Bryce Young, Dave Canales and the Panthers rallied from a 17-0 de cit to beat the visiting Dolphins and improve to 2-0 at Bank of America Stadium with their 27-24 win Sunday in Charlotte. Carolina improved to 2-3 on the season.
Supreme Court rejects appeal from Epstein associate Maxwell Washington, D.C.
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned former girlfriend of Je rey Epstein. On the rst day of their new term, the justices declined to take up a case that would have drawn renewed attention to the sordid sexual-abuse saga after President Donald Trump’s administration sought to tamp down criticism over its refusal to publicly release more investigative les from Epstein’s case. Lawyers for Maxwell, a British socialite, argued that she never should have been tried or convicted for her role in luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein, a New York nancier. She is serving a 20-year prison term.
3 human immune system scientists win Nobel Prize in medicine
Stockholm Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Dr. Shimon Sakaguchi won the Nobel Prize in medicine for their work on peripheral immune tolerance. Their discoveries have advanced treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases and may improve transplant success. The Nobel Assembly announced the award Monday. Sakaguchi rst discovered regulatory T cells in 1995. Then, in 2001, Brunkow and Ramsdell identi ed a mutation in the Foxp3 gene linked to autoimmune diseases. Sakaguchi later connected these ndings, showing how the Foxp3 gene controls T-regs. The trio will share nearly $1.2 million in prize money.
The government agency handed out $500 million overall
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
RALEIGH — A public charter school organization in North Carolina will be receiving a portion of the $500 million in charter school program grants announced earlier this month by the U.S. Department of Education.
“A one-size ts all education system is not working for our students. Charter schools allow for innovative educational models that expand learning opportunities for students,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon in the announcement of the grants.
Of the new funding, the North Carolina Association for Public Charter Schools (NCAPCS) will re-
The report claims Charlotte’s transit system used inclusion requirements for security contracts
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
RALEIGH — The North Carolina O ce of the State Auditor released a preliminary audit report showing that the Charlotte Area Transit System, or CATS, had cut back its security force by 40% in the years leading up to the August 2025 murder of Iryna Zarutska on the city’s light rail system.
“The safety of the citizens of Charlotte needs to be rst and foremost when security decisions are being made,” said State Auditor Dave Boliek.
“Our report shows there has been a clear shift away from armed security in the CATS’s private security contracts.
“Further, limiting any part of a contract providing citizens
NCInnovation releases 2025 annual report
The nonpro t is required by the legislature to produce the review
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
RALEIGH — NCInnovation released its annual report for 2025, outlining the organization’s spending on grant projects and overhead costs. The annual report is mandated in statute by the legislature.
“With the expansion of regional hubs, a growing portfolio of grant-funded projects, and hands-on commercialization support, NCInnovation is delivering on its mission to accelerate the commercialization of UNC system applied research,” NCI President and
CEO Bennet Waters said in a press release.
“The university-to-industry pipeline has long underpinned American innovation, and North Carolina remains well positioned to create regional economic development from its world-class research successes,” said Waters.
NCInnovation (NCI) is the nonpro t university research accelerator that was given a $500 million endowment by the General Assembly in the state’s 2022-23 budget. Under that endowment, NCI was allowed to use $50 million as investment income in the 2023-24 scal year and $90 million in the 2024-25 scal year.
$18.8M
Research funding awarded by NCInnovation for 25 projects at 14 UNC System schools
with security to only rms that meet a DEI checkbox raises questions as to whether politics has taken priority over public safety. As we continue our investigation, we will be examining the decisions that went into designing, soliciting, and approving these security contracts.”
House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Granite Falls) reacted to the report on X, writing that Boliek’s investigation “revealed that Charlotte o cials put woke DEI ideology ahead of public safety. This is unacceptable. The House will be taking action.”
Two days later, Hall announced the formation of the House Select Committee on Involuntary Commitment and Public Safety that will “study and make recommendations regarding the intersection of mental health services, involuntary commitment processes, and the safety of the general public.”
JACOB KUPFERMAN / AP PHOTO
the word | Is God always kind?
The Bible takes especial pains to assure us of the everlastingness of God’s love. In one passage, for example, it is declared that while even the mountains shall depart, God’s loving-kindness shall never depart from his people. The word loving-kindness suggests all that is sweet, tender, and comforting in love. There are men who love — yet are not kind. They would give all they have to help a friend — and yet they lack gentleness. They are stern, severe, brusque. They have not a gracious manner. They are not kind. Kindness is love’s best. It not only gives — but gives in a way that adds a hundredfold to the value of the gift.
Kindness in this passage is made still tenderer by the qualifying word “loving.” There may be kindness which is not loving.
It is a great comfort to know that God’s power is eternal. Nothing can sweep away our refuge in the almighty strength of God. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea…” (Psalm 46:1–3) But power is cold — it lacks heart. The word loving-kindness suggests a ection, tenderness, all that is warmest and most comforting. The assurance is that God’s loving-kindness shall not fail. There will never be a day or hour when he will not be kind. Can he be a father — and not be kind to his children? The Bible is full of exquisite examples of God’s kindness: “Like as a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear him.” “As one whom his mother comforts—so will I comfort you.” “The mountains may depart but my loving-kindness shall not depart from you.”
In the Old Testament we nd another image of divine loving-kindness. In his farewell address, Moses said to his people, “Underneath are the everlasting arms.” There is comfort in a parent’s arms — but no human arms are everlasting. The arms of God never unclasp. However low we may sink in weakness or in pain — His arms are still there.
In the days of earthly joy, when human love surrounds us, we may not realize the best of God’s loving-kindness. It is often hidden behind the fullness of our blessings. But when these earthly things are stripped away, we nd the in nite blessings of the divine kindness. We would never see the stars if the sun did not go down. We would never discover the depths of God’s grace if there were no breaks in our earthly joy. When the visible mountains depart and we have no place left to hide, our hearts nd the mountains of God — with their eternal refuge.
But does God’s kindness ever truly depart? Are there no days when we might say, “God is not kind to me today?” Such questions often come from those su ering loss or bitter disappointment.
“Where can you nd the loving-kindness of God in my experience?” someone may ask. We may not be able to interpret every providence that staggers the faith of even earnest souls. But we do know that there is never a break in divine love — even when we cannot see it.
We are sure God knows all that we su er. The prophet taunted the worshipers of Baal, saying their god might be asleep or away. But there are no such taunts about our God. He is never absent, never unaware, never uninformed of our condition.
New National Federation of Republican Women president from NC
Martha Jenkins of Chapel Hill will be installed in January
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
RALEIGH — Chapel Hill’s Martha Jenkins was elected president of the National Federation of Republican Women during the organization’s 43rd
According to the audit report, the O ce of the State Auditor (OSA) reviewed security contracts for CATS for the years 2018 through 2025. During that time, CATS spent $49 million on private security contracts and contracted with three rms: G4S Secure Solutions/Allied Universal Security Services, Strategic Security Corp. and Professional Security Services (PSS).
“Documents provided by the City of Charlotte show there were major uctuations in the number of armed security servicing the CA,” OSA said in a press release. “Accordingly, while the CATS’s security contract value has increased from $5.9 million in 2022 to $18.4 million in 2025, the number of armed security has decreased by at least 40% over that time.”
The decrease was determined by comparing 2018 contracts with the contract currently in use.
Biennial Convention in Orlando, Florida. Jenkins will be the rst National Federation of Republican Women’s (NFRW) president from North Carolina. NFRW was founded in 1938 and is the largest Republican women’s organization in the country.
“I am honored beyond measure to be elected the 2026 -2027 NFRW President,”
Under the 2018 contract with G4S, CATS had approximately 108 security personnel, with 68-88 of that sta armed.
Following a 2022 request for proposals (RFP), Allied — the rm in use at that time — was rejected, and CATS switched to Strategic Security Corporation (SSC) for armed services and Professional Police Services (PSS) for unarmed services.
The audit notes that PSS is a CBI-certi ed minority-owned business whose founder’s wife was a 30-year Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department veteran. SSC’s contract was canceled in June 2024 for unsatisfactory performance, and CATS amended PSS’s contract to cover armed services without a new RFP or competitive bidding. The amendment included providing up to 219 total personnel, but only 39 armed.
Even though PSS’ contract included 219 personnel, the company was only providing 186
Jenkins said in a press release. “My vision is to continue the growth and outreach of President Julie Harris. Our focus will be our members and our future members. All of our states will prosper by being united around our Republican ideals, and it will be my
around the time of Zarutska’s murder. The OSA noted that “having only 39 armed security personnel does not permit the CATS to have an armed guard on all of its 48 train cars at once.”
The OSA’s report also says “inclusion” practices played a role in the city’s security contracts.
The unarmed portion of the 2022 RFP for security was “targeted only” to vendors certi ed under the city’s Charlotte Business Inclusion (CBI) program, which promotes minority, women and small business enterprises. In doing so, non-CBI rms, even if quali ed, were excluded from consideration.
The audit report cites an email from City Compliance O cer Terrence Watson, who emphasized restricting bids to CBI-certi ed security rms.
“This solicitation is only open to CBI security rms, it is not open to other rms regardless if they have other certi cations by other parties,” Watson wrote in his email.
Does he know what we are enduring — and still send no relief? Does he hear our prayers and not answer? Yes, he knows — yet may not bring the help we ask for. But this does not mean he is not kind.
There are two ways of showing kindness. One is by being always tender, shielding our loved ones from every discomfort. Some parents treat their children this way, denying them nothing and never permitting them to su er. But another kind of kindness seeks not ease or pleasure — but the highest good of the child.
Sometimes God lets us su er — even causes us to su er. Is he then unkind? Does a loving parent never allow their child to endure pain? Suppose your child’s foot is crushed, and the doctors must amputate. It hurts deeply — but it would be cruel not to act. It is not unkind to use the knife, when that is the only way to save the child’s life. God’s love works the same way. When he says, “My loving-kindness shall not depart from you,” he does not mean you will have no su ering, no hardship, no pain. He means that everything he does in your life — even the painful things — is done in love, to shape you into Christlikeness and prepare you for greater usefulness.
Sometimes, it will seem that he disregards your happiness. But if he shielded you from all pain, he would not be kind. Some day you will understand that the truest kindness is always that which makes your life richer, deeper, holier — and a greater blessing to the world.
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.
“It
Martha Jenkins, NFRW president-elect
pleasure to lead this fantastic organization.” Jenkins is currently the NFRW’s rst vice president and director of Region 4. She will continue to serve in those roles until she is installed as president in 2026.
“It will be an awful lot of
Additionally, the report shows that Charlotte’s CBI Advisory Committee may have shown politically partisan bias in their discussions based on an April meeting of the CBI Advisory Committee, with the audit referring to comments made by Chair Ciara Lilly.
The audit report says committee members were encouraged “to listen to the Republican argument” made in support of House Bill 171, legislation aimed at removing DEI from state government, so they could “be prepared to counter it.”
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles’ response pushed back on several aspects of the preliminary audit, including the timing of it, and she asserted security contracts were selected without violating federal procurement rules.
“PSS has met contract requirements and continues to provide satisfactory services,” Lyles said. Lyles also framed Lilly’s com-
work and will be very intense, but it is something that I’ve hoped to do for quite a long time,” Jenkins told North State Journal.
“The main thing that I want to accomplish is to increase our membership and continue to grow our relevance within the Republican Party and within the national political scene,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins previously served as NFRW’s third vice president and member-at-large, chair of the Legislation and Research Committee, and vice chair of the Public Relations Committee. Jenkins is also a past president of the N.C. Federation of Republican Women (2003-07), during which she was recognized in 2007 by NFRW with a Reagan Leadership award.
ments as nonpartisan in keeping the business community informed about potential legislation a ecting contracting opportunities, yet wrote, “It is important to note that Ms. Lilly is not a city employee nor is compensated by the city for her role. She was expressing her own views.”
During an Oct. 3 press conference, Lyles said bike and UTV patrols were being added, and said she she would be backing a resolution to increase fare enforcement. Interim CATS CEO Brent Cagle said PPS sta has been increased to 200 people, 40 of whom are armed.
Lyles was asked about the Char-Meck Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) calling for National Guard troops to be deployed to the city to quell crime.
“I believe we will not need the National Guard to come to Charlotte,” Lyles said.
The FOP’s letter to Lyles and city leaders cites 14 homicides since Zarutska’s August murder.
COURTESY MARTHA JENKINS
Martha Jenkins
“Sacri ce of Isaac” by Caravaggio (c. 1603) is a painting in the collection of The U zi Gallery in Florence, Italy.
Ag Allies headlined by USDA deputy secretary
Stephen Vaden highlighted Raleigh for being chosen as one of the USDA’s policy hubs
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
RALEIGH — The North Carolina Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 Ag Allies Conference featured remarks by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s deputy secretary.
Stephen Vaden discussed the USDA’s relocation of sta to Raleigh as a policy hub.
“What attracted us to Raleigh is the same thing that attracts you to this area of the country: You have a lower cost of living.” Vaden said. “Your cost of living here in Raleigh, North Carolina, is literally a half that of Washington, D.C.”
According to the USDA’s press release, Raleigh is joined by four other sites — Kansas City, Missouri; Indianapolis; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Salt Lake City — as hubs cities
Vaden said Raleigh made for an easy choice because “we already have a footprint here,” and the city has two “modern state-of-the-art” buildings already paid for by taxpayers.
“So it’s a good deal for the taxpayer. It’s a good deal for the department, and it’s obviously a good deal for the people of North Carolina,” said Vaden, noting that hundreds of D.C. USDA employees would be permanently relocated to Raleigh.
Vaden highlighted agriculture’s important role in North Carolina’s economy, noting it contributes more than $110 billion to the gross domestic product and represents a sixth of the state’s overall income.
“For at least 16% of all people employed in the state of North Carolina out of all 50 states, North Carolina is ranked ninth
for the value of its agricultural products,” Vaden said. “You are a leader, not just in this region of the country, but in the entire country, when it comes to ag.
We take a note of that at USDA.”
Vaden, turning to disaster relief, said the USDA, through Congress, has provided $31 billion in disaster relief payments for the current calendar year.
He highlighted the marketing assistance program for specialty crops, which he said provides nancial assistance to specialty crop producers in the state to expand domestic markets for their products.
“North Carolina specialty crop producers have bene ted to the tune of nearly $64 million,” Vaden said.
He also mentioned USDA block grants for disasters like Hurricane Helene, stating his agency “will pay to North Carolina more than $220 million in order to cover infrastructure loss.”
Vaden described the strained national farm economy, especially for row crop producers facing record-high input costs, which include seeds, fertilizer and fuel. He also said the situa-
tion is exacerbated by abundant corn supplies, late-season dryness for soybeans and reduced Chinese purchases.
“Crop receipts are falling,” said Vaden. “We’re having our third year in a row of declining crop income … the steepest decline on record. And we are looking, according to USDA, at perhaps an 18-year low in terms of crop receipts this year.”
Vaden described an aggressive deregulatory push under President Donald Trump’s 10 -for-1 executive order, requiring agencies to repeal at least 10 existing regulations for every new one to increase e ciency and reduce burdens on businesses by eliminating outdated rules and con icting guidance.
The deputy secretary also touched on long-term strategies, citing a memorandum of understanding between the USDA and the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust division to investigate fertilizer prices he said have “increased so much more than the rate of in ation would suggest that they should.”
He urged the audience to read recent court documents on the
USDA deputy secretary Dan Vaden speaks during the 2025 Ag Allies Conference at NC State on Sept. 30.
matter, saying the lings show fertilizer companies claiming there is a “glut of fertilizer” in the United States and they have “su ered depressed prices because of foreign dumping.”
Vaden said those companies are charging farmers “more than $900 a ton for a product that sold for less than half that four to ve years ago.”
Vaden said biofuels are a critical “ rst stop” for boosting domestic demand for row crops like corn and soybeans amid economic strains, praising EPA proposals to strengthen the renewable fuel standard.
“I’m extraordinary grateful to the Environmental Protection Agency for their proposal to not only make the renewable volume obligation which governs ethanol and biodiesel like corn and soybeans be real, but that they’re backing it up by proposing, for the rst time ever, to reallocate the volumes that are waived by legal necessity for small re ners,” said Vaden. He also supported congressional pushes for E15 ethanol blends and international talks on synthetic aviation fuel, citing a Japan trade deal. Vaden envi-
sioned biofuels as driving “market-based returns.”
The Ag Allies Conference, held at the McKimmon Center at NC State on Sept. 30, was opened by the N.C. Chamber’s General Counsel Ray Starling and BASF’s Fred Moore, the vice president and head of regulatory and stewardship, seeds and traits.
Topics of this year’s conference centered on updates regarding activities in Washington, D.C., and its rst session featured an overview of agriculture economic outlooks by Bart Fischer, co-director and research associate professor of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University.
Fischer told North State Journal the biggest takeaway from the updates he presented was “despite a signi cant infusion of funding from Congress that the farm economy is still in a tough spot.”
“Between now and planting in the spring, the growers are probably going to need another infusion just to be able to cash ow spring planting,” Fischer said.
He said the pressure growers face is “just a continuation of in ated cost of production that skyrocketed during the previous administration.”
“So that persists, but it’s now being layered with this trade conversation, and so there’s just a lot of uncertainty for growers right now,” Fischer said. “But given that 30% of our net farm income is from exports, I feel like we have to nish the work that the president is doing to hold other countries accountable on trade.”
Fischer said while it’s “bumpy” going right now, he is hopeful some of the trade negotiations can be converted into “wins for agriculture that provide a more hopeful optimistic future going forward.”
America 250 Civics Education Coalition announced
The Education Department launched the initiative with the goal of renewing patriotism and strengthening civic knowledge
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
RALEIGH — The U.S. Department of Education on Sept. 17 announced the launch of the America 250 Civics Education Coalition, an initiative “dedi-
ceive nearly $53 million over the next ve years. NCAPCS is one of six recipients under the state entities category that will receive a portion of the $500 million.
“Charter schools expand opportunities for students and families,” NCAPCS Executive Director Rhonda Dillingham said in a press release. “We designed a strong grant proposal to increase student seats in high-quality public charter schools across North Carolina.
“We are excited about the impact this will have on the future of education in our state as we partner with stakeholders and communities.”
According to Dillingham’s release, the money will fund the NCAPCS-led NC Growing Results-Oriented Wins with Charter Schools Program from 2025-30. The funds will support charter school expansion with a focus on career and technical education, STEM and AI charter models.
Awards were made under each of the department’s charter school programs: state entity, charter school management organization, developer, state facilities, credit enhancement, and model dissemination and development grants.
“The Trump Administration will continue to use every available tool to advocate for meaningful learning, advance school choice, and ensure every student is well-positioned to succeed,” said McMahon.
Additional $51.7 million in
cated to renewing patriotism, strengthening civic knowledge, and advancing a shared understanding of America’s founding principles in schools across the nation.”
“As America approaches 250 years since its founding, we are
proud to announce this coalition to ensure every young American understands the beauty of our nation and is equipped with the civic knowledge required to contribute meaningfully to its future,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a press release.
The coalition is made up of more than 40 partners from both the national and state level, including the America First
Policy Institute, the Heritage Foundation, Hillsdale College, Moms for Liberty and Turning Point USA. The full list can be viewed on the U.S. Department of Education’s website at ed.gov/about/news.
“A country cannot survive if its values are forgotten by its people,” said McMahon. “More than ever, we need to restore the vitality of the American spirit, and this co -
supplemental funding was also awarded to existing state entity grantees related to increased demand for charter schools.
NCAPCS, a nonpro t, is a partner organization of the National Association of Public Charter Schools, a national nonpro t aimed at advancing charter schools.
“Families are speaking loud and clear: they want more public school options with stu-
dent-centered learning that prepares children with real-world skills for life success,”
said Starlee Coleman, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
“This year’s increase in applicants proves that educators are ready to deliver. With continued investment and exibility, the CSP can meet rising parent demand and launch the next generation of great public schools.”
In addition to NCAPCS, Movement School Northwest was awarded $961,695 this year as a charter school management organization for the “Replication and Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools” grant.
Movement School is a 501(c)3 nonpro t organization that operates a free public charter school network with ve schools in North Carolina, including Northwest Elementary, as well
alition will take bold steps to educate, inspire, and mobilize youth toward active and informed citizenship.”
The coalition will be led by Executive Director Katie Gorka and co-chairs Erika Donalds and Ben Judge.
More information about the America 250 Civics Education Coalition and its programming can be viewed at the America First Policy website.
“We are excited about the impact this will have on the future of education in our state as we partner with stakeholders and communities.”
Rhonda Dillingham, North Carolina Association for Public Charter Schools executive director
as one school each in Georgia and South Carolina. In North Carolina, Movement School Northwest (northwest Charlotte) opened in August 2023 as a K-5 school. The school began with students in kindergarten and rst grade and is adding grades each year up to fth grade.
Other grants with North Carolina ties awarded this year include a ve-year, $8.3 million award in April to Triad Math and Science Academy (TMSA) Public Charter Schools.
TMSA’s schools focus on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics), and the organization is seeking to bring 3,740 new seats across Wake, Guilford, Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties. TMSA currently has seven campuses serving more than 5,200 K-12 students, including 1,000 students at TMSA Triangle High School, its newest school in Apex that opened in 2024.
MARK SCHIEFELBEIN / AP PHOTO Secretary of Education Linda McMahon speaks during an August cabinet meeting at the White House.
COURTESY NC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
THE CONVERSATION
Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL
The Sputnik moment for civics in North Carolina public education
We may now be entering a similar epochal change period, except now it is the cultural and political landscape America must repair and improve.
A BRIGHT LIGHT shone over the skies of North Carolina last week for the restoration of civility in the state and nation when the School of Civic Life and Leadership (SCiLL) at UNC Chapel Hill won a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to teach civics to educators and students across the state.
Civics used to be a class every student had to take during their years in N.C. public schools, but over the past 25 years, the focus on civics classes started to wane due to various political and funding decisions. Consequently, naturalized citizens in the U.S. have a far greater understanding of the content and history of the U.S. government and constitutional history than most young people in North Carolina simply due to the fact they had to study both to be granted full citizenship.
Whatever understanding young people received about the Great American Experiment with democratic republican government came from their parents or whatever spoofs and jokes were delivered on the Comedy Channel by Jon Stewart, both of which were hardly comprehensive and many times misinformed or misguided.
The million-dollar grant will be used to train teachers in the proper way to educate young people about our civic government and life together and for summer institutes at the SCiLL center on the campus in Chapel Hill. There, teachers and students will receive comprehensive training and materials they can then take home for the school year and train hundreds of other students who otherwise could not attend the summer classes.
This may be the Sputnik response we need for repairing what ails us in our public political life together.
Most people under the age of 65 don’t know or realize it, but after the Russian launch of the rst arti cial satellite, Sputnik, in 1957, U.S. government, scienti c and military o cials, and the public at large freaked out. They were concerned the Soviet communist was going to control the world from space, and America had better do something about it. They decided to embark on a massive science and math upgrade to all public school systems to nd and train students. The hope was it could help the nation meet the Soviet threat through technological advances and not lose our democratic republic to Soviet military superiority.
Gifted and talented classes were formed throughout the nation, and young students were enrolled to take the most challenging science and math courses local schools o er. It must have worked. Not only did America land the rst man on the moon in 1969, but it has dominated the space race and technological development ever since.
We may now be entering a similar epochal change period, except now it is the cultural and political landscape America must repair and improve. The SCiLL civics grant is evidence that concentrated political and nancial support can be focused on training the next generation on the bene ts of representational government and how it must be run by responsible, far-sighted people of integrity and character to prevent its collapse.
No single event triggered the crisis of civil government misunderstanding, but the dramatic assassination of Charlie Kirk will certainly be seared into everyone’s minds after two failed attempts on President Donald Trump. The summers of violence
A father’s plea on behalf of his murdered daughter
The man accused of killing her, 30-year-old Alexander Dickey, had been arrested nearly 40 times.
ACCORDING TO THE FBI’s 2024 crime statistics, a violent crime occurred every 26 seconds in America, with murder occurring an average of every 31 minutes.
Undoubtedly, some of those murders were committed by repeat o enders, an undeniable reality that has become a focal point amid the national debate over crime o enses in the United States.
In 2025, one murder that has caused a tidal wave of backlash was that of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was killed on Charlotte’s light rail system Aug. 22, allegedly by 34-year-old homeless man and violent repeat o ender Decarlos Brown Jr. Brown had a lengthy rap sheet, having been arrested 14 times previously. That fact and the release of the video of the brutal attack on Zarutska, showing her crouched and looking up in terror as her killer plunged the knife into her neck, prompted o cials at all levels of government to weigh in and vow action.
The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight held a eld hearing in Charlotte last Monday on victims of violent crime and the soft-on-crime policies that Republican lawmakers believe were factors in the victims’ deaths.
In her opening remarks at the hearing, Rep. Deborah Ross (D-N.C.) expressed her
When Ross pointed to a picture being displayed at the witness table, saying she was “thrilled that we have a picture” of Zarutska looking like “the vibrant and exceptionally kind person she was,” she was corrected soon after.
It wasn’t a picture of Zarutska. It was 22-year-old murder victim Logan Federico, a Waxhaw native who was killed in May while visiting friends in South Carolina.
Her father, Stephen, corrected Ross, who apologized profusely for confusing the two murder victims. And when it was his turn to give his testimony, Federico did not hold back, describing his daughter’s horri c nal moments before informing the committee that her alleged murderer, too, was a repeat o ender.
After he advised them to “think about your kids” as he told his daughter’s story, an understandably emotional Federico said his daughter was dragged “out of bed, naked, forced on her knees with her hands over her head, begging for her life. Begging for her hero, her father. Me. I couldn’t be there.”
The man accused of killing her, 30-yearold Alexander Dickey, had been arrested nearly 40 times, Federico noted.
“Alexander Devante Dickey, who was
in our nation’s big cities during and after BLM marches and protests have also contributed to the widespread perception that something was mightily wrong about our civic life together. Not only did people think destroying other people’s property was the right thing to do to make a political point, but elected o cials at various levels of government thought it was OK to let them do it — even telling local police forces to stand down and supporting “defund the police” e orts.
The disintegration of commonly shared values and principles has been pointed to as a reason for such social unrest.
Restarting civics classes in North Carolina’s classrooms may not solve all the societal, economic and racial problems we face as a state or nationally. However, the grant awarded to the SCiLL center is a start. It may take some time to see tangible results, but doing nothing to encourage the education of our young people would certainly not help improve matters at all.
Thomas Je erson and Abraham Lincoln wrote often about the need for solid public education in the new republic, and not just so people would be able to get a job, sustain themselves and raise families. They recognized the importance of having a populace educated about the history and the underlying philosophy that led to the creation of America. That is critical to maintaining a free democratic republic led by duly elected representatives who understand how fragile democratically elected republics truly.
Here’s to the response to our recent past in failed civil discourse and politics being as successful as the scienti c training and teaching response was to Sputnik 68 years ago.
arrested 39 god----ed times, 25 felonies, was on the street. How about that? How good are we doing for our families?” Federico asked.
“How good are you doing for your kids? He should’ve been in jail for over 140 years for all the crimes he committed.”
At one point, Federico again looked at Ross.
“Her name’s Logan Federico, not Iryna,” Federico stated as he pointed to Logan’s picture. “And you will not forget her. I promise you,” he indicated to Ross and others on the committee.
Further, he assured the lawmakers in attendance, “You will be sick and tired of my face and my voice until this gets xed. I will ght to my last breath for my daughter.”
Not only should we pray that the families of these and other murder victims can obtain justice for their loved ones, but we should also pray that eyes will be opened and that laws and procedures in all states will be changed in meaningful and impactful ways to reduce the chances of someone else becoming victimized.
North Carolina native Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah and is a media analyst and regular contributor to RedState andLegal Insurrection.
Stop the health insurers’ raid on the Treasury
By some estimates, this budgetary money grab is worth $30 billion to $50 billion to the insurance lobby.
NO ONE LIKES insurance companies
— trying to get them to pay a claim is like wrenching a bone out of a dog’s clenched teeth — and now we have another reason to hold them in low regard. The biggest advocate for blowing another $1 trillion hole in the federal budget is the health insurance lobby.
The giant insurance companies — including UnitedHealthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Humana — are leading what Capitol Hill sources describe as “an unprecedented lobbying blitz to restore hundreds of billions in taxpayer-funded Obamacare and Medicare Advantage subsidies.”
Brian Blase, a longtime health care expert who worked in the Trump White House, calculates that most of the reimbursement money wouldn’t nancially bene t patients. The premium subsidies would mostly go straight into the bank accounts of the mega insurers.
The dirty little secret of the health care system since Obamacare was enacted back in 2010 is that the big jackpot winner has been the insurance industry. Their stock has risen roughly four times faster than average for the stock indexes.
By some estimates, this budgetary money grab is worth $30 billion to $50 billion to the insurance lobby.
This raises the question of whether most health insurance spending is really needed
COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE
Democrats are in the uncomfortable position of appeasing what has become the party’s dominant constituency: a uent white college graduates.
WHATEVER ELSE you want to say about him, President Donald Trump has what Alexander Hamilton in Federalist No. 70 called “energy in the executive” — announcing a peace plan for Israel and Hamas, ordering the dispatch of federal troops to protect immigration enforcement personnel in “sanctuary” states, authorizing his budget director to use reorganization powers available after Senate Democrats shut down the government, and announcing a pediatric cancer initiative. No one can seriously argue that this is a passive presidency, though some may say that Trump is not promoting “the steady administration of the laws” and the “protection of property” that Hamilton argued an energetic executive should provide.
But the appropriate question in the oyear elections to be held 13 months from now and in the 2028 election in which Trump is ineligible to seek another term is: Compared to what? Opposition to Trump, distaste for his personal style, dismay at his ignorance or ignoring of norms of political politeness — such responses don’t seem to be producing a surge of support for his Democratic opponents.
Striking evidence of this comes in a Reuters/Ipsos nationwide poll conducted Sept. 19-21. On 11 di erent issues, adults were asked which party has the “better plan.” That’s just a bit di erent from the usual question wording.
Pluralities preferred Republicans’ plans on seven of the 11 issues. Democrats’ plans were preferred by signi cant margins only on health care, women’s rights and the environment. In a country that reelected Trump by a 50% to 48% popular vote margin, preferences for Republicans were lopsided on some issues: crime (40% to 20%), immigration (40% to 22%), foreign con icts (35% to 22%) and the United States economy (34% to 24%).
CNN polling analyst Harry Enten, reporting on similar numbers on crime, immigration and the economy in a CNN poll, exclaimed, “What are you doing, Democrats? Goodness gracious.”
And no doubt that when respondents are referring to Republicans, they’re referring to Trump, who, despite his lame-duck status, dominates his party to an extent seldom seen. Note also that Republicans were narrowly favored on “political extremism” and were behind Democrats by only a statistically insigni cant 2% on “respect for democracy.”
Even more than in the 2024 campaign, Americans have had recent experience with both Democratic and Republican administrations, and there’s not much question that, despite his idiosyncrasies, they prefer Trump’s to Biden’s.
at all. If every American simply had a catastrophic coverage plan that would avoid families going bankrupt due to cancer or a terrible accident, we could simply pay our routine health bills the way we pay for rent or groceries — and then cut out the insurance middleman.
Patients would shop around for the lowest prices, and health insurance would be like home re insurance: there to aid families in an emergency. Instead, the insurance companies are adding hundreds of billions of extraneous pro ts out of the health care system because Americans are overinsured.
Ironically, when Obamacare was originally hatched back in 2010, opponents warned that the endgame was a single-payer, governmentrun system that eliminates the private insurance industry middleman. That’s exactly the outcome the $3 trillion health care system is barreling toward.
But sooner rather than later, the Bernie Sanders Democrats are going to make their case that the vulturous insurance lobby is an unnecessary trillion-dollar expense to the health care chain.
If Democrats and Republicans can agree on anything, it’s that all Americans would be richer and healthier without this health insurance scam.
Stephen Moore is a former Trump senior economic adviser.
Donald Trump: Energy in the executive
unpopular and unworkable policy when the Supreme Court ruled the National Recovery Act unconstitutional by 9-0 in 1935, Trump may be bailed out of the unpopularity of his tari s if the Supreme Court rules, as seems possible, that they aren’t authorized by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Democrats are in the uncomfortable position of appeasing what has become the party’s dominant constituency, a uent white college graduates, many of whom su er from what their critics call Trump derangement syndrome and demand unstinting adherence to positions overwhelmingly unpopular with the wider electorate.
One of those is immigration. Trump is taking an aggressive step in stationing federal troops in states where mobs threaten Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel enforcing federal law. But the “sanctuary” state and city policies instituted by Democratic o cials and supported by Democrats’ upscale core constituency are an aggressive attempt to counteract the Constitution’s supremacy clause.
There’s an echo here of Andrew Jackson’s dispatch of federal troops to the South Carolina border when John C. Calhoun’s acolytes tried to nullify federal law. Some voters may nd Trump’s act excessive but reject Democrats’ covert support of what amounts to an “open borders” immigration policy.
Similarly, a uent liberals’ adherence to every jot and tittle of transgender policy orthodoxy puts Democratic candidates such as Virginia gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger in the politically perilous position of refusing to oppose biological boys in girls’ sports.
She’s obviously catering to a core constituency for whom, as I wrote last month, “this was just another case for showing acceptance of a previously scorned minority. Some may have regretted that they didn’t come out earlier for gay rights or same-sex marriage and saw this issue in the same light.” Interestingly, that’s almost identical to the analysis presented by Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), the rst transgender member of Congress, in an interview with The New York Times’s Ezra Klein.
There’s an uncomfortable element of snobbery here, with some high-education voters proud they’re more tolerant than the vulgar masses, and some indulging a luxury belief they won’t be discommoded by biological boys in girls’ sports or biological men in women’s prisons.
Big Auto wants your data; Trump and Congress aren’t having it
CONGRESS IS NOT GOING to allow Big Auto to sideline consumer privacy and safety while getting subsidized massively by the federal government.
That is because in late September, by an overwhelming vote of 50 to 1, Chairman Brett Guthrie’s (R-Ky.) House Energy and Commerce Committee joined the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee in passing the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act.
This legislation is in response to some automakers removing AM radios from new model vehicles despite pleas from America’s public safety community not to do so.
Advisers to President Donald Trump have argued they continue doing so for nancial reasons — because they want to force increased tra c onto their infotainment systems, which collects drivers’ personal information and sells it to third parties.
“They’d rather force consumers to use their infotainment devices — which collect and sell their third-party data — than protect American lives,” Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s 2016 campaign manager and senior adviser to his 2020 and 2024 campaigns, stated.
No one in Congress likes that the auto companies are doing this. That is why the bill has broad bipartisan support with more than 300 cosponsors in the House as well as a libuster-proof level of support in the Senate.
The entirety of America’s public safety community spanning the federal, state and local levels insists AM radio remaining in cars is critical for protecting the nation’s emergency alerting systems. These systems rely heavily upon AM radio, the only communication method that has stayed reliably accessible during many disasters such as the Sept. 11 terrorist attack and major disasters like Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy and, most recently, Helene.
Brendan Carr, the current chairman of Trump’s FCC, nominated by Trump, has also endorsed the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. In a statement, Carr said that “millions of Americans depend on the value of AM radio and the local news that AM broadcasters o er in communities across the country.” He also recounted hearing rsthand stories of Hurricane Helene victims who “could only access lifesaving information in the days following the storm by tuning into their AM radios.”
AM radio also serves another purpose that the elites in Silicon Valley and Detroit often forget: It keeps rural and working-class America connected. Millions of people outside the big cities rely on AM for local news, farm reports, weather alerts and even community events. For many small towns, AM stations are a lifeline — far more reliable than expensive streaming services or spotty cell coverage. Pulling it out of cars is yet another way of telling Middle America: “You don’t matter.”
Of course, no good idea in Washington is safe from special interests.
Despite the broad support within Congress, the administration, and throughout the public safety and rst responder communities, the bill has faced a full-court press by the musicFIRST Coalition — a group backed by the Recording Industry of America — to tank the legislation unless it is tied to unrelated music royalty reform legislation. That’s cronyism politics at its worst — holding public safety hostage to squeeze out another payday.
However, now that the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act has passed both committees by overwhelming margins, the only stop left for the legislation is the House and Senate oor — meaning Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) must call it up for a roll call vote.
At the heart of this ght is more than just whether a radio dial stays in your dashboard. It’s about whether Americans can trust that their safety won’t be sacri ced for corporate pro t.
It’s also about data privacy. Automakers and Big Tech are eager to funnel drivers into infotainment systems that monitor every move, harvest personal information, and sell it to the highest bidder. AM radio doesn’t spy on you. It doesn’t crash when the grid goes down. It doesn’t put pro t ahead of people. It just works.
There is evidence that some critical bloc of voters feels Trump goes too far on some trademark policies. His heartfelt imposition of tari s in April sparked negative responses from voters and markets. His seemingly careless selection of tari percentages recalls the insouciance of Franklin Roosevelt setting an arbitrary price for gold every morning for months in 1933. But just as Roosevelt was relieved of an
Meanwhile, Trump in the past week has sharply changed his foreign policy on Ukraine by supporting long-distance responses and clampdowns on Russian oil and gas sales, and on Israel and Hamas by presenting a peace plan, getting Israel’s endorsement, and promising to back it strongly if Hamas doesn’t stop the ghting and free the hostages. It’s hard to deny that we see a lot of energy in the executive.
Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and longtime co-author of “The Almanac of American Politics.” COLUMN
For the sake of both public safety and personal freedom, Congress should make sure it stays that way.
Ken Blackwell is a chair at the America First Policy Institute, former mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio treasurer and secretary of State. This column was rst published by Daily Caller News Foundation.
Murphy to Manteo Jones & Blount
The Coolest of the Cool
In honor of National Manufacturing Week, the N.C. Chamber revealed the winners for this year’s “Coolest Thing Made in NC” competition: Siemens Mobility’s passenger coaches for Amtrak, made in Lexington, in the large business category; World Cat Boats’ powered catamaran boats, made in Tarboro, in the medium business category; and Ordway Glass Company’s custom stained glass, made in Fuquay-Varina, in the small business category. The contest recognizes three winners: one for businesses with fewer than 100 employees, one for businesses 100-999 employees, and one for businesses with 1,000-plus employees. Now an annual tradition, the N.C. Chamber launched the competition in 2020 to honor North Carolina’s manufacturers and raise awareness about the limitless potential of modern manufacturing careers. As the exclusive state a liate for the National Association of Manufacturers, the N.C. Chamber promotes the state’s economic and competitive success within the state’s innovative manufacturing industry, which generates more than 13.3% of the gross state product and employs more than 10% of the state’s workforce.
2025 “Coolest Thing Made in NC” competition winners
Large Business: Siemens Mobility’s passenger coaches (Lexington)
Small Business: Ordway Glass Company custom stained glass (Fuquay-Varina)
Medium Business: World Cat Boats powered catamaran (Tarboro)
WEST
PIEDMONT
Phipps named WS/FCS superintendent Forsyth County
EAST
9 beachfront houses lost in recent storms
By A.P.
to
the
of a mulch re in the
of Boylston Highway and Old Haywood Road. A post was made to the
page
that
and
were working
contain
facility in the area. On Sunday morning, there was an updated post announcing that crews continue to work around the clock to prevent the re from spreading to nearby properties. O cials said the re is burning from the inside out, making it impossible to fully extinguish. Crews and emergency service personnel are expected to be in the area for an extended period of time. Residents are urged to use caution while driving through the area, as smoke from the re could cause travel hazards with shifting winds.
WLOS
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education has appointed Don Phipps as the district’s next superintendent, e ective Dec. 1, it announced last week. Phipps has more than two decades of experience in academia. Since 2018, he has served as superintendent of Caldwell County Schools. Before that, he led Beaufort County Schools for more than eight years. He began his career at Cumberland County Schools. In 2023, he was named the North Carolina Superintendent of the Year.
WGHP
Triad high school ref calls for stronger safety procedures
Commissioners adopt pro-life resolution
Wilkes County Wilkes County’s Board of Commissioners is the latest in a series of legislative bodies in North Carolina to adopt a resolution that joins a national program to support the right to life from the moment of conception. The resolution was presented by local pastor David Dyer and was initiated as part of a program created by the Personhood Alliance, an organization in Centerville, Tennessee, that promotes conservative values. The vote was 5-0 in favor of adopting the resolution.
WXII
Guilford County Two Smith High School football players are facing juvenile charges after a referee was punched during a game in High Point on Sept. 12, according to police. High Point Police said an o cer applied for two juvenile petitions: one for assault on a sports o cial against a 16-year-old boy and another for disorderly conduct against a 17-year-old boy. The disorderly conduct petition stems from behavior following the reported assault. Both teens were players on Smith’s football team. The case now goes to Juvenile Court Services. Mitch Long, 73, has been o ciating for more than three decades. Known as a “white hat” — the lead o cial on a football crew — Long has worked football, basketball and softball for 35 years. Long said the game in question was heated, with multiple ejections for taunting and unsportsmanlike conduct before he was punched, and added that it was the rst time in his career he had been physically assaulted by a player.
Dare County A ninth beachfront house toppled into the surf last Friday in the Outer Banks village of Rodanthe. The house was on GA Kohler Court, where two other beach houses washed away in September 2024. Friday’s collapse followed eight others last week in Buxton, about 20 miles to the south, in rough seas kicked up by Humberto and Imelda. National Park Service workers were in Buxton last week cleaning up debris in collaboration with Cape Hatteras National Seashore personnel.
NSJ
Lenior County K-9 found safe after community alert Lenior County The Lenoir County Sheri ’s O ce says K-9 Fuse has been found after he escaped his kennel. According to o cials, K-9 Fuse was found thanks to a resident contacting the sheri ’s o ce. Saturday morning, the Lenoir County Sheri ’s O ce said K-9 Fuse, a fully trained police dog with the sheri ’s o ce, walked away from his home on the 1700 block of Institute Road, just
Historic Raleigh restaurant makes Top 10 list
Wake County Second Empire Restaurant & Tavern was listed among the top restaurants in the country for ne dining by TripAdvisor. The travel review site ranked it third out of 10 restaurants that were acclaimed for their culinary excellence. The list is part of TripAdvisor’s annual Travelers’ Choice Awards: Best of the Best Restaurants, which takes traveler reviews and curates the top-rated places in the U.S. in eight categories most people search for while traveling, from restaurants that are pet-friendly to ne dining cuisine. Serving out of the Dodd-Hinsdale House, Second Empire is a contemporary American eatery that, according to their website, combines history, atmosphere and gourmet cuisine. They also have a lounge on their “Tavern” side of the house, which is an exposed brick cellar as a nod to the original bones of the Second Empire-style structure. The house was built in 1879 for then-Raleigh mayor William H. Dodd. WNCN
light rail system in August. Her alleged attacker, DeCarlos Brown Jr., has an extensive arrest record that includes prison time. Brown faces a murder charge in Mecklenburg County as well as a federal charge, and he could receive either life in prison or the death penalty if convicted.
Additionally, Iryna’s Law requires judicial o cers to order a mental health evaluation for individuals charged with a violent crime who have been involuntarily committed within a three-year period or if a current mental health crisis may be present.
House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Granite Falls) applauded the signing, stating in a post on X, “Iryna’s Law has been signed and is now a reality in NC.”
“This is critical legislation that makes our state safer by ending cashless bail and getting career criminals o the street,” wrote Hall. “We will never forget Iryna Zarutska and this is the right rst step to ensure what happens to her never happens again.” Rep. Tricia Cotham (R-Mecklenburg), who championed the bill on the House oor, said in a press release that she was “thrilled” the bill was now law.
“Finally, we are getting dangerous criminals o our streets so we can make sure no one else su ers the heartbreak that Iryna Zarutska’s family endured,” said Cotham. “I’m
NATION & WORLD
Victims injured in Southport shooting released from hospital
Authorities revealed the three people who were killed
The Associated Press
SOUTHPORT — All six people hospitalized after a shooting two weekends ago that left three dead at a waterfront bar in Southport have been released, o cials announced last Friday.
Southport o cials initially said ve people were wounded in the ri e attack on the American Fish Company on Sept. 27, but city spokesperson ChyAnn Ketchum said a sixth victim had “self-admitted to a hospital.”
Nigel Max Edge, 40, a veteran wounded in the Iraq War, is charged with three counts of rst-degree murder. Killed in the shooting were Solomon Banjo, 36, of Charlottesville, Virginia; Joy Rogers, 64, of Southport; and Michael Durbin, 56, of Galena, Ohio. Edge is also charged with attempted rst-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
Authorities allege Edge, a former Marine from Oak Island, motored up to the crowd-
“In that short time, she touched countless lives in her community.”
Statement from the family of Joy Rogers, who was killed in last month’s Southport shooting
ed wharf about 9:30 p.m. and opened re with an AR-style rie equipped with a scope and silencer. He was apprehended shortly afterward by Coast Guard o cers who recognized him from a witness description.
Edge, who changed his name from Sean DeBevoise in 2023, told police he was injured in combat and su ers from post-traumatic stress disorder, Southport police Chief Todd Coring said.
Edge is being held without bond pending a probable cause hearing on Oct. 13 in a Brunswick County court. Coring asked the public for their patience as the investigation continues and said police presence will be higher,
particularly on the waterfront.
“O cers from across the county will be assisting Southport o cers to increase police presence to restore a sense of safety in and around our city,” he said Friday.
The county’s top prosecutor described Edge during a court hearing as having “significant mental health issues” after experiencing a traumatic brain injury.
District Attorney Jon David said his o ce would review whether seeking the death penalty is appropriate in his case.
In a statement provided this week to television stations by her husband, Joy Rogers was described by her family as deeply in uenced by her Christian faith. Rogers — who was born and raised in California — and her family had moved to Southport about a year ago to enjoy retirement, the statement read.
“In that short time, she touched countless lives in her community,” the statement says. “She lived up to her name — her spirit radiated joy, light, and kindness everywhere she went.”
Her husband, Lennie Rogers, said he was also at the bar Sat-
The president and rst lady were among those at Sunday’s celebration on the USS George H.W. Bush
By Josh Boak and Ben Finley
The Associated Press
NORFOLK, Va. — President Donald Trump did not let the government shutdown interfere with a stop in Norfolk, Virginia, on Sunday to salute the Navy as it celebrates its 250th anniversary.
“I believe, ‘THE SHOW MUST GO ON!’” Trump posted last Friday night on his social media site, Truth Social. And he wrote before leaving the White House for Naval Station Norfolk, “This will be a show of Naval aptitude and strength.”
The government shutdown that began Wednesday has sparked a series of partisan blame games as military personnel are working without pay, several thousand federal employees are furloughed, and key infrastructure and energy projects in Democratic-run areas such as New York and Chicago have been put on hold.
There is the possibility that an event designed to honor the Navy could be dragged into the bitter politics.
Trump accused Democrats in his post of enabling the shutdown and trying “to destroy this
REPORT from page A1
Of the $500 million, $140 million was authorized for direct spending, but NCI instead invested the principal amount, accumulating around $20 million in interest that was put toward the group’s rst set of grants. NCI also raised $25 million in outside funding from companies and businesses, which was used for items like salaries and operating expenses.
The NCI 2025 Annual Report includes $18.8 million in research funding awarded to 14 UNC System schools for 25 active projects since NCI launched.
“Our role is to ensure that university researchers in North Carolina are not just commer-
wonderful celebration of the U.S. Navy’s Birthday.”
Senate Democrats rejected e orts to preserve a continuation of government operations when the new budget year started last Wednesday. They cited the lapse in subsidies that could cause health insurance costs to climb rapidly for people who get coverage through the 2010 Affordable Care Act. Democratic lawmakers also have sought to reverse cuts to Medicaid that Trump signed into law. On top of that, both sides cite a mutual sense of distrust.
“This will be a show of Naval aptitude and strength.”
President
Donald Trump
urday night, but he was not injured, WECT-TV reported. Others who said they were at the bar described an evening of live music and fun obliterated by the gun re.
“Everyone was dancing, having a great time,” Alisa Noah told WWAY-TY. “It was just wonderful. It was a night on the water — until it wasn’t.”
Another bar patron, Phillip Bowen, said he heard a “pop pop” that he expected to be reworks.
“Instead, I heard another pop and a white light come out just above the transom of the boat,” Bowen said. Music and crowd chatter gave way to screams and gun re, WECT reported.
Bowen said he met Edge several years earlier and heard about his military service and struggles.
At the time, “I just wanted to listen to him and thank him for his service and not have pity on him for the way he was, but just show him respect and show him love,” Bowen said. “And it’s obvious he didn’t get enough of that.”
Records show Edge served in the military from 2003 to 2009, achieving the rank of sergeant. A 2017 story in the Wilmington Star-News described DeBevoise as a Marine sniper who said he had been left for dead after being shot four times, including in the head, during a raid on a warehouse in Iraq in May 2006.
ans A airs Secretary Doug Collins and U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), a former Navy rear admiral who was a White House doctor during Trump’s rst term.
After his arrival in Norfolk, Trump went to the USS George H.W. Bush and spoke to the sailors and handed out challenge coins.
The Trumps watched a military demonstration while standing on the deck of the aircraft carrier. Navy destroyers launched missiles and red shells into the Atlantic Ocean, Navy SEALs descended from helicopters and ghter jets catapulted o .
Awaiting Trump’s speech was a large crowd on a pier, mostly sailors in their dress white uniforms and some families.
Trump last Tuesday addressed a gathering of military leaders abruptly summoned from across the globe to Virginia by Hegseth. The Republican president proposed using U.S. cities as training grounds for the armed forces, and he spoke of needing military might to combat what he called the “invasion from within.” Hegseth declared an end to “woke” culture and announced new directives for troops that include “gender-neutral” or “male-level” standards for physical tness.
Calif. man sentenced in Kavanaugh assassination plot
Greenbelt, Md.
A California resident who attempted to assassinate U.S. Supreme Court
Justice Brett Kavanaugh at his Maryland home was sentenced to over eight years in prison by a federal judge, who imposed a punishment that is signi cantly more lenient than the Justice Department’s recommendation. Sophie Roske, a transgender woman charged under her legal name, Nicholas Roske, faced a maximum sentence of life in prison. U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman sentenced her to eight years and one month behind bars followed by a lifetime of court supervision. Prosecutors had asked for a prison sentence of no less than 30 years.
Ala. shootout kills 2, injures 12
Montgomery, Ala. Rival gunmen shot at each other in a crowded downtown nightlife district in Alabama’s capital city Saturday night, killing two people and injuring 12 others in a chaotic street scene that left authorities trying to nd out who started it, police said. The dead included a 43-year-old woman, identi ed by police as Shalanda Williams, and a 17-year-old identi ed as Jeremiah Morris. Five of the wounded were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, including a juvenile, Montgomery police said. No one had been arrested as of Sunday afternoon.
Japan poised to name rst female PM
Democrats oppose Trump’s move to have his administration decline to spend congressionally approved funds, saying it undermines the budgeting process, among other concerns. Meanwhile, Trump has explored laying o federal workers at what he called “Democrat Agencies.”
cializing breakthrough ideas, but that those ideas have the resources, partnerships, and strategic support needed to get to the next stage here where they are started,” said NCI’s Executive Vice President and CIO Michelle Bolas. “This Annual Report shows our commitment to incorporating those best practices for the ultimate success of our innovators and other partners.” Also noted was the expansion of NCI’s Regional Innovation Network from four hubs to seven, the launch of the entrepreneur-in-residence program, and more than 250 partnerships statewide across various industries with a focus on biohealth, agtech, defense, advanced manufacturing and energy transition.
Among those joining Trump for the festivities were rst lady Melania Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Navy Secretary John Phelan, Veter-
NCI’s 2025 annual report is 72 pages long and includes detailed descriptions of the projects approved for grant funding.
Pilot grants totaled more than $2.3 million for eight grants across seven schools, and statewide RFP grants totaled nearly $7.6 million, according to the report.
Total expenses were stated at just under $12.3 million, including grants, more than $1.5 million in salaries and bene ts, and regional hub expenses just below $850,000.
The pilot grants in the report include:
• $974,000 for East Carolina (biohealth) melanoma treatment
• $1,082,696 for UNC Wilmington (biohealth) multiyear vaccine development
The administration is seeking to reshape Pentagon culture and use military resources for the president’s priorities, including quelling domestic unrest and violent crime.
Trump has also engaged the military in an armed con ict with drug cartels, leading to four strikes on boats in the Caribbean that Washington says were involved in tra cking.
• $999,963 for Western Carolina (biohealth) mosquito-borne infectious disease identi cation and risk assessment
• $641,951 for Appalachian State (AgTech) beehive improvement and monitoring system
• $369,024 for North Carolina A&T (biohealth) neuro drug delivery system
• $404,999 for UNC Greensboro (energy transition and electri cation) lithium puri cation
• $400,971 for NC Centra (biohealth) drinking water puri cation
• $354,607 for NC Central (energy transition and electrication) power-grid e ciency
There were 17 statewide RFP grants approved in mid-May totaling $13.6 million across 12 UNC System schools. The proj-
Tokyo Japan’s governing party on Saturday elected former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi — a hard-line ultra-conservative and China hawk — as its new leader, making her likely to become the country’s rst female prime minister. In a country that ranks poorly internationally for gender equality, the 64-year-old Takaichi would make history as the rst female leader of Japan’s long-governing conservative Liberal Democratic Party. Takaichi is one of the most conservative members of the male-dominated party. An admirer of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Takaichi is a protege of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ultra-conservative vision.
ects are described as having “achieved proof of concept” and showing commercial promise.
The largest of the 17 grants, more than $1.1 million, went to UNC Pembroke in the area of biohealth. The project is titled “Alzheimer’s/Traumatic Brain Injury therapeutic.”
The only other project receiving more than $1 million was for a hemp-based biopesticide for commercial poultry houses being worked on at Fayetteville State University.
The future of NCI’s funding remains uncertain. While the General Assembly has yet to nd consensus on the state budget, both the North Carolina House and Senate have called for a clawback of the initial endowment.
STEVE HELBER / AP PHOTO
A Navy band performs before President Donald Trump arrives to speak during Sunday’s celebration for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Harry S. Truman at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
CUMBERLAND
Notice to Creditors
The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Ursula Yvette Chesney Grady, late of Cumberland County, North Carolina, hereby noti es all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against the decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before 2 January 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate are requested to make immediate payment. This the 2nd day of October, 2025. Maurice S. Grady Executor of the Estate of Ursula Yvette Chesney Grady 775 Magellan Drive Fayetteville, NC 28311
NOTICE TO CREDITORS IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION ESTATE FILE NO. 25E001377-250 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND
Having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Priscilla Suzanne Baker aka Priscilla Dixon Baker, 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 December 18, 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 18th day of September, 2025. Andrea Baker McBride, Administrator of the Estate of Priscilla Suzanne Baker aka Priscilla Dixon Baker 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
The undersigned having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Callie McClenny Beale, deceased, late of Cumberland County, this is to notify all person having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the 18th day of December, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 18th of September 2025. Administrator of the Estate of Callie McClenny Beale, Michael Douglas Beale, 1258 High House Road, Clinton, NC 28328. NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA CUMBERLAND COUNTY In the Matter of the Estate of: ELLEN OAKES BILL
Deceased.
ADMINISTRATOR’S NOTICE
The undersigned, having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Ellen Oakes Bill, 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 December 25, 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 25th day of September, 2025.
Sharon Gray Bill Scott, Administrator of the Estate of Ellen Oakes Bill, Deceased
c/o J. Thomas Neville Yarborough, Winters & Neville, P.A.
P.O. Box 705
Fayetteville, NC 28302-0705
Publish:
09/25/2025, 10/02/2025, 10/09/2025 and 10/16/2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
ESTATE OF DOROTHY LOUISE BLUE
CUMBERLAND County Estate File No. 23 E 1288
All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Dorothy Louise Blue, deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are noti ed to present their claims to Claudinette Blue, Administrator, at 1316 Skyline Dr., Fayetteville, NC 28314, on or before the 10th day of January, 2026 (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 3rd day of October, 2025. Claudinette Blue Administrator of the Estate of Dorothy Louise Blue Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm Attorneys for the Estate 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28311
Run dates: October 9, October 16, October 23 and October 30, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
ESTATE OF RUTH JOHNSON BYRD
CUMBERLAND County Estate File No. 25E000285-250 All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Ruth Johnson Byrd, 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 26th day of December, 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 22th day
Wayne Byrd, deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby noti es all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to present them to the undersigned on or before December 25th, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA In the General Court of Justice Cumberland County Superior Court Division
Estate File # 25E001372-250
Executor’s Notice
The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Joyce Elizabeth Barnes, 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 18th day of December, 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 18th day of September, 2025.
LaTosha R. Barnes 4407 Hopson Road, # 1302
Morrisville, North Carolina 27560
Executor of the Estate of Joyce Elizabeth Barnes, Deceased
Executor’s Notice
IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE
SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION
ESTATE FILE 25E001375-250
State of North Carolina Cumberland County NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The undersigned, having quali ed as the Executor of the Estate of Janice Lee Calvert, late of Cumberland County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms or corporations having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned at PO Box 359, Twisp, Washington, 98856, on or before December 29, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 25th day of September 2025. Michael P. Calvert
Executor of the Estate of Janice Lee Calvert, Deceased c/o Gilliam Law Firm, PLLC J. Duane Gilliam, Jr., Attorney PO Box 53555 Fayetteville, NC 28305 09/25/2025, 10/02/2025, 10/09/2025, and 10/16/2025
NOTICE
In The General Court of Justice
Superior Court Division Before the Clerk Estate File #23 E 000636-250 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA CUMBERLAND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR NOTICE
The undersigned having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Carrie Lee Cherry, 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 25th day of December, 2025, (which date is three months after the day of the rst publication of this notice) of this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 19th day of September 2025. Administrator of the Estate of CARRIE LEE CHERRY Mary Alice Cherry 1061 Danbury Drive Fayetteville, NC 28311
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
CUMBERLAND COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 24E 1122
ADMINISTRATOR NOTICE
The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Deloise Martinsus Clayton, deceased, late of Cumberland County, North Carolina, hereby noti es all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to present them to the undersigned on or before December 25, 2025 (90 days from the date of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This the 25th day of September, 2025
William Clayton Executor of the Estate of Deloise Martinsus Clayton 1599 Rossmore Drive Fayetteville, North Carolina 28314
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA In The General Court of Justice County of Cumberland Superior Court Division Estate File# 16E000417-250 Administrator’s/Executor’s Notice
The undersigned, having quali ed as administrator of the Estate of Frank Sterling Daniels, 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 18th day of December, 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 18th day of September, 2025 Yvonne Daniels 513 Dandridge Dr Fayetteville, NC 28303 Administrator Of the Estate of Frank Sterling Daniels, Deceased Publication Dates 9/18/25, 9/25/25, 10/2/25, 10/9/25
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA In The General Court Of Justice County of Cumberland Superior Court Division Estate File# 25E001370-250 Administrator’s/Executor’s Notice
The Undersigned, having quali ed as the Administrator of the Estate of Alene Ferguson, 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 December 18, 2025 or 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 18th day of September, 2025 Barry Lynn Ferguson, Sr. Administrator/Executor 612 Ashdown Place, Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Of the Estate of Alene Ferguson, Deceased
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having quali ed as Administer of the Estate of George Washington Hart, late of Cumberland County, North Carolina, the undersigned does herby notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to undersigned at 251 TIFFANY CIRCLE SPRING LAKE. ON OR BEFORE the 18th day of December 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms, and corporations indepted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 15th day of September 2025.
KISHEA HART
ADMINISTRATOR OF ESTATE OF GEORGE HART
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION ESTATE FILE #
25E001454-250 IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF:
Charlotte Ella Icenogle.
Administrator’s Notice The undersigned, having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Charlotte Ella Icenogle, deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby noti es all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the 2nd day of January, 2026 (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 make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 2nd day of October, 2025. Dorothy Tyndall 3221 Boone Trail Fayetteville NC 28306. Administrator of the Estate of Charlotte Ella Icenogle, Deceased.
NOTICE
NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION: STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA / DISTRICT COURT DIVISION / COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND / FILE NO.
25JT000332-250 IN RE: H.J.J. A Juvenile Child.
TO: Any Unknown Birth Fathers - Take notice that an action has been commenced against you in the above referenced court le to terminate your parental rights to a female child born on May 9, 2025 in in Ocean Springs, Mississippi to Stevette Jackson. The child was conceived on or around late July/mid-August in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. You are summoned and noti ed to answer the petition in which the petitioners ask the Court to terminate your parental rights to the above-named juvenile. Any written answer to the petition must be led with the Clerk of Court within forty (40) days of the rst publication of this notice on or before November 11, 2025. A copy of the answer must also be served on the petitioners and their lawyer. The Court will conduct a hearing to determine whether one or more grounds alleged in the petition for terminating parental rights exist. If the Court nds that one or more grounds exist, the Court will proceed at that hearing or a later hearing to determine whether parental rights should be terminated. Notice of the date, time and location of the hearing will be mailed to you by the petitioner after you le an answer or forty (40) days from the date of service if you do not le an answer. If you do not le a written answer to the petition with the Clerk of Superior Court, the Court may terminate your parental rights. You have a right to be represented by a lawyer in this case. If you want a lawyer and cannot a ord one, the Court will appoint a lawyer for you. Contact the Cumberland County Clerk of Superior Court, 117 Dick St. Fayetteville, NC 28301. If you are represented by a lawyer appointed previously in an abuse, neglect, or dependency case, that lawyer will continue to represent you unless the Court orders otherwise. At the rst hearing, the Court will determine whether you qualify for a court-appointed lawyer. If you do not qualify, the provisional counsel will be released. If a lawyer is appointed for you and if the Court terminates your parental rights, you may become liable for repayment of the lawyer’s fees, and a judgment for the amount of the fees may be entered against you. You are entitled to attend any hearing a ecting your parental rights. As described above, the petitioners will mail you notice of the date, time, and location of the hearing.. Kelly T. Dempsey, 101 S. Tryon Street, Suite 1700, Charlotte, NC 28280 (10/02/2025, 10/09/2025, 10/16/2025)
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION ESTATE FILE# 25E001442-250 IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF:
Bettye Jean Johnson-Hyde
Executor’s Notice to Creditor’s
The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the estate of Bettye Jean Johnson-Hyde, 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 2nd day of January 2026, (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, rms, and corporations indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 23rd day of September 2025. Lynnette Maranda Hyde 2226 Shaw Rd EXT Fayetteville, NC 28311 Executor of the estate of Bettye Jean Johnson-Hyde, deceased September 23rd, 2025
ADMINISTRATORS/EXECUTORS NOTICE
In The General Court of Justice Estate File #25E000313-250 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA County of Cumberland
The undersigned, having quali ed as Administrator og the Estate of James E King, 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 19th day of December 2025 which date is three months after the rst publication of this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. September 18 2025
David Smtih 3636 Gloucester Dr Hope Mills, NC 28348 Administrator of the Estate of James E King
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
ESTATE OF RONALD MCDANIEL CUMBERLAND County Estate File No. 25E001175-250
All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Ronald McDaniel, 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 26th day of December, 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 22nd day of September, 2025. Davis W. Puryear Administrator of the Estate of Ronald McDaniel Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm Attorneys for the Estate 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28311 Run dates: September 25, October 2, October 9, and October 16, 2025
ESTATE OF RUBY LEIGH MCLEMORE CUMBERLAND County Estate File No. 25E1393-250
All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Ruby Leigh McLemore, deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are noti ed to present their claims to Frances McLemore McCauley, Administrator, at 101 Ham Rd., Hope Mills, MC 28348, on or before the 26th day of December, 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 19th day of September, 20225 Frances McLemore McCauley Administrator of the Estate of Ruby Leigh McLemore Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm
It is for the Estate of my father Peter G Raymon deceased, laste of Cumberland County, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the 9th day of January 2026 or this notice will be in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 9th day of October, 2025. Administrator of the Estate of Peter G Raymon Elizabeth Blascruz (252)314-5312 1815 W Canary Way, Chandler, AZ 85286
Administrator’s Notice IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION ESTATE FILE 25E001423-250 State of North Carolina Cumberland County NOTICE TO CREDITORS The undersigned, having quali ed as the Administrator of the Estate of Frances E. Raeford, late of Cumberland County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms or corporations having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned at 933 Mary McCall Road, Stedman, North Carolina 28391, on or before January 9, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 9th day of October, 2025. Cheryll McNeill Administrator of the Estate of Frances E. Raeford, Deceased c/o Gilliam Law Firm, PLLC J. Duane Gilliam, Jr., Attorney PO Box 53555 Fayetteville, NC 28305 10/9/2025, 10/16/2025, 10/23/2025 and 10/30/2025
NOTICE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION ESTATE FILE # 25E001449-250 IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF: Wanda Godwin Porter. Executor’s Notice The undersigned, having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Wanda
NOTICE
9th day of January, 2026, (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 October, 2025 Gary Hubbard, Executor 1713 Fairington Lane Fayetteville, NC 28305 Of the Estate of Carolyn H. Spence, deceased
NOTICE In the General Courtof Justice Superior Court Division Before the Clerk of Court Estate File #25E001409-250 State of North Carolina Cumberland County Administrative Notice The undersigned having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Fannie Mae Thompson, deceased, late of Cumberland County, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate present them to the undersigned on or before December 26, 2025 (which date is three months after date of of the rst publication) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 26th day of September, 2025 Administrator of the Estate of Fannie Mae Thompson 800 Stanley St Fayetteville NC 28306
Notice to Creditors
The undersigned having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Brenda Sue Creech Wall, deceased, of Cumberland County, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the 2nd day of January, 2026, which date is three months after 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 25th day of September, 2025. Administrator of the Estate of Brenda Sue Creech Wall, Stephanie Wall Powell 5929 Hirams Court Hope Mills, NC 28348
NOTICE
State of North Carolina In the General Court of Justice County of Cumberland Superior Court Division Estate File# 2024 E 000804 ADMINISTRATOR’S/EXECUTOR’S NOTICE
The undersigned, having quali ed as EXECUTOR of the estate of Billie Herman Weathington, 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 9th day of January, 2026, (which date is three months after the day of the rst publication of this notice)) or or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All debtors of the deceased are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 9th day of October, 2025 Susan Weathington Hines, Executor. 1409 Country Lake Dr. Greensboro, NC 27406 Of the estate of Billie Herman Weathington, Deceased
DAVIDSON
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Katherine Johnson Stevenson aka Katherine Elizabeth Stevenson aka Katherine Elizabeth Johnson Stevenson, late of Davidson 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 January 3, 2026 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 2nd day of October, 2025
Terry L. Johnson aka Terry Lee Johnson Executor of the Estate of Katherine Johnson Stevenson aka Katherine Elizabeth Stevenson aka Katherine Elizabeth Johnson Stevenson S. SCOTT EGGLESTON, Attorney IVEY & EGGLESTON, ATTORNEYS AT LAW 111 Worth Street Asheboro, NC 27203 (336) 625-3043 PUBL/DATES: 10/02/2025 10/09/2025 10/16/2025 10/23/2025
NEW HANOVER
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA NEW HANOVER COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS THE UNDERSIGNED, Janet B. Pilkington, having quali ed on the 17th day of August, 2025, as Executor of the Estate of Delores Yvonne Averette (25E002097640), 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 22nd 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 18th day of September 2025. Janet B. Pilkington Executor ESTATE OF DELORES YVONNE AVERETTE David Anderson Attorney at Law 9111 Market St, Ste A Wilmington, NC 28411 Publish: September 18, 2025 September 25. 2025 October 2, 2025 October 9, 2025
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF NEW HANOVER NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The undersigned,RUDOLF ANTON BLESS AND RICHARD JOSEF BLESS, having quali ed as the Co-Executors of the Estate of MAGDALENA BLESS, Deceased, hereby noti es all persons, rms or corporations having claims against the Decedent to exhibit same to the said RUDOLF ANTON BLESS AND RICHARD JOSEF BLESS, at the address set out below, on or before December 19, 2025, or this notice may be pleaded in bar of any payment or recovery of same. All persons indebted to said Decedent will please make immediate payment to the undersigned at the address set out below. This the 12thth day of September. 2025. RUDOLF ANTON BLESS AND RICHARD JOSEF BLESS Co-Executors of the Estate of MAGDALENA BLESS c/o ROBERT H. HOCHULI, JR. 219 RACINE DR., SUITE #A6 Wilmington, NC 28405
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA NEW HANOVER COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS THE UNDERSIGNED, Daniel Y. Escarsega, having quali ed on the 16th day of August, 2025, as Executor of the Estate of Joseph F. Coughlin (25E002071-640), 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 22nd 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 18th day of September 2025. Daniel Y. Escarsega Executor ESTATE OF JOSEPH F. COUGHLIN
David Anderson Attorney at Law 9111 Market St, Ste A Wilmington, NC 28411 Publish:
Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of WILLIE LEE ALBERTSON, 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 January 2, 2026, or
undersigned.
This 1st day of October 2025. ANGELA ELIZABETH ALBERTSON Executor of the Estate of WILLIE LEE ALBERTSON S. SCOTT EGGLESTON, Attorney IVEY & EGGLESTON, ATTORNEYS AT LAW 111 Worth Street Asheboro, NC 27203 (336) 625-3043
PUBL/DATES: 10/02/25 10/09/25 10/16/25 10/23/25
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Christine Hussey Allen, 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 29, 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 25th day of September, 2025
Patricia H. Nichols Administrator of the Estate of Christine Hussey Allen Marion “Beth” McQuaid, Attorney IVEY & EGGLESTON, ATTORNEYS AT LAW 111 Worth Street Asheboro, NC 27203 (336) 625-3043 PUBL/DATES: 09/25/25 10/02/25 10/09/25 10/16/25
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Margie Ruth Vuncannon Beck, of Randolph County, NC, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to exhibit them to the undersigned Executor at the Law O ce of Andrew J. Weiner, 113 Worth Street, Asheboro, NC 27203 on or before December 31st 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of heir recovery. All persons indebted to said estate please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 2nd day of October 2025. Stanley Kent Beck, Executor Margie Ruth Vuncannon Beck, Estate Andrew J. Weiner, Attorney Gavin &
Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against you has been led in the aboveentitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: Petition for Partition Sale of Real Estate of the property located at 3544 Allwood Drive, Trinity, Randolph County, NC 27370 and described as follows: Being all of Lot No. 7, Section 2 Crestwood Estates, according to a map or plat of the same which is duly recorded in Plat Book 14 at Page 14 in the O ce of the Register of Deeds for Randolph County, North Carolina. You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than 40 days from the date of rst publication, or 18th day of November 2025 and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you will apply to the court for the relief sought. Shilanka I. Ware, Attorney PO Box 28 E and, NC 27243 Publication Dates: Oct. 9, 16, 23, 30
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Evelyn Parson Holland, of Randolph County, NC, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to exhibit them to the undersigned Administrator at the Law O ce of Andrew J. Weiner, 113 Worth Street, Asheboro, NC 27203 on or before January 8th 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of heir recovery. All persons indebted to said estate please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 9nd day of October 2025. India Deion Stewart, Administrator Evelyn Parson Holland, Estate Andrew J. Weiner, Attorney Gavin & Cox 113 Worth Street Asheboro, NC 27203 Telephone: 336-629-2600
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of JAMES WINFRED KIDD aka JAMES WINFORD KIDD aka JAMES W. KIDD, 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 January 8, 2026, 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 9th day of October 2025. JAMES RANDALL KIDD aka JAMES RANDAL KIDD Executor of the Estate of JAMES WINFRED KIDD aka JAMES WINFORD KIDD aka JAMES W. KIDD MARION “BETH” MCQUAID, Attorney IVEY & EGGLESTON, ATTORNEYS AT LAW 111 Worth Street Asheboro, NC 27203 (336) 625-3043
PUBL/DATES: 10/09/25 10/16/25 10/23/25 10/30/25
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of LEE MONROE MANGES, 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 26, 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 22nd day of September 2025. ROSE TREAT CHILSON Executor of the Estate of LEE MONROE MANGES MARION “BETH” MCQUAID, Attorney IVEY & EGGLESTON, ATTORNEYS AT LAW 111 Worth Street Asheboro, NC 27203 (336) 625-3043
PUBL/DATES: 09/25/25 10/02/25 10/09/25 10/16/25
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Dorothy Lee McDonald a/k/a Dorothy Parson McDonald, of Randolph County, NC, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to exhibit them to the undersigned Administrator at the Law O ce of Andrew J. Weiner, 113 Worth Street, Asheboro, NC 27203 on or before January 8th 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of heir recovery. All persons indebted to said estate please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 9nd day of October 2025. Melissa Lynn McDonald,
UNC basketball season preview,
the Thursday SIDELINE REPORT
NWSL
Sears scores twice in vital 3-1 win for Racing against Courage
Cary Emma Sears scored two goals and Racing Louisville defeated the North Carolina Courage 3-1 on Saturday night in the NWSL. The win improves the playo hopes of seventh-place Racing, which has opened up a four-point gap over the ninth-place Courage with three matches left in the season. North Carolina is three points out of the nal spot. Louisville has yet to reach the playo s since joining the NWSL in 2021.
NCAA BASKETBALL
Syracuse basketball great Moten dies at age 53
Syracuse basketball great Lawrence Moten has died at 53 at home in Washington, D.C. No cause of death was announced. Moten starred for the Orange from 1991-94 and still holds the school record for points with 2,334. He was a second-round pick of the Vancouver Grizzlies in the 1995 NBA Draft and played two seasons with them and one with the Washington Wizards in ’98.
NCAA FOOTBALL
Former coach Fisher makes a tearful return to Florida State campus Tallahassee, Fla. Jimbo Fisher was brought to tears while returning to Florida State for the rst time since resigning to take the Texas A&M coaching job in 2017. Fisher, now an ACC Network analyst, was cheered at the pregame show outside the stadium. He did the tomahawk chop to the crowd and started to cry. Fisher coached at FSU for 10 years, winning a national title in 2013.
Van Gisbergen wins 5th straight road course race with Roval victory
Joey Logano narrowly advances in the playo s
By Jenna Fryer
The Associated Press
CONCORD — Shane van Gisbergen won his fth consecutive race on a road or street course Sunday with a victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where reigning Cup Series champion Joey Logano narrowly moved on to the third round of NASCAR’s Cup Series playo s in a nail-biter with Ross Chastain.
Logano found himself in a close race against Chastain, who was below the cutline and in danger of elimination until Logano struggled to put together a strong enough race on the hybrid road course/oval at Charlotte.
Chastain seemed to have Logano on the ropes until a
last-lap collision with Denny Hamlin sent Chastain spinning. He crossed the nish line backward in 21st, one spot behind Logano.
An animated Hamlin on pit road complained to his No. 11 crew that he was not made aware of the situation and would not have passed
Chastain had he known it would bene t three-time Cup Series champion Logano.
“I didn’t know anything about anything on that last run, I wasn’t very good,” Hamlin said. “I saw (Chastain) and I didn’t know anything about anything going on. I didn’t know. I thought I was racing for about 18th. I just wish I knew so I could have been either prepared or made a di erent decision.”
The eld was cut from 12 drivers to eight after the race. Logano’s fate was never really considered as most believed the nal slot in the playo eld would go to a driver below the cutline and only if van Gisbergen was nally stopped.
Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell both put tough challenges on van Gisbergen, but the New Zealander emerged
See ROVAL, page B3
Carolina kicks o the season Thursday at home
By Cory Lavalette North State Journal
RALEIGH — Every new NHL season brings renewed hope — long-su ering fan bases wonder if their team will nally return to the playo s, middling franchises expect their young stars and hot-shot prospect to elevate them into the league’s upper echelon, and Stanley Cup contenders wonder if this is nally the year they break through.
The Carolina Hurricanes reside rmly in the nal group. Since Rod Brind’Amour became head coach in 2018, the franchise he led as a player to its only championship in 2006 has reached the playo s seven consecutive years. That included three trips to the Eastern Conference nal as one of four teams left standing. Carolina, however, has won just one of 13 conference nal games, falling short of a re -
turn to the Stanley Cup nal and the top of the NHL.
The Hurricanes again bolstered their lineup to better their chances. Enter speedy winger Nikolaj Ehlers and rangy defenseman K’Andre Miller, two in-their-prime talents who seem like perfect ts for Carolina’s aggressive style of play.
There’s also Alexander Nikishin, the do-everything defenseman who dominated Russia’s KHL for several seasons while the Hurricanes eagerly awaited his arrival in North America. He played in four playo games last season, but this year will be a true trial by re for the bruising defender who is as likely to score a goal as he is to punish an opponent caught with his head down.
But the playo s are half a year away, and much will be learned over 82 games to give a hint as to whether Carolina has what it takes to reach the next level come spring.
Here are dates to watch as the 2025-26 NHL season gets underway.
Oct. 9: Home vs. New Jersey
The Hurricanes open their season with two home games before hitting the road for a six-game road trip that coincides with the arrival of the nearby North Carolina State Fair. Game 1 could set an early tone.
See CANES, page B4
MATT KELLEY / AP PHOTO
The pit crew for Shane van Gisbergen rushes to complete a pit stop during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playo race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
MATT KELLEY / AP PHOTO
Shane van Gisbergen celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series playo race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
TRENDING
Carson Hocevar:
The driver was endangering safety the NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway for a behavioral violation Hocevar revved and spun his tires while safety workers attended to his car after he spun the No 77 Chevrolet The Spire Motorsports driver was involved in several incidents late in the race including a spin on the backstretch
Myles Farmer:
The senior defensive back made a game-saving tackle at the goal line on fourth down as Appalachian State edged Oregon State 27-23 in Boone
The Mountaineers (3-2) jumped to a 17- -quarter lead behind runs by Rashod Dubinion abd JJ Kohl App State’s defense sealed it with a late interception and Farmer s goal-line stop. Kohl threw for 218 yards Dubinion rushed for 101
Wilfried Zaha:
The Charlotte FC winger scored in the 33rd minute and Kristijan Kahlina recorded his 11th clean sheet of the season as Charlotte beat D C United 1-0 to secure a home
Charlotte (18-13-2) is unbeaten in its with D C United outscoring them 7-1 during the stretch Zaha who snapped -match goalless streak last Saturday, got inside the far post
Beyond the box score
POTENT QUOTABLES
“Do we see the score?! We can’t do bet ter than this?? Rea lly?”
Former UNC and NFL safet y Tre Boston, posting on X while watching the Tar Heels’ loss to Clemson
“I’m
sorr y for those g uys
that
have to line up across f rom him ”
Detroit Lions coach
Dan Campbell (right) on defensive lineman
Alim McNeill (left), who returned to practice after the NC State product missed all of last season with a knee injur y
NCA A FOOTBALL
a 38-yard Hail Mar y pass for a touchdow n as Gardner-Webb edged Charleston Southern 30 -27 in the second annual Nor th-South Barbecue Bowl Jones’ touchdow n gave the Bulldogs a 10 -7 lead on the last play before half time The Bulldogs’ Nate Hampton completed a 13-yard pass to A nthony Lowe to set up the
Fox analyst Mark Sanchez was arrested and in stable condition af ter he was stabbed in an overnight altercation in Indianapolis The former NFL quar terback was charged w ith batter y w ith injur y, unlaw f ul entr y of a vehicle and public intoxication Sanchez was in Indianapolis to call Sunday’s Raiders- Colts game
Duke coach Jon Scheyer has a two-year ex tension r unning through the 2030 -31 season The 38-year-old beg ins his four th season as successor to retired Hall of Famer Mike to w in two ACC Tournament titles in Final Four last year
Consecutive passes completed by Western Carolina quar terback
Taron Dickens in a setting an FCS record The sophomore was 53-of-56 passing, setting another record w ith a 94 6 completion percentage
Nor thside High School in Pinetow n moved their game, orig inally scheduled for last Friday, to Tuesday It was Nor thside’s homecoming game, and the school wanted to get the game in before the government shutdow n Nor thside’s homecoming opponent, Lejeune, has put all “ spor ting events, spor ts practices and all ex tracurricular activ ities” on hold
Wolfpack betting on big basketball bounce back
NC State is looking to make a splash this season with a refreshed lineup and new coach
By Ryan Henkel North State Journal
THE NC STATE basketball team is coming o of one of its worst years in program history, a season that saw them miss the ACC Tournament and ultimately re coach Kevin Keatts after eight seasons in Raleigh.
Now former McNeese coach Will Wade is at the helm of the program, and despite last season’s disappointment, there’s a strong sense of optimism surrounding this year’s team.
“I like where we are. I like the work that we put in this summer,” Wade said. “I think our players are in a really good place. We’re healthy, and we’re ready to get rolling.”
In Wade, the Wolfpack are getting a leader with a proven track record. The 42-year- old coach has 11 years of head coaching experience with a 70% win rate and seven NCAA Tournament appearances, including a run to the Sweet Sixteen.
Wade is also a smart and evolving coach, one who trains and practices hard but also talks analytics and percentages. He opened his presser talking
Will Wade calls to his McNeese State players during the rst round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Wade is now coaching the Wolfpack.
about percentile changes in his players’ body fat and lean muscle mass, and the percentage changes and staged tracking of the team’s 3-point shooting.
The coach has also brought some interesting bonding activities to the team over the summer, such as a retreat that involved Navy SEAL training, with Wade also taking part in the exercises.
“The bigger part is our guys staying together, our sta staying together,” Wade said about the retreat. “We had a session that night too where we went
over our team goals, over our team identity. The SEAL stu is a part of it, but it all works together.”
But the best way to sum up Wade is to just listen to him talk.
“We don’t try to be anything that we’re not,” Wade said, talking about how he pitches the program to potential recruits. “We don’t try to sell you on something that we’re not. We are who we are, and we’re not for everybody. If you don’t want to come, go somewhere else. We’ll just kick your ass.”
“It’s gonna be a reckoning for the ACC and for college basketball.”
NC State coach Will Wade
“It’s gonna be a reckoning for the ACC and for college basketball,” Wade said. “People are gonna have to deal with us, and they’re gonna have to deal with us a lot sooner than they think because we’ve got a damn good team.”
The Wolfpack not only hit the reset button on the sta but also the roster, as eight new players were brought in from the transfer portal.
Key names and projected starters include All-Big 12 rst-team forward Darrion Williams (Texas Tech), guard Tre Holloman (Michigan State), guard, national championship runner-up Terrance Arceneaux (Houston) and forward Ven-Allen Lubin (UNC).
“(Williams is) somebody who can play everywhere,” Wade said. “When the ball’s in his hands, good things are gonna happen. He can either make a shot, make a pass and nd the open guy. He has incredible feel and he’s somebody that we can play in a lot of di erent positions.”
Davis, Tar Heels make ‘sizable’ changes to approach ahead of 2025-26 campaign
UNC is incorporating skilled bigs in Henri Veesaar, Jarin Stevenson and Caleb Wilson
By Asheebo Rojas North State Journal
WITH MANY questions to be answered ahead of UNC’s season opener against Central Arkansas at home on Nov. 3, size won’t be one for the “Tall Heels” Last year, the college basketball world looked down on Carolina — not just for their disappointing performances against high-caliber opponents, but also in a literal sense.
It was glaringly obvious that the Tar Heels were undersized last season. UNC had two players standing at least 6-foot-10 in inconsistent Jalen Washington and freshman James Brown, who played limited minutes. After a busy o season of adding players through the transfer portal, high school recruiting and overseas trips, UNC’s roster consists of six players of at least 6-foot-10 for the rst time since the 2020-21 campaign.
“I thought we needed to be bigger,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said this o season when asked about his plans for building the roster. “We needed more size. I think the No. 1 determining factor of an outcome of the game is rebounding. I thought defensively we were OK rebounding percentage-wise, but o ensive rebounding was nothing near what we needed it to be. I wanted to become more versatile. We have di erent types of lineups.”
UNC’s corps of big men come
ROVAL from page B1
from a car-slamming battle with Larson through the turns with 14 laps remaining and took the lead for good with 11 laps remaining.
That eliminated any shot for Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace, both of 23XI Racing, or Austin Cindric of Team Penske claiming the nal playo position. Chastain of Trackhouse Racing remained in the hunt, though, as Logano could never get his Penske Ford running well enough to secure his spot in the playo s.
“Everybody was telling me how close it was going to be there. We’re still in. We’re still
WADE PAYNE / AP PHOTO
Then-Alabama forward Jarin Stevenson (15) celebrates a basket against Kentucky during last season’s SEC Tournament. Stevenson returns to the state of North Carolina to provide size for the Tar Heels.
in a variety of experience and skill sets.
Arizona transfer and 7-footer Henri Veesaar is a defensive enforcer and strong nisher around the rim. Playing alongside former Tar Heel Caleb Love last season, the junior shot 59.2% from the oor while nishing fourth in the Big 12 in block percentage. He also shot 38.7% on 3-pointers in conference play.
“Partially what (Davis) really liked about me was how I can alter shots and block shots,” Veesaar said. “I think that’s
alive, baby,” Logano said as he reveled in a loud chorus of fan booing. “I knew it was within a point there, and I knew we were going to be tied there at the end and Ross was going to do whatever he had to do to make it happen.
“If you want drama, the playo s bring it every time. What an entertaining nish there. We’ve still got a shot.”
It was similar to a year ago when Logano left Charlotte eliminated from the playo s, only to learn hours later while having dinner with his family that Alex Bowman had been disquali ed and Logano was back in the eld. He went on to win the Cup Series championship.
what they were missing a little bit last year.”
Then there’s 6-foot-10 Jarin Stevenson, a junior Alabama transfer and Chapel Hill native. Stevenson wasn’t the most consistent 3-point shooter for the Crimson Tide, but his ability to guard multiple positions made him a valuable piece to two deep tournament runs.
“One of the things that really impressed me last year when we played him was his ability on the defensive end,” Davis said about Stevenson. “They put him on RJ (Davis), and he did a really good
Logano made a late pit stop for fresh tires, Chastain did not, and Chastain was forced to race the nal stretch trying to make his old Goodyears last long enough to get into the round of eight.
“Unforced errors, it’s just terrible,” Chastain said of two early race speeding penalties that made him want to “start the whole day over.”
“It’s heartbreaking for almost 200 employees at Trackhouse,” Chastain said. “It’s not acceptable, just completely unacceptable. To get here and fail is a terrible feeling. I will wake up tomorrow and get right back to work.”
The eight drivers moving on
The Wolfpack also managed to retain the talents of sophomore Paul McNeil, a former Top 100 prospect and a player they’ll be looking at to be a big piece of the team’s season.
“I’m very proud of Paul, both on and o the court,” Wade said. “I think he’s shown a ton of growth. One thing that’s unique about Paul, that’s really a great skill, is that with a lot of your best shooters, you have to run o ense for them. You have to run a bunch of sets. Paul gets a lot of his shots just in the ow of the game, and they’re very, very good shots.”
In addition, Wade also supplemented his group’s depth with a few McNeese transfers (Alyn Breed and Quadir Copeland), a pair of international players in Jayme Kontuniemi and Musa Sagni,a and some big-name freshman commits such as Matt Able.
The Wolfpack are condent that they can turn the ship around, and they’re hoping to do it soon.
“We have everything that we need,” Wade said. “If it don’t get done, that’s on me. I mean, I’ve got everything I need, so I’m not complaining about nothing. We have the NIL backing that we need, the rev-share backing that we need, we have the sta that we need. It’s on me to deliver, and we’re gonna deliver.”
ing me lobs. He can see the fast break. He would push the ball and give you a bounce pass, and you’re like, ‘He really plays like a wing or guard.’”
Brown is coming back alongside 6-foot-10 Zayden High, who’s returning from his season-long suspension last year.
The Tar Heels also added another 7-footer in Ivan Matlekovic from Croatia.
UNC has struggled to nd sustained success in Davis’ four full seasons at the helm, and in an era of expected instant grati cation from the investment of NIL, winning — or at least looking like one of the best teams in the country — is of utmost importance in year ve.
The path to success is trending in the direction UNC has gone this o season. Houston was the only team in last year’s Final Four without multiple 6-foot-10 players in heavy rotation, and defending champion Florida had ve players that tall on its roster.
The Gators were also the third-best rebounding team in the country last year, while the Tar Heels ranked outside the top 100 teams in rebounds per game.
job getting around screens.” Freshman Caleb Wilson, the 6-foot-10 ve-star prospect, has turned heads for his ability to handle the ball and score from multiple areas of the court.
“When he rst got here, I knew he was a great player,” Veesaar said about his young teammate. “But just his ability to read the game and how good of a passer he is — I had no clue about. And just the rst couple of practices, I was in awe, and I was like, ‘This is great playing with him, being on the same team’ because he was throw-
to the third round of the playo s are Ryan Blaney and Logano of Penske, Chase Elliott, Larson and William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports, Hamlin, Bell and Chase Briscoe of Joe Gibbs Racing. Chastain, Cindric, Reddick and Wallace were eliminated — which takes both of the Michael Jordan-owned cars out of title contention.
Bad day for Cindric Cindric opened Sunday ranked last in the 12-driver playoff field and never had a shot to race for the win that would have prevented his elimination.
Pairing a dynamic group of bigs with sharpshooter Luka Bogavac, transfer guards Kyan Evans, Jonathan Powell and Jaydon Young, and senior Seth Trimble could drastically change the way UNC operates o ensively. Lineups with scoring threats in all positions can create more ball movement and strain defenses trying to close out on shooters.
Just ask Trimble what the potential e ect UNC’s new height will have on its ability to defend, especially at the guard position.
“It’s a blessing,” he said. “I still talk about it. I still tell them how thankful I am for them because now I don’t have to guard guys who are (6-foot-10), 240 or something like that.”
He spun early, was hit by another driver in the second stage and had to go to the garage for lengthy repairs. That made him the rst of four drivers eliminated. Team Penske teammates Logano and Blaney, who combined have won the last three Cup titles, advanced into the round of eight.
Up next
The third round of the Cup Series playo s opens Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where Logano won last year to earn a berth into the championship-deciding nale. He went on to win his third Cup Series title, most among active drivers.
CHARLES KRUPA / AP PHOTO
Davis makes championship return to home state
It might have been the nal pro baseball game for the former big-league out elder who previously played for Northeast Guilford and Appalachian State
By Bob Sutton North State Journal
HIGH POINT — Jaylin Davis was thrilled to return to his home county and be part of a professional baseball championship.
“This might be my last,” said Davis, an out elder with the York Revolution. “We’ll see what happens.”
The Revolution won the Atlantic League championship, overcoming the High Point Rockers to win Game 4 on Oct.1 and capture the best-of-5 nals.
Davis, who played in high school for Northeast Guilford and in college for Appalachian State, became part of a championship for the third time. He homered in both games during the series at Truist Point.
“To do it at home, can’t beat it at all,” he said.
Davis hit .316 in the postseason for the third-best mark among the Revolution.
“When I got traded over here, coming here has made me love the game again,” Davis said. “We had a great group
over here. When I came over, I knew a couple people, but it felt like I had been on the team the whole year.”
Davis, 31, has made major-league stops with the San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox, trying to work his way back to the top level since 2022. He had been with the Milwaukee Milkmen of the American Association before he was dealt to the Revolution in early June. He resides in Gilbert, Arizona, but he said he stays well connected to Greensboro. Following the championship series, he planned to spend a couple of weeks in the area before departing, including a visit to his alma mater in McLeansville.
If Game 4 was his nal time in uniform as a player, it was quite a send-o . He homered with a shot down the right- eld line in the eighth inning, acknowledging his personal fan club by pointing to the cheering group as he rounded the bases.
This marked Davis’ rst go -around in the Atlantic League. By mid-September, he
was pulling for the Rockers to emerge from the South Division for a potential matchup in the nals and another visit to Guilford County.
The Revolution overcame a three-run de cit to win 7-4 to secure the title in Game 4.
Davis had won titles as a minor leaguer with the Fort Myers Miracle (Minnesota Twins organization) and Sacramento River Cats (San Francisco organization).
“It all feels the same,” he said of winning amid an extended on- eld celebration with teammates and sta .
Aside from the location, there was familiarity for Davis because of the Rockers’ roster.
Veteran slugger Alex Dickerson was a teammate with the Giants, while he has connections from his younger baseball days with North Carolinians Braxton Davidson and D.J. Burt and, to a lesser degree, Evan Edwards.
With three homers in the postseason, Davis matched the York franchise record. He homered 17 times during the regular season.
He appeared in 38 total major league games across four di erent seasons. Yet a decade of professional baseball has taken a toll on his body, he said.
Jaylin Davis, a former high school player in Guilford County and ex-college player for Appalachian State,
“I’ve enjoyed my time playing. I still enjoy it, but I feel like I can help on the other side, the coaching side. I still want to stay in baseball,” Davis said. “I think I’m ready for what’s next, but we’ll see. Maybe somebody will talk me into coming back.”
Wake Forest basketball looks to snap 8-year NCAA Tournament drought
The Demon Deacons have many fresh faces this season
By Jesse Deal North State Journal
WINSTON-SALEM — Aim-
ing for its fth straight winning season while seeking its rst NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017, Wake Forest enters the 2025-26 men’s basketball campaign looking to nally get over the hump under sixth-year coach Steve Forbes.
Forbes has produced consistent results in his ve seasons in Winston-Salem, compiling a 92-65 record and restoring the program’s competitiveness after a decade of uneven play.
Despite back-to-back 21-win seasons and a steady climb in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings, the Demon Deacons have found themselves stuck on the wrong side of the March Madness bubble for four straight years.
Last season, Wake Forest nished 21-11 overall and 13-7 in ACC play, good for fourth place in the conference. The year before, the Deacs went 21-14 and 11-9 in league play.
Each campaign featured ashes of NCAA Tournament potential — including a 10-3 ACC start last February — but both ended in disappointment as the program’s postseason drought stretched to eight years.
Led last season by guards Hunter Sallis and Cameron Hildreth, Wake’s o ense of-
CANES from page B1
however, was without superstar Jack Hughes during that series, and the Devils’ emerging young defense is the envy of many teams.
New Jersey added goalie Jacob Markstrom before last season, and it helped — the Devils allowed the fewest goals of any team in the division. But they also struggled to score, totaling 22 fewer goals than the year before. Can New Jersey score while still keeping the puck out of its own net?
Carolina could make an early statement on opening night that New Jersey is still a step below the team that has knocked them out of the post-
ten struggled to complement its improved defense. The Demon Deacons shot just 28.5% from 3-point range (361st nationally) and averaged only 11.3 assists per game (332nd).
“We’d like to make a couple more 3s,” Forbes said in his recent summer press conference.
“Obviously, we needed to get some guys who have better success shooting the ball. I thought we needed to improve our skill level in passing and rebounding.
I think those were probably the three biggest de ciencies that we probably had. At the end of the season, we were an outstanding defensive team, but the perimeter shooting hurt us and I felt like we weren’t great passers.”
season two of the last three seasons.
Jan. 6: Home vs. Dallas
Plenty of fans are still sour about Mikko Rantanen’s quick exit from the Triangle last spring. The whirlwind — which started with Carolina sending a package centered around Martin Necas to Colorado for the big Finnish winger and ended with him being shipped out to Dallas — landed the Hurricanes Logan Stankoven and a handful of draft picks, giving them the ammunition to trade for Miller.
Carolina will get its rst crack at the Stars in thenal game of the State Fair trip
Those issues proved costly down the stretch, as Wake lost ve of its nal eight regular-season games. Now the Deacs must move forward without Sallis — the team’s leading scorer at 18.3 points per game — and Hildreth (14.7), both of whom departed in the o season, along with center Efton Reid and guard Ty-Laur Johnson.
Forbes, who has become known for aggressive roster building through the transfer portal, once again leaned on that approach to reshape his roster.
“I went back and looked, and we’ve had 24 transfers take an o cial visit to Wake since COVID,” Forbes said. “We’ve
on Oct. 25 in Dallas, but Rantanen’s return to Raleigh gures to be loaded with animosity. Dallas is also one of a handful of teams considered Stanley Cup favorites, so it will be a heavyweight tilt with bad feelings as an undertone.
Dec. 19, Dec. 23: Two games vs. Florida
The two-time defending champion Panthers face a stiff challenge trying to threepeat: Florida will likely have to do it without captain Aleksander Barkov. The star center injured his knee in training camp and may be lost for the season, and Florida will also begin the year without super -
Wake Forest forward Tre’Von Spillers celebrates after scoring against UNC during the rst half of their ACC Tournament quarter nals game March 13 in Charlotte.
“I think I’m ready for what’s next, but we’ll see. Maybe somebody will talk me into coming back.”
Jaylin Davis, out elder
averaged 9.9 points and 7.6 rebounds last year.
Wake also brings in four guards through the portal — Nate Calmese (Washington State), Mekhi Mason (Washington), Myles Colvin (Purdue) and Sebastian Akins (Denver) — to revamp its backcourt. Freshmen Isaac Carr and Jaylen Cross add depth to a group looking for a new o ensive identity.
Returning contributors include 6-foot-7 sophomore Juke Harris, who averaged 6.1 points per game as a freshman, along with 6-foot-8 junior Omaha Biliew and 6-foot-9 redshirt sophomore Marqus Marion. Forbes said he was encouraged by the team’s development during summer workouts, particularly the balance between defense and o ensive execution.
“We really concentrated on defense early, as our defense was way ahead of our o ense, and very disruptive,” Forbes said. “I thought we did a really good job of that. And then in the last three weeks, we’ve really honed in on o ensive execution. We still have a lot of things to do, but I thought they ended the summer on a really good note. I thought our returners had a tremendous summer.”
signed 18 of the 24 that have come on o cial visits. Now look, that doesn’t mean we get every player that we recruit. We miss on players every year, but you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. We’re going to continue to recruit the best high school players and transfers that t our program.”
Among the most notable additions is 6-foot-10 forward Cooper Schwieger, a junior transfer from Valparaiso who averaged 15.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and two blocks per game last season, earning All-Missouri Valley Second Team honors.
Schwieger is expected to anchor Wake’s frontcourt alongside senior Tre’Von Spillers, who
star pest Matthew Tkachuk. The Hurricanes were ousted in ve games by the Panthers in the conference nal last year, but Florida loves to send messages and will surely have one to give during these two games in ve days, one in each city. The teams meet one more time, Jan. 16 in Raleigh — and it won’t be surprising if they meet in the playo s again, whether Barkov can return or not.
Feb. 11-22: Olympic tournament
Coming o last year’s scintillating 4 Nations Face-O , international hockey hits its peak with a return to the Winter Games. The NHL hasn’t
The Demon Deacons will face a gauntlet of nonconference opponents before league play begins, including Michigan, Texas Tech, Memphis or Purdue, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Vanderbilt.
As Year 6 under Forbes begins, the program’s next step is clear. While Wake Forest has become a consistent winner again, it must now turn stability into something more lasting. If the Demon Deacons can blend their new backcourt with improved shooting and maintain their defensive edge, the long-awaited breakthrough could nally arrive in Winston-Salem this season.
been in the Olympics since 2014, and the stakes are raised from the successful best-onbest tournament last year as teams from across the world — sorry Russia, you’re still on the outs — meet in Italy. The Hurricanes will be Denmark Central with the nation’s top two players, Ehlers and goalie Frederik Andersen, playing together in the NHL and for their country. Sebastian Aho will be crucial to Finland, which will be without Barkov, and Jaccob Slavin will attempt to again prove he’s among hockey’s best defensemen. Seth Jarvis, a surprise addition to Team Canada last year, could have a bigger role in Milan and Cortina.
BOB SUTTON / NORTH STATE JOURNAL
holds the Atlantic League championship trophy after the York Revolution defeated the High Point Rockers.
CHRIS CARLSON / AP PHOTO
AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 24 SP 175 Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Lawrence E. Williams aka Lawrence Eugene Williams and Cynthia Williams (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Lawrence Eugene Williams and Cynthia Williams) to Jennifer Grant, Trustee(s), dated July 8, 2015, and recorded in Book No. D 2000, at Page 15 in Robeson 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 Robeson County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned
25SP000285-890
Philip M. Rudisill, Trustee(s), which was dated June 2, 2017 and recorded on June 2, 2017 in Book 06945 at Page 0150, Union 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,
25SP000346-890
NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE
NORTH CAROLINA, UNION COUNTY
Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Christopher Baker and Jennifer Baker to Christopher Logue, Trustee(s), which was dated September 20, 2022 and recorded on December 9, 2022 in Book 8622 at Page 19, Union 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 on October 21, 2025 at 12:30 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Union County, North Carolina, to wit:
BEGINNING AT A POINT IN THE WEST EDGE OF GRIFFIN STREET, SAID POINT
Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the courthouse door in Lumberton, Robeson County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 2:30 PM on October 22, 2025 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Maxton in the County of Robeson, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: 2015 multiwide Clayton Homes 58C0B28764GH14, Serial #(s) RIC246854NCAB
Being all of lots 9, 10, and 11 in a : Subdivision known as Bull Creek plat of the same being recorded in Map Book 36 Page 16 Robeson County Registry, North Carolina. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 4396 NC HIghway 83, Maxton, North Carolina. Parcel ID Number: 11220100459/11220100457/112201
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 October 21, 2025 at 12:30 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Union County, North Carolina, to wit:
All that certain lot or parcel of land situated in the Town of Waxhaw, Union County, North Carolina and more particularly described as follows:
BEING all of Lot 1369 on “Final Plat of a Portion of Millbridge Phase 2E and 4A Map 1” recorded in Plat Cabinet M, Files 984-986, Union 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 4013 Millbridge Parkway, Waxhaw, NC 28173.
A Certi ed Check ONLY (no personal checks) of ve percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars
BEING THE COMMON CORNER OF LOTS NOS. 3 AND 4 OF BLOCK 4, AND RUNNING THENCE ALONG THE WEST EDGE OF SAID GRIFFIN STREET IN A NORTHEASTERLY DIRECTION (PASSING ANOTHER CORNER OF LOT NO. 3 OF BLOCK 4 AT 50 FEET)
75 FEET TO A POINT IN THE WEST EDGE OF GRIFFIN STREET, SAID POINT BEING THE SOUTHEASTERN CORNER OF A LOT CONVEYED TO MRS. NANCY C. SUTTON BY DEED RECORDED IN DEED BOOK 63, AT PAGE 348; THENCE THE DIVISION LINE BETWEEN THE PROPERTIES HERE BEING DESCRIBED AND SAID SUTTON LOT IN A NORTHEASTERLY DIRECTION
150 FEET TO A POINT IN THE EAST LINE OF LOT NO. 6 OF BLOCK 4; THENCE WITH A LINE OF SAID LOT NO. 6 OF BLOCK 4 IN A SOUTHWESTERLY DIRECTION 75 FEET TO A POINT IN SAID LINE, ANOTHER COMMON CORNER OF LOTS 3 AND 4; THENCE THE DIVISION LINE OF LOTS 3 AND 4 IN A SOUTHEASTERLY DIRECTION
150 FEET TO THE BEGINNING POINT, BEING ALL OF LOT NO. 3 OF BLOCK 4 AND THE SOUTHERN HALF OF LOT NO. 2 OF BLOCK 4 OF WILGER HEIGHTS AS SUBDIVIDED AND SHOWN ON A PLAT THEREOF WHICH IS DULY RECORDED IN PLAT BOOK 1, AT PAGE 1, UCR. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.
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 releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws.
($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY
PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED.
Said property to be 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 Jon E. White and spouse, Kristine N. White.
Said property is commonly known as 508 Gri th Road, Monroe, NC 28112. 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 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 Jennifer
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
Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to,
dated November 12, 2004 and recorded on November 15, 2004 in Book 3611 at Page 467, Union 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 on October 14, 2025 at 12:30 PM, and
will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Union County, North Carolina, to wit: BEING ALL OF LOTS 5 AND 6, IN BLOCK 8 OF MONROE ANNEX, A PLAT OF WHICH IS FILED IN MAP BOOK 2, PAGE 17, IN THE OFFICE OF THE REGISTER OF DEEDS FOR UNION COUNTY TO WHICH PLAT REFERENCE 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 111 East Avenue, Monroe, NC 28110. 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
Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Wayne E. Whitt and Faye Whitt, dated May 2, 2006 to secure the original principal amount of $147,000.00, and recorded in Book 4156 at Page 843 of the Union 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: 4421 Pageland Hwy, Monroe, NC 28112 Tax Parcel ID: 04036018 Present Record Owners: The Estate of Wayne E. Whitt The record owner(s) of the property,
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 Herman W White 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 party or
according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are The Estate of Wayne E. Whitt. 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
remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED.
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 §
on map recorded in Book of Maps 1950, Page 112 and re-recorded in Book of Maps 1952, Page 68, Wake County Registry. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 703 Powell Drive, Garner, NC 27529. 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
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
Baker and All Lawful Heirs of Christopher Baker.
An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be e ective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b)(2)].
Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the e ective date of the termination.
Pursuant to NCGS §45-21.25A, this sale may be subject to remote bids placed by bidders not physically present at the place of sale, which may be accepted by the person conducting the sale, or their agent”.
If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy
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
Pursuant
If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole
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 in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any resale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to
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 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
PHONE: (910) 392-4988 File No.: 25-14754-FC01
WAKE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF WAKE
IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY JUDITH M. PREVATTE AND ALTON LEATH PREVATTE DATED MAY 27, 2004
RECORDED
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF WAKE
IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION
25SP001404-910
IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY TAMMY
DENISE MASON DATED MARCH 30, 2023
RECORDED IN BOOK NO. 19297, AT PAGE 894 IN THE WAKE COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE
failure to perform the agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the holder of the secured debt, the undersigned will expose for sale at public auction at the usual place of sale at the Wake County courthouse at 10:00 AM on October 15, 2025, the following described real estate and any improvements situated thereon, in Wake County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Judith M. Prevatte; Alton Leath Prevatte, dated May 27, 2004 to secure the original principal amount of $120,000.00, and recorded in Book No. 10854, at Page 1563 of the Wake 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.
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 therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the holder of the secured debt, the undersigned will expose for sale at public auction at the usual place of sale at the Wake County courthouse at 10:00 AM on October 15, 2025, the following described real estate and any improvements situated thereon, in Wake County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Tammy Denise Mason, dated March 30, 2023 to secure the original principal amount of $288,419.00, and recorded in Book No. 19297, at Page 894 of the Wake 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.
24SP002056-910
NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE
NORTH CAROLINA, WAKE COUNTY
Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by May Sadak and husband Sha c Sadak to PRLAP, INC., Trustee(s), which was dated August 21, 2007 and recorded on August 21, 2007 in Book 12715 at Page 2209, Wake 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
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA WAKE COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION
25SP001328-910
IN THE MATTER OF:
Determination of Surplus Funds paid to the Clerk of Court in Special Proceeding 24SP001373-910
sale on October 15, 2025 at 10:00 AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Wake County, North Carolina, to wit: BEING Lot 3, Block “C”, Yorkshire Downs Subdivision as recorded in Book of Maps 1969, Page 251, Wake County Registry. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.
Said property is commonly known as 2105 Yorkgate Drive, Raleigh, NC 27612.
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 AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED.
The record owner(s) of the property, according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Courtney P Howell. 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
The record owner(s) of the property, according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Tammy Denise Mason. 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
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 May Sadak.
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
of
court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be e ective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b)(2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the e ective date of the termination.
Pursuant to NCGS §45-21.25A, this sale may be subject to remote bids placed by bidders not physically present at the place of sale, which may be accepted by the person conducting the sale, or their agent”.
If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole
CITIBANK, N.A., Petitioner, v. JAMAL YASIN, Respondents. NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION TO: Jamal Yasin.
FORECLOSURE
EXECUTED BY
TAKE NOTICE that a pleading seeking relief against you has been led in the above-entitled action. The nature of the relief being south is as follows: Plainti prays for an Order: determining that the Petitioner is the owner of the Surplus Funds being held by the Clerk of Superior Court in 24SP001373-910 following the foreclosure of 1208 Ravens
KAY BOTKIN DATED MARCH 16, 2022 RECORDED IN BOOK NO. 18960, AT PAGE 1216 IN THE WAKE COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, 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 therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the holder of the secured debt, the undersigned will expose for sale at public auction at the usual place of sale at the Wake County courthouse at 10:00 AM on October 22, 2025, the following described real estate and any improvements situated thereon, in Wake County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Melissa Kay Botkin, dated March 16, 2022 to secure the original principal amount of $296,000.00, and recorded in Book No. 18960, at Page 1216 of the Wake 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: 1314 Still Monument Way, Raleigh, NC 27603
Point Circle, Raleigh, NC; disbursing the Surplus Funds to Petitioner to be applied in partial satisfaction of the Note; awarding attorney’s fees as provided by law; and awarding other and further relief that is reasonable and just.
YOU ARE REQUIRED to make defense to such pleading not later than November 4, 2025 after service of publication, and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you will apply to the Court for the relief sought. This the 15th day of September 2025. /s/ Jason K.
Tax Parcel ID: 0354247
The record owner(s) of the property, according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Melissa Kay Botkin.
Purser_____________________________ Jason K. Purser N.C. State Bar No. 28031 LOGS Legal Group LLP 8520 Cli Cameron Drive, Suite 330 Charlotte, NC 28269 (704) 333-8107 (704) 333-8156 Fax STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA UNION COUNTY CITIBANK, N.A., Petitioner, v. JAMAL YASIN, Respondent. CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that I have this day served the foregoing Notice of Service
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. 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
date of the termination. The date of this Notice is 9th day of September, 2025. Grady I. Ingle, Attorney for Substitute Trustee Ingle Law Firm, PA 13801 Reese Blvd West Suite 160 Huntersville, NC 28078 (980) 771-0717
Ingle Case Number: 25049-40596
IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION 24SP002187-910 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF WAKE IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY GRETCHEN MARIE ROBLING DATED JANUARY 15, 2010 RECORDED IN BOOK NO. 13827, AT PAGE 224 IN THE WAKE COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, 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 therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the holder of the secured debt, the undersigned will expose for sale at public auction at the usual place of sale at the Wake County courthouse at 10:00 AM on October 15, 2025, the following described real estate and any improvements situated thereon, in Wake County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Gretchen Marie Robling, dated January 15, 2010 to secure the original principal amount of $128,872.00, and recorded in Book No. 13827, at Page 224 of the Wake 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.
according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Gretchen Marie Robling. 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. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. After the expiration of the upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-
Fini ight
Army Chief Warrant O cer 4 Garrett Illerbrunn of Pinehurst sits in a helicopter during his retirement ceremony and symbolic “ ni ight” on Sunday at the Pinehurst Harness Track. Illerbrunn, a helicopter pilot with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, was severely injured in a drone attack on Erbil Air Base in Northern Iraq on Christmas Day 2023, sustaining a brain injury that left him con ned to a wheelchair and unable to y. The ceremony included a brief lifto of the helicopter and a water salute from two re trucks before Illerbrunn was presented with the Army Commendation Medal.
the BRIEF this week
Supreme Court begins term that will examine Trump’s presidential power
Washington, D.C.
The Supreme Court has opened its new term. In its rst arguments on Monday, the court appeared to be inclined to rule against a criminal defendant from Texas in a case about the constitutional right to a lawyer. A major thrust of the next 10 months is expected to be the justices’ evaluation of President Donald Trump’s claims of presidential power. Pivotal cases on voting and LGBTQ rights also are on the agenda. On Tuesday, the justices heard arguments over bans passed by many states on therapy aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity.
Weiss named new editor-in-chief of CBS News after Paramount buys her website New York Paramount is buying the successful news commentary website The Free Press and installed its founder, Bari Weiss, as editor-in-chief of CBS News. The move, while anticipated, is a bold one for David Ellison, new corporate leader of Paramount and CBS. Weiss will report directly to Ellison and be responsible for shaping editorial priorities and driving innovation at CBS News. Ellison said he believes the majority of the country wants news that is balanced and fact-based, and he wants CBS to be their home. “I am con dent her entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News.”
$2.00
Elections for city council, mayor fast approaching
Chatham County’s three main municipalities all have races on this year’s ballot
By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record
MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS are fast approaching throughout the state, and Chatham County is no exception as each of its three main municipalities
(Pittsboro, Siler City and Goldston) will be holding elections for various o ces.
Speci cally, those residing in the following precincts will have municipal contests on the ballot: East Pittsboro, East Siler City, East Williams, Goldston,
Nov. 4
Election Day
Jordan Lake, West Pittsboro and West Siler City, While Election Day is ocially Nov. 4 from 6:30 a.m. to
7:30 p.m., Chatham County residents will also be able to vote earlier starting as early as this month.
For one, absentee voting by mail opened on Oct. 3, with the deadline to request ballots being Oct. 21 at 5 p.m.
Citizens can also take part in early voting starting on Oct. 16 through Nov. 1.
Those wishing to vote early will have the choice between two early voting locations: the Chatham County Agriculture and Conference Center (Oct. 16 -17; Oct. 20 to Nov. 1) and New Hope Baptist Church (Oct. 25 to Nov. 1)
House creates committee on involuntary commitment after Charlotte murder
The panel will study mental health policies and public safety
By A.P. Dillon Chatham News & Record
RALEIGH — North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall announced the formation, last
week, of a bipartisan committee to examine involuntary commitment policies following recent violent crimes involving individuals with mental illness.
The House Select Committee
on Involuntary Commitment and Public Safety will study the intersection of mental health services, involuntary commitment processes and public safety. The 18-member panel was created in response to tragedies including the murder of Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s light rail system.
“Recent tragedies in our state,
Changes coming for Liberty Antiques Festival
“I’m
hoping someone local will want to do it.”
Vito Sico, festival organizer
The festival has drawn people from many states since the rst edition in 1991
By Bob Sutton Chatham News & Record
LIBERTY — The growth of the Liberty Antiques Festival has surprised Vito Sico, but now it has become too big for him to continue to handle.
Sico said he’ll step down from his role as operator of the biannual event as it reaches its 35th year, so he’s hoping a suitable replacement comes along.
The April 2026 festival will
be the nal one with him in charge, but he said he’s condent it will fall into good hands.
“We’ve got a lot of people interested,” he said. “I’m hoping someone local will want to do it.”
Sico, who turns 80 in January, said it’s time for him to back away. He helped formulate the festival, which is held on farm land outside Liberty, in September 1991.
“The aches and pains and headaches are getting harder to handle,” he said.
Some of the festivals have drawn more than 320 vendors,
like the brutal murder of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, have made it even more clear that we have to make sure local o cials are putting public safety rst,” Hall (R-Granite Falls) said. “The committee will work together with law enforcement, district
DAVID SINCLAIR FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL
CRIME LOG
Sept. 29
• Amir Rasaun Turner, 22, of Goldston, was arrested for communicating threats.
• Carlos Cordero, 59, was arrested for misdemeanor larceny, second degree trespass and injury to personal property.
• Garry Wayne Goldston, 61, was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and injury to real property.
Sept. 30
• Michael Nicholas White, 34, of Siler City, was arrested for possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, possession of rearm by felon, felony possession of marijuana, maintaining a vehicle or dwelling place for controlled substances and possession of marijuana paraphernalia.
• Harley Kaye McNeill, 26, of Red Springs, was arrested for misdemeanor larceny.
• Rachel Diane Byrd, 25, was arrested for larceny from the person and simple assault.
Oct. 1
• Thomas Gregory Teague, 55, was arrested for felony death by vehicle.
Oct. 2
• Steve Zhiwen Niu, 62, of Siler City, was arrested for cruelty to animals.
• Erik Caballero Figueroa, 48, of Durham, was arrested for driving while impaired and no operator’s license.
• Denis Alexander Alfaro, 19, of Liberty, was arrested for assault by strangulation, misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, communicating threats, assault on a female and assault on a pregnant woman.
• Lonnie Eugene Baldwin, 28, was arrested for nancial card theft, attempted obtaining property by false pretense and misdemeanor larceny.
Oct. 3
• Michael Isaiah White, 18, of Siler City, was arrested for breaking and entering, felony larceny, possession/receiving stolen certi cate and assault of an individual with a disability.
Goldston to hold 38th annual fall festival
The free event will have food, live demonstrations and activities for children
Chatham News & Record sta
THE GOLDSTON Lions Club will hold its 38th annual Old Fashion Day festival on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Goldston.
The free event will feature more than 125 vendors selling art, antiques, crafts, food, jewelry, fashion accessories, mums, candles, wreaths, pottery, home décor and clothing. County agencies will provide
HOUSE from page A1
attorneys, mental health professionals, and others, to come up with statewide solutions that will keep dangerous people o the streets of North Carolina.”
Reps. Hugh Blackwell (R-Burke) and Tim Reeder (R-Pitt) will co-chair the committee.
“Iryna Zarutska should still be alive. Instead, her life was stolen by someone who should have been committed and receiving treatment,” Blackwell said. “We cannot allow these failures to continue. This committee exists
information on services available to families in Chatham County.
Food options will include barbecue, grilled chicken, sh sandwiches, chicken tenders, hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, funnel cakes, fried apple pies and Lions Club ice cream.
Children’s activities will include a Fun Zone with petting zoo animals, in atables and oversized yard games from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Unlimited play wristbands cost $5 per child. Other activities include balloon animals, rock climbing walls, free pumpkin painting, fairy hair, face
to support law enforcement and x broken policies that put our families at risk.”
Reeder, an emergency physician, said the case highlights the real-world consequences of policy failures.
“The preventable murder of Iryna Zarutska is a stark reminder that these are not abstract policy debates; they are matters of life and death,” Reeder said. “Our committee will take a hard look at how we can improve involuntary commitment and close dangerous gaps in the system.”
The committee will review
painting and axe throwing. A portion of Main Street will be closed to tra c for a food court with seating.
Across Main Street, visitors can view antique equipment including tractors, engines, corn shellers and hand water pumps. A working blacksmith will also demonstrate his craft.
Handicap parking is available at Goldston Automotive.
Additional parking will be at Town Park, Goldston Fire Department and along Highway 1010.
The festival is located at exit 159 on Highway 421 between Sanford and Siler City. All proceeds bene t Goldston Lions Club community projects and aid to the blind and visually impaired. The Lions will collect eyeglasses and gently used coats at the ice cream tent or at Lizzie’s Grill in Goldston.
current laws, policies and practices governing involuntary commitment in North Carolina and make recommendations for legislative and policy changes.
The committee has an ocial listing on the General Assembly’s website but has not announced when it will hold its rst meeting. The announcement follows a preliminary State Auditor’s report on Charlotte Area Transit System, where Zarutska was killed. The audit found security personnel for CATS had been reduced by 40% between 2018 and 2025.
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Chatham County.
Oct. 10
Hempsmith Runway Fashion Show
5-7 p.m.
The fth
celebrates eco-conscious design with runway presentations and a vendor market.
The Plant 1240 Farrington Road Pittsboro
Oct.11
Ancient Arts Festival
12-9 p.m.
Featuring live music, live paintings, tattoos and sideshow acts. Tickets are $25. For more information and tickets, visit Ancient Arts Festival tattoo and oddity expo.
Chatham County Agricultural Center 1192 U.S. 64 Bus. Pittsboro
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
Oct. 17 - 19
GreenWood Wrights’Fest
Traditional woodworking festival with workshops on spoon carving, bowl turning and basket weaving. The three-day gathering includes demonstrations by master craftspeople and keynote speaker Roy Underhill.
The Plant 1240 Farrington Road Pittsboro
Oct. 18
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
Democrat in Virginia attorney general race apologizes for texts wishing death on Republicans
Jay Jones compared a political opponent to Hitler and Pol Pot
By Bruce Schreiner and Olivia Diaz
The Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia’s Democratic candidate for attorney general has apologized for widely condemned text messages from 2022 that revealed him suggesting that a prominent Republican get “two bullets to the head.”
The texts put the Democratic challenger, Jay Jones, on the defensive in what has been a hard-hitting campaign. Early voting is well underway in Virginia ahead of the November general election.
Jones’ campaign didn’t challenge the accuracy of the texts, rst reported by The National Review, and he o ered a public apology to Todd Gilbert, the target of the messages. Jones said he took “full responsibility for my actions.” Gilbert was speaker of Virginia’s House of Delegates at the time of the text messages but is no longer a legislator.
Jones has faced a torrent of bipartisan criticism since the messages surfaced. Jones is challenging Republican incumbent Jason Miyares for the job as Virginia’s top prosecutor. Miyares ripped into Jones on Saturday, questioning his challenger’s tness for the job.
“You have to be coming from an incredibly dark place to say what you said,” Miyares told reporters. “Not by a stranger. By a colleague. Somebody you had served with. Someone you have worked with.”
Jones and Republican House Delegate Carrie Coyner spoke in a phone conversation following the text exchange, in which Jones described Gilbert’s children dying in the arms of their mother, according to the National Review’s report.
“I have been a prosecutor, and I have been obviously serving as attorney general,” Miyares said. “I have met quietly one-on-one with victims. There is no cry like the cry of a mother that lost her child. None.”
A spokesperson for the Virginia House Republican caucus, contacted on Saturday by The Associated Press, said Gilbert was not commenting on the text messages. Gilbert stepped down as a legislator to become a federal prosecutor
Church News
GLOVERS GROVE AME ZION CHURCH
Glovers Grove AME Zion Church located at 951 Glovers Grove Church Road, Siler City will celebrate their 125th church anniversary on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025 at 11 a.m. and at 2:30 p.m. The morning speaker will be Elder Ricky Frazier, Presiding Elder of the Durham District.
The afternoon program will be a singing program featuring the Robinson Family Singers from Winston Salem, Johnsonville AMEZ Zion Gospel Choir, Rev. Ann Glover, Pastor of House of Prayer, Goldston, Rosa Glover, Overcomers City Church, Sanford, Alana Moore and others. Remarks and acknowledgments from ministers and others about the history of the church will be made. Local o cials have been invited to attend.
Please come join the pastor, Rev. Edward Spence Jr., and the members of Glovers in the celebration of this monumental occasion.
“Three people two bullets ... Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot ... Gilbert gets two bullets
to the head.”
Texts from Jay Jones about Republican Todd Gilbert
this year but resigned a month later.
The revelation about the text messages shook up the campaign and comes as both parties seek advantage in statewide races being closely watched for trends heading into next year’s midterm elections, when control of Congress is at stake. And it comes amid an escalating threat of political violence in the country following the shooting deaths of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and former Minnesota Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband.
In Virginia, other Democrats running for statewide ofce didn’t mince words in criticizing Jones.
Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, said in a statement last Friday that she “spoke frankly with Jay about my disgust with what he had said and texted. I made clear to Jay that he must fully take responsibility for his words.” She vowed to “always condemn violent language in our politics.”
Ghazala Hashmi, the Democrat running for lieutenant governor, said “political violence has no place in our country and I condemn it at ev-
ery turn.” Hashmi added that “we must demand better of our leaders and of each other.” Candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run separately in Virginia.
The Republican Attorneys General Association said Jones should withdraw from the campaign for his “abhorrent” text messages. The group’s chairman, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, said the messages were unacceptable “from someone who wants to represent law enforcement.”
“There is no place for political violence, including joking about it — especially from an elected o cial,” Kobach said. Jones did not hold elected ofce when he sent the text messages about Gilbert to Coyner, who is seeking reelection in a competitive House district. Jones had formerly served as a state legislator and stepped down in 2021.
In his texts, Jones wrote: “Three people two bullets ... Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot ... Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.” Pol Pot was the leader of the murderous Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.
In his statement last Friday, Jones said: “Reading back those words made me sick to my stomach. I am embarrassed, ashamed and sorry.”
“I have reached out to Speaker Gilbert to apologize directly to him, his wife Jennifer, and their children,” he added. “I cannot take back what I said; I can only take full accountability and o er my sincere apology.”
often representing as many as 25 states. Last month’s edition attracted 290 dealers willing to set up spots on the grounds.
“A lot of people really enjoy it,” Sico said.
He said many of the dealers and other attendees come from 100 miles away to take part in the event. He said many of those people might spend an entire week in Randolph County or the area because of the festival.
“People spend a lot of money in the county,” he said of the festival’s impact.
Once established, the festival was held the nal Friday and Saturday each April and again the last Friday and Saturday every September. The Pike Farm Road site has a Staley address.
The rst festival attracted 81 vendors.
“Eighty-one seemed huge,” Sico said.
Part of the appeal has been the limited number of antique shows of this scale in this part of the country, Sico said.
Several days after the September event, Sico was still expressing concern about getting the property cleaned up so that the spring set-up will go smoothly.
Sico, who moved to Liberty from New Jersey in 1985, said he appreciates the assistance from numerous festival helpers through the years. Many of those people have reached the point where they can no longer handle a significant workload, he said. The last festival under Sico’s watch is scheduled for April 24-25.
PHOTOS BY PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Top, the fall version of the Liberty Antiques Festival drew more large crowds last month, but operations of the event will change hands. Bottom, vendors are spread out around a wide area of rural land for the Liberty Antiques Festival, which had its nal fall event under the current organizer.
ELECTIONS from page A1
Be sure to check the Chatham County Board of Elections’ website for the hours of operation. In terms of the o ces up for election, there are two races which have multiple candidates running. There are two seats up for grabs in the Pittsboro Town Commissioner race, with eight candidates who will be appearing on the ballot. The commissioner race is a nonpartisan election that will see the top two vote getters elected to serve four-year terms. Those who have led to run include Candace Hunziker, Alex M. Brinker, Freda Alston, Corey Forrest, Tiana Thurber, Nikkolas Shramek, Ashley Gross and Tobais Palmer. Currently serving Commis-
sioners Pamela Baldwin, who has served on the board since 2005, and James Vose did not le for reelection. There is also one seat up for grabs in the Siler City Town Commissioners at-large race. It is a two-person race, with incumbent Cindy B. Bray running against Kevin Manzanarez having both led to run.
Uncontested races include the three mayoral races: Pittsboro (Kyle Shipp), Siler City (Donald Matthews) and Goldston (Jonathen Hensley); Siler City Town Commissioner District 1 (Albert Alston) and District 5 (Michael Clark Feezor) seats; Goldston Town Commissioner At-Large (Daniel Sargent) and Ward 01 (Marvin Woody) and Chatham-Goldston Gulf Sanitary District Board (Mary Goldston).
FESTIVAL from page A1
WRIC VIA AP
Democratic candidate for Virginia attorney general Jay Jones speaks with an interviewer Saturday about widely condemned text messages he sent in 2022.
THE CONVERSATION
Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
Sometimes it causes me to Trimble, Trimble
He is the youngest owner of a Ben & Jerry’s franchise, purchasing the iconic location on Franklin Street.
FORGET THAT OTHER sport with the pigskin and the high-pro le coach. Last Saturday was the Blue and White Game in the Dean Dome — the scrimmage for the Tar Heels men’s basketball team. Fans entered for free and could sit most anywhere. I’ve never been so close to action on the court.
In this age of the transfer portal, there were plenty of new players — six transfers paired with three incoming rst-years, the most hyped of whom was freshman Caleb Wilson. It was reported that Wilson even momentarily took the stage during the pregame concert of superstar Ludacris.
I know that, shortly after the opening tip in the Dean Dome, fans rose to their feet when Wilson stole the ball and raced for the basket. The freshman soared into the air … and missed the dunk!
In fairness, Wilson later scored several impressive goals driving to the basket, including a wicked one-handed slam o a rebound. But the freshman would do well to follow the example of a senior — Seth Trimble.
I’ve followed Trimble since his freshman
COLUMN | BOB WACHS
year (2022-23), when he was a reserve. Carolina had some outstanding guards ahead of him, but Trimble’s athleticism caught my attention. He improved his sophomore year and then had a terri c junior season in an otherwise disappointing campaign for the Heels. He won the Marvin Williams Carolina Way Award, given to the player who best exempli es playing hard, being unsel sh and putting the team rst.
Trimble has made news o the court as well. He is the youngest owner of a Ben & Jerry’s franchise, purchasing the iconic location on Franklin Street. He credits mentors in the local community for helping him become a savvy, precocious investor. Trimble played last Saturday’s scrimmage at point guard because a teammate was injured, and he demonstrated another aspect of his game’s maturation by hitting several 3-pointers. He still possesses the strength and fortitude to drive to the rim and nish against tra c, even when challenged by the athletic Wilson and the Tar Heels’ new 7-footer, Henri Veesaar. I’m glad the
big fella is normally on Trimble’s side! I’m no expert, but I think the Tar Heels men’s basketball season is promising. In addition to Wilson and Veesaar, there is sharpshooting Luka Bogavac. Local fans also welcome back Jarin Stevenson, who played in Chatham County at Seaforth High School.
I suspect, however, that the Tar Heels will go only as far as Trimble takes them. Wilson will likely play one year before leaving for the NBA, like Drake Powell, a former Northwood High School superstar. In an era when basketball players change universities more often than shoes, it’s refreshing to follow a young man’s career for four years and watch how he develops as a player and a leader. It’s obvious that I am a Tar Heels fan, but I believe all of us can appreciate Seth’s success as a role model. Even Dookies.
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.
If a rose by any other name is still a rose, is there nothing that isn’t a sport?
Other events may be a little i y about being de ned as sports. I think here of, say, horseshoes or darts.
LAST WEEK, if you made it through what was in this space, you learned more than you wanted to know about my grandchildren and their sports accomplishments. I hope you’ll forgive me for boring many of you to tears, but I’d like to say one more word about sports before I lose my remaining readers … both of them.
This time, however, I will not subject you to hearing more about my family’s accomplishments or even my own lack of same. Rather, I want to say a word about some things that pass for sport(s) these days and which are dutifully shown on television as soon as they can nd sponsors, even if it is the latest hemorrhoid treatment product.
No longer is it just football, basketball and baseball. Those standards have been joined in seasonal abundance by volleyball, track and eld, golf (which spelled backwards is ‘ og,’ which is what I did to the ball when I once played), soccer, tennis, hockey and softball. I have on occasion stumbled across a professional soccer match, primarily the ones in Europe, and always thought there was more action in the stands than on the eld, especially when a French team played one from Germany, for instance. I found it hard to get pumped up for a 0-0 score after an hour of players running around but did enjoy seeing the fans beating on each other in the stands and the time someone started a re in the bleachers.
The abundance of television coverage of those events has become standard fare these days, and that’s OK since they
are legitimate sports. Other events may be a little i y about being de ned as sports, although there is competition between competitors. I think here of, say, horseshoes or darts, in which I have participated before my shoulders went on strike.
However, and I know it may be everyone for his own poison, within a space of a single recent Saturday afternoon while strolling through 611 television channels, I came across three separate events which, to my little mind, stretched the limits of being de ned as sports. The only common denominator I could detect with them and baseball is there were sponsors so they were televised, there were competitors and folks were gathered in person to watch.
The rst was rock-skipping where folks lined up to toss a smooth, at, slick river rock across the top of a pond and see how many skips it took and how far it went before settling into a new home at the bottom of the drink. I was impressed by how anyone could keep up with the number of skips because those things were moving when they hit the water. I think the winner got something like 42, which was 40 more than I ever got when I tried the same thing as a boy. Mine mostly went “plunk,” but then again, I wasn’t using a smooth, at, slick specially made river rock. From the hushed tones of the play by play guy, you would have thought Mickey Mantle was in town to face Bob Gibson for the nal out of the Series.
That soon went o , only to be followed
by bed-racing, in which teams of four people of varying physical dimensions would run through the streets of a midwestern city which I can’t remember with one player on each corner of a bed with a passenger under the covers. I took that in for two races before changing the channel, but I do believe the 14 people lining the street enjoyed it. As I remember, this may have been advertised as the world’s championship race, but I did not see anyone from India there.
Interesting though those two were, the crowning event was the world’s … hang on … pillow ghting championship between two men with ve gallons each of tattoo ink across their bodies with names I couldn’t pronounce. It was in a boxing ring, with young ladies not in evening gowns parading around with cards informing which round was coming up. There was a play-by-play guy who went on marveling how Guacamole had slammed Ernest with a behind the back 360 wrist ip that earned him two points. You really had to see this one to appreciate it.
I did stay to the bitter end of this one and, thankfully, no blood was shed. But all that alternative sport got me to thinking, and I want to give you all fair warning.
If left-handed chicken leg eating ever makes it to the sports world, don’t bother signing up. I’m way ahead of you.
Bob Wachs is a native of Chatham County and emeritus editor at Chatham News & Record. He serves as pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church.
Let’s lighten that load
I’m limping through errands today because, well, my back appears to be experiencing a rebellious phase. Very rebellious. I’ve somehow been blessed with a spinal compression fracture.
AS I WAS meandering (a more genteel description for limping) toward the grocery store exit, it was clear that the young woman in front of me was anxiously angling to get that door open for this poor ol’ thing. (Oh, heavens, I might topple over!) I very amicably acceded to her generosity. Yep, those very much-resisted sixth grade Southern cotillion lessons on graciousness really paid o . (Somewhere, my mother is saying, “I told you so!” She’s entitled.)
Let’s backtrack a bit. I’m limping through errands today because, well, my back appears to be experiencing a rebellious phase. Very rebellious. I’ve somehow been blessed with a spinal compression fracture. I mean that sucker is just taking its own sweet time to heal. I don’t mean to be dim, but if the universe is sending me a speci c message regarding my back, I haven’t gotten it yet.
Hello?
Nonetheless, I continued to slowly move forward with my minimal shopping, ending at Walmart. Post-purchase, heading toward the exit, the omnipresent Walmart receipts checker saw me limping toward her and said, “No, dear, you’re ne. Just go right on out.”
Oh, my, that was it for this lil ol’ limping lady! I’d had enough! So well intended, but the concern and caring by others had taken on a su ocating air for my remaining aliveness (of which there is a hopping, considerable, amount.)
Ooooo, reality test, reality test! The caring folks around me were not the problem. I was the problem — yep, me — not those kind
COLUMN | IAN HAWORTH
others. For the sake of experiencing my own, gnarly, felt independence, I really needed a bu er between me and the assumption by folks that I was just going to keel over! (I wasn’t, for heaven’s sake!)
In response to the Walmart receipts checker giving me an easy bye, out popped “I bet it’s my white hair and the limp, right?” followed by a smile. I just couldn’t resist.
Meaning, this woman — you know, the one with the white hair and limp — is sharp and funny, even if she looks like she might tilt over! Suddenly, I felt reinvigorated, saucy and whole!
Yeah!
After my comment, the receipts checker stared at me for a moment, then burst out laughing. And continued laughing. Me, too. It was an unexpected moment of shared joy and mutual aliveness.
My current locomotion challenges are morphing into a door-opener for laughter, a merriment that is as essential to my existence as water and, of course, my fave, Diet Dr Pepper. I’ll continue to juice this situation for its inherent light. And, why not?
My physical vulnerability, by choice, can be a vibrant source of shared laughter with others, heightening my sense of felt independence. I just hope that folks on the other end of my, um, lame explanations, can join me in laughter. Let’s lighten life’s load.
Jan Hutton, a resident of Chatham County and retired hospice social worker, lives life with heart and humor. COLUMN | JAN
Hamas doesn’t want peace
In a perfect world, this agreement appears to be a reasonable solution to a brutal war in Gaza.
THE POLITICAL WORLD is alight with anticipation and excitement after President Donald Trump released his 20-point peace proposal for Gaza, built around three central pillars: immediate de-escalation, humanitarian relief and redevelopment, and a long-term political framework.
First, the plan calls for a complete cease re and Israeli withdrawal from active operations in exchange for the release of all hostages held by Hamas — alive and dead — within 72 hours of Israel’s acceptance. This exchange would also include the return of almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas members who renounce violence could receive amnesty or safe passage abroad, while those remaining would be required to decommission weapons under international monitoring. Importantly, the proposal sets a clear standard: Gaza must become a “terrorfree” zone with no militant infrastructure, with Israel committing not to annex or occupy Gaza once security conditions are met.
Second, the plan focuses heavily on humanitarian aid and economic revitalization. Aid would ow in immediately under international supervision, while a transitional governance system would be established — a technocratic Palestinian committee overseen by an international “Board of Peace” chaired by Trump, with gures like Tony Blair — yes, the man who set Iraq on re — also involved. This body would coordinate reconstruction, create a special economic zone and attract investment, modeled on other “miracle cities” in the Middle East, envisioning an international stabilization force to secure Gaza alongside newly trained Palestinian police, while Israel gradually withdraws. Finally, the proposal outlines a political horizon. Hamas would be excluded from governance, and Gaza’s future leadership would eventually transition to a reformed Palestinian Authority, with calls for regional guarantees, interfaith dialogue, and a U.S.-led process to de ne a path toward Palestinian self-determination and statehood.
BE IN TOUCH
In short, the proposal mixes carrots (aid, investment, amnesty, freedom of movement) with sticks (demilitarization, Hamas exclusion, security enforcement), aiming to end the war while positioning Trump as the central broker of Gaza’s future.
Sounds great! There’s only one small problem: The only sticks Hamas cares about are those that can be used to kill more Jews.
When it comes to Hamas — you know, the bloodthirsty terrorist group that started this war after committing the deadliest pogrom in history since the fall of Nazi Germany — the plan would allow any Hamas members who “commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons” to receive amnesty and be permitted to leave safely, while preventing Hamas and other factions from maintaining any governing control over Gaza (guaranteed by regional partners).
Except ... Hamas has no intention of giving up any power, let alone peaceful coexistence with Jews.
Yes, in a perfect world, this agreement appears to be a reasonable solution to a brutal war in Gaza that, while entirely justi ed, has caused widespread su ering and destruction. But we do not live in a perfect world. Instead, we live in a world inhabited by the ideology of radical Islam that plays by entirely di erent rules and views the su ering of its own civilians as a crucial and bene cial strategy of war.
Even if Hamas agrees to this proposal — which they won’t — don’t be fooled: They will never accept defeat because to do so would be to accept that their entire worldview is bogus. When Hamas — with the continued support of the Palestinian people, lest we forget — is motivated by the destruction of Israel, anything less than the continuation of Oct. 7 is unacceptable.
We should all pray for peace, of course, but with the understanding that peace can only be achieved once we achieve something in nitely harder: the vanquishing of Palestinian terrorism. And for that, it’s going to take much more than pen, paper and Tony Blair.
Ian Haworth is a syndicated columnist.
COLUMN
Obamacare is a massive failure; the GOP shouldn’t bail it out
SINCE DEMOCRATS have shut down the federal government because they want another $1.5 trillion bailout of Obamacare, it’s a good time to remind everyone that the law has been a wideranging and expensive asco.
Virtually every promise made by Democrats regarding the A ordable Care Act has failed to come true.
Sure, Barack Obama infamously promised that Americans could keep their preferred insurance if they desired. By the end of his second term, around 7 million people had been booted from their insurance because of the A ordable Care Act. Who knows how many have been dropped since.
But let’s also not forget that Obama pledged that the law would reduce family health insurance premiums by “up to” $2,500 annually by the end of his rst term. Premiums not only continued to rise during his presidency, but since 2010, they have spiked from $13,000 to nearly $24,000.
Democrats used to love to talk about “bending the cost curve.” Well, congrats.
Obama also promised that Obamacare’s state exchanges would enhance competition among insurers and lower costs. Taxpayers are now on the hook for 90% of the cost of those premiums. If the COVID-19-era Obamacare subsidies are allowed to sunset, taxpayers will be responsible for a mere 80%.
Without the subsidies, the Congressional Budget O ce predicted that 3.6 million users would leave the exchanges. Obamacare didn’t create better health care insurance options for consumers; it created millions of state dependents.
The Obamacare exchanges were sold as self-su cient engines of capitalism even as Democrats were doing everything to inhibit market competition. Many Obamacare exchanges now only have a single insurer. Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Humana have all basically abandoned them.
One of the most contentious debates over the A ordable Care Act was the cost. Democrats stressed that the project would cost less than a trillion dollars over a decade. On numerous occasions, Obama promised he would not add “one dime” to the debt. Democrats, in fact, guaranteed the A ordable Care Act would help reduce de cits. If you dared question the estimates, fact-checkers would swarm and call you a liar.
There’s no de nitive number on the debt added by Obamacare since its passage. It is likely in the hundreds of billions of dollars, if not trillions. Democrats promised that penalties on employers who failed to provide health insurance would bring in “substantial” revenue to allay costs. Once the A ordable Care Act was passed, Obama ignored the law by delaying implementation before “tweaking” the law without any constitutional authority. The employer mandate now brings in only a small fraction of promised returns.
Obama also kept delaying the A ordable Care Act’s “Cadillac tax,” a levy on alleged “gold-plated” private employee plans. The tax was meant to discourage upper- and middle-class workers from obtaining the types of plans Democrats deemed too generous as a way of lowering costs but also raising “revenue.” Once labor unions found out they also had “gold-plated” plans, well, Democrats dropped the idea, which was repealed in 2019. The individual mandate, which the Supreme Court miraculously transformed into a “tax,” now exists only in conceptual form despite Democrats’ promise that it would generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue. It brings in zero dollars.
So it’s no surprise that Democrats have been demanding Republicans bail out the poorly conceived law since its passage.
When Congress refused to pass new subsidies in 2013, the Obama administration, again without any constitutional authority, ordered the Treasury to create a $7 billion per year appropriation for insurance companies participating in the allegedly self-supporting exchanges.
When a district court ruled that the payments were unconstitutional, Obama ignored the decision. Don’t you love it when Democrats lecture people about norms?
When Democrats added new Obamacare subsidies to the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act to fund those with incomes 400% over the federal poverty line, they sold it as a temporary measure to get through the COVID-19 economy.
Every Democratic leader referred to the subsidies as “a bridge” that was meant to help until the economy rebounded from the pandemic.
Here we are in 2025. You know what they say about temporary government programs.
Letters to the editor may be sent to letters@nsjonline.com or mailed to 1201 Edwards Mill Rd., Suite 300, Raleigh, NC 27607. Letters must be signed; include the writer’s phone number, city and state; and be no longer than 300 words. Letters may be edited for style, length or clarity when necessary. Ideas for op-eds should be sent to opinion@nsjonline.com.
Contact a writer or columnist: connect@northstatejournal.com
Aside from all the failed promises, the passage of Obamacare broke American politics. For the rst time in U.S. history, a party rammed through a massive national reform without any input from half the country. In their e ort to appease a handful of moderates in their party, Democrats larded up Obamacare with unenforceable mandates, taxes and bureaucratic complexities that created the illusion of a ordability.
When they still couldn’t pass the bill using the traditional lawmaking process, they blew up a bunch of governing norms to do it.
Now Democrats have shut the government down to try and force Republicans to help prop up this disastrous law. The GOP would be nuts to help them.
David
Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner.
obituaries
David Wayne Mabry
Oct. 5, 2025
David Wayne Mabry passed away on Sunday, October 5th, 2025 at First Health Hospice House in West End NC with his wife and daughter by his side. Wayne is the son of Kenneth and Mary Mabry.
Survived by: Wife of 24 years, Donna Bra ord Mabry; daughter, Erica Nicole Mabry Shoemaker (Ryan), sons, Casey Ray Foushee (Emily) and Nicholas Stephen Keifer (Hannah); parents, Kenneth & Mary Mabry; sister, Julia Gray (Austin); brother, Robert Hughey (Donna); grandchildren, Madison Prine, Aubrey Shoemaker, Emerson Keifer, Emery Keifer, Rylee Foushee and Landon Foushee; honorable mention Doug Combs (Crystal) and Chuck Fisher (Meghan).
Wayne was a graduate of Jordan Matthews High School, went on to serve in the US Air Force, after honorable discharge he continued his career in mechanics working at HXR automotive, Self employed ( Mabry Automotive) then to Cooper Ford in Pittsboro
and then Crossroads ford in Apex. He was a senior master transmission technician, training apprentices to follow in his footsteps, when he and his wife became empty nesters, Wayne went to work on school buses at Chatham County Bus Garage. Wayne retired June 13,2024. He enjoyed his brief retirement until becoming diagnosed with terminal stage 4 cancer. He fought the good ght, going home to meet Jesus.
Wayne was a member of Fellowship Baptist Church and Chatham County Gideons. He has served as a deacon, Gideon Chaplain and Church ministry.
His mission was to spread the good news of Jesus and told many that if thru his sickness one person could be saved it was worth the battle.
A visitation for Wayne will be Tuesday, October 7, 2025, from 6-8 pm, at Smith & Buckner Funeral Home. The funeral service will be held on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at 2 pm, at Fellowship Baptist Church with Rev. Jason Golden and Rev. Marc Sanders o ciating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery with military rites presented by the Randolph County Honor Guard. In lieu of owers: contributions to Fellowship Baptist Church building fund or Chatham County Gideon Camp.
Smith & Buckner Funeral Home is honored to be assisting the Mabry family. Online condolences may be made at www. smithbucknerfh.com
Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in Stanly News Journal at obits@chathamrecord.com
Jane Goodall, celebrated primatologist and conservationist, dead at 91
Her chimpanzee research changed the understanding of how apes live and interact
By Hallie Golden The Associated Press
JANE GOODALL, the intellectual, soft-spoken conservationist renowned for her groundbreaking, immersive chimpanzee eld research in which she documented the primates’ distinct personalities and use of tools, has died. She was 91.
The environmental advocate became a beloved household name who transcended generations through her appearances in documentaries and on television, as well as her travels to address packed auditoriums around the world.
The Jane Goodall Institute announced the primatologist’s death last Wednesday in an Instagram post. According to the Washington, D.C.-based institute, Goodall died of natural causes while in California on a U.S. speaking tour. Her discoveries “revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world,” it said.
While living among chimpanzees in Africa decades ago, Goodall documented them doing activities previously believed to be exclusive to humans. Her observations and subsequent magazine and documentary appearances in the 1960s transformed how the world perceived not only humans’ closest living biological relatives but also the emotional and social complexity of all animals, while propelling her into the public consciousness.
“Out there in nature by myself, when you’re alone, you can become part of nature and your humanity doesn’t get in the way,” she told The Associated Press in 2021. “It’s almost like an out- of-body experience when suddenly you hear di erent sounds and you smell different smells and you’re actually part of this amazing tapestry of life.”
Goodall never lost hope for future
She had been scheduled to meet with students and teachers last Wednesday to launch the planting of 5,000 trees around wild re burn zones in the Los Angeles area. Organizers learned of her death as the event was to begin at EF Academy in Pasadena, said spokesperson Shawna Marino. The rst tree was planted in Goodall’s name after a moment of silence.
“I don’t think there’s any better way to honor her legacy than having a thousand children gathered for her,” Marino said.
Goodall in her later years devoted decades to education and advocacy on humanitarian causes and protecting the natural world. In her British accent, she was known for balancing the grim realities of the climate crisis with a sincere message of hope for the future.
From her base in the British coastal town of Bournemouth, she traveled nearly 300 days a year, even after she turned 90, for public speeches. Between more serious messages, her speeches often featured her whooping like a chimpanzee or lamenting that Tarzan chose the wrong Jane.
Tributes from animal rights organizations, political leaders and admirers poured in following news of her death.
“I’m deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Jane Goodall, our dear Messenger of Peace. She is leaving an extraordinary legacy for humanity &
“What the chimps have taught me over the years is they’re so like us. They’ve blurred the line between humans and animals.”
Jane Goodall
our planet,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
Nature broadcaster Chris Packham re ected on her relentless advocacy until the very end.
“In many ways Jane just died on the job,” he said. “The job that her life became. And that was protecting life on earth.”
Living among chimpanzees
While rst studying chimps in Tanzania in the early 1960s, Goodall was known for her unconventional approach. She didn’t simply observe them from afar but immersed herself in every aspect of their lives. She fed them and gave them names instead of numbers, which some scientists criticized.
Her ndings were circulated to millions when she rst appeared on the cover of National Geographic in 1963 and then in a popular documentary. A collection of photos of Goodall in the eld helped her and even some of the chimps become famous. One iconic image showed her crouching across from the infant chimpanzee named Flint. Each has arms outstretched, reaching for the other.
In 1972, the Sunday Times published an obituary for Flo, Flint’s mother and the dominant matriarch. Flint died soon after showing signs of grief and losing weight.
“What the chimps have taught me over the years is they’re so like us. They’ve blurred the line between humans and animals,″ she said in 1997.
University of St. Andrews primatologist Catherine Hobaiter, who studies communication in chimpanzees, said that when she rst heard Goodall speak, it transformed her view of science.
“It was the rst time as a young scientist working with wild apes and wild chimpanzees that I got to hear that it was OK to feel something,” she said.
Goodall earned top civilian honors from a number of countries. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2025 by then-U.S. President Joe Biden and in 2021 won the prestigious Templeton Prize, which honors individuals whose life’s work embodies a fusion of science and spirituality.
Primatologist
Jane Goodall kisses Pola, a 14-month-old chimpanzee from the Budapest Zoo that she symbolically adopted in Budapest, Hungary, in 2004.
The Humane World for Animals said Goodall’s in uence on the animal protection community was immeasurable.
“Her work on behalf of primates and all animals will never be forgotten,” said Kitty Block, president and CEO of the group formerly the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International.
Charting course from early age
Born in London in 1934, Goodall said her fascination with animals began around when she learned to crawl. In her book, “In the Shadow of Man,” she described an early memory of hiding in a henhouse to see a chicken lay an egg. She was there so long her mother reported her missing to police.
She bought her rst book — Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “Tarzan of the Apes” — when she was 10 and soon made up her mind about her future: live with wild animals in Africa.
That plan stayed with her through a secretarial course when she was 18 and two di erent jobs. By 1957, she accepted an invitation to travel to a farm in Kenya.
There she met the famed anthropologist and paleontologist Louis Leakey at a natural history museum in Nairobi. He gave her a job as an assistant secretary.
Three years later, despite Goodall not having a college degree, Leakey asked if she would be interested in studying chimpanzees in what is now Tanzania. She told the AP that he chose her “because he wanted an open mind.”
The beginning was lled with complications. British authorities insisted she have a companion, so she brought her mother. The chimps ed if she got within 500 yards of them. She also spent weeks sick from what she believed was malaria.
Eventually she gained the animals’ trust. By the fall of 1960 she observed the chimpanzee named David Greybeard make a tool from twigs to sh termites from a nest. It was previously believed that only humans made and used tools.
She also found that chimps have individual personalities and share humans’ emotions of pleasure, joy, sadness and fear. She documented bonds between mothers and infants, sibling rivalry and male dominance. She found there was no sharp line between humans and the animal kingdom. In later years, she discovered chimpanzees engage in a type of warfare, and in 1987 she and her sta observed a chimp “adopt” a 3-year-old orphan that wasn’t closely related.
BELA SZANDELSZKY / AP PHOTO
Judge rejects claims of racial gerrymandering in state Senate districts
It a ects lines going through some 20 counties in northeast N.C.
By Gary D. Robertson
The Associated Press
RALEIGH — A pair of northeastern North Carolina legislative districts can remain intact, a federal judge ruled last week, rejecting black voters’ claims that state Republicans illegally manipulated the boundaries to prevent them from electing their favored candidates.
Ruling after a trial held nearly eight months ago, U.S. District Judge James Dever sided with GOP legislative leaders who were sued in November 2023 over two state Senate districts in a statewide map the General Assembly approved weeks earlier.
The two plainti s — one of them now a Democratic state House member — argued that the lines violated Section 2 of the U.S. Voting Rights Act through race-based discrimination, and that the lawmakers should have created a majority-black district instead.
The lines cover close to 20 counties that include a region known as the “Black Belt,” where the African American population is signi cant — reaching a majority in some
counties — and politically cohesive. Last November, white Republicans were elected to the two district seats.
The partisan makeup of the Senate is critical for the prospects of both parties. Republicans currently hold 30 of the 50 seats — the minimum required for a veto-proof majority. Senate Democrats could uphold Gov. Josh Stein’s vetoes with one more seat.
In a 126-page order, Dever wrote that plainti s Moses Matthews and Rep. Rodney
Pierce lacked standing to challenge one Senate district because neither lived in that district. Otherwise, he said, they failed to provide enough evidence to prove that the lines diluted black voting power.
Dever said Republican lawmakers did not have access to racial data in their mapping computers in part because North Carolina redistricting litigation during the 2010s determined that racially polarized voting in the state was not legally signi cant.
“This case does not involve the General Assembly engaging in race-based districting or the odious practice of sorting voters based on race.”
U.S. District Judge James Dever
He noted that 2024 elections based on statewide House and Senate maps approved in 2023 resulted in African American candidates winning 38 of the 170 seats — a proportion in line with the state’s black population, he wrote.
“This case does not involve the General Assembly engaging in race-based districting or the odious practice of sorting voters based on race,” Dever wrote, citing a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling. He said the case record demonstrates northeastern North Carolina communities include black voting blocs that form coalitions with other racial and ethnic groups to elect their favored candidates.
“Black voters in northeast North Carolina and throughout North Carolina have elected candidates of their choice (both white and black) with
remarkable frequency and success for decades,” wrote Dever, who was nominated to the bench by President George W. Bush. ”Plainti s ignore the progress that North Carolina has made over the past 60 years and seek to use Section 2 to sort voters by race in order to squeeze one more Democratic Senate district into the map.”
Attorneys for Pierce and Matthews didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment on the ruling, which could be appealed to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2024, both Dever and a 4th District panel declined to block the use of the two districts while the case went to trial.
Republicans have said that lawfully partisan considerations inform their decision-making on redistricting.
Republican state Senate leader Phil Berger said on X that the court con rmed that the General Assembly “was right not to use race in its redistricting process” and that the Voting Rights Act “can’t be weaponized to make up for the shortcomings of the Democratic Party.”
The northeastern North Carolina Senate districts also are being challenged within a broader redistricting case that remains before a panel of three federal judges. The trial, which involved two lawsuits alleging racial gerrymandering in a handful of U.S. House and state Senate districts approved in 2023, concluded in July. No ruling has yet been entered. Candidate ling begins in December for General Assembly primary elections scheduled in March.
NC House forms committee to examine bitcoin, blockchain
The committee will be chaired by Reps. Allen Chesser (R-Nash) and David Willis (R-Union)
By A.P. Dillon Chatham News & Record
RALEIGH — A new North Carolina House Select Committee on Blockchain and Digital Assets was announced by House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Granite Falls) last Wednesday.
The committee will study “emerging technologies, evaluate their potential impact on North Carolina’s economy, and recommend policies that encourage innovation while protecting consumers,” according to Hall’s press release.
The committee will be cochaired by Reps. Allen Chesser (R-Nash) and David Willis (R-Union).
“We are honored to be appointed by Speaker Hall to serve on the House Select Committee on Blockchain and Digital Assets,” Chesser and Willis said in a joint press release. “North Carolina has an opportunity to be a leader in shaping policy around emerging technologies that will impact our economy, nancial systems, and the security of personal information.
“This committee’s work will focus on ensuring that innovation can thrive in our
“This committee’s work will focus on ensuring that innovation can thrive in our state while also providing appropriate safeguards for consumers and businesses.”
Committee statement
state while also providing appropriate safeguards for consumers and businesses. We look forward to working with our colleagues, industry experts, and stakeholders to develop thoughtful recommendations that will keep North Carolina at the forefront of emerging technologies and competitive in the global marketplace.”
Other members of the committee will include Reps. Celeste Cairns (R-Carteret), Neal Jackson (R-Moore), Mike Schietzelt (R-Wake), Stephen Ross (R-Alamance), Carla Cunningham (D-Mecklenburg), Allison Dahle (D-Wake), Nasif Majeed (D-Mecklenburg) and Charles Smith (D-Cumberland). The new committee has not yet set a date for its rst meeting but does have a landing page on the General Assembly website under the committees menu.
HANNAH SCHOENBAUM / AP PHOTO
A sergeant-at-arms in the North Carolina Senate passes out copies of a map proposal for new state Senate districts during a committee hearing at the Legislative O ce Building in Raleigh in 2023.
REAL ESTATE
LEARN ABOUT LAND - Chatham Land Experts, www.learnaboutland.com - 919-3626999. JY2,tfnc
FOR RENT
POWELL SPRINGS APTS. Evergreen Construction introduces its newest independent living community for adults 55 years or older, 1 and 2 bedroom applications now being accepted. O ce hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 919533-6319 for more information, TDD #1800-735-2962, Equal housing opportunity, Handicapped accessible. A2,tfnc
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS now for onebedroom apartments, adults 55 years or older. Water included, appliances furnished, on-site laundry, elevator, keyless entry. Section 8 accepted. No security deposit. Application fee $25 per adult. Call Braxton Manor, 919-663-1877. Handicap accessible. Equal Housing Opportunity.
RAINBOW WATER FILTERED VACUUMS, Alice Cox, Cox’s Distributing - Rainbow - Cell: 919548-4314, Sales, Services, Supplies. Serving public for 35 years. Rada Cutlery is also available. A26,tfnc
JUNK CARS PICKED UP Free of charge. Due to many months of low steel prices and unstable steel markets, we cannot pay for cars at this time. Cars, trucks, and machinery will be transported and environmentally correctly recycled at no charge. 919-5422803. A2,tfnc
LETT’S TREE SERVICE - tree removal, stump grinding, lot clearing. Visa & Master Card accepted. Timber. Free estimates. 919-2583594. N9,tfnc
CASH PAID FOR JUNK CARS AND PICKUPS –Call - 336-581-3423
S11,18,25,O2p
IN SEARCH OF SOMEONE
I met you at Dollar Tree in Siler City on 9/19/25. You paid for a Birthday Gift Bag I was getting. I want to meet you again to thank you. I live on Hwy.902 at 11348, Bear Creek, NC. My phone # is 919-837-5780. 2tp
Notice of Public Hearings
Town of Siler City The following items will be considered by the Siler City Board of Commissioners as legislative hearings. The hearings will be conducted during the Board of Commissioner’s regular meeting on Monday October 20, 2025, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the court room located in the Siler City Town Hall at 311 N. 2nd Ave. Legislative Public Hearings
CASE R25-0901: Request for Major Modi cation of previous Conditional Zoning Approval by applicant, CE Group, Inc, on behalf of the property owner Tim’s Farm & Forestry II, LLC. The modi cation request includes revisions to the approved conditions, development layout, and the uses permitted within the development. The property is identi ed as Parcel 13136 and 80302 and is located on West Third Street.
CASE R25-0902: Everest Park, LLC is requesting a Conditional Rezoning of approximately 27.17 acres from Agricultural – Residential (A-R) to the Agricultural – Residential – Conditional (A-R-C) zoning district for a proposed major subdivision with cluster option consisting of 18 single family residential lots and accessory recreational uses. The property is identi ed as Parcel Number 13858 by the Chatham County Tax Department.
CASE R25-0903: Ellis Development Group, on behalf of the property owners, is requesting a Conditional Rezoning of approximately 134.70 acres from Agricultural – Residential (A-R) and Residential 10 (R10) to the Residential 3 – Conditional (R-3-C) zoning district for a proposed major subdivision consisting of 371 residential units in a mix of detached single family residential lots and townhomes. The property is identi ed as Parcel Numbers 13797, 67887, 13796, 13782 and 83901 by the Chatham County Tax Department.
These items were reviewed by the Siler City Planning Board at their September 8, 2025, regular meeting. The proposed item is available for review by contacting Tim Garner at tgarner@silercity.gov or 919-726-8628. All persons interested in the outcome of this item are invited to attend the legislative hearing and present comments, testimony, and exhibits on the above referenced item. Interested parties may also submit written comments. Written comments can be submitted by email to tgarner@silercity.gov. Individuals desiring to speak may sign up by registering their name and information on the sign-up sheet, located outside the entry doors to the court room. The Town of Siler City will make appropriate arrangements to ensure that disabled persons are provided other accommodations, such arrangements may include, but are not limited to, providing interpreters for the deaf, providing taped cassettes of materials for the blind, or assuring a barrier-free location for the proceedings.
This information is available in Spanish or any other language upon request. Please contact Kimberly Pickard at 919-726-8620, 311 North Second Avenue, Siler City, North Carolina 27344, or kpickard@ silercity.org for accommodations for this request. Esta información está disponible en español o en cualquier otro idioma bajo petición. Por favor, póngase en contacto con Kimberly Pickard al kpickard@silercity.org o 919-726-8625 o en 311 North Second Avenue, Siler City, North Carolina 27344 de alojamiento para esta solicitud.
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CARONLINA, CHATHAM COUNTY THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE, SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF ) ) FILE NO. 24E001684-180 ROBERT MICHAEL WELCH, ) Deceased.
)
ADMINISTRATOR NOTICE
Having quali ed as Executor/Administrator of the Estate of Robert Michael Welch, deceased, late of Carlsbad, New Mexico, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said deceased to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before December 31, 2025 (90 days date) or this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate settlement. This the 2nd day of October, 2025. (1st Thursday Publication Date) Steven Michael Welch 1202 N. Shore Drive Carlsbad, NM 88220
CREDITOR’S NOTICE
Having quali ed on the 1st day of October 2025, as Administrator of the Estate of Shannon Lee BaileyHill, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the decedent to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before the 9th day of January, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to the estate should make immediate payment. This is the 2nd day of October 2025. Ariel Clower, Administrator of the Estate of Shannon Lee Bailey-Hill 19429 Elkhart Street Harper Woods, MI 48225
Attorneys: Law O ces of Doster & Brown, P.A. 206 Hawkins Avenue Sanford, NC 27330 Publish On: October 9th, 16th,23rd and 30th 2025.
Chatham County Public Hearing Notice
The Chatham County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing to receive input on the requested for Chatham County to participate in the Commercial Property Assessed Capital Expenditure (C-PACE) program authorized by the State Legislature to provide commercial property owners a low-cost, long term nancing mechanism to fund qualifying energy e ciency, water conservation, renewable energy, and resiliency improvements to their properties on Monday, October 20, 2025, beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the Historic Courthouse located at 9 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro NC 27312. Speakers are requested to sign up prior to the hearing on the county website or by contacting the Clerk to the Board at 919-542-8200 or boc.clerk@ chathamcountync.gov. If you have any questions or comments concerning the C-PACE program, please call the Chatham County Environmental Quality Director at 919-545-7875 or write to P.O. Box 1550, Pittsboro N.C. 27312.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having quali ed as Personal Representative of the Estate of FRADYA SARAH BLUESTEIN, deceased of Chatham County, North Carolina, on the 18th day of September, 2025, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to exhibit them to the undersigned at the o ce of the attorney for the estate on or before the 27th day of December, 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 25th day of September, 2024. John Michael Cullen, Personal Representative, c/o Anthony D. Nicholson, Attorney for the estate, McPherson, Rocamora, Nicholson & Hinkle, PLLC, 3211 Shannon Road, Suite 400, Durham, NC 27707. September 25, October 2, 9, 16 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Karen Bruck, Deceased
Date of Death: August 14, 2025 • Chapel Hill, North
Carolina
First Publication Date: September 18, 2025
Claims Deadline: December 18, 2025
All persons, rms, and corporations having claims against Karen Bruck, deceased, are hereby noti ed to present them to the undersigned Personal Representative of the Estate of Karen Bruck on or before December 18, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate are requested to make immediate payment.
Submit claims to:
Personal Representative for: Karen Mary Bruck
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 97
City/State/ZIP: Flagsta , AZ 86002
Email: drsarahazel@gmail.com
Phone: 602-478-7239
This the 18th day of September, 2025.
NOTICE OF ELECTION
CHATHAM COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
The municipal general election for Town of Apex, Town of Cary, Town of Goldston, Town of Pittsboro, and the Town of Siler City will be held on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.
Voters will be asked to show photo ID when they vote. All voters will be allowed to vote with or without ID. Voters who lack ID can get one for free from their county board of elections. Find out more at ncsbe.
gov/voter-id.
Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
Early voting will be held at the following locations from Thursday, October 16, 2025, to Saturday, November 1, 2025:
County Board of Elections o ce In Lieu of Site, Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center, 1192 U.S. Hwy 64 West Business, Pittsboro, NC 27312
New Hope Baptist Church, 581 New Hope Church Rd, Apex, NC 27523
Dates, Hours and Times fo r In Lieu of Site –
October 16, 2025 – October 29, 2025
Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
October 30, 2025, - October 31, 2025 8:00 am – 6:00 pm.
Saturday October 25, 2025 & November 1, 2025
8:00 am – 3:00 pm,
Sunday, October 26, 2025 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm.
Dates, Hours and Times for New Hope Baptist
Church Site
Opens, October 25, 2025 8:00 am – 3:00 pm Ends Saturday, November 1, 2025
8:00 am – 3:00 pm.
Sunday, October 26, 2025 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Monday – Friday, 11:00 am – 6:00 pm.
Absentee ballots will be mailed to voters who have requested them beginning October 3, 2025. A voter can ll out an absentee ballot request at votebymail. ncsbe.gov, or by lling out a request form provided by the board of elections. The request must be received through the website or by the Chatham County Board of Elections by 5 p.m. October 21, 2025.
Registered voters who live within the boundaries of Apex, Cary, Goldston, Pittsboro, Siler City, or the Goldston Gulf Sanitary District may vote in the municipal election. Municipal contests include Apex Town Council, Cary Town Council at large, Goldston Mayor, Town Commissioner at large, Town Commissioner Ward 1, Pittsboro Mayor, Town Commissioner, Siler City Mayor, Town Commissioner at-large, Town Commissioner District 1,Town Commissioner District 5, and Goldston Gulf Sanitary District Board Member.
The voter registration deadline for this election is 5 p.m. Friday, October 10, 2025. Eligible individuals who are not registered by that deadline may register and vote at any early voting site during the early voting period. New registrants will be required to provide documentation of their residence.
Questions? Call the Chatham County Board of Elections O ce at 919-545-8500 or send an email to elections@chathamcountync.gov.
Tad VanDusan, Chairman Chatham County Board of Elections
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
TOWN OF PITTSBORO, NC
On Monday, October 13, 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 legislative public hearing on a voluntary, contiguous annexation petition (A-2025-04/PB-25468) from Reeves Farm Pittsboro, LLC. The applicant is requesting to annex 94.228 acres south of US Highway 64 and west of Old Goldston Road (Parcel ID 0006767 partial, 6738 partial, and 70127 partial).
PB-25-211 - A legislative public hearing on a Development Agreement from Reeves Farms Pittsboro, LLC. The applicant is requesting to develop 455.04 acres in the Neighborhood Mixed-Use Center District. (PID: 0006738) The applicant is proposing up to 1,700 residences and up to 1,012,000 square feet of retail and commercial uses on the property. A copy of the proposed Development Agreement may be obtained from Carrie Bailey, Town Clerk at cbailey@pittsboronc.gov or Randall Cahoon-Tingle, Planning Director at rcahoon-tingle@pittsboronc.gov.
PB-25-358 – 102 Park Drive General Rezoning –A legislative request by VRC Ltd (Janet Nichols), has been submitted petitioning a map amendment rezoning parcel 79930 from its current classi cation, R-12 (Medium Residential) to C-2 (Highway Business). The parcel is approximately 3.7280 acres and is located behind the Alpha Center. The property is currently vacant, and the owner intends to utilize this parcel for o ces and residential uses. The hearings 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 any hearing. Contact the Town Clerk, Carrie Bailey, by 4 pm on October 13, 2025 with written comments or to sign up to speak at the hearing. You can contact Carrie Bailey at cbailey@pittsboronc.gov, (984) 282-6647, or PO Box 759, Pittsboro, NC 27312.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
North Carolina Chatham County File#25E000502-180
The undersigned, Helen Frazier having quali ed on the 10th day of September 2025 as EXECUTOR of the ESTATE of JUDITH RAYMOND BOYKIN, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to her on or before the 26th day of December 2025, or this notice will be in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned this the 25th day of September 2025. Helen Frazier – Executor 347 Meadow View Drive Moncure, NC 27559
Please publish the above notice on September 25, October 2nd, 9th and 16th 2025.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
All persons, rms, and corporations having claims against Nancy H Dixon, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to present their claim to Rebecca Morley at 1330 Songbird Ct, Boulder CO 80303 on or before December 20, 2025.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having quali ed as Personal Representative of the Estate of LINVILLE GARNER, deceased, 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: 1917 BERNARD PURVIS RD BENNETT NC 27208 on or before the 5th day of JANUARY, 2026, 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 30th day of SEPTEMBER, 2025.
LARRY MATTHEW SAUNDERS
Personal Representative For the Estate of LINVILLE GARNER
Frank C. Thigpen Thigpen and Jenkins, LLP
Attorney for Estate PO Box 792
Robbins, North Carolina 27325
PUBLICATION DATES:
October 2, 2025
October 9, 2025
October 16, 2025
October 23, 2025
NOTICE OF SALE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHATHAM ACE SELF STORAGE, PURSUANT TO NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL STATUTES, CHAPTER 44A, SHALL CONDUCT A PUBLIC SALE OF THE UNITS LISTED BELOW AT IT’S FACILITY LOCATED AT 105 WEST FIFTH STREET, SILER CITY, NC AT 11:00AM ON OCTOBER 30, 2025 WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO WITHDRAW ANY UNITS
FROM THE SALE. ALL SALES WILL BE CASH TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER.
B-1 BARRY EDWARDS
B-2A BARRY EDWARDS
B-2B BARRY EDWARDS
B-2C BARRY EDWARDS
B-21B FRANKLIN BROWN B-13 BLAINE FIELDS B-21A NIKKI GOLDSTON
B-8 JEFF HARRIS
B4D PAUL JONES B-20 EARNEST ROSEBORO
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS
CHATHAM COUNTY
HAVING QUALIFIED as Administrator of the Estate of Billy Gene Brewer 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 December, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 18th day of September, 2025.
Patricia S. Brewer, Administrator of The Estate of Billy Gene Brewer 5 Bennett-Siler City Road Siler City, NC 27344 MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE
ATTORNEYS AT LAW BOX 629 SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850 4tp
EXECUTOR’S NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
All persons having claims against the estate of Anhelica Maria Mata, of Chatham County, NC, who died on October 6, 2024, are noti ed to present them on or before December 25, 2025 to David Plowman, Administrator, c/o Maitland & Sti er Law Firm, 2 Couch Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Michele L. Sti er MAITLAND & STIFFLER LAW FIRM 2 Couch Road Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Attorney for the Estate
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
25E000546-180 All persons, rms, and corporations having claims against Mary H. Hodges, deceased, late of Huntington, West Virginia, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before the 12th day of January, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 9th day of October 2025. Audy M. Perry, Jr., Ancillary Executor c/o Hemphill Gelder, PC PO Box 97035 Raleigh, NC 27624-7035
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
25E000472-180 ALL persons having claims against Judith-Ann Leporino, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before Jan 02 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 2nd day of October, 2025. RENEE EASTMAN, Executor C/O Lenfestey, Maxie & Burger, PLLC 5640 Dillard Drive, Suite 101 Cary, North Carolina 27518 O2, 9, 16 and 23
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION
24CV0000235-180 TO: UNKNOWN HEIRS OF GAITHER RODGERS, SR; UNKNOWN HEIRS OF FREEMAN THOMAS RODGERS Take notice that pleadings seeking relief against you have been led in the above-entitled civil action. The nature of the relief being sought is for the condemnation and appropriation, for highway purposes, of a certain interests or estates in that certain parcel of land lying and being in Center Township, Chatham County, North Carolina and being more particularly described as follows: Being that land identi ed as part of the Estate of Lillie Freeman Rodgers as set forth in the Estate of Lillie Freeman Rodgers, 83-E-213, Chatham County Clerk of Superior Court. Also, being that land identi ed as Tax Parcel ID No. 0075052 (PIN No. 9742-82-2831) containing approximately 1.300 acres and described as “K5-78K” and being located on the west side of Hillsboro Street/US Highway 15-501 immediately north of 50 Dark Oaks Drive, Pittsboro, NC, as is shown in the Chatham County Tax O ce. You are hereby required to make defense to
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM NEWS FILE#25000500-180 The undersigned, CAROLINE WOOD, having quali ed on the 10TH Day of SEPTEMBER, 2025 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of SUSAN WOOD, 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 2ND Day JANUARY, 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 2ND DAY OF OCTOBER 2025. CAROLINE WOOD, ADMINISTRATOR 1321 #2 CHILDS DRIVE HILLSBOROUGH, NC 27278 Run dates: O2,9,16,23p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000395-180 The undersigned, SUSAN BOND TAYLOR, having quali ed on the 5TH Day of SEPTEMBER, 2025 as ADMINISTRATOR CTA, of the Estate of JANET BOND DEWITT, 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 18TH Day DECEMBER 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 18TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER 2025. SUSAN BOND TAYLOR, ADMINISTRATOR CTA 382 PINE LAKE DR. SILER CITY, NC 27344 *THE LAW OFFICE OF LEWIS FADELY, PLLC 119 N FIR AVE. SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: S18,25,O2,9p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000510-180 The undersigned, JOANNE ALSTON AND JUDY C. REAVES, having quali ed on the 16TH Day of SEPTEMBER, 2025 as CO-ADMINISTRATORS of the Estate of HAYWOOD AL REAVES, 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 2nd Day JANUARY 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 2ND DAY OF OCTOBER 2025. *JOANNE ALSTON, CO-ADMINISTRATOR 45 DAISY SCURLOCK RD. MONCURE, NC 27559 JUDY C. REAVES, CO-ADMINISTRATOR 283 PINECREST DR. BEAR CREEK, NC 27207 Run dates: O2,9,16,23p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000542-180 The undersigned, RACHEL MITCHELL, having quali ed on the 29TH Day of SEPTEMBER, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of GERALDINE WALSER, 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 9TH Day JANUARY 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 9TH DAY OF OCTOBER 2025. RACHEL MITCHELL, EXECUTOR 3794 NC HWY 751 APEX, NC 27523 Run dates: O9,16,23,30p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#2023 E 000668
The undersigned, JEFFREY HOLDER, having quali ed on the 8TH Day of APRIL, 2024 as ADMINISTRATOR
NOTICE
NORTH
Kids in New York keep dying while ‘subway sur ng’ on top of trains — can they be stopped?
More than a dozen youths have been killed in the past few years
By Cedar Attanasio
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Ka’Von Wooden loved trains. The 15-year-old had an encyclopedic knowledge of New York City’s subway system and dreamed of becoming a train operator.
Instead, on a December morning in 2022, Ka’Von died after he climbed to the roof of a moving J train in Brooklyn and then fell onto the tracks as it headed onto the Williamsburg Bridge.
He is one of more than a dozen New Yorkers, many young boys, who have been killed or badly injured after falling o speeding trains. Other risks include being crushed between the train and tunnel walls and being electrocuted by high-voltage subway tracks.
“Subway sur ng” dates back a century, but it has been fueled by social media.
Two girls found dead Saturday
Early Saturday morning, New York City police found two girls dead — ages 12 and 13 — in what apparently was a subway sur ng game that turned out to be fatal, authorities said. Metropolitan Transportation Authority President Demetrius Crichlow said in a statement that “getting on top of a subway car isn’t ‘sur ng’ — it’s suicide.” Authorities have tried to address the problem with public awareness campaigns — including a new one featuring Grammy Award-winning rapper Cardi B — and by deploying drones to catch thrill-seekers in the act. But for some, a more fundamental question is not being addressed: Why are kids like Ka’Von able to climb on top of subway cars in the rst place?
“When Ka’Von died ... literally two weeks later, another child died. And another one. That makes no sense,” his mother, Y’Vonda Maxwell, told The Associated Press, saying transit and law enforcement o cials haven’t done enough. “Why should my child have not been the end?”
MTA says it’s studying issue
Making trains harder to climb and train surfers more easy to detect with cameras and sensors could be part of the solution, some experts say. The MTA, which operates the subway system, has said it is studying the issue. But it has yet to report any broad new rollout of technology or physical barriers that might make it harder for people to get on top of trains.
In June, Crichlow told a news conference to introduce a new public awareness campaign that the MTA was experimenting with pieces of circular rubber tubing designed to prevent a person from being able to climb between two cars to the top of a train.
It was being piloted in be-
tween two cars to make sure it would t into the tight spacing of the tunnels and that it wouldn’t break down or harm service or riders, he said.
“So far the equipment seems to be holding up,” he said.
Six deaths so far this year from subway sur ng
Six people died sur ng subway trains in the city last year, up from ve in 2023.
Tyesha Elcock, the MTA worker who operated the train Ka’Von rode the day he died, is among those who thinks more should be done to prevent deaths.
The rst sign of trouble that day was when the train’s emergency brake kicked in, she said.
Elcock discovered Ka’Von’s body between the train’s seventh and eighth cars. A group of sad-faced teens on the train made it clear what had happened. “Did y’all leave your friend back there?” she asked them.
Elcock said another operator traveling in the opposite direction saw Ka’Von on the train’s roof and reported it over a radio. Because of patchy radio service, she said, she didn’t get the warning.
But she thinks an even simpler solution could have saved Ka’Von’s life: locking the doors at the ends of subway cars. That would cut o access to the narrow gaps between train cars where subway surfers use handholds to hoist themselves onto the roof.
“Lock it when we’re in service so people can’t climb up and be on top of the train,” Elcock said.
The MTA’s leaders have said they are looking into possible ways to prevent subway surfing, including engineering solutions, but the agency declined to make any of its safety experts available for an interview.
In 2023, Richard Davey, then the head of buses and subways for the MTA, said ofcials were “weighing” the option of locking doors between cars — which is now done only on a handful of 1980s-era trains. But he said that locking doors “brings its own risk.”
Some New Yorkers have complained that locking the passageways between train cars might prevent them from escaping to another part of the train during an emergency.
Under questioning from City Council members and reporters last year, MTA o cials ruled out some other physical interventions, including building more barriers to prevent access to tracks or putting covers over the gaps between train cars to prevent would-be surfers from climbing up.
“Listen, you have to be able to do work on top of a train car,” MTA CEO Janno Lieber said at a news conference, adding that you can’t “cover it with barbed wire.”
MTA asks social media companies to help stop trend
The MTA has asked social media companies to take down videos glamorizing subway sur ng and reported in
“Getting on
top of a
subway car isn’t ‘sur ng’ — it’s suicide.”
Crichlow,
Demetrius
MTA president
June that, in 2025, more than 1,800 videos had been taken down.
It’s also promoted public service announcements telling people to “Ride inside, stay alive,” in voices of local teens and, with the city’s schools, released a comic-book themed campaign this past summer designed to show the dangers of subway sur ng and impact on loved ones.
More than 300,000 New York City school children use the subway to get to and from school each day.
The NYPD reported that arrests of alleged subway surfers rose to 229 last year, up from 135 the year before. Most were boys, with an average age of around 14, according to police. The youngest was 9 years old.
Branislav Dimitrijevic, an engineering professor of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, said retro tting trains to prevent roof access would be expensive.
“There’s so many stories in transportation where things can be xed, but they cost a lot of money,” Dimitrijevic said. “And then you ask the public, ’Are you willing to (pay) for us to x this? But your taxes would go up tremendously.’ And people say ‘no.’”
Dimitrijevic suggested the MTA might be able to install cameras and use arti cial intelligence to detect riders trying to climb a train. Andrew Albert, a nonvoting member of the MTA board, said he has been asking the agency about the plausibility of physical sensors but hasn’t gotten a response.
The NYPD has patrolled popular subway sur ng routes with eld response teams and drones, reporting in July that it had used them to make 200 rescues, mostly of teens. But the missions can’t be everywhere at once. They also say they make home visits to the homes of subway surfers they’ve identi ed.
Trains in some other cities, such as Hong Kong and Dubai, aren’t easily climbable. They have streamlined bodies, lack handles on the outside and don’t open between cars. Some rail systems have resorted to extreme tactics to keep people from riding on top of trains. In Indonesia, railway o cials once installed hanging metal ails to try and deter passengers from riding atop train cars to avoid overcrowding. They also tried spraying riders with red paint and hitting them with brooms.
The MTA purchased a few new subway cars that don’t have the outdoor gaps exploited by subway surfers, but they represent just a sliver of the number currently in service and won’t be deployed on lines popular for sur ng anytime soon.
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHATHAM
NOTICE TO CREDITORS Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Wayne Paul Powers, a/k/a Wayne P. Powers, a/k/a Wayne Powers, 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 address below on or before January 4, 2026, 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 2nd day of October, 2025. Elaine P. Partin Executor of the Estate of Wayne Paul Powers a/k/a Wayne P. Powers a/k/a Wayne Powers The Chatham News & Record B. Pete Jarvis Tennant & Jarvis, P.C. PO Box 4585 Archdale, NC 27263 FOR PUBLICATION: October 2, October 9, October 16 and October 23, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
All persons having claims against Shelly Ray Skalicky, of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to present them to Daniel Long, Executor of the Estate of Shelly Ray Skalicky, at NextGen Estate Solutions, 1340 Environ Way, Chapel Hill, NC 27517 or before December 18th, 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 Shelly Ray Skalicky. Those indebted to Shelly Ray Skalicky are asked to make prompt payment to the Estate. This this 18th day of September, 2025. Daniel Long, Executor of the Estate of Shelly Ray Skalicky Brittany N. Porter, Attorney NextGen Estate Solutions 1340 Environ Way, Chapel Hill, NC 27517
NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST RELEASE OF FUNDS
October 9, 2025 Town of Siler City P.O. Box 769 Siler City, NC 27344 TO ALL INTERESTED AGENCIES, GROUPS AND PERSONS: On or about October 21, 2025, the above-named town will request the NC Department of Commerce to release Federal Funds under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (PL 93-383) for the following project: Town of Siler City 2024 CDBG-NR, 23C-4174
Project activities include the rehabilitation or reconstruction of ve (5) low-income occupied dilapidated dwellings in scattered site locations in the Town of Siler City, NC. The proposed treatment will provide standard dwelling units for these households. Associated service delivery and administrative services necessary to accomplish the housing activities are included in the project scope. The properties are located 819 N. Fir Avenue,1309 Hodge Street, 911 14th Street, 58 Elder Road, and Alternate: 1123 N. 5th Avenue. Total Project Cost=$950,000; Total CDBG Cost=$950,000; CDBG/Total Cost Percent=100%. An Environmental Review Record applicable to the above project has been made by the above-named Town which documents the environmental review of the project. This Environmental Review Record is on le at the Town of Siler City, 311 N. Second Avenue, Siler City, NC. The ERR is available on weekdays from 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. for public examination and copying, upon request and payment of any authorized copying charges. PUBLIC COMMENTS Any individual, group, or agency may submit written comments on the Environmental Review Record to Sara Martin, Community Development Manager, Town of Siler City, P.O. Box 769, NC 27344. All comments received by October 17, 2025, will be considered by the Town prior to authorizing submission of a request for release of funds.
RELEASE OF FUNDS
The Town of Siler City will undertake the project described above with CDBG funds from the NC Rural Economic Development Division (REDD), under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. The Town is certifying to REDD that Donald A. Matthews in his o cial capacity as Mayor of the Town of Siler City, consents to accept the jurisdiction of the Federal courts if an action is brought to enforce responsibilities in relation to environmental reviews, decision making, and action; and that these responsibilities have been satis ed. The legal e ect of the certi cation is that upon its approval, the Town of Siler City may use the Block Grant funds, and REDD will have satis ed its responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and related laws and authorities.
OBJECTION TO RELEASE OF FUNDS
REDD will accept an objection to its approval of the release of funds and acceptance of the certi cation only if it is on one of the following bases: (A) That the certi cation was not in fact executed by the chief elected o cial or other o cer of the applicant approved by REDD; or (B) The Town has omitted a step or failed to make a decision or nding required by HUD regulations at 24 CFR Part 58; (C) the grant recipient has committed funds or incurred cost not authorized by 24CFR Part 58 before approval of a release of funds by REDD; or (D) another federal agency acting pursuant to 40 CFR Part 1504 has submitted a written nding that the project is unsatisfactory from the standpoint of environmental quality. Objections must be prepared and submitted in accordance with the required procedure (24 CFR Part 58) and shall be addressed to REDD at 301 N. Wilmington Street, Raleigh, NC 276014346. Objections to the release of funds on bases other than those stated above will not be considered by REDD. No objection received after November 5, 2025, will be considered by REDD. This information is available in Spanish or any other language upon request. Please contact Sara Martin, Community Development Manager, at 919-726-8625 or at 311 N. Second Avenue, Siler City, NC for accommodations for this request. Esta informacion esta disponible en espa ol o en cualquier otro idioma bajo peticion. Par favor, pongase en contacto con Sara Martin, Community Development Manager, at 919-726-8625 or at 311 N. Second Avenue, Siler City, NC, de alojamiento para esta solicitud.
NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, CHATHAM COUNTY, IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE, BEFORE THE CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT, FILE NO. 25SP000111180 FOR THE ADOPTION OF T.L.K. TO: THE UNKNOWN FATHER, of a male, caucasian child, born to Leslie Ann Pugh Moore on June 4, 2012 at UNC Hospital in Orange County, North Carolina, conceived approximately September 2011, and placed under the Guardianship of PETITIONER, Connie Lea Beal on December 9, 2016. PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a petition has been led by the Petitioners, Connie Lea Beal and Ricky Lee Beal for the purpose of legally adopting
NOTICE
SALE
87 Major Lee road Pursuant to the Order for Possession, Custody, Control, and Sale of Real Property led on June 23, 2022, in the above captioned proceeding, NOTICE is hereby given that the subject properties described below will be put up for public sale on October 16, 2025 at 10:00
N, Pittsboro, NC 27312, Parcel #0005908 and are more particularly described as follows: TRACT 1: BEING ALL of that certain 1.50 acres, more or less, designated as “Tract D-1” on the plat hereinafter referred to,
SETH WENIG / AP PHOTO
A train arrives at a subway station in the Coney Island section of New York earlier this year.
CHATHAM SPORTS
Granados, set piece scores lead Los Jets over Northwood in conference opener
The Jets scored three goals o penalties
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
PITTSBORO — To no surprise, a rivalry game to begin Four Rivers 3A/4A conference play in boys’ soccer got physical.
Jordan-Matthews went on the road and scored three goals o penalties to beat Northwood 4-1 in its conference
opener Oct. 1. Sophomore Enrique Granados led the Jets with two goals. “The set plays really helped us tonight,” Jordan-Matthews coach Paul Cuadros said. “This year we’ve been on point in terms of set plays, and we’ve missed a couple of them. But we scored goals on set plays, so I’m really happy with that as well.”
After going up 2-0 in the rst half, the Jets knocked in two penalty kicks to seal the win. Three minutes into the
second half, sophomore Humberto Vargas was knocked down at the top of the penalty area, and on the ensuing penalty kick, he shot to the left of Northwood’s sophomore goalkeeper Calvin Britt to give the Jets a three-goal lead.
With just under 18 minutes left to play, Granados was tripped on the left side of the penalty area while chasing the ball. On the following penalty kick, Granados put the ball just out of Britt’s reach and in the bottom right corner.
Seaforth’s Duncan Parker (7) runs around Orange defenders in the Hawks’ conferenceopening win Friday. Parker scored the game-winning touchdown.
Parker’s game-winning score lifts Seaforth over Orange in thriller
Jaden Gregory scored two touchdowns on the ground
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
“We just keep preaching ‘respond,’ ‘compete,’ and these guys are starting to get that message.”
Tolbert Matthews, Seaforth coach
PITTSBORO — Responding to adversity has been a point of emphasis for Seaforth since this past o season. The Hawks’ (2-4) 29-22 win over Orange (0-6) on their homecoming night and Big Seven 4A/5A conference opener Friday showed why. Down 22-21 late in the fourth quarter, junior quarterback Duncan Parker threw back-to-back interceptions deep in Panthers’ territory. The rst one thrown to Or -
Minutes prior to Granados’ goal, Britt blocked another penalty kick from Vargas after he was fouled on a slide tackle attempt.
“The fouls, we just kept our cool with that,” Granados said. “It was a tough game for us. Physical game. But other than that, we just kept our cool. Putting our body in front of the ball and taking our chances with the set pieces.”
A handball penalty called against Northwood three minutes into the game set up an
early score for Jordan-Matthews. At about 25 yards from the right side of the goal, Manolo Soto Cruz sent the ensuing free kick to the middle of the penalty area, and sophomore Manuel Estrada headed it in for a 1-0 lead. Jordan-Matthews maintained possession for the majority of the rst half, but Northwood, playing without freshman striker Johnny Santiago, began to create its own
ange’s Jaden Gregory resulted in no damage as sophomore linebacker Tyler Truesdale came up with a huge stop on third down to force a punt. However, the second one caught by Orange sophomore Markus Thomas at the Orange 21-yard line with 1 minute and 34 seconds left to play felt like the dagger. But the feeling was eeting. On the very next play, Orange quarterback Jackson Moody fumbled the snap, and Seaforth See SOCCER, page B2
FOOTBALL ROUNDUP J-M tops North Moore for rst time since 2010, eyes Northwood
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
Jordan-Matthews 12, North Moore 7
AFTER TAKING a dive with consecutive losses by more than 30 points, the Jets are back on the ascent with a Four Rivers 3A/4A conference-opening win.
Down 7-6 in the beginning of the third quarter, senior quarterback Kamarie Hadley ran in the go-ahead score with a 58-yard touchdown run to help Jordan-Matthews (5-2) beat North Moore (3-4) for the rst time since 2010 Friday. The Jets have won ve games for the rst time since 2013.
Junior Namir Wiley scored on a three-yard reception late in the second quarter. Late in the fourth quarter, Wiley chased down junior Stryker Murray after a long completion and forced a fumble recovered by the Jets. He also knocked down the Mustangs’ nal pass attempt in the end zone as time expired.
Jordan-Matthews returned to its ways from the rst four games of the season as its defense — especially linebackers Jakari Blue and Omar Sanford, and senior defensive end Deantaye Smith — came up with numerous stops in the run game. Late in the third quarter, North Moore had a fourth-and-short inside the Jordan-Matthews 10-yard line when sophomore defensive lineman Jose Patino took down the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage. The Jets held North Moore, which didn’t score in the second half, to its lowest scoring output this season.
See ROUNDUP, page B5 See FOOTBALL, page B2
Straight wins for Northwood over Jordan-Matthews
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Three Northwood players try to defend against a Jordan-Matthews free kick in last week’s showdown. The Jets won this round, beating the Chargers, 4-1.
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Cali O’Neill
COURTESY BRANDIN O’NEILL
Seaforth, girls’ soccer
Seaforth student Cali O’Neill earns athlete of the week honors for the week of Sept. 29.
O’Neill was named to the U.S. Under-17 Women’s FIFA World Cup roster on Sept. 30. Listed as a defender, O’Neill will represent the United States at the international soccer event in Morocco starting on Oct. 17. She was one of two North Carolina natives to make the team.
O’Neill has earned four caps in her international career. After graduating in the spring, she will continue her soccer journey at UNC.
defensive lineman Dylan Watkins recovered it at the same spot.
With one last chance to win the game, Seaforth put the ball back in its quarterback’s hands, and on the rst play of the possession, Parker broke a few tackles and ran to the outside for a 21-yard game-winning touchdown.
“We ran power, came through, cut back wide open, ran it all the way to the corner,” Parker said.
Said Seaforth coach Tolbert Matthews, “Bad turnover down in the fourth, but we got it right back by responding. And then we came down and put that thing in the box. All of these guys, again, we just keep preaching ‘respond,’ ‘compete,’ and these guys are starting to get that message, and you guys are starting to see what it looks like when they do those things.”
The nal moments were just the end to a long sequence of hardships Seaforth had to overcome.
After the Hawks picked up two ve-yard penalties — a delay of game and an illegal procedure — on the opening kicko , Orange took nearly 11 minutes o the clock with a seemingly unstoppable rushing attack and took a 6-0 lead with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Moody to junior Kayden Bradsher.
The Hawks responded on their rst drive, which spilled
SOCCER from page B1
scoring opportunities about halfway through. Northwood sophomore Miles Freuler ran behind the Jets’ defense and got two chances for a shot near the period’s halfway point, but both were denied by Jordan-Matthews defenders.
With 171⁄2 minutes left to play in the opening period, Granados gave the Jets some extra cushion. Estrada handled a pass to the penalty area, connected with senior Samuel Basilio to his right, and Basilio crossed the ball to Granados, who completed the impressive assist.
“When you put a goal like that together, it’s on point, it’s got good skills, got speed, it’s got a great nish — that’s a back breaker for any team,” Cuadros said. “Because you know that team is talented and can score.”
Scoring has been the Jets’ forte as of late.
As of Sunday, Jordan-Matthews, which moved to 9-4 after the win, has won eight of its last nine games by outscoring
over into the beginning of the second quarter, with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Parker to sophomore Mason Pooley, taking a 7-6 advantage. However, they couldn’t quite get control of the game.
Orange put together another long drive of physical runs, taking the ball down to within the Seaforth 20-yard line with under ve minutes left in the half. Seaforth forced a turnover on downs, and when it looked like the Hawks were about to swing the game back in their favor before the half, a 38-yard touchdown pass to Max Hinchman was called back due to o ensive pass interference.
After giving up more than 80 yards on the ground in only two rst half drives, Seaforth was able to get the necessary stops in the second half. The Hawks came away with another turnover on downs, two punts and a fumble recovery in the nal two quarters.
“We just came out more explosive,” senior linebacker Raiden Flowers said. “We did what we had to do. We knew what we had to x, and we just did it.”
Said Matthews, “It was more so for us to just relax. Get back to doing what we do.”
Matthews also credited the longer halftime from the homecoming festivities for allowing his defense to come out prepared in the second half.
Seaforth senior Nick Gregory got going in the run game
as he rushed for a 9-yard score and a 20-yard touchdown in the third quarter to put the Hawks up 21-14 entering the fourth. He nished the game with 74 rushing yards and 53 receiving yards on two receptions.
“During halftime, even just the whole game, I was just in my head like quiet,” Gregory said. “It was really just kill, dominate every time I touched the ball. Just do something with it.”
But that wasn’t without any setbacks, of course. A roughing the kicker penalty halfway through the third kept an Orange drive alive for an eventual 1-yard touchdown run for Moody, bringing the Panthers within one point.
Penalties also stalled late Seaforth drives, including a holding penalty that took back a 31-yard touchdown pass to Pooley in the fourth quarter.
Midway through the fourth, a poor tackling e ort on Seaforth’s part allowed Bradsher to run 19 yards to the end zone, and he scored the two-point conversion to put the Panthers ahead 22-21.
On Orange’s last chance following Parker’s game-winner, Flowers came up with a sack to help seal the deal.
Seaforth is now 4-0 all-time in conference openers.
For the second time this season, the Hawks’ task is to respond to success. They’ll get to do that Friday at Cedar Ridge at 7 p.m.
Jordan-Matthews’
defenders in a 4-1 conference-opening win. He scored the
goal of the game.
opponents 49-7 in that stretch.
The Jets have also collected six clean sheets in that run, and they would’ve had one against Northwood had sophomore goalkeeper Emilio Rocha, who saved multiple goals in the game, not dropped a long free kick that led to an easy score for junior Sam Bacheler.
“We’ve really come together as a team,” Cuadros said. “We work together and plan,
and we train. We train hard.” Northwood moved to 5-4-5 following the loss and a subsequent draw with Eastern Randolph on Oct. 2.
The Chargers are still looking for a spark in their o ense after scoring four goals in its last four games.
Jordan-Matthews will host Northwood for a rematch on Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. Northwood last beat the Jets in 2014.
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Manuel Estrada (8) runs past Northwood
rst
Woods Charter volleyball clinches conference title
By Asheebo Rojas
Chatham News & Record
Volleyball
WOODS CHARTER extended its win streak to 14 with straight set wins over Central Carolina Academy on Sept. 30 and Clover Garden School on Oct. 1. The Wolves, who have clinched their third straight outright conference title, have not lost a set since their 3-1 victory over Burlington Christian Academy on Sept. 15.
Seaforth won back-to-back games for the rst time since Sept. 16 with a 3-0 win over J.F. Webb on Oct. 2. Senior Josie Valgus recorded a career-high 27 assists.
Northwood snapped a four-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over Jordan-Matthews on Sept. 30. The Chargers also beat North Moore 3-2 on Oct. 2, winning consecutive games for the rst time this season.
Chatham Charter picked up two straight set wins over Southern Wake Academy on Sept. 30 and River Mill on Oct. 2. The Knights climbed their way into third place in the Central Tar Heel 1A conference ahead of the last week of the season.
Conference standings as of Sunday (overall, conference)
Four Rivers 3A/4A: 1. Uwharrie Charter (19-3, 8-0); 2. Southwestern Randolph (13-9, 6-2); 3. North Moore (12-5, 4-4); T4. Eastern Randolph (5-11, 3-5); T4. Northwood (4-13, 3-5); 6. Jordan-Matthews (4-16, 0-8)
Central Tar Heel 1A: 1. Woods Charter (15-1, 12-0); 2. Clover Garden School (13-6, 10 -2); 3. Chatham Charter (9-11, 6-5); 4. River Mill (9-11, 6-6); 5. Ascend Leadership (8-7, 5-6); 6. Southern Wake Academy (3-13, 2-10); 7. Central Carolina Academy (1-16, 0-12)
Greater Triad 1A/2A: T1.
South Stokes (14-6, 9-1); T1. Bishop McGuinness (14-4, 9-1); 3. Chatham Central (8-11, 6-4); 4. North Stokes (5-14, 5-5); T5. South Davidson (5-15, 3-7); T5. College Prep & Leadership (4 -14, 3-7); 7. Winston-Salem-Prep (216, 0-10)
Volleyball RPI rankings as of Sunday (playo brackets released on Oct. 16, top 48 make postseason)
1A: 2. Woods Charter (.66685); 23. Chatham Charter (.46743); 30. Chatham Central (.40949)
3A: 46. Northwood (.41343)
4A: 47. Jordan-Matthews (.37118)
5A: 11. Seaforth (.61105)
Boys’ soccer
Seaforth picked up its largest win of the year with a 9-0 victory over South Granville on Oct. 1. Sophomore Collin Atkinson recorded a hat trick, and senior Ryan Dibb scored two goals.
Woods Charter bounced back from its loss to Clover Garden School with a 2-0 win over River Mill on Oct. 1. Northwood responded to its conference-opening loss to Jordan-Matthews with a 2-2 draw with Eastern Randolph. Chatham Charter split the week with a 2-1 win at Phoenix Academy on Oct. 1 (two goals for sophomore Breylan Harris) and a 1-0 loss to Eno River Academy on Oct. 2.
Conference standings as of Sunday (overall, conference)
Four Rivers 3A/4A: T1. Southwestern Randolph (14-1, 3-0); T1. Jordan-Matthews (9 - 4, 1-0); 3. North Moore (4 -2-1, 1-1); T4. Northwood (5-4-5, 0-1-1); T4. Eastern Randolph (3- 6-3, 0-1-1); 6. Uwharrie Charter (1- 4, 0-2)
Central Tar Heel 1A: 1. Clover Garden School (12-3, 7-0); 2. Woods Charter (6-2-1, 3-1); 3. Southern Wake Academy (8-3-1, 4-2-1); 4. Ascend Leader-
Goals for Collin Atkinson in Seaforth’s
ship (4 -5-2, 1-3-2); 5. River Mill (3-10, 2-5); 6. Chatham Charter (2-8-1, 1-4); 7. Central Carolina Academy (1-8-1, 0-3-1)
Big Seven 4A/5A: 1. Orange (10-4, 4-0); 2. Carrboro (5-7-1, 3-1); 3. Seaforth (4-7-2, 2-2); T3. J.F. Webb (5-3-1, 1-1-1); 5. Cedar Ridge (5-5-1, 1-2-1); 6. Durham School of the Arts (2-11-1, 2-4); 7. South Granville (4-9-1, 1-4)
Girls’ tennis
Seaforth defeated South Granville 8-1 on Oct. 1, winning the third of its last four matches.
Chatham Charter won its second straight match with a 9-0 victory over Chatham Central on Sept. 24. The Knights are Central Tar Heel 1A conference champions for the second year in a row.
Northwood nished the regular season with back-to-back losses to Southwestern Randolph (9-0) and North Moore (5-1). Chatham Central fell to North Stokes and Bishop McGuinness by scores of 9-0 to end the regular season.
Conference standings as of Sunday (overall, conference) Four Rivers 3A/4A: 1. Uwharrie Charter (7-0, 7-0); 2. Southwestern Randolph (10 - 4, 5-2); T3. North Moore (4-9, 3-5); T3. Northwood (3-11, 3-5); 5. Jordan-Matthews (2-15, 0-6)
Central Tar Heel 1A: 1. Chatham Charter (8-4, 4-0); 2. Clo-
Powell makes strides towards Nets debut
The Pittsboro native is expected to take the oor this weekend
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
THINGS ARE ramping up for Pittsboro native Drake Powell ahead of his rst NBA season.
After dealing with knee tendinopathy and missing Summer League action in July, Powell participated in the contact portion of the Brooklyn Nets’ training camp practice on Sept. 29, per ClutchPoints Nets reporter Erik Slater.
The former Northwood bas-
ketball star missed Brooklyn’s rst preseason game Saturday, but he is expected to make his Nets’ debut during one of the team’s two preseason games against Phoenix in China this weekend. Brooklyn and Phoenix will face o Friday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m. Both games will air on NBA TV.
Powell will compete for playing time in a deep wing rotation, including veterans Michael Porter Jr., Terance Mann and Ziaire Williams.
“Just seeing the runs we have in open gym, just seeing their approach to the game, I think that’s pretty big,” Powell said about his veteran teammates.
“Speaking on Terance Mann speci cally, he’s been a great vet so far. He makes me get his towel sometimes when he’s done o the court. But the preparation that he has, I think it’s second to none, and I think he’s just a great guy to learn from which can be extremely bene cial. As far as MPJ, just his ability to shoot the basketball and the focus he has in the weight room, I think that that’s pretty big as well.”
He’s caught praise recently for his athleticism. Nets head coach Jordi Fernández said he believes Powell is the “best athlete in the draft.”
“I’ve been really impressed
with him,” Porter Jr., who won an NBA championship with the Nuggets in 2023, said. “I didn’t realize the athlete he was. I mean, he’s one of the most athletic dudes I probably have seen in terms of speed up and down the oor, vertical, move laterally. He’s a freak athlete, and he has the foundation to keep building on his skillset. So he’s obviously very young, very raw, but he’s comfortable in the midrange. He’s knocked down a few threes in a scrimmage.”
Powell will return to his home state for his rst NBA regular season game as the Nets will play the Hornets in Charlotte on Oct. 22 at 7 p.m.
ver Garden School (4-4, 2-2); 3. Southern Wake Academy (2-7, 0-4) Greater Triad 1A/2A: 1. Bishop McGuinness (10-4, 8-0); 2. North Stokes (12-2, 6-2); 3. South Davidson (7-5, 3-4); 4. South Stokes (2-11, 2-5); 5. Chatham Central (0-12, 0-8) Big Seven 4A/5A: 1. Carrboro (19-1, 11-0); 2. Durham School of the Arts (12-8, 8-3); 3. Seaforth (10-6, 7-3); 4. Orange (12-5, 6-5); 5. South Granville (2-8, 2-8); 6. Cedar Ridge (6-8, 1-8); 7. J.F. Webb (0-11, 0-5) Girls’ tennis RPI rankings as of Sunday (top 48 teams make postseason) 1A: 5. Chatham Charter (.51945); 14. Chatham Central (.25058) 3A: 33. Northwood (.38673) 4A: 47. Jordan-Matthews (.30775) 5A: 17. Seaforth (.56254)
Cross-country
Top nishers at Greater Triad 1/A conference meet on Oct.1: Jackson Hughes (seventh, Chatham Central, boys, 20 minutes, 41.70 seconds); Ansley Pressler (seventh, Chatham Central, girls, 26:42); Heidi Vicente (12th, Chatham Central, girls, 31:18.50); Bree Thomas (15th, Chatham Central, girls 33:22.90)
Woods Charter’s Annabel Unah takes a swing while coach Amanda Gough, left, looks on during a game earlier this season. The Wolves are outright conference champs for the third straight time.
win over South Granville
JEFF DEAN / AP PHOTO
UNC’s Drake Powell celebrates with teammates during the NCAA First Four game against San Diego State.
SIDELINE REPORT
NCAA BASKETBALL
Tarleton State places Gillispie on leave after anonymous complaint
Stephenville, Texas
Tarleton State says it has placed men’s basketball coach Billy Gillispie on temporary administrative leave after receiving an anonymous complaint. The former Kentucky coach who also led the programs at Texas A&M and Texas Tech has been at Tarleton State for ve seasons. Gillispie faced allegations of player mistreatment at Texas Tech, where he spent one season. Tarleton State said associate head coach Glynn Cyprien is lling in for Gillispie. The Texans open the regular season Nov. 3 at SMU.
NCAA FOOTBALL
Sanders “hurting like crazy,” believes he has more blood clots
Fort Worth, Texas Deion Sanders says he’s hurting like crazy and believes he has more blood clots in his leg. The Colorado football coach sat at times late in a loss at TCU on Saturday. Sanders says he’s not getting blood to his leg and that it’s throbbing. The 58-year-old Sanders spent time away from his team this summer as he went through treatment for bladder cancer. He had two toes amputated from his left foot in 2021 because of blood clot issues. He had a procedure in 2023 to remove a blood clot from his right leg.
FISHING
Georgia man indicted after Ala. shing tournament boat crash killed 3 Cullman, Ala.
A Georgia man has been indicted on manslaughter charges in Alabama after a boat wreck during a professional shing tournament in April killed three people and injured two others. Flint Andrew Davis faces multiple charges, including reckless manslaughter and rst- degree assault. Video shows the 22-year-old Davis’ boat speeding across Lewis Smith Lake, striking another boat. The crash killed three men and seriously injured two others. Investigators determined Davis was traveling at 67 mph but say speed didn’t cause the wreck. They say Davis wasn’t paying attention and lacked a boating license.
MLB Phillies star Harper announces birth of fourth child ahead of NLDS opener
Philadelphia Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper and wife, Kayla, have welcomed their fourth child, Hayes Three Harper, ahead of Saturday’s playo opener. The Harpers shared the news on Instagram, announcing their son was born last Thursday. Harper, a two-time National League MVP, was in the lineup for Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Earlier in April, Harper used a blue bat for a gender reveal during a game. Harper and Kayla already have three children: a son named Krew and two daughters, Brooklyn and Kamryn.
Champion boxer held by police at gunpoint
Police
By Margery A. Beck The Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb. — The police chief of Nebraska’s largest city acknowledged that police nationwide are more likely to pull black people out of their cars at gunpoint than other racial groups as Omaha grapples with growing outrage over champion boxer Terence “Bud” Crawford being ordered out of his car at gunpoint only hours after the city held a downtown celebration in his honor.
“Quite frankly, that is generally a true statement. The number of stops are disproportionate. That is nationwide,” Police Chief Tobb Schmaderer said at a news conference to address an internal investigation into Crawford’s tra c stop.
The police confrontation with Crawford, who is black, has reignited long-simmering tensions between Omaha’s black community and its police force. Omaha Sen. Terrell McKinney, one of three black state lawmakers in the Nebraska Legislature and a vocal critic of Omaha police and the state’s justice system, said he was disappointed — but not surprised — by the police stop.
“I urge the people to keep speaking out and demanding real change boldly and unapologetically,” McKinney said in a
Facebook post last week. “Our lives are at risk, and we have endured oppression for far too long.”
Schmaderer has long been an advocate of community policing that aims to build trust between o cers and the public they patrol. He said he understands there is a lot of anger in the community over the treatment of Crawford — a favorite son of Omaha after making history by becoming the rst male boxer to capture three uni ed division titles.
“We understand the importance of this tra c stop to our community, and the implications and the impression it has given out,” he said.
But he said a nearly completed internal investigation into the tra c stop shows the o cers involved did not violate department policy.
According to their reports, the o cers spotted a high-performance sedan without license plates pull out of a downtown parking garage around 1:30 a.m. Sunday and quickly accelerate to more than twice the 25-mph speed limit. The ofcers did not know Crawford was driving the car, Schmaderer said, before they pulled it over. Two o cers approached it — one on the passenger side and another on the driver’s side.
Schmaderer said the initial interaction was cordial, which he assessed through body camera footage. Crawford, who was driving, told the o cer at his window that the car was new
“We understand the importance of this tra c stop to our community, and the implications and the impression it has given out.”
Tobb Schmaderer, Omaha Police chief
and “had gotten away from him.”
At that point, a member of Crawford’s security team who was in the passenger seat told the o cer at his window that he was carrying a legal handgun, Schmaderer said. Crawford, who was leaning over the car’s console, told that o cer he also had a legal rearm, but the o cer at the driver’s side window didn’t hear that exchange, Schmaderer said. That is when the o cer on the driver’s side spotted Crawford’s gun on the oorboard by his feet, pulled his service weapon and ordered Crawford and three other people out.
Schmaderer said Crawford and the others were handcu ed for about 10 minutes. Police conrmed all occupants of the vehicle were legally permitted to carry rearms and let them go after about 30 minutes, ticketing Crawford on suspicion of reckless driving.
Schmaderer said he will not be sharing police video of the stop unless Crawford agrees to it.
“We don’t have a fatality here. We don’t have an ofcer-involved shooting, and it’s generally not our protocol to release that footage under those circumstances,” he said.
Crawford’s stop by police came after the city held a parade through downtown streets in Crawford’s honor, followed by a party to celebrate his 38th birthday at a live music venue near where the stop occurred.
The celebration came after Crawford earned the unied super middleweight championship with his unanimous decision victory over Canelo Alvarez on Sept. 13 in Las Vegas. Crawford is 42-0 with 31 knockouts.
FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets have gone on sale
The rst round of ticket buyers were selected by lottery
By Tim Reynolds The Associated Press
MIAMI — Not even half of the spots in the 48-team eld have been claimed. The schedule of matches won’t benalized until December. And other than host nations U.S., Canada and Mexico, nobody has any idea where or when they’ll be playing.
Millions of soccer fans worldwide evidently don’t seem to mind any of those points.
Tickets to next year’s FIFA World Cup o cially went on sale last Wednesday. The buyers will be those who were selected, out of 4.5 million applicants in a lottery that took place last month, to have the rst formal chance to purchase tickets. FIFA said lottery winners were informed by email.
There are unique questions for consumers heading into the tournament, particularly about how they’ll get visas, if necessary, to visit the U.S. as the country cracks down on immigration. There are also more traditional concerns such as who, when and where — and none of those will be answered until the draw on Dec. 5. FIFA knows many fans won’t fret about those answers; they just want tickets now and will gure out the rest later.
“These are not only outstanding gures, but also a strong statement,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on social media, reacting to the 4.5 million applicants for a spot in the purchase window that opened last Wednesday. “The whole world wants to be part of the FIFA World Cup 26, the biggest, most inclusive and most exciting event ever. From Canada, Mexico and the United States, to countries big and small across every continent, fans are proving once again passion for football truly unites.” In divided times, the notion of soccer being something that “truly unites” will be put to the test.
Here are some things to know as tickets go on sale.
What’s for sale?
Fans can purchase seats in one of four categories; Category 1 is the best seats, Category 4 is somewhere around the tops of stadiums. Ticket prices will range initially from $60 for group-stage matches to $6,730 for the nal but could — and almost certainly will — change as soccer’s biggest event utilizes dynamic pricing for the rst time.
Who’s in?
The U.S., Mexico and Canada all automatically quali ed as host nations. Also in so far: defending champion Argentina, Japan, New Zealand, Iran, Uzbekistan, Jordan, South Korea, Brazil, Australia, Ecuador, Uruguay, Tunisia, Colombia, Paraguay and Morocco.
That leaves 30 spots still unclaimed.
FIFA said fans from 216 countries and territories applied to be part of the rst tick-
et lottery. The top three nations of interest, to no surprise, were the hosts: the U.S., Mexico and Canada, in that order. The rest of the top 10, also in order of application totals, were Germany, England, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Spain and Italy. Nobody has said how many tickets FIFA plans to sell in this rst window. Availability won’t be depleted; based on the listed stadium attendance gures, there are roughly 7.1 million seats to ll for the 104 matches around 16 North American venues, though it’s unknown how many of those seats will be available for sale to the public. The U.S. cities that are scheduled to host are East Rutherford, New Jersey; Inglewood, California; Foxborough, Massachusetts; Houston; Arlington, Texas; Atlanta; Seattle; Santa Clara, California; Philadelphia; Kansas City, Missouri; and Miami Gardens, Florida.
What’s next?
A second phase, called an early ticket draw, likely will
“The world will come together in North America like never before.”
Gianni Infantino, FIFA president
run from Oct. 27-31, with purchase time slots from mid-November to early December. A third phase, termed a random selection draw, will start after the nal draw of teams Dec. 5 determines the World Cup schedule.
Tickets also will be available closer to the tournament “on a rst-come, rst-served basis.” FIFA also said it will start an o cial resale platform. Some tickets already have been snagged; hospitality packages have been sold since May.
“The world will come together in North America,” Infantino promised, “like never before.”
The tournament runs from June 11 through July 19.
STEFAN JEREMIAH / AP PHOTO
President FIFA Gianni Infantino speaks at an awards ceremony.
confronted him hours after the city held a celebration in his honor
REBECCA S. GRATZ / AP PHOTO
Terence “Bud” Crawford, left, ghts David Avanesyan during a WBO welterweight title boxing bout in 2022 in Omaha, Nebraska.
ACC bets on being 1st league in college football to bring TV viewers inside live replay reviews
Broadcasts allow fans to hear conversations between o cials in real time
By Aaron Beard The Associated Press
FLORIDA STATE and Virginia were locked in a double-overtime thriller as the ball headed to Seminoles receiver Duce Robinson in the end zone.
Robinson bobbled the catch, then continued that juggle through the back of the end zone and out of bounds. The call was a touchdown, the kind of narrow-margin play certain to get closer scrutiny in replay review.
Only now, TV viewers for ACC games get a clear window into how o cials decide to overturn or uphold those calls.
The ACC is the rst college league to let viewers listen live to reviews during select broadcasts. There’s no waiting for referees to take o their headset after a mystery- lled stoppage and deliver a verdict. Instead, viewers can hear frame-by-frame discussions between stadium ocials and the replay command center at the league headquarters in Charlotte.
It’s o ered a welcome dose of transparency, along with rave reviews for taking viewers somewhere they’ve never been before.
“You hear the whole conversation,” said Bryan Jaroch, ESPN vice president of sports production. “That transparency takes out any of the second-guessing of how they came to their decision. I would love to see this across every conference. We’re trying to push for that. But I think it’s exactly what we need to do.”
The rst run
The debut came with 6:34 left in the rst quarter of the Aug. 30 game between SMU and East Texas A&M on the ACC Network, a review that overturned a fumble call on Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jennings by ruling his arm was coming forward
ROUNDUP from page B1
Week 8: Jordan-Matthews at Northwood (Friday at 7 p.m.)
There’s a di erent feeling ahead of the old rivalry between Jordan-Matthews and Northwood Friday.
The Jets are entering a matchup against the Chargers with a winning record for the rst time since 2013. Northwood has controlled the series as of late, winning the last 11 dating back to 2012. Jordan-Matthews is coming o one of its best defensive performances of the year, while Northwood hasn’t yet been able to nd its o ensive identity.
The Chargers have also struggled against run-heavy teams this season. Jordan-Matthews could get a big night from its rushing tandem of Blue and Hadley if it’s able to control the line of scrimmage.
Regarding the conference standings, a win for the Jets will keep them in the running for a league title, while Northwood will look to avoid an 0-2 hole.
Eastern Randolph 38, Northwood 0
Eastern Randolph (5-2) outscored Northwood (1-5) 30-0 in the rst half on the way to handing the Chargers their rst shutout loss of the season Friday.
The Wildcats hit the Chargers with a balanced attack, picking up medium gains with both the pass and the run in their numerous successful drives.
Northwood, mixing up its looks and personnel to nd a spark o ensively, struggled with negative plays and falling behind the sticks. With the shutout, the Chargers, still without senior running back Robert Tripp, have scored no more than 15 points in ve games this season.
“You hear the whole conversation. That transparency takes out any of the secondguessing of how they came to their decision.”
Bryan Jaroch, ESPN vice president of sports production
for an incompletion. There have been seven games with the replay listen-in, generally earmarked for Friday night broadcasts on ESPN or ESPN2, as well as Saturday nights on the ACC Network. The ACC and ESPN, which have a media rights deal through the 2035-36 season,
are still tinkering with the visual presentation of video over
lays and graphics. But the experiment already has suc
ceeded in pulling back the curtain with reviews.
“I think, generally speaking, when people communicate, things get better,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said. “Because when people don’t communicate, then people assume, right? Our brains are designed to tell stories, so we either have the facts of the story or we make up the facts of the story.
Getting started
ESPN had experimented with providing access to replay-review conversations going back to XFL games in 2023. The broadcaster had worked with the ACC last year to have a rules analyst
listen to conversations between the on- eld referee, the stadium replay o cial in the booth and the Charlotte replay center.
Then ESPN suggested letting viewers listen in, too.
The ACC had been working with o -site replay assistance for roughly a decade back to its previous home in Greensboro. When it opened its current headquarters in Charlotte two years ago, the plan included a video feed in the new command center showing replay ocials huddling around monitors to study replays.
“We always say we have nothing to hide in that room,” said Michael Strickland, league senior vice president for football. “We wanted to put our money where our mouth was. So we started with the camera and that worked well. TV liked to use it.
College Prep and Leadership 20, Chatham Central 12
Chatham Central’s lack of depth (1-5) stunted its ability to overcome another close game in a 20-12 loss to College Prep and Leadership (1-5) Friday.
The Bears lost sophomore quarterback Brooks Albright due to a nger injury, and key weapons Nick Glover and Tyler Congrove got banged up, hurting an o ense that has scored at least 20 points four times this season.
Week 8: Chatham Central at Bishop McGuinness
Chatham Central will be met with arguably its biggest challenge of the year when it travels to Bishop McGuinness (6-1) Friday.
The Villains won their fth straight game in Week 7 against North Stokes 50-6. They have given up six points in each of their last four contests, which were all decided by double digits. Without Albright at quarterback, the Bears will have to make some changes to its offense and rely on other players to step up.
Defensively, Chatham Central will have to prepare for the Villains’ pass game led by senior quarterback Tristan Styers and senior receiver Henry Kyle.
Week 8: Seaforth at Cedar Ridge Seaforth (2-4) will look to
“This sharing of the audio is kind of just the next iteration of that underlying philosophy that we’ve had for quite a while. And it is re ective of the ACC being willing to be a rst mover in many di erent areas.”
Jaroch credited the ACC for making “a leap of faith” by putting those pressure-packed reviews on display. As he said: “Access always wins when it comes to fans.”
Strickland credited Commissioner Jim Phillips for signing o on the idea as good for the league and, more broadly, the sport.
“He could’ve easily said, ‘I don’t want to take that risk,’” Strickland said. “But he did not. He went the other route. It’s pretty awesome to work for somebody who believes in a group of people like he did and does.”
Northwood’s Finn Sullivan throws a pass in the Chargers’ 38-0 loss to Eastern Randolph.
Hawks should have a big night in Hillsborough. Defensively, Seaforth will have to key in on senior running back and receiver Isaiah Craig and senior receiver Mason Hughes, who have been Cedar Ridge’s most productive offensive weapons.
Conference standings (overall, conference)
win consecutive games for the rst time this season at Cedar Ridge (1-5) Friday. Cedar Ridge is coming four straight double-digit losses, including a 48-0 defeat to South Granville in Week 7.
The Fighting Red Wolves have struggled to stop the run as they’ve given up at least 250 rushing yards in three of their last four games, including 532 yards in a 62-19 loss to Northwest Halifax on Sept. 19. Seaforth found something with its rushing attack by having senior Nick Gregory share carries with quarterback Duncan Parker last week. If that once again leads to big gains and scores like it did against Orange, the
Four Rivers 3A/4A: T1. Eastern Randolph (5-2, 1-0); T1. Jordan-Matthews (5-2, 1-0); T3. North Moore (3-4, 0-1); T3. Northwood (1-5, 0-1); 5. Southwestern Randolph (4-2, 0-0) Greater Triad 1A/2A: T1. Bishop McGuinness (6-1, 3-0); T1. South Davidson (6-0, 2-0); 3. North Stokes (2-5, 2-1); 4. South Stokes (2-4, 1-1); 5. College Prep and Leadership (1-5, 1-2); T6. Chatham Central (1-5, 0-2); T6. Winston-Salem Prep (0-7, 0-3) Big Seven 4A/5A: T1. South Granville (2-4, 1-0); T1. J.F. Webb (4-2, 1-0); T1. Seaforth (2-4, 1-0); T4. Orange (0 - 6, 0-1); T4. Carrboro (0-6, 0-1); T4. Cedar Ridge (1-5, 0-1) Power Rankings (after Week 7)
Week 8 score predictions: Jordan-Matthews 27, Northwood 20 Seaforth 28, Cedar Ridge 14 Bishop McGuinness 48, Chatham Central 6 Prediction record (since Week 2): 12-7
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
AARON BEARD / AP PHOTO
Alberto Riveron, right, the ACC supervisor of football o cials, works in the league’s new gameday operations center Saturday in Charlotte.
Kidman, Urban le for divorce after 19 years of marriage
The couple had publicly but lovingly described some marital di culties
By Jonathan Mattise and Andrew Dalton The Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nicole Kidman has led for divorce from Keith Urban after 19 years of marriage, bringing a surprising end to a long and seemingly successful union that brought together two superstars from the worlds of movies and music.
The 58-year-old Oscar-winning actor petitioned last Tuesday to end her marriage to the 57-year-old Grammy-winning country singer in a Nashville court. The documents state the couple has undergone “marital di culties and irreconcilable di erences.”
Kidman and Urban, two of the biggest stars to come out of Australia in recent decades, have been red carpet xtures throughout their two-decade relationship, with Urban joining his wife at the Oscars and Kidman attending music events like the Academy of Country Music Awards. The lings include a marriage
dissolution and child care plan agreed on by the couple and submitted for a judge’s approval.
“The mother and father will behave with each other and each child so as to provide a loving, stable, consistent and nurturing relationship with the child even though they are divorced,” says the permanent parenting plan, using language common in the state’s divorces. “They will not speak badly of each other or the members of the family of the other parent. They will encourage each child to continue to love the other parent and be comfortable in both families.”
The plan asks that Kidman be the primary residential parent to the couple’s two daughters, ages 17 and 14, having them for 306 days per year with Urban taking them for the other 59.
The girls have lived in Nashville all their lives, and the documents give no indication that will change.
The marriage dissolution plan lays out a roughly equal division of joint assets, with each keeping all the assets that are in their own name, including the copyrights and royalties for their artistic work.
The detailed agreements suggest the divorce had been in the works for well over a month at
the least. Urban signed the parenting plan on Aug. 29, Kidman on Sept. 6. Both raised in Australia, Kidman and Urban met in 2005 at a Los Angeles event honoring Australians and were married in Sydney the following year.
The marriage was the rst for Urban and the second for Kidman, who was married to Tom Cruise from 1990 to 2001. Kidman also has two older children with Cruise.
Last year at the premiere of the Net ix series “The Perfect Couple,” Kidman told The Associated Press the term didn’t apply to her and Urban.
“You’re heading for trouble if you consider yourselves the perfect couple,” she said. “I’m not a believer in perfect.”
Kidman’s lm roles have included “Days of Thunder,” “Eyes Wide Shut,” “Moulin Rouge” and “The Hours,” for which she won an Academy Award for playing author Virginia Woolf. She has more recently worked in television, including the series “Nine Perfect Strangers” and “Big Little Lies.”
Urban has been a major country star since the 1990s and has won four Grammy Awards and more than a dozen ACM Awards.
Raymond Chandler’s ‘Nightmare’ revealed in rarely seen sketch
The author’s vision becomes darker as he learns of his likely fate
By Hillel Italie The Associated Press
NEW YORK
— In his dreams, Raymond Chandler could conjure tales as unsettling as some of his greatest novels, as if haunted by the spirits of Kafka and Edgar Allan Poe.
“Nightmare,” a brief and rarely seen sketch published this week in The Strand Magazine, nds the author of “The Long Goodbye,” “Farewell, My Lovely” and other crime ction classics imagining himself in prison “somewhere” for a murder he does not remember committing. His cellmates include two men he knows nothing about, a pregnant woman named Elsa, and a piano in the corner that must be played lying down after “nine o’clock.”
“As I was wondering, apparently rather audibly, about the date set for my execution, the guard said to me, ‘After a bit you’ll get a letter with the envelope addressed in your own writing. That will tell you the date for your hanging,’” Chandler wrote.
“Nightmare” was found recently among the papers of Chandler’s assistant, Jean Vound-
er-Davis, that were sold last year through the Doyle auction house. Other items included Chandler’s 1953 Olivetti Studio 44 typewriter, unpublished drafts of early novels, and a two-page list of 46 things he hated, among them “golf talk” and “novels about people who can’t make any money.”
Strand Managing Editor Andrew F. Gulli purchased “Nightmare” at auction but declined to say how much he paid. Writing in the current edition of The Strand Magazine, Gulli called the piece a perfect illustration of Chandler’s “ability to evoke so much with so
little.” He believes “Nightmare” was likely written in the early 1950s, before the death of Chandler’s wife, Cissy, whom the author mentions in a footnote. Cissy Pascal Chandler died in 1954, ve years before the death of Raymond Chandler. Chandler scholar Tom Williams, author of the 2013 biography “A Mysterious Something in the Light: The Life of Raymond Chandler,” places “Nightmare” in a special category of wry, eccentric and spontaneous notes the author left for Vounder-Davis. Williams found one part especially surprising and intriguing: Chandler follows the line about receiving the dreaded letter with a joke likening the experience to getting a notice of rejection.
“Chandler liked to imply that his success writing crime stories came easily, and he told a friend that his rst story, ‘Blackmailers Don’t Shoot,’ was picked up straightaway,” Williams told The Associated Press in a recent email. “But the note suggests he was more familiar with rejection, and it makes me wonder if the myth he spun about his success told the full picture. Was he rejected by the pulps at some point? Or was he referencing a rejection from an earlier part of his career? It’s impossible to know but it makes me want to nd out more.”
AP PHOTO
Mystery novelist and screenwriter Raymond Chandler poses for a press photograph in 1946.
this week in history
Marxist Che Guevara executed at 39, U.S. Naval Academy established
The Associated Press
OCT. 9
1910: A coal dust explosion at the Starkville Mine in Colorado killed 56 miners.
1962: Uganda won independence from British rule.
1967: Marxist guerrilla leader Che Guevara, 39, was executed by the Bolivian army a day after his capture.
OCT. 10
1845: The U.S. Naval Academy was established in Annapolis, Maryland.
1911: Chinese revolutionaries launched an uprising that led to the fall of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China.
1935: George Gershwin’s opera “Porgy and Bess,” featuring an all-black cast, opened on Broadway.
1966: The Beach Boys’ single “Good Vibrations” was released by Capitol Records.
1973: Vice President Spiro T. Agnew resigned after pleading no contest to income tax evasion amid bribery accusations.
OCT. 11
1906: The San Francisco Board of Education ordered Asian students segregated into their own school. The order was rescinded after President Theodore Roosevelt intervened and agreed to limit Japanese immigration.
1984: Challenger astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan became the rst American woman to walk in space.
1986: President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev opened two days of arms control and human rights talks in Reykjavik, Iceland.
1991: Anita Hill accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
OCT. 12
1492: Christopher Columbus’ rst expedition made landfall on what is now San Salvador Island in the Bahamas.
1870: General Robert E. Lee, former overall commander of the Confederate States Army in the Civil War, died in Lexington, Virginia, at age 63.
1984: British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher escaped an attempt on her life when an Irish Republican Army
bomb exploded at a hotel in Brighton, England, killing ve people.
OCT. 13
1792: The cornerstone of the executive mansion, later known as the White House, was laid by President George Washington.
1943: Italy declared war on Germany, its one-time Axis partner.
1972: A Uruguayan ight with 45 people crashed in the Andes; 16 survivors were rescued after more than two months, having endured by eating the dead.
2016: Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize in literature.
OCT. 14
1066: Normans under William the Conqueror defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings.
1586: Mary, Queen of Scots, went on trial in England, accused of committing treason against Queen Elizabeth I. (Mary was beheaded in February 1587.)
1947: U.S. Air Force Capt. Chuck Yeager became the rst person to break the sound barrier.
1964: Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. won the Nobel Peace Prize.
1964: In one of the greatest upsets in Olympic history, American Billy Mills, an Oglala Lakota, won the 10,000-meter race at the Tokyo Summer Games.
OCT. 15
1815: Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to the South Atlantic Island of St. Helena, where he spent the nal 51⁄2 years of his life.
1954: Hurricane Hazel struck the Carolina coast as a Category 4 storm, killing about 1,000 in the Caribbean, 95 in the U.S. and 81 in Canada.
Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ out now, breaking records
Swifties can collect vinyl and CD variants of the new album
By Maria Sherman The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Lights, camera, action. Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” has arrived. Are you ready for it?
Swift announced her latest era back in August, when she began teasing the release.
Here’s everything you need to know: how to stream, which variants exist and, of course, how the album came together. Enjoy the show!
How to listen to Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl”
“The Life of a Showgirl” is streaming on all major platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music.
Fans were able to presave the album ahead of its release on Oct. 3. Presaving ensures the new music automatically appears in a fan’s library the moment it is available. It is also a way for an artist to promote streams ahead of the drop date.
Spotify announced last Friday that Swift’s album surpassed 6 million presaves on their platform to become the most presaved album in its his-
“The Life of a Showgirl” broke the record for most streams in its rst 24 hours, globally.” Amazon Music
tory. The previous title holder? Her 2024 album “The Tortured Poets Department.” “The Life of a Showgirl” also became Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single day in 2025 — and in its rst 11 hours of release. Also last Friday, Amazon Music announced “The Life of a Showgirl” broke the record for most streams in its rst 24 hours, globally.
In addition to the many streaming options, there will also be a digital-download variant of “The Life of a Showgirl” available via iTunes, featuring a new cover image and a nearly three-minute “exclusive video from Taylor herself detailing inspirations behind the album” labeled “A Look Behind the Curtain.”
What physical variants are there?
Target is once again a major partner with Swift. Their stores are carrying three CD variants, titled as “It’s Frightening,” “It’s
solutions
Rapturous” and “It’s Beautiful” editions. There is also an exclusive vinyl release, “The Crowd Is Your King” edition in “summertime spritz pink shimmer vinyl.” Many Target locations will remain open past midnight on the day of release for superfans to pick up in real time.
There are a number of other vinyl variants as well: “The Tiny Bubble in Champagne Collection,” which features two vinyl variants described as “under bright lights pearlescent vinyl” and “red lipstick & lace transparent vinyl.” There is also “The Baby
That’s Show Business Collection,” in two colorways: “lovely bouquet golden vinyl” and “lakeside beach blue sparkle vinyl.” Then there’s “The Shiny Bug Collection” in “violet shimmer marbled vinyl” and “wintergreen and onyx marbled vinyl.”
AP PHOTO
Marxist guerrilla leader Ernesto “Che” Guevara, pictured with two babies and a farmer in Bolivia, was executed on Oct. 9, 1967.
JEFF CHIU / AP PHOTO
Amy Davis, left, and Jenni Boyer take photos before the o cial release of Taylor Swift’s new album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” at the AMC Metreon in San Francisco last Friday.
famous birthdays this week
John Mellencamp turns 74, Paul Hogan is 86, Rev. Jesse Jackson turns 84, Nona Hendryx is 81
The Associated Press
THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week.
OCT. 9
Musician Nona Hendryx is 81. Musician Jackson Browne is 77.
Actor Robert Wuhl is 74. TV personality Sharon Osbourne is 73.
Actor Tony Shalhoub is 72. Actor Scott Bakula is 71. Film director Guillermo del Toro is 61.
OCT. 10
Actor Peter Coyote is 84. Entertainer Ben Vereen is 79. Actor Charles Dance is 79. Rock singer David Lee Roth is 71. Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre is 56. Actor/TV host Mario Lopez is 52. NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 51.
OCT. 11
Former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry is 98. Actor Amitabh Bachchan is 83. Singer Daryl Hall (Hall and Oates) is 79. Actor David Morse is 72. Football Hall of Famer Steve Young is 64.
Actor Joan Cusack is 63. Actor Jane Krakowski is 57.
OCT. 12
NASCAR Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett is 93. Broadcast journalist Chris Wallace is 78. Singer-songwriter Jane Siberry is 70. Actor Hiroyuki Sanada is 65. Jazz musician Chris Botti is 63. Actor Hugh Jackman is 57. Actor Kirk Cameron is 55.
OCT. 13
Gospel singer Shirley Caesar is 87. Singer-musician Paul Simon is 84. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is 83. Singer-musician Sammy Hagar is 78. Singer/ TV personality Marie Osmond is 66. Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice is 63. Actor Sacha Baron Cohen is 54.
OCT. 14
Former White House counsel John W. Dean III is 87. Fashion designer Ralph Lau-
Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Palmer
Richard
ren is 86. Football Hall of Famer Charlie Joiner is 78. Musician Thomas Dolby is 67. Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi is 64. Actor Steve Coogan is 60.
OCT. 15
is 80. Musician
Carpenter is 79. Film director Mira Nair is 68. Chef Emeril Lagasse is 66. Actor Dominic West is 56. R&B singer Ginuwine is 55.
CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO Rock frontman Sammy Hagar turns 78 on Monday.
EVAN AGOSTINI / INVISION / AP PHOTO Designer Ralph Lauren turns 86 on Tuesday.
ALEX BRANDON / AP PHOTO
Actor Kirk Cameron, pictured in 2017 in Washington, D.C., turns 55 on Sunday.
the stream
John Candy, Victoria Beckham documentaries; ‘Family Guy’ gets spooky
Kathy Bates returns for Season 2 of “Matlock”
The Associated Press
DOCUMENTARIES ON comedian John Candy and pop artist-turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham as well as a “Family Guy” Halloween special 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 this week: Keira Knightley stars as a journalist in “The Woman in Cabin 10,” Electronic Arts is ready to get back in the ght with the game Battle eld 6, and hip-hop group Mobb Deep will release “In nite,” their ninth and nal album.
MOVIES TO STREAM
More than 30 years after his death at age 43, Candy might be even more beloved than he was during his all-to-short career. “John Candy: I Like Me” (Friday on Prime Video), a documentary directed by Colin Hanks and produced by Ryan Reynolds, is a kind of eulogy and tribute to the actor of “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” “Uncle Buck” and “Stripes.” The lm, made with the cooperation of the Candy family, includes many famous faces, from Bill Murray to Mel Brooks. In “The Woman in Cabin 10” (Friday on Net ix), Knightley stars as a journalist aboard a luxury yacht for an assignment. In the middle of the night, she sees a woman go overboard, but the ship has no record of her, and no one believes her. Simon Stone, who directed 2021’s underrated “The Dig,” directs this thriller, based on Ruth Ware’s bestselling novel. It being October, just about everything streaming service has by now trotted out their best horror o erings. But why mess around when you can go to the source? Or, at least, one of the richest B-movie legacies of synths and scares? In “Directed by John Carpenter,” the Criterion Channel gathers some of the lmmaker’s most vivid nightmares, including “The Fog,” “Escape Form New York” and “They Live.”
After the success of David Beckham’s Emmy Award-winning docuseries, Net ix is debuting a new three-part series about his wife, Victoria Beckham, beginning Thursday.
MUSIC TO STREAM
Mobb Deep hath returned.
On Friday, the hardcore New York hip-hop duo will release “In nite,” their ninth andnal album and rst since the death of Prodigy in 2017. It features P’s distinctive ow on a few posthumous tracks, produced by his other half Havoc and their frequent musical collaborator, the Alchemist. Indie fans might remember the upcoming and coming folk-rocker Avery Tucker from his previous project, the primitive punk duo Girlpool. His debut album, “Paw,” out Friday, couldn’t be further from that material — but both lead with the heart. Start with “Big Drops,” “Like I’m Young,” “Malibu” and the ascendant closer “My Life Isn’t Leaving You.” The album was co-produced by A. G. Cook, the hyperpop virtuoso best known to many as one of Charli XCX’s “Brat” collaborators.
It has been six years since Jay Som, the project of multiinstrumentalist, songwriter and pro -
ducer Melina Duterte, released a new album. On Friday, the wait is over. “Belong” is an expansion of her once nascent talents, a rush of electro-synths, punk-pop and other variously nostalgic indie genres, presented in a new way. Perhaps it has a little something to do with how Duterte has spent the last few years: ranking up production credits on a number of beloved albums, including the Grammy-winning boygenius’ “The Record” and Lucy Dacus’ “Forever Is A Feeling.”
SERIES TO STREAM
It’s spooky season, and “Family Guy” has a new Halloween special on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+. The episode, titled “A Little Fright Music,” features Brian and Stewie’s attempt to write a hit Halloween song while Peter learns about the dangers of lying about trick- or-treating. David Beckham’s 2023 Netix docuseries was both an Emmy Award winner and in-
ternet fodder thanks to a scene where he repeatedly told his wife, Victoria, to “be honest” about her family’s economic status as a child. It’s only tting that the lmmakers turned their sights on her next and she agreed. “Victoria Beckham” is a three-part docuseries launching Thursday on Net ix. Viewers will see the former pop star-turned-fashion designer share her story — and it is TBD whether David weighs in. On the subject of Emmys, Kathy Bates didn’t win this year for best actress in a drama series as predicted for her work on “Matlock.” The award instead went to Britt Lower for “Severance.” You can still watch the performance that got Bates nominated though when the show begins streaming its second season Friday on Paramount+. A third season of “Elsbeth” will also begin streaming then.
Another docuseries debuting Friday on Tubi also follows a celebrity, but this one’s on the come up. “Always, Lady Lon-
“In ‘Directed by John Carpenter,’ the Criterion Channel gathers some of the lmmaker’s most vivid nightmares, including ‘The Fog,’ ‘Escape Form New York’ and ‘They Live.’”
Jake Coyle, AP Film Writer
don” features rising rapper Lady London as she records her rst album and gets ready to go on tour.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
When it comes to video-game warfare, there are two superpowers: Call of Duty and Battle eld. The latter hit a rough patch with its last major installment, 2021’s Battleeld 2042, but Electronic Arts is ready to get back in the ght with Battle eld 6. You are part of an elite Marine squad trying to stop a private military corporation in a single-player campaign that bounces around the globe. There’s plenty of gut-wrenching infantry combat, but you also get to drive tanks and y helicopters and ghter jets. And there will be the usual assortment of multiplayer mayhem, including the new Escalation mode, in which the territory shrinks every time a team captures a control point. Take up arms Friday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC. Bandai Namco’s Little Nightmares games specialize in the kind of things that terri ed when you were a kid, presenting them in a gloomy yet vivid world reminiscent of Tim Burton’s stop-motion animation. Little Nightmares III promises more of the same, with one major addition: You can now confront your night terrors with a friend in co-op play. Britain’s Supermassive Games, the studio that has taken over the series, is known for horror gems like Until Dawn and The Quarry, so don’t expect pleasant dreams. The haunting begins Friday on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S/One, Switch and PC.
AP PHOTO
“John Candy: I Like Me,” a new documentary about the beloved actor who died 30 years ago, premieres on Prime Video on Friday.
REBECCA BLACKWELL / AP PHOTO
Duplin Journal
County commissioner appointed to State Sheri s’ Commission
Duplin County Last week, County
Commissioner Wayne Branch was appointed to the North Carolina Sheri s’ Education and Training Standards Commission. According to an announcement from Gov. Josh Stein’s o ce, Branch will serve as the county commissioner representative. He was selected from three nominees put forward by the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners. Branch currently represents District 5 on the Duplin County Board of Commissioners and works as the o ce manager for attorney Anita R. Powers.
Man sentenced following drug conviction
Duplin County E orts to combat drug activity in Duplin County have led to the sentencing of a convicted drug o ender. Antwaun Cooper, 39, was convicted on multiple felony drug charges and sentenced to 2 to 5 years in the North Carolina Department of Corrections on Sept. 30. Authorities reported that Cooper was found guilty of two counts of felony maintaining a vehicle or dwelling for a Schedule II controlled substance, as well as two counts of felony selling a Schedule II controlled substance. The case was investigated by the Duplin County Sheri ’s O ce Special Operations Division.
Goshen Data breach a ects over 456K patients
Faison
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services O ce for Civil Rights, Goshen Medical Center experienced a major data breach a ecting 456,385 individuals across eastern North Carolina. A report from the HIPAA Journal stated that unauthorized parties accessed sensitive data within Goshen’s network on Feb. 15, however suspicious activity wasn’t detected until March 4. A September investigation revealed the impacted data may include names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers and medical record numbers. According to HIPAA Journal report, Goshen is o ering 24 months of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection to those a ected. As of press deadline, Goshen Medical Center was not available for comment.
Pumpkin Festival draws big smiles at Cinderella Farms
Four-year-old Gunner Marshburn chose his favorite pumpkin at the Pumpkin Festival held last Saturday at Cinderella Farms. The event, organized by the Cavenaugh family, o ered hayrides, corn mazes, live music, food vendors, and family fun throughout the day. For more photos, turn to page A6.
Shell buildings, business activity show promise for local economic growth
O cials report construction delays but continued progress on major projects from Wallace to Warsaw
By Mark Grady For Duplin Journal
KENANSVILLE — Progress
updates on the development of the Airpark beside Duplin County Airport took center stage at the Duplin County Economic Development Board meeting last Friday. Economic Development Director Scotty Summerlin and two engineers
involved in the project brought board members up to date on the infrastructure work as well as construction of the new shell building on the property.
The original completion date for the infrastructure work, including roads, water and sewer lines, and power was this past July. However, several
See GROWTH, page A5
Sewage woes drag on for Duplin neighborhoods
Homeowners are still relying on failing septic tanks as cost concerns stall progress toward a permanent x
By Mark Grady For Duplin Journal
MORE THAN A decade af-
ter serious septic failures were rst documented on Calico Bay
Road and East Log Cabin Road in Duplin County, residents are still waiting for a permanent x and are growing increasingly worried about how much it might cost them.
A report compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2014 found that 16 out of 19 septic systems analyzed on Calico Bay Road were failing, and homeowners on East Log Cabin Road were also experiencing signi cant problems with their systems.
The report indicated that some septic system waste came into direct contact with groundwater due to overow from the septic systems. This led to sewage backing up into septic tanks and a ecting
page A2
Faison looks ahead to fall events
“We
draw the line at large stumps and trunks.”
Jimmy Tyndall
Commissioners address public works issues, safety calls, and cleanup rules for large debris
By Rebecca Whitman Cooke For Duplin Journal
FAISON — The Town of Faison Board of Commissioners met on Oct. 1. Leading the meeting’s nancial discussions, Tax Collector Anne Letchworth stood in for Town Clerk Sharon Lee to assist with questions about the town’s revenue and expenditures.
One speci c issue discussed involved a $133 expense for replacing a damaged water meter.
tor Jimmy Tyndall praised the “grace and understanding” of the residents a ected, adding they were very easy to work with, and the town appreciated it.
The board also approved a $215 tax write-o for a long-delinquent property on Cousin Fanny Road.
Letchworth explained that the taxes had gone unpaid since 2012, and despite repeated e orts, the original owner, David Cottle, could not be located. Utilities had never been registered in his name, and Mariana Perez is now listed as the property and trailer owner. With no remaining recourse, the board approved Letchworth’s recommendation to remove the debt from the town’s books.
Parks and Recreation Director Matthew Scott presented several updates from $2.00
“A water meter had to be replaced because of some dirt and debris that got in the line and went into a resident’s water heater,” explained Mayor Billy Ward.
Executive Administra-
MARK GRADY FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL
Members of the Duplin County Economic Development Board discuss recent development of the Airpark industrial complex beside the Duplin County Airport.
the conversation”
Duplin Journal www.duplinjournal.com
North State Media LLC 104 W Main Street Wallace, NC 28466 Copyright 2025
Trip Ho end Publisher
Jim Sills VP of Local Newspapers
Ena Sellers News Editor
Michael Jaenicke Sports Editor
Allison Batts Advertising Representative
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
Share with your community!
Send us your births, deaths, marriages, graduations and other announcements: community@ duplinjournal.com
Weekly deadline is Monday at noon
MARRIAGE LICENCES
Anita Marie Savage, Duplin County Register of Deeds issued 41 marriage licenses for the month ending on Sept. 30, 2025.
Ashley Nichole Gurganus, Beulaville, and Darin Craig Raynor, Beulaville;
• Brandon Michael Webber, South Carolina, and Hannah Louise Symansky, South Carolina;
Duglas Wiliam Velasquez Roblero, Mount Olive, and Maria Elena Gomez Velasquez, Mount Olive;
• Santos Modesto Canelas Maradiaga, Rose Hill, and Rosa Jessenia Rivera Bardales, Rose Hill;
Ti any Gibelli Benitez Pavon, Rose Hill, and Carlos Eduardo Alvarez Cruz, Rose Hill;
• Mya Tatyana Mcgilvary, Garland, and Chelsea Lauren Hobbs, Clinton;
• Chari Michelle Tyndall, New Bern, and Carson Paul Lafave, New Bern; Prentice Dion Cromartie, Clinton, and Adriana Celina Cidal Valdez, Albertson;
THURSDAY
SEWAGE from page A1
the plumbing in the homes involved.
Although there is federal funding available through the EPA and USDA to study the issues and make recommendations for solutions, this funding does not cover the costs of implementing any of the recommended xes.
Since these problems were brought to light, Duplin County Commissioner Wayne Branch has actively engaged with the a ected residents, providing updates and seeking their feedback on the potential remedies. Duplin Journal recently spoke with Branch for an update on any progress made.
Branch stated that the solutions for the sewage issues vary signi cantly, making it challenging to agree on a solution that everyone can support. A major obstacle is the cost.
“The status as of now is, meaning the board (of commissioners), we are still in discussions about what is available in this project,” Branch said. “It initially started out
with the USDA being the funding arm. A lot has shifted in terms of the team that initially came out and did a couple of town halls with citizens in the community.”
While the goal sounds simple, the solutions are not.
“The goal is to get some type of sewage system there in the community so that everyone would have access to an (e ective) sewage system,” Branch added.
Currently, the board is working to have an engineer from Agriwater present their recommendations on how to proceed.
“Hopefully, we can come up with a nal solution for the citizens in that area, Branch said.
At this time, residents are still relying on their own septic systems to manage waste, despite the issues and high failure rates associated with them. An environmental study conducted in the area indicates that the soil type and other factors make it unsuitable for individual septic tanks.
According to Branch, the goal is to establish a “sanitation water district” that will
MONDAY
have to be set up by the county to manage the agreed-upon system. The area a ected is located between Wallace and Teachey, with Wallace o ering its support for the project. The primary concern now seems to be how much homeowners in the area will have to pay for the solution.
“The USDA funding will not cover everything,” Branch said.
This means homeowners a ected would have to pay at least a portion of whatever initial costs are required to set up the system and then will have to be billed monthly for the service. Many homeowners in the area are concerned about the cost because they are seniors on xed incomes.
“It’s important to have citizens a part of the discussion in terms of the end result,” Branch said. “There is going to be a cost associated with it, so what costs can they manage?”
Progress on deciding on the best solution has been slow, but Branch and the homeowners a ected hope a workable, affordable solution is found soon.
Homeowners on East Log Cabin Road and Calico Bay Road have struggled with failing septic systems for years. E orts are underway to nd an a ordable solution, supported by the EPA, USDA and county o cials, to e ectively manage sewage in the area.
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Duplin County.
Oct.
11
Latino Cultural Festival
10 a.m.
Experience the vibrant sights, sounds, and avors of Latin America. Enjoy live Latin music, traditional food, folk dances, kids’ activities, a soccer tournament and a special performance by Garifuna Generation. This free, family-friendly event is open to the public — come celebrate culture and community.
115 E Clement St., Wallace
Oct. 28
Trunk-or-Treat at the Library
6:30 p.m.
Join the Duplin County Library for a festive Trunk-or-Treat at the Events Center. This is a safe, family-friendly Halloween celebration for kids of all ages. Come in costume and enjoy treats, fun and community spirit.
195 Fairgrounds Drive, Kenansville
Oct. 30
• Christopher John De Luca, Warsaw, and Jamie Lynn Handy, Warsaw; Eric Philip Harper, Seven Springs, and Travis Tye Hargrove, Seven Springs; Jonathan Rainer Williams, Beulaville, and Brandy Kennedy Quinn, Chinquapin;
• Barry Dane Baxley Ii, Rose Hill, and Haley Nichole Register, Rocky Point; Morgan Leigh Ingram, Warsaw, and Joshua Craig Harrell, Warsaw;
• Roberto Vallejo Martinez, Faison, and Epifania Martinez Elizalde, Faison;
• Jonas Edward Keith Jones, Mt Olive, and Louis Alan Markinkovich, Mt Olive; Kirstan King Craver, Burgaw, and Michael Shawn Wells, Burgaw;
• Nancy Jones Kirkendoll, Wallace, and Gregory James Whaley, Wallace; Hannah Nicole Lanier, Chinquapin, and Savion
• Mackenzie Aryn Thomas, Beulaville, and Austin Drew Stanley, Beulaville; Michael Todd Tanner, Beulaville, and Michele Lynn Gra am, Beulaville;
Semaj Towler, Chinquapin; Hilary Francis Ramirez Hernandez, Rose Hill, and Julio Cesar Castro Caceres, Magnolia;
• Calvin Scott Johnston, Kenansville, and Katelyn Diane Bailey, Kenansville; Glenwood Earl Mobley, Beulaville, and Elizabeth Whaley Jones, Pink Hill; Sharon House Lee, Mount Olive, and Jimmy Tyndall Jr, Deep Run;
• Nicolas Stefano Schenkeveld Mejia, Magnolia, and Edalia Yahely Bustillo Ocampo, Magnolia; Hugo Humberto Vail Mendez, Kinston, Norma Lisseth Cardona Mejia, Kinston;
• Elisandro Javier Perez Morales, Mount Olive, and Maria Fernanda Feria Galindo, Seven Springs; Clifton Duwayne Carter, Wallace, and Sara Annais Vasquez Llanos Wallace;
• Madelyn Dare Coates, Beulaville, and Tyler Ray Sanderson, Beulaville;
• Saul Guardado Garcia, Clinton, and Juana Vazquez De Penick, Clinton;
Junior Esteban Alvarez Cubas, Roseboro, and Heidy Jakelin Funez Martinez, Roseboro; Sophia Janet Owen, Clinton, and Dwight Tyler Sholar, Wallace;
• Samantha Latella, Wallace and Tristan Cole Crumpler, Wallace; Matthew Connor Infante, Mount Olive, and Abby Pearl Taylor, Calypso;
• Danuvia Aracely Lizardo Ramos, Rose Hill, and Deniz Eraldo Romero Castro, Rose Hill;
• Madison Margot’ Williams, Deep Run, and Angel Leona Jackson, Deep Run; Emily Caroline Williams, Pink Hill, and Joshua Wade Pate, Pink Hill;
• Codi Lynn Mann, Chinquapin, and Richard Stanley Barbee, Chinquapin; Thomas Edward Deal, Warsaw, and Cory Elizabeth anderson, Warsaw;
• Briana Antionette Spencer, Rose Hill, and Steven Malik Pearsall, Rose Hill;
• Maribel Arroyo Reynoso, Clinton, and Venancio Lozano Ramirez, Clinton.
Halloween Ghouls Night Out
6 p.m.
Spooky fun, wine and good times await at the Halloween Ghouls Night Out at the Duplin Winery in Rose Hill. 505 N Sycamore St., Rose Hill
Oct. 31
Magnolia Trunk-or-Treat
7 p.m.
Join the annual Halloween Trunk-or-Treat event at the Magnolia Fire Department, featuring a costume contest. Arrive on time to participate and be judged. This fun, safe event provides a festive outlet for families and children to celebrate Halloween together.
110 Taylor St, Magnolia
Got a local event? Let us know and we’ll share it with the community here. Email our newsroom at community@duplinjournal. com. Weekly deadline is Monday at noon.
MARK GRADY FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL
Pink Hill sees renewed activity downtown
Mayor Mike Horne says easing restrictions has helped boost commerce and community events downtown
By Mark Grady For Duplin Journal
PINK HILL — After years of frustration among local business owners and residents, small changes to zoning rules in Pink Hill are beginning to breathe new life into the town’s economy and community spaces.
Mayor Mike Horne, a former town commissioner who served from 1997 to 2007, returned to public service after witnessing how policy changes were hindering opportunities for development. He speci cally points to a decision made by a previous town board to outsource zoning and permitting to an external agency that lacked familiarity with Pink Hill’s unique layout and needs.
“People were having to jump through too many hoops to get into town,” Horne said in an interview with Duplin Journal.
“They’re not from Pink Hill, and they don’t understand the area,” said Horne about the former agency. “In a small town; it’s hard to have a perfect plan. You have a home and then a business, and then another home.”
That mismatch led to real consequences. He said a Mexican restaurant was temporarily shut down due to zoning restrictions, and a new event venue downtown struggled to meet parking requirements that were nearly impossible given the space available.
“That venue holds 100 people. There was no way to build a parking lot where the buildings are downtown,” Horne said.
After taking o ce, he led efforts to bring zoning authority back to the town.
Since the change, the Mexican restaurant has reopened, and the event venue is now booked regularly, drawing visitors into the town.
Horne says signs of growth are returning to the area. He said some of the growth is coming to the edge of the town limits, especially on Ash Davis Road.
“There have probably been 25 houses added in the area just outside the town limits,” he said,
$17K in grants fuel local nonpro ts
Duplin County Community Foundation supports youth programs, hunger relief, health services and the arts across the region
By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal
FROM FOOD security and youth enrichment to mental health and animal welfare, the Duplin County Community Foundation is putting dollars directly into the community. On Oct. 2, the foundation announced that it has awarded $17,370 in grants to 14 local nonpro ts and programs that are making a meaningful impact throughout Duplin County. The funding came from DC-
Christian Outreach Ministries for school and summer food support for children. Additionally, smaller but signi cant grants have been provided for mental health initiatives, emergency pet food, hygiene support and local arts programming.
“This year’s grantees exemplify the kind of meaningful work we’re proud to support, and we’re excited to see the continued impact they’ll make,” said Ed Emory, Duplin County Community Foundation advisory board pres-
or its 2025 grantees on Nov. 19 at 5:30 p.m. Community members are invited to attend and learn more by visiting nccommunityfoundation.org. DCCF encourages ongoing support and donations to help continue its work.
The following organizations received funding:
$2,000 to Rones Chapel Area Community Center (RCACC) for Tutor to the Top
• $1,870 to Duplin County Sheri ’s O ce for D.A.R.E. Program
$1,250 to Wallace-Rose Hill Friends of the Arts for Charlotte Blake Alston, storyteller and musical artist
$1,250 to Duplin Christian Outreach Ministries for Feed Our Hungry Children Backpack Ministry School Year
$1,000 to Duplin Christian
adding they are a combination of manufactured homes and stick-built houses. “We’ve had some good things going on, and I see good things coming in the future, more residential.”
Still, growth isn’t without its challenges. Property prices, Horne notes, have risen signi cantly since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I remember in Pink Hill, not that long ago, when you could buy a house for $75,000 to $100,000. Now, that same house is over $200,000.”
Even with higher prices, Horne remains optimistic that Pink Hill is on the path to renewal. He recalls the town’s heyday, when it was home to car dealerships and textile plants, and believes local decisions, especially around zoning and development will play a key role in bringing back that vibrancy.
“You want as much business as you can possibly get and revitalize,” he said.
Outreach Ministries for Feed Our Hungry Children Backpack Ministry Summer Backpacks
$1,000 to Diaper Bank of NC for hygiene products for Duplin County adults and individuals in need of menstrual support
• $1,000 to Diversity Nurtures
Achievement (DNA) Community Youth Center for the Surviving to Thrive program
$1,000 to Diversity Nurtures
Achievement (DNA) Community Youth Center for afterschool enrichment programs
• $1,000 to Pet Friends of Duplin County for low-cost spay and neuter program
• $750 to Home Health and Hospice Care (doing business as 3HC) for general operating support
$750 to Mediation Center of Eastern Carolina for Duplin Kindness Project
• $750 to Ronald McDonald
Magnolia PD equipping cops with new tasers
Local law enforcement equips o cers with grant-funded gear
By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal
MAGNOLIA — In the quiet town of Magnolia, the police department has recently made a big leap forward in public safety. Last week, Magnolia PD o cially introduced its newest tool: the Axon Taser-7, which is described as “the newest, most e ective CEW (Conducted Energy Weapon) ever.” O cers recently completed certi cation training alongside the Wallace Police Department to operate the device.
“Here at the Magnolia Police Department, we are proud of our little town. We believe that our citizens and our employees deserve the best,” stated Magnolia PD in a social media post. The device provides ofcers with a less-lethal option designed to quickly and safely resolve potentially dangerous situations.
For Chief J.T. Wood, equipping all o cers with the Taser-7 is part of ongoing e orts to enhance public safety. The approximately $8,000 cost of the equipment was covered by federal grant funding, with no impact on local taxes.
“This is one more way we strive to give you world-class protection at a minimal cost. We are not ‘the big city,’ but you can rest assured that our o cers are just as well-trained & just as well equipped as any agency out there when you need them,” said Magnolia PD.
House of Eastern NC for funding Duplin families
$750 to Snow Hill Community Outreach Inc., to procure protein/meat for food boxes
• $500 to Autism Society of North Carolina for autism resource specialists in Duplin County
• $500 to Faison Methodist Church for AbundanceFighting Summer Childhood food insecurities in the north Duplin area
$500 to Mediation Center of Eastern Carolina for Duplin Teen Court Ambassadors
• $500 to Pet Friends of Duplin County for Emergency Pet Food Pantry
$500 to Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Triangle for Duplin County Care Fund
• $500 to Wallace-Rose Hill
Friends of the Arts for Noel and Don Gruen and the Atlantic Coast Theatre (ACT) for youth programming.
PHOTOS BY MARK GRADY FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL
Tower 110 Event Venue, on Broadway Street in Pink Hill, has been a success thanks to the town taking over their own zoning, according to Mayor Mike Horne.
Pink Hill is located in Lenoir County just north of the Duplin County line.
THE CONVERSATION
Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
‘This must stop:’ A Call to restore common sense in American politics
Life is the rst unalienable right given to us by God.
WHEN VIOLENT words and dastardly acts occur, we are bombarded with news “ALERTS” and we ask, “How in the world did we get to this point?” Almost always in the political arena, the response to those alerts is “this must stop.”
Politically, it is easy to say, this must stop, but it is more di cult to o er solutions to the societal maladies of our day. Currently, the Trump administration is heading in the right direction on many critical issues. However, let’s ask a few questions about some political issues that linger from the Biden and Cooper administrations that defy common sense. Then, hopefully, suggest a solution which might reinforce the Will of “the people” to say to the current and future politicians, “This must stop!” What is a Country? There are, of course, many de nitions to answer that question. But one absolute and essential element of a Country is that it is an area with designated geographical borders. Under the Biden and Cooper administrations, America’s borders were open to anyone from anywhere. President Trump was correct when he said, “If you don’t enforce your borders, you don’t have a country.”
What is gender? Here, the answer is absolutely observable on all levels of thinking. Gender reveal parties are common today. The standard is blue stu if it is going to be a boy and pink stu if it is going to be a girl, end of discussion, right? No, if the radical left-
| DAVID HARSANYI
COLUMN
leaning “WOKE” folks have their way. To them, gender is uid, changeable, and based on one’s personal preferences at any given time. Thus, if a biological male identi es as a female, “he” can dress or undress in the girls’ dressing room. If a biological male trans genders to female, “he” can participate in girls’ sports. Leaders of the national Democratic Party do not oppose this. Former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper has not opposed that.
What is marriage? The previous question and this question are ones that most of us never dreamed that there would be any questions about. Marriage is the union of a man and a woman, right? No! That’s not the case with the proponents of the radical progressive secular movement. The Biden and Cooper administrations turned a blind eye toward that issue.
What is a traditional family? Here, we have to be extra sensitive because good organizations and teams use the analogy referring to themselves as “a family.” That is good. Also, through no fault of their own, many good men and women are single-parent heads of their families. Having a father of the male gender and a mother of the female gender as the heads of families ts the traditional de nition of family. The Cooper and Biden folks supported unhealthy variations of family structure.
How did man come to be? Today, for the
Obamacare is a massive failure; the GOP shouldn’t bail it out
Virtually every promise made by Democrats regarding the A ordable Care Act has failed to come true.
SINCE DEMOCRATS have shut down the federal government because they want another $1.5 trillion bailout of Obamacare, it’s a good time to remind everyone that the law has been a wide-ranging and expensive asco.
Virtually every promise made by Democrats regarding the A ordable Care Act has failed to come true.
Sure, Barack Obama infamously promised that Americans could keep their preferred insurance if they desired. By the end of his second term, around 7 million people had been booted from their insurance because of the A ordable Care Act. Who knows how many have been dropped since.
But let’s also not forget that Obama pledged that the law would reduce family health insurance premiums by “up to” $2,500 annually by the end of his rst term. Premiums not only continued to rise during his presidency, but since 2010, they have spiked from $13,000 to nearly $24,000.
Democrats used to love to talk about “bending the cost curve.” Well, congrats.
Obama also promised that Obamacare’s state exchanges would enhance competition among insurers and lower costs. Taxpayers are now on the hook for 90% of the cost of those premiums. If the COVID-19-era Obamacare subsidies are allowed to sunset, taxpayers will be responsible for a mere 80%. Without the subsidies, the Congressional Budget O ce predicted that 3.6 million users would leave the exchanges. Obamacare didn’t create better health care insurance options for consumers; it created millions of state dependents.
The Obamacare exchanges were sold as
self-su cient engines of capitalism even as Democrats were doing everything to inhibit market competition. Many Obamacare exchanges now only have a single insurer. Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Humana have all basically abandoned them.
One of the most contentious debates over the A ordable Care Act was the cost. Democrats stressed that the project would cost less than a trillion dollars over a decade. On numerous occasions, Obama promised he would not add “one dime” to the debt. Democrats, in fact, guaranteed the A ordable Care Act would help reduce de cits. If you dared question the estimates, fact-checkers would swarm and call you a liar.
There’s no de nitive number on the debt added by Obamacare since its passage. It is likely in the hundreds of billions of dollars, if not trillions.
Democrats promised that penalties on employers who failed to provide health insurance would bring in “substantial” revenue to allay costs. Once the A ordable Care Act was passed, Obama ignored the law by delaying implementation before “tweaking” the law without any constitutional authority. The employer mandate now brings in only a small fraction of promised returns.
Obama also kept delaying the A ordable Care Act’s “Cadillac tax,” a levy on alleged “gold-plated” private employee plans. The tax was meant to discourage upper- and middle-class workers from obtaining the types of plans Democrats deemed too generous as a way of lowering costs but also raising “revenue.” Once labor unions found out they also had “gold-plated” plans, well, Democrats dropped the idea, which was repealed in 2019.
The individual mandate, which the Supreme
most part, in all levels of secular education, children are taught the theory of evolution from a single form of original life into the amazing variety of life forms that exist today. According to that theory, at one point, there was “nothing,” and then “bang,” there was all the stu from which everything came to be, including life. How ridiculous. But our children are taught those theories as facts rather than as secular, Godless theories. Thus, whether you are a gold sh, a male or a female human, it is all by chance. The Biden and Cooper entities, by their silence on Divine creation, supported creation by chance. When does life begin? This is probably the most basic question that can be asked. The male germ and the female germ each contain 23 chromosomes and hundreds of thousands of genes that contain all the new individual’s total hereditary material. When they unite, a new life begins. Life is the rst unalienable right given to us by God. The Biden and Cooper teams supported the ending of that new life as an acceptable choice.
The 18th-century poet Alexander Pope, in his poem “An Essay On Man,” said, “Vice… is of so frightful mien, As to be hated needs but to be seen, Yet seen too oft, Familiar with her face, We rst endure, then pity, then embrace.”
We, the people, must elect men and women with a sound understanding of traditional Judeo-Christian values who will not endure, pity, nor embrace the enticing overtures of evil forces in high places. Thus, with action, not words, they will say “this must stop.”
Rep. Jimmy Dixon represents Duplin and Wayne counties in the N.C. House of Representatives.
Court miraculously transformed into a “tax,” now exists only in conceptual form despite Democrats’ promise that it would generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue. It brings in zero dollars.
So it’s no surprise that Democrats have been demanding Republicans bail out the poorly conceived law since its passage.
When Congress refused to pass new subsidies in 2013, the Obama administration, again without any constitutional authority, ordered the Treasury to create a $7 billion per year appropriation for insurance companies participating in the allegedly self-supporting exchanges.
When a district court ruled that the payments were unconstitutional, Obama ignored the decision. Don’t you love it when Democrats lecture people about norms?
When Democrats added new Obamacare subsidies to the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act to fund those with incomes 400% over the federal poverty line, they sold it as a temporary measure to get through the COVID-19 economy.
Every Democratic leader referred to the subsidies as “a bridge” that was meant to help until the economy rebounded from the pandemic.
Here we are in 2025. You know what they say about temporary government programs.
Aside from all the failed promises, the passage of Obamacare broke American politics. For the rst time in U.S. history, a party rammed through a massive national reform without any input from half the country. In their e ort to appease a handful of moderates in their party, Democrats larded up Obamacare with unenforceable mandates, taxes and bureaucratic complexities that created the illusion of a ordability.
When they still couldn’t pass the bill using the traditional lawmaking process, they blew up a bunch of governing norms to do it.
Now Democrats have shut the government down to try and force Republicans to help prop up this disastrous law. The GOP would be nuts to help them.
David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner.
COLUMN | JIMMY DIXON
Hubb’s Farm celebrates ‘Jaws’ with bite of agri-tourism
By Rebecca Whitman Cooke For Duplin Journal
SHARKS ON A farm?!
This year, the 50th anniversary of the movie “Jaws” is being celebrated at Hubb’s Farm in Clinton. From sand pits seeded with shark teeth to an entire “Jaws”-themed corn maze, there are nods to the lm everywhere.
“You may even see someone walking around in a shark costume on the weekends,” said Beth Smith, events and media coordinator with Hubb’s Farm.
Located at 10276 N U.S. 421 in Clinton, Hubb’s Farm is a popular destination. While part of the farm is dedicated to commercially growing pork, more than 65 acres are dedicated to agri-tourism.
One of the old hog barns at the back of the property has been repurposed into a fun space humorously called the Taj MaHog. Old pens are now lled with kernel corn for kids to dive in, gem mining stations, play areas, a classroom learning space and a nine-hole putt-putt course. Each hole presents a different pork-themed challenge.
Outside the Taj MaHog, the Cranky Combine gives rides. He looks like a missing character from Disney’s “Cars.” Escape trails wind around the perimeter of the farm and into the
woods, where challenges, games and stories interweave along the trail and corn maze. Also, visitors can download the free Goosechase app for interactive play. The app also serves as a virtual tour guide for the farm. There is enough to keep you busy all day at the farm. There are u-pick ower and pumpkin elds, decorated hay bales, a live animal petting zoo, Indian runner duck races, a singing chicken show, gem mining, picnic spaces, re pits, a zip line, a giant slide, a giant jump pillow, sand boxes, ball tosses, wagon rides, train rides, apple cannons and more. On-site bathrooms and ltered water stations are available. Local products and toys can be purchased at the farm’s store. Seasonal produce is also available for purchase; right now it is a large assortment of colorful pumpkins and gourds.
Food booths making all your favorite fair foods like kettle corn and donuts are available as well as co ee and grill stations.
James Hubbard Butler (known as Hubb) built the hog houses at Hubb’s Farm from 1987 to 1991. He had a crew that built hog houses for other farmers as well. His daughter, Tammy, now owns and runs Hubb’s Farm with her husband, John Peterson. They started farming in 2008 when their son, Luke,
was born. Now Luke runs the commercial hog farm, and John and Tammy run the agri-tourism part of Hubb’s Farm. What started small near the front of the farm o U.S. 421 has expanded with time and interest to the woods at the back of the farm. Today, the farm employs a lot of their friends.
“Everybody out here is absolutely amazing in their own way,” Tammy said of her employees.
There are a lot of retired teachers working at Hubb’s Farm, and it shows. Almost every activity on the farm is lled with information cards to teach guests about farming, agriculture and history. The zip line, for example, is called First in Flight and lasts about as many seconds as the Wright Brothers’ rst ight. A sign explaining the connection to history is at the activity.
Hubb’s Farm sells tickets for entry both online and at the gate. Tickets gain admittance to most activities, but some activities, like gem mining, cost extra.
The fall season runs through Nov. 1. The farm is open to the public Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturdays in November from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays in October from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The farm is also a popular destination for eld trips, corporate team building, and family gatherings.
O cer honored for decades of service
By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal
ROSE HILL — After nearly 40 years of military and law enforcement service, 17 of those with the Duplin County Sheri ’s Department, 1st Sgt. Ben Parrish is retiring. Parrish, who served as the Duplin County Sheri ’s O ce training coordinator, was honored during a special ceremony on Sept. 23 at the Duplin Training Center in Rose Hill, where Sheri Stratton Stokes presented him with a special plaque commemorating his service and dedication in the presence of his friends and family.
Parrish began his career in 1987, joining the U.S. Coast Guard at age 17, continuing a family legacy of military service. After his rst military enlistment, Parrish served as a lieutenant with the Creedmoor Police Department and later with the Durham Police Department, where he took pride in community-focused work. In 2003, Parrish deployed as a combat military police o cer with the Army National Guard to Iraq. It was during his second tour when a roadside bomb struck his vehicle, killing his gunner and injuring Parrish and his driver. Following recovery, Parrish decided to relocate to Duplin County, marking a new chapter in his life and career.
Parrish joined the Duplin
County Sheri ’s O ce in 2008 and was assigned to the gang unit, where he worked closely with federal agencies, including Homeland Security, the FBI’s Safe Streets Gang Task Force and the U.S. Marshals Service, to help identify and track gang activity in Duplin County.
In 2014, Parrish took on the role of training coordinator for the sheri ’s o ce, a position that would shape the nal decade of his law enforcement career. Under his leadership, a former clay pit on county property was transformed into a comprehensive, multiagency training ground essential for local law enforcement operations.
As Parrish describes it, “This is where all the magic happens.” Every newly hired o cer begins their journey at this facility, where the training coordinator prepares them for duty through rigorous, hands-on instruction. Today, the 11-acre Duplin Training Center features two shooting ranges, a large classroom and more than $6.2 million worth of military-grade equipment acquired through the federal Law Enforcement Support O ce program. This equipment — including Humvees, boats, ATVs and generators — facilitates realistic, scenario-based training for various emergency situations, such as active shooter drills and swift water rescues. Despite the challenges facing his agency, particularly sta ng shortages and o cer retention, his passion for serving remained unwavering, a sentiment backed by his volunteer service as a reghter and Mason.
issues delayed the completion.
“The July date got pushed out to October because of a multitude of things, weather being a biggie, and then some coordination issues,” Summerlin said in an interview with Duplin Journal after the board meeting. “Those things that are unanticipated carry extra days with them.”
He added that change orders sought by contractors on the project also contributed to the delay.
With the timing of the work, the current issue involves two major contractors involved in the project at the Airpark: Chatham Construction, which is handling all the infrastructure work, and Daniels and Daniels, which is building the two new 50,000-square-foot shell buildings at the Airpark.
“With the Chatham contract running longer, this put Daniels and Daniels’ work in an overlap situation,” Summerlin said. “We couldn’t have two large contractors in the same space, essentially.”
It’s now estimated the work will be completed in mid-November.
The delays will not a ect a groundbreaking ceremony for the new shell buildings scheduled for Oct. 14.
After hearing updates, the board voted to proceed with site clearing and survey work for several short-term, one-and two-bedroom rental units that will be built in one area of the Airpark.
In addition to news regarding progress on the Airpark, Summerlin also shared success
stories from other areas of Duplin County. One of those involved is what is known as the Schwarz building in Warsaw. A large auto parts distributor, Auto Parts Authority, now occupies most of the more than 200,000 - square-foot building. The company imports auto parts from around the world and distributes them across the United States. They now have 35 employees. Summerlin said the landlord of the building was impressed with what the company had done with the
building during a recent visit.
“He went on and on about how impressed he was because it’s such a clean operation,” Summerlin said.
He also mentioned the ongoing success of the company NextGen Cabinets, which now occupies more than 50,000 square feet of the former J.P. Stevens SteveCo plant in Wallace. The building is now called Duplin Industrial Center. NextGen Cabinets employs 11 people and is expected to do $1 million in sales in their rst year.
Ben Parrish transformed how Duplin trains its deputies
COURTESY DUPLIN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Sheri Stratton Stokes presents Ben Parrish with a special plaque commemorating his service and dedication during a special ceremony on Sept. 23 at the Duplin Training Center in Rose Hill.
GROWTH from page A1
REBECCA WHITMAN COOKE FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL
An assortment of vibrant pumpkins sit on display at Hubb’s Farm, which transforms into a Halloween destination in the fall.
Pumpkin Festival lights up fall with family fun
his department, including trail maintenance and facility improvements. To save costs, the town has opted to board up broken windows rather than repair or replace them. At the time of the meeting, all windows and crawl spaces at town facilities were expected to be covered by the weekend. Repairs to walking trails are underway, with new dirt and
rock being added and drainage and grading issues being addressed. A budget amendment was approved to move funds to support these repairs.
The town is also preparing for upcoming fall events, with Halloween plans moving forward. The board approved a resolution to close Winniford Street on Friday, Oct. 31, from 6 to 8 p.m. to ensure safety for trick-or-treaters.
A solid waste ordinance was
discussed concerning whose responsibility it is to deal with large debris. Tyndall claried that the town does not accept debris from commercial landscaping companies and only assists residents on a case -by- case basis.
“We draw the line at large stumps and trunks,” he said. The board approved a budget amendment to move money to repair the walking trail at Parks and Recreation.
Commissioner Carolyn Kenyon provided a public safety update based on data from the Duplin County Sheri ’s Ofce. Around 30 service calls were reported in Faison, including tra c stops, warrant services, scams, one larceny and numerous animal control incidents. There were also 25 medical calls, though only ve or six resulted in hospital transport.
“They are here and doing
their job, we just don’t always see them doing it,” Ward said. “It is nice to know what they are doing and getting called here for,” Kenyon added.
Local business owner Melba Brewer of Brewer’s Hardware announced a new community initiative to host food trucks on Mondays, a day when many other businesses are closed.
The meeting adjourned following the reports and approvals.
FAISON from page A1
PHOTOS BY MARK GRADY FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL
Above, the corn pit was a big hit with kids at Saturday’s Pumpkin Festival at Cinderella Farms. Left, the elaborate corn mazes at Cinderella Farms were among the festival’s standout attractions, expertly crafted by a traveling team from Utah known for designing intricate mazes across the country.
Left, in search of the perfect pumpkin worthy of the Peanuts gang, families explored hundreds of pumpkins at Saturday’s Pumpkin Festival. Right, 5-year-old
David Hubbard selects his favorite pumpkin from hundreds at Saturday’s Pumpkin Festival at Cinderella Farms east of Wallace.
Kids had a blast launching small pumpkins at a giant bull’s- eye, making the giant slingshot a fan favorite at Saturday’s Pumpkin Festival.
Rebels leave grid collision with key win over East Bladen
“We came up and made defensive plays and threw our bodies around to make
ND logged a safety and touchdown to nip Eagles 15-14
By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal
CALYPSO — Hugh Martin knew North Duplin needed a defensive stop late to nip East Bladen 15-14 last Friday night at H.E. Grubbs Field.
That was the rst step that led to a memorable nish as the running Rebels (5-1, 1-1) used a pair of touchdown passes and defensive safety to win a key Carolina Conference a air.
“We came up and made defensive plays and threw our bodies around to make stops,” Martin said. “We had the wherewithal to be resilient in spite of being down.”
Martin called the Rebel’s three-and-out squeeze on the Eagles early in the fourth quarter, the best back-to-back-to-back defensive plays of the game.
When the Eagles snapped the ball the momentum of the game changed as it sailed over the head of the punter and into the end zone for a safety.
The two points trimmed the de cit to 14-8 and gave the ball to ND at its own 35.
Both teams struggled to run the ball all night, but Keiz Brock hit Jayden Pope for 16-yard push on fourth-and-7 to move the ball to the East Bladen 17.
On the next play, Brock, a rst-year quarterback, found tight end Trashawn Ru n, a UNC recruit, for the game-winning touchdown.
The JK Hall of Fame inductee guided the school to a state title in 2017, won a triple jump title and played for the Sooners
By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal
WARSAW — Marcelias Sutton has only one regret about his football career: trying to return too quickly after fracturing his leg his senior season at Oklahoma.
Sutton’s talent and work ethic led James Kenan to a state title, a gold medal at the NCHSAA track and eld meet, and in four years in college
WRH’s holds the Johnston County school to its worst output since 2016 and uses Princeton’s Single-Wing attack to roll to victory
By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal
GOLDSBORO – Leave it to Kevin Motsinger to come up with the “Chicken Wing” attack, an o ense that uses principals from the Wing-T, Single-Wing and Shotgun offenses.
Traditionally a Wing-T team, the Bulldogs, Motsinger said, were questioned a lot about using a Single-Wing last Friday during a 48-16 demolition of Princeton in Johnston County.
“We’ve used it in every game we’ve played and used it to beat Clinton,” he said after WRH improved to 3-3 overall and 2-0 in Swine Valley Conference play. “We can get in and out of all three. We play in the Swine Conference and represent Mr. Johnson and the House of Raeford, so
we call it the Chicken Wing.”
While WRH’s o ense exploded for long running plays from Jamarae Lamb, Jamari Carr and Adrian Glover, its defense under Tyler Pugh held Princeton to 176 yards of total o ense. It’s the lowest output for a Princeton-coached team since Travis Gaster (89 -37) took over in 2016.
The revival of the program centered around the Single-Wing o ense.
So, in e ect, Motsinger and the Bulldogs trampled Gaster and Princeton with their own game.
“We’re starting to play Bulldog football, and you saw that a little against Goldsboro (a WRH 65-6 win),” said Motsigner, whose team went 1-3 in nonconference play. “We lost our way, and it was very frustrating and very painful. But that’s life. We’re getting guys back (from injury) and in the spots they are supposed to be.”
As bad as it was, WRH’s reset in conference play is heading in a di erent direction.
“I’m very proud of the kids.
See WRH, page B3
football at two universities. Arguably the quickest and most powerful running back in Tigers history will be inducted into the JK Hall of Fame on Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. in the John P. Harmon Gymnasium.
He joins inductees Ken Avent Jr., his coach at JK, three-sport star Cassandra Stroud and LB/G Mac McNeill, who played on the 1960 state championship team. McNeill died earlier this year.
The new members and a representative for McNeill will be introduced at halftime of the C.B. Aycock game at Bill Taylor Field, the place it all began for Sutton, who moved with his mother to Warsaw from the Spring Creek district in Wayne County.
“He’s a phenomenal, phenomenal athlete,” said John Bert Avent, longtime assistant coach and defensive coordinator for the Tigers. “He had God-given talent and skills but worked hard. When you told him to do something he would do exactly what you asked and with every detail included.”
Everyone’s eyes popped when they saw the 5-foot-8, 175-pound Sutton run a 4.4 in the 40, power clean 315 pounds and have a 43-inch vertical leap.
Sutton started on defense early in his freshman season and morphed into a game- and
See HOF, page B4
EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL
Noah Quantanlla scored the rst touchdown of the game when ND beat East Bladen 15-14.
stops.”
Hugh Martin, ND head coach
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Marcella’s Sutton ran for 4,367 yards and scored 54 touchdowns for JK.
EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL Adrian Glover scored twice and ran for 123 yards in the 49 -16 stomping of Princeton.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK SPONSORED BY BILL CARONE
Karsyn Parker
East Duplin, volleyball
When East Duplin volleyball coach Susan Raynor said, “We beat Wallace-Rose Hill last week because of blocks and digs,” she could have said Karsyn Parker was a big key to stopping the Bulldogs’ winning streak over ED at six matches.
The Panthers sophomore had 15 digs for ED, the No. 1 RPI school in the 4A East and No. 2 school 4A in the state.
The junior got o ensive in ED’s rst ECC a air, drilling 12 aces.
Parker’s 51 aces is second to teammate Zoe Turner (55) among all Duplin Journal schools. Her 151 digs are likewise second to North Duplin’s Marissa Bernal (207).
ED is 17-2 and has a two-game lead in the conference standings.
Tigers let play speak to speed past Raiders
James Kenan beat Midway 44-22 in a game in which words, tempers and elbows were rampant
By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal
WARSAW – There wasn’t a replay on a big screen, but two touchdown passes from Eli Avent to Jeremiah Hall could easily have been on ESPN’s Plays of the Day.
This pure football beauty isn’t how James Kenan normally scores.
That it is possible from a run- rst team that is running over 3A schools added spice to the Tigers’ 42-22 win over Midway last Friday on Homecoming.
In fact, most fans will probably remember the game for its physical nature, including many illegal maneuvers in the trenches.
Hall, who has gained more yards per carry than any Duplin Journal-area running back, had baby-soft hands when he caught a pass that came from over his head in the rst quarter.
The play came two snaps after JK’s defense stopped the Raider on fourth-and-1.
“People keep saying, ‘throw the ball, throw the ball,’ and we’ve got 60 plays in our book to do that, and if people stop our super power, we’re ready to do that,” said head coach Tim Grady, whose club improved to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in Swine Valley Conference play.
“Eli’s a dual threat on the outside and can also run with it when he rolls out. But that kid also blocks on every play and doesn’t care about his body. I saw this on lm and pointed it out to our linemen.”
JK’s bread and butter spread victory on the gridiron as Hall ran for 158 yards and two touchdowns and CJ Hill had 115 yards and a pair of scores.
Hall had touchdown runs of 12 and 80 yards to give JK a three-score lead — 35-14 — and Hill hit pay dirt from 22 yards following a Raiders score to seal the game.
JK sent a message with an opening drive of 60 yards, as Hill scored on the sixth snap of the game by sprinting 43 yards.
Up 14-0, the Tigers stopped Midway (5-2, 2-1) again on
fourth down, but JK fumbled the ball away on the rst play. Midway responded by scoring on a short eld to trim the lead in half at 14-7.
The Raiders must have expected more running from the Tigers and got that initially on the next drive as Hill and Hall combined for 15 and 24 yards, respectively, in the rst six plays.
Then Avent hit Hall for a 20-yard touchdown pass to complete the 60-yard march.
Midway cut it to 21-14 early in the second quarter only to see the Tigers respond with their longest drive — 11 plays, 59 yards — despite a holding penalty that wiped out a great run by Avent.
David Zeleya’s 11-yard scamper took the ball to the 7 and after an illegal procedure call Hall scored from the 12.
A Zeleya interception at the 12 was returned to the Midway 15 as the rst-half clock expired. But the senior was pounced on after the play, and an unsportsmanlike penalty was called on Midway, though it was marched o during the third-quarter kicko . But the incident wasn’t the rst and far from the last during this slugfest.
“Every once and a while, people test us to see if we can
keep our composure,” Grady said. “That was the worst one, as a kid tramples on his stomach and puts a wrestling move on Cito (Zeleya). I was proud our kids responded because it was hard, even for our coaching sta . There was a lot of holding, poked eyes and they even did it when we were taking a knee to end the game.”
JK made the Raiders earn their points by driving the ball on long scoring marches and avoided giving up big plays. They rattled quarterback Nathue Myles (10-16, 132 yards, TD) enough and made top running back Wesley Tew carry the ball 25 times to reach 100 yards and score twice.
“Their quarterback can put the ball on a dot and can make his receivers look really good with his accuracy,” Grady said.
Yet the defense made Myles look ordinary on most plays.
“We felt like we needed to possess the football just to help our defense out and everyone did a fantastic job executing the game plan. Their passing game is very solid, but there were no surprises from what we saw on the scouting lm. They literally did exactly what we thought they would do, and our players reacted to it.”
JK travels to face winless Goldsboro (0-6) on Friday.
Panthers send Stallions to pasture early in ECC opener
East Duplin scored 50 points before halftime to crush Southwest Onslow
By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal
BEULAVILLE — East Duplin went into its game against Southwest Onslow without the services of running back Aaron Hall, the team’s second-leading rusher.
That hardly mattered as nine Panthers ran the ball to account for 336 yards, and the ED defense, which featured tackles by 20 players, limited the Stallions to 171 yards in a 53-12 win in Beulaville last Friday night.
The Stallions had a paltry six rst downs and never converted on third down or fourth down in nine attempts. East Du-
plin snapped a two-game skid. Shawn Davis, Keeshon Mckinnie and Dewayne Davis ran for touchdowns, while quarterback Branson Norris hit Shawn Davis and Mckinnie for scores. ED (4-2) led 29-0 after one quarter and 50-6 by halftime en route to its rst ECC win.
Davis, who had his third 100-yard e ort in four games, scored from the 6 on the fth snap of the game. Davis (9-102) is fourth in rushing (89-604, 8 TDs) among Duplin Journal schools. Hall (69-414, 3 TDs) is sixth. Norris, who had his best game of the season, hit on 7 of 8 passes, including a 43-yard score to Mckinine and a 22-yard toss to Shawn Davis to put ED on top 22-0.
Mckinnie scored from the 6 after SWO fumbled the ball.
Dewayne Davis scored from the 14, and JP Murphy and Norris slipped in from the 1 for the Panthers’ second quarter scores. Gavin Jarman’s 37-yard eld goal in the fourth quarter was the only time ED dented the scoreboard in the second half.
Branson Norris threw a pair of touchdown passes during his best outing of the season.
The Panthers 29 rst downs were more than enough to keep the Stallions winless in six tires this fall. The dominance allowed head coach Battle Holley to feed the pig to reserve running backs Jeremiah Monk (5-66), Allen Stukes (4-22) and Amir Lamont (1-30)
Must keep focus as favorite vs. Titans
ED will have to focus on the objective of winning and ignore the opponent Friday when Trask (3-3, 0-1) comes to town.
It’s a “watch out” contest a week before the Panthers travel to Clinton and two weeks before hosting ECC co-leader Pender (6-0, 1-0), who beat the Dark Horses 56-39 last week and also topped WRH 32-26 in overtime.
The mission appears to be clear. Stop the Titans’ running attack that is spearheaded by seniors Tyreek Moore (117-750) and Jason Henry (69-564).
Trask is coming o back-to-back 6-5 campaigns and was 7-3 in 2022. Yet the Titans were 7-30 from 2018 to 2021 and don’t have a steller reputation on the gridiron.
DUPLIN COUNTY TAX FORECLOSURE SALE
Friday, October 10, 2025 at 10am •
EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL
EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL
JK’s Alex Vasquez, left, and Zamarion Smith take down Midway quarterback Tanner Williams during the Tigers’ 44-22 win.
THURMAN PARKER FOR DUPLIN JOUNRAL
Comeback Crusaders: HCA rallies to overthrow Knights
Harrells Christian scored the nal 35 points to overcome a 23-6 de ct against North Raleigh Christian
By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal
RALEIGH — Resolve is not a carpet-cleaning agent for the members of the Harrells Christian Academy football team.
It’s the gridiron salvo that helped the Crusaders rally from a huge de cit to beat North Raleigh Christian 41-23 in the rst Big East Conference game for both schools.
HCA (6-1) trailed 23-6 in the second quarter but scored 35 unanswered points for its third win in a row.
“They had a come to Jesus
meeting at halftime,” said Crusader head coach Clayton Hall.
“We didn’t show up in the rst half. We had no pressure on the quarterback, who is so good you have to at least move him around.”
The D-line of Landon Toler, Jesse Smith, Xander Garcia and Amir Moore showed their muscle by holding the Knights scoreless after its halftime awakening.
“We got pressure and started shutting down the run game a little,” Hall said. “We forced some long third downs and made some plays.
Jeremiah Davis scored three times, Jarrod Miller twice, Reid Strickland red a touchdown pass and WB/WR Dashaun McKoy had a touchdown reception and key interception.
When it was over, HCA rushed for 398 yards and had more
than 575 yards of total o ense.
Davis ran for a career-high 244 yards on 22 carries for his fourth straight 100-yard game.
“He’s coming into his own, making people miss and running the ball hard,” Hall said. “Jarrod keeps getting his six yards a pop, and everyone has to deal with the versatility of Day-Day (McKoy), who I used as a decoy on many plays. That’s opened things up for Jeremiah.”
The comeback started with Davis’ 21-yard scamper cut the de cit to 23-14 after McKoy ran for the 2-point conversion. A McKoy pick led to a Miller (16-83) score to trim the margin to 23-21.
Strickland connected with Davis for a 21-yard pass as the Crusaders took the lead 27-23 just before the end of the third quarter.
Bulldogs, Panthers have solid starts in conference play
WRH and ED are a combined 7-0 in league play to start the week
By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal
TEACHEY — East Duplin’s Yoskar Canales, Wallace-Rose Hill’s Felix Funes and James Kenan’s Ismael Covarrubias have emerged as Duplin County sharpshooters as the soccer teams volley for wins during conference play in three classi cations.
Canales, who has 16 cage ringers, has ED (8-5-2) o to a 2-0 start in ECC play.
Funes, who has 15 goals, is the top scorer for WRH (7- 4 -1), who is 5-0 on Swine Valley pitches, while Covarrubias, the sophomore surprise, checks in with 13, as JK (5-6-2) has struggled to a 2-3 league mark in the Swine Valley.
Here’s how the three fared in action last week.
Flores, Acosta hat tricks sink Eagles
Steven Acosta and Wilmer Flores each had a hat trick
as the Bulldogs crushed Rosewood 9-0 in Goldsboro.
Funez and Je ery Hernandez also scored, while Gabriel Cubas had three assists and Je ery Hernandez two.
WRH scored four times in the opening half as the Bulldogs won for the fth-straight time.
Funez netted two goals in a 3-0 win over the Spring Creek (6-9-1, 4-1) earlier in the week.
John Mejia’s rst goal of the season provided a little insurance to bump the Gators into second place in the Swine.
Panthers’ 4-0-1 push good prep for Clinton
ED tied Spring Creek 1-1 last Friday, but the Panthers nabbed two ECC wins last week.
Brayan Mendez notching a hat trick, and Canales and Emirson Rojas had scores when the Panthers dunked Trask 5-1. Brayan Gonzalez, Luis Ramirez and Canales chipped in with assists.
The Panthers rst league win came when Gonzalez and Oscar Ramirez each scored a goal and had an assist in a 4-1 triumph over Southwest Onslow. Mendez and Canales chipped in with assists.
ED has a road challenge this week when it hosts defending state champ Clinton (12-2, 2-0).
David steps up for Tigers
Scoring has been a concern for JK head coach Mitchell Quinn, and last week, Kebert David put a smile on his coach’s face.
David and Covarrubias had goals when the Tigers beat North Johnson 2-0.
“We played pretty good overall, and North Johnston is an improved bunch who move the ball well and are very fast and physical,” Quinn said.
Both added goals in a 4-3 loss to Princeton.
“We missed way too many shots, and with about 25 minutes left they scored on a corner kick and it was all downhill from there,” said Quinn, who wasn’t exactly thrilled with the o ciating crew in Johnston County.
JK and WRH were slated to play early this week in a match that means nothing in the league standings and everything when it comes to bragging rights.
WRH from page B1
They’ve come a long way. Everyone else would have quit, between the outcomes of games, injuries and the negativity they’ve heard. They needed and deserved this.”
WRH held highly regarded Teo McPhatter to a season-low 109 yards, and it took him 31 carries to top the century mark. He averaged 260 yards his previous ve games.
Lamb, who often took the direct snap and either ran or handed it o , scored three times. The senior needed seven totes to amass 222 yards and is averaging 195 yards per game.
Two runs allowed Carr to run for 62 yards and two scores, the second of which came when
Lamb handed him the ball in the fourth quarter, and he went 60 yards to pay dirt.
Glover (2-123) likewise needed the minimum to pounce into the end zone twice as WRH rolled to 437 yards on the ground and averaged a whopping 24.4 yards per carry. It was over before the band’s halftime show as WRH went in front 14-0 after one quarter and then scored four more times in the second to lead 42-8. Lamb passed the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight season and leads Duplin County runners with 1,173 yards and 132 touchdowns.
Up 7-0, WRH’s defense got a three-and-out to start the game and then stopped Gas-
Davis and Miller added touchdown runs.
NCR’s two quarterbacks hit on 13 of 26 and one score and running back Davon McCoy rushed for 158 yards and two scores, though the bulk of the damage was done in the opening half for the Knights (3-3).
HCA travels to Swannanoa on Friday to face Asheville Christian (0-6) and will have a bye week before its two-game showdown with league foes Raven-
“Coach (Brad) Rhodes made some great calls,” Martin said. “We tried them a few times earlier but had a breakdown. We have one we always hit and one that works that we’ve only gotten two times in two years. EB had the ball three times in the nal 7:03 and ND twice.
And while the Rebels were outgained 250-189, they won a game in which both teams had opportunities and chances to take control. It was similar to ND’s 26 -22 loss to Lakewood on Sept. 19. That take on a hard-hitting game brought a smile to Martin’s face.
“We get a break against a good team and take advantage of it,” he said. “Didn’t have that at Lakewood. This was a real good high school football game that was very physical. Players will still be feeling this at Monday afternoon practice.”
“We made mistakes, but I really thought we did a lot of good things, including how our defense held out late in the game to nish it o . They’re bigger than us up front and in the back eld, with the exception of Trashawn (6-foot-4, 310-pounds).”
Fullback Noah Quintanilla bulled his way 43 yards for the rst score.
Lakewood responded by
scroft (2-4) and Trinity Christian (4-1), each of whom has not played a conference game.
“We’re short four (players) because of mostly nagging injuries, so if we can get out of this weekend, we can heal up during the bye week,” Hall said.
Extra points
Davis upped his rushing total to 785 yards and has eight touchdowns. Strickland (28- 45 for 565 yards, 11 TDs) has thrown a touchdown pass in three games and four other times had a pair of touchdowns tosses. Mckoy found Davis Bradshaw for a 44yard reception. McKoy has three running and four receiving scores, 76and 79-yard punt returns. Moore has 4.5 sacks and Smith 3.5.
scoring on the nal play of the rst half as Keyshaun Kemp hit Jaden Lewis for a 13-yard score. The play was set up by a questionable pass interference call on ND.
The score was 6-6 at the half. Lewis (19-78) scored and ran for the 2-point conversion to put East Bladen in front 14 - 6.
Carell Phillips had to work hard for his 87 yards, which came on 20 totes, though Vance Carter (5-17) and Pope (3-2) were all but grounded by the Eagles’ defense.
Senior running back Dashon Campbell (15-80) and quarterback Kemp (7-13 for 96) paced EB (4-2, 1-1).
Rebels notebook
The Rebels host West Columbus (1-5, 1-2) on Friday. Phillips (100-793, 10 TDs) is second in Duplin in yards and third in touchdowns. He ran for 3,620 yards and scored 111 touchdowns in the past four years.
Ethan Turnage (5.2 per game) leads the team in tackles. He’s followed by Ru n (4.0), Quintanilla (3.5), Lucas Dail (3.4) and Garris Warren (3.2). Warren and Carter each have two interceptions. Brock was 2-3 passing entering the game and had that same number of attempts and completions.
WRH’s Steven Acosta scored a hat trick during a 9-0 win over Rosewood.
ter’s gang on fourth-and-9 from the Princeton 20.
The Bulldogs scored ve plays later and then one play after Princeton fumbled the kicko away. Another three -and- out set up Glover’s 46-yard score, and with 6:18 left in the half, the ’Dawgs were on top 35-0.
WRH travels to Midway (5 -2, 2-1) on Friday. The Raiders gave James Kenan a ght before falling 44-22 last Friday.
“Barrett (Sloan) said they were missing seven starters, included a couple of key linemen, so I think we’re going to have to play the best game we’ve played all year,” Motsinger said. “They’ve big on both lines and that o ense puts up major crazy points on everyone.”
Brock Keiz
Trashawn Ru n
Miller Moore
EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL
Panthers, Bulldogs, Rebels in running for conference titles
ED picked up a rivalry win over WRH; ND stumped Hobbton in a revenge tilt
By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal
BEULAVILLE — Three Duplin volleyball teams are in the running for a conference title as the nal season winds down to the postseason tournaments.
East Duplin has a two-game lead in the ECC 3A/4A, Wallace-Rose Hill is tied for rst with Midway in the Swine Valley 2A/3A and North Duplin is a game o the pace of East Columbus in the Carolina Conference 1A/2A.
Rebels cheering for Wildcats?
North Duplin (12-5, 8-2) exacted revenge on Hobbton last week with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-23) win over the Wildcats (12-4, 8-2) in Calypso. The victory reversed a 3-0 loss to Hobbton on Sept. 11.
Yet it also has the Rebels cheering for the Wildcats to beat rst-place East Columbus (14-1,8-1). The two schools play this week, and if the Gators lose there will be a three-way tie atop the CC standings.
ND’s role beyond that is to win out, beating two teams — West Columbus (3-11, 3-7) and East Bladen (5-13, 5-5) — it easily counted out earlier in the season. It’s been a while since the Rebels have been this close to a title, and this season will mark the rst time ND had re-
season-changing running back by his junior year in 2012. That year. he ran for 1,804 yards and scored 26 touchdowns to lead JK to the 1AA East Region nal. JK lost to Southwest Onslow but logged a 14-1 mark to tie the wins by the 1960 team.
The following season, his stats dropped (to 1,334 yards), but the addition of the late Ja’Quan Williams as a transfer gave the Tigers an unmatched 1-2 punch of 1,000-plus yards each.
In the state nal his senior season, the Tigers beat West Montgomery 42-14 as Sutton ran for 186 yards and two touchdowns and Williams 174 yards and a score.
The game plan of Sutton running to the left tackle and then Williams hitting the right tackle hole was unstoppable for the Warrriors.
Yet Sutton had no issues with fewer carries or sharing
Panther Sophia Jones had even kills, seven aces and six blocks during a close win over Trask and 15 kills against WRH as ED split the season series with the Bulldogs.
cords in back-to-back seasons.
Maggie Brown had eight kills and Marissa Bernal ve kills, ve aces and 18 digs in the victory over Hobbton for the Rebels’ fth win in their last six matches.
Lilly Fulghum added 10 digs and 20 assists.
That streak ended two days later when Three Rivers 4A Conference leader North Lenoir came to town on the Rebels’ Pink Out for Cancer game, which gave its donations to the Outlaw Foundation.
The Hawks (16-1, 9-0) took sets at 25-17, 25-10 and 25-13 despite digging out what must have felt like a road to China.
Bernal scooped up 27 digs, and Fulghum and Gracie Higginbotham had 18 apiece.
the workload. In fact, he welcomed it.
“We were brothers, and I loved having someone I could lean on. He was there to battle with me,” Sutton said of Williams, who died 13 months ago.
“For that matter all my teammates were my brothers on the eld.
“My O-line was Korey Bedding eld, Eric Smith, Brandon Coates, Jalahne Stround and Donald Brinson. All brothers. They were gritty. They got down and dirty and o ered no excuses. We just wanted to win.
It was us against the world.”
Sutton played in the exclusive Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas in the summer after winning a triple jump title at the NCHSAA state meet.
“I literally did it once and quali ed for the region meet, so I had was literally three track meets and won the state event,” said Sutton, who was taught a simple jumping technique by track coach Alex Scott.
NC State had promised him
NL, the No. 1 RPI school in the East, has won its last 12 matches by a 3-0 count and has 14 of its 17 wins by the same score.
North Duplin is No. 25 in RPI among 2A schools in North Carolina.
Panther break skid vs. ’Dawgs, win seventh straight
Zoe Cavanaugh and Kinsey Cave combined for 17 kills and 10 aces last Monday when East Duplin beat WRH 3-0 (25-13, 25-9, 25-20) to end a seven-game skid against its archrival, which beat the Panthers 3-0 on Sept. 14. East Duplin (17-2, 7-0) also picked up ECC wins over
a spot but sent him to Lackawanna (Pa.) Junior College to raise his grades for the Wolfpack.
“There were 19 running backs in the room, and I’ll have to admit the cold weather there made it a struggle until I adjusted,” said Sutton, who was second in the depth chart.
“I enjoyed it there because they never tried to teach me how to run. They marveled at how I ran. It was Running Back University, and all six of the running backs touched the league (NFL) in some way.”
Sutton ran for 469 yards as a freshman and 907 yards the following season, and all the big major football Division I universities were vying for him.
“The plan was to stay a year and go back to NC State, but I got comfortable because they took o the training wheels and let me run,” he said. “I broke loose and Tennessee, Arizona State, Missouri and even Alabama wanted me, though as a slot receiver and I didn’t want to play that position.
TOWN OF TEACHEY
Southwest Onslow and Trask, andit led the conference by two games over the Titans (12-5, 5-2) and Clinton (11-6, 5-2), who the Panthers play this week.
Coach Susan Raynor’s squad has won seven straight and can clinch the regular season title with two wins in its next three matches. The Panthers already have wins over its last two foes — Pender (5-13, 1-6) and South Lenoir (3-14, 1-6).
The loss for WRH came after it had given Midway (11-6, 10-1) its rst conference loss in 52 matches.
Yet the most symbolic victory in terms of the playo s was nipping the Titans, which won the rst set 25-21 before the Panthers took the next three nail-biting sets (25-21, 25-22, 25-20).
Turner had 12 kills and three aces, Cavanaugh 19 kills and 13 digs and Cave nine kills and 4 assists.
Karsyn Parker added 15 digs, while sophomore Sophia Jones had her best match of the season, banging home seven kills, seven aces and a team-high six blocks.
Parker stroked 12 aces against the Stallions as ED won 3-0 (25-12, 25-13, 25-15).
ED is the No. 1 RPI school in the 4A East and No. 2 in the state.
WRH recovered from the Panthers loss by beating Spring Creek 3-1 and Rosewood 3-0.
The Bulldogs close out the regular season this week against James Kenan (7-12, 3-8).
WRH is the No. 3 RPI school in 3A in the state.
By then Sutton weighed 200 pounds and an association with Lincoln Riley — who had tried to recruit Sutton to East Carolina after high school — took him to Oklahoma.
“He put Coach (Bob) Stoops on the phone, and I ew there in two weeks,” Sutton said. In his rst season in Sooner-land, Sutton played 13 games, ran for 130 yards and caught three passes for 32 yards. The 10-yard-per-touch stat had the OU sta looking for big things from Sutton by his senior season.
But he fractured his leg and played just six games. The Sooners lost 45-34 to No. 2 Alabama in the Orange Bowl in the national semi nals, and Clemson beat the Tide to win the crown.
But the Seattle Seahawks invited him to training camp the following year.
“They told me it would take 12 months to heal, but I was sent home when the pains in my legs were so bad I couldn’t
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
NCAA BASKETBALL
Tarleton State places Gillispie on leave after anonymous complaint
Stephenville, Texas
Tarleton State says it has placed men’s basketball coach Billy Gillispie on temporary administrative leave after receiving an anonymous complaint. The former Kentucky coach who also led the programs at Texas A&M and Texas Tech has been at Tarleton State for ve seasons. Gillispie faced allegations of player mistreatment at Texas Tech, where he spent one season. Tarleton State said associate head coach Glynn Cyprien is lling in for Gillispie. The Texans open the regular season Nov. 3 at SMU.
MLB
Phillies star Harper announces birth of fourth child ahead of NLDS opener
Philadelphia Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper and wife, Kayla, have welcomed their fourth child, Hayes Three Harper, ahead of Saturday’s playo opener. The Harpers shared the news on Instagram, announcing their son was born last Thursday. Harper, a two-time National League MVP, was in the lineup for Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Earlier in April, Harper used a blue bat for a gender reveal during a game. Harper and Kayla already have three children: a son named Krew and two daughters, Brooklyn and Kamryn.
practice,” Sutton said. “I beat guys out and was ready to play.” Sutton played a year in the Continental Football League in 2021 before retiring.
He’s living in Oklahoma City and working as a crane operator.
“I still love the game and am thankful for the people who helped me out along the way,” said the 29-year-old, “which includes my uncle (Kyete Holmes), mom (Shelia Hobbs), the Avents, Michael Jarman and Leeron Boykin and all my teammates and workout partners.”
Sutton also had bad timing. After working out for the Dolphins, Ravens, Falcons and Jets the NFL shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
These days his “workouts” come from raising his two children — Kehlani Berrios, 8, and Milana Sutton, 3.
“It’s now about being a great dad and a good businessman,” he said.
The Public Hearing for the Town of Teachey to consider lowering the current tax rate and amending the current budget will be 10/13/25 @ 6:00 pm at the Teachey Town Hall in Teachey, NC 28464. Any questions or concerns call 910-285-7564.
EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL
HOF
RUSHING
East Duplin senior fullback Shawn Davis carries the ball.
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
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 believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.
Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 File No.: 23-32293-FC01
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA DUPLIN COUNTY FILE#25E001358-300 The undersigned, SHAMIKA PITTMAN-PICKETT, having quali ed on the 16TH DAY of SEPTEMBER, 2025, as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of DONNIE VELMA PITTMAN, deceased, of DUPLIN County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 25TH Day of DECEMBER 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 25TH Day of SEPTEMBER 2025.
SHAMIKA PITTMAN-PICKETT, ADMINISTRATOR 431 JOE HOP WILLIAMS RD. BEULAVILLE, NC 28518 Run dates:S25,O2,9,16p
EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL
obituaries
Wisbon Lee Newton Jr.
May 2, 1940 – Sept. 30, 2025
Wisbon Lee Newton Jr., 85, of Harrells, NC, passed away September 30, 2025, at his residence. Funeral service will be at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 11, 2025, at Roseville Baptist Church in Willard, NC. Visitation will be from 1-2 p.m. (one hour prior to the service)—interment following the service at Roseville Baptist Church Cemetery.
Swindell Isler
Feb. 26, 1945 – Oct. 3, 2025
Goldsboro- Mr. Swindell Isler, 80, completed his earthly journey and transitioned from labor to reward, Friday, October 3, 2025, at UNC Health, surrounded by his loved ones. The arrangements are currently incomplete. Please keep the family lifter in prayer.
Norman Christopher James
July 14, 1969 – Oct. 1, 2025
Norman Christopher James, 56, of Willard, NC, passed away in Burgaw, NC on October 1, 2025. Funeral service will be 1 p.m. on Monday, October 6, 2025, at First Baptist Church, Teachey, 307 Log Cabin Rd. E Teachey, NC. Viewing will be noon - 1 p.m. (one hour prior to the service). Interment will follow the Riverview Memorial Park & Mausoleum service in Willard, NC.
Annette Boyette Kernstine
Jan. 28, 1936 – Sept. 30, 2025
Annette Boyette Kernstine, 89, of Hope, Michigan, formerly of Warsaw, N.C., passed away peacefully on September 30, 2025.
Annette was born on January 28, 1936, the third of four children to the late John Wright Boyette, Sr. and E e McGowan Boyette.
Annette was a 1954 graduate of Warsaw High School. In 1958, she graduated from UNC Woman’s College in Greensboro, N.C., with a Bachelor of Science degree in Secretarial Administration.
Subsequent secretarial jobs were held with N.C. State Grange, N.C. Dairy Association, and S.C. Dairy Association.
Annette was married to Van Arthur Kernstine for 59 years until his passing in 2018. She met Van in Greensboro in May of 1955. They married in November 1958, following her graduation and Van’s four years of service in the U.S. Air Force. They lived in Greensboro until moving to Chester, S.C., in 1964. In 1969, Annette and Van returned to Warsaw, where they opened and operated a Sears Catalog Merchant Store until it closed in 1993. Annette was a member of Johnson Baptist Church for most of her life, where she faithfully served as pianist for many of those years. She is survived by two sons and one daughter: Art Kernstine (Vicki) of Cumming, GA, Sonya Alexander (Curt) of Hope, MI, and Mitchell Kernstine (Mary) of Powhatan, VA, nine grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Van Kernstine, a sister, Marie Waters, a brother, Boyce Boyette, her brother, John Wright (JW) Boyette, Jr. The funeral will take place at Johnson Baptist Church in Warsaw on Monday, Oct. 6, with visitation starting at 10 a.m., followed by an 11 a.m. service.
Memorials in her memory may be made to: Optimal Hospice (801 Rosehill Road, Jackson, MI 49202), Medilodge of Midland (4900 Hedgewood Dr., Midland, MI 48640-1928), Seasons Adult Day Health Services (4700 Dublin Avenue, Midland, MI 48642), amd Johnson Baptist Church (477 Johnson Church Road, Warsaw, NC 28398).
Ruth Barnhill Thomas
April 12, 1942 – Oct. 1, 2025
Mrs. Ruth Barnhill Thomas, aka “Monk”, age 83, of Jacksonville, NC, passed away at home on Wednesday, October 1, 2025.
A viewing will begin at 11 a.m. on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at Abundant Life International Cathedral in Jacksonville, NC, followed immediately by the funeral service at noon.. Burial will be held on Friday, October 10, 2025, at 10 a.m. at Coastal Carolina Veterans Cemetery in Jacksonville, NC.
Left to cherish her precious memories are her husband, Michael Thomas of Jacksonville, NC; two sons: Rusty Pernell Barnhill of Jacksonville, NC and Eric Thomas of Cheyanne, WY; three daughters: Angela Newkirk of Jacksonville, NC, Lucretia Lovick (Robino) of Murfreesboro, TN, and Donna Timms (Jerry) of Rex, GA; twentythree grandchildren, thirty greatgrandchildren; two aunts: Alice Chasten and Dorothy Chasten; one uncle, Kenneth R. Chasten (Mable); a great aunt, Josephine Page; a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends that will miss her dearly.
Please send potted owers or make monetary donations in lieu of standing sprays. *The veteran cemetery will not accept them*
Wilber Woolard Bailey
Jan. 28, 1936 – Oct. 1, 2025
Wilber W. Bailey, 77, passed away on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, in ECU Duplin Hospital in Kenansville, NC.
He was preceded in death by his spouse, Edna Bailey, parents, Hallie and Wilbur Bailey and a sister, Faye Hill.
He is survived by his sister, Joyce Harrell (Kenneth) of Bear Grass; grandchildren Gavin Holmes, Braden Crumpler, Cash Bailey, Skyar Bailey, Joseph Bailey and Taylor Smith; and nieces Kim Sears, Renee Harrell and Joanna Bristow.
Community Funeral Home of Beulaville is honored to serve the Bailey family.
Celebrated primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall dead at 91
Her chimpanzee research changed the understanding of how apes live and interact
By Hallie Golden The Associated Press
JANE GOODALL, the intellectual, soft-spoken conservationist renowned for her groundbreaking, immersive chimpanzee eld research in which she documented the primates’ distinct personalities and use of tools, has died. She was 91.
The environmental advocate became a beloved household name who transcended generations through her appearances in documentaries and on television, as well as her travels to address packed auditoriums around the world.
The Jane Goodall Institute announced the primatologist’s death last Wednesday in an Instagram post. According to the Washington, D.C.based institute, Goodall died of natural causes while in California on a U.S. speaking tour.
Her discoveries “revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world,” it said.
While living among chimpanzees in Africa decades ago, Goodall documented them doing activities previously believed to be exclusive to humans. Her observations and subsequent magazine and documentary appearances in the 1960s transformed how the world perceived not only humans’ closest living biological relatives but also the emotional and social complexity of all animals, while propelling her into the public consciousness.
“Out there in nature by myself, when you’re alone, you can become part of nature and your humanity doesn’t get in the way,” she told The Associated Press in 2021. “It’s almost like an out- of-body experience when suddenly you hear di erent sounds and you smell di erent smells and you’re actually part of this amazing tapestry of life.”
Goodall never lost hope for future
She had been scheduled to meet with students and teachers last Wednesday to launch the planting of 5,000 trees around wild re burn zones in the Los Angeles area. Organizers learned of her death as the event was to begin at EF Academy in Pasadena, said spokesperson Shawna Marino. The rst tree was planted in Goodall’s name after a moment of silence.
“I don’t think there’s any better way to honor her legacy than having a thousand children gathered for her,” Marino said.
Goodall in her later years devoted decades to education and advocacy on humanitarian causes and protecting the natural world. In her British accent, she was known for balancing the grim realities of the climate crisis with a sincere message of hope for the future.
From her base in the British coastal town of Bournemouth, she traveled nearly 300 days a year, even after she turned 90, for public speeches. Between more serious messages, her speeches often featured her whooping like a chimpanzee or lamenting that Tarzan chose the wrong Jane.
Tributes from animal rights organizations, political leaders and admirers poured in following news of her death.
“I’m deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Jane Goodall, our dear Messenger
of Peace. She is leaving an extraordinary legacy for humanity & our planet,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
Nature broadcaster Chris Packham re ected on her relentless advocacy until the very end.
“In many ways Jane just died on the job,” he said. “The job that her life became. And that was protecting life on earth.”
Living among chimpanzees
While rst studying chimps in Tanzania in the early 1960s, Goodall was known for her unconventional approach. She didn’t simply observe them from afar but immersed herself in every aspect of their lives. She fed them and gave them names instead of numbers, which some scientists criticized.
Her ndings were circulated to millions when she rst appeared on the cover of National Geographic in 1963 and then in a popular documentary. A collection of photos of Goodall in the eld helped her and even some of the chimps become famous. One iconic image showed her crouching across from the infant chimpanzee named Flint. Each has arms outstretched, reaching for the other.
In 1972, the Sunday Times published an obituary for Flo, Flint’s mother and the dominant matriarch. Flint died soon after showing signs of grief and losing weight.
“What the chimps have taught me over the years is they’re so like us. They’ve blurred the line between humans and animals,″ she said in 1997.
University of St. Andrews primatologist Catherine Hobaiter, who studies communication in chimpanzees, said that when she rst heard Goodall speak, it transformed her view of science.
“It was the rst time as a young scientist working with wild apes and wild chimpanzees that I got to hear that it was OK to feel something,” she said.
Goodall earned top civilian honors from a number of countries. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2025 by thenU.S. President Joe Biden and in 2021 won the prestigious Templeton Prize, which honors individuals whose life’s work embodies a fusion of science and spirituality.
The Humane World for Animals said Goodall’s in uence on the animal protection community was immeasurable.
“Her work on behalf of primates and all animals will never be forgotten,” said Kitty Block, president and CEO of the group formerly the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International.
BELA SZANDELSZKY / AP PHOTO
Primatologist Jane Goodall kisses Pola, a 14-monthold chimpanzee baby from the Budapest Zoo that she symbolically adopted in Budapest, Hungary, in 2004.
Stanly NewS Journal
Fini ight
Army Chief Warrant O cer 4 Garrett Illerbrunn of Pinehurst sits in a helicopter during his retirement ceremony and symbolic “ ni ight” on Sunday at the Pinehurst Harness Track. Illerbrunn, a helicopter pilot with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, was severely injured in a drone attack on Erbil Air Base in Northern Iraq on Christmas Day 2023, sustaining a brain injury that left him con ned to a wheelchair and unable to y. The ceremony included a brief lifto of the helicopter and a water salute from two re trucks before Illerbrunn was presented with the Army Commendation Medal.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Supreme Court begins term that will examine Trump’s presidential power
Washington, D.C.
The Supreme Court has opened its new term. In its rst arguments on Monday, the court appeared to be inclined to rule against a criminal defendant from Texas in a case about the constitutional right to a lawyer. A major thrust of the next 10 months is expected to be the justices’ evaluation of President Donald Trump’s claims of presidential power. Pivotal cases on voting and LGBTQ rights also are on the agenda. On Tuesday, the justices heard arguments over bans passed by many states on therapy aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity.
Weiss named new editor-in-chief of CBS News after Paramount buys her website
New York Paramount is buying the successful news commentary website The Free Press and installed its founder, Bari Weiss, as editor-in-chief of CBS News. The move, while anticipated, is a bold one for David Ellison, new corporate leader of Paramount and CBS. Weiss will report directly to Ellison and be responsible for shaping editorial priorities and driving innovation at CBS News. Ellison said he believes the majority of the country wants news that is balanced and fact-based, and he wants CBS to be their home. “I am con dent her entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News.”
SCC to host grand opening event for Trades Facility
The public is invited to attend the event on Thursday
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
ALBEMARLE — Stanly
Community College will hold a grand opening celebration on Thursday for its new Trades Facility, a $12 million investment designed to strengthen technical education and workforce development in the region. The 31,600-square-foot facility is complete, and classes are o cially underway.
The dedication event will take place on Thursday from 4-7 p.m. at the facility located behind the Morton-Moftt Cosmetology Center on the college’s Albemarle campus at 141 College Drive.
The public is invited to attend the community-wide
Classes are taking place at Stanly Community College’s new 36,000-square-foot Trades Facility in Albemarle.
dedication, where visitors can tour the new space, meet instructors and learn how SCC is preparing students for high-demand careers in the skilled trades such as advanced
Stanly Health Department worker receives Order of the Long Leaf Pine award
Wendy Dorsey Rachels was given the state’s highest civilian honor
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
ALBEMARLE — A longtime public servant with more than three decades of experience in human services has been honored with North Carolina’s highest civilian award. Wendy Dorsey Rachels, a supervisor with the Stanly County Health Department’s adult Medicaid unit, received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine during the Stanly County
Consolidated Human Services Board meeting on Oct. 2.
The award was presented by Stanly County Health and Human Services Director Dolly Clayton.
According to the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Society, the recognition is bestowed upon individuals “for exemplary service to the State of North Carolina and their communities that is above and beyond the call of duty and which has made a signi cant impact and strengthened North Carolina.”
“It is a great honor to present the prestigious Order of
“Her 31year career has left an indelible mark on social services across North Carolina.”
Health and Human Services Director Dolly Clayton
“Hopefully, the commissioners believe that’s a worthwhile investment — not just for now, but for the future, and not just for the community college but for the county itself.” Stanly Community College President John Enamait
manufacturing, construction and engineering technology.
Personalized tours can also be scheduled by visiting stanly.edu and signing up for an in-depth look at the new labs, equipment and classrooms.
At the Stanly County Economic Development Commission meeting on Sept. 29, SCC
President John Enamait said local businesses are already showing interest and touring the facility.
“I must say to this group and to the commissioners, that was a vision realized — seeing not just students learning but a
THE STANLY COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
COURTESY SCC
DAVID SINCLAIR FOR STANLY NEWS JOURNAL
The Stanly Historical Society will host a candlelight tour exploring 19th-century death rituals
Stanly News Journal sta
ALBEMARLE — The Stanly County Historical Society will present an encore candlelight tour exploring Victorian mourning customs at the 1852 Isaiah Snuggs House on Oct. 25 from 6-8 p.m. The event honors the memory of Ellen Milton Snuggs, who died Feb. 24, 1886, three days after giving birth to her fth child. She left behind her husband, Isaiah Wilson Snuggs, and their children. Isaiah Snuggs, the county’s ninth sheri , was a Confederate Army veteran who lost his right leg at age 17 during the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse. After the war, he worked as a saddle maker and married Ellen Milton in 1874. He later held several local ofces, including treasurer and register of deeds, and was a
COURTESY STANLY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY The Snuggs family, pictured circa 1885. Left to right: William Henry, Isaiah Wilson, Bertha Estella, Mary Cleveland, Ellen Douglas Milton and Edgar Eugene Snuggs.
successful businessman with investments in real estate and timber.
The house where the couple lived is the oldest dwelling in Albemarle that still stands
on its original site. Originally built as a small log cabin in 1852, Snuggs purchased and expanded it into a two-story home for his growing family. The house has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1995.
Visitors to the Oct. 25 event will walk through rooms decorated in period style, with draped mirrors and portraits covered in black — symbolic gestures believed to ward o lingering spirits and re ect the solemnity of mourning. A Victorian-era hair wreath and locket containing Ellen’s hair, on loan from the Stanly County Museum, will also be on display.
Docents will guide guests through the customs, superstitions and social expectations surrounding death in the 1800s, from mourning attire to the practice of stopping clocks at the time of death.
The house is located at 112 N. Third St. in downtown Albemarle. Admission is free, but cash donations will be accepted to support the Historical Society’s preservation and programming e orts.
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in and around Stanly County.
Oct.
11
Albemarle Downtown Farmers Market
8 a.m. to noon
Featuring locally grown, created and crafted items available for purchase from vendors from across Stanly County.
Market Station 501 W. Main St. Albemarle
Oct. 19
Historical Badin Hardaway Powwow Noon – 5 p.m.
Festivities include music, dancing, storytelling and educational exhibits. Native American crafts are available for purchase.
Farm Bureau Lifestock Arena 26130 Newt Road Albemarle
Sept. 29
• Travari Javon AllenSmith, 21, was arrested for carrying a concealed gun and possession of rearm by felon.
Sept. 30
• Brian Keith Fraser, 57, was arrested for felony possession of schedule II controlled substance, possession of rearm by felon and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Oct. 1
• Mark Anthony Willimas, 36, was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Alston Paul Burr, 19, was arrested for felony hit and run with serious injury or death.
Oct. 2
• Steven O’Neal Woody, 35, was arrested for driving while license revoked, reckless driving with wanton disregard, assault on a government o cial/ employee and resisting a public o cer.
Oct. 4
• Shelina Barton, 53, was arrested for felony
possession of schedule II controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Terrell Wayne Hammonds, 52, was arrested for felony possession of schedule II controlled substance, felony possession of cocaine, driving while impaired, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while license revoked and expired registration.
Oct. 5
• Kevin Leronzo Brown, 57, was arrested for resisting a public o cer.
Oct. 30
Downtown Trick or Treat 5-7 p.m.
Downtown businesses and community groups will welcome trick-or-treaters as part of the city’s fall festival. A costume contest will be open to children ages 10 and under. Stop by Courthouse Square to sign up. Trick-or-treat will take place at businesses along North
Albemarle
THE CONVERSATION
Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
Hamas doesn’t want peace
In a perfect world, this agreement appears to be a reasonable solution to a brutal war in Gaza.
THE POLITICAL WORLD is alight with anticipation and excitement after President Donald Trump released his 20-point peace proposal for Gaza, built around three central pillars: immediate de-escalation, humanitarian relief and redevelopment, and a long-term political framework.
First, the plan calls for a complete cease re and Israeli withdrawal from active operations in exchange for the release of all hostages held by Hamas — alive and dead — within 72 hours of Israel’s acceptance. This exchange would also include the return of almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas members who renounce violence could receive amnesty or safe passage abroad, while those remaining would be required to decommission weapons under international monitoring. Importantly, the proposal sets a clear standard: Gaza must become a “terror-free” zone with no militant infrastructure, with Israel committing not to annex or occupy Gaza once security conditions are met.
Second, the plan focuses heavily on humanitarian aid and economic revitalization. Aid would ow in immediately under international supervision, while a transitional governance system would be established — a technocratic Palestinian committee overseen by an international “Board of Peace” chaired by Trump, with gures like Tony Blair — yes, the man who set Iraq on re — also involved.
This body would coordinate reconstruction, create a special economic zone and attract investment, modeled on other “miracle cities” in the Middle East, envisioning an international stabilization force to secure Gaza alongside newly trained Palestinian police, while Israel gradually withdraws.
Finally, the proposal outlines a political horizon. Hamas would be excluded from governance, and Gaza’s future leadership would eventually transition to a reformed Palestinian Authority, with calls for regional guarantees, interfaith dialogue, and a U.S.led process to de ne a path toward Palestinian self-determination and statehood.
In short, the proposal mixes carrots (aid, investment, amnesty, freedom of movement) with sticks (demilitarization, Hamas exclusion, security enforcement), aiming to end the war while positioning Trump as the central broker of Gaza’s future.
Sounds great! There’s only one small problem: The only sticks Hamas cares about are those that can be used to kill more Jews.
When it comes to Hamas — you know, the bloodthirsty terrorist group that started this war after committing the deadliest pogrom in history since the fall of Nazi Germany — the plan would allow any Hamas members who “commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons” to receive amnesty and be permitted to leave safely,
Obamacare is a massive failure; the GOP shouldn’t bail it out
Virtually every promise made by Democrats regarding the A ordable Care Act has failed to come true.
SINCE DEMOCRATS have shut down the federal government because they want another $1.5 trillion bailout of Obamacare, it’s a good time to remind everyone that the law has been a wide-ranging and expensive asco.
Virtually every promise made by Democrats regarding the A ordable Care Act has failed to come true.
Sure, Barack Obama infamously promised that Americans could keep their preferred insurance if they desired. By the end of his second term, around 7 million people had been booted from their insurance because of the A ordable Care Act. Who knows how many have been dropped since.
But let’s also not forget that Obama pledged that the law would reduce family health insurance premiums by “up to” $2,500 annually by the end of his rst term. Premiums not only continued to rise during his presidency, but since 2010, they have spiked from $13,000 to nearly $24,000. Democrats used to love to talk about “bending the cost curve.” Well, congrats. Obama also promised that Obamacare’s state exchanges would enhance competition among insurers and lower costs. Taxpayers are now on the hook for 90% of the cost of those premiums. If the COVID-19-era Obamacare subsidies are allowed to sunset, taxpayers will be responsible for a mere 80%. Without the subsidies, the Congressional Budget O ce predicted that 3.6 million users would leave the exchanges. Obamacare didn’t create better health care insurance options for consumers; it created millions of state dependents.
The Obamacare exchanges were sold as self-su cient engines of capitalism even as Democrats were doing everything to inhibit
market competition. Many Obamacare exchanges now only have a single insurer. Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Humana have all basically abandoned them.
One of the most contentious debates over the A ordable Care Act was the cost. Democrats stressed that the project would cost less than a trillion dollars over a decade. On numerous occasions, Obama promised he would not add “one dime” to the debt. Democrats, in fact, guaranteed the A ordable Care Act would help reduce de cits. If you dared question the estimates, fact-checkers would swarm and call you a liar.
There’s no de nitive number on the debt added by Obamacare since its passage. It is likely in the hundreds of billions of dollars, if not trillions.
Democrats promised that penalties on employers who failed to provide health insurance would bring in “substantial” revenue to allay costs. Once the A ordable Care Act was passed, Obama ignored the law by delaying implementation before “tweaking” the law without any constitutional authority. The employer mandate now brings in only a small fraction of promised returns.
Obama also kept delaying the A ordable Care Act’s “Cadillac tax,” a levy on alleged “gold-plated” private employee plans. The tax was meant to discourage upper- and middle-class workers from obtaining the types of plans Democrats deemed too generous as a way of lowering costs but also raising “revenue.”
Once labor unions found out they also had “gold-plated” plans, well, Democrats dropped the idea, which was repealed in 2019.
The individual mandate, which the Supreme Court miraculously transformed into a “tax,” now exists only in conceptual form despite
while preventing Hamas and other factions from maintaining any governing control over Gaza (guaranteed by regional partners).
Except ... Hamas has no intention of giving up any power, let alone peaceful co-existence with Jews.
Yes, in a perfect world, this agreement appears to be a reasonable solution to a brutal war in Gaza that, while entirely justi ed, has caused widespread su ering and destruction. But we do not live in a perfect world. Instead, we live in a world inhabited by the ideology of radical Islam that plays by entirely di erent rules and views the su ering of its own civilians as a crucial and bene cial strategy of war.
Even if Hamas agrees to this proposal — which they won’t — don’t be fooled: They will never accept defeat because to do so would be to accept that their entire worldview is bogus. When Hamas — with the continued support of the Palestinian people, lest we forget — is motivated by the destruction of Israel, anything less than the continuation of Oct. 7 is unacceptable.
We should all pray for peace, of course, but with the understanding that peace can only be achieved once we achieve something in nitely harder: the vanquishing of Palestinian terrorism. And for that, it’s going to take much more than pen, paper and Tony Blair.
Ian Haworth is a syndicated columnist.
Democrats’ promise that it would generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue. It brings in zero dollars.
So it’s no surprise that Democrats have been demanding Republicans bail out the poorly conceived law since its passage.
When Congress refused to pass new subsidies in 2013, the Obama administration, again without any constitutional authority, ordered the Treasury to create a $7 billion per year appropriation for insurance companies participating in the allegedly self-supporting exchanges.
When a district court ruled that the payments were unconstitutional, Obama ignored the decision. Don’t you love it when Democrats lecture people about norms?
When Democrats added new Obamacare subsidies to the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act to fund those with incomes 400% over the federal poverty line, they sold it as a temporary measure to get through the COVID-19 economy.
Every Democratic leader referred to the subsidies as “a bridge” that was meant to help until the economy rebounded from the pandemic.
Here we are in 2025. You know what they say about temporary government programs.
Aside from all the failed promises, the passage of Obamacare broke American politics. For the rst time in U.S. history, a party rammed through a massive national reform without any input from half the country. In their e ort to appease a handful of moderates in their party, Democrats larded up Obamacare with unenforceable mandates, taxes and bureaucratic complexities that created the illusion of a ordability.
When they still couldn’t pass the bill using the traditional lawmaking process, they blew up a bunch of governing norms to do it.
Now Democrats have shut the government down to try and force Republicans to help prop up this disastrous law. The GOP would be nuts to help them.
David Harsanyi
is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner.
COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI
COLUMN | IAN HAWORTH
Kids in New York keep dying while ‘subway sur ng’ on top of trains — can they be stopped?
More than a dozen youths have been killed in the past few years
By Cedar Attanasio
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Ka’Von
Wooden loved trains. The 15-year-old had an encyclopedic knowledge of New York City’s subway system and dreamed of becoming a train operator.
Instead, on a December morning in 2022, Ka’Von died after he climbed to the roof of a moving J train in Brooklyn and then fell onto the tracks as it headed onto the Williamsburg Bridge.
He is one of more than a dozen New Yorkers, many young boys, who have been killed or badly injured after falling o speeding trains. Other risks include being crushed between the train and tunnel walls and being electrocuted by high-voltage subway tracks. “Subway sur ng” dates back a century, but it has been fueled by social media.
Two girls found dead Saturday
Early Saturday morning, New York City police found two girls dead — ages 12 and 13 — in what apparently was a subway sur ng game that turned out to be fatal, authorities said.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority President Demetrius Crichlow said in a statement that “getting on top of a subway car isn’t ‘sur ng’ — it’s suicide.”
Authorities have tried to address the problem with public awareness campaigns — including a new one featuring Grammy Award-winning rapper Cardi B — and by deploying drones to catch thrill-seekers in the act. But for some, a more fundamental question is not being addressed: Why are kids like Ka’Von able to climb on top of subway cars in the rst place?
“When Ka’Von died ... literally two weeks later, another child died. And another one. That makes no sense,” his mother, Y’Vonda Maxwell, told The Associated Press, saying transit and law enforcement ocials haven’t done enough. “Why should my child have not been the end?”
MTA says it’s studying issue
Making trains harder to climb and train surfers more easy to
AWARD from page A1
the Long Leaf Pine to Wendy Dorsey Rachels, a dedicated public servant,” Clayton said. “Her 31-year career has left an indelible mark on social services across North Carolina.”
Rachels began her public service career in 1994 at the Stanly County Department of Social Services after earning degrees in English and biology from UNC Charlotte. She initially worked in the Medicaid
detect with cameras and sensors could be part of the solution, some experts say. The MTA, which operates the subway system, has said it is studying the issue. But it has yet to report any broad new rollout of technology or physical barriers that might make it harder for people to get on top of trains.
In June, Crichlow told a news conference to introduce a new public awareness campaign that the MTA was experimenting with pieces of circular rubber tubing designed to prevent a person from being able to climb between two cars to the top of a train.
It was being piloted in between two cars to make sure it would t into the tight spacing of the tunnels and that it wouldn’t break down or harm service or riders, he said.
“So far the equipment seems to be holding up,” he said.
Six deaths so far this year from subway sur ng
Six people died sur ng subway trains in the city last year, up from ve in 2023.
Tyesha Elcock, the MTA worker who operated the train Ka’Von rode the day he died, is among those who thinks more should be done to prevent deaths.
The rst sign of trouble that
and Family Services programs, where she developed a commitment to supporting vulnerable populations that guided her throughout her career.
She later joined Cabarrus County DSS, advancing from caseworker to supervisor and helping launch a supervisor leadership team that emphasized mentorship and continuous improvement.
In 2006, Rachels began working with the North Carolina Department of Health
day was when the train’s emergency brake kicked in, she said.
Elcock discovered Ka’Von’s body between the train’s seventh and eighth cars. A group of sad-faced teens on the train made it clear what had happened. “Did y’all leave your friend back there?” she asked them.
Elcock said another operator traveling in the opposite direction saw Ka’Von on the train’s roof and reported it over a radio. Because of patchy radio service, she said, she didn’t get the warning.
But she thinks an even simpler solution could have saved Ka’Von’s life: locking the doors at the ends of subway cars. That would cut o access to the narrow gaps between train cars where subway surfers use handholds to hoist themselves onto the roof.
“Lock it when we’re in service so people can’t climb up and be on top of the train,” Elcock said.
The MTA’s leaders have said they are looking into possible ways to prevent subway sur ng, including engineering solutions, but the agency declined to make any of its safety experts available for an interview.
In 2023, Richard Davey, then the head of buses and subways for the MTA, said o cials were “weighing” the option of locking doors between cars — which is now done only on a handful of
and Human Services, rst as a Work First program consultant before becoming a founding member of the operational support team.
She played a major role in the statewide implementation of NC FAST, serving as the sole program consultant supporting counties across North Carolina. She then became a continuous quality improvement specialist, overseeing a 14-county region that included Mecklenburg County.
1980s-era trains. But he said that locking doors “brings its own risk.” Some New Yorkers have complained that locking the passageways between train cars might prevent them from escaping to another part of the train during an emergency.
Under questioning from City Council members and reporters last year, MTA o cials ruled out some other physical interventions, including building more barriers to prevent access to tracks or putting covers over the gaps between train cars to prevent would-be surfers from climbing up.
“Listen, you have to be able to do work on top of a train car,” MTA CEO Janno Lieber said at a news conference, adding that you can’t “cover it with barbed wire.”
MTA asks social media companies to help stop trend
The MTA has asked social media companies to take down videos glamorizing subway surfing and reported in June that, in 2025, more than 1,800 videos had been taken down.
It’s also promoted public service announcements telling people to “Ride inside, stay alive,” in voices of local teens and, with the city’s schools, released a comic-book themed
In 2025, after retiring from state service, Rachels returned to her home county to lead the adult Medicaid unit in Stanly.
“Throughout her distinguished career as a lifelong volunteer, Wendy Dorsey Rachels has demonstrated unwavering dedication, leadership and compassion,” Clayton said.
“Please join me in honoring her exceptional service to the people of North Carolina and Stanly County through the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.”
campaign this past summer designed to show the dangers of subway sur ng and impact on loved ones.
More than 300,000 New York City school children use the subway to get to and from school each day.
The NYPD reported that arrests of alleged subway surfers rose to 229 last year, up from 135 the year before. Most were boys, with an average age of around 14, according to police. The youngest was 9 years old.
Branislav Dimitrijevic, an engineering professor of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, said retro tting trains to prevent roof access would be expensive.
“There’s so many stories in transportation where things can be xed, but they cost a lot of money,” Dimitrijevic said. “And then you ask the public, ’Are you willing to (pay) for us to x this? But your taxes would go up tremendously.’ And people say ‘no.’”
Dimitrijevic suggested the MTA might be able to install cameras and use arti cial intelligence to detect riders trying to climb a train. Andrew Albert, a nonvoting member of the MTA board, said he has been asking the agency about the plausibility of physical sensors but hasn’t gotten a response.
The NYPD has patrolled popular subway sur ng routes with eld response teams and drones, reporting in July that it had used them to make 200 rescues, mostly of teens. But the missions can’t be everywhere at once. They also say they make home visits to the homes of subway surfers they’ve identi ed. Trains in some other cities, such as Hong Kong and Dubai, aren’t easily climbable. They have streamlined bodies, lack handles on the outside and don’t open between cars.
Some rail systems have resorted to extreme tactics to keep people from riding on top of trains. In Indonesia, railway o cials once installed hanging metal ails to try and deter passengers from riding atop train cars to avoid overcrowding. They also tried spraying riders with red paint and hitting them with brooms.
The MTA purchased a few new subway cars that don’t have the outdoor gaps exploited by subway surfers, but they represent just a sliver of the number currently in service and won’t be deployed on lines popular for sur ng anytime soon.
Rachels is also active in the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary, where she has held numerous leadership roles. Under her guidance, the auxiliary has earned national honors and established a $12,500 fellowship endowment to support North Carolina students.
“We are super excited to have her here,” Clayton said. “Beyond her professional excellence, Wendy is deeply committed to community service, especially supporting veterans.”
NC 28001
SETH WENIG / AP PHOTO
Trains arrive and depart from a subway station in the Coney Island section of New York, earlier this year.
Judge rejects claims of racial gerrymandering in state Senate districts
It a ects lines going through some 20 counties
in northeast N.C.
By Gary D. Robertson
The Associated Press
RALEIGH — A pair of northeastern North Carolina legislative districts can remain intact, a federal judge ruled last week, rejecting black voters’ claims that state Republicans illegally manipulated the boundaries to prevent them from electing their favored candidates.
Ruling after a trial held nearly eight months ago, U.S. District Judge James Dever sided with GOP legislative leaders who were sued in November 2023 over two state Senate districts in a statewide map the General Assembly approved weeks earlier.
The two plainti s — one of them now a Democratic state House member — argued that the lines violated Section 2 of the U.S. Voting Rights Act through race-based discrimination, and that the lawmakers should have created a majority-black district instead.
The lines cover close to 20 counties that include a region known as the “Black Belt,” where the African American population is signi cant — reaching a majority in some counties — and politically cohesive. Last November, white Republicans were elected to the two district seats.
The partisan makeup of the Senate is critical for the prospects of both parties. Republicans currently hold 30 of the 50 seats — the minimum required for a veto-proof majority. Senate Democrats could uphold
Gov. Josh Stein’s vetoes with one more seat.
In a 126-page order, Dever wrote that plainti s Moses Matthews and Rep. Rodney Pierce lacked standing to challenge one Senate district because neither lived in that district. Otherwise, he said, they failed to provide enough evidence to prove that the lines diluted black voting power.
Dever said Republican lawmakers did not have access to racial data in their mapping computers in part because North Carolina redistricting lit-
igation during the 2010s determined that racially polarized voting in the state was not legally signi cant.
He noted that 2024 elections based on statewide House and Senate maps approved in 2023 resulted in African American candidates winning 38 of the 170 seats — a proportion in line with the state’s black population, he wrote.
“This case does not involve the General Assembly engaging in race-based districting or the odious practice of sorting voters based on race,” Dever wrote,
SCC from page A1
potential employer in the facility,” Enamait said.
“Hopefully, the commissioners believe that’s a worthwhile investment — not just for now but for the future, and not just for the community college but for the county itself. It really was a full-circle morning, so many thanks to the commissioners and Stanly County Manager Andy Lucas for the support of that facility.”
The Trades Facility serves as a hub for hands-on learning, o ering expanded space for programs such as air conditioning, heating and refrigeration technology, computer-integrated machining, heavy equipment operations, electronics engineering technology, mechatronics engineering technology, welding technology and electrical lineworker training.
In addition to enhancing existing o erings, SCC has launched new programs in plumbing, electrical systems technology and building construction technology to
citing a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling. He said the case record demonstrates northeastern North Carolina communities include black voting blocs that form coalitions with other racial and ethnic groups to elect their favored candidates.
“Black voters in northeast North Carolina and throughout North Carolina have elected candidates of their choice (both white and black) with remarkable frequency and success for decades,” wrote Dever, who was nominated to the bench by President George W.
“This case does not involve the General Assembly engaging in race-based districting or the odious practice of sorting voters based on race.”
U.S. District Judge James Dever
Bush. ”Plainti s ignore the progress that North Carolina has made over the past 60 years and seek to use Section 2 to sort voters by race in order to squeeze one more Democratic Senate district into the map.” Attorneys for Pierce and Matthews didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment on the ruling, which could be appealed to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2024, both Dever and a 4th District panel declined to block the use of the two districts while the case went to trial.
Republicans have said that lawfully partisan considerations inform their decision-making on redistricting.
Republican state Senate leader Phil Berger said on X that the court con rmed that the General Assembly “was right not to use race in its redistricting process” and that the Voting Rights Act “can’t be weaponized to make up for the shortcomings of the Democratic Party.”
The northeastern North Carolina Senate districts also are being challenged within a broader redistricting case that remains before a panel of three federal judges. The trial, which involved two lawsuits alleging racial gerrymandering in a handful of U.S. House and state Senate districts approved in 2023, concluded in July. No ruling has yet been entered. Candidate ling begins in December for General Assembly primary elections scheduled in March.
SCC
meet the growing demand for skilled trade workers across the region.
The SCC Foundation is also o ering naming opportunities for 19 areas within the facility, with donation levels ranging from $2,500 to $75,000.
Four of those spaces have already been purchased. Anyone interested in pledging a donation can contact Nicole Williams, foundation executive director, at nwilliams8263@stanly.edu or 704 -991-0281.
COURTESY
Stanly Community College’s new Trades Facility in Albemarle is now open to the public.
HANNAH SCHOENBAUM / AP PHOTO
A sergeant-at-arms in the North Carolina Senate passes out copies of a map proposal for new state Senate districts during a committee hearing at the Legislative O ce Building in Raleigh in 2023.
Vann Matthews
Aug. 16, 1932 – Oct. 1, 2025
Mr. Vann Matthews, age 93, of Mint Hill, North Carolina passed away on Wednesday, October 1, 2025 at his home.
A native of Elberton, Georgia, Vann was born to the late Arthur James Matthews and Carrie Byrd Matthews on August 16, 1932. He was a United States Air Force Veteran of the Korean War and a member of First Church of God in Charlotte. Vann was a business owner in the Charlotte community for 42 years. He was a lover of antique cars and was a member of Queen City Model A Club
Robert “Bob” Angus McLean
March 1, 1939 –Sept. 27, 2025
Robert McLean, age 86, of Mount Gilead (Pee Dee), North Carolina, passed away peacefully at his home on September 27, 2025.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, October 11, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. at Stoney Fork Baptist Church in Mount Gilead, o ciated by Rev. Dwight Mabry. Inurnment will follow at Zion United Methodist Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends two hours prior to the service at the church.
Born on March 1, 1939, Bob was the eldest of seven children and was raised with a deep appreciation for hard work, family, and faith. His early years were spent helping his parents farm milo, corn, and peanuts— experiences that shaped his enduring character and resilience.
Bob was known throughout his life for his smooth roller skating and easy charm. In his adult years, he held positions with Collins & Aikman, Pee Dee Hosiery, Better Burger, and the North Carolina ABC Board. He was admired for his reliability, good nature, and the respect he earned from coworkers and customers alike.
An avid sherman, Bob was a ectionately known as “Sandbag Bob.” He found
OBITUARIES
and Hornet’s Nest AACA. Vann was also an avid beekeeper and enjoyed gifting honey to family and friends. He was preceded in death by his infant daughter, Susan Kay Matthews and by his ve siblings.
Vann is survived by his wife of 72 years, Ola Mae Matthews; children, Donna Moran (Bob), Cathy Dunne (Gary), Lisa Williams (Michael); grandchildren, Scott Stevens, Kristen Dunne, Stacy Lowe, Kelsey Dunne, Evan Dunne, Melissa Bailey, Spencer Williams, Stephanie Williams and eight great grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, October 7, 2025 in the chapel at Wilson Funeral and Cremation Service, 5301 Albemarle Road, Charlotte, NC 28212, with Pastor Carlton Davidson o ciating. Internment will follow in Sharon Memorial Park. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service on Tuesday at the funeral home. Memorials can be made to First Church of God, PO Box 25861, Charlotte, NC 28229. Online condolences may be made at www. wilsonfuneralservices.com
joy and peace on the water, sharing stories and laughter with friends and family. He also had a lifelong passion for vegetable gardening, especially growing tomatoes, which he tended with care and proudly shared with neighbors and loved ones.
During the holidays, Bob was known for his homemade pecan brittle—a tradition he lovingly continued and shared with family and friends.
Bob was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Amelia McLean, and his sister, Joann Wyatt. He is survived by his daughter, Laura McLean of Wadesboro, NC; his son, Chad McLean of Ringoes, NJ; and his siblings: David McLean of Richmond, VA; Mary Medlin of Albemarle, NC; Bill McLean (Jane) of Belmont, NC; Carolyn Harrison of Atlanta, GA; and Glenn McLean (Stephanie) of Ninety Six, SC. He is also survived by his granddaughter, April Roberts of Albemarle, NC; his grandson, Brad Roberts of Monroe, NC; and four greatgrandchildren.
He will be remembered for his gentle spirit, his devotion to family, and the legacy of warmth and integrity he leaves behind. His presence will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.
The family extends heartfelt thanks to Robert Webster, Jack Thompson, Steve Thompson, WD Taylor, John Lane Barringer, Judy Morrow, Alesia Brown, Peggy Morrow, and Brad Burris, and to everyone who assisted throughout Bob’s life and nal days. A very special thanks is extended to Angie Cates of Tillery Compassionate Care Hospice for her compassionate care and support.
Bumgarner Family Funeral Service is serving the McLean family. Online condolences may be made to www. bumgarnerfunerals.com
Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in Stanly News Journal at obits@ northstatejournal.com
IN MEMORY
REGINA ANNE JOYCE SEYMOUR
MARCH 5, 1971 — OCT. 2, 2025
Regina Anne Joyce Seymour, 54, of Harrisburg, passed away Thursday, October 2, 2025, at Tucker Hospice House in Kannapolis.
Regina was born on March 5, 1971, in Winston-Salem to Richard and Rachel Joyce. In addition to her parents, Regina is also survived by her daughter, Emma Seymour; son, Matthew Seymour; sister, Robin (Joe) Carey; nephew, Connor Carey; niece, Morgan Carey; numerous cousins and close friends.
Regina was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Mike Seymour, on August 31, 2025.
Regina’s memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 11, 2025, at Hartsell Funeral Home of Harrisburg. The service will be webcast for those unable to attend in person. The family will receive friends during a reception following the service.
In lieu of owers, please consider a donation to the Harrisburg YMCA Capital Campaign in memory of Regina Seymour, 5055 Z-Max Blvd, Harrisburg, NC 28075; or Atrium Health Foundation- Levine Cancer Institute.
JULIA MAE HUNEYCUTT EVANS
NOV. 14, 1942 – OCT. 4, 2025
Julia Mae Huneycutt Evans, 82, of Oakboro, passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 4, 2025, at Trinity Place in Albemarle.
A celebration of her life will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Big Lick Baptist Church with Pastor Je Springer o ciating. Burial will follow in Oakboro Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the church from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. prior to the service.
Born November 14, 1942, in Stanly County, she was the daughter of the late Alfred N. Huneycutt and Rettie Ann Huneycutt Huneycutt. Julia was a lifelong member of Big Lick Baptist Church and a retired Bank Teller Supervisor with Wells Fargo in Locust.
Her family remembers her as a faithful Christian-loving, feisty, and ercely independent. She had a welcoming spirit and a deep a ection for animals, especially her beloved canine companion, Layla Su. Julia cherished her daily time in Scripture, reading through her Bible each year as her health allowed. She loved Christian music and found great comfort in her faith. Her favorite poem was “Crossing the Bar” by Tennyson, a re ection of her quiet con dence in the life beyond this one.
Julia was also known for her strong convictions-both religious and political-and for her deep connection to her church community, especially her beloved Senior Ladies Sunday School Class at Big Lick Baptist.
She was preceded in death by her husband, James D. Evans and a brother Maurice Huneycutt.
Those left to cherish her memory include her son, Jamey T. Evans of Locust; grandchildren Cameron Evans and Olivia Evans, both of Locust; two sisters, Janette Trull (Olin) of Monroe and Susan H. Flowe (Mitchell) of Wadesboro; sister-in-law Lora Huneucytt of Oakboro as well as many nieces and nephews who adored her.
In lieu of owers, memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the ASPCA, organizations close to her heart.
Jane Goodall, celebrated primatologist and conservationist, dead at 91
Her chimpanzee research changed the understanding of how apes live and interact
By Hallie Golden The Associated Press
JANE GOODALL, the intellectual, soft-spoken conservationist renowned for her groundbreaking, immersive chimpanzee eld research in which she documented the primates’ distinct personalities and use of tools, has died. She was 91.
The environmental advocate became a beloved household name who transcended generations through her appearances in documentaries and on television, as well as her travels to address packed auditoriums around the world.
The Jane Goodall Institute announced the primatologist’s death last Wednesday in an Instagram post. According to the Washington, D.C.-based institute, Goodall died of natural causes while in California on a U.S. speaking tour. Her discoveries “revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world,” it said.
While living among chimpanzees in Africa decades ago, Goodall documented them doing activities previously believed to be exclusive to humans. Her observations and subsequent magazine and documentary appearances in the 1960s transformed how the world perceived not only humans’ closest living biological relatives but also the emotional and social complexity of all animals, while propelling her into the public consciousness.
“Out there in nature by myself, when you’re alone, you can become part of nature and your humanity doesn’t get in the way,” she told The Associated Press in 2021. “It’s almost like an out- of-body experience when suddenly you hear di erent sounds and
BELA SZANDELSZKY / AP PHOTO
Primatologist Jane Goodall
kisses Pola, a 14-month- old chimpanzee from the Budapest Zoo that she symbolically adopted in Hungary in 2004.
you smell di erent smells and you’re actually part of this amazing tapestry of life.”
Goodall never lost hope for future
She had been scheduled to meet with students and teachers last Wednesday to launch the planting of 5,000 trees around wild re burn zones in the Los Angeles area. Organizers learned of her death as the event was to begin at EF Academy in Pasadena, said spokesperson Shawna Marino. The rst tree was planted in Goodall’s name after a moment of silence.
“I don’t think there’s any better way to honor her legacy than having a thousand children gathered for her,” Marino said.
Goodall in her later years devoted decades to education and advocacy on humanitarian causes and protecting the natural world. In her British accent, she was known for balancing the grim realities of the climate crisis with a sincere message of hope for the future.
From her base in the British coastal town of Bournemouth, she traveled nearly 300 days a year, even after she turned 90, for public speeches. Between more serious messages, her speeches often
featured her whooping like a chimpanzee or lamenting that Tarzan chose the wrong Jane. Tributes from animal rights organizations, political leaders and admirers poured in following news of her death.
“I’m deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Jane Goodall, our dear Messenger of Peace. She is leaving an extraordinary legacy for humanity & our planet,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. Nature broadcaster Chris Packham re ected on her relentless advocacy until the very end.
“In many ways Jane just died on the job,” he said. “The job that her life became. And that was protecting life on earth.”
Living among chimpanzees
While rst studying chimps in Tanzania in the early 1960s, Goodall was known for her unconventional approach. She didn’t simply observe them from afar but immersed herself in every aspect of their lives. She fed them and gave them names instead of numbers, which some scientists criticized. Her ndings were circulated to millions when she rst appeared on the cover of National Geographic in 1963 and then in a popular documentary. A collection of photos of Goodall in the eld helped her and even some of the chimps become famous. One iconic image showed her crouching across from the infant chimpanzee named Flint. Each has arms outstretched, reaching for the other.
In 1972, the Sunday Times published an obituary for Flo, Flint’s mother and the dominant matriarch. Flint died soon after showing signs of grief and losing weight.
“What the chimps have taught me over the years is they’re so like us. They’ve blurred the line between humans and animals,″ she said in 1997.
STANLY SPORTS
South Stanly to host undefeated Comets
The Rowdy Rebel Bulls are coming o a 20-14 loss to North Rowan
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
ALBEMARLE — In the eighth week of the high school football season, two Stanly County teams are set to square o in a local matchup, while two other local squads are looking to turn their seasons around and end ongoing losing streaks.
One school has risen up as a conference frontrunner and remains the only Stanly team
with a winning record in league play.
North Stanly at South Stanly
Coming o a 20-14 home loss to North Rowan that snapped a three-game winning streak, South Stanly (4-2, 1-1 Yadkin Valley Conference) will host the undefeated North Stanly (6-0, 3-0 YVC) this week. The intracounty matchup will provide the Bulls a chance to hand the Comets their rst loss of the year. North came away with a 29-12 home win over South in last year’s meeting.
The Comets are fresh o a 37-0 home shutout over Albemarle where the Bulldogs’ offense failed to generate any momentum against a stout Comets linebacker corps. Now North will head to Norwood to face the YVC’s only other team with an overall winning record during the 2025 campaign.
Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy at Albemarle
After opening the season with two lopsided wins, Albemarle (2-4, 0-3 YVC) nds itself trying to snap a four-game losing skid.
This week will provide the
Bulldgos a promising opportunity as they host the winless BCLA Eagles (0-6) and attempt to bounce back from two straight shutouts. In a tale of split results, Albemarle has only scored 13 points since the beginning of September after posting 97 points in August.
The Bulldogs, who sit in sixth place in the YVC standings, can still nish .500 in league play if they win out following this upcoming nonconference matchup with the Eagles.
Monroe at West Stanly
The West Stanly Colts (1-5,
0-1 Rocky River Conference) opened league play last week with another setback, falling 3817 at Anson. The loss came to a Bearcats team that entered the game without a win.
West has now lost its past three matchups after a 43-7 road win at Albemarle on Sept. 5, and has been outscored 107-37 during that span.
The Colts return home to host the Monroe (2-3, 1-0 RRC), which defeated Parkwood 40-7 this past week to break a three-game losing streak. In last season’s regular-season RRCnale, the Redhawks delivered a 55-7 blow to the Colts.
The Comets are now 3-0 in Yadkin Valley Conference play
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
NEW LONDON — The North Stanly varsity football team stayed perfect on the season with a dominant 37-0 home victory over Albemarle on Friday night.
The Comets (6-0, 3-0 Yadkin Valley Conference) continued their best start since 2020 by jumping to a 21-point halftime lead and never looking back against the Bulldogs (2 - 4, 0-3 YVC).
North’s o ense leaned heavily on its rushing attack, producing 234 yards on the ground while scoring four of its ve touchdowns via the run.
Senior running back Zay Dockery opened the scoring in the rst quarter with a rushing touchdown to give the Comets an early 7-0 advantage.
Freshman back Demetrius Brooks added to the lead with a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, followed by a successful two-point conversion from junior quarterback Brady Lowder. Brooks struck again minutes later with a 25 -yard scoring run that pushed the margin to 21-0 by halftime.
Brooks led North Stanly’s back eld with 10 carries for 90 yards, while Dockery tal-
lied 79 yards on eight rushes and nished with two total touchdowns. After North notched a safety early in the third quarter, freshman quarterback Bronx Carter connected with Dockery for a ve-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 30 - 0.
Junior running back Jaden Little capped the scoring early in the fourth with a 3-yard touchdown run.
Lowder completed three of nine passes for 47 yards in a quiet night through the air.
Sophomore receiver Racere Bruton led the Comets in receiving with two catches for 33 yards.
Defensively, North Stanly overwhelmed Albemarle from start to nish, holding the Bulldogs to just 65 total yards — 53 on the ground and 12 through the air.
Linebackers Juice Lilly, Maddox Cody and Maddox Lowder combined for 37 total tackles to anchor a unit that has now outscored its past three opponents
by a combined 111-37 margin. With the shutout, North Stanly remains in rst place in the Yadkin Valley Conference and continues to build momentum midway through the season. The Comets will look to keep their unbeaten streak alive Friday when they travel to Norwood to face South Stanly. Albemarle will return home for a nonconference matchup against Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy as the Bulldogs hope to snap a four-game losing streak.
Total yards allowed by North
Stanly’s defense against Albemarle
South Stanly’s Andre Dockery attempts to break a tackle during a home game against BCLA.
NCAA BASKETBALL
Tarleton State places Gillispie on leave after anonymous complaint
Stephenville, Texas
Tarleton State says it has placed men’s basketball coach Billy Gillispie on temporary administrative leave after receiving an anonymous complaint. The former Kentucky coach who also led the programs at Texas A&M and Texas Tech has been at Tarleton State for ve seasons. Gillispie faced allegations of player mistreatment at Texas Tech, where he spent one season. Tarleton State said associate head coach Glynn Cyprien is lling in for Gillispie. The Texans open the regular season Nov. 3 at SMU.
NCAA FOOTBALL
Sanders “hurting like crazy,” believes he has more blood clots
Fort Worth, Texas
Deion Sanders says he’s hurting like crazy and believes he has more blood clots in his leg. The Colorado football coach sat at times late in a loss at TCU on Saturday. Sanders says he’s not getting blood to his leg and that it’s throbbing. The 58-year-old Sanders spent time away from his team this summer as he went through treatment for bladder cancer. He had two toes amputated from his left foot in 2021 because of blood clot issues. He had a procedure in 2023 to remove a blood clot from his right leg.
MLB Phillies star Harper announces birth of fourth child ahead of NLDS opener
Philadelphia Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper and wife, Kayla, have welcomed their fourth child, Hayes Three Harper, ahead of Saturday’s playo opener. The Harpers shared the news on Instagram, announcing their son was born last Thursday. Harper, a two-time National League MVP, was in the lineup for Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Earlier in April, Harper used a blue bat for a gender reveal during a game. Harper and Kayla already have three children: a son named Krew and two daughters, Brooklyn and Kamryn.
MLB Rangers tap Schumaker as next manager, signing former Marlins skipper to 4-year deal
Arlington, Texas
The Texas Rangers have hired Skip Schumaker as their manager. The team agreed to a four-year contract with the former NL Manager of the Year. Schumaker’s deal was announced after Chris Young, the team’s president of baseball operations, acknowledged earlier in the day that the team was focused on an internal candidate in its search to replace Bruce Bochy. Schumaker had been a senior adviser with the Rangers since last November.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to the general public that the City of Albemarle City Council will conduct a public hearing concerning an amendment to Chapter 82 of the Code of Ordinances to prohibit the improper use of public places. Improper use will generally include the use of public property for private sleeping and/or living accommodations. Public property is generally defined as public streets, highways, rights-of-way, public sidewalks, public benches, public parking lots and medians as well as municipal owned facilities and parcels
The hearing will be conducted by the Albemarle City Council in Council Chambers within City Hall , located at 144 North Second Street , Albemarle NC 28001 on October 20, 2025 at 6:30 p.m.
All interested parties are invited to attend the hearing. Anyone wishing to speak for or against this action shall adhere to applicable City policies and statutes regarding open meetings and public commenting. The City Council approved agenda can be found on the city ’s website www.albemarlenc.gov. The proposed ordinance will also be available for inspection at the City of Albemarle’s Administration Department located in City Hall at the address referenced above, which is open between 8:00 a .m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Please contact city staff with any questions or comments at (704)-984-9405
Publish: October 8, 2025, October 15, 2025
Stanly News Journal sta
South Stanly volleyball, 6-12, 4-4 in Yadkin Valley
2A/3A
Last week’s scores: Lost 3-0 at North Stanly Lost 3-1 vs. Union Academy
This week’s schedule: Oct. 6 vs. North Rowan
Oct. 7 at Gray Stone Day
The Rowdy Rebel Bulls enter the nal week of the regular season with three losses in the last four. They are at .500 in the Yadkin Valley with two games left.
South Stanly boys’ soccer, 2-7, 0-6 in Yadkin Valley 2A/3A
Last week’s scores: Lost 6-1 to Albemarle
This week’s schedule:
Oct. 6 vs. North Rowan
Oct. 8 at North Stanly
Oct. 9 at West Stanly
The Rowdy Rebel Bulls have now lost seven straight by a combined 58-14 score. South will try to turn things around with a pair of county rivals this week.
West Stanly volleyball, 17-3, 10-0 in Rocky River 4A/5A
Last week’s scores: Won 3-0 at Monroe
This week’s schedule: Oct. 6 vs. Forest Hills Oct. 8 at Mount Pleasant
The Colts added another straight set win to the hot streak. They’ve now won ve straight, nine of ten and 15 of the last 16 sets. They’ll try to wrap up an unbeaten league record this week.
West Stanly boys’ soccer, 4-9-1, 2-3-1 in Rocky River 4A/5A
Last week’s scores: None
This week’s schedule: Oct. 6 vs. Parkwood Oct. 8 vs. Mount Pleasant Oct. 9 vs. South Stanly
The Colts had an 11-day break in the schedule but now return to the pitch in a big way, with three home matches in four days.
North Stanly volleyball, 13-10, 8-1 in Yadkin Valley
Last week’s scores: Won 3-0 vs. South Stanly Won 3-0 at North Rowan
This week’s schedule: Oct. 6 at Concord Oct. 7 vs. Albemarle
The Comets won both games last week in straight sets and clinched a winning regular season record. They’ll be playing this week for the Yadkin
Valley regular season title.
North Stanly boys’ soccer, 4-9-1, 1-3-1 in Yadkin Valley
Last week’s scores: Lost 9-0 at Union Academy
This week’s schedule: Oct. 6 at Gray Stone Day Oct. 8 vs. South Stanly
The Comets are winless in their last three and will try to get to .500 in conference with two matches this week.
Albemarle volleyball, 6-7, 2-7 in Yadkin Valley
Last week’s scores: Won 3-0 vs. North Rowan Lost 3-1 at Gray Stone Day
This week’s schedule: Oct. 7 at North Stanly Oct. 9 at Forest Hills
The Bulldogs split two matches last week and will try to get over .500 with its nal two regular season games this week.
Albemarle boys’ soccer, 8-7, 4-2 in Yadkin Valley
Last week’s scores: Won 6-1 at South Stanly
This week’s schedule: Oct. 6 vs. Union Academy Oct. 8 vs. North Rowan
The Bulldogs got over .500 for the rst time this season.
Yadkin Valley 2A/3A
North Stanly, 6-0, 3-0 North Rowan; 3-3, 2-0
South Stanly; 4-2, 1-1
Thomas Je erson; 3-3, 1-2 Union; 3-3, 0-2 Albemarle; 2-4, 0-2
Brick house • Two Bedroom, Livingroom, Dining room, One full bath all new, New kitchen, new oors, and new paint throughout.
Fully renovated • Central heating and air, New refrigerator and stove. $1700 per month • Good location • 1216 West Main Street 704-991-6486
HELP WANTED
Sales sta wanted at local independent car dealership. Applicant must be self-motivated with good communication skills. A driver’s license, and the ability to obtain a Salesman’s and notary license is a must. For interview times, contact Brian Huneycutt at (704) 983-2514.
Let’s Work Together
Full-Time
Become part of something great...
We are eager to welcome individuals who are dedicated to our mission and committed to enhancing our community. Interested candidates are invited to browse our open full and part time positions via the website below to nd out how to apply for one of our job openings at SCC.
NOTICES
NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, STANLY COUNTY In the District Court Petitions to Terminate Parental Rights to Michael Clark Jr. (25JT000041-830): Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against you has been led in the above-entitled actions. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: A Petition to Terminate Parental Rights against you for JAYCE AHMIR CLARK You are required to make defense to such pleadings no later than forty days from the rst date of publication and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you will apply to the court for the relief sought. This the 26th day of September, 2025. Chris Purkey Attorney for Petitioner 18125 W. Catawba Avenue Cornelius, North Carolina 28031
NOTICE NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE STANLY COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 25E000508-830 NOTICE TO CREDITORS Having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Mary Horton Pemberton, deceased, of Stanly County, North Carolina this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said Mary Horton Pemberton to present them to the undersigned on or before December 18, 2025 or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment. This the 17th day of September, 2025. Robert Joe Horton 315 Martin Luther King Drive Apt. A Albemarle, NC 28001
NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY FILE#25E000439-830 The undersigned, RONDA GAY FISHER, having quali ed on the 4TH Day of SEPTEMBER, 2025 as EXECUTRIX, of the Estate of LADRICK URIAH HARRIS, deceased, of Stanly 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 18TH Day DECEMBER 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 17TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER 2025. RONDA GAY FISHER, EXECUTRIX 1009 JEFFERY DEAN CT. ALBEMARLE, NC 28001
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF STANLY 16 E 000135-830
In the Matter of the Estate Of Robert Eugene Allen NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Robert Eugene Allen deceased, this is to notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against the said decedent to exhibit them to the Stanly County Clerk of Court on or before December 30, 2025 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to said estate are noti ed to make immediate payment. This the 1st day of October, 2025.
Carol Allen Executor Brian P. Hayes Attorney Ferguson Hayes Hawkins, PLLC P. O. Box 444 Concord, NC 28026
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE STANLY COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 25E000538-830 NOTICE TO CREDITORS Having quali ed as EXECUTRIX of the estate of CLARENCE EDWARD MAYO, deceased of Stanly County, North Carolina,
This is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said CLARENCE EDWARD MAYO to present them to the undersigned on or before January 8, 2025, or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment.
This 8th day of October, 2025 Amanda Hopson Mayo 8294 C Renee Ford Road Stan eld, North Carolina 28163 Executrix
PUBLISHED NOTICE TO CREDITORS:
Having quali ed as Executor of the ESTATE OF CLAY THOMAS KENDALL, SR, late, of Stanly County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them in care of the undersigned attorney on or before the 17th day of December, 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.
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE STANLY COUNTY DISTRICT COURT DIVISION
Jamie Hartsell Glover vs. Ricky Dale Glover 25CV000702-830 ATTENTION: Ricky Dale Glover TAKE NOTICE that a COMPLAINT in the above-entitled civil action has been led against you at: Civil District Court at Stanly County Courthouse, Albemarle, NC. The Nature of the relief sought is as follows: Absolute Divorce You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than November 7,
the stream
John Candy, Victoria Beckham documentaries; ‘Family Guy’ gets spooky
Kathy Bates returns for Season 2 of “Matlock”
The Associated Press
DOCUMENTARIES ON comedian John Candy and pop artist-turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham as well as a “Family Guy” Halloween special 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 this week: Keira Knightley stars as a journalist in “The Woman in Cabin 10,” Electronic Arts is ready to get back in the ght with the game Battle eld 6, and hip-hop group Mobb Deep will release “In nite,” their ninth and nal album.
MOVIES TO STREAM
More than 30 years after his death at age 43, Candy might be even more beloved than he was during his all-to-short career. “John Candy: I Like Me” (Friday on Prime Video), a documentary directed by Colin Hanks and produced by Ryan Reynolds, is a kind of eulogy and tribute to the actor of “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” “Uncle Buck” and “Stripes.” The lm, made with the cooperation of the Candy family, includes many famous faces, from Bill Murray to Mel Brooks. In “The Woman in Cabin 10” (Friday on Net ix), Knightley stars as a journalist aboard a luxury yacht for an assignment. In the middle of the night, she sees a woman go overboard, but the ship has no record of her, and no one believes her. Simon Stone, who directed 2021’s underrated “The Dig,” directs this thriller, based on Ruth Ware’s bestselling novel. It being October, just about everything streaming service has by now trotted out their best horror o erings. But why mess around when you can go to the source? Or, at least, one of the richest B-movie legacies of synths and scares? In “Directed by John Carpenter,” the Criterion Channel gathers some of the lmmaker’s most vivid nightmares, including “The Fog,” “Escape Form New York” and “They Live.”
After the success of David Beckham’s Emmy Award-winning docuseries, Net ix is debuting a new three-part series about his wife, Victoria Beckham, beginning Thursday.
MUSIC TO STREAM
Mobb Deep hath returned.
On Friday, the hardcore New York hip-hop duo will release “In nite,” their ninth andnal album and rst since the death of Prodigy in 2017. It features P’s distinctive ow on a few posthumous tracks, produced by his other half Havoc and their frequent musical collaborator, the Alchemist. Indie fans might remember the upcoming and coming folk-rocker Avery Tucker from his previous project, the primitive punk duo Girlpool. His debut album, “Paw,” out Friday, couldn’t be further from that material — but both lead with the heart. Start with “Big Drops,” “Like I’m Young,” “Malibu” and the ascendant closer “My Life Isn’t Leaving You.” The album was co-produced by A. G. Cook, the hyperpop virtuoso best known to many as one of Charli XCX’s “Brat” collaborators.
It has been six years since Jay Som, the project of multiinstrumentalist, songwriter and pro -
ducer Melina Duterte, released a new album. On Friday, the wait is over. “Belong” is an expansion of her once nascent talents, a rush of electro-synths, punk-pop and other variously nostalgic indie genres, presented in a new way. Perhaps it has a little something to do with how Duterte has spent the last few years: ranking up production credits on a number of beloved albums, including the Grammy-winning boygenius’ “The Record” and Lucy Dacus’ “Forever Is A Feeling.”
SERIES TO STREAM
It’s spooky season, and “Family Guy” has a new Halloween special on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+. The episode, titled “A Little Fright Music,” features Brian and Stewie’s attempt to write a hit Halloween song while Peter learns about the dangers of lying about trick- or-treating. David Beckham’s 2023 Netix docuseries was both an Emmy Award winner and in-
ternet fodder thanks to a scene where he repeatedly told his wife, Victoria, to “be honest” about her family’s economic status as a child. It’s only tting that the lmmakers turned their sights on her next and she agreed. “Victoria Beckham” is a three-part docuseries launching Thursday on Net ix. Viewers will see the former pop star-turned-fashion designer share her story — and it is TBD whether David weighs in.
On the subject of Emmys, Kathy Bates didn’t win this year for best actress in a drama series as predicted for her work on “Matlock.” The award instead went to Britt Lower for “Severance.” You can still watch the performance that got Bates nominated though when the show begins streaming its second season Friday on Paramount+. A third season of “Elsbeth” will also begin streaming then.
Another docuseries debuting Friday on Tubi also follows a celebrity, but this one’s on the come up. “Always, Lady Lon-
“In ‘Directed by John Carpenter,’ the Criterion Channel gathers some of the lmmaker’s most vivid nightmares, including ‘The Fog,’ ‘Escape Form New York’ and ‘They Live.’”
Jake Coyle, AP Film Writer
don” features rising rapper Lady London as she records her rst album and gets ready to go on tour.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
When it comes to video-game warfare, there are two superpowers: Call of Duty and Battle eld. The latter hit a rough patch with its last major installment, 2021’s Battleeld 2042, but Electronic Arts is ready to get back in the ght with Battle eld 6. You are part of an elite Marine squad trying to stop a private military corporation in a single-player campaign that bounces around the globe. There’s plenty of gut-wrenching infantry combat, but you also get to drive tanks and y helicopters and ghter jets. And there will be the usual assortment of multiplayer mayhem, including the new Escalation mode, in which the territory shrinks every time a team captures a control point. Take up arms Friday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC. Bandai Namco’s Little Nightmares games specialize in the kind of things that terri ed when you were a kid, presenting them in a gloomy yet vivid world reminiscent of Tim Burton’s stop-motion animation. Little Nightmares III promises more of the same, with one major addition: You can now confront your night terrors with a friend in co-op play. Britain’s Supermassive Games, the studio that has taken over the series, is known for horror gems like Until Dawn and The Quarry, so don’t expect pleasant dreams. The haunting begins Friday on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S/One, Switch and PC.
AP PHOTO
“John Candy: I Like Me,” a new documentary about the beloved actor who died 30 years ago, premieres on Prime Video on Friday.
REBECCA BLACKWELL / AP PHOTO
Solution to this week’s puzzles
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Supreme Court begins term that will examine Trump’s presidential power Washington, D.C.
The Supreme Court has opened its new term. In its rst arguments on Monday, the court appeared to be inclined to rule against a criminal defendant from Texas in a case about the constitutional right to a lawyer. A major thrust of the next 10 months is expected to be the justices’ evaluation of President Donald Trump’s claims of presidential power. On Tuesday, the justices heard arguments over bans passed by many states on therapy aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity.
Weiss named new editor-in-chief of CBS News after Paramount buys her website New York
Paramount is buying the successful news commentary website The Free Press and installed its founder, Bari Weiss, as editor-in-chief of CBS News. The move, while anticipated, is a bold one for David Ellison, new corporate leader of Paramount and CBS. Weiss will report directly to Ellison and be responsible for shaping editorial priorities and driving innovation at CBS News. Ellison said he believes the majority of the country wants news that is balanced and fact-based, and he wants CBS to be their home. “I am con dent her entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News.”
Ashford leads Wake Forest to 30-23 road win at Virginia Tech
It was the Demon Deacons’ rst win in Blacksburg since 1983
By Jimmy Robertson The Associated Press
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Robby Ashford threw for 256 yards and a touchdown to lift Wake Forest to a 30-23 victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday.
Ashford completed 24-of-39 passes for the Demon Deacons (3-2, 1-2), who snapped a twogame losing streak and handed rst-year coach Jake Dickert his rst Atlantic Coast Conference win.
“I’m so proud of these guys,” Dickert said. “Last week, they took it from us, and our guys went out there and freaking earned it. I saw it all week, and that was the response. It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t pretty. Just so proud of our football team to come in this environment to
show who we are. Man, it was just a gutty performance.”
The mood was markedly different than a week ago when Wake Forest squandered a two-touchdown lead against Georgia Tech and then had a missed o sides call go against them in a 30-29 overtime loss.
The Demon Deacons jumped out to a 24-14 halftime lead after an 11-yard touchdown pass from Ashford to Eli Falayi. But Wake Forest’s o ense sputtered for much of the second half until Ashford led a 13-play drive late in the fourth quarter
Ashford accounted for 44 of the 59 yards on a possession that lasted more than six minutes and led to Connor Calvert’s 27-yard go-ahead eld goal with 2:14 remaining.
“We all told ourselves, “Hey, it’s not going to be easy,’” Ashford said of the o ense’s mindset entering that drive. “We wouldn’t want it to be easy. It’s never going to be easy in Divi-
“Our guys went out there and freaking earned it… It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t pretty. Just so proud of our football team to come in this environment to show who we are. Man, it was just a gutty performance.”
Jake Dickert, Wake Forest coach
sion I football. … We just had to dig deep on that last drive and be able to grind it out. Then defense was able to get a stop, and we are able to go back to Winston-Salem happy.”
Virginia Tech (2-4, 1-1) failed to convert on fourthand-6 from its 29 on its nal possession.
Kyron Drones threw for 111 yards and a touchdown for the Hokies, who nished with just 263 yards.
“There are all kinds of moments in the game that I thought both sides of the ball and on special teams had big
plays happen,” Virginia Tech interim coach Philip Montgomery said. “We’ve got to continue to keep building on those, correct the things that we can correct, get back on the practice eld, and go back to work.”
The takeaway
Wake Forest: This was a gritty road win for the Demon Deacons, who won despite not having standout tailback Demond Claiborne in the second half due to a knee injury.
WSFCS hires new interim superintendent
Don Phipps brings over 15 years of superintendent experience to the table
By Ryan Henkel Twin City Herald
WINSTON-SALEM — The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education has approved the hiring of a new interim superintendent. At a special called meeting last Friday, the board approved the hiring of Don Phipps, with a contract starting on Dec. 1, 2025, and going through Feb. 28, 2027. Phipps’ base salary, per his contract, will be at an annual rate of $280,000, with a $1,000 per month in-coun-
ty travel budget and $150 per month technology allowance.
“Our Board of Education has partnered with the State Board of Education to assist us in nding the next interim superintendent,” said Board Chair Deanna Kaplan. “Originally, the state board planned to present candidates for our board’s consideration. However, another candidate emerged. This candidate, a sitting superintendent with a stellar reputation, reached out to the state board and expressed a desire to assist our district.”
Phipps, who brings more than 15 years of superintendent experience to the table, is currently the superintendent of Caldwell County Schools, which he has been at since
2018. He is also an adjunct professor at Reich College of Education at Appalachian State University and part-time instructor at Caldwell Community
College and Technical Institute.
“I want to start by thanking the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education for the opportunity to lead this great school system,” Phipps said. “I look forward to being a part of the journey that we’re on and working alongside you.”
Phipps started his career in the Cumberland County school system and has also previously worked in the Beaufort County school system as well, having held posts as a school psychologist, assistant principal, principal, executive director of student services and superintendent.
In 2023, Phipps was recognized as the Superintendent
ROBERT SIMMONS / AP PHOTO
Wake Forest wide receiver Chris Barnes (10) runs the ball during the rst half of Wake’s 30-23 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday in Blacksburg, Va.
COURTESY
Don Phipps
WIN from page A1
“I just think those guys never inched,” Dickert said of his team after Claiborne’s injury. “I think that’s the sign of a good, tough, football team.”
Virginia Tech: The Hokies were looking for their third straight win since the ring of coach Brent Pry on Sept. 14, but couldn’t take advantage of great opportunities. They drove inside the Wake Forest 25 four times in the second half and came away with just three elds. Turning point
Wake Forest’s defense stood tall all day, but none more so than during a late third-quarter drive in which Virginia Tech took over at the Wake Forest 4 after Ashford threw an interception. The Demon Deacons forced a Virginia Tech eld goal and retained a 27-23 lead.
“To stop them on rst-andgoal from the 5-yard line was just incredible,” Dickert said. “Great job of keeping their poise. … When we needed it in the red zone, those guys were there. So proud of that defense.”
Up next
Wake Forest plays at Oregon State on Saturday.
House creates committee on involuntary commitment after Charlotte murder
The panel will study mental health policies and public safety
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
RALEIGH — North Caroli-
na House Speaker Destin Hall announced the formation, last week, of a bipartisan committee to examine involuntary commitment policies following recent violent crimes involving individuals with mental illness.
The House Select Committee on Involuntary Commitment and Public Safety will study the intersection of mental health services, involuntary commitment processes and public safety. The 18-member panel was created in response to tragedies including the murder of Iryna
“Iryna
Zarutska should still be alive. Instead, her life was stolen by someone who should have been committed and receiving treatment.”
Rep. Hugh Blackwell (R-Burke)
Zarutska on Charlotte’s light rail system.
“Recent tragedies in our state, like the brutal murder of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, have made it even more clear that we have to make sure local o cials are putting public safety rst,” Hall (R-Granite Falls) said. “The committee will work together with law enforcement, district attorneys,
mental health professionals, and others, to come up with statewide solutions that will keep dangerous people o the streets of North Carolina.”
Reps. Hugh Blackwell (R-Burke) and Tim Reeder (R-Pitt) will co-chair the committee.
“Iryna Zarutska should still be alive. Instead, her life was stolen by someone who should have been committed and receiving treatment,” Blackwell said. “We cannot allow these failures to continue. This committee exists to support law enforcement and x broken policies that put our families at risk.”
Reeder, an emergency physician, said the case highlights the real-world consequences of policy failures.
“The preventable murder of Iryna Zarutska is a stark reminder that these are not ab -
stract policy debates; they are matters of life and death,” Reeder said. “Our committee will take a hard look at how we can improve involuntary commitment and close dangerous gaps in the system.”
The committee will review current laws, policies and practices governing involuntary commitment in North Carolina and make recommendations for legislative and policy changes.
The committee has an ocial listing on the General Assembly’s website but has not announced when it will hold its rst meeting.
The announcement follows a preliminary State Auditor’s report on Charlotte Area Transit System, where Zarutska was killed. The audit found security personnel for CATS had been reduced by 40% between 2018 and 2025.
Madison Cawthorn seeks comeback, announces run for Congress in Florida
He served as N.C.’s District 11 representative from 2021 to 2023
By Curt Anderson The Associated Press
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. —
Former Republican U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who was defeated in 2022 in a North Carolina primary, is looking for a comeback by running for Congress again, this time from Florida.
Cawthorn, 30, announced in an online video last Wednesday that he would seek the southwest Florida seat currently held by Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running for Florida governor. The district is overwhelmingly Republican, and Cawthorn moved there shortly after his primary defeat.
On his website, Cawthorn aligns his views closely with those of President Donald Trump on issues such as immigration restrictions, promoting gun rights and pushing against “woke ideology.”
“Madison Cawthorn knows the system is rigged against hard-working families. Washington insiders cut deals while Floridians pay the price. That’s why he’s running for Congress: to defend the America First agenda, hold bureaucrats accountable, and put Floridians rst,” says his announcement, posted on his website.
Cawthorn served a single House term from a western North Carolina district before losing in the 2022 GOP primary to current Rep. Chuck Edwards following a reelection campaign clouded by ethical issues.
Cawthorn had vaulted into national prominence by winning the seat in 2020 at age 25. Within days of taking o ce, he spoke at the “Stop the Steal” rally questioning Joe Biden’s presidential election victory that preceded the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Cawthorn soon became
Share with your community! Send us your births, deaths, marriages, graduations and other announcements: forsythcommunity@ northstatejournal.com
Weekly deadline is Monday at Noon
PHIPPS from page A1
of the Year, and he has previously served as adviser to the State Board of Education and currently serves as the president of the North Carolina Schools Superintendent Association.
“In particular, Dr. Phipps brings a track record of excellent experience in nancial management and governance and this will provide the district ample time to search for its next superintendent and implement the board’s goal to restore our district’s scal health,” Kaplan said.
Phipps holds a bachelor’s
degree in psychology and management psychology from Methodist College, a master’s degree and certi cate of advanced study in school psychology from Appalachian State University, a doctorate in educational leadership from Appalachian State, and a master’s instructional systems technology from UNC Charlotte.
“I want to be part of the team that turns the stories about this school system from repetitively bad news to stories about the system’s comeback, the healing that’s happening in our communities, the trust that’s being earned
a leading spokesperson for Trump’s “America First” policies and conservatives in the culture wars. Trump endorsed him, but Cawthorn faced negative publicity for speeding and gun violations. He also infuriated fellow Republicans in Congress when he alleged on a podcast that he had been invited to an orgy in Washington.
Despite that, Cawthorn said he’s ready to represent the 19th congressional district from his home in Cape Coral, just north of Fort Myers.
“I’m running for Congress to stand with President Trump,
“I look forward to being a part of the journey that we’re on and working alongside you.”
Don Phipps
back and the relationships rebuilt with our valuable partners,” Phipps said. “I look forward to building relationships and working to move this great school system in a positive direction.”
Phipps will replace current interim superintendent Catty
defend our conservative values, and ght to stop the radical left every single time,” he said in his campaign launch video.
Other Republicans signaling their intention to run include former U.S. Rep. Chris Collins of New York, former Illinois state Sen. Jim Oberweis, Marine aviator Mike Pedersen and Sun Broadcasting President Jim Schwartzel. The lone Democrat running in the reliably Republican district so far is Howard Sapp, a community organizer who has unsuccessfully run for the state legislature.
Moore, who was hired in June as a temporary replacement for retiring superintendent Tricia McManus, once her contract runs out on Nov. 30.
Moore inherited a daunting $46 million de cit when she took over, and while that number has been worked down through some very tough cuts, it is still a problem the district is going to be reckoning with for quite a while.
Phipps will have his work cut out for him as the board continues to work toward hiring his eventual permanent replacement.
The WSFCS Board of Education will next meet Oct. 14.
CHRIS SEWARD / AP PHOTO
Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) speaks before former President Donald Trump takes the stage at a rally on April 9, 2022, in Selma.
THE CONVERSATION
Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
Hamas doesn’t want peace
In a perfect world, this agreement appears to be a reasonable solution to a brutal war in Gaza.
THE POLITICAL WORLD is alight with anticipation and excitement after President Donald Trump released his 20-point peace proposal for Gaza, built around three central pillars: immediate de-escalation, humanitarian relief and redevelopment, and a long-term political framework.
First, the plan calls for a complete cease re and Israeli withdrawal from active operations in exchange for the release of all hostages held by Hamas — alive and dead — within 72 hours of Israel’s acceptance. This exchange would also include the return of almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas members who renounce violence could receive amnesty or safe passage abroad, while those remaining would be required to decommission weapons under international monitoring. Importantly, the proposal sets a clear standard: Gaza must become a “terror-free” zone with no militant infrastructure, with Israel committing not to annex or occupy Gaza once security conditions are met.
Second, the plan focuses heavily on humanitarian aid and economic revitalization. Aid would ow in immediately under international supervision, while a transitional governance system would be established — a technocratic Palestinian committee overseen by an international “Board of Peace” chaired by Trump, with gures like Tony Blair — yes, the man who set Iraq on re — also involved.
This body would coordinate reconstruction, create a special economic zone and attract investment, modeled on other “miracle cities” in the Middle East, envisioning an international stabilization force to secure Gaza alongside newly trained Palestinian police, while Israel gradually withdraws.
Finally, the proposal outlines a political horizon. Hamas would be excluded from governance, and Gaza’s future leadership would eventually transition to a reformed Palestinian Authority, with calls for regional guarantees, interfaith dialogue, and a U.S.led process to de ne a path toward Palestinian self-determination and statehood.
In short, the proposal mixes carrots (aid, investment, amnesty, freedom of movement) with sticks (demilitarization, Hamas exclusion, security enforcement), aiming to end the war while positioning Trump as the central broker of Gaza’s future.
Sounds great! There’s only one small problem: The only sticks Hamas cares about are those that can be used to kill more Jews.
When it comes to Hamas — you know, the bloodthirsty terrorist group that started this war after committing the deadliest pogrom in history since the fall of Nazi Germany — the plan would allow any Hamas members who “commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons” to receive amnesty and be permitted to leave safely,
Obamacare is a massive failure; the GOP shouldn’t bail it out
Virtually every promise made by Democrats regarding the A ordable Care Act has failed to come true.
SINCE DEMOCRATS have shut down the federal government because they want another $1.5 trillion bailout of Obamacare, it’s a good time to remind everyone that the law has been a wide-ranging and expensive asco.
Virtually every promise made by Democrats regarding the A ordable Care Act has failed to come true.
Sure, Barack Obama infamously promised that Americans could keep their preferred insurance if they desired. By the end of his second term, around 7 million people had been booted from their insurance because of the A ordable Care Act. Who knows how many have been dropped since.
But let’s also not forget that Obama pledged that the law would reduce family health insurance premiums by “up to” $2,500 annually by the end of his rst term. Premiums not only continued to rise during his presidency, but since 2010, they have spiked from $13,000 to nearly $24,000.
Democrats used to love to talk about “bending the cost curve.” Well, congrats. Obama also promised that Obamacare’s state exchanges would enhance competition among insurers and lower costs. Taxpayers are now on the hook for 90% of the cost of those premiums. If the COVID-19-era Obamacare subsidies are allowed to sunset, taxpayers will be responsible for a mere 80%. Without the subsidies, the Congressional Budget O ce predicted that 3.6 million users would leave the exchanges. Obamacare didn’t create better health care insurance options for consumers; it created millions of state dependents.
The Obamacare exchanges were sold as self-su cient engines of capitalism even as Democrats were doing everything to inhibit
market competition. Many Obamacare exchanges now only have a single insurer. Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Humana have all basically abandoned them.
One of the most contentious debates over the A ordable Care Act was the cost. Democrats stressed that the project would cost less than a trillion dollars over a decade. On numerous occasions, Obama promised he would not add “one dime” to the debt. Democrats, in fact, guaranteed the A ordable Care Act would help reduce de cits. If you dared question the estimates, fact-checkers would swarm and call you a liar.
There’s no de nitive number on the debt added by Obamacare since its passage. It is likely in the hundreds of billions of dollars, if not trillions.
Democrats promised that penalties on employers who failed to provide health insurance would bring in “substantial” revenue to allay costs. Once the A ordable Care Act was passed, Obama ignored the law by delaying implementation before “tweaking” the law without any constitutional authority. The employer mandate now brings in only a small fraction of promised returns.
Obama also kept delaying the A ordable Care Act’s “Cadillac tax,” a levy on alleged “gold-plated” private employee plans. The tax was meant to discourage upper- and middle-class workers from obtaining the types of plans Democrats deemed too generous as a way of lowering costs but also raising “revenue.”
Once labor unions found out they also had “gold-plated” plans, well, Democrats dropped the idea, which was repealed in 2019.
The individual mandate, which the Supreme Court miraculously transformed into a “tax,” now exists only in conceptual form despite
while preventing Hamas and other factions from maintaining any governing control over Gaza (guaranteed by regional partners).
Except ... Hamas has no intention of giving up any power, let alone peaceful co-existence with Jews.
Yes, in a perfect world, this agreement appears to be a reasonable solution to a brutal war in Gaza that, while entirely justi ed, has caused widespread su ering and destruction. But we do not live in a perfect world. Instead, we live in a world inhabited by the ideology of radical Islam that plays by entirely di erent rules and views the su ering of its own civilians as a crucial and bene cial strategy of war.
Even if Hamas agrees to this proposal — which they won’t — don’t be fooled: They will never accept defeat because to do so would be to accept that their entire worldview is bogus. When Hamas — with the continued support of the Palestinian people, lest we forget — is motivated by the destruction of Israel, anything less than the continuation of Oct. 7 is unacceptable.
We should all pray for peace, of course, but with the understanding that peace can only be achieved once we achieve something in nitely harder: the vanquishing of Palestinian terrorism. And for that, it’s going to take much more than pen, paper and Tony Blair.
Ian Haworth is a syndicated columnist.
Democrats’ promise that it would generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue. It brings in zero dollars.
So it’s no surprise that Democrats have been demanding Republicans bail out the poorly conceived law since its passage.
When Congress refused to pass new subsidies in 2013, the Obama administration, again without any constitutional authority, ordered the Treasury to create a $7 billion per year appropriation for insurance companies participating in the allegedly self-supporting exchanges.
When a district court ruled that the payments were unconstitutional, Obama ignored the decision. Don’t you love it when Democrats lecture people about norms?
When Democrats added new Obamacare subsidies to the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act to fund those with incomes 400% over the federal poverty line, they sold it as a temporary measure to get through the COVID-19 economy.
Every Democratic leader referred to the subsidies as “a bridge” that was meant to help until the economy rebounded from the pandemic.
Here we are in 2025. You know what they say about temporary government programs.
Aside from all the failed promises, the passage of Obamacare broke American politics. For the rst time in U.S. history, a party rammed through a massive national reform without any input from half the country. In their e ort to appease a handful of moderates in their party, Democrats larded up Obamacare with unenforceable mandates, taxes and bureaucratic complexities that created the illusion of a ordability.
When they still couldn’t pass the bill using the traditional lawmaking process, they blew up a bunch of governing norms to do it.
Now Democrats have shut the government down to try and force Republicans to help prop up this disastrous law. The GOP would be nuts to help them.
David Harsanyi
is a
senior
writer at the Washington Examiner.
COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI
COLUMN | IAN HAWORTH
Kids in New York keep dying while ‘subway sur ng’ on top of trains — can they be stopped?
More than a dozen youths have been killed in the past few years
By Cedar Attanasio
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Ka’Von
Wooden loved trains. The 15-year-old had an encyclopedic knowledge of New York City’s subway system and dreamed of becoming a train operator.
Instead, on a December morning in 2022, Ka’Von died after he climbed to the roof of a moving J train in Brooklyn and then fell onto the tracks as it headed onto the Williamsburg Bridge.
He is one of more than a dozen New Yorkers, many young boys, who have been killed or badly injured after falling o speeding trains. Other risks include being crushed between the train and tunnel walls and being electrocuted by high-voltage subway tracks. “Subway sur ng” dates back a century, but it has been fueled by social media.
Two girls found dead Saturday
Early Saturday morning, New York City police found two girls dead — ages 12 and 13 — in what apparently was a subway sur ng game that turned out to be fatal, authorities said. Metropolitan Transportation Authority President Demetrius Crichlow said in a statement that “getting on top of a subway car isn’t ‘sur ng’ — it’s suicide.”
Authorities have tried to address the problem with public awareness campaigns — including a new one featuring Grammy Award-winning rapper Cardi B — and by deploying drones to catch thrill-seekers in the act. But for some, a more fundamental question is not being addressed: Why are kids like Ka’Von able to climb on top of subway cars in the rst place?
“When Ka’Von died ... literally two weeks later, another child died. And another one. That makes no sense,” his mother, Y’Vonda Maxwell, told The Associated Press, saying transit and law enforcement ocials haven’t done enough. “Why should my child have not been the end?”
MTA says it’s studying issue
Making trains harder to climb and train surfers more easy to detect with cameras and sensors could be part of the solution, some experts say. The MTA, which operates the subway system, has said it is studying the issue. But it has yet to report any broad new rollout of technology or physical barriers that might make it harder for people to get on top of trains.
In June, Crichlow told a news conference to introduce a new public awareness campaign that the MTA was experimenting with pieces of circular rubber tubing designed to prevent a person from being able to climb between two cars to the top of a train.
It was being piloted in between two cars to make sure it would t into the tight spacing of the tunnels and that it wouldn’t break down or harm service or riders, he said.
“So far the equipment seems to be holding up,” he said.
Six deaths so far this year from subway sur ng
Six people died sur ng subway trains in the city last year, up from ve in 2023.
Tyesha Elcock, the MTA worker who operated the train Ka’Von rode the day he died, is among those who thinks more should be done to prevent deaths.
The rst sign of trouble that day was when the train’s emergency brake kicked in, she said.
Elcock discovered Ka’Von’s body between the train’s seventh and eighth cars. A group of sad-faced teens on the train made it clear what had happened. “Did y’all leave your friend back there?” she asked them.
Elcock said another operator traveling in the opposite direction saw Ka’Von on the train’s roof and reported it over a radio. Because of patchy radio service, she said, she didn’t get the warning.
But she thinks an even simpler solution could have saved Ka’Von’s life: locking the doors at the ends of subway cars. That would cut o access to the narrow gaps between train cars where subway surfers use handholds to hoist themselves onto the roof.
“Lock it when we’re in service so people can’t climb up and be on top of the train,” Elcock said.
The MTA’s leaders have said they are looking into possible ways to prevent subway sur ng, including engineering solutions, but the agency declined to make any of its safety experts available for an interview.
In 2023, Richard Davey, then the head of buses and subways for the MTA, said o cials were “weighing” the option of locking doors between cars — which is now done only on a handful of 1980s-era trains. But he said
York City school children use the subway to get to and from school each day. The NYPD reported that arrests of alleged subway surfers rose to 229 last year, up from 135 the year before. Most were boys, with an average age of around 14, according to police. The youngest was 9 years old.
Branislav Dimitrijevic, an engineering professor of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, said retro tting trains to prevent roof access would be expensive.
“There’s so many stories in transportation where things can be xed, but they cost a lot of money,” Dimitrijevic said. “And then you ask the public, ’Are you willing to (pay) for us to x this? But your taxes would go up tremendously.’ And people say ‘no.’”
that locking doors “brings its own risk.” Some New Yorkers have complained that locking the passageways between train cars might prevent them from escaping to another part of the train during an emergency.
Under questioning from City Council members and reporters last year, MTA o cials ruled out some other physical interventions, including building more barriers to prevent access to tracks or putting covers over the gaps between train cars to prevent would-be surfers from climbing up.
“Listen, you have to be able to do work on top of a train car,”
MTA CEO Janno Lieber said at a news conference, adding that you can’t “cover it with barbed wire.”
MTA asks social media companies to help stop trend
The MTA has asked social media companies to take down videos glamorizing subway surfing and reported in June that, in 2025, more than 1,800 videos had been taken down.
It’s also promoted public service announcements telling people to “Ride inside, stay alive,” in voices of local teens and, with the city’s schools, released a comic-book themed campaign this past summer designed to show the dangers of subway sur ng and impact on loved ones.
More than 300,000 New
Dimitrijevic suggested the MTA might be able to install cameras and use arti cial intelligence to detect riders trying to climb a train. Andrew Albert, a nonvoting member of the MTA board, said he has been asking the agency about the plausibility of physical sensors but hasn’t gotten a response.
The NYPD has patrolled popular subway sur ng routes with eld response teams and drones, reporting in July that it had used them to make 200 rescues, mostly of teens. But the missions can’t be everywhere at once. They also say they make home visits to the homes of subway surfers they’ve identi ed. Trains in some other cities, such as Hong Kong and Dubai, aren’t easily climbable. They have streamlined bodies, lack handles on the outside and don’t open between cars.
Some rail systems have resorted to extreme tactics to keep people from riding on top of trains. In Indonesia, railway o cials once installed hanging metal ails to try and deter passengers from riding atop train cars to avoid overcrowding. They also tried spraying riders with red paint and hitting them with brooms.
The MTA purchased a few new subway cars that don’t have the outdoor gaps exploited by subway surfers, but they represent just a sliver of the number currently in service and won’t be deployed on lines popular for sur ng anytime soon.
PHOTOS BY SETH WENIG / AP PHOTO
Subway train operator Tyesha Elcock gets settled in the driver’s compartment before departing.
SETH WENIG / AP PHOTO
A train arrives at a subway station in the Coney Island section of New York earlier this year.
A train conductor walks between subway cars at a station in the Coney Island section of New York.
Trains arrive and depart from a subway station in the Coney Island section of New York, earlier this year.
Forsyth SPORTS
Federer leads Tennis Hall of Fame nominees
Svetlana Kuznetsova and Juan Martin del Potro are also on the ballot
By Howard Fendrich The Associated Press
ROGER FEDERER LEADS the list of nominees announced for the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s class of 2026. He was the rst man to win 20 Grand Slam singles titles and ushered in an era of unprecedented greatness with younger rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
With a terri c forehand and serve, an attacking, all-court style and footwork that helped make everything seem so e ortless, Federer won 103 trophies and 1,251 matches in singles, totals surpassed among men only by Jimmy Connors in the Open era, which began in 1968.
Federer nished ve seasons at No. 1 in the ATP rankings, spent a record 237 consecutive weeks in that spot, led Switzerland to the 2014 Davis Cup title and teamed with Stan Wawrinka to claim a doubles gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
At the height of his powers, Federer reached a record 10 consecutive Grand Slam nals from 2005-07, capturing eight titles in that span; he extended
that dominance by making 18 of 19 major nals into 2010. There also were streaks of 36 quarternals in a row and 23 straight semi nals.
Federer, an ambassador for the game who often spoke in English, French and Swiss German at news conferences, played his last match at Wimbledon in 2021. He was a month shy of 40 at the time.
His retirement announcement didn’t come until the following year, and he bid farewell with an appearance alongside Nadal in doubles at the Laver Cup, an event his management company founded.
Federer is joined in the Hall’s player category on the ballot by two-time major singles champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and 2009 U.S. Open winner Juan Martin del Potro. There are two nominees in the contributor category: TV announcer Mary Carillo and administrator Marshall Happer. The inductees will be announced in November.
Federer is among eight men with at least one singles trophy from each of the sport’s four most important events, winning eight at Wimbledon, six at the Australian Open, ve at the U.S. Open and one at the French Open. He completed his career Grand
Slam at Roland-Garros in 2009.
His rst major championship came at the All England Club in 2003, and he broke Pete Sampras’ then-record for a man of 14 Slam titles by winning Wimbledon in 2009, defeating Andy Roddick 16-14 in the fth set of the nal.
Federer’s run of ve consecutive U.S. Opens — no man has won two in a row there since — ended in the 2009nal with a ve-set loss to del Potro. At the time, del Potro was not quite 21 and seemed destined for an elite career thanks in part to his booming forehand, but a series of wrist and knee injuries derailed the 6-foot-6 Argentine.
He ended up with 22 tour-level titles and a career-high ranking of No. 3, while reaching one other Grand Slam nal, nishing as the runner-up to Djokovic at the 2018 U.S. Open. Del Potro earned a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and helped Argentina win the Davis Cup that year. His last appearance at a major tournament was a fourth-round run at the 2019 French Open.
Kuznetsova won major trophies in singles at the 2004 U.S. Open and 2009 French Open, and in doubles at the Australian Open on 2005 and 2012, got to No. 2 in the WTA rankings in singles and No. 3 in doubles, and was part of three championships with Russia in the competition now known as the Billie Jean King Cup. Kuznetsova won 18 tour-level events in singles and 16 in doubles.
Roger Federer holds the trophy after defeating Andy Roddick in their men’s nal match at Wimbledon in 2009.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Adrian “AJ” McCloud
West Forsyth, football
Adrian “AJ” McCloud is a senior o ensive lineman on the West Forsyth football team. He’s also on the Titans’ wrestling team and quali ed for the state individual championships earlier this year.
West Forsyth is 4-2 this season, and a big key to its success is a line that has cleared the way for the Titans’ rushing attack. West has gained 1,495 yards this season on a 7.4 yards per rush average. They’ve run for 20 touchdowns.
The 6-foot-4, 300-pound McCloud was recognized for his performance. He earned a spot on the N.C. roster for December’s Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. He has also committed to play in college at Alabama State.
ACC bets on being 1st league in college football to bring TV viewers inside live replay reviews
Broadcasts allow fans to hear conversations between o cials in real time
By Aaron Beard
The Associated Press
FLORIDA STATE and Vir -
ginia were locked in a double-overtime thriller as the ball headed to Seminoles receiver Duce Robinson in the end zone. Robinson bobbled the catch, then continued that juggle through the back of the end zone and out of bounds. The call was a touchdown, the kind of narrow-margin play certain to get closer scrutiny in replay review.
Only now, TV viewers for ACC games get a clear window into how o cials decide to overturn or uphold those calls.
The ACC is the rst college league to let viewers listen live to reviews during select broadcasts. There’s no waiting for referees to take o their headset after a mystery- lled stoppage and deliver a verdict. Instead, viewers can hear frame-by-frame discussions between stadium ocials and the replay command center at the league headquarters in Charlotte.
It’s o ered a welcome dose of transparency, along with rave reviews for taking viewers somewhere they’ve never been before.
“You hear the whole conversation,” said Bryan Jaroch, ESPN vice president of sports production. “That transparency takes out any of the second-guessing of how they came to their decision. I would love
to see this across every conference. We’re trying to push for that. But I think it’s exactly what we need to do.”
The rst run
The debut came with 6:34 left in the rst quarter of the Aug. 30 game between SMU and East Texas A&M on the ACC Network, a review that overturned a fumble call on Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jennings by ruling his arm was coming forward for an incompletion.
“You hear the whole conversation. That transparency takes out any of the secondguessing of how they came to their decision.”
Bryan Jaroch, ESPN vice president of sports production
ed a video feed in the new command center showing replay ocials huddling around monitors to study replays.
“We always say we have nothing to hide in that room,” said Michael Strickland, league senior vice president for football. “We wanted to put our money where our mouth was. So we started with the camera and that worked well. TV liked to use it.
Getting started
The ACC and ESPN, which have a media rights deal through the 2035-36 season, are still tinkering with the visual presentation of video overlays and graphics. But the experiment already has succeeded in pulling back the curtain with reviews.
“I think, generally speaking, when people communicate, things get better,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said. “Because when people don’t communicate, then people assume, right? Our brains are designed to tell stories, so we either have the facts of the story or we make up the facts of the story.
There have been seven games with the replay listen-in, generally earmarked for Friday night broadcasts on ESPN or ESPN2, as well as Saturday nights on the ACC Network.
ESPN had experimented with providing access to replay-review conversations going back to XFL games in 2023. The broadcaster had worked with the ACC last year to have a rules analyst listen to conversations between the on- eld referee, the stadium replay o cial in the booth and the Charlotte replay center. Then ESPN suggested letting viewers listen in, too.
The ACC had been working with o -site replay assistance for roughly a decade back to its previous home in Greensboro. When it opened its current headquarters in Charlotte two years ago, the plan includ-
“This sharing of the audio is kind of just the next iteration of that underlying philosophy that we’ve had for quite a while. And it is re ective of the ACC being willing to be a rst mover in many di erent areas.”
Jaroch credited the ACC for making “a leap of faith” by putting those pressure-packed reviews on display. As he said: “Access always wins when it comes to fans.”
Strickland credited Commissioner Jim Phillips for signing o on the idea as good for the league and, more broadly, the sport.
“He could’ve easily said, ‘I don’t want to take that risk,’” Strickland said. “But he did not. He went the other route. It’s pretty awesome to work for somebody who believes in a group of people like he did and does.”
AARON BEARD / AP PHOTO
Alberto Riveron, right, the ACC supervisor of football o cials, works in the league’s new gameday operations center Saturday in Charlotte.
ANJA NIEDRINGHAUS / AP PHOTO
SIDELINE REPORT
NCAA BASKETBALL
Tarleton State places Gillispie on leave after anonymous complaint
Stephenville, Texas
Tarleton State says it has placed men’s basketball coach Billy Gillispie on temporary administrative leave after receiving an anonymous complaint. The former Kentucky coach who also led the programs at Texas A&M and Texas Tech has been at Tarleton State for ve seasons. Gillispie faced allegations of player mistreatment at Texas Tech, where he spent one season. Tarleton State said associate head coach Glynn Cyprien is lling in for Gillispie. The Texans open the regular season Nov. 3 at SMU.
NCAA FOOTBALL
Sanders “hurting like crazy,” believes he has more blood clots Fort Worth, Texas Deion Sanders says he’s hurting like crazy and believes he has more blood clots in his leg. The Colorado football coach sat at times late in a loss at TCU on Saturday. Sanders says he’s not getting blood to his leg and that it’s throbbing. The 58-year-old Sanders spent time away from his team this summer as he went through treatment for bladder cancer. He had two toes amputated from his left foot in 2021 because of blood clot issues. He had a procedure in 2023 to remove a blood clot from his right leg.
FISHING
Georgia man indicted after Ala. shing tournament boat crash killed 3 Cullman, Ala.
A Georgia man has been indicted on manslaughter charges in Alabama after a boat wreck during a professional shing tournament in April killed three people and injured two others. Flint Andrew Davis faces multiple charges, including reckless manslaughter and rst- degree assault. Video shows the 22-year-old Davis’ boat speeding across Lewis Smith Lake, striking another boat. The crash killed three men and seriously injured two others. Investigators determined Davis was traveling at 67 mph but say speed didn’t cause the wreck. They say Davis wasn’t paying attention and lacked a boating license.
MLB
Phillies star Harper announces birth of fourth child ahead of NLDS opener
Philadelphia Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper and wife, Kayla, have welcomed their fourth child, Hayes Three Harper, ahead of Saturday’s playo opener. The Harpers shared the news on Instagram, announcing their son was born last Thursday. Harper, a two-time National League MVP, was in the lineup for Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Earlier in April, Harper used a blue bat for a gender reveal during a game. Harper and Kayla already have three children: a son named Krew and two daughters, Brooklyn and Kamryn.
Champion boxer held by police at gunpoint
Police confronted him hours after the city held a celebration in his
By Margery A. Beck The Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb. — The police chief of Nebraska’s largest city acknowledged that police nationwide are more likely to pull black people out of their cars at gunpoint than other racial groups as Omaha grapples with growing outrage over champion boxer Terence “Bud” Crawford being ordered out of his car at gunpoint only hours after the city held a downtown celebration in his honor.
“Quite frankly, that is generally a true statement. The number of stops are disproportionate. That is nationwide,” Police Chief Tobb Schmaderer said at a news conference to address an internal investigation into Crawford’s tra c stop.
The police confrontation with Crawford, who is black, has reignited long-simmering tensions between Omaha’s black community and its police force. Omaha Sen. Terrell McKinney, one of three black state lawmakers in the Nebraska Legislature and a vocal critic of Omaha police and the state’s justice system, said he was disappointed — but not surprised — by the police stop.
“I urge the people to keep speaking out and demanding real change boldly and unapologetically,” McKinney said in a
Facebook post last week. “Our lives are at risk, and we have endured oppression for far too long.”
Schmaderer has long been an advocate of community policing that aims to build trust between o cers and the public they patrol. He said he understands there is a lot of anger in the community over the treatment of Crawford — a favorite son of Omaha after making history by becoming the rst male boxer to capture three uni ed division titles.
“We understand the importance of this tra c stop to our community, and the implications and the impression it has given out,” he said.
But he said a nearly completed internal investigation into the tra c stop shows the o cers involved did not violate department policy.
According to their reports, the o cers spotted a high-performance sedan without license plates pull out of a downtown parking garage around 1:30 a.m. Sunday and quickly accelerate to more than twice the 25-mph speed limit. The ofcers did not know Crawford was driving the car, Schmaderer said, before they pulled it over. Two o cers approached it — one on the passenger side and another on the driver’s side.
Schmaderer said the initial interaction was cordial, which he assessed through body camera footage. Crawford, who was driving, told the o cer at his window that the car was new
“We understand the importance of this tra c stop to our community, and the implications and the impression it has given out.”
Tobb Schmaderer, Omaha Police chief
and “had gotten away from him.”
At that point, a member of Crawford’s security team who was in the passenger seat told the o cer at his window that he was carrying a legal handgun, Schmaderer said. Crawford, who was leaning over the car’s console, told that o cer he also had a legal rearm, but the o cer at the driver’s side window didn’t hear that exchange, Schmaderer said. That is when the o cer on the driver’s side spotted Crawford’s gun on the oorboard by his feet, pulled his service weapon and ordered Crawford and three other people out.
Schmaderer said Crawford and the others were handcu ed for about 10 minutes. Police conrmed all occupants of the vehicle were legally permitted to carry rearms and let them go after about 30 minutes, ticketing Crawford on suspicion of reckless driving.
Schmaderer said he will not be sharing police video of the stop unless Crawford agrees to it.
“We don’t have a fatality here. We don’t have an ofcer-involved shooting, and it’s generally not our protocol to release that footage under those circumstances,” he said.
Crawford’s stop by police came after the city held a parade through downtown streets in Crawford’s honor, followed by a party to celebrate his 38th birthday at a live music venue near where the stop occurred.
The celebration came after Crawford earned the unied super middleweight championship with his unanimous decision victory over Canelo Alvarez on Sept. 13 in Las Vegas. Crawford is 42-0 with 31 knockouts.
FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets have gone on sale
The rst round of ticket buyers were selected by lottery
By Tim Reynolds The Associated Press
MIAMI — Not even half of the spots in the 48-team eld have been claimed. The schedule of matches won’t benalized until December. And other than host nations U.S., Canada and Mexico, nobody has any idea where or when they’ll be playing.
Millions of soccer fans worldwide evidently don’t seem to mind any of those points.
Tickets to next year’s FIFA World Cup o cially went on sale last Wednesday. The buyers will be those who were selected, out of 4.5 million applicants in a lottery that took place last month, to have the rst formal chance to purchase tickets. FIFA said lottery winners were informed by email.
There are unique questions for consumers heading into the tournament, particularly about how they’ll get visas, if necessary, to visit the U.S. as the country cracks down on immigration. There are also more traditional concerns such as who, when and where — and none of those will be answered until the draw on Dec. 5. FIFA knows many fans won’t fret about those answers; they just want tickets now and will gure out the rest later.
“These are not only outstanding gures, but also a strong statement,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on social media, reacting to the 4.5 million applicants for a spot in the purchase window that opened last Wednesday. “The whole world wants to be part of the FIFA World Cup 26, the biggest, most inclusive and most exciting event ever. From Canada, Mexico and the United States, to countries big and small across every continent, fans are proving once again passion for football truly unites.” In divided times, the notion of soccer being something that “truly unites” will be put to the test.
Here are some things to know as tickets go on sale.
What’s for sale?
Fans can purchase seats in one of four categories; Category 1 is the best seats, Category 4 is somewhere around the tops of stadiums. Ticket prices will range initially from $60 for group-stage matches to $6,730 for the nal but could — and almost certainly will — change as soccer’s biggest event utilizes dynamic pricing for the rst time.
Who’s in?
The U.S., Mexico and Canada all automatically quali ed as host nations. Also in so far: defending champion Argentina, Japan, New Zealand, Iran, Uzbekistan, Jordan, South Korea, Brazil, Australia, Ecuador, Uruguay, Tunisia, Colombia, Paraguay and Morocco.
That leaves 30 spots still unclaimed.
FIFA said fans from 216 countries and territories applied to be part of the rst tick-
et lottery. The top three nations of interest, to no surprise, were the hosts: the U.S., Mexico and Canada, in that order. The rest of the top 10, also in order of application totals, were Germany, England, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Spain and Italy. Nobody has said how many tickets FIFA plans to sell in this rst window. Availability won’t be depleted; based on the listed stadium attendance gures, there are roughly 7.1 million seats to ll for the 104 matches around 16 North American venues, though it’s unknown how many of those seats will be available for sale to the public. The U.S. cities that are scheduled to host are East Rutherford, New Jersey; Inglewood, California; Foxborough, Massachusetts; Houston; Arlington, Texas; Atlanta; Seattle; Santa Clara, California; Philadelphia; Kansas City, Missouri; and Miami Gardens, Florida.
What’s next?
A second phase, called an early ticket draw, likely will
“The world will come together in North America like never before.”
Gianni Infantino, FIFA president
run from Oct. 27-31, with purchase time slots from mid-November to early December. A third phase, termed a random selection draw, will start after the nal draw of teams Dec. 5 determines the World Cup schedule.
Tickets also will be available closer to the tournament “on a rst-come, rst-served basis.” FIFA also said it will start an o cial resale platform. Some tickets already have been snagged; hospitality packages have been sold since May.
“The world will come together in North America,” Infantino promised, “like never before.”
The tournament runs from June 11 through July 19.
STEFAN JEREMIAH / AP PHOTO
President FIFA Gianni Infantino speaks at an awards ceremony.
honor
REBECCA S. GRATZ / AP PHOTO
Terence “Bud” Crawford, left, ghts David Avanesyan during a WBO welterweight title boxing bout in 2022 in Omaha, Nebraska.
the stream
John Candy, Victoria Beckham documentaries; ‘Family Guy’ gets spooky
Kathy Bates returns for Season 2 of “Matlock”
The Associated Press
DOCUMENTARIES ON comedian John Candy and pop artist-turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham as well as a “Family Guy” Halloween special 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 this week: Keira Knightley stars as a journalist in “The Woman in Cabin 10,” Electronic Arts is ready to get back in the ght with the game Battle eld 6, and hip-hop group Mobb Deep will release “In nite,” their ninth and nal album.
MOVIES TO STREAM
More than 30 years after his death at age 43, Candy might be even more beloved than he was during his all-to-short career. “John Candy: I Like Me” (Friday on Prime Video), a documentary directed by Colin Hanks and produced by Ryan Reynolds, is a kind of eulogy and tribute to the actor of “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” “Uncle Buck” and “Stripes.” The lm, made with the cooperation of the Candy family, includes many famous faces, from Bill Murray to Mel Brooks. In “The Woman in Cabin 10” (Friday on Net ix), Knightley stars as a journalist aboard a luxury yacht for an assignment. In the middle of the night, she sees a woman go overboard, but the ship has no record of her, and no one believes her. Simon Stone, who directed 2021’s underrated “The Dig,” directs this thriller, based on Ruth Ware’s bestselling novel. It being October, just about everything streaming service has by now trotted out their best horror o erings. But why mess around when you can go to the source? Or, at least, one of the richest B-movie legacies of synths and scares? In “Directed by John Carpenter,” the Criterion Channel gathers some of the lmmaker’s most vivid nightmares, including “The Fog,” “Escape Form New York” and “They Live.”
After the success of David Beckham’s Emmy Award-winning docuseries, Net ix is debuting a new three-part series about his wife, Victoria Beckham, beginning Thursday.
MUSIC TO STREAM
Mobb Deep hath returned.
On Friday, the hardcore New York hip-hop duo will release “In nite,” their ninth andnal album and rst since the death of Prodigy in 2017. It features P’s distinctive ow on a few posthumous tracks, produced by his other half Havoc and their frequent musical collaborator, the Alchemist. Indie fans might remember the upcoming and coming folk-rocker Avery Tucker from his previous project, the primitive punk duo Girlpool. His debut album, “Paw,” out Friday, couldn’t be further from that material — but both lead with the heart. Start with “Big Drops,” “Like I’m Young,” “Malibu” and the ascendant closer “My Life Isn’t Leaving You.” The album was co-produced by A. G. Cook, the hyperpop virtuoso best known to many as one of Charli XCX’s “Brat” collaborators.
It has been six years since Jay Som, the project of multiinstrumentalist, songwriter and pro -
ducer Melina Duterte, released a new album. On Friday, the wait is over. “Belong” is an expansion of her once nascent talents, a rush of electro-synths, punk-pop and other variously nostalgic indie genres, presented in a new way. Perhaps it has a little something to do with how Duterte has spent the last few years: ranking up production credits on a number of beloved albums, including the Grammy-winning boygenius’ “The Record” and Lucy Dacus’ “Forever Is A Feeling.”
SERIES TO STREAM
It’s spooky season, and “Family Guy” has a new Halloween special on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+. The episode, titled “A Little Fright Music,” features Brian and Stewie’s attempt to write a hit Halloween song while Peter learns about the dangers of lying about trick- or-treating. David Beckham’s 2023 Netix docuseries was both an Emmy Award winner and in-
ternet fodder thanks to a scene where he repeatedly told his wife, Victoria, to “be honest” about her family’s economic status as a child. It’s only tting that the lmmakers turned their sights on her next and she agreed. “Victoria Beckham” is a three-part docuseries launching Thursday on Net ix. Viewers will see the former pop star-turned-fashion designer share her story — and it is TBD whether David weighs in.
On the subject of Emmys, Kathy Bates didn’t win this year for best actress in a drama series as predicted for her work on “Matlock.” The award instead went to Britt Lower for “Severance.” You can still watch the performance that got Bates nominated though when the show begins streaming its second season Friday on Paramount+. A third season of “Elsbeth” will also begin streaming then.
Another docuseries debuting Friday on Tubi also follows a celebrity, but this one’s on the come up. “Always, Lady Lon-
“In ‘Directed by John Carpenter,’ the Criterion Channel gathers some of the lmmaker’s most vivid nightmares, including ‘The Fog,’ ‘Escape Form New York’ and ‘They Live.’”
Jake Coyle, AP Film Writer
don” features rising rapper Lady London as she records her rst album and gets ready to go on tour.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
When it comes to video-game warfare, there are two superpowers: Call of Duty and Battle eld. The latter hit a rough patch with its last major installment, 2021’s Battleeld 2042, but Electronic Arts is ready to get back in the ght with Battle eld 6. You are part of an elite Marine squad trying to stop a private military corporation in a single-player campaign that bounces around the globe. There’s plenty of gut-wrenching infantry combat, but you also get to drive tanks and y helicopters and ghter jets. And there will be the usual assortment of multiplayer mayhem, including the new Escalation mode, in which the territory shrinks every time a team captures a control point. Take up arms Friday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.
Bandai Namco’s Little Nightmares games specialize in the kind of things that terri ed when you were a kid, presenting them in a gloomy yet vivid world reminiscent of Tim Burton’s stop-motion animation. Little Nightmares III promises more of the same, with one major addition: You can now confront your night terrors with a friend in co-op play. Britain’s Supermassive Games, the studio that has taken over the series, is known for horror gems like Until Dawn and The Quarry, so don’t expect pleasant dreams. The haunting begins Friday on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S/One, Switch and PC.
AP PHOTO
“John Candy: I Like Me,” a new documentary about the beloved actor who died 30 years ago, premieres on Prime Video on Friday.
REBECCA BLACKWELL / AP PHOTO
STATE & NATION
Government shutdown sidelines football, other activities at schools for military families
Camp Lejeune’s high school football team had to move its game up last week
By Bruce Schreiner and Dylan Lovan The Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Football teams at Fort Campbell and Fort Knox high schools were sidelined last Friday by the federal government shutdown, which has paused extracurricular activities at the schools for military families.
The schools on the historic Army posts remain open for normal instructional activities, but the congressional stalemate has left the students and their families in limbo when it comes to other school-related pursuits. Fort Knox is in central Kentucky, while Fort Campbell straddles the Kentucky-Tennessee border.
Both football teams were scheduled to play Friday but their games were postponed. But the halt to extracurricular activities — even practices — applies to much more than football.
The Fort Campbell High girls’ volleyball team was on a historic run, having compiled an 11-2 record for a school without a winning season for 15 years in
the sport. The squad’s senior night game was called o last Thursday and two other upcoming games could be as well if the federal shutdown continues.
Mary Hughes, the volleyball team’s coach, said her players have shown “so much grit and tenacity” but for now have no control over how their season ends up.
“Everyone’s just really sad,” she said. “Life as a military child is hard enough. They deal with so much, and sports is one aspect of their lives that is so important to them. (It) gives them
self-esteem, con dence, teamwork. And for that to be taken away just because we live on the post … is just incredibly unfair.”
Bianca Carolina said she’s saddened that her son’s football team at Fort Campbell High had to postpone its game. She said she’s concerned the shutdown could drag on, a ecting the rest of the season. Her son, Jaeden, began practicing for the season back in January.
Fort Campbell’s football team was scheduled to play Trigg County, Kentucky, last Friday, but that game was rescheduled
Democrat in Virginia attorney general race apologizes for texts wishing death on Republicans
Jay Jones compared a political opponent to Hitler and Pol Pot
By Bruce Schreiner and Olivia Diaz The Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia’s Democratic candidate for attorney general has apologized for widely condemned text messages from 2022 that revealed him suggesting that a prominent Republican get “two bullets to the head.”
The texts put the Democratic challenger, Jay Jones, on the defensive in what has been a hard-hitting campaign. Early voting is well underway in Virginia ahead of the November general election.
Jones’ campaign didn’t challenge the accuracy of the texts, rst reported by The National Review, and he o ered a public apology to Todd Gilbert, the target of the messages. Jones said he took “full responsibility for my actions.” Gilbert was speaker of Virginia’s House of Delegates at the time of the text messag-
WRIC
es but is no longer a legislator. Jones has faced a torrent of bipartisan criticism since the messages surfaced. Jones is challenging Republican incumbent Jason Miyares for the job as Virginia’s top prosecutor. Miyares ripped into Jones on Saturday, questioning his challenger’s tness for the job.
“You have to be coming from an incredibly dark place to say what you said,” Miyares told reporters. “Not by a stranger. By a colleague. Somebody you had served with. Someone you have worked with.”
Democratic candidate for Virginia attorney general Jay Jones speaks with an interviewer Saturday about widely condemned text messages he sent in 2022.
Jones and Republican House Delegate Carrie Coyner spoke in a phone conversation following the text exchange, in which Jones described Gilbert’s children dying in the arms of their mother, according to the National Review’s report.
“I have been a prosecutor, and I have been obviously serving as attorney general,” Miyares said. “I have met quietly one-on-one with victims. There is no cry like the cry of a mother that lost her child. None.”
A spokesperson for the Virginia House Republican caucus,
to Oct. 30, Trigg County High School athletics director Doug Gloyd said.
“It’s very disheartening, but I’m grateful and thankful they were able to reschedule,” Carolina said. “They put a lot of time into football season.”
Carolina, 36, works on post at Fort Campbell and is currently furloughed during the shutdown.
Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell has intervened in the matter. The Republican senator wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last Friday, asking that athletics and extracurriculars at the schools be designated as activities allowed to proceed despite the shutdown.
Jerry Gilliam, the judge-executive in Christian County, Kentucky, which includes a portion of Fort Campbell, was among those who asked McConnell to get involved.
“These young people already carry unique burdens as sons and daughters of U.S. servicemembers, and this additional barrier only deepens their sacrice,” Gilliam said in writing to McConnell.
The shutdown has disrupted sports at other military post high schools, including Camp Lejeune’s high school football team in North Carolina. Camp Lejeune’s host last week, Northside High School,
contacted on Saturday by The Associated Press, said Gilbert was not commenting on the text messages. Gilbert stepped down as a legislator to become a federal prosecutor this year but resigned a month later.
The revelation about the text messages shook up the campaign and comes as both parties seek advantage in statewide races being closely watched for trends heading into next year’s midterm elections, when control of Congress is at stake. And it comes amid an escalating threat of political violence in the country following the shooting deaths of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and former Minnesota Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband.
In Virginia, other Democrats running for statewide o ce didn’t mince words in criticizing Jones.
Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, said in a statement last Friday that she “spoke frankly with Jay about my disgust with what he had said and texted. I made clear to Jay that he must fully take responsibility for his words.” She vowed to “always condemn violent language in our politics.”
Ghazala Hashmi, the Democrat running for lieutenant governor, said “political violence has no place in our country and I condemn it at every turn.” Hashmi added that “we must demand better of our leaders and of each other.” Candidates for governor and lieutenant gov-
“These young people already carry unique burdens as sons and daughters of U.S. servicemembers, and this additional barrier only deepens their sacri ce.”
Jerry Gilliam, Christian County, Kentucky, judge-executive
moved up their homecoming game to be played Tuesday, before the shutdown took e ect Wednesday.
The Department of Defense Education Activity, known as DoDEA, manages prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs for the Department of Defense. It said last Friday that its schools will remain open for normal instructional operations during the government shutdown.
“However, sporting events, sports practices and all extracurricular activities are not considered excepted activities during a lapse in appropriations,” it said in a statement. “As a result, these activities, including those held outside of the school day, will remain paused for the duration of the shutdown.”
ernor run separately in Virginia.
The Republican Attorneys General Association said Jones should withdraw from the campaign for his “abhorrent” text messages. The group’s chairman, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, said the messages were unacceptable “from someone who wants to represent law enforcement.”
“There is no place for political violence, including joking about it — especially from an elected o cial,” Kobach said.
Jones did not hold elected ofce when he sent the text messages about Gilbert to Coyner, who is seeking reelection in a competitive House district. Jones had formerly served as a state legislator and stepped down in 2021.
In his texts, Jones wrote: “Three people two bullets ... Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot ... Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.” Pol Pot was the leader of the murderous Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.
In his statement last Friday, Jones said: “Reading back those words made me sick to my stomach. I am embarrassed, ashamed and sorry.”
“I have reached out to Speaker Gilbert to apologize directly to him, his wife Jennifer, and their children,” he added. “I cannot take back what I said; I can only take full accountability and o er my sincere apology.”
ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO
The football team at the high school on Camp Lejeune Marine Base had to reschedule its football game ahead of the government shutdown.
VIA AP
Randolph record
fall
of
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Supreme Court begins term that will examine Trump’s presidential power
Washington, D.C.
The Supreme Court has opened its new term. In its rst arguments on Monday, the court appeared to be inclined to rule against a criminal defendant from Texas in a case about the constitutional right to a lawyer. A major thrust of the next 10 months is expected to be the justices’ evaluation of President Donald Trump’s claims of presidential power. Pivotal cases on voting and LGBTQ rights also are on the agenda. On Tuesday, the justices heard arguments over bans passed by many states on therapy aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity.
Weiss named new editor-in-chief of CBS News after Paramount buys her website New York Paramount is buying the successful news commentary website The Free Press and installed its founder, Bari Weiss, as editor-in-chief of CBS News. The move, while anticipated, is a bold one for David Ellison, new corporate leader of Paramount and CBS. Weiss will report directly to Ellison and be responsible for shaping editorial priorities and driving innovation at CBS News. Ellison said he believes the majority of the country wants news that is balanced and fact-based, and he wants CBS to be their home. “I am con dent her entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News.”
$2.00
Changes coming for Liberty Antiques Festival
The festival has drawn people from many states since the rst edition in 1991
By Bob Sutton Randolph Record
LIBERTY — The growth of the Liberty Antiques Festival has surprised Vito Sico, but now it has become too big for him to continue to handle.
Sico said he’ll step down from his role as operator of the biannual event as it reaches its 35th year, so he’s hoping a suitable replacement comes along.
The April 2026 festival will be the nal one with him in charge, but he said he’s condent it will fall into good hands.
“We’ve got a lot of people interested,” he said. “I’m hoping
someone local will want to do it.”
Sico, who turns 80 in January, said it’s time for him to back away. He helped formu-
late the festival, which is held on farm land outside Liberty, in September 1991.
“The aches and pains and
“I’m hoping someone local will want to do it.”
Vito Sico, festival organizer
headaches are getting harder to handle,” he said.
Some of the festivals have drawn more than 320 vendors, often representing as many as 25 states. Last month’s edition attracted 290 dealers willing to set up spots on the grounds.
“A lot of people really enjoy it,” Sico said.
He said many of the dealers and other attendees come from 100 miles away to take part in the event. He said many of those people might spend an entire week in Randolph County or the area because of the festival.
“People spend a lot of money in the county,” he said of the festival’s impact.
Once established, the festival was held the nal Friday
See FESTIVAL, page A2
Go Randolph aims to keep folks on the move
The new set-up gives more exibility for residents needing transportation
Randolph Record sta
ASHEBORO — Go Randolph, an on-demand transportation service, was launched last week as part of the Regional Coordinated Area Transportation System. The new service allows riders to schedule online and have same-day transportation (rather than requiring a three-day advance).
Based on information from RCATS, the project stems from initiatives addressed in the community connectivity plan years ago. Dignitaries gathered for a ribbon cutting on West Salisbury Street in Asheboro.
RCATS Transportation is a division of Randolph Senior Adults Association. Buses adorned with the Go Randolph logo were on display at the ribbon cutting.
The service is beginning with a pilot zone extending from Vision Drive in north Asheboro to Kivett Street in south Asheboro. The zone will include Lydia’s Place, Our Daily Bread, downtown Asheboro, Asheboro Mall, Walmart and other stops.
There should be opportunities to expand service zones, according to information from RCATS. The project received support from North Carolina Department of Transportation and the City of Asheboro. “We are getting closer to
Maxine Wright shows o the inside of a new bus that’s part of Go Randolph.
breaking the barrier of transportation within our community,” Tawanna Williams, RCATS transportation director, said in a news release announcing the launch. Williams didn’t respond to requests for additional information.
THE RANDOLPH COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD
The
version
the Liberty Antiques Festival drew more large crowds last month, but operations of the event will change hands.
PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD Vendors are spread out around a wide area of rural land for the Liberty Antiques Festival, which had its nal fall event under the current organizer.
PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD
THURSDAY 10.9.25
RCC adds new administrator
The community college has scheduled an event to provide information on nancial aid
Randolph Record sta ASHEBORO — Lisa Carlson is the new vice president of student services at Randolph Community College.
Carlson began her role last week, the school announced. She has more than 15 years in higher education leadership, according to information from RCC.
Carlson arrived from her most-recent assignment as associate vice president for student success at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. “As we continue to expand
CRIME LOG
Sept. 29
• Taylor Bradshaw, 34, of Asheboro, was arrested by Randolph County Sheri ’s O ce (RCSO) for eeing or eluding arrest with a motor vehicle, possession or receiving stolen property, speeding, failure to heed light or siren, carrying a concealed weapon and felony larceny of a motor vehicle.
• Tony Ivan, 33, of Franklinville, was arrested by Asheboro PD for assault on a female and misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.
• Jacob Watson, 36, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for indecent liberties with a child (multiple counts) and sexual exploitation of a minor.
Sept. 30
• Angela Lilly, 45, of Asheboro, was arrested by RCSO for misdemeanor larceny and possession of stolen property.
• Kristi Minor, 53, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for habitual larceny, misdemeanor larceny and possession of stolen property.
Oct. 1
• Troy Bullins, 54, of Staley, was arrested by RCSO for felony larceny, possession of stolen
and Saturday each April and again the last Friday and Saturday every September. The Pike Farm Road site has a Staley address. The rst festival attracted 81 vendors.
“Eighty-one seemed huge,” Sico said.
Part of the appeal has been the limited number of antique shows of this scale in this part of the country, Sico said.
Several days after the September event, Sico was still expressing concern about getting the property cleaned up so that the spring set-up will go smoothly.
Sico, who moved to Liberty from New Jersey in 1985, said he appreciates the assistance from numerous festival helpers through the years. Many of those people have reached the point where they can no longer handle a signi cant workload, he said. The last festival under Sico’s watch is scheduled for
opportunities and remove barriers for our students, Lisa will play a key role in ensuring every student has the support they need to thrive,” RCC president Shah Ardalan said in a news release.
Carlson is completing a
property and obtaining property by false pretense.
• Cassidy King, 22, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for misuse of 911 system and cruelty to animals.
• Chris Ledwell, 29, of Asheboro, was arrested by RCSO for maintaining a vehicle/dwelling/ place for controlled substance, possession of marijuana paraphernalia, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession with intent to sell/deliver Schedule II and Schedule VI controlled substances, possession of a rearm by a felon and felony possession of Schedule VI controlled substance.
• Timothy Reitzel, 47, of Randleman, was arrested by RCSO for possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of stolen property and misdemeanor larceny.
• Gemes Vaughan, 63, of Randleman, was arrested by Asheboro PD for resisting a public o cer, second-degree trespassing and going armed to the terror of people.
Oct. 2
• Karon Brown, 31, of High Point, was arrested by Asheboro PD
doctorate in educational leadership at University of South Dakota.
Financial aid info available
RCC will hold its fall Free Application for Federal Student Aid Day event from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday in rooms 106 and 108 of the Continuing Education and Industrial Center.
The event is open to all high school students, current college students, families and adult learners. Attendees will receive one-on-one guidance from trained professionals to complete and submit the FAFSA for the 2026-27 academic year. Participants who bring their 2024 tax documentation can begin the application process immediately.
The event will also feature refreshments and a giveaway for a Dell laptop. All who attend will be entered to win.
The event is free and open to the public. Attendees do not have to be enrolled in or looking to enroll in classes at RCC.
for felony possession of cocaine, resisting or obstructing a public o cer and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Austyn Covington, 20, of Trinity, was arrested by RCSO for rstdegree arson and injury to real property.
• Armando Martinez, 57, of Asheboro, was arrested by Randolph County Emergency Services for possession of controlled substance on prison/ jail premises, felony possession of Schedule II controlled substance, second-degree trespassing and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Damien Mitchell, 28, of Siler City, was arrested by RCSO for possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting a public o cer, assault on a government o cial and violation of court order.
• Megan Sexton, 31, of Asheboro, was arrested by RCSO for possession with intent to sell/ deliver Schedule IV controlled substance, felony possession of cocaine, tra cking in opium or heroin, felony possession of Schedule II controlled substance, simple possession of Schedule IV controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Guide
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Randolph County:
Through Oct. 12
Seagrove Celebrates American Craft Week
Kiln openings, studio tours and handthrown pottery demonstrations. Studio hours will be posted on each studio door.
Seagrove
Through
Oct. 12
Musical production of “Grease” For show times and tickets visit tickets@rhinoleap.com.
Sunset Theatre 234 Sunset Ave. Asheboro
Oct.
11, 14 & 16
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
Oct.
16
Books and Banter (YA Club)
4:30-5:30 p.m.
Teens ages 13-16 meet each Thursday to talk about books and more. Every fourth Thursday, the group discusses the same book, which can be picked up ahead of time at the library.
Seagrove Public Library 530 Old Plank Road
Through Oct. 31
Pottery Pumpkin Harvest – Celebrating 30 Years Open
Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sundays 1- 5p.m.
An assortment of fall crafts from nature’s bounty — pumpkins, gourds, acorns and leaves. Potter Melanie Dennison will be doing slab-building demonstrations throughout the day.
205 East Main St. Seagrove
WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD
COURTESY PHOTO
Carlson
THE CONVERSATION
Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
COLUMN | IAN HAWORTH
Hamas doesn’t want peace
In a perfect world, this agreement appears to be a reasonable solution to a brutal war in Gaza.
THE POLITICAL WORLD is alight with anticipation and excitement after President Donald Trump released his 20-point peace proposal for Gaza, built around three central pillars: immediate de-escalation, humanitarian relief and redevelopment, and a long-term political framework.
First, the plan calls for a complete cease re and Israeli withdrawal from active operations in exchange for the release of all hostages held by Hamas — alive and dead — within 72 hours of Israel’s acceptance. This exchange would also include the return of almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas members who renounce violence could receive amnesty or safe passage abroad, while those remaining would be required to decommission weapons under international monitoring. Importantly, the proposal sets a clear standard: Gaza must become a “terror-free” zone with no militant infrastructure, with Israel committing not to annex or occupy Gaza once security conditions are met.
Second, the plan focuses heavily on humanitarian aid and economic revitalization. Aid would ow in immediately under international supervision, while a transitional governance system would be established — a technocratic Palestinian committee overseen by an international “Board of Peace” chaired by Trump, with gures like Tony Blair — yes, the man who set Iraq on re — also involved.
This body would coordinate reconstruction, create a special economic zone and attract investment, modeled on other “miracle cities” in the Middle East, envisioning an international stabilization force to secure Gaza alongside newly trained Palestinian police, while Israel gradually withdraws.
Finally, the proposal outlines a political horizon. Hamas would be excluded from governance, and Gaza’s future leadership would eventually transition to a reformed Palestinian Authority, with calls for regional guarantees, interfaith dialogue, and a U.S.led process to de ne a path toward Palestinian self-determination and statehood.
In short, the proposal mixes carrots (aid, investment, amnesty, freedom of movement) with sticks (demilitarization, Hamas exclusion, security enforcement), aiming to end the war while positioning Trump as the central broker of Gaza’s future.
Sounds great! There’s only one small problem: The only sticks Hamas cares about are those that can be used to kill more Jews.
When it comes to Hamas — you know, the bloodthirsty terrorist group that started this war after committing the deadliest pogrom in history since the fall of Nazi Germany — the plan would allow any Hamas members who “commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons” to receive amnesty and be permitted to leave safely,
Obamacare is a massive failure; the GOP shouldn’t bail it out
Virtually every promise made by Democrats regarding the A ordable Care Act has failed to come true.
SINCE DEMOCRATS have shut down the federal government because they want another $1.5 trillion bailout of Obamacare, it’s a good time to remind everyone that the law has been a wide-ranging and expensive asco.
Virtually every promise made by Democrats regarding the A ordable Care Act has failed to come true.
Sure, Barack Obama infamously promised that Americans could keep their preferred insurance if they desired. By the end of his second term, around 7 million people had been booted from their insurance because of the A ordable Care Act. Who knows how many have been dropped since.
But let’s also not forget that Obama pledged that the law would reduce family health insurance premiums by “up to” $2,500 annually by the end of his rst term. Premiums not only continued to rise during his presidency, but since 2010, they have spiked from $13,000 to nearly $24,000.
Democrats used to love to talk about “bending the cost curve.” Well, congrats. Obama also promised that Obamacare’s state exchanges would enhance competition among insurers and lower costs. Taxpayers are now on the hook for 90% of the cost of those premiums. If the COVID-19-era Obamacare subsidies are allowed to sunset, taxpayers will be responsible for a mere 80%. Without the subsidies, the Congressional Budget O ce predicted that 3.6 million users would leave the exchanges. Obamacare didn’t create better health care insurance options for consumers; it created millions of state dependents.
The Obamacare exchanges were sold as self-su cient engines of capitalism even as Democrats were doing everything to inhibit
market competition. Many Obamacare exchanges now only have a single insurer. Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Humana have all basically abandoned them.
One of the most contentious debates over the A ordable Care Act was the cost. Democrats stressed that the project would cost less than a trillion dollars over a decade. On numerous occasions, Obama promised he would not add “one dime” to the debt. Democrats, in fact, guaranteed the A ordable Care Act would help reduce de cits. If you dared question the estimates, fact-checkers would swarm and call you a liar.
There’s no de nitive number on the debt added by Obamacare since its passage. It is likely in the hundreds of billions of dollars, if not trillions.
Democrats promised that penalties on employers who failed to provide health insurance would bring in “substantial” revenue to allay costs. Once the A ordable Care Act was passed, Obama ignored the law by delaying implementation before “tweaking” the law without any constitutional authority. The employer mandate now brings in only a small fraction of promised returns.
Obama also kept delaying the A ordable Care Act’s “Cadillac tax,” a levy on alleged “gold-plated” private employee plans. The tax was meant to discourage upper- and middle-class workers from obtaining the types of plans Democrats deemed too generous as a way of lowering costs but also raising “revenue.”
Once labor unions found out they also had “gold-plated” plans, well, Democrats dropped the idea, which was repealed in 2019.
The individual mandate, which the Supreme Court miraculously transformed into a “tax,” now exists only in conceptual form despite
while preventing Hamas and other factions from maintaining any governing control over Gaza (guaranteed by regional partners).
Except ... Hamas has no intention of giving up any power, let alone peaceful co-existence with Jews.
Yes, in a perfect world, this agreement appears to be a reasonable solution to a brutal war in Gaza that, while entirely justi ed, has caused widespread su ering and destruction. But we do not live in a perfect world. Instead, we live in a world inhabited by the ideology of radical Islam that plays by entirely di erent rules and views the su ering of its own civilians as a crucial and bene cial strategy of war.
Even if Hamas agrees to this proposal — which they won’t — don’t be fooled: They will never accept defeat because to do so would be to accept that their entire worldview is bogus. When Hamas — with the continued support of the Palestinian people, lest we forget — is motivated by the destruction of Israel, anything less than the continuation of Oct. 7 is unacceptable.
We should all pray for peace, of course, but with the understanding that peace can only be achieved once we achieve something in nitely harder: the vanquishing of Palestinian terrorism. And for that, it’s going to take much more than pen, paper and Tony Blair.
Ian Haworth is a syndicated columnist.
Democrats’ promise that it would generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue. It brings in zero dollars.
So it’s no surprise that Democrats have been demanding Republicans bail out the poorly conceived law since its passage.
When Congress refused to pass new subsidies in 2013, the Obama administration, again without any constitutional authority, ordered the Treasury to create a $7 billion per year appropriation for insurance companies participating in the allegedly self-supporting exchanges.
When a district court ruled that the payments were unconstitutional, Obama ignored the decision. Don’t you love it when Democrats lecture people about norms?
When Democrats added new Obamacare subsidies to the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act to fund those with incomes 400% over the federal poverty line, they sold it as a temporary measure to get through the COVID-19 economy.
Every Democratic leader referred to the subsidies as “a bridge” that was meant to help until the economy rebounded from the pandemic.
Here we are in 2025. You know what they say about temporary government programs.
Aside from all the failed promises, the passage of Obamacare broke American politics. For the rst time in U.S. history, a party rammed through a massive national reform without any input from half the country. In their e ort to appease a handful of moderates in their party, Democrats larded up Obamacare with unenforceable mandates, taxes and bureaucratic complexities that created the illusion of a ordability.
When they still couldn’t pass the bill using the traditional lawmaking process, they blew up a bunch of governing norms to do it.
Now Democrats have shut the government down to try and force Republicans to help prop up this disastrous law. The GOP would be nuts to help them.
David Harsanyi is a senior writer
at the Washington Examiner.
COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI
More than a dozen youths have been killed in the past few years
By Cedar Attanasio
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Ka’Von
Wooden loved trains. The 15-year-old had an encyclopedic knowledge of New York City’s subway system and dreamed of becoming a train operator.
Instead, on a December morning in 2022, Ka’Von died after he climbed to the roof of a moving J train in Brooklyn and then fell onto the tracks as it headed onto the Williamsburg Bridge.
He is one of more than a dozen New Yorkers, many young boys, who have been killed or badly injured after falling o speeding trains. Other risks include being crushed between the train and tunnel walls and being electrocuted by high-voltage subway tracks. “Subway sur ng” dates back a century, but it has been fueled by social media.
Two girls found dead Saturday
Early Saturday morning, New York City police found two girls dead — ages 12 and 13 — in what apparently was a subway sur ng game that turned out to be fatal, authorities said. Metropolitan Transportation Authority President Demetrius Crichlow said in a statement that “getting on top of a subway car isn’t ‘sur ng’ — it’s suicide.”
Authorities have tried to address the problem with public awareness campaigns — including a new one featuring Grammy Award-winning rapper Cardi B — and by deploying drones to catch thrill-seekers in the act. But for some, a more fundamental question is not being addressed: Why are kids like Ka’Von able to climb on top of subway cars in the rst place?
“When Ka’Von died ... literally two weeks later, another child died. And another one. That makes no sense,” his moth-
er, Y’Vonda Maxwell, told The Associated Press, saying transit and law enforcement ocials haven’t done enough. “Why should my child have not been the end?”
MTA says it’s studying issue
Making trains harder to climb and train surfers more easy to detect with cameras and sensors could be part of the solution, some experts say. The MTA, which operates the subway system, has said it is studying the issue. But it has yet to report any broad new rollout of technology or physical barriers that might make it harder for people to get on top of trains.
In June, Crichlow told a news conference to introduce a new public awareness campaign that the MTA was experimenting with pieces of circular rubber tubing designed to prevent a person from being able to climb between two cars to the top of a train.
It was being piloted in between two cars to make sure it would t into the tight spacing of the tunnels and that it wouldn’t break down or harm service or riders, he said.
“So far the equipment seems to be holding up,” he said.
Six deaths so far this year from subway sur ng
Six people died sur ng subway trains in the city last year, up from ve in 2023.
Tyesha Elcock, the MTA worker who operated the train Ka’Von rode the day he died, is among those who thinks more should be done to prevent deaths.
The rst sign of trouble that day was when the train’s emergency brake kicked in, she said.
Elcock discovered Ka’Von’s body between the train’s seventh and eighth cars. A group of sad-faced teens on the train made it clear what had happened. “Did y’all leave your friend back there?” she asked them.
Elcock said another operator traveling in the opposite direc-
tion saw Ka’Von on the train’s roof and reported it over a radio. Because of patchy radio service, she said, she didn’t get the warning.
But she thinks an even simpler solution could have saved Ka’Von’s life: locking the doors at the ends of subway cars. That would cut o access to the narrow gaps between train cars where subway surfers use handholds to hoist themselves onto the roof.
“Lock it when we’re in service so people can’t climb up and be on top of the train,” Elcock said.
The MTA’s leaders have said they are looking into possible ways to prevent subway sur ng, including engineering solutions, but the agency declined to make any of its safety experts available for an interview.
In 2023, Richard Davey, then the head of buses and subways for the MTA, said o cials were “weighing” the option of locking doors between cars — which is now done only on a handful of 1980s-era trains. But he said that locking doors “brings its own risk.” Some New Yorkers have complained that locking the passageways between train cars might prevent them from escaping to another part of the train during an emergency.
Under questioning from City Council members and reporters last year, MTA o cials ruled
out some other physical interventions, including building more barriers to prevent access to tracks or putting covers over the gaps between train cars to prevent would-be surfers from climbing up.
“Listen, you have to be able to do work on top of a train car,” MTA CEO Janno Lieber said at a news conference, adding that you can’t “cover it with barbed wire.”
MTA asks social media companies to help stop trend
The MTA has asked social media companies to take down videos glamorizing subway surfing and reported in June that, in 2025, more than 1,800 videos had been taken down.
It’s also promoted public service announcements telling people to “Ride inside, stay alive,” in voices of local teens and, with the city’s schools, released a comic-book themed campaign this past summer designed to show the dangers of subway sur ng and impact on loved ones.
More than 300,000 New York City school children use the subway to get to and from school each day.
The NYPD reported that arrests of alleged subway surfers rose to 229 last year, up from
135 the year before. Most were boys, with an average age of around 14, according to police. The youngest was 9 years old.
Branislav Dimitrijevic, an engineering professor of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, said retro tting trains to prevent roof access would be expensive.
“There’s so many stories in transportation where things can be xed, but they cost a lot of money,” Dimitrijevic said. “And then you ask the public, ’Are you willing to (pay) for us to x this? But your taxes would go up tremendously.’ And people say ‘no.’”
Dimitrijevic suggested the MTA might be able to install cameras and use arti cial intelligence to detect riders trying to climb a train. Andrew Albert, a nonvoting member of the MTA board, said he has been asking the agency about the plausibility of physical sensors but hasn’t gotten a response.
The NYPD has patrolled popular subway sur ng routes with eld response teams and drones, reporting in July that it had used them to make 200 rescues, mostly of teens. But the missions can’t be everywhere at once. They also say they make home visits to the homes of subway surfers they’ve identi ed. Trains in some other cities, such as Hong Kong and Dubai, aren’t easily climbable. They have streamlined bodies, lack handles on the outside and don’t open between cars.
Some rail systems have resorted to extreme tactics to keep people from riding on top of trains. In Indonesia, railway o cials once installed hanging metal ails to try and deter passengers from riding atop train cars to avoid overcrowding. They also tried spraying riders with red paint and hitting them with brooms.
The MTA purchased a few new subway cars that don’t have the outdoor gaps exploited by subway surfers, but they represent just a sliver of the number currently in service and won’t be deployed on lines popular for sur ng anytime soon.
SETH WENIG / AP PHOTO
Trains arrive and depart from a subway station in the Coney Island section of New York, earlier this year.
Left, a train arrives at a subway station in the Coney Island section of New York earlier this year.
Right, a train conductor walks between subway cars at a station in the Coney Island section of New York.
PHOTOS BY SETH WENIG / AP PHOTO
Lola Faye
Je erson Paszt
Feb. 26, 1953 –Oct. 1, 2025
Lola Faye Je erson Paszt, 72, a resident of Pinetown, died on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, at ECU Health Edgecombe Hospital.
A graveside service will be held on Sunday, October 5, 2025, at 2 p.m. at Pamlico Memorial Gardens with Rev. Kevin Whaley o ciating.
The family will receive friends Saturday evening from 6-8 p.m. at Paul Funeral Home & Crematory of Washington.
Faye was born on February 26, 1953, in Beaufort County to the late Jesse W. Je erson and Lola Jackson Je erson. She was a 1971 graduate of Bath High School. On February 19, 1983, she married Edmund “Eddie” John Paszt. Prior to retirement, Faye worked at Pam’s Diner and Acre Station Meat Farm. Her and Eddie then operated Eddie’s Service Station in Pinetown. Faye loved to work in her yard, collect gnomes and roosters, and tend to her potted plants. Faye loved animals and always had birds, cats, dogs, and chickens. Faye was preceded in death by her parents and siblings, Jesse “Ronnie” Je erson and Ellen Je erson Hamman and her niece Elizabeth Hamman. Survivors include, her husband, Edmund “Eddie” John Paszt, son, Daniel Lee Paszt (Kendall), sisters, Carolyn J. Simmons and Lynda J. Harris, granddaughter, Alyssa Boyette, stepson, E.J. Paszt (Sarah) and Kelly P Talbot (Ryan), grandchildren, Grace Paszt, Olivia Paszt, Tucker Talbot and Layla Talbot and numerous nieces and nephews.
In lieu of owers, memorial contributions may be made to Shelton’s Veterinary Clinic, 19168 US Highway 64, Williamston, NC 27892. Paul Funeral Home & Crematory of Washington is honored to serve the Paszt family.
Gene Nelson Harris
Aug. 23, 1942 –Oct. 2, 2025
Gene Nelson Harris, age 83, passed away on October 2, 2025, at High Point Regional Hospital.
Gene was born in Denton, NC, on August 23, 1942, the only son of Charlie and Fay Harris.
Gene is survived by Shelby, his wife of 58 years, who is the love of his life. He is also survived by four sisters, Joyce Leviner, Becky Greer, Jane Richburg, and Ellen Welch and several nieces and nephews.
Gene loved his family, driving tractors, and working in his garden, but most of all he loved Shelby. He retired from Georgia-Paci c after 28 years of service. Previously he was co-owner of Garner and Harris Service Station. He was a faithful member of Farmer Baptist Church and began attending the church when he was a child. He grew up and lived all his life in the Farmer Community. He was a past Fire Chief of the Farmer Fire Department, where he served for many years. He was a member of the Farmer Civitan Club for many years and served on the breakfast team. He was a master gardener and loved to plant and see things grow. He loved teaching his preacher how to plant his garden and learn to grow his vegetables, but he would always say it sure was hard to get a garden right. His idea of having a great time was watching the Yankees play (and win).
The family will receive friends on Sunday, October 5, 2025, from 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. at Farmer Baptist Church. Funeral services will follow on Sunday at 3 p.m. at the church with Pastor Daniel Delaney o ciating. Burial will be held at Oaklawn Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to Farmer Baptist Church, 4566 Dunbar Bridge Road, Asheboro, NC 27205. Pugh Funeral Home in Asheboro is honored to serve the Harris family.
Michael W. Roberts
Feb. 15, 1951 – Oct. 2, 2025
Michael Wang Roberts, 74, of Pleasant Garden, passed away Thursday, October 2, 2025, at The Randolph Hospice House in Asheboro.
Memorial services will be conducted at 11 a.m., Saturday, October 11, 2025, at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Asheboro, where he was a member, with Fr. John Campbell o ciating. A native of Cassadaga, NY, Mr. Roberts was born on February 15, 1951, the son of the late Howard Putnam Roberts and Alice Mae Wang Roberts. He was a mechanical contractor and after retiring he enjoyed carpentry. A huge sports fan, Mr. Roberts loved the New York Yankees and the Bu alo Bills. He was also an avid golfer and a proud member of the Masonic Lodge. Mr. Roberts was a loving husband and a “girl dad” to his three precious daughters. Survivors include his wife Linda Roberts of the home; daughters, Olivia Roberts of Durham, Kristy Roberts Catalano (David) of Prospect Hill, NC, Laura Gleason (Michael) of Litch eld Park, AZ; grandchildren, Jakob, Abigail, Nicholas, Johnathan, Aidan, and Kristopher. The family will receive friends at the church following the service.
Deborah “Debbie” Rose Bagley
Sept. 16, 1963 –Oct. 3, 2025
Deborah “Debbie” Rose Bagley, 62, entered into the arms of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on October 3, 2025. She was born on September 16, 1963, to Bob and HuBarrett Rose, who both preceded her in death.
Debbie was the wife of George Bagley, the love of her life, and the Proud, Protective Mama of Brandy Moore (Brad), Candy Sheppard, Matthew Bagley (Dawn), and Jessica Edwards (Larry). She was a Gramma to Bailey Williams, Jonah Lamb (Morgan), Barrett Harris, Sophie Bagley, Landon Bagley, Jamisyn Moore, Tyson Bagley, and Bradley Moore, and she was blessed to be Great Gramma to Steel Elliot.
Debbie lived a life marked by laughter and love. She worked as a nurse, caring deeply for every patient, treating each one with kindness, love, and respect. Known for having the biggest heart, Debbie never hesitated to help someone or even give the shirt o her back to anyone in need.
Her greatest joy came from her faith and her family. Debbie loved her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with all her heart. She longed for everyone she loved to know the same peace, hope, strength, and eternal promise that only Jesus could give.
Debbie’s memory will live on in the countless lives she touched and the family she loved beyond measure. She will be deeply missed, but her family takes comfort in knowing that she now rests in the eternal joy of Heaven.
Graveside services will be held on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, at 2 p.m. at Davis Cemetery in Pantego, NC. In honor of Debbie’s beautiful spirit, her family asks that guests come dressed in her favorite colors— purple, tie-dye, and comfortable attire. There is no need to dress up, as Debbie would want everyone to feel relaxed and at ease while celebrating her life.
Paul Funeral Home & Crematory of Washington is honored to serve the Bagley family.
Jane Goodall, celebrated primatologist and conservationist, dead at 91
BELA SZANDELSZKY / AP PHOTO
Primatologist Jane Goodall
kisses Pola, a 14-monthold chimpanzee baby from the Budapest Zoo that she symbolically adopted in Budapest, Hungary, in 2004.
Her chimpanzee research changed the understanding of how apes live and interact
By Hallie Golden The Associated Press
JANE GOODALL, the intellectual, soft-spoken conservationist renowned for her groundbreaking, immersive chimpanzee eld research in which she documented the primates’ distinct personalities and use of tools, has died. She was 91.
The environmental advocate became a beloved household name who transcended generations through her appearances
in documentaries and on television, as well as her travels to address packed auditoriums around the world.
The Jane Goodall Institute announced the primatologist’s death last Wednesday in an Instagram post. According to the Washington, D.C.-based institute, Goodall died of natural causes while in California on a U.S. speaking tour. Her discoveries “revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world,” it said.
While living among chimpanzees in Africa decades ago, Goodall documented them doing activities previously believed to be exclusive to humans.
James Calvin Hughes
Jan. 6, 1936 – Oct. 3, 2025
James Calvin Hughes, 89, of Asheboro, passed away on October 3, 2025, at the Randolph Hospice House.
James Hughes was born to Lewis Calvin Hughes and Lena Lamb Hughes of Asheboro on January 6, 1936. James was a truck driver for Glen Raven Mills in Burlington, NC, for over 30 years and an auctioneer with Hancock and Hughes Auctioneers for over 20 years. When not working, James loved to watch the Atlanta Braves. He also enjoyed watching NASCAR, the NFL, and swinging a golf club with friends. He was an Army veteran who proudly served in the Korean War.
James is survived by his daughters, Beckie Farlow, her husband Dean, and Sheila Hughes, both of Asheboro, his nephew Mac Lomax of Laurinburg, and his Grandog Bear.
In addition to his parents, James is preceded in death by his wife, Arletta Cooper Hughes, and his sister and brother-in-law, Hilda and Jerry Lomax.
The Hughes family will have a visitation at Pugh Funeral Home in Asheboro on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, at 1 p.m., followed by a service at the Pugh Funeral Home Chapel at 2 p.m. with Pastor Mark Wilburn o ciating, and services will conclude with burial at Randolph Memorial Park.
The family would like to extend special thanks to Home Hospice Nurse Maddie, CNA Amanda, and volunteer Richard.
They would also like to thank the entire sta of Randolph Hospice House for the great compassion and care they showed to James through his nal days.
Memorials may be made to Randolph Hospice House.
Pugh Funeral Home is honored to serve the Hughes family.
Her observations and subsequent magazine and documentary appearances in the 1960s transformed how the world perceived not only humans’ closest living biological relatives but also the emotional and social complexity of all animals, while propelling her into the public consciousness.
“Out there in nature by myself, when you’re alone, you can become part of nature and your humanity doesn’t get in the way,” she told The Associated Press in 2021. “It’s almost like an out- of-body experience when suddenly you hear di erent sounds and you smell different smells and you’re actually part of this amazing tapestry of life.”
She had been scheduled to meet with students and teachers last Wednesday to launch the planting of 5,000 trees around wild re burn zones in the Los Angeles area. Organizers learned of her death as the event was to begin at EF Academy in Pasadena, said spokesperson Shawna Marino. The rst tree was planted in Goodall’s name after a moment of silence.
“I don’t think there’s any better way to honor her legacy than having a thousand children gathered for her,” Marino said. Goodall in her later years devoted decades to education and advocacy on humanitarian causes and protecting the natural world. In her British accent, she was known for balancing the grim realities of the climate crisis with a sincere message of hope for the future.
From her base in the British coastal town of Bournemouth, she traveled nearly 300 days a year, even after she turned 90, for public speeches. Between more serious messages, her speeches often featured her whooping like a chimpanzee or lamenting that Tarzan chose the wrong Jane.
Tributes from animal rights organizations, political leaders and admirers poured in following news of her death.
“I’m deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Jane Goodall, our dear Messenger of Peace. She is leaving an extraordinary legacy for humanity & our planet,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
STATE & NATION
Government shutdown sidelines football, other activities at schools for military families
Camp Lejeune’s high school football team had to move its game up last week
By Bruce Schreiner and Dylan Lovan The Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Football teams at Fort Campbell and Fort Knox high schools were sidelined last Friday by the federal government shutdown, which has paused extracurricular activities at the schools for military families.
The schools on the historic Army posts remain open for normal instructional activities, but the congressional stalemate has left the students and their families in limbo when it comes to other school-related pursuits. Fort Knox is in central Kentucky, while Fort Campbell straddles the Kentucky-Tennessee border.
Both football teams were scheduled to play Friday but their games were postponed. But the halt to extracurricular activities — even practices — applies to much more than football.
The Fort Campbell High girls’ volleyball team was on a historic run, having compiled an 11-2 record for a school without a winning season for 15 years in
the sport. The squad’s senior night game was called o last Thursday and two other upcoming games could be as well if the federal shutdown continues.
Mary Hughes, the volleyball team’s coach, said her players have shown “so much grit and tenacity” but for now have no control over how their season ends up.
“Everyone’s just really sad,” she said. “Life as a military child is hard enough. They deal with so much, and sports is one aspect of their lives that is so important to them. (It) gives them
self-esteem, con dence, teamwork. And for that to be taken away just because we live on the post … is just incredibly unfair.”
Bianca Carolina said she’s saddened that her son’s football team at Fort Campbell High had to postpone its game. She said she’s concerned the shutdown could drag on, a ecting the rest of the season. Her son, Jaeden, began practicing for the season back in January.
Fort Campbell’s football team was scheduled to play Trigg County, Kentucky, last Friday, but that game was rescheduled
Democrat in Virginia attorney general race apologizes for texts wishing death on Republicans
Jay Jones compared a political opponent to Hitler and Pol Pot
By Bruce Schreiner and Olivia Diaz The Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. — Virgin-
ia’s Democratic candidate for attorney general has apologized for widely condemned text messages from 2022 that revealed him suggesting that a prominent Republican get “two bullets to the head.”
The texts put the Democratic challenger, Jay Jones, on the defensive in what has been a hard-hitting campaign. Early voting is well underway in Virginia ahead of the November general election.
Jones’ campaign didn’t challenge the accuracy of the texts, rst reported by The National Review, and he o ered a public apology to Todd Gilbert, the target of the messages. Jones said he took “full responsibility for my actions.” Gilbert was speaker of Virginia’s House of Delegates at the time of the text messag-
es but is no longer a legislator. Jones has faced a torrent of bipartisan criticism since the messages surfaced. Jones is challenging Republican incumbent Jason Miyares for the job as Virginia’s top prosecutor. Miyares ripped into Jones on Saturday, questioning his challenger’s tness for the job.
“You have to be coming from an incredibly dark place to say what you said,” Miyares told reporters. “Not by a stranger. By a colleague. Somebody you had served with. Someone you have worked with.”
Democratic candidate for Virginia attorney general Jay Jones speaks with an interviewer Saturday about widely condemned text messages he sent in 2022.
Jones and Republican House Delegate Carrie Coyner spoke in a phone conversation following the text exchange, in which Jones described Gilbert’s children dying in the arms of their mother, according to the National Review’s report.
“I have been a prosecutor, and I have been obviously serving as attorney general,” Miyares said. “I have met quietly one-on-one with victims. There is no cry like the cry of a mother that lost her child. None.”
A spokesperson for the Virginia House Republican caucus,
to Oct. 30, Trigg County High School athletics director Doug Gloyd said.
“It’s very disheartening, but I’m grateful and thankful they were able to reschedule,” Carolina said. “They put a lot of time into football season.”
Carolina, 36, works on post at Fort Campbell and is currently furloughed during the shutdown.
Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell has intervened in the matter. The Republican senator wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last Friday, asking that athletics and extracurriculars at the schools be designated as activities allowed to proceed despite the shutdown.
Jerry Gilliam, the judge-executive in Christian County, Kentucky, which includes a portion of Fort Campbell, was among those who asked McConnell to get involved.
“These young people already carry unique burdens as sons and daughters of U.S. servicemembers, and this additional barrier only deepens their sacrice,” Gilliam said in writing to McConnell.
The shutdown has disrupted sports at other military post high schools, including Camp Lejeune’s high school football team in North Carolina. Camp Lejeune’s host last week, Northside High School,
contacted on Saturday by The Associated Press, said Gilbert was not commenting on the text messages. Gilbert stepped down as a legislator to become a federal prosecutor this year but resigned a month later.
The revelation about the text messages shook up the campaign and comes as both parties seek advantage in statewide races being closely watched for trends heading into next year’s midterm elections, when control of Congress is at stake. And it comes amid an escalating threat of political violence in the country following the shooting deaths of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and former Minnesota Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband.
In Virginia, other Democrats running for statewide o ce didn’t mince words in criticizing Jones.
Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, said in a statement last Friday that she “spoke frankly with Jay about my disgust with what he had said and texted. I made clear to Jay that he must fully take responsibility for his words.” She vowed to “always condemn violent language in our politics.”
Ghazala Hashmi, the Democrat running for lieutenant governor, said “political violence has no place in our country and I condemn it at every turn.” Hashmi added that “we must demand better of our leaders and of each other.” Candidates for governor and lieutenant gov-
“These young people already carry unique burdens as sons and daughters of U.S. servicemembers, and this additional barrier only deepens their sacri ce.”
Jerry Gilliam, Christian County, Kentucky, judge-executive
moved up their homecoming game to be played Tuesday, before the shutdown took e ect Wednesday.
The Department of Defense Education Activity, known as DoDEA, manages prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs for the Department of Defense. It said last Friday that its schools will remain open for normal instructional operations during the government shutdown.
“However, sporting events, sports practices and all extracurricular activities are not considered excepted activities during a lapse in appropriations,” it said in a statement. “As a result, these activities, including those held outside of the school day, will remain paused for the duration of the shutdown.”
ernor run separately in Virginia.
The Republican Attorneys General Association said Jones should withdraw from the campaign for his “abhorrent” text messages. The group’s chairman, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, said the messages were unacceptable “from someone who wants to represent law enforcement.”
“There is no place for political violence, including joking about it — especially from an elected o cial,” Kobach said. Jones did not hold elected ofce when he sent the text messages about Gilbert to Coyner, who is seeking reelection in a competitive House district. Jones had formerly served as a state legislator and stepped down in 2021.
In his texts, Jones wrote: “Three people two bullets ... Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot ... Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.” Pol Pot was the leader of the murderous Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.
Conyer replied: “Jay ... Please stop.” Jones responded: “Lol ... Ok, ok.” In his statement last Friday, Jones said: “Reading back those words made me sick to my stomach. I am embarrassed, ashamed and sorry.”
“I have reached out to Speaker Gilbert to apologize directly to him, his wife Jennifer, and their children,” he added. “I cannot take back what I said; I can only take full accountability and o er my sincere apology.”
ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO
The football team at the high school on Camp Lejeune Marine Base had to reschedule its football game ahead of the government shutdown.
WRIC VIA AP
RandolpH SPORTS
Great escapes for Tigers, Patriots in league play
A comeback wasn’t enough for Asheboro as the Blue Comets endured their rst loss
Randolph Record sta
RANDLEMAN AND Providence Grove pulled out onepoint victories in high school football Friday night, while Asheboro su ered its rst loss of the season. It turned out to be a compelling slate of action for Randolph County teams. Here’s a look. Randleman 22, Central Montgomery 21, OT
At Randleman, quarterback John Kirkpatrick scored on a couple of late-game fourth-down plays and then ran in the winning two-point conversion in the Piedmont Athletic Conference game.
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Southwestern Randolph at Eastern Randolph
• Trinity at Providence Grove
• Wheatmore at East Davidson
Asheboro at Southeast Guilford
• Randleman at Central Davidson
Randleman (5-2, 3-0) won its fourth game in a row.
Kirkpatrick threw to Connor Cassidy for a 6-yard touchdown with 1:04 left in the fourth quarter as the Tigers pulled even. Montgomery Central’s Noah Rodriguez scored on the rst play of overtime. It took Randleman
four plays, including overcoming a penalty, to score when Kirkpatrick reached the end zone from 1 yard out. Then he scored on the winning conversion play to cap the homecoming thriller. Randleman’s Nazir Staton scored on a 63-yard pass play for the game’s rst points. Kirkpatrick nished 22 for 36 for 227 passing yard as the Tigers won their second tight game in a row.
Montgomery Central is 3-3, 1-1.
Providence Grove 23, West Davidson 22
At Lexington, Carson Jones kicked a game-winning 41-yard eld goal in the nal minute as visiting Providence Grove overcame a nine-point, fourth-quarter de cit in the Central Carolina 3-A Conference opener.
Two teams from the county took long winning streaks into the nal week of the regular season
Randolph Record sta
UWHARRIE CHARTER Academy and Randleman wrapped up regular-season championships in volleyball.
UCA secured the Four Rivers Conference while running its overall winning streak to 15 matches.
Randleman, on the way to winning the Piedmont Athletic Conference, has produced a 14-match winning streak.
Both teams entered this week with undefeated marks in conference play, and neither team had dropped a set during league competition.
UCA swept host North Moore and visiting Eastern Randolph last week.
While controlling Eastern Randolph, Carly Rush’s 15 digs and 10 kills and Caroline Way’s 15 kills and six digs helped the cause. Against North Moore, Emory Johnson had 33 assists and 12 digs and Sadie Upchurch had 12 digs to help the Eagles.
• Randleman won home matches by taking down High Point Central and second-place Central Davidson in sweeps. With a 17-3 record, the Tigers
PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH
Asheboro’s Kailey Brown, left, and Emma Kate Forester go up at the net as Providence Grove’s Lara Wiseman delivers a spike during a match last week at the “Dig for a Cure” match at Providence Grove.
are closing in on a third 20-win season in ve seasons.
• Southwestern Randolph, the second-place team in the Four Rivers Conference, swept both visiting Eastern Randolph and host Jordan-Matthews, so the Cougars had won seven times in an eight-match stretch. Against Eastern Randolph, Bailey Blackmon registered 11 kills, Hailey Kennedy delivered 27 assists and 11 digs, and Madilyn Baker racked up 16 service points.
• Trinity extended its winning streak to four matches by rolling at Thomasville as Avalynn Johnson notched 26 assists, Bryn Holden recorded 25 service points and Charlee Phil-
lips had 20 service points. The Bulldogs entered this week one match behind rst-place West Davidson in the Central Carolina 3-A Conference.
Earlier, Trinity edged visiting Providence Grove in ve sets, with Johnson’s 45 assists and Avery Mo tt’s 17 kills and 16 digs among the big numbers.
• Providence Grove topped host East Davidson in three shots as Lara Wiseman compiled 18 kills and Cheyenne Collins supplied 20 assists.
• Asheboro knocked o host Providence Grove in three sets with Adalynn Scherer’s seven kills and six blocks and Kailey Brown’s 14 assists and eight digs among the key numbers.
with Jackson Lawver’s touchdown pass to Andrew Thomas. After West Davidson scored again to go up 22-14, Lawver tossed a pass to Holden Swift, but the Patriots looked doomed when a potential tying two-point play failed.
The Patriots regained possession and Jones connected on his sixth eld goal of the season.
West Davidson (3-3) led 10-7 at halftime and 16-7 through three quarters. Thomas had Providence Grove’s rst points on a 2-yard run.
Northern Guilford 31, Asheboro 27
At Asheboro, the visiting Nighthawks overcame an early de cit and then held on in the Triad Area Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
Asheboro (5-1) scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns after trailing 31-14.
Dallas Brinton threw two touchdown passes and accounted for 172 yards through the air and rushed for 132 yards. Jayden Spruill and Garrison Cheek made touchdown grabs.
The Blue Comets led 14-7 in the second quarter before North-
ern Guilford (5-1) surged to a 23-14 lead at the break.
Eastern Randolph 38, Northwood 0
At Pittsboro, the Wildcats won a road game for the second week in a row, this one opening play in the Four Rivers Conference. Eastern Randolph (5-2) notched its rst shutout of the season after blanking four foes last year. Northwood (1-5) has lost three in a row.
Thomasville 37, Wheatmore 19
At Trinity, the host Warriors matched their season-high point total but that wasn’t enough in the Central Carolina 3-A Conference opener for both teams. Thomasville (3-3), after scoring a touchdown in the nal minute of the rst half, led 21-13 at the break. The Bulldogs were up 24-13 going to the fourth quarter.
Connor Benton, who earlier threw to Gavin McPherson for a touchdown, scored on a late touchdown run for Wheatmore (0-6).
Trinity tries to turn corner
A senior quarterback has given the Bulldogs solid numbers in the team’s quest to succeed
By Bob Sutton Randolph Record
TRINITY — Khad’n Fuller has made transition to quarterback for Trinity’s football team, and that could help the Bulldogs in their quest to made inroads in the Central Carolina 3-A Conference.
Fuller played last year as a receiver and defensive back. But he said he had been groomed in some of his youth football endeavors as a quarterback, a position he likes playing.
“I have to give all the props to the rest of the team,” Fuller said. “When I step out on the eld, I put trust in my teammates and hope and pray we can get the job done.”
That has been a struggle for the Bulldogs in recent seasons. But Trinity seniors realize this is their last go-around in an effort to help the program rise.
“It’s tough, but you’ve just got to have the mindset that we’re going to win no matter what,” senior o ensive lineman Emery Hedgecock said.
“You just have to have a good mindset coming out there, it
BOB SUTTON /
“We got to make it to playo s. We’ve got seniors on the team, we’re trying to get out there and make the playo s.”
Khad’n Fuller, Trinity quarterback
don’t matter what the numbers are.”
The Bulldogs (1-5) have about 40 players for rst-year coach Mark Raynor. He said Trinity’s growth potential should be exciting.
PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD
Asheboro’s Garrison Cheek goes up for a catch in front of Northern Guilford’s Sloan Littleton during Friday night’s game.
Alexis Holi eld
Wheatmore, volleyball
Holi eld has been perhaps the most active player on the court for the Warriors.
The senior outside hitter and co-captain leads the team in kills and digs and she ranks second in service points. Her digs total has been more than twice as many as any other player for the Warriors, who entered the nal week of the regular season trying to move into the top half of the Central Carolina 3-A Conference standings.
Holi eld also has been a member of the highly successful Wheatmore soccer team.
Rockers fall short in bid for Atlantic League title
The pro baseball team in High Point played into October and reached the league nals
By Bob Sutton Randolph Record
HIGH POINT — If the High Point Rockers can continue to be in position to win championships, manager Jamie Keefe said he believes there will be a breakthrough. It didn’t happen this year after the Rockers reached the Atlantic League championship series for the second time.
“I’d go to war with this group anytime,” Keefe said. “Thenality of baseball is the hardest part. You don’t know when your last day is going to be.”
The York Revolution overcame a three-run de cit for a 7-4 victory in Game 4 of the best-of- ve series, winning all except Game 2. York claimed both games at Truist Point.
“We just watched people pop champagne on our eld and it doesn’t feel very good,” Keefe said. “So some of the guys that are going to come back know what that feels like.
“They know what it’s like to go to the playo s. They know what it’s like to play in the playo s. They know what it’s like to go deep into the playo s. It was a helluva series against Gastonia (in the previous round) and a tough one against these guys.”
“There’s no reason to leave here with your heads down. You got beat. You can keep your heads up.”
Jamie Keefe, Rockers manager
Evan Edwards’ two-out single and Alex Dickerson’s massive two-run home run to right eld.
Rockers franchise record holder in several categories, including home runs.
Peralta’s solo homer for the game’s nal run came in the ninth o High Point reliever David Hess, a former big leaguer who has made a well-documented return after a battle with cancer. Following a three-year absence from pro ball, Hess joined the Rockers in July.
Dickerson homered in each of the last two games.
Asheboro’s Parks places second in N.C. Super Senior
Rocky Mount Charlie Parks of Asheboro was the runner-up in the North Carolina Super Senior Championship’s 70-and-older division last month.
Parks shot rounds of 73 and 76 for a 5-over-par total of 149 at Benvenue Country Club. That left him behind Graham’s Mike Roshelli, who had 74 and 72.
Parks was the winner of the 2024 Carolinas Super Senior.
There were 48 entrants.
Ed Donlin of Concord and William Boles of Wilson tied for third place with 152s. In the 65-and-older division, Randall Sullins of Claremont was the champion with a pair of 72s for even-par 144. Paul Simson of Raleigh and Steve Sharpe of Greensboro tied for second at 145. There were 47 entrants.
At Fayetteville, Liberty’s Steve Kidd had a solid showing in the Carolinas Senior Amateur last month. Kidd tied for 49th place as one of 60 golfers to advance beyond the cut. He had rounds of 76, 76 and 78 for 14-over 230 at Highland Country Club.
John O’Brien of Columbia, South Carolina, defeated Huntersville’s Joe Jaspers on the fourth playo hole. O’Brien and Jaspers posted 3-under 213s through regulation.
Garrison gives boosts to App State soccer team
Boone Appalachian State sophomore Ellie Garrison, a Wheatmore graduate, has made major contributions for the women’s soccer team this season, scoring in each of the team’s rst three games. She scored two goals in a season-opening victory at Western Carolina. In the next game, her penalty kick was the di erence in a 1-0 victory against visiting Miami. She had a goal in the fourth minute against visiting Davidson in the third game of the season.
Garrison’s e orts in August helped the Mountaineers to their rst 2-0 start in nine years, while she also picked up a Sun Belt Conference O ensive Player of the Week honor. She entered October with a team-high four goals. Garrison received All-Sun Belt Conference second-team recognition last year with four goals and ve assists while starting all 19 games.
The Rockers, who’ve been in the postseason in four of their six seasons, also fell in the 2022 nals. High Point has the most victories of any Atlantic League team during its six seasons, but has yet to secure a championship.
“One of these days (we’ll get it done),” Keefe said. “… It hurts. That’s the problem, it hurts. Now you’re going to sit on this for six months. It will be a long o season. The nice part is we have a shorter o season than everybody else because we played deep, so hopefully we can bring that back next year.”
The Rockers scored three runs in the rst inning, using
PREP ROUNDUP
But the Revolution homered ve times, with Kyle Martin, Shayne Fontana, Caleb McNeely, Jaylin Davis and Elvis Peralta going deep. York pulled within 3-2 through four innings, then McNeely unloaded on a go-ahead two-run blast over the batter’s eye in center eld in the fth o High Point starter Fin Del Bonta-Smith.
“Not too many times you’re going to give up ve home runs and win,” Keefe said. “We had opportunities. We got o to a nice start. We were in it. We knew it was going to come down to a battle of the bullpens, plain and simple. They outpitched us in the bullpen. They deserve it.”
Ben Aklinski’s RBI single cut the gap to 5-4 in the bottom of the fth.
Aklinski, a 29-year-old outelder who has indicated this would be his nal season, is a
The Rockers and Revolution tied for the most regular-season wins with 74 apiece.
Keefe said it was a season of signi cant accomplishments despite the disappointing conclusion.
“This group after tonight is never going to be together again. It’s just the way baseball happens,” he said. “There’s no reason to leave here with your heads down. You got beat. You can keep your heads up. You gave yourselves a chance to win a championship, and we didn’t get it done.
“Hopefully, we can come back next year and we put ourselves playing into October next year, too.”
York became the rst Atlantic League team to have two sets of back-to-back championships, having won titles in 2010-11 and again in 2024-25. The Revolution has won ve overall.
Cougars, Blue Comets set soccer tones
Trinity won a pair of high-scoring games
Randolph Record sta
SOUTHWESTERN Randolph had no trouble with a pair of Four Rivers Conference opponents in boys’ soccer last week.
The Cougars blew past host Eastern Randolph 9-0 with Yael Ortiz and Fernando Hernandez each picking up two goals and routed visiting Uwharrie Charter Academy 9-0 with Aaron Avina and Gio Hernandez each scoring two goals.
Eastern Randolph had a better result later in the week with a 2-2 draw at Northwood.
• Asheboro rolled in its rst
TRINITY from page B1
“We’re working to be like those teams,” Raynor said of more established programs. “To be a little tougher and grittier.”
With new conference con gurations, he said the Bulldogs have a chance to make an impact. Trinity won two conference games in 2023, and that was the only time it has won more than one league game since 2017.
During the preseason and the early weeks of the season, Raynor said there was plenty of experimentation. He equated it to playing chess.
“Moving guys around,” he said. “We’re putting together a core group.”
One of those players is Fuller.
“You just put the ball in his hands and you give him options,” Raynor said Fuller said with then-senior
two Triad Area Athletic Conference games, receiving two goals from both Julian Bitti and Carlos Gonzalez in a 4-0 victory against visiting Southeast Guilford. Ozmar Martinez supplied two assists.
The Blue Comets then won 3-0 at Eastern Guilford with goals from Zamire Bush, Ivan Castaneda and Martinez.
• Cayden Pugh and Mario Garcia scored two goals apiece as Trinity trounced host Providence Grove 7-3 in the Central Carolina 3-A Conference.
Trinity’s Jacob Elorza notched three goals and Pugh and Garcia each scored one in a 5-4 victory against visiting Thomasville. Providence Grove recovered to defeat visiting East David-
Noah Bradley, the son of former coach Bear Bradley, at quarterback last year that he had to nd roles so he could “still get that starting spot.” He said his time as a receiver and defensive back has made him aware of things going on in the secondary that have helped him as a quarterback. Hedgecock said there are signs the Bulldogs can churn out e ective o ense.
“Our run game is good,” he said. “We can pass the ball, too. He can throw when we’re giving him good protection. If we’re protecting (Fuller), he can get a good pass o .” Fuller has had notable games carrying the ball, averaging more than 100 yards per game six games into the season.
“I run when I got to,” he said. “You can’t tell looking at the stats, but I prefer to throw the ball. But whatever works well for the team.”
son 3-2 on two goals from Kevin Bautista and one goal from Eric Gonzalez.
• Wheatmore’s 4-2 home triumph against West Davidson came with Carter Queen’s two goals along with one goal each from Laurel Ortiz Suarez and Grayson Carter. The Warriors snapped a four-game skid.
Girls’ tennis
Trinity nished the regular season with an undefeated record by defeating host Wheatmore and visiting West Davidson by 6-3 scores. In the West Davidson match, Selina Arroyo and Makensie Case were winners in singles and doubles. The Bulldogs improved to 12-0.
That’s the approach the Bulldogs will take across the nal month of the regular season.
“Our mindset is just win,” Fuller said. “We got to make it to playo s. We’ve got seniors on the team, we’re trying to get out there and make the playo s.” Trinity came up short Friday night in a 28-20 home loss to East Davidson in its conference opener despite Fuller’s 95 rushing yards and 110 passing yards.
Trinity’s Zaire Gill scored on a run and on a pass from Fuller in the rst half, but East Davidson pulled ahead at 14-13 before the break and led the rest of the way. Cohen Wolfe also scored for the Bulldogs. Trinity reached the 20-point mark for the third time this season, but won only one of those. East Davidson (1-5) matched last year’s conference win total.
BOB SUTTON / RANDOLPH RECORD
Manager Jamie Keefe and out elder Ben Aklinski, who has indicated he’s ending his playing career, embrace after the High Point Rockers were defeated in the Atlantic League championship series.
pen & paper pursuits
this week in history
Marxist Che Guevara executed at 39, U.S. Naval Academy established
The Associated Press
OCT. 9
1910: A coal dust explosion at the Starkville Mine in Colorado killed 56 miners.
1962: Uganda won independence from British rule.
1967: Marxist guerrilla leader Che Guevara, 39, was executed by the Bolivian army a day after his capture.
OCT. 10
1845: The U.S. Naval Academy was established in Annapolis, Maryland.
1911: Chinese revolutionaries launched an uprising that led to the fall of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China.
1935: George Gershwin’s opera “Porgy and Bess,” featuring an all-black cast, opened on Broadway.
1966: The Beach Boys’ single “Good Vibrations” was released by Capitol Records.
1973: Vice President Spiro T. Agnew resigned after pleading no contest to income tax evasion amid bribery accusations.
OCT. 11
1906: The San Francisco Board of Education ordered Asian students segregated into their own school. The order was rescinded after President Theodore Roosevelt intervened and agreed to limit Japanese immigration.
1984: Challenger astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan became the rst American woman to walk in space.
1986: President Ronald Reagan and Soviet lead-
er Mikhail Gorbachev opened two days of arms control and human rights talks in Reykjavik, Iceland.
1991: Anita Hill accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
OCT. 12
1492: Christopher Columbus’ rst expedition made landfall on what is now San Salvador Island in the Bahamas.
1870: General Robert E. Lee, former overall commander of the Confederate States Army in the Civil War, died in Lexington, Virginia, at age 63.
1984: British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher escaped an attempt on her life when an Irish Republican Army bomb exploded at a hotel in Brighton, England, killing ve people.
OCT. 13
1792: The cornerstone of the executive mansion, later known as the White House, was laid by President George Washington.
1943: Italy declared war on Germany, its one-time Axis partner.
1972: A Uruguayan ight with 45 people crashed in the Andes; 16 survivors were rescued after more than two months, having endured by eating the dead.
2016: Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize in literature.
OCT. 14
1066: Normans under William the Conqueror defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings.
1586: Mary, Queen of Scots, went on trial in England, accused of committing treason against Queen Elizabeth I. (Mary was beheaded in February 1587.)
1947: U.S. Air Force Capt. Chuck Yeager became the rst person to break the sound barrier.
1964: Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. won the Nobel Peace Prize.
1964: In one of the greatest upsets in Olympic history, American Billy Mills, an Oglala Lakota, won the 10,000-meter race at the Tokyo Summer Games.
OCT. 15
1815: Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to the South Atlantic Island of St. Helena, where he spent the nal 51⁄2 years of his life.
1954: Hurricane Hazel struck the Carolina coast as a Category 4 storm, killing about 1,000 in the Caribbean, 95 in the U.S. and 81 in Canada.
2017: Actor and activist Alyssa Milano tweeted that women who had been sexually harassed or assaulted should write “Me too” as a status. Within hours, tens of thousands had taken up the #MeToo hashtag.
AP PHOTO
Marxist guerrilla leader Ernesto “Che” Guevara, pictured with two babies and a farmer in Bolivia, was executed on Oct. 9, 1967.
AP PHOTO
High tides, whipped in by Hurricane Hazel, shatter boats and buildings in Swansboro on Oct. 15, 1954, as the storm lashed the Atlantic seaboard.
Kidman, Urban le for divorce after 19 years of marriage
The couple had publicly but lovingly described some marital di culties
By Jonathan Mattise and Andrew Dalton
The Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nicole Kidman has led for divorce from Keith Urban after 19 years of marriage, bringing a surprising end to a long and seemingly successful union that brought together two superstars from the worlds of movies and music.
The 58-year-old Oscar-winning actor petitioned last Tuesday to end her marriage to the 57-year-old Grammy-winning country singer in a Nashville court. The documents state the couple has undergone “marital di culties and irreconcilable di erences.”
Kidman and Urban, two of the biggest stars to come out of Australia in recent decades, have been red carpet xtures throughout their two-decade relationship, with Urban joining his wife at the Oscars and Kidman attending music events like the Academy of Country Music Awards.
The lings include a marriage dissolution and child care plan agreed on by the couple and submitted for a judge’s approval.
“The mother and father will behave with each other and each child so as to provide a loving, stable, consistent and
“You’re heading for trouble if you consider yourselves the perfect couple. I’m not a believer in perfect.”
Nicole Kidman
nurturing relationship with the child even though they are divorced,” says the permanent parenting plan, using language common in the state’s divorces. “They will not speak badly of each other or the members of the family of the other parent. They will encourage each child to continue to love the other parent and be comfortable in both families.”
The plan asks that Kidman be the primary residential parent to the couple’s two daughters, ages 17 and 14, having them for 306 days per year with Urban taking them for the other 59.
The girls have lived in Nashville all their lives, and the documents give no indication that will change.
The marriage dissolution plan lays out a roughly equal division of joint assets, with each keeping all the assets that are in their own name, including the copyrights and royalties for their artistic work.
The detailed agreements suggest the divorce had been in the works for well over a month at the least. Urban signed the parenting plan on Aug. 29, Kidman on Sept. 6.
Both raised in Australia, Kidman and Urban met in 2005 at a Los Angeles event honoring Australians and were married in Sydney the following year.
The marriage was the rst for Urban and the second for Kidman, who was married to Tom Cruise from 1990 to 2001. Kidman also has two older children with Cruise.
Last year at the premiere of the Net ix series “The Perfect Couple,” Kidman told The Associated Press the term didn’t apply to her and Urban.
“You’re heading for trouble if you consider yourselves the perfect couple,” she said. “I’m not a believer in perfect.”
Kidman’s lm roles have included “Days of Thunder,” “Eyes Wide Shut,” “Moulin Rouge” and “The Hours,” for which she won an Academy Award for playing author Virginia Woolf. She has more recently worked in television, including the series “Nine Perfect Strangers” and “Big Little Lies.”
Urban has been a major country star since the 1990s and has won four Grammy Awards and more than a dozen ACM Awards.
SOLUTIONS FOR THIS WEEK
Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman arrive at the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards in 2025. After 19 years of marriage, Kidman has led for divorce.
Raymond Chandler’s ‘Nightmare’ revealed in rarely seen sketch
The author’s vision becomes darker as he learns of his likely fate
By Hillel Italie
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — In his dreams, Raymond Chandler could conjure tales as unsettling as some of his greatest novels, as if haunted by the spirits of Kafka and Edgar Allan Poe.
“Nightmare,” a brief and rarely seen sketch published this week in The Strand Magazine, nds the author of “The Long Goodbye,” “Farewell, My Lovely” and other crime ction classics imagining himself in prison “somewhere” for a murder he does not remember committing. His cellmates include two men he knows nothing about, a pregnant woman named Elsa, and a piano in the corner that must be played lying down after “nine o’clock.”
“As I was wondering, apparently rather audibly, about the date set for my execution, the guard said to me, ‘After a bit you’ll get a letter with the envelope addressed in your own writing. That will tell you the date for your hanging,’” Chandler wrote.
AP PHOTO
Mystery novelist and screenwriter Raymond Chandler poses for a press photograph in 1946.
“Was he rejected by the pulps at some point? Or was he referencing a rejection from an earlier part of his career? It’s impossible to know but it makes me want to nd out more.”
Tom Williams, Chandler scholar
“Nightmare” was found recently among the papers of Chandler’s assistant, Jean Vounder-Davis, that were sold last year through the Doyle auction house. Other items included Chandler’s 1953 Olivetti Studio 44 typewriter, unpublished drafts of early novels, and a two-page list
ography “A Mysterious Something in the Light: The Life of Raymond Chandler,” places “Nightmare” in a special category of wry, eccentric and spontaneous notes the author left for Vounder-Davis. Williams found one part especially surprising and intriguing: Chandler follows the line about receiving the dreaded letter with a joke likening the experience to getting a notice of rejection. “Chandler liked to imply that his success writing crime stories came easily, and he told a friend that his rst story, ‘Blackmailers Don’t Shoot,’ was picked up straightaway,” Williams told The Associated Press in a recent email. “But the note suggests he was more familiar with rejection, and it makes me wonder if the myth he spun about his success told the full picture. Was he rejected by the pulps at some point? Or was he referencing a rejection from an earlier part of his career? It’s impossible to know but it makes me want to nd out more.” BOOK REVIEW
of 46 things he hated, among them “golf talk” and “novels about people who can’t make any money.” Strand Managing Editor Andrew F. Gulli purchased “Nightmare” at auction but declined to say how much he paid. Writing in the current edition of The Strand Magazine, Gulli called the piece a perfect illustration of Chandler’s “ability to evoke so much with so little.” He believes “Nightmare” was likely written in the early 1950s, before the death of Chandler’s wife, Cissy, whom the author mentions in a footnote. Cissy Pascal Chandler died in 1954, ve years before the death of Raymond Chandler. Chandler scholar Tom Williams, author of the 2013 bi-
LM OTERO / AP PHOTO
famous birthdays this week
John Mellencamp turns 74, Paul Hogan is 86, Rev. Jesse Jackson turns 84, Nona Hendryx is 81
The Associated Press THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week.
OCT. 9
Musician Nona Hendryx is 81.
Musician Jackson Browne is 77.
Actor Robert Wuhl is 74. TV personality Sharon Osbourne is 73. Actor Tony Shalhoub is 72. Actor Scott Bakula is 71. Film director Guillermo del Toro is 61.
OCT. 10
Actor Peter Coyote is 84. Entertainer Ben Vereen is 79. Actor Charles Dance is 79. Rock singer David Lee Roth is 71. Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre is 56. Actor/TV host Mario Lopez is 52. NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 51.
OCT. 11
Former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry is 98. Actor Amitabh Bachchan is 83. Singer Daryl Hall (Hall and Oates) is 79. Actor David Morse is 72. Football Hall of Famer Steve Young is 64. Actor Joan Cusack is 63. Actor Jane Krakowski is 57.
OCT. 12
NASCAR Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett is 93. Broadcast journalist Chris Wallace is 78. Singer-songwriter Jane Siberry is 70. Actor Hiroyuki Sanada is 65. Jazz musician Chris Botti is 63. Actor Hugh Jackman is 57. Actor Kirk Cameron is 55.
OCT. 13
Gospel singer Shirley Caesar is 87. Singer-musician Paul Simon is 84. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is 83. Singer-musician Sammy Hagar is 78. Singer/ TV personality Marie Osmond is 66. Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice is 63. Actor Sacha Baron Cohen is 54.
OCT. 14
OCT.
Former White House coun-
is 86. Football Hall of Famer Charlie Joiner is 78. Musician Thomas Dolby is 67. Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi is 64. Actor Steve Coogan is 60.
the stream
John Candy, Victoria Beckham documentaries; ‘Family Guy’ gets spooky
Kathy Bates returns for Season 2 of “Matlock”
The Associated Press
DOCUMENTARIES ON comedian John Candy and pop artist-turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham as well as a “Family Guy” Halloween special 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 this week: Keira Knightley stars as a journalist in “The Woman in Cabin 10,” Electronic Arts is ready to get back in the ght with the game Battle eld 6, and hip-hop group Mobb Deep will release “In nite,” their ninth and nal album.
MOVIES TO STREAM
More than 30 years after his death at age 43, Candy might be even more beloved than he was during his all-to-short career. “John Candy: I Like Me” (Friday on Prime Video), a documentary directed by Colin Hanks and produced by Ryan Reynolds, is a kind of eulogy and tribute to the actor of “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” “Uncle Buck” and “Stripes.” The lm, made with the cooperation of the Candy family, includes many famous faces, from Bill Murray to Mel Brooks. In “The Woman in Cabin 10” (Friday on Net ix), Knightley stars as a journalist aboard a luxury yacht for an assignment. In the middle of the night, she sees a woman go overboard, but the ship has no record of her, and no one believes her. Simon Stone, who directed 2021’s underrated “The Dig,” directs this thriller, based on Ruth Ware’s bestselling novel. It being October, just about everything streaming service has by now trotted out their best horror o erings. But why mess around when you can go to the source? Or, at least, one of the richest B-movie legacies of synths and scares? In “Directed by John Carpenter,” the Criterion Channel gathers some of the lmmaker’s most vivid nightmares, including “The Fog,” “Escape Form New York” and “They Live.”
After the
of
MUSIC TO STREAM
Mobb Deep hath returned.
On Friday, the hardcore New York hip-hop duo will release “In nite,” their ninth andnal album and rst since the death of Prodigy in 2017. It features P’s distinctive ow on a few posthumous tracks, produced by his other half Havoc and their frequent musical collaborator, the Alchemist. Indie fans might remember the upcoming and coming folk-rocker Avery Tucker from his previous project, the primitive punk duo Girlpool. His debut album, “Paw,” out Friday, couldn’t be further from that material — but both lead with the heart. Start with “Big Drops,” “Like I’m Young,” “Malibu” and the ascendant closer “My Life Isn’t Leaving You.” The album was co-produced by A. G. Cook, the hyperpop virtuoso best known to many as one of Charli XCX’s “Brat” collaborators.
It has been six years since Jay Som, the project of multiinstrumentalist, songwriter and pro -
ducer Melina Duterte, released a new album. On Friday, the wait is over. “Belong” is an expansion of her once nascent talents, a rush of electro-synths, punk-pop and other variously nostalgic indie genres, presented in a new way. Perhaps it has a little something to do with how Duterte has spent the last few years: ranking up production credits on a number of beloved albums, including the Grammy-winning boygenius’ “The Record” and Lucy Dacus’ “Forever Is A Feeling.”
SERIES TO STREAM
It’s spooky season, and “Family Guy” has a new Halloween special on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+. The episode, titled “A Little Fright Music,” features Brian and Stewie’s attempt to write a hit Halloween song while Peter learns about the dangers of lying about trick- or-treating. David Beckham’s 2023 Netix docuseries was both an Emmy Award winner and in-
is debuting a
ternet fodder thanks to a scene where he repeatedly told his wife, Victoria, to “be honest” about her family’s economic status as a child. It’s only tting that the lmmakers turned their sights on her next and she agreed. “Victoria Beckham” is a three-part docuseries launching Thursday on Net ix. Viewers will see the former pop star-turned-fashion designer share her story — and it is TBD whether David weighs in.
On the subject of Emmys, Kathy Bates didn’t win this year for best actress in a drama series as predicted for her work on “Matlock.” The award instead went to Britt Lower for “Severance.” You can still watch the performance that got Bates nominated though when the show begins streaming its second season Friday on Paramount+. A third season of “Elsbeth” will also begin streaming then.
Another docuseries debuting Friday on Tubi also follows a celebrity, but this one’s on the come up. “Always, Lady Lon-
“In ‘Directed by John Carpenter,’ the Criterion Channel gathers some of the lmmaker’s most vivid nightmares, including ‘The Fog,’ ‘Escape Form New York’ and ‘They Live.’”
Jake Coyle, AP Film Writer
don” features rising rapper Lady London as she records her rst album and gets ready to go on tour.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
When it comes to video-game warfare, there are two superpowers: Call of Duty and Battle eld. The latter hit a rough patch with its last major installment, 2021’s Battleeld 2042, but Electronic Arts is ready to get back in the ght with Battle eld 6. You are part of an elite Marine squad trying to stop a private military corporation in a single-player campaign that bounces around the globe. There’s plenty of gut-wrenching infantry combat, but you also get to drive tanks and y helicopters and ghter jets. And there will be the usual assortment of multiplayer mayhem, including the new Escalation mode, in which the territory shrinks every time a team captures a control point. Take up arms Friday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.
Bandai Namco’s Little Nightmares games specialize in the kind of things that terri ed when you were a kid, presenting them in a gloomy yet vivid world reminiscent of Tim Burton’s stop-motion animation. Little Nightmares III promises more of the same, with one major addition: You can now confront your night terrors with a friend in co-op play. Britain’s Supermassive Games, the studio that has taken over the series, is known for horror gems like Until Dawn and The Quarry, so don’t expect pleasant dreams. The haunting begins Friday on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S/One, Switch and PC.
AP PHOTO
“John Candy: I Like Me,” a new documentary about the beloved actor who died 30 years ago, premieres on Prime Video on Friday.
REBECCA BLACKWELL / AP PHOTO
success
David Beckham’s Emmy Award-winning docuseries, Net ix
new three-part series about his wife, Victoria Beckham, beginning Thursday.
Fini ight
Army Chief Warrant O cer 4 Garrett Illerbrunn of Pinehurst sits in a helicopter during his retirement ceremony and symbolic “ ni ight” on Sunday at the Pinehurst Harness Track. Illerbrunn, a helicopter pilot with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, was severely injured in a drone attack on Erbil Air Base in Northern Iraq on Christmas Day 2023, sustaining a brain injury that left him con ned to a wheelchair and unable to y. The ceremony included a brief lifto of the helicopter and a water salute from two re trucks before Illerbrunn was presented with the Army Commendation Medal.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Supreme Court begins term that will examine Trump’s presidential power Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court has opened its new term. In its rst arguments on Monday, the court appeared to be inclined to rule against a criminal defendant from Texas in a case about the constitutional right to a lawyer. A major thrust of the next 10 months is expected to be the justices’ evaluation of President Donald Trump’s claims of presidential power. Pivotal cases on voting and LGBTQ rights also are on the agenda. On Tuesday, the justices heard arguments over bans passed by many states on therapy aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity.
Weiss named new editor-in-chief of CBS News after Paramount buys her website
New York Paramount is buying the successful news commentary website The Free Press and installed its founder, Bari Weiss, as editor-in-chief of CBS News. The move, while anticipated, is a bold one for David Ellison, new corporate leader of Paramount and CBS. Weiss will report directly to Ellison and be responsible for shaping editorial priorities and driving innovation at CBS News. Ellison said he believes the majority of the country wants news that is balanced and fact-based, and he wants CBS to be their home. “I am con dent her entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News.”
Raeford mayor, city council seats up for election
The early voting period will open on Oct. 16
By Ryan Henkel North State Journal
NORTH CAROLINA holds municipal elections on odd-numbered years, and Hoke County is one of many who will be seeing residents head to the polls in November. The county has just one pri-
mary municipality, that being the City of Raeford, and there are three races being run this year: mayor and two town council seats.
Since it is a municipal election, those interested in voting must have lived within the city limits for at least 30 days and will need a photo ID per state law. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 10.
Early voting will take place at the Hoke County Board of
House creates new committee after Charlotte murder
The panel will study mental health policies and public safety
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
RALEIGH — North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall announced the formation, last week, of a bipartisan committee to examine involuntary commitment policies following recent violent crimes involving individuals with mental illness.
The House Select Committee on Involuntary Commitment and Public Safety will study the intersection of mental health services, involuntary commitment processes and public safety. The 18-member panel was created in response to tragedies including the murder of Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s light rail system.
“Recent tragedies in our state, like the brutal murder of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, have made it even more clear that we have to make sure lo -
cal o cials are putting public safety rst,” Hall (R-Granite Falls) said. “The committee will work together with law enforcement, district attorneys, mental health professionals, and others, to come up with statewide solutions that will keep dangerous people o the streets of North Carolina.”
Reps. Hugh Blackwell (R-Burke) and Tim Reeder (R-Pitt) will co-chair the committee.
“Iryna Zarutska should still be alive. Instead, her life was stolen by someone who should have been committed and receiving treatment,” Blackwell said. “We cannot allow these failures to continue. This committee exists to support law enforcement and x broken policies that put our families at risk.”
Reeder, an emergency physician, said the case highlights the real-world consequences of policy failures.
“The preventable murder of Iryna Zarutska is a stark
Elections o ce starting Oct. 16 and running through Nov. 1. Voting hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 1 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The polls will not be open Sundays for early voting.
Those wishing to vote on Election Day can head to the polls on Nov. 4. The race for mayor is between incumbent John McNeill, who has served ve
terms as mayor of Raeford, and challengers Demetria Barker Augugliaro and Jeremy Hollingsworth.
The second race is for two seats on the Raeford City Council, with incumbents Charles Allen and Wayne Willis, who have both served multiple terms, and Shirley Hart all running for election.
Voters will choose two candidates on the ballot for city council.
Vets For Vets to honor Pearl Harbor sailor during Fall Festival
The recently incorporated nonpro t will donate a framed picture of Hoke County native Neil Daniel Frye to the Raeford-Hoke Museum
North State Journal sta VETS FOR VETS Hoke County NC will participate in the NC Fall Festival Oct. 10-18 with ve vehicles in the parade on Oct. 11 and a special presentation honoring a local Pearl Harbor victim.
The organization, which received its 501(c)(19) tax-exempt status in September, will donate a 3-foot-by-2-foot framed picture of Neil Daniel Frye to the Raeford-Hoke Museum on Oct. 14 at 2 p.m.
Frye was born in Hoke County on April 3, 1921, and was serving on the USS West Virginia when Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. He was 20 years old when he died in the attack that President Franklin Roosevelt called “a day that will live in infamy.”
Initially interred as one of hundreds of unidenti ed victims, Frye’s remains were exhumed in 2017 and taken to a laboratory in Hawaii. Scientists identi ed him on Sept. 27, 2024, and his family was noti ed. His remains were buried with full military honors at Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery in Spring Lake on April 3, 2025 — what would have been his 104th birthday.
Frye’s family still lives on the property where he was born, though it was rezoned into Moore County in 1958.
Vets For Vets Hoke County was organized in March 2023 with the goal of bringing together veteran organizations in the county and promoting the value of military service and community support. Hoke County has the third-largest veteran population in North Carolina, after Cumberland and Onslow counties.
The organization’s o cers include President John Harry, Secretary Hal Nunn, Treasurer
DAVID SINCLAIR FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL
THURSDAY
10.9.25
WEEKLY FORECAST
THURSDAY
Dan Nocher, and at-large board members Del Martin and Derris Small. The group opened a bank account at Fidelity Bank in Raeford following its tax-exempt approval.
The organization’s mission is to support all veteran organizations in Hoke County through community events, car shows, parades, transportation, meals, nancial counseling and patriotic events. Membership consists of at least 75% wartime veterans, though the organization aims to help all
reminder that these are not abstract policy debates; they are matters of life and death,” Reeder said. “Our committee will take a hard look at how we can improve involuntary commitment and close dangerous gaps in the system.”
The committee will review current laws, policies and practices governing involuntary commitment in North Carolina and make recom-
He served as N.C.’s District 11 representative from 2021 to 2023
By Curt Anderson The Associated Press
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. —
Former Republican U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who was defeated in 2022 in a North Carolina primary, is looking for a comeback by running for Congress again, this time from Florida.
Cawthorn, 30, announced in an online video last Wednesday that he would seek the southwest Florida seat currently held by Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running for Florida governor. The district is overwhelmingly Republican, and Cawthorn moved there shortly after his primary defeat.
On his website, Cawthorn aligns his views closely with those of President Donald Trump on issues such as immigration restrictions, promoting gun rights and pushing against “woke ideology.”
“Madison Cawthorn knows the system is rigged against hard-working families. Washington insiders cut deals while
Hoke County is the third largest county of veteran population in the state.
veterans in the community. Annual dues are $100 for full membership and $50 for support members.
For more information about Vets For Vets Hoke County, contact Secretary Hal Nunn at 910-964-0990 or nunnboys@ gmail.com.
mendations for legislative and policy changes.
The committee has an ocial listing on the General Assembly’s website but has not announced when it will hold its rst meeting.
The announcement follows a preliminary State Auditor’s report on Charlotte Area Transit System, where Zarutska was killed. The audit found security personnel for CATS had been reduced by 40% between 2018 and 2025.
Floridians pay the price. That’s why he’s running for Congress: to defend the America First agenda, hold bureaucrats accountable, and put Floridians rst,” says his announcement, posted on his website.
Cawthorn served a single House term from a western North Carolina district before losing in the 2022 GOP primary
to current Rep. Chuck Edwards following a reelection campaign clouded by ethical issues.
Cawthorn had vaulted into national prominence by winning the seat in 2020 at age 25. Within days of taking ofce, he spoke at the “Stop the Steal” rally questioning Joe Biden’s presidential election victory that preceded
the Jan. 6, 2021,Capitol riot.
Cawthorn soon became a leading spokesperson for Trump’s “America First” policies and conservatives in the culture wars. Trump endorsed him, but Cawthorn faced negative publicity for speeding and gun violations. He also infuriated fellow Republicans in Congress when he alleged on a podcast that he had been invited to an orgy in Washington.
Despite that, Cawthorn said he’s ready to represent the 19th congressional district from his home in Cape Coral, just north of Fort Myers.
“I’m running for Congress to stand with President Trump, defend our conservative values, and ght to stop the radical left every single time,” he said in his campaign launch video.
Other Republicans signaling their intention to run include former U.S. Rep. Chris Collins of New York, former Illinois state Sen. Jim Oberweis, Marine aviator Mike Pedersen and Sun Broadcasting President Jim Schwartzel. The lone Democrat running in the reliably Republican district so far is Howard Sapp, a community organizer who has unsuccessfully run for the state legislature.
VETS from page A1
HOUSE from page A1
CHRIS SEWARD / AP PHOTO
Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) speaks before former President Donald Trump takes the stage at a rally on April 9, 2022, in Selma.
THE CONVERSATION
Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
Hamas doesn’t want peace
In a perfect world, this agreement appears to be a reasonable solution to a brutal war in Gaza.
THE POLITICAL WORLD is alight with anticipation and excitement after President Donald Trump released his 20-point peace proposal for Gaza, built around three central pillars: immediate de-escalation, humanitarian relief and redevelopment, and a long-term political framework.
First, the plan calls for a complete cease re and Israeli withdrawal from active operations in exchange for the release of all hostages held by Hamas — alive and dead — within 72 hours of Israel’s acceptance. This exchange would also include the return of almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas members who renounce violence could receive amnesty or safe passage abroad, while those remaining would be required to decommission weapons under international monitoring. Importantly, the proposal sets a clear standard: Gaza must become a “terror-free” zone with no militant infrastructure, with Israel committing not to annex or occupy Gaza once security conditions are met.
Second, the plan focuses heavily on humanitarian aid and economic revitalization. Aid would ow in immediately under international supervision, while a transitional governance system would be established — a technocratic Palestinian committee overseen by an international “Board of Peace” chaired by Trump, with gures like Tony Blair — yes, the man who set Iraq on re — also involved.
This body would coordinate reconstruction, create a special economic zone and attract investment, modeled on other “miracle cities” in the Middle East, envisioning an international stabilization force to secure Gaza alongside newly trained Palestinian police, while Israel gradually withdraws.
Finally, the proposal outlines a political horizon. Hamas would be excluded from governance, and Gaza’s future leadership would eventually transition to a reformed Palestinian Authority, with calls for regional guarantees, interfaith dialogue, and a U.S.led process to de ne a path toward Palestinian self-determination and statehood.
In short, the proposal mixes carrots (aid, investment, amnesty, freedom of movement) with sticks (demilitarization, Hamas exclusion, security enforcement), aiming to end the war while positioning Trump as the central broker of Gaza’s future.
Sounds great! There’s only one small problem: The only sticks Hamas cares about are those that can be used to kill more Jews.
When it comes to Hamas — you know, the bloodthirsty terrorist group that started this war after committing the deadliest pogrom in history since the fall of Nazi Germany — the plan would allow any Hamas members who “commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons” to receive amnesty and be permitted to leave safely,
Obamacare is a massive failure; the GOP shouldn’t bail it out
Virtually every promise made by Democrats regarding the A ordable Care Act has failed to come true.
SINCE DEMOCRATS have shut down the federal government because they want another $1.5 trillion bailout of Obamacare, it’s a good time to remind everyone that the law has been a wide-ranging and expensive asco.
Virtually every promise made by Democrats regarding the A ordable Care Act has failed to come true.
Sure, Barack Obama infamously promised that Americans could keep their preferred insurance if they desired. By the end of his second term, around 7 million people had been booted from their insurance because of the A ordable Care Act. Who knows how many have been dropped since.
But let’s also not forget that Obama pledged that the law would reduce family health insurance premiums by “up to” $2,500 annually by the end of his rst term. Premiums not only continued to rise during his presidency, but since 2010, they have spiked from $13,000 to nearly $24,000.
Democrats used to love to talk about “bending the cost curve.” Well, congrats. Obama also promised that Obamacare’s state exchanges would enhance competition among insurers and lower costs. Taxpayers are now on the hook for 90% of the cost of those premiums. If the COVID-19-era Obamacare subsidies are allowed to sunset, taxpayers will be responsible for a mere 80%. Without the subsidies, the Congressional Budget O ce predicted that 3.6 million users would leave the exchanges. Obamacare didn’t create better health care insurance options for consumers; it created millions of state dependents.
The Obamacare exchanges were sold as self-su cient engines of capitalism even as Democrats were doing everything to inhibit
market competition. Many Obamacare exchanges now only have a single insurer. Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Humana have all basically abandoned them.
One of the most contentious debates over the A ordable Care Act was the cost. Democrats stressed that the project would cost less than a trillion dollars over a decade. On numerous occasions, Obama promised he would not add “one dime” to the debt. Democrats, in fact, guaranteed the A ordable Care Act would help reduce de cits. If you dared question the estimates, fact-checkers would swarm and call you a liar.
There’s no de nitive number on the debt added by Obamacare since its passage. It is likely in the hundreds of billions of dollars, if not trillions.
Democrats promised that penalties on employers who failed to provide health insurance would bring in “substantial” revenue to allay costs. Once the A ordable Care Act was passed, Obama ignored the law by delaying implementation before “tweaking” the law without any constitutional authority. The employer mandate now brings in only a small fraction of promised returns.
Obama also kept delaying the A ordable Care Act’s “Cadillac tax,” a levy on alleged “gold-plated” private employee plans. The tax was meant to discourage upper- and middle-class workers from obtaining the types of plans Democrats deemed too generous as a way of lowering costs but also raising “revenue.”
Once labor unions found out they also had “gold-plated” plans, well, Democrats dropped the idea, which was repealed in 2019.
The individual mandate, which the Supreme Court miraculously transformed into a “tax,” now exists only in conceptual form despite
while preventing Hamas and other factions from maintaining any governing control over Gaza (guaranteed by regional partners).
Except ... Hamas has no intention of giving up any power, let alone peaceful co-existence with Jews.
Yes, in a perfect world, this agreement appears to be a reasonable solution to a brutal war in Gaza that, while entirely justi ed, has caused widespread su ering and destruction. But we do not live in a perfect world. Instead, we live in a world inhabited by the ideology of radical Islam that plays by entirely di erent rules and views the su ering of its own civilians as a crucial and bene cial strategy of war.
Even if Hamas agrees to this proposal — which they won’t — don’t be fooled: They will never accept defeat because to do so would be to accept that their entire worldview is bogus. When Hamas — with the continued support of the Palestinian people, lest we forget — is motivated by the destruction of Israel, anything less than the continuation of Oct. 7 is unacceptable.
We should all pray for peace, of course, but with the understanding that peace can only be achieved once we achieve something in nitely harder: the vanquishing of Palestinian terrorism. And for that, it’s going to take much more than pen, paper and Tony Blair.
Ian Haworth is a syndicated columnist.
Democrats’ promise that it would generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue. It brings in zero dollars.
So it’s no surprise that Democrats have been demanding Republicans bail out the poorly conceived law since its passage.
When Congress refused to pass new subsidies in 2013, the Obama administration, again without any constitutional authority, ordered the Treasury to create a $7 billion per year appropriation for insurance companies participating in the allegedly self-supporting exchanges.
When a district court ruled that the payments were unconstitutional, Obama ignored the decision. Don’t you love it when Democrats lecture people about norms?
When Democrats added new Obamacare subsidies to the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act to fund those with incomes 400% over the federal poverty line, they sold it as a temporary measure to get through the COVID-19 economy.
Every Democratic leader referred to the subsidies as “a bridge” that was meant to help until the economy rebounded from the pandemic.
Here we are in 2025. You know what they say about temporary government programs.
Aside from all the failed promises, the passage of Obamacare broke American politics. For the rst time in U.S. history, a party rammed through a massive national reform without any input from half the country. In their e ort to appease a handful of moderates in their party, Democrats larded up Obamacare with unenforceable mandates, taxes and bureaucratic complexities that created the illusion of a ordability.
When they still couldn’t pass the bill using the traditional lawmaking process, they blew up a bunch of governing norms to do it.
Now Democrats have shut the government down to try and force Republicans to help prop up this disastrous law. The GOP would be nuts to help them.
David Harsanyi
is a
senior
writer at the Washington Examiner.
COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI
COLUMN | IAN HAWORTH
Kids in New York keep dying while ‘subway sur ng’ on top of trains — can they be stopped?
More than a dozen youths have been killed in the past few years
By Cedar Attanasio
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Ka’Von
Wooden loved trains. The 15-year-old had an encyclopedic knowledge of New York City’s subway system and dreamed of becoming a train operator.
Instead, on a December morning in 2022, Ka’Von died after he climbed to the roof of a moving J train in Brooklyn and then fell onto the tracks as it headed onto the Williamsburg Bridge.
He is one of more than a dozen New Yorkers, many young boys, who have been killed or badly injured after falling o speeding trains. Other risks include being crushed between the train and tunnel walls and being electrocuted by high-voltage subway tracks. “Subway sur ng” dates back a century, but it has been fueled by social media.
Two girls found dead Saturday
Early Saturday morning, New York City police found two girls dead — ages 12 and 13 — in what apparently was a subway sur ng game that turned out to be fatal, authorities said. Metropolitan Transportation Authority President Demetrius Crichlow said in a statement that “getting on top of a subway car isn’t ‘sur ng’ — it’s suicide.”
Authorities have tried to address the problem with public awareness campaigns — including a new one featuring Grammy Award-winning rapper Cardi B — and by deploying drones to catch thrill-seekers in the act. But for some, a more fundamental question is not being addressed: Why are kids like Ka’Von able to climb on top of subway cars in the rst place?
“When Ka’Von died ... literally two weeks later, another child died. And another one. That makes no sense,” his moth-
er, Y’Vonda Maxwell, told The Associated Press, saying transit and law enforcement ocials haven’t done enough. “Why should my child have not been the end?”
MTA says it’s studying issue
Making trains harder to climb and train surfers more easy to detect with cameras and sensors could be part of the solution, some experts say. The MTA, which operates the subway system, has said it is studying the issue. But it has yet to report any broad new rollout of technology or physical barriers that might make it harder for people to get on top of trains.
In June, Crichlow told a news conference to introduce a new public awareness campaign that the MTA was experimenting with pieces of circular rubber tubing designed to prevent a person from being able to climb between two cars to the top of a train.
It was being piloted in between two cars to make sure it would t into the tight spacing of the tunnels and that it wouldn’t break down or harm service or riders, he said.
“So far the equipment seems to be holding up,” he said.
Six deaths so far this year from subway sur ng
Six people died sur ng subway trains in the city last year, up from ve in 2023.
Tyesha Elcock, the MTA worker who operated the train Ka’Von rode the day he died, is among those who thinks more should be done to prevent deaths.
The rst sign of trouble that day was when the train’s emergency brake kicked in, she said.
Elcock discovered Ka’Von’s body between the train’s seventh and eighth cars. A group of sad-faced teens on the train made it clear what had happened. “Did y’all leave your friend back there?” she asked them.
Elcock said another operator traveling in the opposite direc-
tion saw Ka’Von on the train’s roof and reported it over a radio. Because of patchy radio service, she said, she didn’t get the warning.
But she thinks an even simpler solution could have saved Ka’Von’s life: locking the doors at the ends of subway cars. That would cut o access to the narrow gaps between train cars where subway surfers use handholds to hoist themselves onto the roof.
“Lock it when we’re in service so people can’t climb up and be on top of the train,” Elcock said.
The MTA’s leaders have said they are looking into possible ways to prevent subway sur ng, including engineering solutions, but the agency declined to make any of its safety experts available for an interview.
In 2023, Richard Davey, then the head of buses and subways for the MTA, said o cials were “weighing” the option of locking doors between cars — which is now done only on a handful of 1980s-era trains. But he said that locking doors “brings its own risk.” Some New Yorkers have complained that locking the passageways between train cars might prevent them from escaping to another part of the train during an emergency.
Under questioning from City Council members and reporters last year, MTA o cials ruled
out some other physical interventions, including building more barriers to prevent access to tracks or putting covers over the gaps between train cars to prevent would-be surfers from climbing up.
“Listen, you have to be able to do work on top of a train car,” MTA CEO Janno Lieber said at a news conference, adding that you can’t “cover it with barbed wire.”
MTA asks social media companies to help stop trend
The MTA has asked social media companies to take down videos glamorizing subway surfing and reported in June that, in 2025, more than 1,800 videos had been taken down.
It’s also promoted public service announcements telling people to “Ride inside, stay alive,” in voices of local teens and, with the city’s schools, released a comic-book themed campaign this past summer designed to show the dangers of subway sur ng and impact on loved ones.
More than 300,000 New York City school children use the subway to get to and from school each day.
The NYPD reported that arrests of alleged subway surfers rose to 229 last year, up from
135 the year before. Most were boys, with an average age of around 14, according to police. The youngest was 9 years old.
Branislav Dimitrijevic, an engineering professor of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, said retro tting trains to prevent roof access would be expensive.
“There’s so many stories in transportation where things can be xed, but they cost a lot of money,” Dimitrijevic said. “And then you ask the public, ’Are you willing to (pay) for us to x this? But your taxes would go up tremendously.’ And people say ‘no.’”
Dimitrijevic suggested the MTA might be able to install cameras and use arti cial intelligence to detect riders trying to climb a train. Andrew Albert, a nonvoting member of the MTA board, said he has been asking the agency about the plausibility of physical sensors but hasn’t gotten a response.
The NYPD has patrolled popular subway sur ng routes with eld response teams and drones, reporting in July that it had used them to make 200 rescues, mostly of teens. But the missions can’t be everywhere at once. They also say they make home visits to the homes of subway surfers they’ve identi ed. Trains in some other cities, such as Hong Kong and Dubai, aren’t easily climbable. They have streamlined bodies, lack handles on the outside and don’t open between cars.
Some rail systems have resorted to extreme tactics to keep people from riding on top of trains. In Indonesia, railway o cials once installed hanging metal ails to try and deter passengers from riding atop train cars to avoid overcrowding. They also tried spraying riders with red paint and hitting them with brooms.
The MTA purchased a few new subway cars that don’t have the outdoor gaps exploited by subway surfers, but they represent just a sliver of the number currently in service and won’t be deployed on lines popular for sur ng anytime soon.
Integrity Open Arms Residents of the Month
Brad McRae
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.
Brad has been with Integrity Open Arms off and on for several years. One of the resident’s said, “This might just be your home because you’re always coming back, and you miss us.” The residents love Brad because of his personality and the amount of time he spends with them. Brad’s hobbies include playing basketball, watching sports and being with family.
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.
Integrity would like to THANK YOU for a job well done!
SETH WENIG / AP PHOTO
Trains arrive and depart from a subway station in the Coney Island section of New York, earlier this year.
Left, a train arrives at a subway station in the Coney Island section of New York earlier this year.
Right, a train conductor walks between subway cars at a station in the Coney Island section of New York.
PHOTOS BY SETH WENIG / AP PHOTO
HOKE SPORTS
Winning streaks get snapped
Volleyball and boys’ soccer su ered rare losses
North State Journal sta
Football
THE BUCKS dropped their third straight, losing on the road at Overhills, 24-6.
Hoke County struggled to cash in a pair of big plays early in the game. A long punt return by William Leak set the Bucks up inside the Overhills 10-yard line midway through the rst quarter. The Bucks turned it over on downs, however, coming up with no points.
Hoke again started inside the 10 after a second-quarter interception but managed just a eld goal.
The misses in the red zone were compounded by problems with ball security. The Bucks lost a fumble and two interceptions just before the half and had two more interceptions in the fourth quarter.
Hoke is now 1-4, 0-1 in the Mid-South 7A/8A. The Bucks will try to snap the skid this Friday at home against Pine Forest. The Trojans are 1-5, 0-1 and have lost the last two by a combined 96-30 score.
Volleyball
The streak is over. Hoke entered the week with 13 straight wins, then pushed it to 14 with a 3-0 win over Pine Forest.
After winning 10 straight sets and 42 of 47 over the win streak, the Bucks fell 3-2 at Richmond. Hoke is now 17-3 and has topped last season’s win total. At 7-1, the Bucks lead the Mid-South 7A/8A by a game with two to play. Hoke plays at second-place Pinecrest, then hosts Jack Britt.
Soccer
The streak is over, part two.
Federer leads Tennis Hall of Fame nominees
Svetlana Kuznetsova and Juan Martin del Potro are also on the ballot
By Howard Fendrich
The Associated Press
ROGER FEDERER LEADS the list of nominees announced for the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s class of 2026. He was the rst man to win 20 Grand Slam singles titles and ushered in an era of unprecedented greatness with younger rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
With a terri c forehand and serve, an attacking, all-court style and footwork that helped make everything seem so e ortless, Federer won 103 trophies and 1,251 matches in singles, totals surpassed among men only by Jimmy Connors in the Open era, which began in 1968.
Federer nished ve seasons at No. 1 in the ATP rankings, spent a record 237 consecutive weeks in that spot, led Switzerland to the 2014 Davis Cup title and teamed with Stan Wawrinka to claim a doubles gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
At the height of his powers, Federer reached a record 10 consecutive Grand Slam nals from 2005-07, capturing eight titles in that span; he extended that dom-
inance by making 18 of 19 major nals into 2010. There also were streaks of 36 quarter nals in a row and 23 straight semi nals.
Federer, an ambassador for the game who often spoke in English, French and Swiss German at news conferences, played his last match at Wimbledon in 2021. He was a month shy of 40 at the time.
His retirement announcement didn’t come until the following year, and he bid farewell with an appearance alongside Nadal in doubles at the Laver Cup, an event his management company founded.
Federer is joined in the Hall’s player category on the ballot by two-time major singles champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and 2009 U.S. Open winner Juan Martin del Potro. There are two nominees in the contributor category: TV announcer Mary Carillo and administrator Marshall Happer. The inductees will be announced in November.
Federer is among eight men with at least one singles trophy from each of the sport’s four most important events, winning eight at Wimbledon, six at the Australian Open, ve at the U.S. Open and one at the French Open. He completed his career Grand Slam at Roland-Garros in 2009.
While rest is always appreciated, the Bucks had a full week o following their fth win in a row. They returned to the pitch with a 3-0 loss at Pinecrest. The Bucks are now 8-3-3, 2-1 in conference, falling a game behind rst-place Pinecrest.
The Bucks will try to start a new streak this week with a pair of conference road games, at Jack Britt and Richmond.
His rst major championship came at the All England Club in 2003, and he broke Pete Sampras’ then-record for a man of 14 Slam titles by winning Wimbledon in 2009, defeating Andy Roddick 16-14 in the fth set of the nal.
Federer’s run of ve consecutive U.S. Opens — no man has won two in a row there since — ended in the 2009nal with a ve-set loss to del Potro. At the time, del Potro was not quite 21 and seemed destined for an elite career thanks in part to his booming forehand, but a series of wrist and knee injuries derailed the 6-foot-6 Argentine.
He ended up with 22 tour-level titles and a career-high ranking of No. 3, while reaching one other Grand Slam nal, nishing as the runner-up to Djokovic at the 2018 U.S. Open. Del Potro earned a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and helped Argentina win the Davis Cup that year. His last appearance at a major tournament was a fourth-round run at the 2019 French Open.
Kuznetsova won major trophies in singles at the 2004 U.S. Open and 2009 French Open, and in doubles at the Australian Open on 2005 and 2012, got to No. 2 in the WTA rankings in singles and No. 3 in doubles, and was part of three championships with Russia in the competition now known as the Billie Jean King Cup. Kuznetsova won 18 tour-level events in singles and 16 in doubles.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Alexis Blackwell
Hoke County alum, volleyball and softball
Alexis Blackwell is a 2018 Hoke County graduate who played volleyball and softball for the Bucks.
She went on to play both sports at Elizabeth City State.
Blackwell returned home and has coached the Lady Bucks’ JV volleyball team for the last few seasons. Now she’ll be coaching at the varsity level. Hoke County named her the coach of the school’s boys’ volleyball team, which played its debut season last year.
HC BUCKS ATHLETICS / FACEBOOK
The volleyball team poses with future Lady Bucks—the middle school teams at East Hoke, West Hoke and Sandy Grove.
SIDELINE REPORT
NCAA BASKETBALL
Tarleton State places Gillispie on leave after anonymous complaint
Stephenville, Texas
Tarleton State says it has placed men’s basketball coach Billy Gillispie on temporary administrative leave after receiving an anonymous complaint. The former Kentucky coach who also led the programs at Texas A&M and Texas Tech has been at Tarleton State for ve seasons. Gillispie faced allegations of player mistreatment at Texas Tech, where he spent one season. Tarleton State said associate head coach Glynn Cyprien is lling in for Gillispie. The Texans open the regular season Nov. 3 at SMU.
NCAA FOOTBALL
Sanders “hurting like crazy,” believes he has more blood clots
Fort Worth, Texas
Deion Sanders says he’s hurting like crazy and believes he has more blood clots in his leg. The Colorado football coach sat at times late in a loss at TCU on Saturday. Sanders says he’s not getting blood to his leg and that it’s throbbing. The 58-year-old Sanders spent time away from his team this summer as he went through treatment for bladder cancer. He had two toes amputated from his left foot in 2021 because of blood clot issues. He had a procedure in 2023 to remove a blood clot from his right leg.
FISHING
Georgia man indicted after Ala. shing tournament boat crash killed 3 Cullman, Ala.
A Georgia man has been indicted on manslaughter charges in Alabama after a boat wreck during a professional shing tournament in April killed three people and injured two others. Flint
Andrew Davis faces multiple charges, including reckless manslaughter and rst- degree assault. Video shows the 22-year-old Davis’ boat speeding across Lewis Smith Lake, striking another boat. The crash killed three men and seriously injured two others. Investigators determined Davis was traveling at 67 mph but say speed didn’t cause the wreck. They say Davis wasn’t paying attention and lacked a boating license.
Champion boxer held by police at gunpoint
Police confronted him hours after the city held a celebration in his honor
By Margery A. Beck The Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb. — The police chief of Nebraska’s largest city acknowledged that police nationwide are more likely to pull black people out of their cars at gunpoint than other racial groups as Omaha grapples with growing outrage over champion boxer Terence “Bud” Crawford being ordered out of his car at gunpoint only hours after the city held a downtown celebration in his honor.
“Quite frankly, that is generally a true statement. The number of stops are disproportionate. That is nationwide,”
Police Chief Tobb Schmaderer said at a news conference to address an internal investigation into Crawford’s trafc stop.
The police confrontation with Crawford, who is black, has reignited long-simmering tensions between Omaha’s black community and its police force. Omaha Sen. Terrell McKinney, one of three black state lawmakers in the Nebraska Legislature and a vocal critic of Omaha police and the state’s justice system, said
he was disappointed — but not surprised — by the police stop.
“I urge the people to keep speaking out and demanding real change boldly and unapologetically,” McKinney said in a Facebook post last week. “Our lives are at risk, and we have endured oppression for far too long.”
Schmaderer has long been an advocate of community policing that aims to build trust between o cers and the public they patrol. He said he understands there is a lot of anger in the community over the treatment of Crawford — a favorite son of Omaha after making history by becoming the rst male boxer to capture three uni ed division titles.
“We understand the importance of this tra c stop to our community, and the implications and the impression it has given out,” he said.
But he said a nearly completed internal investigation into the tra c stop shows the o cers involved did not violate department policy.
According to their reports, the o cers spotted a high-performance sedan without license plates pull out of a downtown parking garage around 1:30 a.m. Sunday and quickly accelerate to more than twice the 25-mph speed limit. The o cers did not know Crawford
“We understand the importance of this tra c stop to our community, and the implications and the impression it has given out.”
Tobb Schmaderer, Omaha Police chief
was driving the car, Schmaderer said, before they pulled it over. Two o cers approached it — one on the passenger side and another on the driver’s side.
Schmaderer said the initial interaction was cordial, which he assessed through body camera footage. Crawford, who was driving, told the ocer at his window that the car was new and “had gotten away from him.”
At that point, a member of Crawford’s security team who was in the passenger seat told the o cer at his window that he was carrying a legal handgun, Schmaderer said. Crawford, who was leaning over the car’s console, told that o cer he also had a legal rearm, but the o cer at the driver’s side window didn’t hear that exchange, Schmaderer said.
That is when the o cer on the driver’s side spotted Crawford’s gun on the oorboard by his feet, pulled his service weapon and ordered Crawford and three other people out. Schmaderer said Crawford and the others were handcu ed for about 10 minutes. Police conrmed all occupants of the vehicle were legally permitted to carry rearms and let them go after about 30 minutes, ticketing Crawford on suspicion of reckless driving. Schmaderer said he will not be sharing police video of the stop unless Crawford agrees to it.
“We don’t have a fatality here. We don’t have an ofcer-involved shooting, and it’s generally not our protocol to release that footage under those circumstances,” he said. Crawford’s stop by police came after the city held a parade through downtown streets in Crawford’s honor, followed by a party to celebrate his 38th birthday at a live music venue near where the stop occurred.
The celebration came after Crawford earned the uni ed super middleweight championship with his unanimous decision victory over Canelo Alvarez on Sept. 13 in Las Vegas. Crawford is 42-0 with 31 knockouts.
REBECCA S. GRATZ / AP PHOTO
Terence “Bud” Crawford, left, ghts David Avanesyan during a WBO welterweight title boxing bout in 2022 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Henry Lee Currie
May 7, 1947 – Sept. 29, 2025
Henry Lee Currie, formerly of Brunswick County, NC, went to be with his Lord and Savior on Monday, September 29, 2025, at the age of 78.
He was born in Hoke County, NC, on May 7, 1947, to the late John Henry Currie and Irene Collins Currie.
Along with his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Joyce Currie; his son, Thomas
obituaries
Currie; his daughter, Sharon Currie; and his brother, Bobby Currie.
Lee retired from the NC Department of Transportation and was a member of the Masonic Lodge. He was a member of Poplin Grove Baptist Church in Albemarle, NC.
He loved to work with wood in his workshop and was always willing to lend a helping hand (along with his helper, Princess). In his free time, he enjoyed watching westerns and being outdoors.
He is survived by his granddaughter, Alexis Currie (Meredith), of Albemarle, NC; his sister, Brenda Currie, of Raeford, NC; and several nieces and nephews.
A graveside service will be held on Sunday, October 12, 2025, at 2 p.m. at Bethel Presbyterian Church Cemetery, 150 John Russell Road, Raeford, NC, 28376. Online condolences may be made on the Crumpler Funeral Home Website.
Jane Goodall, celebrated primatologist and conservationist, dead at 91
Her chimpanzee research changed the understanding of how apes live and interact
By Hallie Golden
The Associated Press
JANE GOODALL, the intellectual, soft-spoken conservationist renowned for her groundbreaking, immersive chimpanzee eld research in which she documented the primates’ distinct personalities and use of tools, has died. She was 91.
The environmental advocate became a beloved household name who transcended generations through her appearances in documentaries and on television, as well as her travels to address packed auditoriums around the world.
The Jane Goodall Institute announced the primatologist’s death last Wednesday in an Instagram post. According to the Washington, D.C.-based institute, Goodall died of natural causes while in California on a U.S. speaking tour. Her discoveries “revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world,” it said.
While living among chimpanzees in Africa decades ago, Goodall documented them doing activities previously believed to be exclusive to humans. Her observations and subsequent magazine and documentary appearances in the 1960s transformed how the world perceived not only humans’ closest living biological relatives but also the emotional and social complexity of all animals, while propelling her into the public consciousness.
“Out there in nature by myself, when you’re alone, you can become part of nature and your humanity doesn’t get in the way,” she told The Associated Press in 2021. “It’s almost like an out-of-body experience when suddenly you hear di erent sounds and you smell di erent smells and you’re actually part of this amazing tapestry of life.”
Goodall never lost hope for future
She had been scheduled to meet with students and teachers last Wednesday to launch the planting of 5,000 trees around wild re burn zones in the Los Angeles area. Organizers learned of her death as the event was to begin at EF Academy in Pasadena, said spokesperson Shawna Marino. The rst tree was planted in Goodall’s name after a moment of silence.
“I don’t think there’s any better way to honor her legacy than having a thousand children gathered for her,” Marino said.
Goodall in her later years devoted decades to education and advocacy on humanitarian causes and protecting the natural world. In her British accent, she was known for balancing the grim realities of the climate crisis with a sincere message of hope for the future.
From her base in the British coastal town of Bournemouth, she traveled nearly 300 days a year, even after she turned 90, for public speeches. Between more serious messages, her speeches often featured her whooping like a chimpanzee or lamenting that Tarzan chose the wrong Jane.
Tributes from animal rights organizations, political leaders and admirers poured in following news of her death.
“I’m deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Jane Goodall, our dear Messenger of Peace. She is leaving an extraordinary legacy for humanity & our planet,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
Nature broadcaster Chris Packham re ected on her relentless advocacy until the very end.
“In many ways Jane just died on the job,” he said. “The job that her life became. And that was protecting life on earth.”
Living among chimpanzees
While rst studying chimps in Tanzania in the early 1960s,
Goodall was known for her unconventional approach. She didn’t simply observe them from afar but immersed herself in every aspect of their lives. She fed them and gave them names instead of numbers, which some scientists criticized.
Her ndings were circulated to millions when she rst appeared on the cover of National Geographic in 1963 and then in a popular documentary. A collection of photos of Goodall in the eld helped her and even some of the chimps become famous. One iconic image showed her crouching across from the infant chimpanzee named Flint. Each has arms outstretched, reaching for the other.
In 1972, the Sunday Times published an obituary for Flo, Flint’s mother and the dominant matriarch. Flint died soon after showing signs of grief and losing weight.
“What the chimps have taught me over the years is they’re so like us. They’ve blurred the line between humans and animals,″ she said in 1997.
University of St. Andrews primatologist Catherine Hobaiter, who studies communication in chimpanzees, said that when she rst heard Goodall speak, it transformed her view of science.
“It was the rst time as a young scientist working with wild apes and wild chimpanzees
Primatologist Jane Goodall kisses Pola, a 14-month-old chimpanzee baby from the Budapest Zoo that she symbolically adopted in Budapest, Hungary, in 2004.
animals in Africa.
That plan stayed with her through a secretarial course when she was 18 and two di erent jobs. By 1957, she accepted an invitation to travel to a farm in Kenya.
There she met the famed anthropologist and paleontologist Louis Leakey at a natural history museum in Nairobi. He gave her a job as an assistant secretary.
Three years later, despite Goodall not having a college degree, Leakey asked if she would be interested in studying chimpanzees in what is now Tanzania. She told the AP that he chose her “because he wanted an open mind.”
The beginning was lled with complications. British authorities insisted she have a companion, so she brought her mother. The chimps ed if she got within 500 yards of them. She also spent weeks sick from what she believed was malaria.
Eventually she gained the animals’ trust. By the fall of 1960 she observed the chimpanzee named David Greybeard make a tool from twigs to sh termites from a nest. It was previously believed that only humans made and used tools.
She also found that chimps have individual personalities and share humans’ emotions of pleasure, joy, sadness and fear. She documented bonds between mothers and infants, sibling rivalry and male dominance. She found there was no sharp line between humans and the animal kingdom.
that I got to hear that it was OK to feel something,” she said.
Goodall earned top civilian honors from a number of countries. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2025 by then-U.S. President Joe Biden and in 2021 won the prestigious Templeton Prize, which honors individuals whose life’s work embodies a fusion of science and spirituality.
The Humane World for Animals said Goodall’s in uence on the animal protection community was immeasurable.
“Her work on behalf of primates and all animals will never be forgotten,” said Kitty Block, president and CEO of the group formerly the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International.
Charting course from early age
Born in London in 1934, Goodall said her fascination with animals began around when she learned to crawl. In her book, “In the Shadow of Man,” she described an early memory of hiding in a henhouse to see a chicken lay an egg. She was there so long her mother reported her missing to police.
She bought her rst book — Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “Tarzan of the Apes” — when she was 10 and soon made up her mind about her future: live with wild
In later years, she discovered chimpanzees engage in a type of warfare, and in 1987 she and her sta observed a chimp “adopt” a 3-year-old orphan that wasn’t closely related.
Becoming an activist
Her work moved into global advocacy after she watched a disturbing lm of experiments on laboratory animals in 1986.
“I knew I had to do something,″ she said. ″It was payback time.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and halted her in-person events, she began podcasting from her childhood home in England. Through dozens of “Jane Goodall Hopecast” episodes, she talked with guests including U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, author Margaret Atwood and marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson.
“If one wants to reach people, if one wants to change attitudes, you have to reach the heart,” she said during her rst episode. “You can reach the heart by telling stories, not by arguing with people’s intellects.”
In later years, she pushed back on “gloom and doom” messaging and aggressive tactics by climate activists, saying they could back re.
Her advice: “Focus on the present and make choices today whose impact will build over time.”
BELA SZANDELSZKY / AP PHOTO
STATE & NATION
Government shutdown sidelines football, other activities at schools for military families
Camp Lejeune’s high school football team had to move its game up last week
By Bruce Schreiner and Dylan Lovan The Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Football teams at Fort Campbell and Fort Knox high schools were sidelined last Friday by the federal government shutdown, which has paused extracurricular activities at the schools for military families.
The schools on the historic Army posts remain open for normal instructional activities, but the congressional stalemate has left the students and their families in limbo when it comes to other school-related pursuits. Fort Knox is in central Kentucky, while Fort Campbell straddles the Kentucky-Tennessee border.
Both football teams were scheduled to play Friday but their games were postponed. But the halt to extracurricular activities — even practices — applies to much more than football.
The Fort Campbell High girls’ volleyball team was on a historic run, having compiled an 11-2 record for a school without a winning season for 15 years in
the sport. The squad’s senior night game was called o last Thursday and two other upcoming games could be as well if the federal shutdown continues.
Mary Hughes, the volleyball team’s coach, said her players have shown “so much grit and tenacity” but for now have no control over how their season ends up.
“Everyone’s just really sad,” she said. “Life as a military child is hard enough. They deal with so much, and sports is one aspect of their lives that is so important to them. (It) gives them
self-esteem, con dence, teamwork. And for that to be taken away just because we live on the post … is just incredibly unfair.”
Bianca Carolina said she’s saddened that her son’s football team at Fort Campbell High had to postpone its game. She said she’s concerned the shutdown could drag on, a ecting the rest of the season. Her son, Jaeden, began practicing for the season back in January.
Fort Campbell’s football team was scheduled to play Trigg County, Kentucky, last Friday, but that game was rescheduled
Democrat in Virginia attorney general race apologizes for texts wishing death on Republicans
Jay Jones compared a political opponent to Hitler and Pol Pot
By Bruce Schreiner and Olivia Diaz The Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia’s Democratic candidate for attorney general has apologized for widely condemned text messages from 2022 that revealed him suggesting that a prominent Republican get “two bullets to the head.”
The texts put the Democratic challenger, Jay Jones, on the defensive in what has been a hard-hitting campaign. Early voting is well underway in Virginia ahead of the November general election.
Jones’ campaign didn’t challenge the accuracy of the texts, rst reported by The National Review, and he o ered a public apology to Todd Gilbert, the target of the messages. Jones said he took “full responsibility for my actions.” Gilbert was speaker of Virginia’s House of Delegates at the time of the text messag-
es but is no longer a legislator.
Jones has faced a torrent of bipartisan criticism since the messages surfaced. Jones is challenging Republican incumbent Jason Miyares for the job as Virginia’s top prosecutor. Miyares ripped into Jones on Saturday, questioning his challenger’s tness for the job.
“You have to be coming from an incredibly dark place to say what you said,” Miyares told reporters. “Not by a stranger. By a colleague. Somebody you had served with. Someone you have worked with.”
Democratic candidate for Virginia attorney general Jay Jones speaks with an interviewer Saturday about widely condemned text messages he sent in 2022.
Jones and Republican House Delegate Carrie Coyner spoke in a phone conversation following the text exchange, in which Jones described Gilbert’s children dying in the arms of their mother, according to the National Review’s report.
“I have been a prosecutor, and I have been obviously serving as attorney general,” Miyares said. “I have met quietly one-on-one with victims. There is no cry like the cry of a mother that lost her child. None.”
A spokesperson for the Virginia House Republican caucus,
to Oct. 30, Trigg County High School athletics director Doug Gloyd said.
“It’s very disheartening, but I’m grateful and thankful they were able to reschedule,” Carolina said. “They put a lot of time into football season.”
Carolina, 36, works on post at Fort Campbell and is currently furloughed during the shutdown.
Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell has intervened in the matter. The Republican senator wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last Friday, asking that athletics and extracurriculars at the schools be designated as activities allowed to proceed despite the shutdown.
Jerry Gilliam, the judge-executive in Christian County, Kentucky, which includes a portion of Fort Campbell, was among those who asked McConnell to get involved.
“These young people already carry unique burdens as sons and daughters of U.S. servicemembers, and this additional barrier only deepens their sacrice,” Gilliam said in writing to McConnell.
The shutdown has disrupted sports at other military post high schools, including Camp Lejeune’s high school football team in North Carolina. Camp Lejeune’s host last week, Northside High School,
contacted on Saturday by The Associated Press, said Gilbert was not commenting on the text messages. Gilbert stepped down as a legislator to become a federal prosecutor this year but resigned a month later.
The revelation about the text messages shook up the campaign and comes as both parties seek advantage in statewide races being closely watched for trends heading into next year’s midterm elections, when control of Congress is at stake. And it comes amid an escalating threat of political violence in the country following the shooting deaths of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and former Minnesota Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband.
In Virginia, other Democrats running for statewide o ce didn’t mince words in criticizing Jones.
Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, said in a statement last Friday that she “spoke frankly with Jay about my disgust with what he had said and texted. I made clear to Jay that he must fully take responsibility for his words.” She vowed to “always condemn violent language in our politics.”
Ghazala Hashmi, the Democrat running for lieutenant governor, said “political violence has no place in our country and I condemn it at every turn.” Hashmi added that “we must demand better of our leaders and of each other.” Candidates for governor and lieutenant gov-
“These young people already carry unique burdens as sons and daughters of U.S. servicemembers, and this additional barrier only deepens their sacri ce.”
Jerry Gilliam, Christian County, Kentucky, judge-executive
moved up their homecoming game to be played Tuesday, before the shutdown took e ect Wednesday.
The Department of Defense Education Activity, known as DoDEA, manages prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs for the Department of Defense. It said last Friday that its schools will remain open for normal instructional operations during the government shutdown.
“However, sporting events, sports practices and all extracurricular activities are not considered excepted activities during a lapse in appropriations,” it said in a statement. “As a result, these activities, including those held outside of the school day, will remain paused for the duration of the shutdown.”
ernor run separately in Virginia.
The Republican Attorneys General Association said Jones should withdraw from the campaign for his “abhorrent” text messages. The group’s chairman, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, said the messages were unacceptable “from someone who wants to represent law enforcement.”
“There is no place for political violence, including joking about it — especially from an elected o cial,” Kobach said.
Jones did not hold elected ofce when he sent the text messages about Gilbert to Coyner, who is seeking reelection in a competitive House district. Jones had formerly served as a state legislator and stepped down in 2021.
In his texts, Jones wrote: “Three people two bullets ... Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot ... Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.” Pol Pot was the leader of the murderous Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.
In his statement last Friday, Jones said: “Reading back those words made me sick to my stomach. I am embarrassed, ashamed and sorry.”
“I have reached out to Speaker Gilbert to apologize directly to him, his wife Jennifer, and their children,” he added. “I cannot take back what I said; I can only take full accountability and o er my sincere apology.”
ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO
The football team at the high school on Camp Lejeune Marine Base had to reschedule its football game ahead of the government shutdown.
WRIC VIA AP
MOORE COUNTY
Fini ight
Army Chief Warrant O cer 4 Garrett Illerbrunn of Pinehurst sits in a helicopter during his retirement ceremony and symbolic “ ni ight” on Sunday at the Pinehurst Harness Track. Illerbrunn, a helicopter pilot with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, was severely injured in a drone attack on Erbil Air Base in Northern Iraq on Christmas Day 2023, sustaining a brain injury that left him con ned to a wheelchair and unable to y. The ceremony included a brief lifto of the helicopter and a water salute from two re trucks before Illerbrunn was presented with the Army Commendation Medal.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Supreme Court begins term that will examine Trump’s presidential power Washington, D.C.
The Supreme Court has opened its new term. In its rst arguments on Monday, the court appeared to be inclined to rule against a criminal defendant from Texas in a case about the constitutional right to a lawyer. A major thrust of the next 10 months is expected to be the justices’ evaluation of President Donald Trump’s claims of presidential power. Pivotal cases on voting and LGBTQ rights also are on the agenda. On Tuesday, the justices heard arguments over bans passed by many states on therapy aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity.
Weiss named new editor-in-chief of CBS News after Paramount buys her website New York Paramount is buying the successful news commentary website The Free Press and installed its founder, Bari Weiss, as editor-in-chief of CBS News. The move, while anticipated, is a bold one for David Ellison, new corporate leader of Paramount and CBS. Weiss will report directly to Ellison and be responsible for shaping editorial priorities and driving innovation at CBS News. Ellison said he believes the majority of the country wants news that is balanced and fact-based, and he wants CBS to be their home. “I am con dent her entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News.”
Moore County municipal elections on horizon
From mayors to commissioners, there’s plenty of races being run
in Moore County
By Ryan Henkel North State Journal
NORTH CAROLINA municipal elections will be taking place all over the state in the coming weeks.
Moore County has a plethora of municipalities, 11 in total, and all of them will be holding elections this year.
In Aberdeen, those running for mayor include incumbent Robert Farrell, Ronald Utley and Christopher Weber. There are also two seats for Aberdeen town commissioner available, and incumbent Timothy Helms, Fallon Brewing-
ton, William Marts and Daniel Moretz are all vying for them.
In Cameron, all of the races are essentially uncontested with current commissioner Lisa Paschal running unopposed for mayor, and incumbents John Frutchey, Kane Parsons and Marcia Korver all running for reelection to their seats on the Board of Commissioners.
In Carthage, there are three seats on the Board of Commissioners up for grabs, with incumbents John McDonald, Brent Tanner and Anton Sadovnikov all seeking reelection, while Malcolm Hall vying for a place on the board.
In Fox re Village, ve candidates are competing for three seats on the village council, including incumbent and Mayor Pro Tem Janet Nauman, Kevin Robbins, Stephen Gunn, Chris
11
Number of municipalities holding elections in Moore County
Kragel and Darlene Straub. In Pineblu , Ronald McDonald is running unopposed for mayor.
However, incumbents Jerry Williams and Robbie Conley along with Thomas Rind eisch are all competing for two seats on the town’s Board of Commissioners.
In Pinehurst, there are two seats available on the village council with Kevin Fitzpatrick, Lydia Boesch, James Nash and
Jeramy Hooper all running. In Robbins, there are three seats available on the Board of Commissioners. Incumbents Lonnie English and Jody Britt are joined by challengers Mark Gilbert and Nikki Bradshaw in the race.
In Southern Pines, incumbents Ann Petersen and Brandon Goodman along with Bob Curtin are all running for the two seats available on the town council.
In Taylortown, 10 candidates have led to run for all ve of the available council seats. These include all ve incumbents — Sidney Gaddy, Bridget Cotton, Marvin Taylor, Andria Parker and Nadine Moody — along with ve challengers — Adam Cheatham, Garry Brown, William Green, Aaron McLaughlin and Arak Smith. In Vass, current mayor Alphonso Mosley Jr. is running unopposed for reelection, and incumbents Kris Kosem and Emily Oldham Dick are running alongside Cynthia
House creates committee on involuntary commitment after Charlotte murder
The panel will study mental health policies and public safety
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
RALEIGH — North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall announced the formation, last week, of a bipartisan committee to examine involuntary commitment policies following recent violent crimes involving individuals with mental illness.
The House Select Committee on Involuntary Commitment and Public Safety will study the intersection of mental health services, involuntary commitment processes and public safety. The 18-member panel was created in response to tragedies including the murder of Iryna
Zarutska on Charlotte’s light rail system.
“Recent tragedies in our state, like the brutal murder of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, have made it even more clear that we have to make sure local o cials are putting public safety rst,” Hall (R-Granite Falls) said. “The committee will work together with law enforcement, district attorneys, mental health professionals, and others, to come up with statewide solutions that will keep dangerous people o the streets of North Carolina.”
Reps. Hugh Blackwell (R-Burke) and Tim Reeder (R-Pitt) will co-chair the committee.
“Iryna Zarutska should still be alive. Instead, her life was stolen by someone who should have been committed and receiving treatment,” Blackwell
“Iryna Zarutska should still be alive. Instead, her life was stolen by someone who should have been committed and receiving treatment.”
Rep. Hugh Blackwell (R-Burke)
said. “We cannot allow these failures to continue. This committee exists to support law enforcement and x broken policies that put our families at risk.” Reeder, an emergency physician, said the case highlights the real-world consequences of policy failures.
“The preventable murder of Iryna Zarutska is a stark reminder that these are not ab -
stract policy debates; they are matters of life and death,” Reeder said. “Our committee will take a hard look at how we can improve involuntary commitment and close dangerous gaps in the system.”
The committee will review current laws, policies and practices governing involuntary commitment in North Carolina and make recommendations for legislative and policy changes.
The committee has an ocial listing on the General Assembly’s website but has not announced when it will hold its rst meeting.
The announcement follows a preliminary State Auditor’s report on Charlotte Area Transit System, where Zarutska was killed. The audit found security personnel for CATS had been reduced by 40% between 2018 and 2025.
DAVID SINCLAIR FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL
10.9.25
THURSDAY
“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
PJ Ward-Brown Photographer BUSINESS
David Guy Advertising Manager
Published each Thursday as part of North State Journal
1201 Edwards Mill Rd. Suite 300 Raleigh NC 27607 TO SUBSCRIBE: 919-663-3232
Annual Subscription Price: $100.00
Periodicals Postage Paid at Raleigh NC and at additional mailing o ces
POSTMASTER:
Send address changes to: North State Journal
1201 Edwards Mill Rd. Suite 300 Raleigh NC 27607
CRIME LOG
Sept. 29
• Ti any Christine Johnson, 36, was arrested by MCSO for possession of methamphetamine, maintaining vehicle/dwelling/place for controlled substance, possession of schedule IV controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Sheena Christine Mather, 40, was arrested by MCSO for obtaining property by false pretenses, possession of methamphetamine, misdemeanor larceny, possession of stolen property and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Susanna Elisabeth Ritter, 28, was arrested by MCSO for felony child abuse by sexual act and failure to report crime against juvenile.
Sept. 30
• Jeremy Ray Davidson, 30, was arrested by MCSO for possession of rearm by felon, possession of stolen rearm, possession of schedule II controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Madison Renee Heldreth, 20, was arrested by MCSO for assault in icting physical injury on law enforcement o cer.
Oct. 1
• Corey Tyler Hussey, 26, was arrested by MCSO for possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting public o cer.
Oct. 2
• Benjamin Lamar Kennedy, 48, was arrested by MCSO for felony possession of cocaine, maintaining vehicle/dwelling/ place for controlled substance, driving while license revoked, open container violation and driving left of center.
• Loretta Carter Pilson, 47, was arrested by Robbins PD for possession of methamphetamine, possession of schedule II controlled substance, possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana paraphernalia, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while license revoked, ctitious or altered title/ registration/tag, no liability insurance, expired registration and expired/no inspection.
Oct. 3
• Jerome Edward Crutch eld, 61, was arrested by MCSO for felony possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, open container violation and contributing to delinquency of juvenile.
Cawthorn seeks comeback, announces run for Congress in Fla.
He served as N.C.’s District 11 representative from 2021 to 2023
By Curt Anderson The Associated Press
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. —
Former Republican U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who was defeated in 2022 in a North Carolina primary, is looking for a comeback by running for Congress again, this time from Florida.
Cawthorn, 30, announced in an online video last Wednesday that he would seek the southwest Florida seat currently held by Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running for Florida governor. The district is overwhelmingly Republican, and Cawthorn moved there shortly after his primary defeat.
On his website, Cawthorn aligns his views closely with those of President Donald Trump on issues such as immigration restrictions, promoting gun rights and push-
ing against “woke ideology.”
“Madison Cawthorn knows the system is rigged against hard-working families. Washington insiders cut deals while Floridians pay the price. That’s why he’s running for Congress: to defend the America First agenda, hold bureaucrats accountable, and put Floridians rst,” says his announcement, posted on his website.
Cawthorn served a single House term from a western North Carolina district before losing in the 2022 GOP primary to current Rep. Chuck Edwards following a reelection campaign clouded by ethical issues.
Cawthorn had vaulted into national prominence by winning the seat in 2020 at age 25. Within days of taking o ce, he spoke at the “Stop the Steal” rally questioning Joe Biden’s presidential election victory that preceded the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Cawthorn soon became a leading spokesperson for Trump’s “America First” policies and conservatives in the
culture wars. Trump endorsed him, but Cawthorn faced negative publicity for speeding and gun violations. He also infuriated fellow Republicans in Congress when he alleged on a podcast that he had been invited to an orgy in Washington.
Despite that, Cawthorn said he’s ready to represent the 19th congressional district from his home in Cape Coral, just north of Fort Myers.
“I’m running for Congress to stand with President Trump, defend our conservative values, and ght to stop the radical left every single time,” he said in his campaign launch video.
Other Republicans signaling their intention to run include former U.S. Rep. Chris Collins of New York, former Illinois state Sen. Jim Oberweis, Marine aviator Mike Pedersen and Sun Broadcasting President Jim Schwartzel. The lone Democrat running in the reliably Republican district so far is Howard Sapp, a community organizer who has unsuccessfully run for the state legislature.
Judge rejects claims of racial gerrymandering in Senate districts
The districts a ected some 20 counties in northeast N.C.
By Gary D. Robertson The Associated Press
RALEIGH — A pair of northeastern North Carolina legislative districts can remain intact, a federal judge ruled last week, rejecting black voters’ claims that state Republicans illegally manipulated the boundaries to prevent them from electing their favored candidates.
Ruling after a trial held nearly eight months ago, U.S. District Judge James Dever sided with GOP legislative leaders who were sued in November 2023 over two state Senate districts in a statewide map the General Assembly approved weeks earlier.
The two plainti s — one of them now a Democratic state House member — argued that the lines violated Section 2 of the U.S. Voting Rights Act through race-based discrimination, and that the lawmakers should have created a majority-black district instead.
The lines cover close to 20 counties that include a region known as the “Black Belt,” where the African American population is signi cant — reaching a majority in some counties — and politically cohesive. Last November, white Republicans were elected to the two district seats. The partisan makeup of the Senate is critical for the prospects of both parties. Republicans currently hold 30 of the
ELECTIONS from page A1
Fairly for two available seats on the Board of Commissioners. In Whispering Pines, seven candidates are running for three available seats on the council, including incumbents Pamela Harris, Angie Mullennix and Lucy
50 seats — the minimum required for a veto-proof majority. Senate Democrats could uphold Gov. Josh Stein’s vetoes with one more seat.
In a 126-page order, Dever wrote that plainti s Moses Matthews and Rep. Rodney Pierce lacked standing to challenge one Senate district because neither lived in that district. Otherwise, he said, they failed to provide enough evidence to prove that the lines diluted black voting power.
Dever said Republican lawmakers did not have access to racial data in their mapping computers in part because North Carolina redistricting litigation during the 2010s determined that racially polarized voting in the state was not legally signi cant.
He noted that 2024 elections based on statewide House and Senate maps approved in 2023 resulted in African American candidates winning 38 of the 170 seats — a proportion in line with the state’s black population, he wrote.
“This case does not involve the General Assembly engaging in race-based districting or the odious practice of sorting voters based on race,” Dever wrote, citing a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling. He said the case record demonstrates northeastern North Carolina communities include black voting blocs that form coalitions with other racial and ethnic groups to elect their favored candidates.
“Black voters in northeast North Carolina and throughout North Carolina have elected candidates of their choice
Kaminsky along with Christopher Pei er, Wendy DuFour, Joshua Leviner and Alana Yearsich.
Early voting will take place at the Moore County Agriculture Center from Oct. 16-31 from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Nov. 1 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Outside of Nov. 1, there will
(both white and black) with remarkable frequency and success for decades,” wrote Dever, who was nominated to the bench by President George W. Bush. ”Plainti s ignore the progress that North Carolina has made over the past 60 years and seek to use Section 2 to sort voters by race in order to squeeze one more Democratic Senate district into the map.”
The ruling could be appealed to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2024, both Dever and a 4th District panel declined to block the use of the two districts while the case went to trial.
Republicans have said that lawfully partisan considerations inform their decision-making on redistricting.
Republican state Senate leader Phil Berger said on X that the court con rmed that the General Assembly “was right not to use race in its redistricting process” and that the Voting Rights Act “can’t be weaponized to make up for the shortcomings of the Democratic Party.”
The northeastern North Carolina Senate districts also are being challenged within a broader redistricting case that remains before a panel of three federal judges. The trial, which involved two lawsuits alleging racial gerrymandering in a handful of U.S. House and state Senate districts approved in 2023, concluded in July. No ruling has yet been entered. Candidate ling begins in December for General Assembly primary elections scheduled in March.
be no early voting on weekends. Robbins, Fox re Village and Cameron do not participate in early voting.
Election Day proper is Nov. 4 and all voters are required to go to their assigned polling place on that day. Photo ID is required to vote, per state law.
moore happening
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in and around Moore County:
Oct. 9-11
78th Moore County Agricultural Fair
The annual county fair features agricultural exhibits, livestock shows, carnival rides, food vendors and entertainment. Gates open at 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, 3 p.m. on Saturday. The fair concludes Saturday evening with nal livestock judging and closing ceremonies.
Moore County Fairgrounds 3699 U.S. Highway 15/501 Carthage
Oct. 18
47th Annual Holly Arts and Crafts Festival
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
More than 200 artisans and crafters display handmade goods including woodwork, glass art, jewelry and metal sculpture throughout downtown Pinehurst. Downtown boutiques and restaurants o er specials and sales. Food court and family area at Tufts Memorial Park. Free shuttle service provided from over ow parking.
Intersection of Cherokee Road and Chinquapin Road Pinehurst
SUSTO in Concert
8 p.m.
Charleston-based indie folkrock band SUSTO performs at the historic downtown theater. The band blends Americana, folk and rock in uences in their original music. Tickets available through the venue.
Sunrise Theater 250 NW Broad St. Southern Pines
Oct. 26
Village of Pinehurst Oktoberfest 4-9 p.m.
The annual celebration begins with Kinderfest from 4-6 p.m., featuring children’s activities, crafts, bubble artist and trick-or-treating at participating downtown businesses. Traditional Oktoberfest activities follow from 6-9 p.m. with German music by the OOPS Polka Band, food and beverages. Picnic baskets allowed but no outside alcoholic beverages. Tufts Memorial Park 1 Village Green Road W. Pinehurst
THE CONVERSATION
Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
Hamas doesn’t want peace
In a perfect world, this agreement appears to be a reasonable solution to a brutal war in Gaza.
THE POLITICAL WORLD is alight with anticipation and excitement after President Donald Trump released his 20-point peace proposal for Gaza, built around three central pillars: immediate de-escalation, humanitarian relief and redevelopment, and a long-term political framework.
First, the plan calls for a complete cease re and Israeli withdrawal from active operations in exchange for the release of all hostages held by Hamas — alive and dead — within 72 hours of Israel’s acceptance. This exchange would also include the return of almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas members who renounce violence could receive amnesty or safe passage abroad, while those remaining would be required to decommission weapons under international monitoring. Importantly, the proposal sets a clear standard: Gaza must become a “terror-free” zone with no militant infrastructure, with Israel committing not to annex or occupy Gaza once security conditions are met.
Second, the plan focuses heavily on humanitarian aid and economic revitalization. Aid would ow in immediately under international supervision, while a transitional governance system would be established — a technocratic Palestinian committee overseen by an international “Board of Peace” chaired by Trump, with gures like Tony Blair — yes, the man who set Iraq on re — also involved.
This body would coordinate reconstruction, create a special economic zone and attract investment, modeled on other “miracle cities” in the Middle East, envisioning an international stabilization force to secure Gaza alongside newly trained Palestinian police, while Israel gradually withdraws.
Finally, the proposal outlines a political horizon. Hamas would be excluded from governance, and Gaza’s future leadership would eventually transition to a reformed Palestinian Authority, with calls for regional guarantees, interfaith dialogue, and a U.S.led process to de ne a path toward Palestinian self-determination and statehood.
In short, the proposal mixes carrots (aid, investment, amnesty, freedom of movement) with sticks (demilitarization, Hamas exclusion, security enforcement), aiming to end the war while positioning Trump as the central broker of Gaza’s future.
Sounds great! There’s only one small problem: The only sticks Hamas cares about are those that can be used to kill more Jews.
When it comes to Hamas — you know, the bloodthirsty terrorist group that started this war after committing the deadliest pogrom in history since the fall of Nazi Germany — the plan would allow any Hamas members who “commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons” to receive amnesty and be permitted to leave safely,
Obamacare is a massive failure; the GOP shouldn’t bail it out
Virtually every promise made by Democrats regarding the A ordable Care Act has failed to come true.
SINCE DEMOCRATS have shut down the federal government because they want another $1.5 trillion bailout of Obamacare, it’s a good time to remind everyone that the law has been a wide-ranging and expensive asco.
Virtually every promise made by Democrats regarding the A ordable Care Act has failed to come true.
Sure, Barack Obama infamously promised that Americans could keep their preferred insurance if they desired. By the end of his second term, around 7 million people had been booted from their insurance because of the A ordable Care Act. Who knows how many have been dropped since.
But let’s also not forget that Obama pledged that the law would reduce family health insurance premiums by “up to” $2,500 annually by the end of his rst term. Premiums not only continued to rise during his presidency, but since 2010, they have spiked from $13,000 to nearly $24,000.
Democrats used to love to talk about “bending the cost curve.” Well, congrats. Obama also promised that Obamacare’s state exchanges would enhance competition among insurers and lower costs. Taxpayers are now on the hook for 90% of the cost of those premiums. If the COVID-19-era Obamacare subsidies are allowed to sunset, taxpayers will be responsible for a mere 80%. Without the subsidies, the Congressional Budget O ce predicted that 3.6 million users would leave the exchanges. Obamacare didn’t create better health care insurance options for consumers; it created millions of state dependents.
The Obamacare exchanges were sold as self-su cient engines of capitalism even as Democrats were doing everything to inhibit
market competition. Many Obamacare exchanges now only have a single insurer. Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Humana have all basically abandoned them.
One of the most contentious debates over the A ordable Care Act was the cost. Democrats stressed that the project would cost less than a trillion dollars over a decade. On numerous occasions, Obama promised he would not add “one dime” to the debt. Democrats, in fact, guaranteed the A ordable Care Act would help reduce de cits. If you dared question the estimates, fact-checkers would swarm and call you a liar.
There’s no de nitive number on the debt added by Obamacare since its passage. It is likely in the hundreds of billions of dollars, if not trillions.
Democrats promised that penalties on employers who failed to provide health insurance would bring in “substantial” revenue to allay costs. Once the A ordable Care Act was passed, Obama ignored the law by delaying implementation before “tweaking” the law without any constitutional authority. The employer mandate now brings in only a small fraction of promised returns.
Obama also kept delaying the A ordable Care Act’s “Cadillac tax,” a levy on alleged “gold-plated” private employee plans. The tax was meant to discourage upper- and middle-class workers from obtaining the types of plans Democrats deemed too generous as a way of lowering costs but also raising “revenue.”
Once labor unions found out they also had “gold-plated” plans, well, Democrats dropped the idea, which was repealed in 2019.
The individual mandate, which the Supreme Court miraculously transformed into a “tax,” now exists only in conceptual form despite
while preventing Hamas and other factions from maintaining any governing control over Gaza (guaranteed by regional partners).
Except ... Hamas has no intention of giving up any power, let alone peaceful co-existence with Jews.
Yes, in a perfect world, this agreement appears to be a reasonable solution to a brutal war in Gaza that, while entirely justi ed, has caused widespread su ering and destruction. But we do not live in a perfect world. Instead, we live in a world inhabited by the ideology of radical Islam that plays by entirely di erent rules and views the su ering of its own civilians as a crucial and bene cial strategy of war.
Even if Hamas agrees to this proposal — which they won’t — don’t be fooled: They will never accept defeat because to do so would be to accept that their entire worldview is bogus. When Hamas — with the continued support of the Palestinian people, lest we forget — is motivated by the destruction of Israel, anything less than the continuation of Oct. 7 is unacceptable.
We should all pray for peace, of course, but with the understanding that peace can only be achieved once we achieve something in nitely harder: the vanquishing of Palestinian terrorism. And for that, it’s going to take much more than pen, paper and Tony Blair.
Ian Haworth is a syndicated columnist.
Democrats’ promise that it would generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue. It brings in zero dollars.
So it’s no surprise that Democrats have been demanding Republicans bail out the poorly conceived law since its passage.
When Congress refused to pass new subsidies in 2013, the Obama administration, again without any constitutional authority, ordered the Treasury to create a $7 billion per year appropriation for insurance companies participating in the allegedly self-supporting exchanges.
When a district court ruled that the payments were unconstitutional, Obama ignored the decision. Don’t you love it when Democrats lecture people about norms?
When Democrats added new Obamacare subsidies to the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act to fund those with incomes 400% over the federal poverty line, they sold it as a temporary measure to get through the COVID-19 economy.
Every Democratic leader referred to the subsidies as “a bridge” that was meant to help until the economy rebounded from the pandemic.
Here we are in 2025. You know what they say about temporary government programs.
Aside from all the failed promises, the passage of Obamacare broke American politics. For the rst time in U.S. history, a party rammed through a massive national reform without any input from half the country. In their e ort to appease a handful of moderates in their party, Democrats larded up Obamacare with unenforceable mandates, taxes and bureaucratic complexities that created the illusion of a ordability.
When they still couldn’t pass the bill using the traditional lawmaking process, they blew up a bunch of governing norms to do it.
Now Democrats have shut the government down to try and force Republicans to help prop up this disastrous law. The GOP would be nuts to help them.
David Harsanyi
is a
senior
writer at the Washington Examiner.
COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI
COLUMN | IAN HAWORTH
More than a dozen youths have been killed in the past few years
By Cedar Attanasio
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Ka’Von
Wooden loved trains. The 15-year-old had an encyclopedic knowledge of New York City’s subway system and dreamed of becoming a train operator.
Instead, on a December morning in 2022, Ka’Von died after he climbed to the roof of a moving J train in Brooklyn and then fell onto the tracks as it headed onto the Williamsburg Bridge.
He is one of more than a dozen New Yorkers, many young boys, who have been killed or badly injured after falling o speeding trains. Other risks include being crushed between the train and tunnel walls and being electrocuted by high-voltage subway tracks. “Subway sur ng” dates back a century, but it has been fueled by social media.
Two girls found dead Saturday
Early Saturday morning, New York City police found two girls dead — ages 12 and 13 — in what apparently was a subway sur ng game that turned out to be fatal, authorities said. Metropolitan Transportation Authority President Demetrius Crichlow said in a statement that “getting on top of a subway car isn’t ‘sur ng’ — it’s suicide.”
Authorities have tried to address the problem with public awareness campaigns — including a new one featuring Grammy Award-winning rapper Cardi B — and by deploying drones to catch thrill-seekers in the act. But for some, a more fundamental question is not being addressed: Why are kids like Ka’Von able to climb on top of subway cars in the rst place?
“When Ka’Von died ... literally two weeks later, another child died. And another one. That makes no sense,” his moth-
er, Y’Vonda Maxwell, told The Associated Press, saying transit and law enforcement ocials haven’t done enough. “Why should my child have not been the end?”
MTA says it’s studying issue
Making trains harder to climb and train surfers more easy to detect with cameras and sensors could be part of the solution, some experts say. The MTA, which operates the subway system, has said it is studying the issue. But it has yet to report any broad new rollout of technology or physical barriers that might make it harder for people to get on top of trains.
In June, Crichlow told a news conference to introduce a new public awareness campaign that the MTA was experimenting with pieces of circular rubber tubing designed to prevent a person from being able to climb between two cars to the top of a train.
It was being piloted in between two cars to make sure it would t into the tight spacing of the tunnels and that it wouldn’t break down or harm service or riders, he said.
“So far the equipment seems to be holding up,” he said.
Six deaths so far this year from subway sur ng
Six people died sur ng subway trains in the city last year, up from ve in 2023.
Tyesha Elcock, the MTA worker who operated the train Ka’Von rode the day he died, is among those who thinks more should be done to prevent deaths.
The rst sign of trouble that day was when the train’s emergency brake kicked in, she said.
Elcock discovered Ka’Von’s body between the train’s seventh and eighth cars. A group of sad-faced teens on the train made it clear what had happened. “Did y’all leave your friend back there?” she asked them.
Elcock said another operator traveling in the opposite direc-
tion saw Ka’Von on the train’s roof and reported it over a radio. Because of patchy radio service, she said, she didn’t get the warning.
But she thinks an even simpler solution could have saved Ka’Von’s life: locking the doors at the ends of subway cars. That would cut o access to the narrow gaps between train cars where subway surfers use handholds to hoist themselves onto the roof.
“Lock it when we’re in service so people can’t climb up and be on top of the train,” Elcock said.
The MTA’s leaders have said they are looking into possible ways to prevent subway sur ng, including engineering solutions, but the agency declined to make any of its safety experts available for an interview.
In 2023, Richard Davey, then the head of buses and subways for the MTA, said o cials were “weighing” the option of locking doors between cars — which is now done only on a handful of 1980s-era trains. But he said that locking doors “brings its own risk.” Some New Yorkers have complained that locking the passageways between train cars might prevent them from escaping to another part of the train during an emergency.
Under questioning from City Council members and reporters last year, MTA o cials ruled
out some other physical interventions, including building more barriers to prevent access to tracks or putting covers over the gaps between train cars to prevent would-be surfers from climbing up.
“Listen, you have to be able to do work on top of a train car,” MTA CEO Janno Lieber said at a news conference, adding that you can’t “cover it with barbed wire.”
MTA asks social media companies to help stop trend
The MTA has asked social media companies to take down videos glamorizing subway surfing and reported in June that, in 2025, more than 1,800 videos had been taken down.
It’s also promoted public service announcements telling people to “Ride inside, stay alive,” in voices of local teens and, with the city’s schools, released a comic-book themed campaign this past summer designed to show the dangers of subway sur ng and impact on loved ones.
More than 300,000 New York City school children use the subway to get to and from school each day.
The NYPD reported that arrests of alleged subway surfers rose to 229 last year, up from
135 the year before. Most were boys, with an average age of around 14, according to police. The youngest was 9 years old.
Branislav Dimitrijevic, an engineering professor of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, said retro tting trains to prevent roof access would be expensive.
“There’s so many stories in transportation where things can be xed, but they cost a lot of money,” Dimitrijevic said. “And then you ask the public, ’Are you willing to (pay) for us to x this? But your taxes would go up tremendously.’ And people say ‘no.’”
Dimitrijevic suggested the MTA might be able to install cameras and use arti cial intelligence to detect riders trying to climb a train. Andrew Albert, a nonvoting member of the MTA board, said he has been asking the agency about the plausibility of physical sensors but hasn’t gotten a response.
The NYPD has patrolled popular subway sur ng routes with eld response teams and drones, reporting in July that it had used them to make 200 rescues, mostly of teens. But the missions can’t be everywhere at once. They also say they make home visits to the homes of subway surfers they’ve identi ed. Trains in some other cities, such as Hong Kong and Dubai, aren’t easily climbable. They have streamlined bodies, lack handles on the outside and don’t open between cars.
Some rail systems have resorted to extreme tactics to keep people from riding on top of trains. In Indonesia, railway o cials once installed hanging metal ails to try and deter passengers from riding atop train cars to avoid overcrowding. They also tried spraying riders with red paint and hitting them with brooms.
The MTA purchased a few new subway cars that don’t have the outdoor gaps exploited by subway surfers, but they represent just a sliver of the number currently in service and won’t be deployed on lines popular for sur ng anytime soon.
SETH WENIG / AP PHOTO
Trains arrive and depart from a subway station in the Coney Island section of New York, earlier this year.
Left, a train arrives at a subway station in the Coney Island section of New York earlier this year.
Right, a train conductor walks between subway cars at a station in the Coney Island section of New York.
PHOTOS BY SETH WENIG / AP PHOTO
MOORE SPORTS
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ROUNDUP
Union Pines, Pinecrest keep on winning
North State Journal sta North Moore
THE MUSTANGS lost 12-7 to Jordan-Matthews.
After taking a dive with consecutive losses by over 30 points, the Jets are back on the ascent with a Four Rivers 3A/4A conference-opening win.
Down 7-6 in the beginning of the third quarter, senior quarterback Kamarie Hadley ran in the go-ahead score with a 58-yard touchdown run to help Jordan-Matthews (5-2) beat North Moore (3-4) for the rst time since 2010 on Friday. The Jets have won ve games for the rst time since 2013.
Junior Namir Wiley scored on a 3-yard reception late in the second quarter. Late in the fourth quarter, Wiley chased
down junior Stryker Murray after a long completion and forced a fumble recovered by the Jets. He also knocked down the Mustangs’ nal pass attempt in the end zone as time expired. With back-to-back losses, the Mustangs are now 3-4, 0-1 in conference. They have the week o before hosting Northwood.
Union Pines
The Vikings won 28-12 over Harnett Central for their fourth straight. The Union Pines defense has surrendered just 25 points over the four games.
Running back Adrian Colon gained 179 yards on 19 carries, scoring once. Ian Hicks threw for 175 yards and two scores.
Union Pines is 5-1, 3-0 in the Carolina Pines 6A conference. This week, the Vikings
will try to keep rolling at winless Southern Lee.
Pinecrest
The Patriots returned from a week o to win their fth in a row, 29-21 at Jack Britt. Najee Gillis passed for 259 yards and three touchdowns, while Chris Najm ran for 135 yards.
Pinecrest is now 5-1, 1-0 in conference. This week, the Patriots host Overhills.
Moore County Week 8 High School Schedule: North Moore Mustangs (3-4, 0-1): O week
Friday Oct. 10, 7 p.m., Union Pines Vikings (5-1, 3-0) at Southern Lee Cavaliers (0-5, 0-2) Friday Oct. 10, 7:30 p.m., Overhills Jaguars (3-3, 1-0) at Pinecrest Patriots (5-1, 1-0)
Pinecrest is on a ve-game winning
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Najee Gillis
Pinecrest, football
Najee Gillis is a junior quarterback on the Pinecrest football team.
The Patriots won their fth game in a row, and Gillis completed 19 of 25 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns.
For the season, Gillis is third in the Mid-South 7A/8A conference with 891 passing yards.
ACC bets on being 1st league in college football to bring TV viewers inside live replay reviews
Broadcasts allow fans to hear conversations between o cials in real time
By Aaron Beard
The Associated Press
FLORIDA STATE and Virginia were locked in a double-overtime thriller as the ball headed to Seminoles receiver Duce Robinson in the end zone.
Robinson bobbled the catch, then continued that juggle through the back of the end zone and out of bounds. The call was a touchdown, the kind of narrow-margin play certain to get closer scrutiny in replay review.
Only now, TV viewers for ACC games get a clear window into how o cials decide to overturn or uphold those calls.
The ACC is the rst college league to let viewers listen live to reviews during select broadcasts. There’s no waiting for referees to take o their headset after a mystery- lled stoppage and deliver a verdict. Instead, viewers can hear frame-by-frame discussions between stadium ofcials and the replay command center at the league headquarters in Charlotte. It’s o ered a welcome dose of transparency, along with rave reviews for taking viewers somewhere they’ve never been before.
“You hear the whole conversation,” said Bryan Jaroch, ESPN vice president of sports production. “That transparency takes out any of the second-guessing of how they came to their decision. I would love to see this across every conference. We’re trying to push for that. But I think it’s exactly what we need to do.”
The rst run
The debut came with 6:34 left in the rst quarter of the Aug. 30
game between SMU and East Texas A&M on the ACC Network, a review that overturned a fumble call on Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jennings by ruling his arm was coming forward for an incompletion. There have been seven games with the replay listen-in, generally earmarked for Friday night broadcasts on ESPN or ESPN2, as well as Saturday nights on the ACC Network. The ACC and ESPN, which have a media rights deal through the 2035-36 season,
are still tinkering with the visual presentation of video overlays and graphics. But the experiment already has succeeded in pulling back the curtain with reviews.
“I think, generally speaking, when people communicate, things get better,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said. “Because when people don’t communicate, then people assume, right? Our brains are designed to tell stories, so we either have the facts of the story or we make up the facts of the story.
Getting started
ESPN had experimented with providing access to replay-review conversations going back to XFL games in 2023. The broadcaster had worked with the ACC last year to have a rules analyst listen to conversations between the on- eld referee, the stadium replay o cial in the booth and the Charlotte replay center.
Then ESPN suggested letting viewers listen in, too.
The ACC had been working with o -site replay assis-
“You hear the whole conversation. That transparency takes out any of the secondguessing of how they came to their decision.”
Bryan Jaroch, ESPN vice president of sports production
tance for roughly a decade back to its previous home in Greensboro. When it opened its current headquarters in Charlotte two years ago, the plan included a video feed in the new command center showing replay ocials huddling around monitors to study replays.
“We always say we have nothing to hide in that room,” said Michael Strickland, league senior vice president for football.
“We wanted to put our money where our mouth was. So we started with the camera and that worked well. TV liked to use it.
“This sharing of the audio is kind of just the next iteration of that underlying philosophy that we’ve had for quite a while. And it is re ective of the ACC being willing to be a rst mover in many di erent areas.”
Jaroch credited the ACC for making “a leap of faith” by putting those pressure-packed reviews on display. As he said: “Access always wins when it comes to fans.”
Strickland credited Commissioner Jim Phillips for signing o on the idea as good for the league and, more broadly, the sport.
“He could’ve easily said, ‘I don’t want to take that risk,’” Strickland said. “But he did not. He went the other route. It’s pretty awesome to work for somebody who believes in a group of people like he did and does.”
DAVID SINCLAIR FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL
DAVID SINCLAIR FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL
streak
AARON BEARD / AP PHOTO
Alberto Riveron, right, the ACC supervisor of football o cials, works in the league’s new gameday operations center Saturday in Charlotte.
SIDELINE REPORT
NCAA BASKETBALL
Tarleton State places Gillispie on leave after anonymous complaint
Stephenville, Texas
Tarleton State says it has placed men’s basketball coach Billy Gillispie on temporary administrative leave after receiving an anonymous complaint. The former Kentucky coach who also led the programs at Texas A&M and Texas Tech has been at Tarleton State for ve seasons. Gillispie faced allegations of player mistreatment at Texas Tech, where he spent one season. Tarleton State said associate head coach Glynn Cyprien is lling in for Gillispie. The Texans open the regular season Nov. 3 at SMU.
NCAA FOOTBALL
Sanders “hurting like crazy,” believes he has more blood clots Fort Worth, Texas Deion Sanders says he’s hurting like crazy and believes he has more blood clots in his leg. The Colorado football coach sat at times late in a loss at TCU on Saturday. Sanders says he’s not getting blood to his leg and that it’s throbbing. The 58-year-old Sanders spent time away from his team this summer as he went through treatment for bladder cancer. He had two toes amputated from his left foot in 2021 because of blood clot issues. He had a procedure in 2023 to remove a blood clot from his right leg.
FISHING
Georgia man indicted after Ala. shing tournament boat crash killed 3 Cullman, Ala.
A Georgia man has been indicted on manslaughter charges in Alabama after a boat wreck during a professional shing tournament in April killed three people and injured two others. Flint Andrew Davis faces multiple charges, including reckless manslaughter and rst- degree assault. Video shows the 22-year-old Davis’ boat speeding across Lewis Smith Lake, striking another boat. The crash killed three men and seriously injured two others. Investigators determined Davis was traveling at 67 mph but say speed didn’t cause the wreck. They say Davis wasn’t paying attention and lacked a boating license.
MLB
Phillies star Harper announces birth of fourth child ahead of NLDS opener
Philadelphia Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper and wife, Kayla, have welcomed their fourth child, Hayes Three Harper, ahead of Saturday’s playo opener. The Harpers shared the news on Instagram, announcing their son was born last Thursday. Harper, a two-time National League MVP, was in the lineup for Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Earlier in April, Harper used a blue bat for a gender reveal during a game. Harper and Kayla already have three children: a son named Krew and two daughters, Brooklyn and Kamryn.
Champion boxer held by police at gunpoint
Police confronted him hours after the city held a celebration in his
By Margery A. Beck The Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb. — The police chief of Nebraska’s largest city acknowledged that police nationwide are more likely to pull black people out of their cars at gunpoint than other racial groups as Omaha grapples with growing outrage over champion boxer Terence “Bud” Crawford being ordered out of his car at gunpoint only hours after the city held a downtown celebration in his honor.
“Quite frankly, that is generally a true statement. The number of stops are disproportionate. That is nationwide,” Police Chief Tobb Schmaderer said at a news conference to address an internal investigation into Crawford’s tra c stop.
The police confrontation with Crawford, who is black, has reignited long-simmering tensions between Omaha’s black community and its police force. Omaha Sen. Terrell McKinney, one of three black state lawmakers in the Nebraska Legislature and a vocal critic of Omaha police and the state’s justice system, said he was disappointed — but not surprised — by the police stop.
“I urge the people to keep speaking out and demanding real change boldly and unapologetically,” McKinney said in a
Facebook post last week. “Our lives are at risk, and we have endured oppression for far too long.”
Schmaderer has long been an advocate of community policing that aims to build trust between o cers and the public they patrol. He said he understands there is a lot of anger in the community over the treatment of Crawford — a favorite son of Omaha after making history by becoming the rst male boxer to capture three uni ed division titles.
“We understand the importance of this tra c stop to our community, and the implications and the impression it has given out,” he said.
But he said a nearly completed internal investigation into the tra c stop shows the o cers involved did not violate department policy.
According to their reports, the o cers spotted a high-performance sedan without license plates pull out of a downtown parking garage around 1:30 a.m. Sunday and quickly accelerate to more than twice the 25-mph speed limit. The ofcers did not know Crawford was driving the car, Schmaderer said, before they pulled it over. Two o cers approached it — one on the passenger side and another on the driver’s side.
Schmaderer said the initial interaction was cordial, which he assessed through body camera footage. Crawford, who was driving, told the o cer at his window that the car was new
“We understand the importance of this tra c stop to our community, and the implications and the impression it has given out.”
Tobb Schmaderer, Omaha Police chief
and “had gotten away from him.”
At that point, a member of Crawford’s security team who was in the passenger seat told the o cer at his window that he was carrying a legal handgun, Schmaderer said. Crawford, who was leaning over the car’s console, told that o cer he also had a legal rearm, but the o cer at the driver’s side window didn’t hear that exchange, Schmaderer said. That is when the o cer on the driver’s side spotted Crawford’s gun on the oorboard by his feet, pulled his service weapon and ordered Crawford and three other people out.
Schmaderer said Crawford and the others were handcu ed for about 10 minutes. Police conrmed all occupants of the vehicle were legally permitted to carry rearms and let them go after about 30 minutes, ticketing Crawford on suspicion of reckless driving.
Schmaderer said he will not be sharing police video of the stop unless Crawford agrees to it.
“We don’t have a fatality here. We don’t have an ofcer-involved shooting, and it’s generally not our protocol to release that footage under those circumstances,” he said.
Crawford’s stop by police came after the city held a parade through downtown streets in Crawford’s honor, followed by a party to celebrate his 38th birthday at a live music venue near where the stop occurred.
The celebration came after Crawford earned the unied super middleweight championship with his unanimous decision victory over Canelo Alvarez on Sept. 13 in Las Vegas. Crawford is 42-0 with 31 knockouts.
FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets have gone on sale
The rst round of ticket buyers were selected by lottery
By Tim Reynolds The Associated Press
MIAMI — Not even half of the spots in the 48-team eld have been claimed. The schedule of matches won’t benalized until December. And other than host nations U.S., Canada and Mexico, nobody has any idea where or when they’ll be playing.
Millions of soccer fans worldwide evidently don’t seem to mind any of those points.
Tickets to next year’s FIFA World Cup o cially went on sale last Wednesday. The buyers will be those who were selected, out of 4.5 million applicants in a lottery that took place last month, to have the rst formal chance to purchase tickets. FIFA said lottery winners were informed by email.
There are unique questions for consumers heading into the tournament, particularly about how they’ll get visas, if necessary, to visit the U.S. as the country cracks down on immigration. There are also more traditional concerns such as who, when and where — and none of those will be answered until the draw on Dec. 5. FIFA knows many fans won’t fret about those answers; they just want tickets now and will gure out the rest later.
“These are not only outstanding gures, but also a strong statement,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on social media, reacting to the 4.5 million applicants for a spot in the purchase window that opened last Wednesday. “The whole world wants to be part of the FIFA World Cup 26, the biggest, most inclusive and most exciting event ever. From Canada, Mexico and the United States, to countries big and small across every continent, fans are proving once again passion for football truly unites.” In divided times, the notion of soccer being something that “truly unites” will be put to the test.
Here are some things to know as tickets go on sale.
What’s for sale?
Fans can purchase seats in one of four categories; Category 1 is the best seats, Category 4 is somewhere around the tops of stadiums. Ticket prices will range initially from $60 for group-stage matches to $6,730 for the nal but could — and almost certainly will — change as soccer’s biggest event utilizes dynamic pricing for the rst time.
Who’s in?
The U.S., Mexico and Canada all automatically quali ed as host nations. Also in so far: defending champion Argentina, Japan, New Zealand, Iran, Uzbekistan, Jordan, South Korea, Brazil, Australia, Ecuador, Uruguay, Tunisia, Colombia, Paraguay and Morocco.
That leaves 30 spots still unclaimed.
FIFA said fans from 216 countries and territories applied to be part of the rst tick-
et lottery. The top three nations of interest, to no surprise, were the hosts: the U.S., Mexico and Canada, in that order. The rest of the top 10, also in order of application totals, were Germany, England, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Spain and Italy. Nobody has said how many tickets FIFA plans to sell in this rst window. Availability won’t be depleted; based on the listed stadium attendance gures, there are roughly 7.1 million seats to ll for the 104 matches around 16 North American venues, though it’s unknown how many of those seats will be available for sale to the public. The U.S. cities that are scheduled to host are East Rutherford, New Jersey; Inglewood, California; Foxborough, Massachusetts; Houston; Arlington, Texas; Atlanta; Seattle; Santa Clara, California; Philadelphia; Kansas City, Missouri; and Miami Gardens, Florida.
What’s next?
A second phase, called an early ticket draw, likely will
“The world will come together in North America like never before.”
Gianni Infantino, FIFA president
run from Oct. 27-31, with purchase time slots from mid-November to early December. A third phase, termed a random selection draw, will start after the nal draw of teams Dec. 5 determines the World Cup schedule.
Tickets also will be available closer to the tournament “on a rst-come, rst-served basis.” FIFA also said it will start an o cial resale platform. Some tickets already have been snagged; hospitality packages have been sold since May.
“The world will come together in North America,” Infantino promised, “like never before.”
The tournament runs from June 11 through July 19.
STEFAN JEREMIAH / AP PHOTO
President FIFA Gianni Infantino speaks at an awards ceremony.
honor
REBECCA S. GRATZ / AP PHOTO
Terence “Bud” Crawford, left, ghts David Avanesyan during a WBO welterweight title boxing bout in 2022 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Kathy Kiser Buie
Dec. 7, 1943 – Oct.3, 2025
Kathy Kiser Buie, a devoted wife, loving mother, and proud grandmother whose servant’s heart touched everyone she met, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, October 3, 2025, at the age of 81 at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst. Surrounded by her family, she went home to be with the Lord.
Born on December 7, 1943, in Vass, North Carolina, Kathy was the youngest daughter of the late Andrew and Margaret Garner Kiser. She was a graduate of Farm Life High School and Sandhills Community College. She worked for over 25 years as a cosmetologist in Southern Pines. Even after retiring from her salon work, she continued caring for her community by driving a school bus for Union Pines High School, where she was a ectionately known by many students.
Her faith was central to her life, and she was very active in her church, singing in the choir for many years.
Kathy’s world revolved around her Savior and her family. She was a devoted wife to her husband of 60 years, Stanley, a loving mother, and the proudest of grandmothers to her six grandchildren. Her faith guided
Wesley Danser
May 8, 1943 – Sept. 30, 2025
We lost Wesley Danser, 82, of Pinehurst on Sept. 30, 2025, after an extended illness. He fought the battle for many years.
He was our North, South, East, and West. Forever missed, but in our hearts and memories, always.
Loved by Linda, his wife of 62 years; daughter, Natalie Heck and husband Charlie Heck; son Scott Danser; granddaughter Laura Majors and husband Jarrod; and great-grandchildren Landyn, Jarrod and Lillith.
No services are planned at this time.
her every action; she loved the Lord, her church family, and was an ever-present voice in the choir.
Kathy had a true zest for life and loved to “gallivant” with family and friends, whether it was for a spontaneous lunch and shopping trip or a longer adventure. Her home was a testament to her care, evident in the plants and owers that surrounded it. She was a fantastic cook and baker, primarily known for the beautiful cakes she made for every special occasion.
With her genuine servant’s heart, she was a person you could always rely on…present, full of love and grace, and ready to help whoever needed it.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband of 60 years, Stanley, who passed away on September 19, 2025, and her siblings Irvin Kiser, Floyd Kiser, Norman “Pete” Kiser, Hubert Kiser, Grace Horne and Zelma Pope.
Kathy is survived by her children, Anita Mashburn and husband Robert of Carthage, Dale Buie and wife Kathryn of Carthage, Kevin Buie of Carthage; and her grandchildren, Taylor Mashburn, Rachael Mashburn, Ella Gilliam, Murphy Buie, Ginny Buie and Jackson Buie.
While the family is heartbroken by their loss, there is comfort in knowing that Kathy has been reunited in Heaven with her beloved husband, Stanley, who preceded her in death by just two short weeks.
A celebration of her life will be held at Yates Thagard Baptist Church on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, at 11 a.m. Pastors Steve Johnson and Sammy Frye will o ciate.
Following the service, burial will take place in the church cemetery. The family will welcome friends for visitation prior to the service at 10 a.m. and at other times at the family home.
Services are entrusted to Fry & Prickett Funeral Home.
John Armstrong
Nov. 22, 1940 – Oct. 4, 2025
John Armstrong, 84, of Laurinburg, departed this life on October 4, 2025. Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced. Services are entrusted to Purcell Funeral Home & Cremation Services. Kennedy Funeral Home is serving the Hussey family.
Bruce Parker McMoran
June 2, 1946 – Oct. 1, 2025
Bruce Parker McMoran, 79, of Pinehurst, passed away on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, surrounded by his family.
Bruce was born in Newark, New Jersey, on June 2, 1946, to the late George and Edith McMoran. After attending the Hill School, Bruce honorably served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps and was a veteran of the Vietnam War. A graduate of the University of Miami and the University of Miami School of Law, Bruce’s passion for justice led him into a career in law, and he founded his own practice, McMoran, O’Connor, Bramley & Burns, which continues to this day.
All who knew Bruce understood his love of the game of golf, which he pursued across multiple continents and courses before settling at the village of Pinehurst for his nal years. He was a member of Pinehurst Country Club and had previously been a member of Manasquan River Golf Club, Spring Lake Golf Club, and Raritan Valley Country Club.
Bruce is survived by his wife of 48 years, Lynette, his four children, and many grandchildren. His large number of friends is a testament to his character, kindness and generosity. A celebration of life luncheon is planned at the Manasquan River Golf Club on October 17, 2025, from noon to 3:00 p.m., in accordance with his wishes to rest at the Jersey Shore alongside his parents.
Powell Funeral Home is honored to serve the McMoran family.
Marvin Gilbert Maness
May 24, 1943 – Sept. 30, 2025
Marvin Gilbert Maness, 82, went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. Marvin was a native of Moore County, born May 24, 1943, to the late Roy and Frances Cheek Maness. He worked on the family farm for many years, raising chickens and helping neighbors with tobacco. He was always ready with a smile and a warm greeting. Marvin loved his family and enjoyed any time that was spent with them.
Marvin is survived by brothers: Melvin Maness and wife Peggy, Jimmy Maness and wife Gayle; many nieces, nephews and friends. Funeral service will be at 3 p.m. on Friday, October 3, 2025, at Crossroads Baptist Church, with Reverend Colton Moore o ciating. Burial will follow at Flint Hill Baptist Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends before the service, beginning at 2 p.m., and at other times at his brother’s home, Melvin.
Kennedy Funeral Home is honored to serve the Maness family.
J.B. Hussey
May 18, 1932 – Sept. 30, 2025
J. B, Hussey, 93, passed away Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at FirstHealth Hospice House, Pinehurst, NC.
J. B. was a son of the late William Curtis and Beulah Culler Hussey. He grew up on a farm in Moore County. He worked at Robbins Mill, Mid State Vending, Penick Memorial, ran a country store with his wife, Ruth and answered the call to serve the Lord as Pastor to Providence Chapel Church. He was faithful to that call for 21 years. He was always ready with a friendly smile and warm greeting. He was a regular at Carolina Fried Chicken, where many folks became fast friends with J.B. for many years. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife Ruth; siblings: Odell Hussey, Jimmie Lee Hussey, Kathleen Hussey.
J.B. is survived by sisters: Carrie Ritter, Margaret Burnette, Oneda Smith, Christine Welsh, Joann Graham; many nieces, nephews and friends. Graveside service will be at 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 5, 2025, at Smyrna Church Cemetery, with Reverend Farrell Hussey o ciating. The family will receive friends following the service in the Smyrna Family Life Center. Memorials may be made to Smyrna Church Cemetery Fund or FirstHealth Hospice.
STATE & NATION
Government shutdown sidelines football, other activities at schools for military families
Camp Lejeune’s high school football team had to move its game up last week
By Bruce Schreiner and Dylan Lovan The Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Football teams at Fort Campbell and Fort Knox high schools were sidelined last Friday by the federal government shutdown, which has paused extracurricular activities at the schools for military families.
The schools on the historic Army posts remain open for normal instructional activities, but the congressional stalemate has left the students and their families in limbo when it comes to other school-related pursuits. Fort Knox is in central Kentucky, while Fort Campbell straddles the Kentucky-Tennessee border.
Both football teams were scheduled to play Friday but their games were postponed. But the halt to extracurricular activities — even practices — applies to much more than football.
The Fort Campbell High girls’ volleyball team was on a historic run, having compiled an 11-2 record for a school without a winning season for 15 years in
The
the sport. The squad’s senior night game was called o last Thursday and two other upcoming games could be as well if the federal shutdown continues.
Mary Hughes, the volleyball team’s coach, said her players have shown “so much grit and tenacity” but for now have no control over how their season ends up.
“Everyone’s just really sad,” she said. “Life as a military child is hard enough. They deal with so much, and sports is one aspect of their lives that is so important to them. (It) gives them
self-esteem, con dence, teamwork. And for that to be taken away just because we live on the post … is just incredibly unfair.”
Bianca Carolina said she’s saddened that her son’s football team at Fort Campbell High had to postpone its game. She said she’s concerned the shutdown could drag on, a ecting the rest of the season. Her son, Jaeden, began practicing for the season back in January.
Fort Campbell’s football team was scheduled to play Trigg County, Kentucky, last Friday, but that game was rescheduled
Democrat in Virginia attorney general race apologizes for texts wishing death on Republicans
Jay Jones compared a political opponent to Hitler and Pol Pot
By Bruce Schreiner and Olivia Diaz
The Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia’s Democratic candidate for attorney general has apologized for widely condemned text messages from 2022 that revealed him suggesting that a prominent Republican get “two bullets to the head.”
The texts put the Democratic challenger, Jay Jones, on the defensive in what has been a hard-hitting campaign. Early voting is well underway in Virginia ahead of the November general election.
Jones’ campaign didn’t challenge the accuracy of the texts, rst reported by The National Review, and he o ered a public apology to Todd Gilbert, the target of the messages. Jones said he took “full responsibility for my actions.” Gilbert was speaker of Virginia’s House of Delegates at the time of the text messag-
es but is no longer a legislator. Jones has faced a torrent of bipartisan criticism since the messages surfaced. Jones is challenging Republican incumbent Jason Miyares for the job as Virginia’s top prosecutor. Miyares ripped into Jones on Saturday, questioning his challenger’s tness for the job.
“You have to be coming from an incredibly dark place to say what you said,” Miyares told reporters. “Not by a stranger. By a colleague. Somebody you had served with. Someone you have worked with.”
Democratic candidate for Virginia attorney general Jay Jones speaks with an interviewer Saturday about widely condemned text messages he sent in 2022.
Jones and Republican House
Delegate Carrie Coyner spoke in a phone conversation following the text exchange, in which Jones described Gilbert’s children dying in the arms of their mother, according to the National Review’s report.
“I have been a prosecutor, and I have been obviously serving as attorney general,” Miyares said. “I have met quietly one-on-one with victims. There is no cry like the cry of a mother that lost her child. None.”
A spokesperson for the Virginia House Republican caucus,
to Oct. 30, Trigg County High School athletics director Doug Gloyd said.
“It’s very disheartening, but I’m grateful and thankful they were able to reschedule,” Carolina said. “They put a lot of time into football season.”
Carolina, 36, works on post at Fort Campbell and is currently furloughed during the shutdown.
Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell has intervened in the matter. The Republican senator wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last Friday, asking that athletics and extracurriculars at the schools be designated as activities allowed to proceed despite the shutdown.
Jerry Gilliam, the judge-executive in Christian County, Kentucky, which includes a portion of Fort Campbell, was among those who asked McConnell to get involved.
“These young people already carry unique burdens as sons and daughters of U.S. servicemembers, and this additional barrier only deepens their sacrice,” Gilliam said in writing to McConnell.
The shutdown has disrupted sports at other military post high schools, including Camp Lejeune’s high school football team in North Carolina. Camp Lejeune’s host last week, Northside High School,
contacted on Saturday by The Associated Press, said Gilbert was not commenting on the text messages. Gilbert stepped down as a legislator to become a federal prosecutor this year but resigned a month later.
The revelation about the text messages shook up the campaign and comes as both parties seek advantage in statewide races being closely watched for trends heading into next year’s midterm elections, when control of Congress is at stake. And it comes amid an escalating threat of political violence in the country following the shooting deaths of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and former Minnesota Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband.
In Virginia, other Democrats running for statewide o ce didn’t mince words in criticizing Jones.
Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, said in a statement last Friday that she “spoke frankly with Jay about my disgust with what he had said and texted. I made clear to Jay that he must fully take responsibility for his words.” She vowed to “always condemn violent language in our politics.”
Ghazala Hashmi, the Democrat running for lieutenant governor, said “political violence has no place in our country and I condemn it at every turn.” Hashmi added that “we must demand better of our leaders and of each other.” Candidates for governor and lieutenant gov-
“These young people already carry unique burdens as sons and daughters of U.S. servicemembers, and this additional barrier only deepens their sacri ce.”
Jerry Gilliam, Christian County, Kentucky, judge-executive
moved up their homecoming game to be played Tuesday, before the shutdown took e ect Wednesday.
The Department of Defense Education Activity, known as DoDEA, manages prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs for the Department of Defense. It said last Friday that its schools will remain open for normal instructional operations during the government shutdown.
“However, sporting events, sports practices and all extracurricular activities are not considered excepted activities during a lapse in appropriations,” it said in a statement. “As a result, these activities, including those held outside of the school day, will remain paused for the duration of the shutdown.”
ernor run separately in Virginia.
The Republican Attorneys General Association said Jones should withdraw from the campaign for his “abhorrent” text messages. The group’s chairman, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, said the messages were unacceptable “from someone who wants to represent law enforcement.”
“There is no place for political violence, including joking about it — especially from an elected o cial,” Kobach said.
Jones did not hold elected ofce when he sent the text messages about Gilbert to Coyner, who is seeking reelection in a competitive House district. Jones had formerly served as a state legislator and stepped down in 2021.
In his texts, Jones wrote: “Three people two bullets ... Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot ... Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.” Pol Pot was the leader of the murderous Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.
In his statement last Friday, Jones said: “Reading back those words made me sick to my stomach. I am embarrassed, ashamed and sorry.”
“I have reached out to Speaker Gilbert to apologize directly to him, his wife Jennifer, and their children,” he added. “I cannot take back what I said; I can only take full accountability and o er my sincere apology.”
ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO
football team at the high school on Camp Lejeune Marine Base had to reschedule its football game ahead of the government shutdown.
