead of Josh Lowder, with the next three spots occupied by Kevin Orlando, Jaxson Casper and Eric Zeh.
• The Crown Vics held a 15-lap dash with Brandon Mock ahead of Rileigh Hath-
Trinity coach Mark Raynor. The Wildcats notched their most points in 16 games. South Davidson was winless last year and had an 11-game losing streak overall. East Rowan 20, Wheatmore 13: At Salisbury, the host Mustangs scored two touchdowns in the nal 10 minutes, including the winning touchdown with 28 seconds left, to end a 21-game losing streak.
cock, with Steven Collins, Dean Levi and Bennett Dean in the next three spots.
• The Mini Stocks race resulted Austin Long becoming a rst-time winner at the track. Points leader Tyler Bush and Brandon Crotts ended in the next two spots.
• In UCARs, Tito Clapp was rst in the 20-lap event. Jimmy Cooper was the runner-up, with Corbin Payne, Ron Mock and Jeremy Kidd rounding out the top ve in the 19-driver race.
• Austin Long claimed his rst win, topping points leader Tyler Bush in the Mini stock feature. Brandon Crotts was third ahead of Willie Co ey.
• Josh Lowe topped the 20 -car eld in the U.S. Legends Car race with his 16th victory on the circuit this season. Chase James was second and Brexton Busch nished third.
• The Bandoleros race was won by Charlie Evans ahead of Jackson Jones and Ava Boyd.
• Carson Caudle won the Bandolero feature over Charlie Evans, Jackson Jones, Ava Boyd and Corbin Weisner.
Nolan Strozier scored on a 2-yard run for the go-ahead touchdown.
After a scoreless rst half, Wheatmore fell behind before scoring back-to-back touchdowns, rst on Kenny Hoover’s touchdown reception and then on JuJu Banks’ recovery of a lateral, to build a 13-7 lead. Jaxson Lyons scored the rst two East Rowan touchdowns on runs of 17 and 8 yards.
ROUNDUP from page B1
Then Friday night, Southwestern Randolph edged Wesleyan Christian 5-4 in its home opener with two goals from Hernandez and one apiece from Avina, Kevin Garcia and Rebollar-Ortiz. That put the Cougars’ record at 4-0.
• Asheboro’s Alexander Diaz scored two goals, and Ozmar Martinez, Juan Macias, Ethan Muro and Ivan Castaneda had the other goals in the Blue Comets’ 6-0 home-opening
victory against Randleman. Asheboro tied visiting Piedmont 2-2 with goals from Martinez and Ozmar Martinez.
• Randleman clipped Currituck County 4-0 on Saturday as part of the North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association Kick-O Classic at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.
• Providence Grove recorded two victories in di erent fashions. They blanked host Central Davidson 5-0 with Aldo Rubio’s six-save shutout and on goals by Seth Johnson,
Saul Cortes, Justin Morales, Giovanny Arellano and Kevin Bautista.
Later in the week, Providence Grove nipped visiting Jordan-Matthews 5-4 with two goals by Cortes and one each from Johnson, Bautista and Eric Gonzalez.
• Wheatmore’s Carter Queen scored three goals in a 5-1 victory at Albemarle.
The Warriors beat host North Davidson 5-2 with two goals apiece from Laurel Ortiz and Ryan Black.
PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD Kadie Green of Randleman goes to the oor to make a play.
WILDCATS from page B1
PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD
Randleman’s Tate Andrews plows into Providence Grove’s Connor Tozar during Friday night’s season opener.
NCHSAA PHOTO
pen & paper pursuits
this week in history
King delivers “I Have a Dream,” Katrina hits Gulf Coast, Diana dies in Paris crash
The Associated Press
AUG. 28
1845: The rst issue of “Scienti c American” magazine was published; it remains the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States.
1898: Pharmacist Caleb Bradham of New Bern renamed his carbonated drink Pepsi-Cola, ve years after rst creating it as Brad’s Drink.
1955: Emmett Till, a black teen from Chicago, was abducted in Mississippi after allegedly whistling at a white woman and was found slain days later.
1963: During the March on Washington, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech before an estimated 250,000 people in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
AUG. 29
1814: During the War of 1812, Alexandria, Virginia, formally surrendered to British military forces, which occupied the city until Sept. 3.
1944: Approximately 15,000 American troops of the 28th Infantry Division marched down the Champs-Élysées in Paris to celebrate its liberation from the Nazis.
2005: Hurricane Katrina struck the U.S. Gulf Coast in southeast Louisiana, breaching levees and spurring oods that devastated New Orleans. Katrina caused nearly 1,400 deaths and an estimated $200 billion in damage.
AUG. 30
1916: On his fourth attempt, explorer Ernest Shackleton rescued 22 crew members stranded on Antarctica’s Elephant Island for four and a half months after the Endurance sank.
1963: The “Hot Line” communications link between Washington and Moscow went into operation.
1967: The Senate con rmed the appointment of Thurgood Marshall as the rst black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
AUG. 31
1881: The rst U.S. tennis championships (for men only) began in Newport, Rhode Island.
1886: An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of up to 7.3 devastated Charleston, South Carolina, killing at least 60 people.
1962: The Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago became independent of British colonial rule.
1997: Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed after the car she was riding in crashed in
Paris; her partner Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul also died.
SEPT. 1
1715: Following a reign of 72 years, King Louis XIV of France died four days before his 77th birthday; he was succeeded by his 5-year-old great-grandson, Louis XV.
1914: The passenger pigeon, once one of the most abundant bird species on Earth, went extinct as the last known example, named Martha, died.
1939: Nazi Germany invaded Poland, an event regarded as the start of World War II.
1985: A U.S.-French expedition located the wreckage of the Titanic o the coast of Newfoundland.
SEPT. 2
1666: The Great Fire of London began, which would destroy more than 13,000 homes and hundreds of additional structures, including St Paul’s Cathedral.
1789: The United States Treasury Department was established.
1864: During the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s forces occupied Atlanta.
1945: Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War II.
SEPT. 3
1783: Representatives of the United States and Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, which o cially ended the Revolutionary War and recognized U.S. sovereignty.
1861: During the Civil War, Confederate forces invaded the border state of Kentucky.
1939: Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand declared war on Germany.
THE INDEPENDENT VIA WIKIPEDIA New Bern pharmacist Caleb Bradham renamed his tonic Brad’s Drink to Pepsi-Cola on Aug. 28, 1898.
DAVID J. PHILLIP / AP PHOTO
Homes are surrounded by oodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. The storm struck the Louisiana coast on Aug. 29, 2005.
New Beatles ‘Anthology’ projects to be released this fall
A restored version of the 1995 music documentary comes to Disney+ on Nov. 26
The Associated Press
BEATLES FANS will be feeling some “real love” for this: New content from the iconic band is coming this fall on screen, in music and in print.
“The Beatles Anthology” will be returning “in its ultimate form,” according to a release issued last Thursday.
The famed 1995 “Anthology” music documentary, recounting the band’s journey beginning with its Liverpool roots through to its explosive stardom, has been restored and remastered, and it will feature a new, ninth episode. It will stream on Disney+ beginning Nov. 26.
The ninth episode features behind-the-scenes footage of Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr coming together in 1994-95 to work on the series and “re ecting on their shared life as the Beatles.” Giles Martin, son of the late
Beatles producer George Martin, who died in 2016, has created new audio mixes for the majority of the featured music.
New “Anthology” music will be released Nov. 21. A fourth album, to be released alongside remastered versions of the rst three, includes 13 previously unreleased demos, session recordings and other rare recordings.
“Anthology 4” also includes, according to the release, new mixes of the Beatles’ “Anthology”-related hit singles: “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love.” The original “Free As A Bird” music video has also been restored.
The two new mixes come alongside 2023’s “Now And Then,” the last Beatles song.
(All three singles were created from home demos that John Lennon, who was killed in 1980 outside the Dakota apartment building, recorded not long before, with vocal and instrumental parts later recorded by McCartney, Harrison and Starr.)
A 25th anniversary edition of the Beatles Anthology Book will arrive Oct. 14. In the
“’The Anthology’ was always about their past, but this new edition con rms its enduring place in the present and future.” Apple Corps Limited
book, all four Beatles recall the band’s journey. They’re joined by colleagues including Neil Aspinall, George Martin, Derek Taylor and others.
“‘The Anthology’ was always about their past, but this new edition con rms its enduring place in the present and future,’” the release noted.
The “Anthology” updates come as Beatles fans ready for not one, not two, but four feature lms about the band. All directed by Sam Mendes, the lms each focus on one Beatle. The lead actors will be Paul Mescal as McCartney, Joseph Quinn as Harrison, Barry Keoghan as Starr and Harris Dickinson as Lennon.
England, in 1964.
Teen girl murdered in paradise in twisty thriller ‘High Season’
The book is reminiscent of Gillian Flynn’s “Sharp Objects”
The Associated Press
KATIE BISHOP nds heart and poignancy at the center of her artfully crafted thriller, “High Season,” setting it apart from other by-the-numbers beach reads.
At the center of the story is Nina Drayton, who, 20 years ago at age 5, was the sole witness to the murder of her sister, Tamara, by Josie Jackson, the daughter of their family’s summer housekeeper and her childhood babysitter. Nina was brought up to believe that her account of that wine-soaked night at her mother’s French villa was the reason Josie was put away and justice served. After the case faces renewed interest from a true crime inuencer, Nina begins to suspect that her story was faulty. At the same time, Josie returns to the scene of the crime searching for answers.
“High Season” has many moving parts — two timelines, ve viewpoints in total — and it also manages to serve as an exploration of our true crime obsession. Bishop acknowledges the double-edged sword of armchair detecting: the interest brings attention to forgotten cases but also makes it impossible for anyone to move on from it under renewed scru-
ST. MARTIN’S PRESS VIA AP
“High Season” author Katie Bishop writes for several outlets, including The New York Times, The Guardian, The Independent, Vice and Vogue.
tiny. The promise of justice is thinner than the promise of entertainment and gossip about a cast of suspects and victims, most of whom will never meet.
The POV shifts feel natural rather than jarring, jagged pieces of a story. Bishop knows when it makes sense to see the world through one character, and then, in the next chapter, add a piece of the puzzle from a di erent character. It serves as a reminder that everyone has their own story of what they believed happened the night of the murder and their rea-
SOLUTIONS FOR THIS WEEK
sons for hiding their suspicions for 20 years.
The most poignant parts of the novel are told by Tamara herself — Bishop could have easily made her victim another “poor little rich girl” by just having other people’s memories and judgments of her serve as her narrative. By giving Tamara her part of the story and making her a eshed-out character, we feel the grief that comes with her death and the hole it’s made for so many people.
The novel also does a good job exploring how the glittering glamor of the Drayton family is out of reach for the working-class teenage girls in town and the lengths they will go to try to t in (or not) with the shiny elite. Josie’s teenage best friend, Hannah, has a crucial arc about the dangers of trying to shape yourself into someone else’s world at any cost. The treatment Hannah receives at the hands of Blake, Nina’s older brother, is chilling and an accurate depiction of how some men treat women they feel are beneath them.
The weak part of the novel is the climax of the truth coming out. It felt like an arti cial set-up for a story that otherwise owed along on the merits of Bishop’s lyrical writing and the tense atmosphere she created. What might have been cathartic felt too much like spectacle and deprived the reader of the emotion and suspense of the rest of the book.
AP PHOTO
The Beatles, from left, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, arrive in Liverpool,
famous birthdays this week
Shania Twain is 60, Warren Bu et turns 95, Cameron Diaz turns 53, Van Morrison hits 80
THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week.
AUG. 28
Actor Ken Jenkins (“Scrubs”) is 85. Former MLB manager and player Lou Piniella is 82. Former MLB pitcher Ron Guidry is 75. Actor Daniel Stern is 68. Jennifer Coolidge is 64. Film director David Fincher is 63. Country singer Shania Twain is 60. Actor Jack Black is 56. Actor Jason Priestley is 56.
AUG. 29
Actor Elliott Gould is 87. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin is 87. Olympic gold medal sprinter Wyomia Tyus is 80. Animal behaviorist and autism educator Temple Grandin is 78. Rebecca De Mornay is 66.
AUG. 30
Investor and philanthropist
Warren Bu et is 95. Actor Elizabeth Ashley is 86. Actor John Kani is 83. Cartoonist Robert Crumb is 82. Comedian Lewis Black is 77. North Carolina U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis is 65. Actor Cameron Diaz is 53.
AUG. 31
Violinist Itzhak Perlman is 80. Singer Van Morrison is 80. Rock musician Rudolf Schenker (The Scorpions) is 77. Actor Richard Gere is 76. Attorney and author Marcia Clark is 72. Actor Chris Tucker is 54.
SEPT. 1
Attorney and law professor Alan Dershowitz is 87. Comedian-actor Lily Tomlin is 86. Singer Barry Gibb is 79. Talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw is 75. Singer Gloria Estefan is 68.
SEPT. 2
Former Major League Baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth is 88. Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw is 77. Actor Mark Harmon is 74. Ten-
nis Hall of Famer Jimmy Connors is 73. Actor Keanu Reeves is 61. Boxing Hall of Famer Lennox Lewis is 60.
SEPT. 3
Singer-musician Al Jardine (The Beach
the stream
Sabrina Carpenter, Eminem’s ‘Stans,’ sci- comedy ‘Upload’ returns to Prime
Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley play detective in “The Thursday Murder Club”
The Associated Press
SABRINA CARPENTER’S seventh studio album, “Man’s Best Friend,” and Marvel’s “Thunderbolts*” starring Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan 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: Some of the West’s biggest musicians are getting the K-pop treatment in the TV series “KPopped,” video game maker Sega tries to revive the Shinobi franchise and there’s Season 2 of “With Love, Meghan,” a lifestyle series from the Duchess of Sussex.
MOVIES TO STREAM
Marvel Studios’ “Thunderbolts*” didn’t make quite the mark in theaters that many expected it to, but the Jake Schreier-directed lm was still one of the most acclaimed MCU releases in years. After hitting theaters in early May, “Thunderbolts*” is now streaming on Disney+. With an ensemble including Pugh, Stan, Wyatt Russell and David Harbour, it follows a gang of ragtag superheroes who reluctantly come together as a team.
Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie play elderly amateur sleuths in Chris Columbus’ “The Thursday Murder Club” (Net ix, Thursday). In the lm, based on Richard Osman’s 2020 novel, the group attempts to solve a crime from their seniors’ residence, Coopers Chase. Expect a cozy murder mystery with mature star power. Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s “The Friend” (Now on Paramount+) stars Naomi Watts as a New York writer who reluctantly inherits the dog of her deceased mentor (Bill Murray). The dog isn’t just any dog, either, but a mammoth Great Dane named Apollo. The adaptation of Sigrid Nunez’s National Book Award-winning novel is very much a dog movie, but it’s also one about processing grief. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr called it “one of those movies people complain they don’t make anymore, although its existence is a reminder that they
do still make ‘them,’ meaning smart, emotionally authentic stories about people who seem real.”
MUSIC TO STREAM
Who’s a good girl? Carpenter hopes to be when she releases her seventh studio album, “Man’s Best Friend.” It will drop almost exactly a year after she released breakthrough album “Short n’ Sweet,” which spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Carpenter has been enlisting a golden retriever puppy and fans to unveil
her track list on social media. Stans of stans, unite. “Stans,” the Marshall Mathers-produced documentary about a cast of superfans of Eminem, directed by Steven Leckart, is on Paramount+. Eminem named the phenomenon 25 years ago with the release of his song “Stan” about an obsessive fan, which prompted the Oxford English Dictionary to eventually add the term. The lm “o ers a raw, loud and revealing journey across Eminem’s career — and the passionate audience that has grown with him.” Apple TV+ has a new mu-
sic competition series featuring iconic songs by some of the world’s biggest Western pop stars as they get the K-pop treatment. “KPopped” features K-pop groups ITZY, JO1, Kiss of Life, Blackswan, STAYC, KEP1ER, Ateez and Billlie teamed up with Western artists like Meg, Kesha, Patti Labelle, Kylie Minogue, the Spice Girls’ Mel B and Emma Bunton, Vanilla Ice, Taylor Dayne, Eve, J Balvin, Ava Max, Boyz II Men, Boy George, TLC and Jess Glynne. Together, o er new spins on classic songs like “Ice Ice Baby,” “Lady Marmalade,” “Waterfalls,” “Motownphilly” and “Karma Chameleon.” All eight episodes stream Friday.
SERIES TO STREAM
The sci- comedy “Upload” hits Prime Video for its fourth and nal season. Starring Robbie Amell, the series takes place in the not-too-distant future where humans can pay to upload their mind to a virtual afterlife when they die. Amell’s Nathan uploads in the rst episode and ends up falling for Nora, a human concierge assigned to help his transition go smoothly. Talk about a long-distance relationship! Created by Greg Daniels, who also created “The O ce,” the show deals with themes of class and ethics in technology.
“My Funeral” is a new Icelandic dark comedy about a man who on the same day as his retirement, a cantankerous man learns he has an incurable brain tumor and decides to host his own funeral. “My Funeral” can be seen on MhZ Choice, a streaming service for international titles.
More ower sprinkles! Season 2 of “With Love, Meghan,” a lifestyle series from the Duchess of Sussex is back on Net ix. The new episodes feature celebs like Chrissy Teigen, Tan France and chef José Andrés, who visit the former actor living well in Montecito.
Prime Video’s “The Terminal List” rewinds with a new prequel series starring Taylor Kitsch’s Navy SEAL-turned- CIA operative. “The Terminal List: Dark Wolf” is now available. Chris Pratt (who is also working on a second season of the original) also reprises his character. The franchise is based on books by Jack Carr.
Thanks to celebrities like Halle Berry and Naomi Watts, menopause has become a more mainstream topic in recent years, and a new comedy pokes fun at a woman’s journey through what grandma used to call “the change” or “the change of life.” “Middlehood” stars Elena Wohl as a woman going through a bit of a midlife crisis as she deals aging. The eight-episode series is streaming on YouTube.
For those hooked on the love triangle between Belly and brothers Jeremiah and Conrad in Prime Video’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” Net ix has a returning title to o er. Season two of “My Life with the Walter Boys” arrives on the streamer on Thursday. It follows a teen who moves in with family friends after her parents die and nds herself torn between two brothers. “Walter Boys” is based on a book by Ali Novak that was rst published on Wattpad.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
The Knightling is hardly your typical dragon slayer — for starters, he doesn’t even have a sword. He does, however, have a magic shield that he can ride, kind of like a ying saucer. That’s enough to get him around the exotic land of Clesseia as he searches for the legendary Sir Lionstone. The journey begins Thursday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.
DISNEY-MARVEL STUDIOS VIA AP
From left, Sebastian Stan, Hannah John-Kamen, Florence Pugh, Wyatt Russell and David Harbour star in “Thunderbolts*.”
MATT INFANTE / BLEECKER STREET VIA AP
Naomi Watts stars in the adaptation of Sigrid Nunez’s National Book Award-winning “The Friend.”
“Stans,” a documentary about a cast of superfans of Eminem, left, and the series “The Terminal List: Dark Wolf,” right, are streaming this week.
HOKE COUNTY
Jumping for joy
Hoke County hosted the Monroe RedHawks on Friday, with Bucks junior Mikequavious Biggers (29) doing a back ip as the
entered the eld. Monroe took the rst game of the season 35-0. Turn to Page B1 for more Sports.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
DOT threatens funding for 3 states for not enforcing trucker English pro ciency
Transportation Secretary Sean Du y says California, Washington and New Mexico could lose millions of dollars of federal funding if they continue failing to enforce English language requirements for truckers. An investigation launched after a deadly Florida crash involving a foreign truck driver who made an illegal U-turn earlier this month found what Du y called signi cant failures in the way all three states are enforcing rules that took e ect in June after one of President Donald Trump’s executive orders. Truckers are supposed to be disquali ed if they can’t demonstrate English pro ciency.
Wisconsin judge accused of helping man evade ICE denied immunity
NC Supreme Court says bars’ COVID-19 lawsuits can proceed
The lawsuits can proceed under the state constitution’s “Fruits of Labor” clause
The Associated Press
RALEIGH — The North Carolina Supreme Court issued favorable rulings Friday for bars and their operators in litigation seeking monetary compensation from the state for COVID-19 restrictions rst issued by thenGov. Roy Cooper that shuttered their doors and, in their view, treated them unfairly compared to restaurants.
“On the Fruits of Labor claim,
we modify and a rm in part the decision of the Court of Appeals and remand this matter to the trial court to reopen factual discovery and provide a new discovery schedule for the parties,” Associate Justice Phil Berger Jr. wrote in the majority opinion in N.C. Bar and Tavern Ass’n v. Stein. “We reverse the Court of Appeals on its Equal Protection determination and a rm on plainti s’ statutory claims.”
Chief Justice Paul Newby authored the ruling in the second case, Howell v. Cooper, writing that “We acknowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic was a
A federal judge is allowing a case to proceed against a Wisconsin judge accused of helping a man evade U.S. immigration agents seeking to arrest him in her courthouse. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested in April and indicted on federal charges in May. U.S. District Judge Lynne Adelman on Tuesday rejected Dugan’s motion to dismiss the charges against her. Adelman’s decision could be appealed. See BARS,
Beaches reopen after Hurricane Erin passes
Several people were killed in the rough conditions
The Associated Press NEW YORK — North Carolina and other states on the eastern seaboard have begun to reopen beaches that had been closed due to Hurricane Erin, which sent strong winds and dangerous waves across the U.S. East Coast.
Erin’s outer bands brushed North Carolina last Wednesday, but the storm never made landfall and caused no widespread damage to infrastructure despite being twice the size of an average hurricane. After progressing north in the Atlantic, it weakened into a post-tropical cyclone Friday, far from land.
In North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Highway 12 on Hatteras Island opened at noon Saturday for residents, prop -
erty owners and workers, according to North Carolina’s Department of Transportation. All restrictions lifted at 5 a.m. Sunday. The Outer Banks — essentially sand dunes sticking out of the ocean a few feet above sea level — are vulnerable to erosion. Storm surges can cut through them, washing tons of sand and debris onto roads and sometimes breaking up pavement and creating new inlets. The dunes took a beating by Erin but there were no new inlets or signi cant structural damage to homes or businesses.
Elsewhere, there were several deaths attributed to the rough conditions caused by the storm.
In Massachusetts, a team of police and U.S. Coast Guard members were resuming their search Monday for a man in his 50s who was missing after a boat capsized o of Salisbury
Beach on Saturday. The other person in the boat was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Despite challenging weather and sea conditions including 6- to 8-foot swells, the team performed sonar scans, dives,
surface and aerial patrols on Sunday, the state police said in a news release. In Maine, a man was rescued Saturday after his sailboat capsized in high surf in York Harbor.
In New Hampshire, authorities are investigating the death of a 17-year-old boy who had been swimming with family members o of Hampton Beach on Sunday night.
Witnesses said he was pulled away by a strong ocean current and his father unsuccessfully tried to rescue him. Lifeguards brought both to shore and began livesaving e orts on the teen, who was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
The father was treated there.
A man drowned Saturday after being caught in a strong rip current o the New York coast, at Sailors Haven in the Fire Island Natoinal Seashore in Suffolk County, authorities said. Ishmoile Mohammed, 59, was visiting from South Carolina.
THE HOKE COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
GERRY BROOME / AP PHOTO
A sign indicates that a hotel in Chapel Hill is closed due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in March 2020.
team
ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO Sebastian Kettner shes on Jennette’s Pier as waves from Hurricane Erin crash ashore in Nags Head last Thursday.
JASON JACKSON JSK PHOTOGRAPHY FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL
chaotic period of time,” and that the governor was not the only one facing uncertainty — small businesses did as well.
“It may be that the executive orders’ restrictions on bars were reasonably necessary, but the state constitution gives plainti s the opportunity to put them to the test,” Newby wrote. “Plainti s have stated colorable constitutional claims under Article I, Sections 1 and 19. Because they have satis ed the requirements to successfully plead a Corum claim, sovereign immunity does not bar plainti s’ suit.”
The majority decisions by the justices mean a pair of lawsuits remain alive, and future court orders directing the state pay them nancial damages are possible.
As a way to ease the spread of coronavirus, Cooper — a Democrat who left o ce last December and is now running for U.S. Senate — issued a series of executive orders that closed bars starting in March 2020. By that summer, bars still had to remain closed, but restaurants and breweries could serve alcohol during certain hours. Later in 2020, bars could serve alcoholic drinks in outdoor seating, with time limits later added, but the plainti s said it was unpro table to operate. All temporary restrictions on bars were lifted in May 2021.
Lawyers defending Cooper have said the orders were based
on the most current scienti c studies and public health data available at a time when thousands were ill or dying and vaccines weren’t widely available.
On Friday, the court’s ve Republican justices in one lawsuit agreed it could continue to trial, rejecting arguments from state attorneys that the litigation must be halted based on a legal doctrine that exempts state government from most lawsuits. That decision largely upheld a Court of Appeals decision from two years ago that had afrmed a trial judge’s order to allow the action led by Ti any Howell, seven other people and nine businesses to be heard.
“We acknowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic was a chaotic period of time,” Newby wrote in the prevailing opinion. “It is important to remember, however, that the Governor was not the only person facing uncertainty. Small business owners across the state dutifully shuttered their doors and scaled back operations without knowing exactly when they could open or operate fully again.”
A broader group of plainti s — the North Carolina Bar and Tavern Association and scores
of private bars — that sued separately but made similar claims received a favorable ruling last year from a Court of Appeals panel that reversed a trial judge’s decision to dismiss the lawsuit.
Friday, the same ve justices ruled that the Court of Appeals shouldn’t have allowed the association to sue based on claims its members’ constitutional rights for equal treatment were violated. But the plainti s can return to a trial judge now and present evidence on the claim that their right under the state constitution to earn a living was violated, Berger wrote in the majority opinion.
The association and the private bars “su ciently alleged unconstitutional interference, and thus have a right to seek discovery to prove those allegations are true,” Berger wrote.
The Supreme Court’s two Democratic justices opposed decisions made by the majority in both cases and said the lawsuits should be dismissed. Associate Justice Allison Riggs wrote that the Bar and Tavern Association failed to signal it had evidence of a more reasonable plan to contain the virus’ impact than what Cooper chose.
Writing the dissent in the Howell case, Associate Justice Anita Earls said the majority “grants itself a roving license to second-guess policy choices, reweigh trade-o s, and displace decisions appropriately made by the political branches.”
The state Attorney General’s O ce, which represented Cooper in both cases, said Friday it was reviewing the decisions. Through a spokesperson, Cooper’s Senate campaign declined to comment.
The N.C. Bar and Tavern Association called the decision in its case a “major victory.”
“From the beginning, we never asked for special treatment, only equal treatment,” association President Zack Medford said. Chuck Kitchen, a lawyer representing plainti s in the Howell case, also praised the ruling in their litigation.
Cooper was the subject of several lawsuits challenging his COVID-19 actions early in the pandemic, and he was largely successful in court. In August 2024, the state Supreme Court sided with a small racetrack that was closed briefly for defying state gathering limits and said the track and its operators could sue the top health regulator in Cooper’s administration.
North State Journal’s A.P. Dillon contributed to this report.
THE CONVERSATION
Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
Is socialism as popular as the media think?
Collectivist ideas always fail, yet they never die.
“DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS” have been getting the teenage-idol treatment from giddy reporters and editors at legacy media outlets for years.
Their newest crush, as New Yorkers already know, is jihadi-apologist and Marxist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
In a 4,500-word cover story headlined “The Meaning of Zohran Mamdani,” Time magazine paints a caricature of a well-meaning, authentic and not-really-so-radical go-getter. An “ideologue interested in creative solutions” is how Time puts it.
Sure, Mamdani might support genocidal rhetoric, but the Jewish community will be pleased to learn that he “often talked about the problem of antisemitism and the need for anti-hate-crime funding.”
Is Mamdani, as many would have it, a generational talent whose campaign should be mimicked nationally by Democrats?
Yes, the resentful young have convinced themselves they’re living in the worst era ever to have befallen man. “People our age have never experienced American prosperity in our adult lives — which is why so many millennials are embracing democratic socialism,” Harvard-educated writer Charlotte Alter once put it in a Time cover piece on a previous darling, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
But George Will recently argued that a Mamdani win would be bene cial in reminding the nation of “socialism’s many harms.” Collectivist ideas always fail, yet they never die.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) championed Hugo Chavez in the 2000s — and even after Venezuelans predictably began foraging for food, Sanders, one of the most popular politicians in the country, was
still championing the same system. So it’s not as if we don’t have the lessons already.
Indeed, we’ve been having the same debates in perpetuity. The zero-sum fallacy that capitalism is inherently evil and rigged has been hammered into our conscience for centuries. We’ve convinced millions of Americans that a gaggle of rich people can trigger economic havoc for pro t, control the economy to undermine the working class and push commodity prices higher to reap the pro ts.
It is a tragedy that Democrats continue to stagger leftward on all fronts to mollify and placate their activist class. And it’s not merely economics. The modern “democratic” socialist comes with a slew of positions that not only undermine quality of life but clash with the moral outlook of normies: the pro-terrorist, pro-identitarian rhetoric; the championing of criminality and illegal immigration; the anti-modernity climate hysteria; and the deranged social science quackery on gender — just for starters.
So I wonder how popular socialism really is.
Right now, there is no real evidence that a socialist outlook plays in most places. It barely plays in cities. If NYC’s Democrats didn’t split the vote between Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and perhaps found themselves a candidate who hadn’t already tarnished themselves with scandal, Mamdani would likely lose.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, former Chicago mayor and would-be 2028 presidential hopeful Rahm Emanuel pushed back on hard-left ideas, contending Democrats should run on centrist slogans, such as “build, baby, build.”
How Democrats plan on doing this without rolling back the climate hysteria that undermines growth and squanders billions on half-baked
The woke media is wrong. America’s cities need to be safe again
D.C. police o cials are accused of manipulating crime statistics in the weeks leading up to the federal takeover, allegedly reclassifying or downgrading violent incidents to mask the true scale of lawlessness.
From the nation’s capital to sanctuary cities coast-to-coast, President Donald J. Trump is demonstrating unwavering resolve and e ective leadership in restoring law and order and the safety American families deserve.
In the heart of Washington, D.C., under Trump’s decisive leadership, the federal government invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to declare a “crime emergency” and place the Metropolitan Police Department under federal control — an unprecedented move guided by the urgent need to protect Americans under siege. This bold action deployed National Guard troops and federal agents, resulting in more than 400 arrests, including 60 individuals suspected of being undocumented immigrants and the seizure of 27 rearms. This marks a serious restoration of public safety in our Nation’s capital.
While critics cite data showing violent crime in D.C. was at a 30-year low and trending downward — including a 35% overall decline and a 37% drop in carjackings in 2025 — recent reporting suggests these numbers may not tell the whole story. According to Fox News, D.C. police o cials are accused of manipulating crime statistics in the weeks leading up to the federal takeover, allegedly reclassifying or downgrading violent incidents to mask the true scale of lawlessness. This raises a chilling question: Were Americans being misled about the reality on the ground just to protect political narratives?
Trump certainly thought so, and his hunch was right. Ask anyone who lives or has visited D.C. recently, and they’ll tell you the streets of our capital have been a mess. Now, thanks to Trump, it’s starting to feel like a safer environment for families, as it should.
Beyond Washington, D.C., the Trump-Vance
administration is placing sanctuary jurisdictions squarely on notice. More than 500 jurisdictions, including states like California, Illinois, New York and Washington, and in uential counties such as Cook County and San Francisco, have been o cially designated as obstructing federal immigration enforcement. Attorney General Pam Bondi has signaled that continued de ance could trigger withdrawal of federal funding and criminal enforcement, powerful measures designed to protect American communities from criminal alien elements.
Take New York City, for instance, where the U.S. Department of Justice has led suit, asserting that sanctuary policies have allowed “thousands of criminals” back onto the streets without accountability. Trump is not only demanding cooperation; he’s demanding accountability and refers to sanctuary policies not as protections, but as threats to public safety.
Earlier this year, the Trump-Vance administration launched a nationwide immigration enforcement campaign that so far has resulted in the arrests of more than 300,000 illegal aliens. About 70% of those are criminal illegal aliens with criminal charges or convictions. These actions reinforce the administration’s commitment to safeguarding communities from criminal elements hiding behind sanctuary policies.
This past January, Trump issued Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, which expanded deportation tools such as expedited removal, denied federal funding to sanctuary jurisdictions, and increased sta ng for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, reinforcing priorities for immigrationrelated public safety enforcement.
energy plans is going to be interesting. But he has a point. Centrist Democrats are poised to win entire purple states like Virginia, showing far wider appeal than Mamdani — but they can barely get any attention.
One of the most popular governors in the country right now is Kentucky’s Andy Beshear, a Democrat in a state with a Republican-controlled legislature that President Donald Trump won by more than a 30-point margin. Why isn’t he the way forward for Democrats? Other governors in the top 10 have similar dispositions, including North Carolina’s Josh Stein and Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, both in states Trump won. All of them take moderated left-of-center positions without a fullthroated embrace of anti-market, anti-Western, racialist positions that are in vogue in cities.
No GQ covers for them.
The Democrats have become a party of the rich and the dependent poor — because the rich can a ord socialism and the poor marginally bene t. Since the market-fueled gentri cation of the ’90s, cities have become increasingly progressive and correspondingly more expensive and poorly run.
California, Illinois, Massachusetts and New York have seen signi cant net outward migration since then, while market-driven states with lower regulations and taxes like Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas have seen signi cant increases in newcomers. This is before New York City installed a socialist mayor. How popular is socialism? Far too popular. But not as popular as Democrats and the media would have us believe. At least, not yet.
David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner.
Trump also zeroed out wasteful “consent decrees” that hampered state and local governments’ ability to address vagrancy and public disorder, redirecting federal funds toward substance-abuse programs and civil commitment where appropriate. This brings practical solutions to streets once marred by chaos. Trump’s approach is neither abstract rhetoric nor symbolic; it is action-driven. From exposing manipulated crime statistics in Washington, D.C., and tens of thousands of deportations in sanctuary cities to restoring federal cooperation and securing our borders, he is delivering on his promise to make America safe again.
Looking past the woke media noise, Americans will be glad he did it. Consider the latest news from this D.C. crime crackdown, where an MS13 gang member was arrested. Had Trump not stepped in, a local resident or future visitor could’ve been this criminal’s next victim.
If we are to preserve the American dream and the stability our children inherit, law and order must remain foundational. Standing up to sanctuary jurisdictions, enforcing federal immigration laws, reclaiming urban streets and deploying resources where they matter, the president is making our communities safe for all of us. In D.C. and cities across the country, Americans should start to feel safe again, thanks to the Trump administration. If it’s not clear to the critics, it certainly is to the rest of us; all we ever needed was a new president.
Jorge Martínez is senior adviser and National Director of Hispanic Outreach for America First Works. He formerly served as press secretary at the U.S. Department of Justice. This column was originally published by Daily Caller News Foundation.
COLUMN | JORGE MARTÍNEZ
COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI
‘No magic xes’ for Democrats as party confronts internal, fundraising struggles
Approval ratings are down, and so is the party’s bank balance
By Steve Peoples The Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS — Ken Martin is in the ght of his life.
The low-pro le political operative from Minnesota, just six months on the job as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is charged with leading his party’s formal resistance to President Donald Trump and xing the Democratic brand.
“I think the greatest divide right now in our party, frankly, is not ideological,” Martin told The Associated Press. “The greatest divide is those people who are standing up and ghting and those who are sitting on the sidelines.”
“We’re using every single lever of power we have to take the ght to Donald Trump,” he said of the DNC.
And yet, as hundreds of Democratic o cials gather in Martin’s Minneapolis hometown on Monday for the rst o cial DNC meeting since he became chair, there is evidence that Martin’s ght may extend well beyond the current occupant of the Oval O ce.
Big Democratic donors are unhappy with the direction of their own party and not writing checks. Political factions are fragmented over issues such as the Israel-Hamas war. The party’s message is murky. Key segments of the Democratic base — working-class voters and young people, among them — have drifted away.
And there is deep frustration that the Democratic Party under Martin’s leadership is not doing enough to stop the Republican president — no matter how tough his rhetoric may be.
“There are no magic xes,” said Jeanna Repass, the chair of the Kansas Democratic Par-
ty, who praised Martin’s performance so far. “He is trying to lead at a time where everyone wants it to be xed right now. And it’s just not going to happen.”
At this week’s three-day summer meeting, DNC o cials hope to make real progress in reversing the sense of pessimism and frustration that has consumed Democrats since Republicans seized the White House and control of Congress last fall.
It may not be so easy.
Con dence questions and money trouble
At least a couple of DNC members privately considered bringing a vote of no condence against Martin this week in part because of the committee’s underwhelming fundraising, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation who was granted anonymity to share internal discussions. Ultimately, the no con dence vote will not move forward because Martin’s critics couldn’t get su cient support from the party’s broader membership, which includes more than 400 elected ocials from every state and several territories.
Still, the committee’s nancial situation is weak compared with the opposition’s.
The most recent federal lings reveal that the DNC has $14 million in the bank at the end of July compared with the Republican National Committee’s $84 million. The Democrats’ gure represents its lowest level of cash on hand in at least the last ve years.
Martin and his allies, including his predecessor Jaime Harrison, insist it’s not fair to compare the party’s current nancial health with recent years, when Democratic President Joe Biden was in the White House.
Harrison pointed to 2017 as a more accurate comparison. That
year, the committee struggled to raise money in the months after losing to Trump the rst time. And in the 2018 midterm elections that followed, Harrison noted, Democrats overcame their fundraising problems and won the House majority and several Senate seats.
“These are just the normal pains of being a Democrat when we don’t have the White House,” Harrison said. “Ken is nding his footing.” Martin acknowledged that big donors are burnt out after the last election, which has forced the committee to turn to smaller-dollar donors, who have responded well.
“Money will not be the ultimate determinant in this (midterm) election,” Martin said. “We’ve been making investments, record investments, in our state parties. ... We have the money to operate. We’re not in a bad position.”
Gaza debate could get ugly
While Martin is broadly popular among the DNC’s rank and le, internal divisions may are publicly this week when the
committee considers competing resolutions about the Israel-Hamas war.
One proposed resolution would have the DNC encourage Democratic members of Congress to suspend military aid to Israel, establish an arms embargo and recognize Palestine as a country, according to draft language reviewed by the AP. The measure also states that the crisis in Gaza has resulted in the loss of more than 60,000 lives and the displacement of 1.7 million Palestinians “at the hands of the Israeli government.”
The DNC leadership, led by Martin, introduced a competing resolution that adds more context about Israel’s challenges.
One line, for example, refers to “the su ering of both Palestinians and Israelis” and notes the number of Israelis killed in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Martin’s version calls for a two - state solution, but there is no reference to the number of Palestinians killed or displaced, nor is there a call for an end to military aid or an arms embargo.
Meanwhile, another proposed resolution would reaf-
rm the DNC’s commitment to “diversity, equity and inclusion.” Many Democrats, businesses and educational institutions have distanced themselves from DEI programs after Trump and other Republicans attacked them as Democrats’ “woke” policies. Ultimately, Martin said the party needs to focus its message on the economy.
“There’s no doubt we have to get back to a message that resonates with voters,” he said. “And focusing on an economic agenda is the thing that brings all parts of our coalition and Americans into the conversation.”
“We have work to do for sure,” he added.
Presidential prospects on the agenda
The DNC is years away from deciding which states vote rst on the 2028 presidential primary calendar, but that discussion will begin in earnest at the Minneapolis gathering, where at least three presidential prospects will be featured speakers: Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Martin said the DNC is open to changes from the 2024 calendar, which kicked o in South Carolina, while pushing back traditional openers Iowa and New Hampshire. In recent days, Iowa Democrats have publicly threatened to go rogue and ignore the wishes of the DNC if they are skipped over again in 2028.
The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws committee this week is expected to outline what the next calendar selection process would look like, although the calendar itself likely won’t be completed until 2027.
“We’re going to make sure that the process is open, that any state that wants to make a bid to be in the early window can do so,” Martin said.
It should absorb heat and make it more di cult to scale
By Rebecca Santana The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. —
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said last Tuesday that the entire wall along the southern border with Mexico is going to be painted black to make it hotter and deter illegal
ed President Donald Trump with the idea. Noem spoke during a visit to a portion of the wall in New Mexico, where she also picked up a roller brush to help out with the painting.
She touted the height of the wall as well as the depth as ways to deter people seeking to go over or under the walls. And then Noem said Homeland Security was going to be trying black paint to make the metal hotter.
“That is speci cally at the re-
derstands that in the hot temperatures down here when something is painted black it gets even warmer and it will make it even harder for people to climb. So we are going to be painting the entire southern border wall black to make sure that we encourage individuals to not come into our country illegally,” Noem said.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks, who attended the event with Noem, said the paint would also help deter rust.
focus of his hardline immigration policy. During his second term, his mass deportation agenda with arrests in the interior of the country has been the main focus, but Homeland Security will be getting about $46 billion to complete the wall as part of new funding passed by Congress this summer.
Noem said they have been building about a half mile of barrier every day.
phy of where it is built,” she said.
She said that in addition to barriers like the one she visited last week, the department is also working on “water-borne infrastructure.” Long sections of the roughly 2,000-mile border between the U.S. and Mexico sit along the Rio Grande River in Texas.
The Trump administration is pushing forward with completing the wall at the same time that the number of people crossing the border illegally has plummeted. Homeland
During Trump’s rst term, building the wall was a central
Integrity Open Arms Residents of the Month
Gwenda Sealy
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.
“The border wall will look very di erent based on the topography and the geogra-
Gwenda is a Medical Tech that has been with us for a short period of time that residents have come to love. Since May 2025, Mrs. Gwenda has been one of our Head Medical Techs and Supervisor. During her time off she enjoys being with her family and being a beautician.
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.
We want to say a BIG THANK YOU to her for a job well done!
ROD LAMKEY JR. / AP PHOTO
Democratic National Committee chairman Ken Martin speaks after winning the vote at the Democratic National Committee winter meeting this past February.
HOKE SPORTS
Hoke County football drops opener
Soccer wins
three straight
North State Journal sta
HOKE COUNTY’S fall sports season kicked into full gear last week with the start of football season.
Football
The Bucks hosted the Class 2A state champions for opening week. Hoke County kept things close early against Monroe before the RedHawks pulled away in the second half for a 35-0 win.
The game was scoreless midway through the second quarter and was 6-0 at the half, but Monroe scored 29 second-half points.
Junior MacHai Brown had three catches for 32 yards
and also completed a pair of passes.
Hoke managed just 19 rushing yards on 20 carries and su ered three interceptions in the shutout loss.
The Bucks defense contributed nine tackles for loss and two interceptions.
Hoke will try to break into the win column with another home game this week, against South View.
The Tigers lost their opener 41-18 at Jack Britt. South View was 6-5 last season.
Volleyball
The girls’ volleyball team split a pair of matches last week. The Bucks beat E.E. Smith at home 3-0 then fell on the road at Lumberton 3-1.
Hoke has a 3-2 record on the year and faces three matches this week. Hoke hosts Seven-
ty-First then travels to Purnell Swett. The slate ends at home with a match against Scotland.
Soccer
The road was the place to be for the Hoke County boys’ soccer team. The Bucks played the rst three of ve straight away from home and won them all to move to 3-0-1 on the season.
Hoke blew out E.E. Smith 7-0 to get things started, then added a 1-0 win at Southwest Guilford. The week ended with a 4-1 win over South View.
Keeper Marcus Monsanto spent 158 minutes in net without allowing a goal.
Carson Hewitt had four goals, while Josiah Jacobs added three.
Hoke nishes the road trip with games against Gray’s Creek and Lumberton.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Joshua Ferrell
Hoke County, football
Joshua Ferrell is a senior strong safety on the Hoke County football team.
The Bucks had their home opener against Monroe last Friday, and Ferrell came up big against the reigning state champs.
Ferrell led Hoke with 11 tackles, including nine solo stops. He also had an interception and a pass defense.
Blaney’s last-second surge at Daytona denies underdogs Cinderella moment
A late run moved him from 13th
By Jenna Fryer
The Associated Press
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—
The Cup Series’ playo system is designed to give a long shot a chance to race for the championship.
As a pack of underdogs hurtled toward the nish line at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night, there was a real possibility of an upset and someone racing their way into the postseason by winning the regular-season nale.
Then a favorite spoiled it all.
Ryan Blaney won a fourwide race to claim the checkered ag — a victory that denied a Cinderella moment and gave Alex Bowman the nal
spot in the playo s.
Blaney was 13th with two laps to go, then muscled his Team Penske Ford to the front and surged slightly ahead right before the nish line. He beat Daniel Suarez by 0.031 seconds, Justin Haley by 0.036 seconds and Cole Custer by 0.049 seconds.
Erik Jones was fth, Kyle Larson sixth, Chris Buescher seventh and Ty Gibbs eighth.
Any of the seven drivers behind Blaney besides Larson would have been rst-time winners this season and claimed thenal spot in the 16-driver playo eld.
But Blaney — a former series champion already locked into the eld — denied them all. His victory assured Bowman, who crashed early in the race and had to watch for more than three hours on TV to learn his
“It’s de nitely not as traditional a way as we like to run them, we like to lead laps and things like that.”
Ryan Blaney
fate, would race for the championship this season.
The rst 19 cars across the nish line were all within a half-second of Blaney, who wound up second in the regular-season standings. Daytona 500 winner William Byron had already wrapped up the regular-season title.
“What a wild couple last laps,” said Blaney, who waited until the end to aggressively move through tra c. “It’s
de nitely not as traditional a way as we like to run them; we like to lead laps and things like that. We just couldn’t really get there until the last second.”
Suarez, who is being replaced at Trackhouse Racing at the end of the season, was disappointed not to make the playo s.
“All in all, a good car. Just not enough and a little too late,” Suarez said.
Haley, who is likely to be replaced at Spire Motorsports at the end of the year, also was frustrated. Haley and Spire’s only Cup Series win came in this race in 2019, when it was shortened by rain while Haley was the leader.
“It hurts, especially with the year the 7 car has had. We obviously had a rough season,” Haley said. “You’re counting them down and just trying to
play everything out. It stings, but still a good night.”
Buescher said coming up short of the playo s would force him to “just be mad about it for a while.
“Not trying to pout, just I’m proud of this team,” he continued. “It was a great night. We certainly had a shot and had the speed again, so want to be excited about that, and I am. But man, it’s just another one of those we had the ability to win this race, had the speed, had the handling, and no champagne to celebrate.”
The victory was on brand for Team Penske, winner of the last three Cup Series championships. Joey Logano won in 2023, Blaney in 2024 and Logano again last year.
The team has won those titles by overcoming summer slumps and then turning it up when the playo s begin. Blaney’s win snapped an 11-race losing streak for Penske and Ford.
Roger Penske, who was in Victory Lane to celebrate with the No. 12 team, has all three of his drivers in the playo eld.
Hoke football celebrates a big play in its opening game.
to rst
SIDELINE REPORT
NFL
Sanders waived by Buccaneers
Tampa, Fla.
Shilo Sanders was waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, less than 24 hours after he was ejected from a game for throwing a punch. Sanders, the son of Hall of Fame
cornerback Deion Sanders, was battling for a roster spot after going undrafted out of Colorado, where he played for his father. He was also penalized for pass interference earlier in Tampa Bay’s 23-19 loss to Bu alo. The Buccaneers could still add Sanders to the practice squad if he doesn’t get claimed o waivers by another team.
BOXING
Boxer Chávez Jr.
to stand trial in Mexico over alleged cartel ties
Hermosillo, Mexico
A judge in Mexico says Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. will stand trial over alleged cartel ties but can await trial outside of detention. The court granted three months of additional investigation into the case. Chávez, who had been living in the United States for several years, was arrested in early July by federal agents outside his Los Angeles home for overstaying his visa and lying on an application to obtain a green card. He was deported by the U.S. on Aug. 19 to Mexico, where he faced an arrest warrant.
NBA Former NBA star Kemp gets 30 days of home monitoring for Wash. shooting Tacoma, Wash.
Former NBA star Shawn Kemp was sentenced to 30 days of electronic home monitoring for shooting at two men inside a vehicle in a Washington state mall parking lot. Kemp must begin home monitoring within two weeks. He must also serve one year of Department of Corrections supervision and complete 240 hours of community service. Prosecutors had recommended the six-time NBA All-Star be sentenced to nine months in jail, a year of supervision and pay restitution. But the judge found the circumstances surrounding the crime warranted a lesser sentence. Kemp said he acted in self- defense.
NFL Police noti ed after sex toy thrown onto eld during Titans preseason game
Nashville, Tenn. The NFL joined the WNBA in having a sex toy thrown onto the eld when someone tossed one during the Tennessee Titans’ preseason nale. The neon green sex toy landed near the 6-yard line with about ve minutes left in the Titans’ win over the Minnesota Vikings. The teams were on the eld with the Titans on o ense near mid eld when the object hit the eld close to the Tennessee sideline. The Titans say they reported the incident to police. Similar toys have been tossed at several WNBA games, resulting in at least three arrests.
Sharapova, Bryan brothers enter tennis hall
Serena Williams made a surprise appearance
By Jimmy Golen The Associated Press
NEWPORT, R.I. — Serena Williams made a surprise — and early — appearance at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, emerging from behind the stage to introduce “former rival, former fan and forever friend” Maria Sharapova for her induction.
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion who will be eligible for her own enshrinement in 2027, drew gasps and shrieks from the crowd at the Newport shrine.
“There are only a few players in my career who challenged me to be the very best, every single time we stepped out on the court,” Williams said. “Maria Sharapova was one of them. Whenever I saw her name next to mine in the draw, I made sure I practiced harder.”
And the feeling was mutual.
“It’s a gift to have someone who motivates you to reach those heights. And I’ll forever be grateful for bringing out the best in me,” Sharapova said in her acceptance speech. “We both knew no other way than to ght our hearts out. ... We both hated to lose more than anything on this Earth, and we both knew that the other was the biggest obstacle between ourselves and the trophy.”
The rst Russian woman ever to reach No. 1 in the rankings and one of 10 women to complete the career Grand Slam, Sharapova was joined in the Class of 2025 by domi-
nating doubles team Mike and Bob Bryan. The twin brothers nished their speech with one of their trademark chest bumps.
Hall of Famers Martina Navratilova, Jim Courier, Stan Smith and Andy Roddick were among those in the crowd, wearing their blue Hall of Fame blazers. Sharapova and the Bryan brothers also received a cast tennis racket that is the hall’s newest o ering to inductees.
Sharapova was described in her introductory video as someone who “combined grit with glamour,” and some of the stylish out ts she competed in are already displayed in the
“When voices inevitably tell you to ease up, to round your edges, dull your ambition, I hope you can nd a way to ignore them.”
Maria Sharapova
hall — including a tuxedo-inspired dress she wore at Wimbledon in 2008. Williams noted that her rival was the highest-paid female athlete in the world for 11 straight years — bolstered by
endorsement income that surpassed her on-court winnings.
“She showed us all how to take excellence on the court and turn it into excellence in business, and fashion, branding and everything that she touched,” Williams said. “She changed how women not only approached tennis, but sports and opportunity. She showed us that you can be erce on the court and strategic o the court, and unapologetically herself the entire time.”
Sharapova said her induction gave her a chance to look back — something she tried not to do when she was playing. And she credited her success to “embracing the struggles and leaning into the hard stu .”
“When voices inevitably tell you to ease up, to round your edges, dull your ambition, I hope you can nd a way to ignore them,” she said. “Compete ercely. Raise your standard. Set goals that intimidate you. And don’t forget to celebrate your victories, no matter how small.
“In giving my life to tennis, tennis gave me a life. And what a remarkable, remarkable life. And I’m so deeply grateful for it.”
The Bryans shared a speech as if they were taking turns hitting on a court, alternating at the microphone as they thanked coaches, friends and Davis Cup teammates from a career in which they won 119 ATP titles, including 16 Grand Slams, and an Olympic gold medal. They spent a record 438 weeks atop the world rankings.
Bob Bryan said he was fortunate because “for most of my career, I had the No. 1 player in the world across the hall.”
“Doubles was our love from Day 1,” Mike Bryan said. “We loved everything about doubles. We loved the strategy, the teamwork, sharing the highs and lows. Like our personalities, our games complemented each other perfectly.”
Women’s Professional Baseball League o ers new hope for female athletes
Launching in 2026, the league held tryouts in Washington, D.C.
By Alanis Thames The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Victoria Ruelas was 12 years old when she made history as the rst American girl to play in the Little League World Series. That was in 1989. And while Ruelas is proud of how far women in sports have come since her childhood, she can’t help but wish there were more opportunities for them to shine. Especially in baseball, where opportunities beyond youth leagues have so often required girls to take unusual paths, most of them alongside men.
“We keep saying how much strides we’re making,” Ruelas said. “But they’re so slow in coming. It just should be faster.
“I get excited when I see girls playing and getting to go to the Little League World Series every year. But to still be one here, one there — that’s upsetting to me. There’s so much more of us out there that play.”
Ruelas and many other women have carved out their own spaces in baseball over the years. Now, the wait for something more unifying is on the horizon with next year’s launch of the Women’s Professional Baseball League.
The league is holding its tryouts in Washington, D.C. While baseball stars like former Little League phenom Mo’ne Davis and USA baseball women’s national team player Kelsie Whitmore are already signed to the WPBL, the league’s tryouts are open to all women.
That has made way for competitors of all ages to chase their dream of playing professionally. For many, the tryouts are one of the rst times they’ve seen so many women’s baseball players in one place.
“I never thought I’d see this, ever,” said Monica Holguin, of Burbank, California. “You’re told when you’re younger, ‘Hey, you have to transition from baseball to softball because there’s no future in (baseball) for women.’ And so you just do it.”
The result for Holguin, 45, was turning her focus to raising her two children instead of pursuing a professional career.
“And then something like this pops up and you just say, ‘Hey, let’s just go do it,’” added Holguin, who tried out at third base. “You know, I really did it. I wanted to come out here, compete, and I wanted to show my kids, it doesn’t matter how old you are, you can chase a dream.”
Age is no deterrent for Holguin and several other WPBL hopefuls, who are trying to open doors for the next generation of girls baseball players.
Ruelas, 48, played college
“I wanted to show my kids, it doesn’t matter how old you are, you can chase a dream.”
Monica Holguin
softball at San Jose State and was on the U.S. team that competed in the 2001 Women’s World Series. She ew to Washington from Honolulu, Hawaii, for the tryouts and said, “Until my body says I cannot do this anymore, I’d like to keep playing.”
Micaela Minner, who owns a sports training company with her wife in Akron, Ohio, has accomplished plenty in her athletic career. She played baseball until age 15. She was a softball state champion in high school. She helped Missouri’s softball team reach the
2009 Women’s College World Series. And she played professional softball with the Akron Racers in Ohio.
Minner, now 40 and retired from softball, still feels a deep pull toward baseball — the sport that she said gave her a sense of belonging growing up in the small town Sanger, Texas.
Minner said her stepdad put her in baseball to keep “me out of trouble.”
Even though she played with boys, the sport made her feel part of something bigger.
“They loved me,” she said. “I t in, and me tting in made me love myself. And it saved me.”
Minner is trying out at rst base and as a left-handed pitcher for the WPBL. She said even if she doesn’t make the league, her hope is that playing professional baseball becomes a tangible goal for younger girls.
JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON / AP PHOTO
Lauren Boden, second from right, Stephanie Everett, right, and other players talk in the dugout during the rst day of tryouts for the Women’s Professional Baseball League in Washington, D.C.
MICHEL EULER / AP PHOTO
Maria Sharapova holds the trophy after winning the 2012 French Open. The Russian star was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Gregory Lawrence Bies
May 30. 1947 – Aug. 20, 2025
Gregory Lawrence Bies passed away on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, surrounded by his family and friends.
He was born on May 30, 1947, to the late Richard and Helen Bies of Detroit, Michigan.
After high school, Greg enlisted and served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War from February 1969 to February 1970, with the 173rd Airborne Brigade at Landing Zone (LZ) Uplift and English. His military awards include the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal and Bronze Star Medal.
Following his military service, he moved back to Michigan and retired after 30 years with Chrysler Corporation at the Warren Assembly Plant. Greg was a member of the Vietnam Veterans Motorcycle Club and enjoyed spending time with his pets, fellow veterans, and his First Baptist Church Family.
He is survived by his sons, Richard and Charles (Rebecca) Bies; his two sisters, Barbara Bies-Herman and Dianne Bies; his grandchildren, Joshua (Kristen), Kaylee, Jessica; and one great-grandchild, Isaiah.
A visitation will be held on Friday, August 29, 2025, from 1-2 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Raeford, 333 N Main St, Raeford, NC 28376.
A memorial service will follow at 2 p.m. with Pastor Marvin Seals o ciating.
Military Honors will be held at the end of the service by the United States Army.
Migdalia Rivera Machin
May 17, 1955 – Aug. 20, 2025
Migdalia Rivera Machin, age 70, of Raeford, North Carolina, passed away on Wednesday, August 20, 2025. No services are planned at this time.
Christopher Lee Conception
Aug. 28, 1983 – Aug. 21, 2025
Mr. Christopher Lee Conception, age 41 of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was born on August 28, 1983, to Gregorio Concepcion and Annette Oxendine Concepcion in Columbia, South Carolina. Christopher was a mechanic by trade, which he enjoyed doing. Christopher leaves to cherish his memories two sons: Anthony Concepcion and Christopher Concepcion, two daughters: Mariana Eden Concepcion and Gregorio Imanuel Concepcion, his parents: Gregorio Concepcion and Annette Oxendine Concepcion, one brother: Gregorio Martin Concepcion (Judy), one sister: Maria Concepcion, along with a host of other relatives and friends.
Tish Reon Maynor
Aug. 20, 1979 – Aug. 21, 2025
Tish Reon Maynor, age 46 of Red Springs, North Carolina, was born April 20, 1979, and she departed this life on August 21, 2025.
Tish leaves to cherish her memories, her husband, William McPhaul. She was a dedicated mother to her daughter, Sariya Julian McPhaul, and her grandson, Nakoya Markus Maynor, II, whose lives are now forever changed. She was also survived by her parents, Ronald and Patricia Maynor, her sister, Stacy Maynor Godwin (Cory), sister-in-law, Lisa Jordan, and brother-in-law, Coray McPhaul. She will be deeply missed by a host of nieces and nephews (Jashon, Jaleesa, Jaidon, Laniyah, Kaylin, Kaliyah, Jace, and Olivia) that she loved dearly. She was preceded in death by her only son, Nakoya Markus Maynor.
Tish graduated from Hoke County High School in 1997 and from Robeson Community College with an associate degree in 2006. She worked for the Department of Social Services in Hoke County for many years and most recently worked in tax preparation. Those who knew Tish will remember her for making others smile and laugh, leaving an impact on many who crossed her path.
The family will accept friends for visitation on Monday, August 25, 2025, from 6-8 p.m. at Heritage Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, at 2 p.m.
‘Sopranos’ star Jerry Adler, Broadway backstage vet turned late-in-life actor, dead at 96
He had a long theater career before moving in front of the camera
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Jerry Adler, who spent decades behind the scenes of storied Broadway productions before pivoting to acting in his 60s, has died at 96.
Adler died Saturday, according to a brief family announcement con rmed by the Riverside Memorial Chapel in New York. Adler “passed peacefully in his sleep,” Paradigm Talent Agency’s Sarah Shulman said on behalf of his family. No immediate cause was given.
Among Adler’s acting credits are “The Sopranos,” on which he played Tony Soprano adviser Hesh Rabkin across all six seasons, and “The Good Wife,” where he played law partner Howard Lyman. But before Adler had ever stepped in front of a lm or television camera, he had 53 Broadway productions to his name — all behind the scenes, serving as a stage manager, producer or director.
He hailed from an entertainment family with deep roots in Jewish and Yiddish theater, as he told the Jewish Ledger in 2014. His father, Philip Adler, was a general manager for the famed Group Theatre and Broadway productions, and his cousin Stella Adler was a leg-
endary acting teacher. “I’m a creature of nepotism,” Adler told TheaterMania in 2015. “I got my rst job when I was at Syracuse University and my father, the general manager of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, called me (because) there was an opening for an assistant stage manager. I skipped school.”
After a long theater career,
which included the original production of “My Fair Lady” and working with the likes of Marlene Dietrich, Julie Andrews and Richard Burton, among many others, Adler left Broadway during its 1980s slump. He moved to California, where he worked on television productions like the soap opera “Santa Barbara.”
“I was really getting into the
twilight of a mediocre career,” he told The New York Times in 1992. But the retirement he was contemplating was staved o when Donna Isaacson, the casting director for “The Public Eye” and a longtime friend of one of Adler’s daughters, had a hunch about how to cast a hard-to- ll role, as The New York Times reported then. Adler had been on the other side of auditions, and, curious to experience how actors felt, agreed to try out. Director Howard Franklin, who auditioned dozens of actors for the role of a newspaper columnist in the Joe Pesci-starring lm, had “chills” when Adler read for the part, the newspaper reported.
So began an acting career that had him working consistently in front of the camera for more than 30 years. An early role on the David Chase-written “Northern Exposure” paved the way for his time on a future Chase project, “The Sopranos.”
“When David was going to do the pilot for ‘The Sopranos’ he called and asked me if I would do a cameo of Hesh. It was just supposed to be a one-shot,” he told Forward in 2015. “But when they picked up the show they liked the character, and I would come on every fourth week.”
Films included Woody Allen’s “Manhattan Murder Mystery,” but Adler was perhaps best known for his television work. Those credits included stints on “Rescue Me,” “Mad About You,” “Transparent” and guest spots on shows ranging from “The West Wing” to “Broad City.” He even returned to Broadway, this time onstage, in Elaine May’s “Taller Than a Dwarf” in 2000. In 2015, he appeared in Larry David’s writing and acting stage debut, “Fish in the Dark.”
“When David was going to do the pilot for ‘The Sopranos’ he called and asked me if I would do a cameo of Hesh. It was just supposed to be a one-shot… But when they picked up the show they liked the character.”
Jerry Adler
“I do it because I really enjoy it. I think retirement is a road to nowhere,” Adler told Forward, on the subject of the play. “I wouldn’t know what to do if I were retired. I guess if nobody calls anymore, that’s when I’ll be retired. Meanwhile this is great.”
Adler published a memoir, “Too Funny for Words: Backstage Tales from Broadway, Television and the Movies,” last year. “I’m ready to go at a moment’s notice,” he told CT Insider then, when asked if he’d take more acting roles. In recent years, he and his wife, Joan Laxman, relocated from Connecticut back to his hometown of New York. Survivors include his four daughters, Shulman said.
For Adler, who once thought he was “too goofy-looking” to act, seeing himself on screen was odd, at least initially. And in multiple interviews with various outlets, he expressed how strange it was to be recognized by the public after spending so many years working behind the scenes. There was at least one advantage to being preserved on lm, though, as he told The New York Times back in 1992. “I’m immortal,” he said.
RICHARD DREW / AP PHOTO
Actor Jerry Adler arrives for the funeral service of James Gandol ni in New York in 2013.
STATE & NATION
Four ways ICE is training new agents, scaling up
The immigration agency is hiring thousands of new recruits
By Rebecca Santana The Associated Press
BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Immigration and Customs Enforcement is an agency inside the Department of Homeland Security that is integral to President Donald Trump’s vision of carrying out the mass deportations he promised during the campaign.
Deportation o cers within a unit called Enforcement and Removal Operations are the ones who are responsible for immigration enforcement. They nd and remove people from the United States who aren’t American citizens and, for a variety of reasons, no longer can stay in the country.
Some might have gone through immigration court and a judge ordered them removed. Or they were arrested or convicted of certain crimes, or they’ve repeatedly entered the country illegally or overstayed a visa. ICE also manages a growing network of immigration detention facilities around the country where it holds people suspected of immigration violations.
Overall, its activities — and how it carries them out — have polarized many Americans in recent months.
After years when the number of deportation o cers largely remained even, the agency is now rapidly hiring. Congress this summer passed legislation giving ICE $76.5 billion in new money to help speed up the pace of deportations. That’s nearly 10 times the agency’s current annu-
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Response Team members shows how to enter a residence in the pursuit of a wanted subject.
al budget. Nearly $30 billion is for new sta . Last week, The Associated Press got a chance to visit the base in southern Georgia where new ICE recruits are trained and to talk to the agency’s top leadership. Here are details about four things ICE is doing that came out of those conversations.
ICE surging its hiring
ICE currently has about 6,500 deportation o cers, and it is aggressively looking to beef up those numbers. Acting Director Todd Lyons says he wants to hire an additional 10,000 by year’s end.
The agency has launched a new recruiting website, offered hiring bonuses as high as $50,000 and is advertising at career expos. Lyons said the agency has already received 121,000 applications — many from former o cers.
New recruits are trained at the Federal Law Enforcement
Training Center in Brunswick, Georgia. That’s a sprawling facility near the coast where federal law enforcement o cers — not just ICE agents — from around the country live and train. ICE is looking to more than double the number of instructors who train deportation o cers.
Caleb Vitello, who runs training for ICE, says it has cut Spanish-language requirements to reduce training by ve weeks, and he’s been looking for ways to streamline the training and have recruits do more at the eld o ces where they’re assigned. ICE also preparing for con ict
As Trump’s e ort to deport millions of people has intensied, violent episodes have unfolded as ICE seeks to arrest people. Critics have said ICE is being too heavy-handed in carrying out arrests while ICE says its people are the ones being attacked.
Great white sharks moving north; numbers point to warm water, food
There are more seals for them to feast upon
By Patrick Whittle
The Associated Press
SCARBOROUGH, Maine
— New data shows that great white sharks are spending more time in the chilly waters o New England and Canada’s Atlantic coast.
That means boaters, beachgoers and shermen who spend time in the northern waters are learning to live with the predators made famous by the movie “Jaws” 50 years ago. Sightings of the sharks are up in places like Maine, where they were once very rarely spotted.
Vitello said the agency tracks every time o cers use force as well as any time someone attacks its o cers. According to the agency’s data, from Jan. 21 through Aug. 5 there were 121 reported assaults of ICE ocers compared with 11 during the same period last year.
Lyons said that after recent operations in Los Angeles turned violent, ICE is making gas masks and helmets standard issue for new agents.
“Right now, we’re seeing and we’re having to adapt to all different scenarios that we were never trained for in the past,” he said.
Lyons says the agency is also starting to send out security teams to accompany agents making arrests: “We’re not gonna allow people to throw rocks anymore because we’re going to have our own agents and ofcers there to protect the ones that are actually out there making that arrest.”
Bee ng up specialized units for risky situations
About eight deportation ofcers dressed in military-style camou age uniforms, helmets and carrying an assortment of weapons stand outside a house yelling “Police! We have a warrant!” before entering and clearing the house.
They are members of a Special Response Team taking part in a demonstration at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. These o cers are like a SWAT team — deportation ocers with special training to assist in di cult situations. They also accompany detainees the agency deems dangerous when they are deported.
“Everybody is trained to serve a warrant,” Vitello said. “These guys are trained to serve high-risk warrants.”
There are roughly 450 deportation o cers with the special training to serve on these teams, and Lyons says they have been deployed to assist
on 47 unique dates, the department reported.
2 con rmed unprovoked shark attacks in Maine waters since 1837
The rst recorded fatal shark attack in Maine happened in 2020 when a great white shark killed 63-year-old Julie Dimperio Holowach o Bailey Island.
Shark experts describe fatal shark bites as exceedingly rare, in Maine and everywhere else.
Nearly 2.5-fold increase in detection of white sharks o Nova Scotia
with immigration enforcement in Los Angeles, Portland, Oregon, and Washington.
He said he’d like to have more such units but wouldn’t put an exact number on how many. Vitello said they’re also in the process of getting more of the specially armored vehicles.
ICE teaches whom agents can arrest — and when
New recruits to ICE receive training on immigration law and the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unlawful searches. Longtime o cers get regular refreshers on these topics.
In limited situations, ICE agents are allowed to enter someone’s home. Generally, when they’re seeking someone they’re trying to remove from the country, they have an administrative warrant as opposed to a criminal warrant. That administrative warrant doesn’t allow them to enter the house without rst getting permission.
Vitello says the new recruits are taught about the di erent warrants and how the rules differ. And they’re taught how those who allowed ICE to enter their house can change their mind.
“If somebody says, ‘Get out’ and you don’t have your target, you have to leave,” he said.
Multiple videos on social media have shown ICE o cers breaking car windows to pull someone out of a vehicle and arrest that person.
As ICE sees it, Vitello said, deportation o cers do have the authority to arrest someone in a car or truck. Vitello said in the rare case where a target was in a motor home, o cers would talk to the agency’s lawyers rst to gure out what protections apply.
Advocates for immigrants and the government have often disagreed about how much authority ICE has to make those arrests and where.
8 shark species known to live in Maine waters
In addition to the great white shark, at least seven other shark species live in Maine’s waters. They are the basking shark, porbeagle, blue shark, sand tiger shark, common thresher, shortn mako and spiny dog sh. Most of these sharks pose a very minimal threat to humans and some are harmless.
949 unprovoked shark attacks in recorded human history since 1580
93 great white sharks identi ed o Maine from 2020 to 2024
The Maine Department of
Scientists link the white shark sightings to increased availability of the seals the sharks feast on, and say beachgoers are generally very safe from shark bites. Here’s a breakdown by the numbers.
Marine Resources has been monitoring great white shark activity in the Gulf of Maine since 2020. The department has said it intends to use the data to better understand white shark distribution o the state’s coast.
Nineteen unique white sharks were recorded in 2024
The number of white sharks detected o Halifax, Nova Scotia, increased about 2.5 times from 2018 to 2022, according to a paper published in May in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series. Even farther north, the number detected in the Cabot Strait that separates Nova Scotia and Newfoundland increased nearly four times over, the paper said.
The International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History keeps a record of documented shark attacks. While the great white shark holds the record for most documented attacks on humans, the totals are still very low.
The white shark has been the source of 351 documented unprovoked shark attacks, and 59 of those have been fatal, the International Shark Attack File has reported.
DAVID LANCASTER VIA AP
A great white shark swims o the coast of Scarborough, Maine, earlier this month.
FRAN RUCHALSKI / AP PHOTO
MOORE COUNTY
Shipped o
The Panthers have sent veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) back to the Minnesota, receiving a
fourth-round pick while shipping the Vikings a 2027 fth and a conditional 2026 seventh-rounder. Thielen, a Minnesota native,
and
the third-most catches in Vikings history but left the franchise to sign in Carolina, where he spent two years, including a
WHAT’S HAPPENING
DOT threatens funding for 3 states for not enforcing trucker English pro ciency
Transportation Secretary Sean Du y says California, Washington and New Mexico could lose millions of dollars of federal funding if they continue failing to enforce English language requirements for truckers. An investigation launched after a deadly Florida crash involving a foreign truck driver who made an illegal U-turn earlier this month found what Du y called signi cant failures in the way all three states are enforcing rules that took e ect in June after one of President Donald Trump’s executive orders. Truckers are supposed to be disquali ed if they can’t demonstrate English pro ciency.
Wisconsin judge accused of helping man evade ICE denied immunity
A federal judge is allowing a case to proceed against a Wisconsin judge accused of helping a man evade U.S. immigration agents seeking to arrest him in her courthouse.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested in April and indicted on federal charges in May. U.S. District Judge Lynne Adelman on Tuesday rejected Dugan’s motion to dismiss the charges against her. Adelman’s decision could be appealed.
NC Supreme Court says bars’ COVID-19 lawsuits can proceed
The lawsuits can proceed under the state constitution’s “Fruits of Labor” clause
The Associated Press
RALEIGH — The North Carolina Supreme Court issued favorable rulings Friday for bars and their operators in litigation seeking monetary compensation from the state for COVID-19 restrictions rst issued by thenGov. Roy Cooper that shuttered their doors and, in their view, treated them unfairly compared to restaurants.
“On the Fruits of Labor claim, we modify and a rm in part the decision of the Court of Appeals and remand this matter to the trial court to reopen factual discovery and provide a new dis-
A sign indicates that a hotel in Chapel Hill is closed due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in March 2020.
covery schedule for the parties,”
Associate Justice Phil Berger Jr. wrote in the majority opinion in N.C. Bar and Tavern Ass’n v. Stein. “We reverse the Court of
Appeals on its Equal Protection determination and a rm on plainti s’ statutory claims.” Chief Justice Paul Newby authored the ruling in the second
case, Howell v. Cooper, writing that “We acknowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic was a chaotic period of time,” and that the governor was not the only one facing uncertainty — small businesses did as well.
“It may be that the executive orders’ restrictions on bars were reasonably necessary, but the state constitution gives plainti s the opportunity to put them to the test,” Newby wrote. “Plainti s have stated colorable constitutional claims under Article I, Sections 1 and 19. Because they have satis ed the requirements to successfully plead a Corum claim, sovereign immunity does not bar plainti s’ suit.”
The majority decisions by the justices mean a pair of
Beaches reopen after Hurricane Erin passes
Several people were killed in the rough conditions
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — North Carolina and other states on the eastern seaboard have begun to reopen beaches that had been closed due to Hurricane Erin, which sent strong winds and dangerous waves across the U.S. East Coast. Erin’s outer bands brushed North Carolina last Wednesday, but the storm never made landfall and caused no widespread damage to infrastructure despite being twice the size of an average hurricane. After progressing north in the Atlantic, it weakened into a post-tropical cyclone Friday, far from land. In North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Highway 12 on Hatteras Island opened at noon
ASHLEY LANDIS / AP PHOTO
2026 fth-round pick
2027
has
100-catch season in 2023.
ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO
Sebastian Kettner shes on Jennette’s Pier as waves from Hurricane Erin crash ashore in Nags Head last Thursday.
GERRY BROOME / AP PHOTO
THURSDAY 8.28.25
WEEKLY FORECAST
THURSDAY AUG 28
“Join the conversation”
North State Journal (USPS 20451) (ISSN 2471-1365)
Trip Ho end, 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 as part of North State Journal
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CRIME LOG
Aug. 18
Craig Richard May, 47, was arrested by Moore County Sheri ’s O ce (MCSO) for possessing methamphetamine.
• Misty Dawn Kidd, 43, was arrested by MCSO for possessing methamphetamine. Stephen Cole Boyd, 61, was arrested by MCSO for indecent exposure to a minor in a public place.
Taylor Damon Curtis, 26, was arrested by MCSO for illegally possessing a rearm as a felon.
Aug. 19
• Dianna Lynn McAlexander, 63, was arrested by MCSO for obtaining property by false pretenses.
Jonathon Ramek-Syent Alston, 39, was arrested by Southern Pines Police Department (SPPD) for domestic violence.
Aug. 21
Brandon Le’Trell McCain, 32, was arrested by SPPD for breaking and entering.
• Christopher Dillon Dixon, 28, was arrested by MCSO for possessing methamphetamine.
Aug. 22
Curtis David Morgan, 42, was arrested by MCSO for illegally possessing a rearm as a felon.
• Nicholas Peter Meserve, 30, was arrested by MCSO for driving with a revoked license (not impairment-related).
FRIDAY AUG 29
9%
ERIN from page A1
Saturday for residents, property owners and workers, according to North Carolina’s Department of Transportation. All restrictions lifted at 5 a.m. Sunday.
The Outer Banks — essentially sand dunes sticking out of the ocean a few feet above sea level — are vulnerable to erosion. Storm surges can cut through them, washing tons of sand and debris onto roads and sometimes breaking up pavement and creating new inlets. The dunes took a beating by Erin but there were no new inlets or signi cant structural damage to homes or businesses. Elsewhere, there were several deaths attributed to the rough conditions caused by the storm.
In Massachusetts, a team of police and U.S. Coast Guard members were resuming their search Monday for a man in his 50s who was missing after a boat capsized o of Salisbury Beach on Saturday. The other person in the boat was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Despite challenging weather and sea conditions includ-
BARS from page A1
lawsuits remain alive, and future court orders directing the state pay them nancial damages are possible.
As a way to ease the spread of coronavirus, Cooper — a Democrat who left o ce last December and is now running for U.S. Senate — issued a series of executive orders that closed bars starting in March 2020. By that summer, bars still had to remain closed, but restaurants and breweries could serve alcohol during certain hours. Later in 2020, bars could serve alcoholic drinks in outdoor seating, with time limits later added, but the plainti s said it was unpro table to operate. All temporary restrictions on bars were lifted in May 2021.
Lawyers defending Cooper have said the orders were based on the most current scienti c studies and public health data available at a time when thousands were ill or dying and vaccines weren’t widely available.
On Friday, the court’s ve Republican justices in one lawsuit agreed it could continue to trial, rejecting arguments from state attorneys that the litigation must be halted based on a legal doctrine that exempts state government from most lawsuits. That decision largely upheld a Court of Appeals decision from two years ago that had a rmed a trial judge’s order to allow the action led by Ti any Howell, seven other people and nine businesses to be heard.
“We acknowledge that the
YORK FIRE/RESCUE VIA AP
A sailboat capsized by the high surf crashed into the rocks at York Harbor in Maine. The one man aboard the boat was rescued.
ing 6- to 8-foot swells, the team performed sonar scans, dives, surface and aerial patrols on Sunday, the state police said in a news release. In Maine, a man was rescued Saturday after his sailboat capsized in high surf in York Harbor.
In New Hampshire, authorities are investigating the death of a 17-year-old boy who had been swimming with family members o of Hampton Beach on Sunday night.
Witnesses said he was pulled away by a strong ocean cur-
COVID-19 pandemic was a chaotic period of time,” Newby wrote in the prevailing opinion. “It is important to remember, however, that the Governor was not the only person facing uncertainty. Small business owners across the state dutifully shuttered their doors and scaled back operations without knowing exactly when they could open or operate fully again.”
A broader group of plainti s — the North Carolina Bar and Tavern Association and scores of private bars — that sued separately but made similar claims received a favorable ruling last year from a Court of Appeals panel that reversed a trial judge’s decision to dismiss the lawsuit.
Friday, the same ve justices ruled that the Court of Appeals shouldn’t have allowed the association to sue based on claims its members’ constitutional rights for equal treatment were violated. But the plainti s can return to a trial judge now and present evidence on the claim that their right under the state constitution to earn a living was violated, Berger wrote in the majority opinion.
The association and the private bars “su ciently alleged unconstitutional interference, and thus have a right to seek discovery to prove those allegations are true,” Berger wrote.
The Supreme Court’s two Democratic justices opposed decisions made by the majority in both cases and said the lawsuits should be dismissed. Associate Justice Allison Riggs wrote that the Bar and Tav-
rent and his father unsuccessfully tried to rescue him. Lifeguards brought both to shore and began livesaving e orts on the teen, who was later pronounced dead at a hospital. The father was treated there.
A man drowned Saturday after being caught in a strong rip current o the New York coast, at Sailors Haven in the Fire Island Natoinal Seashore in Su olk County, authorities said. Ishmoile Mohammed, 59, was visiting from South Carolina.
ern Association failed to signal it had evidence of a more reasonable plan to contain the virus’ impact than what Cooper chose.
Writing the dissent in the Howell case, Associate Justice Anita Earls said the majority “grants itself a roving license to second-guess policy choices, reweigh trade-o s, and displace decisions appropriately made by the political branches.”
The state Attorney General’s O ce, which represented Cooper in both cases, said Friday it was reviewing the decisions. Through a spokesperson, Cooper’s Senate campaign declined to comment.
The N.C. Bar and Tavern Association called the decision in its case a “major victory.”
“From the beginning, we never asked for special treatment, only equal treatment,” association President Zack Medford said. Chuck Kitchen, a lawyer representing plainti s in the Howell case, also praised the ruling in their litigation.
Cooper was the subject of several lawsuits challenging his COVID-19 actions early in the pandemic, and he was largely successful in court. In August 2024, the state Supreme Court sided with a small racetrack that was closed briefly for defying state gathering limits and said the track and its operators could sue the top health regulator in Cooper’s administration.
North State Journal’s A.P. Dillon contributed to this report.
moore happening
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in and around Moore County:
Aug. 28-30
Moore County Historical Association: Shaw House and Property Tours
1-4 p.m.
The Moore County Historical Association’s grounds and properties are open for tours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday afternoons. Tours are free and open to all ages. Enjoy learning about the impressive history of Moore County.
Shaw House 110 Morganton Road Southern Pines
Aug. 29 -30
Cosmic Bowling 6-11:55 p.m.
Sandhills Bowling Center presents family bowling nights every Friday and Saturday. Based on age, you can enjoy two hours of bowling for between $5.50 and $17 per person. Free shoe rental.
Sandhills Bowling Center
1680 N.C. Highway 5 Aberdeen
Aug. 30
Moore County Farmers Market
8 a.m. to noon
A vast and varied selection of fresh produce and 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 using fresh, regional ingredients every Saturday throughout the summer.
156 SE Broad St. Southern Pines
U Pick Lavender at Lazy Fox Lavender Farm
11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Spend the day in the country exploring the farm and enjoy seeing chickens and sheep. Visitors enjoy the beauty and scent of fresh lavender, which can be cut and purchased by the bundle. A gift shop and an ice cream truck are also on the grounds. Admission is $5 each for adults and kids 2-plus. (Children under the age of two are admitted for free.)
272 Edgewood Road Cameron
THE CONVERSATION
Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
Is socialism as popular as the media think?
Collectivist ideas always fail, yet they never die.
“DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS” have been getting the teenage-idol treatment from giddy reporters and editors at legacy media outlets for years.
Their newest crush, as New Yorkers already know, is jihadi-apologist and Marxist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
In a 4,500-word cover story headlined “The Meaning of Zohran Mamdani,” Time magazine paints a caricature of a well-meaning, authentic and not-really-so-radical go-getter. An “ideologue interested in creative solutions” is how Time puts it.
Sure, Mamdani might support genocidal rhetoric, but the Jewish community will be pleased to learn that he “often talked about the problem of antisemitism and the need for anti-hate-crime funding.”
Is Mamdani, as many would have it, a generational talent whose campaign should be mimicked nationally by Democrats?
Yes, the resentful young have convinced themselves they’re living in the worst era ever to have befallen man. “People our age have never experienced American prosperity in our adult lives — which is why so many millennials are embracing democratic socialism,” Harvard-educated writer Charlotte Alter once put it in a Time cover piece on a previous darling, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
But George Will recently argued that a Mamdani win would be bene cial in reminding the nation of “socialism’s many harms.” Collectivist ideas always fail, yet they never die.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) championed Hugo Chavez in the 2000s — and even after Venezuelans predictably began foraging for food, Sanders, one of the most popular politicians in the country, was
still championing the same system. So it’s not as if we don’t have the lessons already.
Indeed, we’ve been having the same debates in perpetuity. The zero-sum fallacy that capitalism is inherently evil and rigged has been hammered into our conscience for centuries. We’ve convinced millions of Americans that a gaggle of rich people can trigger economic havoc for pro t, control the economy to undermine the working class and push commodity prices higher to reap the pro ts.
It is a tragedy that Democrats continue to stagger leftward on all fronts to mollify and placate their activist class. And it’s not merely economics. The modern “democratic” socialist comes with a slew of positions that not only undermine quality of life but clash with the moral outlook of normies: the pro-terrorist, pro-identitarian rhetoric; the championing of criminality and illegal immigration; the anti-modernity climate hysteria; and the deranged social science quackery on gender — just for starters.
So I wonder how popular socialism really is.
Right now, there is no real evidence that a socialist outlook plays in most places. It barely plays in cities. If NYC’s Democrats didn’t split the vote between Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and perhaps found themselves a candidate who hadn’t already tarnished themselves with scandal, Mamdani would likely lose.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, former Chicago mayor and would-be 2028 presidential hopeful Rahm Emanuel pushed back on hard-left ideas, contending Democrats should run on centrist slogans, such as “build, baby, build.”
How Democrats plan on doing this without rolling back the climate hysteria that undermines growth and squanders billions on half-baked
The woke media is wrong. America’s cities need to be safe again
D.C. police o cials are accused of manipulating crime statistics in the weeks leading up to the federal takeover, allegedly reclassifying or downgrading violent incidents to mask the true scale of lawlessness.
From the nation’s capital to sanctuary cities coast-to-coast, President Donald J. Trump is demonstrating unwavering resolve and e ective leadership in restoring law and order and the safety American families deserve.
In the heart of Washington, D.C., under Trump’s decisive leadership, the federal government invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to declare a “crime emergency” and place the Metropolitan Police Department under federal control — an unprecedented move guided by the urgent need to protect Americans under siege. This bold action deployed National Guard troops and federal agents, resulting in more than 400 arrests, including 60 individuals suspected of being undocumented immigrants and the seizure of 27 rearms. This marks a serious restoration of public safety in our Nation’s capital.
While critics cite data showing violent crime in D.C. was at a 30-year low and trending downward — including a 35% overall decline and a 37% drop in carjackings in 2025 — recent reporting suggests these numbers may not tell the whole story. According to Fox News, D.C. police o cials are accused of manipulating crime statistics in the weeks leading up to the federal takeover, allegedly reclassifying or downgrading violent incidents to mask the true scale of lawlessness. This raises a chilling question: Were Americans being misled about the reality on the ground just to protect political narratives?
Trump certainly thought so, and his hunch was right. Ask anyone who lives or has visited D.C. recently, and they’ll tell you the streets of our capital have been a mess. Now, thanks to Trump, it’s starting to feel like a safer environment for families, as it should.
Beyond Washington, D.C., the Trump-Vance
administration is placing sanctuary jurisdictions squarely on notice. More than 500 jurisdictions, including states like California, Illinois, New York and Washington, and in uential counties such as Cook County and San Francisco, have been o cially designated as obstructing federal immigration enforcement. Attorney General Pam Bondi has signaled that continued de ance could trigger withdrawal of federal funding and criminal enforcement, powerful measures designed to protect American communities from criminal alien elements.
Take New York City, for instance, where the U.S. Department of Justice has led suit, asserting that sanctuary policies have allowed “thousands of criminals” back onto the streets without accountability. Trump is not only demanding cooperation; he’s demanding accountability and refers to sanctuary policies not as protections, but as threats to public safety.
Earlier this year, the Trump-Vance administration launched a nationwide immigration enforcement campaign that so far has resulted in the arrests of more than 300,000 illegal aliens. About 70% of those are criminal illegal aliens with criminal charges or convictions. These actions reinforce the administration’s commitment to safeguarding communities from criminal elements hiding behind sanctuary policies.
This past January, Trump issued Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, which expanded deportation tools such as expedited removal, denied federal funding to sanctuary jurisdictions, and increased sta ng for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, reinforcing priorities for immigrationrelated public safety enforcement.
energy plans is going to be interesting. But he has a point. Centrist Democrats are poised to win entire purple states like Virginia, showing far wider appeal than Mamdani — but they can barely get any attention.
One of the most popular governors in the country right now is Kentucky’s Andy Beshear, a Democrat in a state with a Republican-controlled legislature that President Donald Trump won by more than a 30-point margin. Why isn’t he the way forward for Democrats? Other governors in the top 10 have similar dispositions, including North Carolina’s Josh Stein and Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, both in states Trump won. All of them take moderated left-of-center positions without a fullthroated embrace of anti-market, anti-Western, racialist positions that are in vogue in cities.
No GQ covers for them.
The Democrats have become a party of the rich and the dependent poor — because the rich can a ord socialism and the poor marginally bene t. Since the market-fueled gentri cation of the ’90s, cities have become increasingly progressive and correspondingly more expensive and poorly run.
California, Illinois, Massachusetts and New York have seen signi cant net outward migration since then, while market-driven states with lower regulations and taxes like Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas have seen signi cant increases in newcomers. This is before New York City installed a socialist mayor. How popular is socialism? Far too popular. But not as popular as Democrats and the media would have us believe. At least, not yet.
David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner.
Trump also zeroed out wasteful “consent decrees” that hampered state and local governments’ ability to address vagrancy and public disorder, redirecting federal funds toward substance-abuse programs and civil commitment where appropriate. This brings practical solutions to streets once marred by chaos. Trump’s approach is neither abstract rhetoric nor symbolic; it is action-driven. From exposing manipulated crime statistics in Washington, D.C., and tens of thousands of deportations in sanctuary cities to restoring federal cooperation and securing our borders, he is delivering on his promise to make America safe again.
Looking past the woke media noise, Americans will be glad he did it. Consider the latest news from this D.C. crime crackdown, where an MS13 gang member was arrested. Had Trump not stepped in, a local resident or future visitor could’ve been this criminal’s next victim.
If we are to preserve the American dream and the stability our children inherit, law and order must remain foundational. Standing up to sanctuary jurisdictions, enforcing federal immigration laws, reclaiming urban streets and deploying resources where they matter, the president is making our communities safe for all of us. In D.C. and cities across the country, Americans should start to feel safe again, thanks to the Trump administration. If it’s not clear to the critics, it certainly is to the rest of us; all we ever needed was a new president.
Jorge Martínez is senior adviser and National Director of Hispanic Outreach for America First Works. He formerly served as press secretary at the U.S. Department of Justice. This column was originally published by Daily Caller News Foundation.
COLUMN | JORGE MARTÍNEZ
COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI
‘No magic xes’ for Democrats as party confronts internal, fundraising struggles
Approval ratings are down, and so is the party’s bank balance
By Steve Peoples The Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS — Ken Martin is in the ght of his life.
The low-pro le political operative from Minnesota, just six months on the job as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is charged with leading his party’s formal resistance to President Donald Trump and xing the Democratic brand.
“I think the greatest divide right now in our party, frankly, is not ideological,” Martin told The Associated Press. “The greatest divide is those people who are standing up and ghting and those who are sitting on the sidelines.”
“We’re using every single lever of power we have to take the ght to Donald Trump,” he said of the DNC.
And yet, as hundreds of Democratic o cials gather in Martin’s Minneapolis hometown on Monday for the rst o cial DNC meeting since he became chair, there is evidence that Martin’s ght may extend well beyond the current occupant of the Oval O ce.
Big Democratic donors are unhappy with the direction of their own party and not writing checks. Political factions are fragmented over issues such as the Israel-Hamas war. The party’s message is murky. Key segments of the Democratic base — working-class voters and young people, among them — have drifted away.
And there is deep frustration
It should absorb heat and make it more di cult to scale
By Rebecca Santana The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Homeland Security Secre-
tary Kristi Noem said last Tuesday that the entire wall along the southern border with Mexico is going to be painted black to make it hotter and deter illegal immigration — and she credited President Donald Trump with the idea.
Noem spoke during a visit to a portion of the wall in New Mex-
that the Democratic Party under Martin’s leadership is not doing enough to stop the Republican president — no matter how tough his rhetoric may be.
“There are no magic xes,” said Jeanna Repass, the chair of the Kansas Democratic Party, who praised Martin’s performance so far. “He is trying to lead at a time where everyone wants it to be xed right now. And it’s just not going to happen.”
At this week’s three-day summer meeting, DNC o cials hope to make real progress in reversing the sense of pessimism and frustration that has consumed Democrats since Republicans seized the White House and control of Congress last fall.
It may not be so easy.
Con dence questions and money trouble
At least a couple of DNC members privately considered bringing a vote of no condence against Martin this week in part because of the committee’s underwhelming fundraising, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation who was granted anonymity to share internal discussions. Ultimately, the no con dence vote will not move forward because Martin’s critics couldn’t get su cient support from the party’s broader membership, which includes more than 400 elected ocials from every state and several territories.
Still, the committee’s nancial situation is weak compared with the opposition’s.
The most recent federal lings reveal that the DNC has $14 million in the bank at the
$14M
DNC cash on hand compared with the Republican National Committee’s $84 million
end of July compared with the Republican National Committee’s $84 million. The Democrats’ gure represents its lowest level of cash on hand in at least the last ve years.
Martin and his allies, including his predecessor Jaime Harrison, insist it’s not fair to compare the party’s current nancial health with recent years, when Democratic President Joe Biden was in the White House.
Harrison pointed to 2017 as a more accurate comparison. That year, the committee struggled to raise money in the months after losing to Trump the rst time. And in the 2018 midterm elections that followed, Harrison noted, Democrats overcame their fundraising problems and won the House majority and several Senate seats.
“These are just the normal pains of being a Democrat when we don’t have the White House,” Harrison said. “Ken is nding his footing.”
Martin acknowledged that big donors are burnt out after the last election, which has forced the committee to turn to smaller-dollar donors, who have responded well.
“Money will not be the ultimate determinant in this (midterm) election,” Martin said. “We’ve been making investments, record investments, in
our state parties. ... We have the money to operate. We’re not in a bad position.”
Gaza debate could get ugly
While Martin is broadly popular among the DNC’s rank and le, internal divisions may are publicly this week when the committee considers competing resolutions about the Israel-Hamas war.
One proposed resolution would have the DNC encourage Democratic members of Congress to suspend military aid to Israel, establish an arms embargo and recognize Palestine as a country, according to draft language reviewed by the AP. The measure also states that the crisis in Gaza has resulted in the loss of more than 60,000 lives and the displacement of 1.7 million Palestinians “at the hands of the Israeli government.”
The DNC leadership, led by Martin, introduced a competing resolution that adds more context about Israel’s challenges.
One line, for example, refers to “the su ering of both Palestinians and Israelis” and notes the number of Israelis killed in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Martin’s version calls for a two-state solution, but there is no reference to the number of Palestinians killed or displaced, nor is there a call for an end to military aid or an arms embargo.
Meanwhile, another proposed resolution would rea rm the DNC’s commitment to “diversity, equity and inclusion.” Many Democrats, businesses and educational institutions have distanced themselves from DEI programs after Trump and other Republicans attacked them
as Democrats’ “woke” policies. Ultimately, Martin said the party needs to focus its message on the economy.
“There’s no doubt we have to get back to a message that resonates with voters,” he said. “And focusing on an economic agenda is the thing that brings all parts of our coalition and Americans into the conversation.”
“We have work to do for sure,” he added.
Presidential prospects on the agenda
The DNC is years away from deciding which states vote rst on the 2028 presidential primary calendar, but that discussion will begin in earnest at the Minneapolis gathering, where at least three presidential prospects will be featured speakers: Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Martin said the DNC is open to changes from the 2024 calendar, which kicked o in South Carolina, while pushing back traditional openers Iowa and New Hampshire. In recent days, Iowa Democrats have publicly threatened to go rogue and ignore the wishes of the DNC if they are skipped over again in 2028.
The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws committee this week is expected to outline what the next calendar selection process would look like, although the calendar itself likely won’t be completed until 2027.
“We’re going to make sure that the process is open, that any state that wants to make a bid to be in the early window can do so,” Martin said.
ico, where she also picked up a roller brush to help out with the painting.
She touted the height of the wall as well as the depth as ways to deter people seeking to go over or under the walls. And then Noem said Homeland Security was going to be trying black paint to make the metal hotter.
“That is speci cally at the request of the president, who understands that in the hot temperatures down here when something is painted black it gets even warmer and it will make it even harder for people to climb.
So we are going to be painting the entire southern border wall black to make sure that we en-
courage individuals to not come into our country illegally,” Noem said.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks, who attended the event with Noem, said the paint would also help deter rust.
During Trump’s rst term, building the wall was a central focus of his hardline immigration policy. During his second term, his mass deportation agenda with arrests in the interior of the country has been the main focus, but Homeland Security will be getting about $46 billion to complete the wall as part of new funding passed by Congress this summer.
Noem said they have been
building about a half mile of barrier every day.
“The border wall will look very di erent based on the topography and the geography of where it is built,” she said.
She said that in addition to barriers like the one she visited last week, the department is working on “water-borne infrastructure.” Long sections of the roughly 2,000-mile border between the U.S. and Mexico sit along the Rio Grande River in Texas.
The Trump administration is pushing forward with completing the wall at the same time that the number of people crossing the border illegally has plummeted.
“That is speci cally at the request of the president, who understands that in the hot temperatures down here when something is painted black it gets even warmer and it will make it even harder for people to climb.”
Kristi Noem, Homeland Security secretary
MOORE SPORTS
FOOTBALL ROUNDUP
Union Pines opens football season with win
North Moore and Pinecrest head into Week 2 looking for their rst victories
North State Journal sta
ONLY ONE OF THE three Moore County schools got football season started on the right foot last Friday. It’s the rst time since the 2017 season that at least two of the local schools didn’t post opening night wins.
Union Pines
The Vikings opened the season with a 28-6 road win over Westover. It’s the second year in a row that Union Pines has started 1-0. It was the rst win for the Vikings over Westover since 2015 and just the second time since then the two schools have met.
Senior quarterback Ian Hicks completed 14 of 19 passes for 129 yards and one touchdown, to Kaeden Sovey, who had three catches for 48 yards. Talik Graham added four for 40 yards.
Junior Adrian Colon was the leading rusher with 102 yards on 21 carries. He scored once, while Hayne Tobias reached the end zone on both of his carries.
Union Pines has its home opener this week against crosstown rival Pinecrest.
North Moore
For the second year in a row, North Moore opened with a loss. The Mustangs traveled to Fike and returned on the wrong end of a 47-20 score.
North Moore scored the rst touchdown of the game on its opening drive, but Fike scored
Pinecrest’s Eric Melton breaks away for a 78-yard touchdown catch in the opening game.
the next 26 points, including a scoop-and-score return of a fumble for 60 yards.
The Mustangs will look to the home opener for their rst win. They kick o against Wake Prep Academy at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The Guardians lost 19-6 to NRCA at home last week.
Pinecrest
The Patriots are 0-1 for the rst time since 2022 after falling 60-19 at home to Cleveland. Cleveland had a dominating day on all fronts, with 222 yards and four touchdowns passing, to go with 141 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. The Rams added 20 tackles for loss and four turnovers on defense.
Senior Chris Najm had 66 rushing yards and a touchdown to lead Pinecrest, while Eric Melton caught a 78-yard touchdown pass from Najee Gillis. It’s a short road trip this week for Pinecrest, to Union Pines. Moore County Week 2 High School schedule:
• Friday Aug. 29, 7:30 p.m., Pinecrest Patriots (0-1) at Union Pines Vikings (1-0)
Friday Aug. 29, 7:30 p.m., North Moore Mustangs (0-1) home vs. Wake Prep Academy Guardians (0-1, 4-6 in 2024)
Friday Aug. 29, 7:30 p.m., Union Pines Vikings (1-0) home vs. Pinecrest Patriots (0-1)
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Adrian Colon
Union Pines, football
Adrian Colon is a junior running back on the Union Pines football team.
The Vikings were the only county team to open with a win on the gridiron, and Colon was the county’s leading rusher.
Colon carried the ball 21 times and gained 102 yards, scoring once. He’s currently the state’s No. 2 rusher in Class 6A.
Blaney’s last-second surge at Daytona denies underdogs Cinderella moment
A late run moved him from 13th to rst
By Jenna Fryer
The Associated Press
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—
The Cup Series’ playo system is designed to give a long shot a chance to race for the championship.
As a pack of underdogs hurtled toward the nish line at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night, there was a real possibility of an upset and someone racing their way into the postseason by winning the regular-season nale.
Then a favorite spoiled it all. Ryan Blaney won a four-wide race to claim the checkered ag
— a victory that denied a Cinderella moment and gave Alex Bowman the nal spot in the playo s.
Blaney was 13th with two laps to go, then muscled his Team Penske Ford to the front and surged slightly ahead right before the nish line. He beat Daniel Suarez by 0.031 seconds, Justin Haley by 0.036 seconds and Cole Custer by 0.049 seconds.
Erik Jones was fth, Kyle Larson sixth, Chris Buescher seventh and Ty Gibbs eighth. Any of the seven drivers behind Blaney besides Larson would have been rst-time winners this season and claimed the nal spot in the 16-driver playo eld.
But Blaney — a former series champion already locked into the eld — denied them all.
His victory assured Bowman, who crashed early in the race and had to watch for more than three hours on TV to learn his fate, would race for the championship this season.
The rst 19 cars across the nish line were all within a half-second of Blaney, who wound up second in the regular-season standings. Daytona 500 winner William Byron had already wrapped up the regular-season title.
“What a wild couple last laps,” said Blaney, who waited until the end to aggressively move through tra c. “It’s de nitely not as traditional a way as we like to run them; we like to lead laps and things like that. We just couldn’t really get there until the last second.”
Suarez, who is being replaced at Trackhouse Racing at the end of the season, was disappointed not to make the playo s.
“All in all, a good car. Just not enough and a little too late,” Suarez said.
Haley, who is likely to be replaced at Spire Motorsports at the end of the year, also was frustrated. Haley and Spire’s only Cup Series win came in this race in 2019, when it was shortened by rain while Haley was the leader.
“It hurts, especially with the year the 7 car has had. We obviously had a rough season,” Haley said. “You’re counting them down and just trying to play everything out. It stings, but still a good night.”
Buescher said coming up
short of the playo s would force him to “just be mad about it for a while.
“Not trying to pout, just I’m proud of this team,” he continued. “It was a great night. We certainly had a shot and had the speed again, so want to be excited about that, and I am. But man, it’s just another one of those we had the ability to win this race, had the speed, had the handling, and no champagne to celebrate.”
The victory was on brand for Team Penske, winner of the last three Cup Series championships. Joey Logano won in 2023, Blaney in 2024 and Logano again last year.
The team has won those titles by overcoming summer slumps and then turning it up when the playo s begin. Blaney’s win snapped an 11-race losing streak for Penske and Ford.
Roger Penske, who was in Victory Lane to celebrate with the No. 12 team, has all three of his drivers in the playo eld.
DAVID SINCLAIR FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL
JOHN RAOUX / AP PHOTO
Ryan Blaney (12) crosses the nish line to win Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona.
Eleanor “Ellie” Rhodes Bush Cammer
March 6, 1939 – Aug. 18, 2025
Eleanor Rhodes Bush Cammer (Ellie), 86, left this world for her mansion in Heaven on Monday, August 18, 2025. Ellie is survived by her devoted husband of 65 years, Daniel Christopher Cammer, three daughters, Kelly Louise Burchett (John W. Burchett), Elizabeth Lee Skewis (William David Skewis), Ann Marie Graham, her sister Sally Ann Vanscoy, and her brother Robert Evans Bush (Mary Victoria (Vicki) Bush). She has nine grandchildren Kyle Ebert (Summer), Sarah Christesen (Joe), Matthew Ebert (Alisha), John Burchett, Josh Burchett (Madie), Nathan Graham, Allie Graham, Mary Burchett, and Kyra Graham along with 4 great grandchildren Stephanie, Louis, Elliott, and Adeleide. Ellie has four nieces: Gabrielle, Cathy, Carrie (Mike), and Jessica.
Ellie (Ma, Bubba) enjoyed her many grandchildren and greatgrandchildren and constantly came up with ways to show her love for them, including “Sunday Hugs”, special outings, gift bags, sleepovers, fun food and beverages, and a birthday song over the phone.
Ellie was an active member of six Presbyterian church communities - First Presbyterian Church of Winchester, Falls Church Presbyterian Church, Burke Presbyterian Church, Vienna Presbyterian Church, Opequon Presbyterian Church
Carol Jean Oldytowski
July 6, 1948 – Aug. 24, 2025
Carol Jean Oldytowski, age 77, of Carthage, passed away peacefully at FirstHealth Hospice House on Sunday, August 24, 2025. Carol was born in Massachusetts on July 6, 1948, to the late Arthur Edward Tilley and Lorraine Elizabeth Smith. She is survived by her children: Ricci Hoe icker (Jonathan) of Arizona, Terry Sutton of Carthage; brothers, Arthur Tilley (Jane) of Pennsylvania, Michael Tilley (Josette) of Missouri, Fredrick Tilley of Massachusetts. No services are planned.
(Winchester), and Community Presbyterian Church (Pinehurst). She earned her BS in Education at Madison College, now James Madison University, and her master’s in religious education at Wesley Theological Seminary of the United Methodist Church in Washington, DC. While attending Madison College, she played eld hockey and was an active member of the Alpha Sigma Tau sorority. She remained active with AZT for many years. As Ellie raised her three daughters, she worked in the Fairfax County Public School System as a substitute teacher and a school nurse. She was active with the local Job’s Daughter Chapter and Eastern Star. She served as Director of Christian Education at Burke Presbyterian Church and Vienna Presbyterian Church, where she oversaw a ministry of over 1,200 children.
Her life’s call was to educate children, and she loved educating others about Jesus at home and abroad, including trips to Kenya and multiple US locations.
She was very creative, and, upon retirement, she expressed her creativity through scrapbooking and card making. She loved people and was loved by many. She showed love through her conversational compassion and uniquely handcrafted cards. Anyone who has received a card “from Ellie” has received a small treasure. All who knew her were truly blessed.
A service will be held at Community Presbyterian Church in Pinehurst, NC, on Saturday, August 30, 2025, at 2:30 p.m., and a second service will be held on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at Opequon Presbyterian Church in Winchester, VA.
In lieu of owers, donations can be made to Black Mountain Presbyterian Church for continued hurricane recovery in the Montreat/Black Mountain/ Asheville, NC area, or the Sandhills Women’s Exchange, or Opequon Presbyterian Church’s “Graham Taylor WATTS” program.
Services entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Southern Pines.
Kristi Campbell Rogers
Oct. 4, 1978 – Aug. 24, 2025
Mrs. Kristi (Campbell) Rogers, 46, of Carthage, North Carolina, entered into eternal rest on Sunday, August 24, 2025, at FirstHealth Moore Regional in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Please keep the family and friends of Mrs. Kristi (Campbell) Rogers in your thoughts and prayers.
Arrangements are entrusted to McLeod Funeral Home of Southern Pines, North Carolina.
Dorothy “Dottie” Anne Bement
Sept. 30, 1946 – Aug. 20, 2025
Dorothy “Dottie” Anne Bement, 78, passed away peacefully on August 20, 2025, at First Health Hospice House in West End, NC, surrounded by love. She faced her nal days with grace, gratitude, and unwavering faith.
Born in Jacksonville, Florida, to Dorothy “Dot” and Edward Washko, Dottie’s life was a beautiful journey of love, service, and adventure. She spent her early years in Florida, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania before meeting the love of her life, Ronald Bement, at Fort Dix, NJ. Together, they shared nearly 48 wonderful years of marriage until Ron’s passing in 2015. Their partnership was lled with devotion, laughter and countless cherished memories.
Dottie’s life was rich with purpose. She began her career as a bank teller, later co-owning a successful ower shop in Latrobe, PA, with Ron. After moving to Southern Pines, NC in 1988, she pursued her passion for caring for others, earning her RN/BSN and ultimately serving as the Nurse Aid Program Director at Sandhills Community College. She mentored countless
Ruth Eleanor Patterson
Aug. 26, 1928 – Aug. 18, 2025
Ruth Eleanor Patterson, age 96, of Southern Pines, died August 18, 2025, at St. Joseph of the Pines in Southern Pines, NC. She will be interred with her husband at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida.
Ruth was born on August 26, 1928, in Waynesburg, PA, to Guy Lancelot Goodwin and Anna Mae Clutter Goodwin. In 1949, Ruth married Joseph Bryan Patterson, who served in the Navy. They were happily married for 61
students, leaving a lasting legacy in the nursing community. Family was Dottie’s greatest joy. She is survived by her children, Paul (Jennifer) and Tim (Ami), and her beloved grandchildren, Isaac (Nadlliiley), Ben (Julia), Clara (Josiah), Sam (Jessica), step-granddaughters Brookelyn and Ava, and great-grandson Orion. She also cherished her sister, Sandra Washko, and held close the memory of her late brother David Washko, survived by his wife Carol. Her extended family and friends brought her endless love and support throughout her life.
Dottie embraced life fully, whether traveling to Australia and New Zealand, singing in groups, tending her gardens, or caring for her beloved pets. Her home in Southern Pines was a haven of warmth, where grandchildren made memories feeding animals, gardening, and riding the tractor. Sunset Beach was another favorite place for family gatherings and laughter. Her deep faith guided her throughout life. Dottie was an active member of Emmanuel Episcopal Church, serving in many roles, including bell choir and the Order of St. Luke. In recent years, she found joy and friendship at Pine Knoll Senior Living Community, where she continued to share her kindness and optimism with everyone she met. Dottie often expressed gratitude for her long, full life, which was marked by love, unwavering faith in God and service. She truly embodied the adage of a life well lived.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, September 20, 2025, at 10 a.m. at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Southern Pines, NC, with a reception immediately following.
Donations in her honor can be made to FirstHealth Hospice and Palliative Care, 150 Applecross Drive, Pinehurst, NC 28374.
years. Ruth and Joseph loved to travel and were able to visit all 50 United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Paris.
Ruth worked as an accountant for the public school system. She was a member of the Grace Chapter of Eastern Star in Geneva, OH. After moving to Southern Pines in 2014, she also attended Belle Meade Chapel and was a resident of Belle Meade and St. Joseph of the Pines. Ruth is preceded in death by her husband, Joseph Bryan Patterson; brothers, Ralph Goodwin and Raymond Goodwin; and a sister, Dorothy Forshey. She is survived by her niece, Rita Roberts of Southern Pines, NC, as well as many nieces and nephews in Pennsylvania, Iowa and Tennessee.
The family will receive friends on Friday, August 29, 2025, in the Ascot Room of Belle Meade from 3-4 p.m.
The family requests that memorials be made to the charity of their choice. Services are entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Southern Pines.
Thelma Galloway
Feb. 3, 1952 – Aug. 18, 2025
Mrs. Thelma Galloway entered into her eternal home with the Lord on August 18, 2025. A devoted Christian, she loved the Lord with all her heart and cherished her family above all else. Thelma took great joy and pride in her calling as a wife, mother and homemaker.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 50 years, Leonard Galloway, and by two sons, Stephen Bent and Rodney Tolentino.
Left to treasure her memory are her children: daughters Susan McGee (Clark) and Nancy Whipp (Ralph), both of California; and sons Je rey Short (Staci) and John Galloway (Casey) of North Carolina. She is also survived by many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, each of whom she dearly loved and enjoyed sharing stories about.
Following the passing of her husband, Thelma made her home with her son, John. and his family. During this time, she became a faithful member of Robbins First Baptist Church, where she enjoyed the fellowship of her church family for the past three years. Thelma and Leonard faithfully served the Lord together as missionaries, both in the United States and abroad in the Philippines. Her greatest joy was telling others about Jesus Christ. She and Leonard also shared many special memories as active members of the Fleet Reserve Association, as well as participating in a local bowling league in Fayetteville, NC. A memorial service to celebrate Thelma’s life will be held at Robbins First Baptist Church on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, at 6 p.m. The family warmly invites everyone to stay for a fellowship meal following the service at 7 p.m.
Carol Garner Culler
Sept. 8, 1950 – Aug. 23, 2025
Carol Garner Culler, 74, passed away Saturday, August 23, 2025, at Atrium Health, Winston Salem, NC, surrounded by her family. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. at Needham’s Grove Baptist Church, where she was a member, with the Reverend D.J. Harry, Reverend Edwin Moore, and Reverend Arnold Comer o ciating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends prior to the service, beginning at 12:45, and at other times at the home.
Jay T. McQueen
June 5, 1954 – Aug. 22, 2025
Jay T. McQueen, 71, of Laurinburg, departed this life on August 22, 2025.
A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, at Matthews Chapel AME Zion Church. Interment will follow in the church cemetery.
Services are entrusted to Purcell Funeral Home & Cremation Services.
Jack Irvin Caddell
Oct. 19, 1933 – Aug. 21, 2025
Jack Irvin Caddell, 91, passed away on August 21, 2025, at Peak Resources- Pinelake.
A funeral service will be held on Friday, August 29, 2025, at 2 p.m. at Mt. Olive AME Zion Church with Rev. Angela Davis o ciating. A viewing will start at 1 p.m. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Fry & Prickett Funeral Home is honored to serve the Caddell family.
Vanda E. Gatti
June 14, 1931 – Aug.18, 2025
Vanda E. Gatti, 94, of Whispering Pines, passed away peacefully on Monday, August 18, 2025, in her home of 48 years.
A viewing for the deceased will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Monday, August 25, at Boles Funeral Home in Southern Pines.
A Funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, August 26, at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Pinehurst, with Father Forbes o ciating. The Rite of Committal will follow in St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church Cemetery in Southern Pines.
Vanda was born June 14, 1931, in the Bronx, N.Y., to the late Alfredo and Yolanda Monzeglio. She was a proud Army wife, homemaker, nurse, grandmother and “NiNi” to her great-grandchildren. The quintessential Italian American grandmother, she embodied tradition, especially in Italian cuisine, with recipes and meals that were passed down through generations.
A devout Catholic, she was raised in the richness of the Church, and treasured the faith passed down to her by her mother and grandmothers. She carried a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother Mary. Her Catholic faith was the cornerstone of her marriage to her beloved husband, Ray. Together, they grew in faith through their commitment to attending weekly and daily Mass, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and countless hours of service and volunteer work within the Church. She lived as a shining example of God’s love, guiding her family through her prayer, devotion, and sel ess witness to Christ.
Vandy was a true matriarch to her family, and her dedication to the community was an inspiration. She served on the board of directors for the Whispering Pines Thrift Shop for many decades, helping to raise and donate money for those in need throughout Moore County and beyond. Her generous spirit will live on through the lives of everyone she touched over the years.
Vanda Gatti is survived by two sons, Raymond R. Gatti and wife Joanne, of Sanford, and Michael F. Gatti and wife Jan. of Southern Pines; a daughter, Lynn Speer and husband Clayton, of Carthage; eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Lt. Col. (ret.) Raymond Gatti, great-grandson, Milo Sanders and greatgranddaughter, Elsie Gatti. Services entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Southern Pines.
Humpy Wheeler, former Charlotte Motor Speedway president, dead at 86
By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press
CHARLOTTE — Humpy Wheeler, a pioneering motorsports promoter and former president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway, has died, NASCAR said. He was 86.
Charlotte Motor Speedway said Wheeler died of natural causes Wednesday in Charlotte, surrounded by his family.
“Humpy Wheeler was a visionary whose name became synonymous with promotion and innovation in our sport,” said NASCAR chairman Jim France. “During his decades leading Charlotte Motor Speedway, Humpy transformed the fan experience through his creativity, bold ideas and tireless passion. His e orts helped expand NASCAR’s national footprint, cement Charlotte as a must-visit racing and entertainment complex.”
Howard Augustine Wheeler Jr. was born in 1938 in Belmont in Gaston County and gained his rst major publicity job with Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. He held several other positions after Firestone shut down its racing program in 1970 and was hired at Charlotte Motor Speedway by owner Bruton Smith as president in 1975.
He became a transformative gure in promoting racing and was known as the “P.T. Barnum of motorsports” for ashy prerace stunts, elaborate productions and sparing no expense in ensuring fans had the most enjoyable experience possible at his events.
Wheeler earlier this year was named winner of NASCAR’s prestigious Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR, to which he’d have been inducted into the Hall of Fame next year.
“Humpy’s contributions to and accomplishments in NASCAR are without parallel. The breadth and depth of his legacy,
“Humpy’s contributions to and accomplishments in NASCAR are without parallel. The breadth and depth of his legacy, and those whom he in uenced, assisted and mentored, cannot be overstated.”
Winston Kelley, executive director, NASCAR Hall of Fame
and those whom he in uenced, assisted and mentored, cannot be overstated,” said Winston Kelley, executive director of the Hall of Fame. “Frequently adding new dynamics to the sport, Humpy’s visionary leadership and creativity helped shape today’s fan experience.
“Through his innovative promotions and stunts, Wheeler’s contributions expanded NASCAR’s national and international presence during the 1990s and early 2000s, solidifying Charlotte as ‘NASCAR’s Home for Racing.’” Wheeler mentored “hundreds, if not thousands,” of people throughout his life, Kelley said, including inaugural NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt and Landmark Award recipient Janet Guthrie.
Wheeler spent 33 years running Charlotte Motor Speedway. His innovation and prerace extravaganzas recreated numerous military operations — including the invasion of Grenada — that made the facility a gold standard in NASCAR. He promoted school-bus races during the week, grassroots series for young aspiring racers, stunts and even the “Robosaurus,” a towering, re-breathing, car-crunching mechanical robot.
Wheeler and his boss, the late Smith, grew Charlotte Motor Speedway into the ownership group Speedway Motorsports Inc., which acquired multiple race tracks that play a pivotal role in American motorsports today. Charlotte was the rst track to build condominiums on site, built a restaurant overlooking the race track and was the rst speedway of its size to install lights for night racing.
“Charlotte Motor Speedway was blessed to have a lead-
er in Humpy Wheeler who can only be described as ONE of a kind,” the speedway said in a statement. “For more than 30 years, Humpy was a promoter’s promoter at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Alongside our founder Bruton Smith, Humpy pushed the speedway to new and greater heights — establishing the famed 1.5-mile superspeedway as not only the most innovative facility in NASCAR for fan, partner and competitor amenities, but also one of the most progressive in all of sports.
“Humpy’s engaging smile and air for promotion were legendary, and his impact on every stakeholder in motorsports will be long-lasting. Humpy not only made his mark with publicity, but also with a laser-focus toward the fans. He would often tell his sta to pay attention to ‘the three Ts — tickets, trafc and toilets,’ in order to ensure fans have the best possible experience. He would also say it was our job to put a little ‘technicolor in people’s black-andwhite lives.’”
Wheeler retired from Charlotte Motor Speedway and Speedway Motorsports in 2008 after a bitter falling out with Smith but remained active in motorsports through his own consulting company and was on the voting panel for the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
He is survived by his wife, Pat; daughters, Traci and Patti; son, Trip; and four grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are pending and the family request donations be made in Wheeler’s name to the Belmont Abbey College Motorsports Management Program, which Wheeler was instrumental in launching more than 20 years ago.
The Belmont native was known as “The P.T. Barnum of Motorsports”
CHUCK BURTON / AP PHOTO
Humpy Wheeler addresses fans at the track prior to the 2008 NASCAR Cup Series’ CocaCola 600 auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Wheeler, who retired after the race, died Wednesday.
STATE & NATION
Four ways ICE is training new agents, scaling up
The immigration agency is hiring thousands of new recruits
By Rebecca Santana
The Associated Press
BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Immigration and Customs Enforcement is an agency inside the Department of Homeland Security that is integral to President Donald Trump’s vision of carrying out the mass deportations he promised during the campaign.
Deportation o cers within a unit called Enforcement and Removal Operations are the ones who are responsible for immigration enforcement. They nd and remove people from the United States who aren’t American citizens and, for a variety of reasons, no longer can stay in the country.
Some might have gone through immigration court and a judge ordered them removed. Or they were arrested or convicted of certain crimes, or they’ve repeatedly entered the country illegally or overstayed a visa. ICE also manages a growing network of immigration detention facilities around the country where it holds people suspected of immigration violations.
Overall, its activities — and how it carries them out — have polarized many Americans in recent months.
After years when the number of deportation o cers largely remained even, the agency is now rapidly hiring. Congress this summer passed legislation giving ICE $76.5 billion in new money to help speed up the pace of deportations. That’s nearly 10 times the agency’s current annu-
al budget. Nearly $30 billion is for new sta . Last week, The Associated Press got a chance to visit the base in southern Georgia where new ICE recruits are trained and to talk to the agency’s top leadership. Here are details about four things ICE is doing that came out of those conversations.
ICE surging its hiring
ICE currently has about 6,500 deportation o cers, and it is aggressively looking to beef up those numbers. Acting Director Todd Lyons says he wants to hire an additional 10,000 by year’s end.
The agency has launched a new recruiting website, offered hiring bonuses as high as $50,000 and is advertising at career expos. Lyons said the agency has already received 121,000 applications — many from former o cers. New recruits are trained at the Federal Law Enforcement
Training Center in Brunswick, Georgia. That’s a sprawling facility near the coast where federal law enforcement o cers — not just ICE agents — from around the country live and train. ICE is looking to more than double the number of instructors who train deportation o cers.
Caleb Vitello, who runs training for ICE, says it has cut Spanish-language requirements to reduce training by ve weeks, and he’s been looking for ways to streamline the training and have recruits do more at the eld o ces where they’re assigned. ICE also preparing for con ict
As Trump’s e ort to deport millions of people has intensied, violent episodes have unfolded as ICE seeks to arrest people. Critics have said ICE is being too heavy-handed in carrying out arrests while ICE says its people are the ones being attacked.
Great white sharks moving north; numbers point to warm water, food
There are more seals for them to feast upon
By Patrick Whittle
The Associated Press
SCARBOROUGH, Maine
— New data shows that great white sharks are spending more time in the chilly waters o New England and Canada’s Atlantic coast.
That means boaters, beachgoers and shermen who spend time in the northern waters are learning to live with the predators made famous by the movie “Jaws” 50 years ago. Sightings of the sharks are up in places like Maine, where they were once very rarely spotted.
Scientists link the white shark sightings to increased availability of the seals the sharks feast on, and say beachgoers are gen-
erally very safe from shark bites. Here’s a breakdown by the numbers.
93 great white sharks identi ed o Maine from 2020 to 2024
The Maine Department of
Marine Resources has been monitoring great white shark activity in the Gulf of Maine since 2020. The department has said it intends to use the data to better understand white shark distribution o the state’s coast.
Nineteen unique white
Vitello said the agency tracks every time o cers use force as well as any time someone attacks its o cers. According to the agency’s data, from Jan. 21 through Aug. 5 there were 121 reported assaults of ICE ocers compared with 11 during the same period last year.
Lyons said that after recent operations in Los Angeles turned violent, ICE is making gas masks and helmets standard issue for new agents. “Right now, we’re seeing and we’re having to adapt to all different scenarios that we were never trained for in the past,” he said.
Lyons says the agency is also starting to send out security teams to accompany agents making arrests: “We’re not gonna allow people to throw rocks anymore because we’re going to have our own agents and ofcers there to protect the ones that are actually out there making that arrest.”
Bee ng up specialized units for risky situations
About eight deportation ofcers dressed in military-style camou age uniforms, helmets and carrying an assortment of weapons stand outside a house yelling “Police! We have a warrant!” before entering and clearing the house.
They are members of a Special Response Team taking part in a demonstration at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. These o cers are like a SWAT team — deportation ocers with special training to assist in di cult situations. They also accompany detainees the agency deems dangerous when they are deported.
“Everybody is trained to serve a warrant,” Vitello said. “These guys are trained to serve high-risk warrants.”
There are roughly 450 deportation o cers with the special training to serve on these teams, and Lyons says they have been deployed to assist
sharks were recorded in 2024 on 47 unique dates, the department reported.
2 con rmed unprovoked shark attacks in Maine waters since 1837
The rst recorded fatal shark attack in Maine happened in 2020 when a great white shark killed 63-year-old Julie Dimperio Holowach o Bailey Island.
Shark experts describe fatal shark bites as exceedingly rare, in Maine and everywhere else.
Nearly 2.5-fold increase in detection of white sharks o Nova Scotia
The number of white sharks detected o Halifax, Nova Scotia, increased about 2.5 times from 2018 to 2022, according to a paper published in May in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series. Even farther north, the number detected in the Cabot Strait that separates Nova Scotia and Newfoundland increased nearly four times over, the paper said.
with immigration enforcement in Los Angeles, Portland, Oregon, and Washington.
He said he’d like to have more such units but wouldn’t put an exact number on how many. Vitello said they’re also in the process of getting more of the specially armored vehicles.
ICE teaches whom agents can arrest — and when
New recruits to ICE receive training on immigration law and the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unlawful searches. Longtime o cers get regular refreshers on these topics.
In limited situations, ICE agents are allowed to enter someone’s home. Generally, when they’re seeking someone they’re trying to remove from the country, they have an administrative warrant as opposed to a criminal warrant. That administrative warrant doesn’t allow them to enter the house without rst getting permission.
Vitello says the new recruits are taught about the di erent warrants and how the rules differ. And they’re taught how those who allowed ICE to enter their house can change their mind.
“If somebody says, ‘Get out’ and you don’t have your target, you have to leave,” he said.
Multiple videos on social media have shown ICE o cers breaking car windows to pull someone out of a vehicle and arrest that person.
As ICE sees it, Vitello said, deportation o cers do have the authority to arrest someone in a car or truck. Vitello said in the rare case where a target was in a motor home, o cers would talk to the agency’s lawyers rst to gure out what protections apply.
Advocates for immigrants and the government have often disagreed about how much authority ICE has to make those arrests and where.
8 shark species known to live in Maine waters
In addition to the great white shark, at least seven other shark species live in Maine’s waters. They are the basking shark, porbeagle, blue shark, sand tiger shark, common thresher, short n mako and spiny dog sh.
Most of these sharks pose a very minimal threat to humans and some are harmless.
949 unprovoked shark attacks in recorded human history since 1580
The International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History keeps a record of documented shark attacks. While the great white shark holds the record for most documented attacks on humans, the totals are still very low.
The white shark has been the source of 351 documented unprovoked shark attacks, and 59 of those have been fatal, the International Shark Attack File has reported.
DAVID LANCASTER VIA AP
A great white shark swims o the coast of Scarborough, Maine, earlier this month.
FRAN RUCHALSKI / AP PHOTO Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Response Team members shows how to enter a residence in the pursuit of a wanted subject.
