North State Journal Vol. 11, Issue 1

America 250 prep gains momentum

Armed N.C. man shot, killed after entering Mar-a-Lago

Washington, D.C.

An armed Moore County man entered the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Florida, before being shot and killed early Sunday morning, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service. Although Trump often spends weekends at his resort, he was at the White House when the breach occurred around 1:30 a.m. Austin Tucker Martin, 21 of Cameron, had a gas can and a shotgun, and his family had recently reported him missing, authorities said. Investigators have not identi ed a motive.

Ukraine marks 4 years since Russian invasion

Kyiv, Ukraine

Tuesday marked four years since Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine, attacking the country from multiple directions. On Feb. 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special operation,” a campaign that many expected to be brief and to end with Kyiv’s capitulation. Instead, European o cials traveled to the Ukrainian capital Tuesday to show their support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his country’s people, who are ghting on. While Putin did not get the quick and overwhelming victory he had hoped for, the cost has been high on both sides. And as Europe’s biggest con ict enters its fth year, there is no sign of any peace deal despite U.S. diplomatic e orts over the past year.

NC voters given more time to x registrations

A joint consent agreement was reached to end a 2024 lawsuit

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — A joint consent agreement to end a 2024 lawsuit over incomplete vote registrations in North Carolina was led last Monday in federal court.

The agreement will give

more than 73,000 North Carolina voters additional time to update their registration information to stay on the state’s active voter rolls. Voters casting provisional ballots in federal races will have that ballot count, but veri cation or curing of missing data is required before state and local ballots can be counted.

The parties involved in the lawsuit and agreement

The North Carolina Judicial Center is ying a Betsy Ross ag emblazoned with 250

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — The North Carolina General Assembly’s America 250 Semiquincentennial Committee continued its celebration work during its meeting this month.

Co-chair Sen. Ted Alexander (R-Cleveland) opened the meeting with historical anecdotes for that day’s meeting, including Annie Oakley’s cherished time in Pinehurst, which she regarded as “the happiest years of her life.”

The committee has an upcoming deadline to submit a progress report on America 250 preparations to the full General Assembly by the end of March.

The committee heard from three students from the North Carolina Youth and Government program: Joshua Brown, Stella McClure and Ava Lupson.

“America 250 is not just a historical milestone,” said Brown. “It’s a moment to ask, who are we? How did we get here? And what part do we play in the next 250 years?”

McClure urged support for youth-led initiatives, noting that “America 250 is a beautiful catalyst for right now.”

Groups urge rejection of Trump school choice tax credit

“It’s a moment to ask, who are we? How did we get here? And what part do we play in the next 250 years?”

Joshua Brown, NC Youth and Government program

The letter was signed by 150 organizations, including six North Carolina activist groups

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — One-hundred fty groups nationally, including many unions, are calling on governors to reject opting in to the Trump administration’s Education Freedom Tax Credit Program, which was included in the One Big Beautiful Bill. Under the OBBB, the program is a federal tax credit for individuals contributing to scholarship-granting organizations (SGOs), which must be a 501(c)(3) organization.

“We write to you today with

the fervent hope that you will stand strong as a champion for all children and public education by rejecting the federal private school voucher tax credit,” the letter reads.

The letter’s signatories are from 27 states, though 10 of those states appear to have already signed up for the program, based on a White House-produced map: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

“The federal voucher is another attempt to move our society from the greater ‘we’ to a focus on ‘me,’” the letter claims. “Rather than directly investing federal dollars into critical programs, such as IDEA and Title I, which have never been

“It’s a moment to ask, who are we? How did we get here? And what part do we play in the next 250 years?”

Joshua Brown, NC Youth and Government program

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA JUDICIAL CENTER

The North Carolina Judicial Center is ying a modi ed Betsy Ross American ag that includes a 250 in honor of the United States’ upcoming landmark anniversary.

Lupson framed the anniver-

sary as “an invitation to evaluate and decide what comes next” and said rights like voting and free speech “are not abstract ideas for young people.”

Committee Member Troy Kickler provided an update on the Celebrate America Foundation, reporting that new chairman Steven McKee is pursuing grants and fundraising, with plans to add a youth board member and represent the committee at the Sons of the American Revolution national convention in Greensboro in July. N.C. Department of Labor’s Director of Constituent Services Sam Ward shared progress on a proposed July 4 parade in Raleigh, including

Scripture shows how a few spoken words can mark a life in an instant.

In the high priest’s courtyard, Peter denied he knew Jesus — three quick sentences spoken for self-preservation. He could not call them back. And when the rooster crowed and Peter met the Lord’s gaze, he “went out and wept bitterly” — a reminder that a few words, once loosed, can leave a wound that only repentance can begin to heal.

(Luke 22:62)

“But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken!”

Matthew 12:36

We cannot recall any word we have spoken. It may be a false word or an unkind word — a word which will blast and burn! Instantly after it has been spoken — we may wish it back and may rush after it and try to stop it — but there is no power in the world that can unsay the hurtful word — or blot it out of our life.

It is just so with our acts. A moment after we have done a wicked thing, we may bitterly repent it. We may be willing to give all we have in the world to undo it, to make it as though it never had been. But in vain. A deed done takes its place in the universe as a fact — and never can be recalled.

James shows how a single word can do irreversible harm: “Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on re by a small spark. The tongue also is a re, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on re, and is itself set on re by hell.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles

preliminary cost estimates, a potential route and discussions with Fort Bragg for an Army band.

Ann Evangelista of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources highlighted new branded promotional items, the expanded marketing toolkit on America250.nc.gov and highlighted the “Overmountain Men” traveling exhibit, which is now live.

“It’s called the March to Kings Mountain, and it is four panels on the story of the Overmountain Men; that design and everything is available online to download,” said Evangelista. Evangelista also went over upcoming events such as the First in Freedom Festival (Feb. 21-28), Moores Creek Battle eld’s anniversary (Feb. 26 -28) and Halifax

and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.”

James 3:5–10

We should be sure before we speak a word or do an act — that it is right, that we shall never desire to have it recalled — for when once we have opened our lips, or lifted our hand — there will be no unsaying or undoing possible.

Our words and deeds are irrevocable. We cannot recall anything we have done, neither can we change it. But by other words and deeds, we may in some measure modify the e ect of that which we cannot blot out. Paul could not undo

Days (April 10–12), as well as a Youth250NC civic engagement day in June featuring workshops and a mock General Assembly session.

Additional updates included PBS North Carolina’s commitment to lm a patriotic concert in High Point on July 1-3 and North State Journal’s agreement to publish a series of America 250 columns by committee members and prior speakers through July 4.

In other state-related America 250 news, a new Betsy Ross 250 ag is now ying at the North Carolina Judicial Center symbolizing “America’s enduring commitment to liberty, self-government and justice.”

To view America 250 information, events and news, visit america250.nc.gov.

NCDOT TO HOLD VIRTUAL PUBLIC MEETING FOR MULTIMODAL CONNECTED VEHICLE PILOT PROJECT IN WAKE COUNTY

STIP PROJECT NO. HO-0001AA

RALEIGH - The public is invited to a meeting with the N.C. Department of Transportation to discuss the pilot project that is exploring the safety University.

For the project, crews updated road infrastructure, introduced a new mobile app for cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers, and used smart transportation systems to evaluate these technologies. The pilot aims to improve safety, mobility and environmental sustainability by boosting bus use and cutting down on car idling

A virtual meeting will be held 6 -7:30 p.m. on Monday, March 9, 2026. Interested residents can attend the meeting online or by phone to learn more about the pilot, ask questions and talk with NCDOT representatives. There will be a formal presentation beginning promptly at 6 p.m.

Meeting registration and project details, including a map of the pilot area, can be found on the NCDOT project webpage at https://publicinput.com/mmcvp-raleigh.

People may also submit comments by phone, email or mail by April 10, 2026 by contacting NCDOT State Signal Equipment Engineer Keith Mims, PE at 919814-4931; kmmims@ncdot.gov; or 1561 Mail Service Center in Raleigh

NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled people who wish to participate in the virtual meeting. Anyone requiring special services should contact Aleksandra Djurkovic, Environmental Analysis Unit, as early as possible so arrangements can be made.

his persecutions of Christians — but by a life of devotion to Christ’s cause — he could in a sense make reparation for the terrible harm he had done.

Proverbs 12:18 reminds us: “The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

Just so, we cannot undo the wrong things we have done — but we should strive to set in motion other in uences which may at least compensate in some sense for the harm they have wrought. We cannot unsay the sharp word which wounds our friend’s heart — but we can by kindness and loyal devotion — yet bring good and blessing to his life.

J. R. Miller 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.

VOTERS from page A1

include the Republican National Committee (RNC), the North Carolina Republican Party, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE). Both the RNC and DNC claimed the settlement as a victory.

“The parties’ agreement to enter into a consent judgment is a major win for election integrity and a clear rebuke of Democrats who tried to weaken basic safeguards,” RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said in a statement.

“For too long, North Carolina’s State Board of Elections failed to meet basic safeguards that protect our elections. … The RNC will always ght to ensure our election laws are clear, fair, and consistently enforced.”

In a statement, DNC Chair Ken Martin said, “We have been ghting like hell to protect the sacred right to vote — and we will never back down.

“This latest victory is a win for Americans and yet another blow to the Republicans’ scheme to disenfranchise voters ahead of the midterm elections.”

The lawsuit, brought by Republicans against the NCSBE in August 2024, alleged more than 225,000 voter registration forms were violating state law because they did not have the required identi cation information (a driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number) mandated by the Help America Vote Act.

The 2024 complaint also alleged the NCSBE did nothing to address the issue before the 2024 general election, after which the voters in question became part of the ght over the results of the N.C. Supreme Court race between Associate Justice Allison Riggs and Court of Appeals Judge Je erson Gri n. Riggs was eventually certi ed as the winner after a protracted legal battle. In May 2025, the Trump administration’s Department of Justice sued the NCSBE over the same issue. In response, the newly Republican-led NCSBE laid out a plan to x the issue through a voter registration repair program.

According to the agreement’s details, the NCSBE’s Registration Repair Project is to continue, noting that since it began operating in July 2025, “the total number of voters missing this information has decreased from 103,329 to 73,064,” as of Dec. 11, 2025.

The NCSBE’s Voter Repair Project must publish and update a daily public list of affected “subject voters” on its website and in the voter database, per the agreement. The NCSBE must also mail notices to subject voters, accept submissions per project rules and input veri ed data within 10 days or within ve days if received near an election date.

According to the consent agreement, which includes numerous stipulations, those voters impacted would be able to correct their registration when they vote. Those missing information can vote provisionally and use a checkbox to denote their registration needs repairing.

Additionally, the NCSBE is ordered to stop accepting or processing new voter registrations lacking a driver’s license number or last four digits of a Social Security number while attempting to obtain the missing data under state law.

Chief Judge Richard Meyers of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina will need to approve the agreement. Meyers had remanded the part of the 2024 lawsuit involving overseas voting back to state court in October 2024.

In the past week, Republicans also dropped their appeals to the N.C. Supreme Court in a pair of cases linked to the Riggs-Grifn race (Kivett v. NCSBE 1 and 2), a likely sign another settlement agreement may be forthcoming.

Voters who have received notice that their registration needs repairing can visit the NCSBE’s Registration Repair website at ncsbe.gov/ registrationrepair.

AMERICA 250 from page A1

ALLISON ROBBERT / AP PHOTO Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin called a consent agreement settling a lawsuit regarding voters who need to update their registration in order to have their votes count a victory.

“The Denial of Saint Peter” by Caravaggio (c. 1610) is a painting in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

PUBLIC DOMAIN

Hall wants to focus on a ordability in second year as speaker

The Granite Falls Republican also addressed AI’s impact on the state

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

This is Part 2 of a two-part interview.

RALEIGH — North Carolina Rep. Destin Hall (R-Granite Falls) has plenty on his plate heading into his second year as speaker of the North Carolina House.

Among them is a ordability, a term Democrats have increasingly used when criticizing the Trump administration and Republicans in general heading into the midterm elections. Adding to citizen economic concerns is the rise of AI and related data centers.

Such centers have drawn sharp complaints from residents in some areas where those facilities are already located or where a center is being planned. The energy and water consumption of data centers has been the main point of tension, often with area residents bearing the brunt of rate increases.

A recent report by Gov. Josh Stein’s Energy Task Force says energy rates in the state increased 22% between 2024 and 2025, and data centers account for about 30% of Duke Energy’s tracked projects but represent 80% of the projected energy demand. The report also says Duke’s 2025 load forecast projects an increase “between 16% to 60% over the next 15 years,” but the last two decades combined saw a 7% increase.

Currently, Duke Energy is seeking a 15% rate increase over

“They certainly can a ord to pay their own way and not have to have taxpayer support for it.”

N.C. House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Granite Falls) on AI data center utility usage

the next two years — an increase

N.C. Attorney General Je Jackson said he is “intervening” in and which Gov. Josh Stein has spoken out against.

Hall said AI and data centers are “something our members are hearing about.”

“I have been places where some of those centers have sought to locate, and ultimately it comes down to the price of energy,” said Hall. “And those centers who are building these new facilities … really, they ought to pay for the consumption that they’re causing on the system. That’s the fair way it’s supposed to work. It’s just like with property taxes.”

Hall noted some communities give economic incentives to bring data centers into their

area, which reduces what the data center has to pay, but those centers are consuming vastly more energy than a local business or resident.

Hall acknowledged AI is a new, evolving area with shifting needs and issues, including data centers, but also said the AI space in these technology companies “make a ton of money” and “certainly can a ord to pay their own way and not have to have taxpayer support for it.”

The rise of mobile nuclear reactors in areas around the country might need to be addressed by lawmakers, Hall said.

“We know Duke is trying to do more of the small, modular nuclear reactors in the state,” Hall said, “and long term, it’s a positive thing because it should make the price of energy cheaper.

“This past session, we passed the Power Bill Reduction Act, which made it clear that we’re not going to do green energy mandates in North Carolina. The result of those green energy mandates only raises the power bill for folks.”

He noted “the Democrats fought us” on the bill, but a handful of Democrats went along with Republicans, showing “the commonsense nature” of the bill to make power and energy as “cheap as we possibly can.”

The Power Bill Reduction Act’s key provision eliminated the 70% emissions reduction by 2030 put in place by a 2021 law, replacing it with a goal of 2050. The act passed mostly down partisan lines in both chambers last year. Gov. Josh Stein vetoed the measure, but Republicans overrode it with help from three House Democrats.

“The reason that Duke ultimately had to shut down their coal- red plants was because you had Democratic presidents at the federal level,” Hall said. “They would get elected; they would issue a bunch of regulations making life impossible on power companies that use coal- red plants.

“With nuclear, you don’t have this issue that environmental concern in terms of the exhaust that comes o of it; obviously, nobody wants to have a nuclear reactor in their communities. You’ve got to be strategic about where you place these things in areas where it’s further away.” Hall said that long term, nuclear is the most e cient power source right now to provide enough energy to the state. He said he knew Duke Energy was looking at nuclear sources — “I think it’s the way that we’d like to see them to go.”

Stein announces $5.7M in grants for ood resiliency projects

The projects chosen tie in with the Department of Environmental Quality’s Flood Resilience Blueprint

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — Gov. Josh Stein announced $5.7 million in grants last Monday from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Flood Resiliency Blueprint aimed at strengthening ood risk reduction in the French Broad River basin.

Stein made the announcement while in Wood n, listing eight projects that will create new oodwater storage, restore and reconnect oodplains, relocate facilities and infrastructure from ood-prone ar-

CREDIT from page A1

fully funded and that bene t all children, the federal government has chosen to provide personal tax credits and individual vouchers.” Groups in North Carolina signing onto the letter include Great Schools in Wake, North Carolina Caucus of Black School Board Members, North Carolina Justice Center, Pastors for NC Children, Public Schools First NC and Triangle Freethought Society.

“The constitutional right to a free public education is stated in NC’s constitution,” Yevonne Brannon, chair of Public Schools First NC, said in a related press release. “Using public dollars to fund private schools that can reject students for a variety of reasons violates this right.”

In a statement to North State Journal, American Federation for Children CEO Tommy Schultz called out unions driving opposition.

“It’s simple: The big schooling unions will stop at nothing to block education freedom at every turn,” said Schulz. “We’ve seen this play out in state after state where families have right-

eas, and enhance water quality.

“Rebuilding western North Carolina after Helene means rebuilding stronger and smarter to prepare for future storms,” Stein said. “These grants not only rebuild and restore the French Broad River Basin but also help protect the surrounding communities so generations of North Carolinians can live in safety.”

The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Flood Resiliency Blueprint project is described as the largest such mitigation endeavor in state history and as a “comprehensive, science-based, and stakeholder-driven initiative for ood resilience.”

To date, the Blueprint has funded 81 projects totaling more than $40 million, including $3.16 million for eight proj-

“Rebuilding western North Carolina after Helene means rebuilding stronger and smarter to prepare for future storms.”

Gov. Josh Stein

ects in the French Broad River basin in 2024 and 2025.

DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson made a similar statement, noting the increasing intensity and frequency of storms in the state as well as praising the General Assembly’s support for the blueprint.

Directed by the North Carolina General Assembly in 2021,

fully demanded school choice; the unions throw everything they have at trying to stop real education reform, be it through multi-million dollar lobbying campaigns or through lawfare to block choice programs.”

In the letter sent to governors, the groups also wrote, “Rejecting the voucher scheme is not rejecting funding; it is rejecting the dismantling of public schools.” The letter calls the program

a “federal voucher scheme” involving “personal tax credits and individual vouchers.” The program, however, is not a direct voucher system, nor does it provide personal tax credits or vouchers to parents or students. Instead, the program o ers a nonrefundable dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit of up to $1,700 to quali ed U.S. citizens who donate to a certi ed SGO that distributes scholarships for eligible educational expenses such

the blueprint program received an initial $20 million allocation to DEQ’s Division of Mitigation Services for development, plus an additional $96 million to fund priority projects across six river basins: Cape Fear, French Broad, Lumber, Neuse, Tar-Pamlico and White Oak.

The blueprint includes an online decision-support tool to help municipalities and partners evaluate, prioritize and implement actions like oodplain restoration, stream debris removal, utility elevation, stormwater controls and policy changes.

The largest grants went to Black Mountain’s Veterans Park Floodplain, Wetland and Green Infrastructure Complex ($1.650 million) and Haywood County Schools’ relocation e ort in Canton ($2 million).

as extracurricular activities, homeschooling materials, private school tuition, tutoring, transportation or special education services.

SGOs also must meet strict requirements like annual audits by independent certi ed public accountants, must maintain separate accounts for quali ed contributions and spend at least 90% of its income on scholarships.

The letter claims the program diverts federal dollars away from public school programs like Title I or IDEA, however, the program operates through a tax expenditure rather than a reallocation of existing appropriated funds.

Another criticism of the program is that it primarily benets wealthy families, yet eligible students are from families earning no more than 300% of the area median gross income, with lower-income household students being prioritized. According to U.S. Census Bureau data for 2023, the average median family income in North Carolina was $70,804, translating to an eligibility range of up to $212,400.

At least 23 states have opted into the tax credit program,

Other projects announced by Stein included:

• Town of Wood n Riverside Park Flood Mitigation and Stormwater Improvements ($284,000)

• Town of Clyde Downtown Floodable Riverfront Park ($401,226)

• Canton’s Park Street River Access and Stormwater Improvements ($450,000)

• Town of Canton Chestnut Mountain Floodplain Restoration ($470,000)

• Hendersonville’s Lower Mud Creek Floodplain Restoration Phase I ($100,000)

• Hendersonville Municipal Stormwater Infrastructure Improvements ($356,000)

Additional details on the projects can be found in the related press release on the governor’s o cial website.

but North Carolina isn’t among them.

The U.S. Senate altered language for the tax credit before the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) passed, requiring SGO selection to be made “by the Governor of the state or by another individual, agency, or entity designated under state law to make such elections on behalf of the state with respect to federal tax bene ts.”

North Carolina Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden) ran a bill last year called the Educational Choice for Children Act to get North Carolina into the program. The bill passed both chambers and was sent to Gov. Josh Stein on Aug. 1, 2025. Stein vetoed the bill Aug. 8, saying it wasn’t needed and he would opt the state in.

“Once the federal government issues sound guidance, I intend to opt North Carolina in so we can invest in the public school students most in need of after school programs, tutoring, and other resources,” Stein wrote in his veto message. “Therefore, HB 87 is unnecessary, and I veto it.” Those guidelines were issued late last year, but Stein has not responded to North State Journal’s requests for comment on the matter.

GERRY BROOME / AP PHOTO

North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Granite Falls) says nuclear power plants, like the Shearon Harris facility in Holly Springs, could be the best answer to the growing energy needs presented by arti cial intelligence.

COURTESY @NC_GOVERNOR / X

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, left, co-chaired the Council of Governors last week in Washington, D.C.

THE CONVERSATION

Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

The competitive advantage of nations

We will be kicking away our competitive advantages and become like the Jamaican bobsled team of 1988.

WATCHING NEWS COVERAGE of the Winter Olympics made it impossible to not know that “little” Norway absolutely crushed it by winning 18 gold medals and 41 total.

By comparison, the USA garnered 33 total medals with 12 golds, while China won 15 total medals and ve golds. The population of the United States is 341 million, while China’s is more than 1.4 billion. “Little” Norway has 5.65 million residents, roughly half the population of North Carolina.

The surprise in the voice of each broadcaster belied the truth that it is a wonder that countries from winter wonderlands such as Norway and Switzerland don’t win every medal.

The surprise must come from the expectation that because of population and annual economic GDP, any nation should dominate when it comes to the Summer or Winter Olympics.

What commentators forget is that not everyone lives in a country such as Norway with easy access to majestic, manicured slopes on which to grow up and practice skiing at high speeds on a daily basis. They either ignore or forget that the Norwegian culture and heritage honor and respect a mastery of living, working and playing in frozen environments. Young people with the interest and ability to ski well do so with an intent and interest not found in, say, Equatorial Guinea located on the west coast of Africa.

As much as some people wish that everyone had equal abilities to produce equal outcomes, sports like those at the

EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS

Winter Olympics highlight a fundamental human principle that, while we may believe we are all born equal, we are not born with equal ability or options. The American ideal actually reinforces the hope that each of us can have the equal opportunity to make the most of our God-given talents and abilities to make the most of what we want to do, and more importantly, can do in this life.

A Norwegian cross-country skier who can shoot the lights out on a gun range is going to have the competitive advantage over a Guatemalan competitor in the biathlon simply because of the di erence in culture and access to frozen, snow-covered biathlon courses.

Michael Porter wrote a great book in 1990, “The Competitive Advantage of Nations,” which goes far beyond the admittedly somewhat super cial nature of athletics when compared to the big issues of economic growth, education and health care. He examined the intrinsic factors of nations such as Germany becoming known for its mechanical and engineering expertise in manufacturing as well as precision printing, and Japan becoming well-known for its photographic and visual arts expertise. Italy has long been known for its ceramic tile industry as well as ne footwear.

Each successful domination of an industry did not happen by chance, just as Norway did not accidentally become a Winter Olympics leviathan simply because they live in a cold region. There are systematic social and cultural underpinnings and structures

Ridiculous Democrat arguments against voter ID continue

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and California

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) have both claimed they had no idea where their birth certi cates were or how to get one.

DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN fearmongering about voter ID for as long as I can remember. North Carolina, in particular, was one of the Republican-run states that leftist groups tried to sue into oblivion over the original voter ID bill that then-Gov. Pat McCrory (R) signed into law in 2013. Though that law was overturned in 2016 by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, ultimately the state prevailed, in part thanks to a 2018 voter ID constitutional amendment that was approved by voters. The bill that passed from that was also challenged in the courts, though it was considered by some to be a more “lenient” version of the 2013 law. It was a court challenge that eventually failed, and voter ID remains on the books here in N.C.

In Washington, D.C., a Trump- and Republican-backed bill called the “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act,” which would essentially nationalize voter ID, has passed the House of Representatives. It would require documented proof of United States citizenship to be able to cast a vote in federal elections.

Previous versions of this bill passed the House in 2024 and 2025 but went nowhere in the Senate. The current bill faces an uncertain future in the Senate this time around as well.

Already, we’ve had the usual suspects on the left claim this “racist” and “sexist” bill would “disenfranchise” possibly millions of minority voters, particularly black,

Hispanic and female voters, by allegedly putting an insurmountable burden on them to produce proof of citizenship documents like a birth certi cate, passport or other government-issued photo IDs.

These are arguments that were rejected by the 56% of N.C. voters, for example, who in 2018 voted in favor of the voter ID constitutional amendment despite an intense saturation campaign from Democrats and their a liated groups. Georgia voters, for instance, have also rejected such arguments, and in both states, record turnout has been seen in some presidential and midterm elections since voter ID became law in their respective states.

The most oft-pushed argument coming from Democrats this time around is that the SAVE America Act allegedly would make it di cult for people (especially married women) to prove they are who they say they are because some of them don’t have a copy of their birth certi cate and supposedly have no idea how to get a copy.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), for instance, have both similarly claimed they had no idea where their birth certi cates were or how to get one.

“I don’t have my birth certi cate. God knows how I get it,” Sanders, an admitted Democratic Socialist who caucuses with Democrats, proclaimed during a KTLA interview last Friday.

in each country that allowed their intrinsic competitive advantages to take root deeply, leading to great success later.

This being an election year in the United States, it is time to take stock of what the competitive advantages are that we enjoy as a nation and as North Carolinians. We need to make our voting decisions accordingly to ensure we enhance these advantages and not squander them and lose them to history.

Several things have contributed to making the United States and North Carolina the envy of nations around the globe and the reason people want to immigrate here legally or illegally.

One main thing is safety and security. Overriding every factor is the concept of freedom, in thought, word and deed, as long as it is governed by the rule of law.

Some people say they only vote on their interpretation of someone’s character, which would be great if every candidate was an angel and incorruptible by human nature. But the more important thing to consider is any candidate’s commitment to support the basic American and North Carolinian values that have historically been the competitive advantage we have innocently inherited and enjoy today. If they can’t convince you of their commitment to all of them, don’t vote for them.

Otherwise, we will be kicking away our competitive advantages socially and economically — and will become like the Jamaican bobsled team of 1988, which really had no competitive advantage to begin with in winter sports.

“You’ve got to nd your birth certi cate. I have no clue where mine is,” Newsom said to Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) during a “This Is Gavin Newsom” podcast segment last week.

Firstly, I nd these claims highly questionable. Surely both of these longtime, well-traveled politicos have passports, right?

But for the sake of argument, let’s say they are telling the truth. Many states have systems voters can use to obtain a copy of a birth certi cate, including California and New York, where Sanders was born. Both of those states have websites you can visit to begin the process of obtaining a copy of your birth certi cate. Many counties across the country o er this service as well.

Despite the Democrats’ scare tactics, voter ID continues to be an idea that enjoys broad support nationally, with polls in 2025, for instance, showing 82% of Americans approve of it, including a large number (71%) of Democratic voters.

When it comes down to it, the only people who seem to oppose voter ID are elected Democrats. Perhaps it’s time for more people to start demanding to know the real reasons why.

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

President Trump’s promise-made, promise-kept agenda delivers for North Carolina

On his nal day as governor, Roy Cooper commuted the sentences of 15 convicted murderers on death row.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S State of the Union address wasn’t just a speech about promises — it was a report on the historic results his administration has delivered for North Carolina and for the country.

President Trump promised to rebuild our economy. In just over a year, in ation is down and wages are up. Families are spending less and keeping more of what they earn.

President Trump promised to restore our border. Today, illegal crossings are at their lowest levels in 50 years. The di erence is clear, and this didn’t happen by accident. It happened because President Trump said he would x the economy, secure the border, make our country safe again and put America rst — and he has.

Let’s start with the economy. Under Joe Biden and the Democrats, North Carolina families and small businesses were squeezed by rising prices and shrinking paychecks.

President Trump promised to make America a ordable again, and thanks to the Working Families Tax Cuts and this administration’s great economic comeback, relief is here.

North Carolinians are seeing up to $6,400 in real wage increases and up to $10,100 more in annual take-home pay. Nearly 4.5 million families will bene t from an increase in the standard deduction, and more than 1.2 million families are receiving an expanded Child Tax Credit. Nearly 800,000 small business owners now have certainty with their 20% deduction made permanent. No more taxes on overtime, tips and Social Security — because you should keep more of what you earn.

Rep. Don Davis voted against the biggest middle-class tax cuts in history for our state, and Roy Cooper was one of its most vocal critics. North Carolinians should remember that as we prepare to see record-setting refunds this tax season.

President Trump also promised to make health care more a ordable, and with the launch of TrumpRx, North Carolinians are already seeing real savings on the medications they need. In our state’s rural communities, more than $213 million in funding is on the way to strengthen local health care and help ensure

COLUMN | ASHLEY VAUGHAN

small towns have access to care close to home.

But none of it means much if families don’t feel safe.

Thanks to President Trump, we now have the most secure border in history. Law enforcement is removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from our communities, and violent crime nationally is dropping as our o cers receive the support and resources they deserve.

Unfortunately, here in North Carolina, we don’t have to imagine what soft-on-crime looks like because we’ve experienced it rsthand.

On his nal day as governor, Cooper commuted the sentences of 15 convicted murderers on death row, enraging victims’ families and blindsiding prosecutors. On his watch, more than 3,500 criminals were released early from our prison system, including Iryna Zarutska’s killer, murderers, rapists and 51 inmates serving life sentences. He blocked cooperation with ICE, turned our state into a sanctuary for illegal aliens, and made North Carolina less safe.

But thanks to President Trump, we’re seeing a very di erent record — focusing on law and order above the radical left’s woke, soft-on-crime policies.

This year, our nation will celebrate 250 years of independence. This milestone should be a reminder that America’s best days are ahead of us — and I believe North Carolina will play a big role in what comes next.

If we want to keep growing our economy, cutting taxes for working families, securing our border, making health care a ordable and ghting violent crime, we have to expand our Republican majorities. We can’t a ord to send anyone to Washington who will obstruct the America First agenda or serve as rubber stamps for the Democratic Party’s top wish: impeaching President Trump.

President Trump has proven something over the past year: When he makes a promise, he keeps it. North Carolina families are seeing the results — and the best is yet to come.

Jason Simmons is chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party.

Education group’s party-switching scheme undermines integrity of North Carolina primaries

Women and girls have the right to fairness and safety in sports under current N.C. law.

AT LEAST A FEW liberal candidates have an interesting new strategy for overcoming their struggle to win seats in the North Carolina General Assembly: They are pretending to be Republicans.

A group called NC Educators on the Ballot is playing a large role spearheading these e orts and recruiting party-switching candidates. The group claims to be nonpartisan, saying its only goal is to create strong public schools. But it goes on to explain that to support public school education, they must use the “tactic” of recruiting candidates to le in Republican primaries due to “today’s political reality.”

NC Educators on the Ballot is also encouraging Democratic voters to change their party a liation to vote for these newly minted “Republican” candidates in the Republican primary. In North Carolina, una liated voters can vote in either party’s primary.

So let’s meet some of these “Republicans”!

Thanks to the iVoterguide questionnaire, published last week, we have some insight into the beliefs and policy stances of these otherwise relatively unknown candidates.

First, there is Dr. Christopher Wilson, who is running in the Republican primary for N.C. House District 117 against Republican incumbent Rep. Jennifer Balkcom. Wilson is the director of bands at Polk County Middle School. He recently changed his party a liation to Republican.

When asked whether the government should protect parents’ fundamental rights to direct their children’s health and education, Wilson said, “The government should support the health and education of teachers, who have the proper training in this arena. Parents lead with their hearts and not their brains.” Not only is this nowhere close to conservative, it is also unconstitutional since the N.C. Supreme Court recently declared parental rights to be a fundamental right.

In another survey question, Wilson denied that physical and social gender transition e orts are abusive to children, saying, “This is up to the parent and child, not the government.” Apparently, Wilson only supports parents’ rights when the parent is seeking to confuse the child or to make medical decisions that permanently damage their body.

When asked on the survey if males should be allowed to compete in female sports and access female private spaces like bathrooms, Wilson took a “neutral” stance and wondered whether the survey questions were meant to “inform

voters or to simply divide us.” I would bet that high school and college girls (and their parents) in District 117 would like a straightforward answer to his position. Women and girls have the right to fairness and safety in sports under current N.C. law — thanks to Balkcom, who sponsored the bill in 2023. But N.C. girls still don’t have the right to privacy and safety in public school bathrooms and locker rooms, an issue still to be addressed by the General Assembly.

Next, there is Pamela Zanni, running in House District 81 against Republican incumbent Rep. Larry Potts. Zanni changed her party a liation to Republican. She wants the minimum wage raised and taxpayer dollars to fund health care for all citizens.

When asked whether unborn life deserves legal protection, she said, “Every situation is di erent.” And when asked what separation of church and state means to her, she said, “It means keep your beliefs out of my classroom.” None of these stances are anywhere near being in step with the values of the very conservative House District 81 (R+20 CPI).

Then, there is Kelly VanHorn, running in House District 105 against Republican incumbent Rep. Tricia Cotham. VanHorn recently switched her party a liation to the Republican Party and has voted consistently in Democratic primaries in the past. When asked about parents’ rights, VanHorn said that the state must protect the child if the parents’ beliefs are deemed “discriminatory.” Presumably, this would include children whose parents oppose all forms of gender ideology, including gender transitioning.

All of these candidates were rated “liberal” based on their answers to survey questions and other data by iVoterguide.

Bad actors can be deterred from undermining primary elections by changing state election law. First, N.C. should extend the deadline for voters to change their party a liation to 90 days before the primary. This reduces the ability of voters to make a last-minute party switch to vote for a candidate who has party-switched. Additionally, the state should have closed or partially closed primaries like 19 other states. Both of these changes would protect the purpose of primaries in North Carolina — which is for each party to pick their own nominee.

Ashley Vaughan is communications director for NC Values Coalition.

In praise of the chopping block

As a young woman who aimed to have both a family and a career, I had welcomed the women’s movement because its founders supported my choice. Then came the moment I discovered that the movement had been hijacked by a band of militants whose mission involved a whole lot more than expanding women’s choices.

The year was 1984, the same year that “women’s studies” were booming in universities nationwide, including NC State, where I was teaching as a lecturer in the English department. We had just welcomed a new department head who promised to take the department in a “radically new direction,” which included adding scholars who specialized in “gender-deconstructionist” theory. My moment of discovery came when I encountered one such scholar in the women’s room.

Standing at the mirror, I noticed that my new colleague was staring at my strappy black pumps, which she complimented before noting that my shoes displayed “the ultimate symbol of male bondage.” In all fairness, her tone was joshing, but her message was clear: We’ll support your choices — as long as they match our theory that female vanity equals male bondage, and male bondage breeds female victims.

The only other time I ran afoul of a gender- deconstructionist came when I slipped up and used the word “chairman” in a memo to faculty. Later that day, a colleague stopped by my o ce to deliver an article on how to avoid using “gender-speci c language,” which, for starters, advised me to replace the o ending “chairman” with the clunky “chairperson.”

I drew the line at “cisgender” and “heteronormativity” and wondered what would become of young women who fall for such nonsense — and for the notion that they are victims of a “white supremacist capitalist patriarchy.” Four decades later, I have my answer.

In 2024, researchers for the Institute for Family Studies asked, “Why So Blue: Liberal Women Are Less Happy, More Lonely, But Why?” Interpreting the results of a nationwide survey, authors Grant Bailey and Brad Wilcox found that that “young conservative women are three times as likely to report being very satis ed with life” and found that their involvement in “church and marriage, account for about half the ideological gap among young women.” They also found that leftists who tra c in “catastrophizing” are “dragging down the spirits of liberal women.”

New York University psychologist Jonathan Haidt has traced the art of “catastrophizing” to DEI “monomaniacs” who encourage “racial and gender animosity” and create a “hierarchy of oppression” in our universities. Speaking to faculty at UNC Chapel Hill, Haidt admitted, “We have dug ourselves into a hole, especially with the studies departments,” arguing that “abolishing DEI may be the only way out of the ideological capture of American campuses.”

Haidt opposes President Donald Trump’s plan to abolish DEI programs through executive at and thinks that “market forces” will favor schools that sideline ideologues and “ nd ways to make all identity groups feel welcome without using divisive methods.” Call me a skeptic because Harvard University has just hired drag performer Kareem Khubchandani, aka “LaWhore Vagistan,” to teach in its department of women, gender and sexuality studies.

Still, there are reasons to hope that professors who project their grievances onto young women are losing their grip. In the Feb. 2 issue of Educational Technology and Change Journal, English professor Jim Shimabukuro reported that enrollment in women’s studies is dropping and that some universities are dismantling their programs altogether.

The National Women’s Studies Association’s president blames the decline on their critics’ “nefarious maneuvers,” but articles that include “Gender Studies” and “Chopping Block” in their titles date back to 2022 — when President Joe Biden was our Feminist in Chief.

A bigger challenge for the opponents of gender studies will involve rewiring young women who cheer Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez when she echoes their rage on the national — and now the international — stage. AOC was already on record decrying the “grip of patriarchy” on American women and accusing our forebears of “weaponizing Scripture to justify bigotry.”

Then came her calamitous performance at last week’s Munich Security Conference, where she informed a panel of world leaders, “Whiteness is not a cultural identity with a rich cultural heritage. It is a social construct tied to power and exclusion.” The good news is that AOC’s dim-witted rant has prompted a backlash on social media and in the mainstream media.

The satirical Babylon Bee may have had AOC in mind when they pictured “Liberal Women Frantically Refreshing Instagram To See What They Should Be Mad About Next.” Bright young women will be in on the joke because, like me, they have discovered that angry young women display the ultimate symbol of hard-left bondage.

Nan Miller is professor emerita in literature from Meredith College, where she opened and directed the Meredith College Writing Center. She resides in Raleigh.

Murphy to Manteo Jones & Blount

Drought conditions deepen across North Carolina

According

reports. The money will allow the city to tackle decades-old stormwater systems by replacing aging infrastructure that has contributed to public safety concerns during heavy rainfall. More than $2 million will go toward improvements in the Wash Creek watershed, replacing undersized drainage systems that have caused repeated ooding. Mike Hu man, the stormwater director for the city of Hendersonville, said crews will upsize and relocate portions of the current system to boost capacity. Hu man said these upgrades will reduce ood frequency and depth, improve road safety, and ensure more reliable access for residents and emergency crews. The $2 million is part of a $25 million investment by the North Carolina General Assembly to build ood resilience across western North Carolina. The Wash Creek watershed improvements will be nished in 2028. NSJ

PIEDMONT

Thomasville Chim-Tech building destroyed by re Davidson County A commercial building in Thomasville was destroyed in a re late Saturday night after a caller reported hearing an explosion and seeing the structure in ames, according to Thomasville Fire and Rescue. When re ghters arrived, they found a single-story commercial structure heavily involved in ames. O cials said a signi cant portion of the building had already collapsed before crews reached the scene. The building was occupied by Chim-Tech, a company that manufactures replace mantels and accessories. No injuries were reported. NSJ

Former social worker charged with child sex crimes

Forsyth County A former social worker from Forsyth County has been arrested and charged with a long list of sex crimes allegedly involving minors. According to documents obtained through an open records request, the North Carolina Social Work Certi cation and Licensure Board was alerted to sexual abuse allegations against David Benson, 74, of Kernersville, in February of last year. Documents say Benson denied the allegations to the state but voluntarily surrendered his license last year.

WGHP

Truck driver charged with killing linemen dies in prison

Rockingham County

The former city of Eden dump truck driver accused of killing four linemen in a crash in Eden last year has died in prison. Rockingham County Sheri Sam Page con rmed that Michael Vernon died at Raleigh Central Prison shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday. He said Vernon was in the prison’s hospital section under a safekeeping order, receiving treatment. The sheri added he was not aware of anything suspicious associated with Vernon’s death. Vernon appeared in court last month as his attorneys asked for a signi cant reduction in his bond, which was denied. Vernon was arrested in November and charged with four counts of second-degree murder without regard and three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, in icting serious injury. The four linemen who were killed the afternoon of April 24, 2025, were Douglas Garland Sides, of Summer eld; Madison Carter, of Sandy Ridge; William Evans, of Randleman; and Matthew Lockwood, of Winston- Salem.

WXII

EAST

Biker group hosts annual veterans bene t

Onslow County Rolling Thunder Inc. will host its 24th annual “Chilly” Chili Poker Run on Saturday in Jacksonville. The event will be held at Lejeune Motorsports at 955 Lejeune Blvd. Registration begins at 9 a.m., and the last bike in is scheduled for 2 p.m. The ride will start and end at Lejeune Motorsports, with course directions provided to each rider. Organizers say all bikes and cars are welcome to participate. The cost is a $10 donation per hand.

NSJ Chicken mill explosion leaves 1 dead, 3 injured Hertford County

Body found in boat near Wanchese

individual who reported locating a boat in the marsh. Deputies responded to the scene and located a body. Authorities say positive identi cation and noti cation of relatives is still pending as of Monday.

A massive explosion that blew huge holes in a Perdue mill in Hertford County over the weekend left one person dead after an overnight search for the previously missing worker, according to reports. Neighbors in Co eld felt the blast of the massive explosion around 2:15 a.m. Saturday amid a re that broke out in the Perdue feed mill facility, authorities said. Four workers were inside the mill when the explosion happened, with three injured — including one who was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries. A fourth worker was missing Saturday and overnight into Sunday, according to Hertford County o cials. Late Sunday afternoon, authorities con rmed the missing worker was found and had died. The scene of the re and explosion now includes “structural stabilization” after huge open areas were visible in the structure following the blast. Perdue has said the facility includes the Co eld Grain elevator, oilseed crush plant and feed mill.

WGHP

“We’re facing a literacy crisis in North Carolina,” said Horn. “A large percentage of our students are not reading on grade level.” Ward highlighted the program’s shared-cost model, noting, “Your funding has helped us

NATION & WORLD

Mexican army kills leader of powerful drug cartel

The death of the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel sparked retaliation

By Fabiola Sánchez

The Associated Press

MEXICO CITY — The Mexican army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, on Sunday, decapitating what had become Mexico’s most powerful drug cartel and thrusting swaths of the nation into chaos.

The drug lord, known as “El Mencho,” was the Mexican government’s biggest prize yet to show the Trump administration in its e orts to crack down on the cartels, and his death was met with a forceful reaction from the cartel, known by its Spanish initials CJNG.

Cars burned out by cartel members blocked roads in nearly a dozen Mexican states. Jalisco’s capital, Guadalajara, was turned into a ghost town Sunday night as civilians hunkered down. School was canceled Monday in several states.

Oseguera Cervantes was wounded in an operation to capture him Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco, about a two-hour drive southwest of Guadalajara, and he died while being own to Mexico City, the Defense Department said in a statement. The state is the base of the cartel known for tra cking huge quantities of fentanyl and other drugs to the United States.

During the operation, troops came under re and killed four people at the location. Three more people, including Oseg-

“This is signaling to the U.S. that if we keep cooperating, sharing intelligence, Mexico can do it, we don’t need U.S. troops on Mexican soil.”

David Mora, International Crisis Group analyst

uera Cervantes, were wounded and later died, the statement said. Two others were arrested, and armored vehicles, rocket launchers and other arms were seized. Three members of the armed forces were wounded and receiving medical treatment.

A Jalisco state o cial who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly said that a member of the National Guard died in Tapalpa during the operation, six other National Guard members died in Zapopan beside Guadalajara, a jail guard was killed at a lockup in Puerto Vallarta when prisoners rioted, and an agent from the Jalisco state prosecutor’s o ce was killed in Guadalajara.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico said on X that the operation was carried out by Mexican special forces “within the framework of bilateral cooperation, with U.S. authorities providing complementary intelligence.”

“Ever since President (Claudia) Sheinbaum has been in power, the army has been way

US says Huckabee’s comments

more confrontational, combative against criminal groups in Mexico,” said David Mora, analyst for International Crisis Group in Mexico. “This is signaling to the U.S. that if we keep cooperating, sharing intelligence, Mexico can do it, we don’t need U.S. troops on Mexican soil.”

The killing of the drug lord set o several hours of roadblocks with burning vehicles, tactics commonly used by the cartels to block military operations. Videos circulating on social media showed smoke billowing over the tourist city of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco and people sprinting through the airport of the state’s capital in panic.

Air Canada announced it was suspending ights to Puerto Vallarta “due to an ongoing security situation” and advised customers not to go to their airport.

In Guadalajara, the state capital, burning vehicles blocked roads. Mexico’s second-largest city is scheduled to host matches during this summer’s soccer World Cup.

The U.S. State Department warned U.S. citizens in Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon states to remain in safe places due to the ongoing security operations. Canada’s embassy in Mexico warned its citizens in Puerto Vallarta to shelter in place and generally to keep a low pro le in Jalisco.

Jalisco Gov. Pablo Lemus told residents to stay at home and suspended public transportation.

The U.S. State Department had o ered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is one of the most powerful and fastest growing criminal organizations in Mexico.

In February, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.

on Israel, Middle East

The U.S. ambassador sparked outrage by saying Israel should take much of the Mideast

By Melanie Lidman and Samy Magdy

The Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel — An uproar continued Sunday after the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said Israel has a right to much of the Middle East, as more Arab and Muslim countries objected and the U.S. said his comments were taken out of context.

Huckabee spoke in an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson that aired last Friday. Carlson said that according to the Bible, the descendants of Abraham would receive land that today would include much of the Middle East, including parts of modern-day Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. He quoted from Genesis Chapter 15 and asked Huckabee if Israel had a right to that land.

Huckabee responded, “It would be ne if they took it all.”

A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy said Sunday that Huckabee’s comments were taken out of context and that there is no change to U.S. policies on Israel.

In the interview, Huckabee added, “They’re not asking to go back and take all of that, but they are asking to at least take the land that they now occupy, they now live in, they now own legitimately, and it is a safe haven for them.” He added that Israel isn’t trying to take over Jordan, Lebanon, Syria or Iraq but is trying to protect its people.

A joint statement Sunday by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan,

taken out of context

OHAD ZWIGENBERG / AP PHOTO

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee poses for a photo during an interview in Jerusalem in August 2025.

Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Syria, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, the Palestinian Authority and several Arab governing bodies called Huckabee’s remarks “dangerous and in ammatory” and ones that endanger the region’s stability.

“These statements directly contradict the vision put forward by U.S. President Donald J. Trump … based on containing escalation and creating a political horizon for a comprehensive settlement that ensures the Palestinian people have their own independent state,” the statement said.

Huckabee, an evangelical Christian and strong supporter of Israel and the West Bank settlement movement, has long

opposed the idea of a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinian people.

Carlson has been critical of U.S. support for Israel in the war in Gaza and has come under re for his own far-right views, including the white-supremacist theory that says whites are being “replaced” by people of color. Meanwhile, tensions are high in Israel as the country prepares for a possible attack from Iran. Iran previously said it will attack both Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East if the United States attacks it.

Trump warned last week that limited strikes against Iran are possible, even as the country’s top diplomat said Tehran expects to have a pro -

Bodies of 9 skiers killed in Calif. avalanche recovered Truckee, Calif.

Crews recovered the bodies of nine backcountry skiers who were killed by an avalanche in California’s Sierra Nevada, authorities said Saturday. A search team reached the bodies of eight victims and found one other who had been missing and presumed dead since last Tuesday’s avalanche on Castle Peak near Lake Tahoe. The avalanche struck on the last day of the 15 skiers’ three-day tour, when the group decided to end the trip early to avoid the impending snowstorm.

Trump approves disaster assistance in Potomac spill

Washington, D.C.

President Donald Trump has approved emergency assistance to Washington, D.C., to help the city address a sewage system leak that dumped at least 250 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River. The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Trump’s approval on Saturday, allowing FEMA to provide equipment and resources to help with the response to the Jan. 19 spill after a pipeline ruptured. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser had requested the federal help last week and declared an emergency. Trump’s approval of the disaster relief request comes after he criticized the handling of the spill, blaming local Democratic leaders and focusing especially on Maryland’s Democratic Gov. Wes Moore.

St. Francis’ bones going on public display

Assisi, Italy

The bones of St. Francis of Assisi, the medieval friar who inspired Pope Francis and generations of Christians before him, are going on public display for the rst time, giving his hilltop Umbrian hometown yet another reason to welcome pilgrims. Assisi and the Franciscan friars are organizing the monthlong display of relics to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death this year. Nearly 400,000 people have already registered to pray before the relics, and o cials estimate the number could well reach a half-million before the bones go back into their tomb March 22.

King Charles’ brother’s home searched

posed deal ready this week following nuclear talks with the United States.

The movements of additional U.S. warships and airplanes to the region, with the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier near the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea, don’t guarantee a U.S. strike on Iran, but they bolster Trump’s ability to carry out one if he chooses.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned last week that if Iran attacks Israel, they will risk a “response that they cannot even imagine.”

Israel attacked Iran last year during indirect U.S.-Iran talks, sparking a 12-day war. The United States inserted itself in the war by bombing Iranian nuclear sites.

London Police searched the former home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor again last Friday, a day after he was arrested and held in custody for nearly 11 hours on suspicion of misconduct in having shared con dential trade information with the late convicted sex o ender Je rey Epstein. In another blow for the former Prince Andrew, the British government is considering formally removing him from the line of succession to the crown. Despite losing his status as prince and facing a police investigation, Andrew remains eighth in line to the throne. That can only be changed with new legislation. The king stripped his brother of his titles in the fall.

ARMANDO SOLIS / AP PHOTO

A soldier stands guard by a charred vehicle after it was set on re in Cointzio, Mexico, on Sunday following the death of Nemesio Oseguera, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

Serena Williams brings discipline to “The CEO Club”

Los Angeles

Serena Williams has shifted her drive from tennis to business, and a new Prime Video series shows how she leads. “The CEO Club” premiered Monday and follows Williams and several other women as they run brands and handle family life. Williams said the same mindset that won her titles matters in the boardroom. She said leaders sometimes lose, but they show up again the next day. Williams also executive produces the show, and she said that helps her control the story. Another leader, Loren Ridinger, stresses discipline, tough calls and strong support circles.

Paci Corp to pay

$575M to resolve wild res claims

Portland, Ore.

Paci Corp has agreed to pay $575 million to resolve the federal government’s claims for damages stemming from six wild res in Oregon and California. The settlement announced last Friday relates to four wild res in Oregon in 2020, and two wild res in 2020 and 2022 in California. The Justice Department says the settlement resolves its claims that Paci Corp’s electrical lines negligently started the res. The department says the money will help restore the 290,000 acres of public land that burned and help repay the federal government for the re ghting costs. Paci Corp says the settlement demonstrates its ongoing commitment to resolve claims related to the res.

Audit: Gaps in FAA’s oversight of United Airlines maintenance

Washington, D.C.

A federal government audit says FAA sta ng shortages and high employee turnover have hindered the agency’s oversight of airplane maintenance at United Airlines. The Transportation Department’s inspector general said in a report that the FAA lacks enough inspectors and workforce planning for United’s large eet. Inspectors also sometimes use virtual reviews instead of on-site checks when travel money or sta runs short. The audit says policy requires inspectors to postpone those visits instead and warns that virtual inspections can miss problems. The FAA says it accepts most recommendations and has steps underway to address them. United says it works closely with the FAA and employ its own internal safety management system.

JPMorgan concedes it closed Trump’s accounts after Jan. 6 attack

The president sued the nancial institution for $5 billion

By Ken Sweet The Associated Press

NEW YORK — JPMorgan

Chase acknowledged for the rst time that it closed the bank accounts of President Donald Trump and several of his businesses in the political and legal aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol, the latest development in a legal saga between the president and the nation’s biggest bank over the issue known as “debanking.”

The acknowledgment came in a court ling submitted this week in Trump’s lawsuit against the bank and its leader, Jamie Dimon. The president sued for $5 billion, alleging that his accounts were closed for political reasons, disrupting his business operations.

“In February 2021, JPMorgan informed Plainti s that certain accounts maintained with JPMorgan’s CB and PB would be closed,” JPMorgan’s former chief administrative ofcer Dan Wilkening wrote in the court ling. The “PB” and “CB” stand for JPMorgan’s private bank and commercial bank.

Until now, JPMorgan has never admitted it closed the president’s accounts in writing after Jan. 6. The bank would only speak hypothetically about when the bank closes accounts and its reasons for closing accounts, citing bank privacy laws.

A spokeswoman for the bank declined to comment beyond what the bank said in its legal lings.

Trump originally sued JPMorgan in Florida state court, where Trump’s primary residence is now located. The lings this week are part of an

Global

e ort by JPMorgan Chase to have the case both moved from state to federal court and to have the jurisdiction of the case moved to New York, which is where the bank accounts were located and where Trump kept much of his business operations until recently.

Trump originally accused the bank of trade libel and violating state and federal unfair and deceptive trade practices.

In the original lawsuit, Trump said he tried to raise the issue personally with Dimon after the bank sent him notices that JPMorgan would close his accounts, and that Dimon assured Trump he would gure out what was happening. The lawsuit alleges Dimon failed to follow up with Trump.

Further, Trump’s lawyers allege that JPMorgan placed the president and his companies on a reputational “blacklist” that both JPMorgan and other banks use to keep clients from opening accounts with them in the future. The blacklist has yet to be de ned by the president’s lawyers.

“If and when Plainti s explain what they mean by this ‘blacklist,’” JPMorgan will respond accordingly,” the bank’s lawyers said in a ling.

JPMorgan has previously said that while it regrets that Trump felt the need to sue the bank, the lawsuit has no merit.

The issue of debanking is at the center of the case. Debanking occurs when a bank closes the accounts of a customer or refuses to do business with a customer in the form of loans or other services. Once a relatively obscure issue in nance, debanking has become a politically charged issue in recent years, with conservative politicians arguing that banks have discriminated against them and their a liated interests.

“In a devastating concession that proves President Trump’s

“President Trump is standing up for all those wrongly debanked by JPMorgan Chase and its cohorts and will see this case to a just and proper conclusion.”

Trump attorneys

entire claim, JPMorgan Chase admitted to unlawfully and intentionally de-banking President Trump, his family, and his businesses, causing overwhelming nancial harm,” the president’s lawyers said in a statement. “President Trump is standing up for all those wrongly debanked by JPMorgan Chase and its cohorts and will see this case to a just and proper conclusion.”

Debanking rst became a national issue when conservatives accused the Obama administration of pressuring banks to stop extending services to gun stores and payday lenders under “Operation Choke Point.”

Trump and other conservative gures have alleged that banks cut them o from their accounts under the umbrella term of “reputational risk” after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Since Trump came back into o ce, the president’s banking regulators have moved to stop any banks from using “reputational risk” as a reason for denying service to customers.

This is not the rst lawsuit Trump has led against a big bank alleging that he was debanked. The Trump Organization sued credit card giant Capital One in March 2025 for similar reasons and allegations. The case is ongoing.

leaders, businesses pore over fallout of more US tari swoons

The world weighs the impact of the possibility of new levies

By Tong-Hyung

Kim and Megan Janetsky

The Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea — Governments and companies around the world scrambled Saturday to determine the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down some of the Trump administration sweeping global tari s. The latest twist in the U.S. tari roller coaster ride, launched when President Donald Trump returned to o ce 13 months ago and upended dozens of trading relationships with the world’s biggest economy, roiled trade o cials from South Korea to South America and well beyond. South Korea’s Trade Ministry called for an emergency meeting Saturday to understand the new landscape. Some speci c exports to the U.S., like automobiles and steel, aren’t a ected by the U.S. high court decision. Those that are impacted will likely now be covered by a new 10% tari imposed by an executive order Trump signed Friday. Trump announced Saturday morning that he would raise the tari to 15%.

they braced for new swings. Trump said Friday he plans new 10% global tari s, under di erent rules.

“I note that President Trump, a few hours ago, said he had reworked some measures to introduce new tari s, more limited ones, but applying to everyone,” Macron said. “So we’ll look closely at the exact consequences, what can be done, and we will adapt.”

Businesses brace south of the border — and beyond

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In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the checks and balances in the United States, praising the “rule of law” during a visit to a Paris agricultural fair: “It’s a good thing to have powers and counter-powers in democracies. We should welcome that.”

But he cautioned against any triumphalism.

O cials were going over the language of bilateral or multilateral deals struck with the U.S. in recent months, even as

Alluding to the new 10% tari threat, Sergio Bermúdez, head of an industrial parks company in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, along the Texas border, said Trump “says a lot of things, and many of them aren’t true. All of the businesses I know are analyzing, trying to gure out how it’s going to affect them.”

The impact could be felt especially in Juarez: Much of its economy depends on factories producing goods to export to

“So we’ll look closely at the exact consequences, what can be done, and we will adapt.”

Emmanuel Macron, French president

consumers in the U.S., the result of decades of free trade between the U.S. and Mexico. The policy swoons in the United States over the last year have made many global business leaders cautious as they struggle to forecast and see investment take a hit.

Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard last week said Mexico was watching the tari s with a “cool head,” noting that 85% of Mexico’s exports face no tari , largely because of the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement. He plans a trip to the U.S. to meet with economic ofcials next week.

CEO Alan Russell of Tec-

ma, which helps American businesses set up operations in Mexico, has seen his job grow increasingly complicated over the past year — his company’s workload has surged as much as fourfold as it grapples with new import requirements. He worries the last U.S. moves will only make things more di cult.

“We wake up every day with new challenges. That word ‘uncertainty’ has been the greatest enemy,” said Russell, who is American. “The di cult part has been not being clear what the rules are today or what they’re going to be tomorrow.”

Looking for a piece of possible tari refunds

Some U.S. importers who paid what may turn out to be excess tari s are looking for possible refunds — likely a very complex process — and some foreign companies may want to get their piece too.

Bernd Lange, chairman of the European Parliament’s trade committee, insisted on Deutschland radio that excess tari s “must be refunded.” He estimates German companies or their U.S. importers alone overpaid more than $118 billion.

Swissmem, a top technology industry association in Switzerland, hailed a “good decision” from the Supreme Court, writing on X that its exports to the U.S. fell 18% in the fourth quarter alone — a period when Switzerland was facing much higher U.S. tari s than most neighboring countries in Europe.

“The high tari s have severely damaged the tech industry,” Swissmem President Martin Hirzel said on X while acknowledging the dust is far from settled. “However, today’s ruling doesn’t win anything yet.”

EVAN VUCCI / AP PHOTO

President Donald Trump speaks during a press brie ng at the White House on Feb. 20 in Washington, D.C. JPMorgan Chase has acknowledged closing bank accounts belonging to the president.

CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON VIA AP

French President Emmanuel Macron attends the International Agriculture Fair during the opening day in Paris on Saturday.

after the day of the rst publication of this notive) or this notice will be pleased in bar of heir recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersgned. This the 19th day of February, 2026. Administrator/Executor – Tabitha Kiger Address- 3608 Lismore Ln, Hope Mills, NC 28348 Administrator of the Estate of Franklin Delano Adkins

Executor’s Notice IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION ESTATE FILE 25E001950-250 State of North Carolina Cumberland County NOTICE TO CREDITORS The undersigned, having quali ed as the Executor of the Estate of Jurita Gayle Barber aka Jurita G. Barber, 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 316 Glenburney Drive, Fayetteville, North Carolina 28303, on or before May 27, 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 26th day of February, 2026. Carlos Antonio Burgos

Executor of the Estate of Jurita Gayle Barber aka Jurita G. Barber, Deceased c/o Gilliam Law Firm, PLLC J. Duane Gilliam, Jr., Attorney PO Box 53555 Fayetteville, NC 28305 02/26/2026, 03/05/2026, 03/12/2026 and 03/19/2026

NOTICE

In the General Court of Justice Superior Court Division Estate File #25E001229-250 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND ADMINISTRATOR NOTICE

Having quali ed as the Administrator of the Estate of Georgia Mae Barnes, late of Cumberland County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to present them to the undersigned at 6602 Gristmill Road, Fayetteville, NC 28314 on or before May 13th, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms, and corporations indebted to the Estate are requested to make immediate payment. Dated this 9th day of February, 2026. Monique Rogers Williams, Administrator of the Estate of Georgia Mae Barnes 6602 Grist Mill Road Fayetteville, NC 28314 910.420.4982

Notice to Creditors

Revonder McMillan, having quali ed as Administrator of the estate of Annie Bullock, deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby noti es all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to Revonder McMillan on or before the 5th day of May, 2026 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All debtors of the decedent are requested to make immediate payment to Revonder McMillan. This 5th day of February, 2026 Revonder McMillan: Administrator/Executor 833 Varsity Dr Fayetteville, NC. 28301 Of the estate Annie L Bullock, Deceased

Estate Notice

The undersigned, having quali ed as administrators/ executors of the Estate of Geraldine Ivey Crumpler, 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 5th day of May, 2026, (which is 3 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 5th day of February, 2026 Administrator/ Executor Ann Crumpler Tew 425 Karen Street Fayetteville NC 28312 Administrator/Executor Jimmy Linwood Crumpler, Jr 6765 Faircloth Bridge Rd Stedman NC 28391 Of the Estate of Geraldine Ivey Crumpler, Deceased

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Spring into events for all at Dix Park

By Elizabeth Lincicome For North State Journal

RALEIGH

— As spring kicks into full swing, Raleigh’s newly revamped Dorothea Dix Park will be a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. The 308-acre site underwent a massive renovation last year that ranged somewhere between $90 million and $120 million and is open seven days a week from dusk until dawn. The new 18.5-acre Gipson Play Plaza opened last June after three years of construction. It includes a mega swing set that stretches 91 feet long, four multistory climbing towers, a waterfall and splash pad, and is right on the edge of downtown. Lauren Danforth, senior manager of marketing and communications for Dix Park, said that while the park welcomes visitors year-round, spring is a particularly special time to enjoy all Dix has to o er outdoors.

“As the weather warms, we’ll

have something for everyone this spring at Dix Park with lots of free activities, classes and events for all ages and interests,” she says. “We’re excited to bring back community favorites like Yoga in the Park, birdwatching and Learn to Ride a Bike. There will also be new offerings at Gipson Play Plaza like family Taekwondo and Music at the Market.”

Outdoor Yoga in the Park begins Monday, March 2, and is o ered weekly from 6-7 p.m. It is free to attend, but space is limited, so don’t forget to register in advance. The class is yoga ow, which is a dynamic style of yoga that connects breath with continuous, uid movements between poses. Flow enhances mindfulness, reduces stress and improves cardiovascular health. Participants must be at least 12 years old to attend, and minors must be accompanied by an adult.

The Stone Houses near the South Boylan Avenue park entrances are among the newest amenities at Dix Park and are where the three sessions of birdwatching will be held

March 7, April 4 and May 9 from 8-10 a.m. The newly renovated historic houses include classrooms as well as the Superintendent’s House, Physician’s House and Gatekeeper’s Cottage, which were all built in the 1920s and renovated by the Dix Park Conservancy with funding from State Employees’ Credit Union and its foundation. This class will teach participants about the park’s resident and migrant birds, which include sparrows, woodpeckers, hawks and more, and help sharpen bird identi cation skills to prac-

‘I Can Only Imagine 2’ doubles down on Christian rock, faith

The sequel is a crowded yet emotionally at sequel to the 2018 biographical drama

By Bob Garver The Sun

CHRISTIAN MUSIC biopic

“I Can Only Imagine” had a surprising performance at the domestic box o ce back in 2018.

The lm made $83 million despite never nishing above the No. 3 position on any given weekend. While it never escaped the shadow of “Black Panther,” which beat it every weekend, it did manage to ultimately outdo the Alicia Vikander “Tomb Raider” and badly received kaiju sequel “Paci c Rim: Uprising,” both of which had better weekends in their respective debuts in the lm’s rst two weeks.

The lm did well because it had stamina and passionate support. Now the sequel, “I Can Only Imagine 2,” has also debuted in the No. 3 position, behind the second weekends of both “Wuthering Heights” and “GOAT.” Will it have the stamina and support to pull o a similarly impressive showing? Probably not, but only time will tell. I did not see the rst lm, but I understand that it ended

with songwriter Bart Millard (J. Michael Finley) penning one of the biggest Christian crossover hits of all time following the death of his abusive yet redemption-seeking father (Dennis Quaid). Millard starts this lm by assuring us that his story did not end with his achieving nancial success in the early 2000s. Life went on, and as life does, and it contained hardship.

In the wake of the song’s success, Bart and his wife, Shannon (Sophie Skelton, taking over the role from Madeline Carroll), have a scare when their son Sam su ers a diabetes-related seizure. He’ll have to spend the rest of his life receiving regular insulin injections, which scare him tremendously. Ten years later, in the early 2010s, Sam (Sammy Dell) is a sullen teenager, while Bart and Shannon, having had four more children, aren’t as nancially stable as they once were. Brick (Trace Adkins), manager of Bart’s band MercyMe, informs them that their upcoming tour is in jeopardy due to the headliner pulling out. The tour can continue with MercyMe as headliners, but they’ll need a new opening act. With curiously no time given to the decision-making process, the lm introduces Tim Timmons (Milo Ventimiglia), a struggling musician with a lov-

ing wife (Arielle Kebbel), an obsession with the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul,” and a suspicious gratitude for every day that suggests he has been told his days are numbered.

tice birding by sight and by ear. Raleigh has certainly become a biker’s paradise with all the newly added bike lanes and greenway trails. Thus, this spring’s Learn to Ride a Bike events on March 14, April 11 and May 9 will certainly be popular among visitors. This free event will take place at Gipson Play Plaza and teach all-ages bike skills such as how to ride a bike without training wheels and how to balance. Participants are provided with a balance bike (a bicycle without pedals or training wheels) and a helmet but are

“As the weather warms, we’ll have something for everyone this spring at Dix Park with lots of free activities, classes and events for all ages and interests.”

Lauren Danforth, Dix Park marketing and communications manager

also welcome to bring their own helmet and bike, which Dix sta will convert into a balance bike for the program. This event is held in partnership with Oaks and Spokes, a nonpro t dedicated to transforming Raleigh into a city where walking and biking are safe, accessible and integral to everyday life. Hungry guests can enjoy refreshments at Dix’s House of Many Porches Market. This is a grab-and-go market featuring salads, baked goods, sandwiches, pastries, wraps, specialty local goods and gifts, and Dix Park merchandise as well as tea, co ee, beer and wine. There are 22 picnic tables at Dix’s Picnic Grove along with several grills available on a rst-come, rst-served basis.

Get all the details for free programs and more spring events at dixpark.org.

Bart, Tim and the rest of MercyMe go on tour, with Sam tagging along to spend some quality time with his dad. Though Tim and Sam get along well, with the professional even inviting the aspiring musician to perform with him, the relationship between Bart and Sam is fraught with tension. Bart needs Sam to take his insulin shots on schedule, and Sam wants to avoid them at all costs. Bart wonders if he’s being a monster by “hurting” Sam the way his father was a monster by hurting him. The lm treats this insecurity like a legitimate question, but … the answer is no. Flat no. Bart’s father’s beatings didn’t take the form of delivering life-saving insulin. It’s not the same thing. Next dilemma, please. There are plenty of dilemmas throughout “I Can Only Imagine 2.” Both Sam and Tim struggle with health problems, Bart is under a lot of pressure to write another hit after 10 years, his marriage has seen better days, the bus breaks down at one point, etc. But this being the “uplifting” movie that it is, you can probably guess that faith will see these characters through their various crises. Faith is certainly not a guarantee that these characters (or anyone else) will not experience

Outdoor Yoga begins March 2

COURTESY LAUREN DANFORTH / DOROTHEA DIX PARK

Families gather for “Movies on the Lawn,” one of many community events hosted at Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh.

COURTESY DEREK FRANK / DOROTHEA DIX PARK

Visitors participate in an indoor yoga session at the chapel at Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh.

PHOTO COURTESY IMDB “I Can Only Imagine 2” is rated PG for thematic material and some language. Its running time is 110 minutes.

Team USA wins hockey gold, B3

the Thursday SIDELINE REPORT

NBA Irving won’t play for Maverick this season due to recovery from knee injury

Dallas Kyrie Irving won’t play this season as the star Dallas Mavericks guard continues his recovery from a knee injury sustained almost a year ago. The nine-time All-Star and the team made the announcement over the All-Star break. Irving tore the ACL in his left knee on March 3. This will be the rst time in his 15-year career that he has missed an entire season.

Former UNC player, NBA coach Moe dead at 87 Clearwater, Fla.

The rumpled and irreverent basketball coach Doug Moe has died at 87. Moe’s son, David, informed friends of the coach’s death after a long bout with cancer. Moe was an All-American at UNC who played in the ABA. He went on to coach the high-scoring Denver Nuggets in the 1980s as well as San Antonio and Philadelphia. He was the coach of the year in 1988.

NASCAR Gibbs Racing sues ex-director Gabehart, alleging a “brazen” trade secrets theft

Charlotte Joe Gibbs Racing sued former competition director Chris Gabehart, claiming he stole sensitive data to help rival Spire Motorsports. The case, led in federal court in North Carolina, claims a dispute over Gabehart’s power ended with his planned exit. The team discovered he was moving to Spire and a laptop review showed searches, folders, and images of con dential setups, causing more than $8 million in damages.

NC State picks up statement win over UNC

The Wolfpack’s victory could be critical for the team’s NCAA Tournament aspirations

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

WELL, IT LOOKS like the Red Reckoning is back on. After a few tough losses left many fans feeling frustrated with Will Wade’s rst season in Raleigh, the NC State men’s basketball team came through in a big way, defeating UNC 82-58 last Tuesday in its largest margin of victory over the Tobacco Road rival since 1962.

“We just needed to win,” Wade said after the game. “Coming o of what we went through on Saturday (against Miami), we just needed to nd a way to win, and I do think

that it helped that it was North Carolina.”

It was NC State’s rst win over the Tar Heels since the 2024 ACC Tournament and

The win over previously top-ranked Michigan showed the team’s toughness

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

FOR THE 148TH week, Duke is the top-ranked team in the nation. There are 21 AP polls in an average season, which means that the Blue Devil have been ranked at No. 1 for the equivalent of seven years.

The 148 weeks at No. 1 is a record — as many as the next four ACC teams combined. With four polls left this season, the Blue Devils have a chance to reach 152 weeks atop the poll, which would match the number of times everyone else in the ACC has combined to do it. At the end of this week, Duke will have played 294 games as the top-ranked team. Only one coach in the ACC — Brad Brownell — has coached that

only the third home win over UNC this decade.

And at the end of the day, rivalry wins are the best way to get a fanbase behind you.

many games at his current school. The reason that we’re focusing so much on history is that this year’s Duke team is looking more and more like it has a chance to make it. The Blue Devils took the top spot by over-

powering and out-toughing the previous No. 1, Michigan in a titanic 1 vs. 3 showdown on Saturday.

“That was a game that didn’t feel like that it was played in February,” coach Jon Scheyer said. “That felt like a March or

“I represent NC State, our fanbase, our school, and if it’s important to our fans, it’s important to us and important to me,” Wade said. “I know how much it means to everybody, so I’m glad we could put a smile on everybody’s face and make work a little bit easier tomorrow morning.”

For NC State, the win over UNC could also be an important one as the regular season starts to wind down.

The Wolfpack don’t have too many big wins on their resume — the victory was just their second win over a ranked opponent this season — but adding a Quad 1 victory could be important in determining their chance at an NCAA Tournament bid. NC State has four games left on its schedule, with two coming against ranked opponents, so it’s imperative the Wolfpack make a good impression in this nal stretch if they don’t want to be left at home again come March.

“We need to close strong here,” Wade said. “We’ve positioned ourselves in a decent spot, but we have to close strong. I’ve talked to our guys this week

See NC STATE, page B3

April game. … Thought it was just a big-time game where our guys were ready to compete at a high level.”

In not quite four years as Duke’s head coach, Scheyer has won two ACC tournaments, made a Final Four and won 114 of 138 games. Despite all his success, however, the one area that Duke has been questioned under Scheyer has been in nishing games. Duke blew what looked like a comfortable lead against Houston in last year’s Final Four. That capped a season that started with top NBA draft pick Cooper Flagg failing to deliver in two late-game situations, leading to early season losses in marquee games against Kansas and Kentucky.

The year before, Duke led at the half against NC State in the Elite Eight. The year before that — Scheyer’s rst as coach — the Blue Devils were outtoughed by Tennessee in the tournament.

This year, the Blue Devils seemed to have that old specter come back to haunt them against UNC, when Duke led until the nal 0.4 seconds, blowing a 13-point lead to lose on a buzzer-beater.

Every coach is haunted by the

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

Duke’s Cameron Boozer (12) drives through contact during last week’s win over Syracuse.

KARL DEBLAKER / AP PHOTO

NC State head coach Will Wade, left, speaks with Darrion Williams during the Wolfpack’s resounding win over rival UNC last week.

KARL DEBLAKER / AP PHOTO

NC State’s Darrion Williams (1) and UNC’s Seth Trimble (7) battle for a loose ball during State’s big win in Raleigh.

THURSDAY

2.26.26

TRENDING

Je Skinner:

The 2011 Calder Trophy winner as the NHL’s top rookie with the Carolina Hurricanes cleared waivers and ended his short stint with the San Jose Sharks after both sides agreed to part ways. Skinner is 33 and signed a one-year deal worth $3 million. He had six goals and seven assists in 32 games with the Sharks. He scored 30 goals or more six times in his career.

J.J. Jansen:

The Pro Bowl long snapper is returning for an 18th season with the Carolina Panthers. Jansen signed a one-year contract last week with an eye toward extending his franchise record of 277 games played. The 40-year-old is 27th on the NFL’s games played list. He can move into the top 20 in league history if he plays all 17 games next season.

Kevin White:

The deputy athletic director at Clemson is expected to be named Charlotte’s next athletics director, according to reports. White, a former junior varsity basketball player at UNC, has been in his position at Clemson since 2022. Prior to that, he served in the Northwestern and SMU athletic departments. He replaces Mike Hill, who was relieved of his duties at Charlotte last October. Jesh Humphrey has served in an interim role since.

Beyond the box score

POTENT QUOTABLES

“Can they do something about the sun? If they could move it just a little bit.”

Cubs out elder Seiya Suzuki on the adjustment from playing in Japan to the U.S.

“This was embarrassing. These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform.”

The postgame comment that got Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang red.

PRIME NUMBER 56.5%

Success rate of MLB’s ball-strike challenge system on the rst day of spring training games. There was an average of 4.6 challenges per game, and 2.6 calls were overturned.

NASCAR

Tyler Reddick rebounded from a crash to become the rst driver in 17 years to sweep the rst two races of a NASCAR Cup Series season, winning in double overtime at Atlanta. A week after winning Daytona, Reddick gave co-owner Michael Jordan another victory by outdueling Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain and Carson Hocevar. Reddick got his 10th Cup Series victory. He’s the sixth driver to open a season with consecutive victories.

Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball had 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, saying, “Everybody is cool, so blessings,” one day after being involved in a two-car crash in Charlotte. Ball was driving through an intersection when his camou age, custom Hummer collided with another vehicle.

Bill Mazeroski, the Hall of Fame second baseman who won eight Gold Gloves and the hearts of countless Pittsburgh Pirates fans for his historic walk-o home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, died at 89. Mazeroski, who played 17 seasons in Pittsburgh, had his No. 9 retired by the Pirates.

Rondale Moore, a 25-year-old NFL receiver, was found dead of a suspected self-in icted gunshot wound. Moore had season-ending training camp knee injuries in each of the last two years after a standout college career at Purdue and a promising start with the Arizona Cardinals. He was found dead in the garage of a property in his hometown of New Albany, Indiana.

COLIN HUBBARD / AP PHOTO

United States sweeps men’s, women’s hockey golds in Milan

Jack Hughes scored in overtime as the U.S. topped Canada for its rst men’s hockey gold at the Olympics since 1980

By Stephen Whyno The Associated Press

MILAN — The United States is on top of the hockey world for the rst time in nearly a half-century. No miracle needed.

Jack Hughes scored less than 2 minutes into overtime and the U.S. beat Canada 2-1 in the gold medal nal at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Sunday, earning the nation’s third men’s title at the Games and its rst since the “Miracle on Ice” in 1980 — 46 years to the day of the upset over the mighty Soviet Union, too.

Unlike that ragtag group of college kids that pulled o one of the biggest shockers in sports history in Lake Placid, the Americans in Milan were a machine that rode goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and a roster full of NHL players through the tournament unbeaten.

Still, they were underdogs again against the stacked Canadians and came out on top — again.

“This is all about our country right now,” said Hughes, who lost at least one and maybe two of his front teeth taking a high stick during the game. “I love the U.S.A. I love my teammates. It’s unbelievable. The USA Hockey brotherhood is so strong.”

Early in the three-on-three overtime, Zach Werenski took the puck away from Nathan MacKinnon and passed it to Hughes, who was wide open streaking to the net. Hughes red a shot past Jordan Binnington 1:41 in to send players into a wild celebration as the rival Canadians watched from the bench.

Asked his favorite moment during his Olympic debut, captain Auston Matthews quipped, “I think when Jack scored. ... I’ll de nitely remember Jack’s goal.”

Hellebuyck was extraordinary, stopping 41 of the 42 shots he faced as Canada tilted the ice

toward him over the nal two periods. He made the save of the tournament by getting his stick on the puck on a shot from Devon Toews in the third period, then minutes later denied Macklin Celebrini on a breakaway — something he also did to Connor McDavid earlier.

“He was our best player by a mile,” winger Matt Boldy said. “He’s an absolute stud. He wants to be in those moments. He wants to make the saves. And he did just that, so he was de nitely our MVP.”

It was a glorious weekend for Team USA, with the women’s hockey team also defeating Canada in overtime to win

gold. For the men, it was only tting the Americans needed to go through Canada, their northern neighbor that beat them at the 4 Nations Face-O a year ago and has won every international competition over the past 16 years that featured the world’s best players. Not anymore. Winning a fast-paced, riveting game that was full of big hits and plenty of post-whistle altercations, the U.S. got a goal from Boldy 6 minutes in and led until Cale Makar tied it late in the second period. Hellebuyck and the penalty kill was a perfect 17 for 17 at the Olympics.

“I can’t even believe this,”

Charlotte FC looks to take next step in 2026

The

By Jesse Deal North State Journal

CHARLOTTE — On the heels of the most successful campaign in club history, Charlotte FC has entered its fth MLS season no longer viewed as an expansion upstart but as a contender expected to win.

Under third-year coach Dean Smith, the Crown returns a largely intact roster, reinforced by targeted additions and shaped by the departure of key contributors.

Charlotte opened the 2026 season Saturday with a 1-1 road draw against St. Louis City SC, the second meeting between the clubs. Pep Biel scored the equalizer in the second half on a left-footed nish o an assist from Wilfried Zaha, salvaging a point despite St. Louis controlling play with a 22-9 shot advantage and an 11-3 edge in shots on goal.

“I felt it was an average game, an average performance,” Smith said. “We still came away for points. I know that players will get better through having the minutes from today. You could see a couple of their lads cramped up. In the rst game, you’re never quite sure what to expect. The intensity is always higher for that rst game, and

NC STATE from page B1

about sprinting through the nish line, and I thought tonight, it was one game and we’ll see if we can carry this forward a little bit, but it was a good step.” While it was a statement win for NC State, it was a frustrating loss for the Tar Heels, especially given how unengaged the team was for a supposed rivalry game. There was an expected drop o in quality with UNC missing the two biggest pieces of its elite frontcourt in star freshman Caleb Wilson and standout Henri Veesaar, but the remainder of

York City FC, reinforcing the sense that the club must evolve further. While the club has quali ed for the MLS play-in tournament or playo s in three straight seasons, advancing remains the next benchmark for a roster built to compete.

Charlotte doubled down on continuity this o season but must replace star center back Adilson Malanda, who transferred to Middlesbrough. His exit leaves a leadership and defensive void that will need to be lled collectively.

Other departures include Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, whose loan ended, and Nikola Petkovic, who was loaned to Seattle. The club also lost Patrick Agyemang last season, creating a lingering gap in striker depth that remains a concern entering the new campaign.

Hughes said. “I mean, it’s such an unbelievable game, USA-Canada. Such a good game. There’s so many great players. We’re a great team. That’s exactly how we wanted it to go. We’re underdogs to Canada, (but we) beat them. It could have gone either way.”

Hughes paid a painful price when he took the high stick and wound up face down on the ice. The teeth were out, but the celebration wasn’t far away.

“More people are going to be looking at his medal than his teeth,” Boldy said.

The U.S. winning silenced criticism of general manager Bill Guerin and his management group choosing a roster full of experienced veteran players to ll speci c roles and leaving four of the top 10 American goal-scorers in the NHL this season at home. The players they brought got the job done.

“There are whisky drinkers and milk drinkers, and we got a lot of whisky drinkers on this team,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “One of the things that Billy Guerin and I talked about from the very beginning was trying to build a team in the true sense of the word, so we looked at a deep group of American talent and these decisions were very di cult. They weren’t easy. You look at how this group is constructed, there was a thought process that we had players that could play in all situations.”

Some decisions were no-doubters, like Sullivan giving the net to Hellebuyck, who stopped 131 of the 137 shots he faced throughout the tournament and was at his best against Canada.

“He was our backbone — today even more so than the rest of the tournament,” forward Vincent Trocheck said. “He saved our lives there a couple times in the third. He was unbelievable.”

ects as a strength, with Biel, captain Ashley Westwood and de la Torre forming a balanced trio supported by Brandt Bronico and Djibril Diani.

Up front, Zaha’s pedigree and Idan Toklomati’s emergence — he scored 12 goals across all competitions — provide multiple attacking threats, though striker depth remains a concern. Charlotte will rely on internal development and exibility to compensate for the loss of proven scoring options.

Smith has built Charlotte around defensive structure and e ciency, emphasizing a counter-pressing approach designed to make the club hard to beat. Last season also saw experimentation with more aggressive setups and a central playmaking role for Biel, hinting at a more proactive attack as the roster matures.

I would expect our players to be better next week.”

Goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, named to the MLS Team of the Matchday after a career-high 10 saves, said his condence began building during preseason.

“I’m really proud because I think this was one of my best preseasons with how I prepared,” Kahlina said. “I had a few calls before this game, and I said, ‘I feel really good’. You never know what the game can give you, but overall I feel really good,”

Charlotte nished fourth in

the team failed to put up a ght against NC State.

“Our competitive ght wasn’t there, especially from a defensive standpoint,” said UNC coach Hubert Davis following the loss to the Wolfpack. “Our heartbeat, our lifeline, it starts with defensive rebounding. That’s what leads us to really good offense, and we just weren’t tough enough, we weren’t good enough on the defensive end.”

However, UNC quickly managed to shake o the loss on Saturday with a 77-64 win over Syracuse, albeit with Veesaar back in the lineup.

“One of the things I talked about with the group was

the Eastern Conference and seventh overall in 2025, setting club records with 19 victories and 59 points while winning 11 of its nal 13 matches.

The team also posted a league-best home record at Bank of America Stadium, further cementing the venue’s reputation as one of MLS’s toughest environments and a major factor in the club’s rise.

Despite that progress, the postseason ended in familiar disappointment.

Charlotte fell 3-1 in the deciding match of a best-of-three rst-round series against New

“We just needed to nd a way to win and I do think that it helped that it was North Carolina.”

Will Wade, NC State coach

nding a way,” Davis said following the win. “Today, we just kept trying to nd ways, and at the end, we were able to break away, extend the lead and get a really good road win.”

And with Wilson nearing a return as well, it doesn’t seem like the loss did too much to faze

Rather than overhaul the roster, Charlotte added experience and depth.

Center back Henry Kessler arrives with a Supporters’ Shield pedigree, while U.S. international mid elder Luca de la Torre adds versatility and ball progression. The club also made Pep Biel’s move permanent after his MVP-caliber rst half in 2025 before a late-season knee injury disrupted the team’s rhythm.

Veteran goalkeeper Tyler Miller provides depth behind Kahlina, and fullback David Shnegg adds needed cover along the back line. The mid eld proj-

the Tar Heels, who are looking to prove that they’re one of the top teams in the country. The biggest shame coming from last Tuesday’s game in Raleigh is that it was more than likely the only time the two teams will meet on the court this year.

With ACC expansion came a restructuring of conference scheduling from 20 games to 18, and that ended up leaving NC State with just one scheduled game against UNC for the 2025-26 season.

“It’s a great rivalry, and I think it means a lot to both fanbases, so it’s a little odd that we don’t play twice,” Wade said.

Charlotte’s home dominance, continuity and attacking talent position the club for another potential top-four push in the East. However, questions still remain about defensive leadership, chance creation and a playo ceiling de ned by three straight rst-round exits.

If the defense holds and the mid eld unlocks greater creativity, Charlotte FC maynally turn steady progress into a postseason breakthrough, transforming a consistent playo participant into a legitimate MLS Cup threat.

The LA Galaxy will host Charlotte FC in Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday, one full week before Charlotte FC’s home opener against Austin FC in the Queen City.

Despite that sentiment, Wade agreed that it was the “right decision” overall for the ACC to make in terms of getting more teams into the NCAA Tournament.

“Sometimes you have to do what’s best for the collective good even if it’s not what’s maybe best for your program,” Wade said. “That’s part of being a part of a conference, and this is one of the casualties of that.”

However, people across the state surely wish they could get a rematch of last Tuesday’s game, especially with some of the discourse between fans and players on both sides of the rivalry.

PETR DAVID JOSEK / AP PHOTO

The U.S. hockey team celebrates after defeating Canada in Sunday’s gold medal game.

club nished fourth in the Eastern Conference standings last season

ERIK VERDUZCO / AP PHOTO

Charlotte FC goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina stops a penalty shot from Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, left, during the rst half of an MLS soccer match on Sept. 13, 2025, in Charlotte.

Just the way he wrote it up

Ross Atkins has gone from a Wake Forest thesis on baseball nance to World Series GM

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

ROSS ATKINS wasn’t expecting to get a call from Cleveland. Despite winning 10 games and striking out 91 batters for the 1995 Wake Forest Demon Deacons, he thought his playing career was over. Instead, he found out he was taken in the 38th round of the MLB Draft.

“I was, quite frankly, surprised to be drafted,” he told FanGraphs, years later.

Showing just how unexpected the news was, Atkins asked a favor after Cleveland’s scouting department gave him the news.

“Hey,” he said. “I’m enrolled in one last class to graduate, and part of it is writing a thesis. Can I nish that before I report?”

He would nish his thesis, but not on time. Cleveland made it clear that his best option would be to report to the club and put o his homework. Still, the work would end up paying dividends in what eventually became his full-time job.

“It was comparing baseball markets to nancial markets for an economics class that I was taking,” he recalled later.

Atkins is heavily involved in

JOHN RAOUX / AP PHOTO

Toronto Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins, right, poses with pitcher Dylan Cease, center, and Cease’s attorney, Scott Boras, after the Jays signed Cease to a big free agent contract in the o season.

the nances of baseball, as general manager and EVP of baseball operations for the American League champion Toronto Blue Jays. As a member of the AL East, Toronto competes in the same division as the deep-pocketed Yankees and Red Sox, as well as the Orioles and Rays, the latter of whom have made a science — literally — out of spending money e ciently. The Jays came out on top last season and came within an eyelash of defeating the big-spending Dodgers in last fall’s World Series. He’s also likely a much better negotiator than when he came

Redemption:

How Duke has made up for early-season

The Blue Devils have won 17 of their last 18 games

By Asheebo Rojas North State Journal

EARLIER THIS SEASON, Duke, the preseason No. 7 women’s basketball team in the country, looked nothing like the modi er.

A 93-77 loss to then-No. 5 LSU in the ACC-SEC Challenge on Dec. 4 marked its fourth straight loss and the fth defeat in its last ve games. Three straight chances to pick up a quality win against top ve opponents, including South Carolina and UCLA, ended in double-digit failure.

Sitting at 3-6 and outside the top 25 on that Thursday night in December, Duke coach Kara Lawson once again had to provide answers on what went wrong and why the team had become a stranger to its expectations. As would most coaches with so many games left in the season, Lawson expressed faith in her team’s ability to turn things around.

“For us, we haven’t had the start that we wanted,” Lawson said. “It’s our job to change it, right? I think it’s a really important concept not just in basketball, but in life, is, ‘Don’t be so quick to judge.’ Because the basketball season is long, and it’s like a living and breathing organism that changes daily, weekly and monthly. It’s hard as a human to maybe see someone go through a struggle and then a month later, convince yourself that maybe they’re di erent because you just hold on to

DUKE from page B1

whispers that he can’t win the big one until he shows he can. No coach likes it. Scheyer is no di erent.

“I just have to say, for me, it’s amazing,” he said after Duke made the plays at the end to beat Michigan. “These guys have won a lot of close games too. They’ve won a lot of close games. Caleb Foster has won a lot in his time here, and this is no di erent from other games we’ve been in early in the year. Florida (a one-point win), Arkansas (a nine-point win). Un-

“You certainly don’t do it to experience let down, but we understand that’s a part of it, and how you respond to it’s the most important thing.”

Ross Atkins, Blue Jays GM

out on the wrong side of that request for extra time from Cleveland. After spending ve seasons in Cleveland’s minor league

woes

the fact that they struggled in the beginning, and you can’t get yourself to see them in a di erent way.

“I think we’re changing and developing, and I think we can grow into a really good team.”

Time has told, and Lawson wasn’t just giving coach speak. She was right. Since the loss to LSU, Duke won 17 straight games and has brought itself on the brink of its rst regular season ACC title since 2013.

Of course, defensive improvements have made a huge di erence.

After giving up an average of 66.8 points to its rst nine opponents, Duke is allowing 58.7 points per game (third in the ACC), including 55.2 points per conference matchup ( rst in the ACC) as of Monday. With Sunday’s 53-51 loss to Clemson, the Blue Devils have held 13 conference opponents under their scoring average by 10 or more points even without AllACC defender Jadyn Donovan, who has been out for the season with a lower body injury since Dec. 18.

Duke, rst in the ACC in opponent 3-point percentage, is tied for fth in the nation with USC for blocks per game (6.1), and sophomore forward Toby Fournier has been at the forefront of that, ranking second in the conference and 12th in the nation with an average of 2.2 blocks.

“(Fournier’s) one of the top defensive players in the league,” Lawson said. “The thing about her, which makes her di erent from a lot of players, she impacts

defeated in college basketball is tough. It is. These guys have been studs at the end of games. They have such toughness. And so I think there’s a complete misperception. We’re not going to be perfect. We’re not going to win every game, but these guys have won close games, big games, they’ve gotten leads, they’ve kept leads, and we’re going to keep growing and learning with that.”

As Duke continues to win, comparisons between this year’s Cameron Boozer-led squad and last year’s Flagg team will continue. The current edition of

system, including an 8-4 year with Kinston in 1997, Atkins moved to the front o ce, where his rst job was as a Spanish language translator for a Cleveland minor leaguer.

He gradually rose to be in charge of Cleveland’s Latin American operations before heading the development and player personnel departments. After 15 years in the Cleveland organization, he was hired by the Jays in 2015, where he now faces the prospect of a return trip to the Fall Classic.

Atkins has been aggressive this o season, using Toronto’s run of success to help attract free agents north of the border, which has traditionally been a tough sell. This year, the Jays were able to sign pitching ace Dylan Cease and Japanese slugger Kazuma Okamoto, using their potential value as the pieces to get the Jays over the top as a selling point.

The frontline stars are added to a roster that’s still young and developing.

“I think if we’re not getting better as an organization at every capacity — you know that not just the players but every sta member — then then we’re not going to win the World Series,” Atkins said. “So each one of us has to be thinking that way.”

The returning players have to also get over the emotional scar from coming so close to a title in 2025. The Jays led with one out in the ninth inning of Game 7 before the Dodgers tied the score. Toronto loaded the bases in their half of the ninth and

just barely had the potential Series-winning run called out at the plate on a close force out.

“I do think that they’re in a more motivated position,” Atkins said of the returning players. “So it’s such an interesting thing. It’s why we do it. It’s why we love sport, to be, you know, to feel pressure, to feel expectations. You certainly don’t do it to experience let down, but we understand that’s a part of it, and how you respond to it’s the most important thing.”

Atkins has also built a farm system that was able to supply the Jays with key players down the stretch last season, most notably Trey Yesavage, who went from a 2024 draftee out of East Carolina to Toronto’s most reliable pitcher in the postseason, moving all the way up the organization’s ladder in one season.

“We we’ve talked about this with a lot of di erent pitchers over the past, and every individual is di erent,” Atkins said. “Every case is di erent. We’ll ensure that we’re putting them in the safest possible position while trying to win as many games as possible. So it’s the kind of thing that you do have to think about ahead of time. If there are ways to put them in the best positions for the end of the season, to be there for us in October and hopefully November. But we feel like the work is done on that front and it is going to be manageable.”

And if a promising minor league prospect wants to nish up an important paper before he leaves school, Atkins might just decide to hear him out.

head coach Kara

season.

the game even if she doesn’t play great o ensively.”

But as defense has always been key to the identity of Lawson’s teams, the Blue Devils’ offensive growth has been just as important in their resurgence.

Duke scored an average of 68.8 points in its rst nine games but has improved to 75.1 points overall and 77.2 in ACC play, a jump from last year’s mark of 70.7 points per conference matchup.

As a team, the Blue Devils have become consistently ecient scorers, going from ve games shooting below 40% before the LSU loss to shooting above that mark in 17 of their last 18 games. Duke has also made at least four 3s in 10 straight games while shoot-

“These guys have been studs at the end of games. They have such toughness.”

Jon Scheyer, Duke coach

the Blue Devils may not have as much talent top to bottom, but it might be tougher.

This year’s Duke team is 17th in the nation in o ensive rebounding rate and 12th on the defensive boards. Last year’s

“I think we’re changing and developing, and I think we can grow into a really good team.”

Kara Lawson after the LSU loss

ing the 3 ball at a clip just under 36%. While Fournier has consistently led the scoring e ort all season, redshirt sophomore guard Riley Nelson has provided a spark for the Blue Devils’ o ense. Nelson, returning from missing all last season due to injury, entered the starting lineup immediately after the LSU loss. In

team ranked in the 50s in both.

Duke is No. 51 in blocked-shot rate, 135 spots higher than last year’s team.

“I think the thing I’m most proud of is there’s a tenacity, a toughness there,” Scheyer said.

“And a ‘want to.’ And I think once you have that, then what you’re doing scheme-wise, I think will work really well.

“I just love the fact that these guys have chosen from day one, ‘We’re gonna be di erent.’ That’s a decision that they’ve made, the way they’ve answered each test. I go back to playing UCF and Tennessee in the preseason, and

her 18 starts, she’s averaging 11 points per game, including 12 games in double gures and two 20-point performances.

“Riley’s such a pivotal piece to our team,” Lawson said after Nelson’s career-high 23 points against Georgia Tech. “When she’s scoring like that, I think we’re a hard team to defend because we have so many talented scorers, and she’s just going to get better and better.”

With a win against Florida State at home Thursday, the Blue Devils can clinch the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament. Now ranked No. 12 in the latest AP poll, Duke is projected by multiple outlets to be as high as a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament, which more ts the team’s current status.

that’s when I learned a lot about our guys and what we are made of. And I think they’ve continued not just to answer each test as it’s come along but to elevate what we’re doing. But they’re tough. You know, we take pride in the paint battle. That’s been a unique thing for this group, with how we play, and our guys have done a great job. We need to continue to stay humble and continue to understand what it takes to win.”

For the immediate future, they’ll be doing that while looking down at every other team in the sport.

ERIC GAY / AP PHOTO

Duke

Lawson reacts to a play during a nonconference game earlier this

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 6th day of May, 2026 (which date is three months

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA CUMBERLAND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR NOTICE The undersigned having been quali ed as executor of the Estate of PATTIE TATUM PUGH, 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 5th day of May, 2026 (Which date is three months after the date of the rst publication of this notice) Or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 30th day of January, 2026. Administrator of the Estate of PATTIE TATUM PUGH. JANE GRAHAM LYON, Executor 3078 KAMERIN STREET RANDLEMAN NC 27317

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Mary Lou Turlington a/k/a Mary Lou Westbrook Turlington a/k/a Mary Westbrook Turlington Cumberland County Estate File No. 26E000145-250 All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Mary Lou Turlington a/k/a Mary Lou Westbrook Turlington a/k/a Mary Westbrook Turlington, Deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are noti ed to present their claims to one or both of the following: (1) John McRae Turlington, Executor of the Estate of Mary Lou Turlington a/k/a Mary Lou Westbrook Turlington a/k/a Mary Westbrook Turlington, 215 N. Church Street, Winterville, GA 30683, or (2) Rob Williford McCauley, Resident Process Agent for the Estate of Mary Lou Turlington a/k/a Mary Lou Westbrook Turlington

a/k/a Mary Westbrook Turlington, P.O. Box 53606, Fayetteville, North Carolina 28305, on or before the 15th day of May, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of Mary Lou Turlington a/k/a Mary Lou Westbrook Turlington a/k/a Mary

Westbrook Turlington are requested to make immediate payment to the Executor or Resident

Process Agent named above.

This the 12th day of February, 2026. John McRae Turlington, Executor of the Estate of Mary Lou Turlington a/k/a Mary Lou Westbrook Turlington a/k/a Mary Westbrook Turlington Williford McCauley - Attorney for the Estate of Mary Lou Turlington a/k/a Mary Lou Westbrook Turlington a/k/a Mary Westbrook Turlington Mailing address: P. O. Box 53606 Fayetteville, NC 28305 Physical address: 235 Green Street Fayetteville, NC 28301

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Sarah Ivy Vigoletti a/k/a Sara Ivy Vigoletti a/k/a Sarah I. Vigoletti a/k/a Sarah H. Vigoletti a/k/a Sara H. Vigoletti Cumberland County Estate File No. 25E001961-250

All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Sarah Ivy Vigoletti a/k/a Sara Ivy Vigoletti a/k/a Sarah I. Vigoletti a/k/a Sarah H. Vigoletti a/k/a Sara H. Vigoletti, Deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are noti ed to present their claims to Steve Younts, Executor of the Estate of Sarah Ivy Vigoletti a/k/a Sara Ivy Vigoletti a/k/a

Sarah I. Vigoletti a/k/a Sarah H. Vigoletti a/k/a Sara H. Vigoletti, at 510 Brunswick Road, Fayetteville, NC 28303, on or before the 8th day of May, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of Sarah Ivy Vigoletti a/k/a Sara Ivy Vigoletti a/k/a

Sarah I. Vigoletti a/k/a Sarah H. Vigoletti a/k/a Sara H. Vigoletti are requested to make immediate payment to the Executor named above.

This the 5th day of February, 2026.

Steve Younts, Executor of the Estate of Sarah Ivy Vigoletti a/k/a Sara Ivy Vigoletti a/k/a Sarah I. Vigoletti a/k/a Sarah H. Vigoletti a/k/a Sara H.

Vigoletti

Williford McCauley - Attorney for the Estate of Sarah Ivy Vigoletti a/k/a Sara Ivy Vigoletti a/k/a Sarah I. Vigoletti a/k/a Sarah H. Vigoletti a/k/a Sara H. Vigoletti

noti es all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present this claim to the undersigned on or before the 12th day of the May, 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 intermediate payment to the undersigned. This February day of February 12th , 2026. George Vossler Lepper P.O. Box 484 Asheboro NC 27205 Of the estate of Ted Elliot Lepper

NOTICE TO CREDITORS IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION ESTATE FILE NO. 26E000078-250 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Juan Alberto Martinez, 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 May 19, 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. Dated this 19th day of February, 2026. Sharon Ann Martinez, Executor of the Estate of Juan Alberto Martinez NICOLE A. CORLEY MURRAY & CORLEY, P.A. N.C. BAR NO. 56459 2517 RAEFORD ROAD FAYETTEVILLE, NC 28305 – 3007 (910) 483 – 4990 COUNSEL FOR EXECUTOR

NOTICE

Estate File#

Mailing address: P. O. Box 53606 Fayetteville, NC 28305 Physical address: 235 Green Street Fayetteville, NC 28301

Executor’s Notice

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION ESTATE FILE 26E000236-250

State of North Carolina Cumberland County NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The undersigned, having quali ed as the Executor of the Estate of Jean Zimmerman, 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 6626 Morning Glory Road, Stedman, North Carolina 28391, on or before May 26, 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 26th day of February, 2026. John C. Garrity, Jr. Executor of the Estate of Jean Zimmerman, Deceased c/o Gilliam Law Firm, PLLC J. Duane Gilliam, Jr., Attorney PO Box 53555 Fayetteville, NC 28305 02/26/2026, 03/05/2026, 03/12/2026 and 03/19/2026

NOTICE

State of North Carolina Cumberland County

Administrator Notice

The undersigned having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Larry Earl Parks Jr, 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 26th day of May, 2026 or this notice will be pleaded in the bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 26th day of February 2026 Administrator of the Estate of Larry Earl Parks Jr. 1981 Wade Stedman Road Stedman, NC 28391 NEW HANOVER

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA NEW HANOVER COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS THE UNDERSIGNED, Jessica Hinson, having quali ed on the 28th day of January 2026, as Administrator of the Estate of Donna Braswell Batchelor (26E000086-640), 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 11th day of May, 2026, 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 5th day of February 2026. Jessica Hinson Administrator ESTATE OF DONNA BRASWELL BATCHELOR David Anderson Attorney at Law 9111 Market St, Ste A Wilmington, NC 28411 Publish: February 5, 2026, February 12, 2026, February 19, 2026, February 26, 2026

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA NEW HANOVER COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS THE UNDERSIGNED, Courtney Nicole Langley, having quali ed on the 29th day of January 2026, as Administrator of the Estate of Russell James Cook (26E000121-640), 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 11th day of May, 2026, 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 5th day of February 2026.

Courtney Nicole Langley

Administrator ESTATE OF RUSSELL JAMES COOK

David Anderson Attorney at Law 9111 Market St, Ste A Wilmington, NC 28411

Publish:

February 5, 2026

February 12, 2026

February 19, 2026

February 26, 2026

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA NEW HANOVER COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS THE UNDERSIGNED, Robin B. Wright, having quali ed on the 11th day of February 2026, as Executor of the Estate of Marie Sandyck Ely (25E002572-640), 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 25th day of May, 2026, 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 19th day of February 2026.

Robin B. Wright Executor ESTATE OF MARIE SANDYCK ELY

David Anderson Attorney at Law 9111 Market St, Ste A Wilmington, NC 28411

Publish: February 19, 2026

February 26, 2026

March 5, 2026

March 12, 2026

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF NEW HANOVER NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The undersigned, EDWARD GLEN EXLEY, having quali ed as the Executor of the Estate of GEORGIA ELIZABETH POOLE, Deceased, hereby noti es all persons, rms or corporations having claims against the Decedent to exhibit same to the said EDWARD GLEN EXLEY, at the address set out below, on or before May 25, 2026, 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 13h day of February.

EDWARD GLEN EXLEY

Executor OF ESTATE OF GEORGIA ELIZABETH POOLE

c/o ROBERT H. HOCHULI, JR. 219 RACINE DR., SUITE #A6 Wilmington, NC 28405

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF NEW HANOVER NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The undersigned, EDWARD GLEN EXLEY, having quali ed as the Executor of the Estate of JAMES IRVIN POOLE, Deceased, hereby noti es all persons, rms or corporations having claims against the Decedent to exhibit same to the said EDWARD GLEN EXLEY, at the address set out below, on or before May 25, 2026, 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 13h day of February.

EDWARD GLEN EXLEY

Executor OF ESTATE OF JAMES

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 25SP001318-660 Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Charles W. Cameron, Jr. (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Charles W. Cameron, Jr.) to Investors Title Insurance Company, Trustee(s), dated April 2, 2024, and recorded in Book No. 6125, at Page 324 in Onslow County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the O ce of the Register of Deeds Onslow County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the courthouse

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Joseph K. Rella and Pamela A. Rella (PRESENT RECORD

OWNER(S): Joseph K. Rella and Pamela A. Rella) to Stephen D. Lowry, Trustee(s), dated the 11th day of November, 2023, and recorded in Book 6061, Page 417, Onslow County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the note thereby 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 of Onslow County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the courthouse door in the City of Jacksonville, Onslow County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 10:00 a.m. on March 11, 2026 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in the City of Maple Hill, in the County of Onslow, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: A certain tract of land on the northern side of NC 53 and being a portion of the land

25SP000307-750

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

NORTH CAROLINA, RANDOLPH COUNTY

Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale

contained in that certain Deed of Trust

executed by Edward D. Jones a/k/a Edward Demetrius Jones and Tonya Cornelia Jones to John B Third, Trustee(s), which was dated December 29, 2016 and recorded on December 29, 2016 in Book 2526 at Page 1095, Randolph 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

fee to the point of beginning. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 621 North 10th Street, Wilmington, North Carolina.

Parcel ID#R04814-009-011-000 and R04814-009-012-000 This being the same property conveyed to Roderick V. Allen, Sr., from Metro

door in Jacksonville, Onslow County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 10:00 AM on March 4, 2026 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Jacksonville in the County of Onslow, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: BEING all Lot 25, as shown on plat entitled “Aragona Villages Duplexes, Section I-B, White Oak Township” and prepared by James E. Stewart an Associates, Inc, as recorded in Map 23, Page 118, and being revised in Map Book 23, Page 142, Onslow County Registry. Together with improvements thereon; said property being located at 104 Mulberry Lane, Jacksonville, North Carolina. Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to three hours as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23.

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

described in Deed Book 1546, Page 218, Onslow County Registry bounded on the north by Wendel Rhodes Deed Book 1470, Page 616 and on the east by Fern Drive and being more particularly described as follows:

BEGINNING at an existing iron stake in the centerline of Fern Drive said iron stake being located north 14 degrees 20 minutes 23 seconds east 290.67 feet from the existing iron stake in the centerline of Fern Drive said iron stake being/located north 01 degrees 37 minutes 50 seconds east 74.75 feet from an existing iron stake the southeast corner of Lot 18 (Map Book 30, Page 181) said iron stake being located 2748.58 feet from an existing pk nail in the intersection of the centerlines of Fern Drive and NC 53 when measured in a northerly direction said pk nail being located 2505.45 feet from an existing pk nail in the centerline of NC 53 where it intersects the Onslow and Pender County line when measured in an easterly direction, thence from the beginning south 85 degrees 08 minutes 44 seconds west 431.56 feet to a new iron stake, thence north 00 degrees 01 minutes 04 seconds east 231.59 feet to an existing iron stake the southwest corner of Wendel Rhodes lot, thence with Wendel Rhodes property line north 85 degrees 49 minutes 42 seconds east 300.00 feet to an existing iron stake in the western edge of a 30 foot ingress-egress easement, thence

where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on March 11, 2026 at 01:00 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Randolph County, North Carolina, to wit: BEING ALL of Lot No. 13 of CROSS RIDGE SUBDIVISION, Map 2, as shown by plat recorded in Plat Book 46, Page 10, Randolph County Registry.

This conveyance is subject to those certain Restrictive Covenants found recorded in Book 1449, Page 58 and Book 1472, Page 541, Randolph County Registry.

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

Said property is commonly known as 3489 Lamp Light Dr, Randleman, NC 27317.

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

Properties of Wilmington, LLC, in a Deed dated April 30, 2018 and recorded May 08, 2018, in Book 6139 Page 2890. Property commonly known as: 621 n 10th Street, Wilmington, NC 28401 Parcel ID: R04814-009-011-000 and R04814-009-012-000

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

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

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

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. A deposit of ve percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred

with the western edge of said easement south 37 degrees 00 minutes 48 seconds east 112.80 feet to the right-of-way of Fern Drive, thence south 58 degrees 35 minutes 19 seconds east 50.00 ft to an existing iron stake in the centerline of Fern Drive the radius point for a cul-de-sac having a radius of 50 feet, thence with the centerline of Fern Drive south 11 degrees 19 minutes 46 seconds east 102.75 feet to the beginning containing 2.00 acres as surveyed by James Zepeda, PLS on October 16, 1999.

Together with improvements thereon, said property located at 251 Fern Drive, Maple Hill, North Carolina 28454-8592 Parcel ID: 060090 Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in NCGS §45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by NCGS §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,

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 Edward Demetrius Jones and Tonya Cornelia Jones.

An Order for possession of the property

or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of ve percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certi ed funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is

fty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be

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

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,

and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Additional Notice for

OF DEEDS FOR RANDOLPH COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA. The property is being sold “as is”, without warranties, subject to all taxes, special assessments and prior liens or encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Any assessments, costs or fees resulting from

GROVE TOWNSHIP, RANDOLPH

NORTH

all of Lot No. 38 of the Subdivision known as the Division of Lands of Pinewood Golf and Development, Inc., a plat of which is duly recorded in Plat Book 14, Page 67, Randolph County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 377 Nassau Trail, Asheboro, North Carolina. The property is being sold “as is”, without warranties, subject to all taxes, special assessments and prior liens or encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Any assessments, costs or fees resulting from the sale will be due and payable from the purchaser at the

COUNTY 25 SP 001338-910

Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Sharon Arnett Upchurch, Mortgagor(s), in the original amount of $212,087.00, to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc.,

Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Anchor Trustee Services, LLC having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the O ce of the Register of Deeds of Wake County, North Carolina, and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the courthouse door or other usual place of sale in Wake County, North Carolina, at 10:00 AM on March 12th, 2026, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property, to wit: Being all of Lot 21, Quarry Pointe Subdivision, Phase 1, as referenced in Book of Maps 2003 Page 1715, Wake County Registry. Together with improvements located hereon; said property being located at 3825 Tryon Ridge Drive, Raleigh, NC 27610 Tax ID: 0311966 Third party purchasers must pay the recording costs of the trustee’s deed, any land transfer taxes, the excise tax, pursuant North Carolina General Statutes §105228.30, in the amount of One Dollar ($1.00) per each Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or fractional part thereof, and the Clerk of Courts fee, pursuant to North Carolina General Statutes §7A-308, in the amount of Forty- ve Cents (0.45) per each One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) or fractional part thereof with a

24-119292

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION WAKE COUNTY 25SP002642-910

IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY BRUCE A. JANTELLA AND JUDITH E. JANTELLA DATED SEPTEMBER 27, 2007 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 12771 AT PAGE 989 AND MODIFIED BY AGREEMENT RECORDED JUNE 9, 2010 IN BOOK 14029, PAGE 2354 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 contained therein

25-121622

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION WAKE COUNTY

25sp001209-910

IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY GOWRI VINOTH KUMAR AND KESAVAN

CHENEERAPPA DATED JULY 25, 2023 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 19392 AT PAGE 2180 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 contained therein and, pursuant to demand of the holder of the secured debt, the undersigned will

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 25SP001242-910

and by

contained in a

of the

Deed of

of

by

&

LLC, a

Liability Company (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): HD Homes & Properties LLC, a

Liability Company) to Currie Tee Howell, Trustee(s), dated August 14, 2023, and recorded in Book No. 019409, at Page 01913 in Wake 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 Wake County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the Wake County Courthouse door, the Salisbury

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 11:00AM on March 12, 2026, 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 Bruce A. Jantella and Judith E. Jantella, dated September 27, 2007 to secure the original principal amount of $195,452.00, and recorded in Book 12771 at Page 989 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: 509 Gooseberry Drive, Holly Springs, NC 27540 Tax Parcel ID: 0358780 Present Record Owners:

expose for sale at public auction at the usual place of sale at the Wake County courthouse at 11:00AM on March 10, 2026, 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 Gowri Vinoth Kumar and Kesavan Cheneerappa, dated July 25, 2023 to secure the original principal amount of $517,070.00, and recorded in Book 19392 at Page 2180 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: 1528 Frog Hollow Way, Wake Forest, NC 27587 Tax Parcel ID: 0499279 Present Record Owners: Gowri Vinoth Kumar and Kesavan Cheneerappa

Street entrance in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 1:30 PM on March 2, 2026 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Garner in the County of Wake, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: Being all of Lot 3, containing .52 acre, according to that plat entitled “Recombination of the Property of Lot 3 & 4, Alpine Estates” and recorded in Book of Maps 2006, Page 272, Wake County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 4729 G Street, Garner, North Carolina.

Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to three hours as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1).

of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts will be immediately due and owing. 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. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, special assessments, land transfer taxes, if any, and encumbrances of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are The Heirs of Sharon A. Upchurch. PLEASE TAKE NOTICE: An order for

Bruce A. Jantella and Judith E. Jantella The record owner(s) of the property, according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Bruce A. Jantella and Judith E. Jantella. 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

The record owner(s) of the property, according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Gowri Vinoth Kumar and Kesavan Cheneerappa. 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),

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

possession of the property may be issued pursuant to North Carolina General Statutes §45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the Clerk of Superior Court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be 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

whichever is greater, is required from the highest bidder and must be tendered in the form of certi ed funds at the time of the sale. Cash will not be accepted. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. After the expiration of the upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds 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 a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing. SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS residing at the property: be advised that an Order for Possession of the

of certi ed funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the ling of a bankruptcy petition prior to the con rmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void

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

Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court

AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 24SP001009-910 Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Harry D. Wood (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Harry D. Wood) to LandQuest Title Corporation, Trustee(s), dated September 3, 2008, and recorded in Book No. 013236, at Page 01870 in Wake County Registry, North Carolina. The Deed of Trust was modi ed by the following: A Loan Modi cation recorded on November 22, 2010, in Book No. 014166, at Page 00553 , 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 Wake County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the Wake County Courthouse door, the Salisbury Street entrance in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 1:30 PM on March 2, 2026 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Raleigh in the County of Wake, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: BEING all of Lot 18, Block B, Greenwood Farms Subdivision, Section Two, Part Three, as shown by map of Greenwood Farms Subdivision, Section Two, Part Three, by Lovett and Bunn, Inc. Engineers, dated June 8, 1967, and recorded in Book of Maps 1967, Page 116, Wake County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 3612 Wheaton Place, Raleigh, North Carolina.

at Page 00935 in Wake 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 Wake County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the Wake County Courthouse door, the Salisbury Street entrance in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 1:30 PM on March 2, 2026 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Raleigh in the County of Wake, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: Tax Id Number(s): 0189695 Land situated in the City of Raleigh in the County of Wake in the State of NC Land situated in the Township of Bartons Creek in the County of Wake in the State of NC BEING all of Lot 277, BENT TREE SOUTH SUBDIVISION, PHASE 1B, as recorded in Book of Maps 1991, Page 984, Wake County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 8713 Carriage Tour Lane, Raleigh, North Carolina. Commonly known as: 8713 Carriage Tour Lane, Raleigh, NC 27615-3148 The Property address and Tax Parcel Identi cation number listed are provided solely for Informational purposes. 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.

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. A deposit of ve percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fty

dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certi ed funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the ling of a bankruptcy petition prior to the con rmation of the sale

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. 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

Golden age

Team USA forward Brady Tkachuk, foreground, takes a photo of Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin and his family after the United States defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime Sunday to win the men’s hockey gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.

Bear Creek’s Stevens puts his shine on Discovery Channel

U.S. military boards

third oil tanker in Indian Ocean

The Pentagon says U.S. military forces have boarded a third sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean Sea in an e ort to target illicit oil connected to Venezuela.

U.S. forces boarded the Bertha overnight. President Donald Trump had ordered a quarantine of sanctioned tankers near Venezuela in December to pressure then-President Nicolás Maduro before his capture. Venezuela faced U.S. sanctions on its oil for several years, relying on a shadow eet of falsely agged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains.

Supreme Court rules Postal Service can’t be sued

A divided Supreme Court has ruled that Americans can’t sue the U.S. Postal Service, even when employees deliberately refuse to deliver mail. By a 5-4 vote Tuesday, the justices ruled against Texas landlord Lebene Konan, who alleged her mail was intentionally withheld for two years. Konan is black and claims racial prejudice played a role in postal employees’ actions. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in his majority opinions the federal law that generally shields the Postal Service from lawsuits over missing, lost and undelivered mail includes “the intentional nondelivery of mail.” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent the immunity doesn’t apply to situations when the decision not to deliver mail “was driven by malicious reasons.”

$2.00

Chatham County farmer takes small-batch craft to national moonshine stage

By Dan Reeves Chatham News & Record

BEAR CREEK — Daniel Stevens spends most mornings the same way he has for years — tending poultry houses, check-

ing cattle and keeping a Chatham County farm running.

On March 3 at 9 p.m., though, Stevens trades feed bins and fence lines for a national television audience. The Bear Creek farmer will appear on the Dis-

covery Channel in a competitive moonshine series lmed last June in Asheville.

Out of roughly 20,000 applicants, producers narrowed the eld to 200 before Discovery selected 27 new distillers across two seasons. Each episode features three competitors, with one winner advancing to potential future appearances.

Stevens didn’t grow up in a long line of distillers. He was born in Redhouse, West Virginia, and moved to Bear Creek at age 10. His parents started the family farm, and he took it over in 2016. Farming is the family business. Distilling came later. Yet in North Carolina —

Armed NC man shot, killed at Mar-a-Lago never interested in politics,

Authorities say the 21-year-old groundskeeper purchased the shotgun while driving to Florida

By Allen G. Breed The Associated Press

CAMERON — The 21-year-old North Carolina man who drove through a gate at President

Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort with a shotgun before he was shot and killed worked as a golf course groundskeeper and liked to sketch.

Austin Tucker Martin rare -

ly, if ever, talked about politics, seemed afraid of guns and came from a family of Trump supporters, according to Braeden Fields, a cousin who said the two grew up together.

“I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind-blowing,” Fields said. “He wouldn’t even hurt an ant. He

Police nding criminal suspects based on online searches as courts weigh privacy concerns

“Unfettered access to the thoughts, feelings, concerns and secrets of countless people” Amicus brief

Investigators work backward from search terms to identify suspects

By Mark Scolforo The Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. —

Criminal investigators hoping to develop suspects in di cult cases have been asking Google to reveal who searched for speci c information online, seeking “reverse keyword” warrants that critics warn threaten the privacy of innocent people.

Unlike traditional search warrants that target a known suspect or location, keyword

warrants work backward by identifying internet addresses where searches were made in a certain window of time for particular terms, such as a street address where a crime occurred or a phrase like “pipe bomb.”

Police have used the method to investigate a series of bombings in Texas, the assassination of a Brazilian politician and a fatal arson in Colorado.

It’s not a wild guess by investigators to conclude that people are using Google searches in all manner of crimes, as the company’s search engine has become the main gateway to the internet and users’ daily lives

doesn’t even know how to use a gun.”

Martin drove into the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago early Sunday and raised a shotgun at two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheri ’s deputy who then opened re

THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL

HASSAN AMMAR / AP PHOTO

CRIME LOG

Feb. 16

• Crecencio Solares Martinez, 25, was arrested for driving while impaired, reckless driving to endanger persons or property and driving without an operator’s license.

Miguel Angel Benitez, 20, was arrested for assault by strangulation, assault on a pregnant woman, misdemeanor crime of domestic violence and battery of an unborn child.

• Evan Jair Martinez, 21, was arrested for breaking and entering, entering to terrorize or injure, injury to real property and aiding and abetting.

Feb. 17

Alexander Joseph Serrone, 19, was arrested for rst-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, seconddegree forcible sex o ense, crime against nature and indecent liberties with a child.

• Thomas Coy Brooks, 47, was arrested for misdemeanor larceny.

Mauricio Amado Perez Vasquez, 44, was arrested for driving while impaired, driving on a revoked license, expired registration, driving without an operator’s license and possession of an open container or consuming alcohol in a passenger area.

• Arlinda Shaw, 54, was arrested for habitual larceny, misdemeanor larceny and shoplifting by concealment of goods.

Feb. 18

• Jose Manuel Menendez, 25, was arrested for driving on a revoked license and no liability insurance.

Rachel Diane Byrd, 25, was arrested for larceny from the person and simple assault.

Hannah Marley, 30, was arrested for motor vehicle theft.

Feb. 19

Shantina Marie Thompson, 24, was arrested for resisting a public o cer and simple a ray.

Feb. 20

Bernarda Arroyo Gomez, 53, was arrested for misdemeanor stalking.

Lorenzo Eavan Nettles, 35, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine.

White House pressure leads universities to cut ties with nonpro t that helps racial minorities

Federal o cials say the nonpro t’s race-based eligibility violates civil rights law

By Jocelyn Gecker and Collin Binkley The Associated Press

THE TRUMP administration said last Thursday its campaign to end diversity programs in higher education has led dozens of universities to cut ties with an organization known as The PhD Project, which helps racial minorities earn doctorate degrees.

The PhD Project was a little-known nonpro t group until it caught the attention of conservative strategists last year and became the focus of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education. The Republican administration says school diversity programs often exclude white and Asian American students.

The investigation, opened in March 2025, has resulted in 31 universities agreeing to end partnerships with the group, the department’s O ce for Civil Rights said last week. Negotiations are continuing with 14 additional schools, it said.

The department said in its statement that The PhD Project “unlawfully limits eligibility based on the race of participants” and that institutions partnering with it violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in education programs and activities that receive federal money.

“This is the Trump e ect in action: institutions of higher education are agreeing to cut ties with discriminatory organizations, recommitting themselves to abiding by federal law, and restoring equality of opportunity on campuses across the nation,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said.

Many of the schools promptly cut ties with The PhD Project after the investigation was opened in order to avoid entanglements with the administration. It had undertaken the inquiries

after warning schools they could lose federal money over “race -based preferences.”

The PhD Project is one of many nonpro ts that helps underrepresented groups gain access to higher education.

“The PhD Project was founded with the goal of providing more role models in the front of business classrooms and this remains our goal today,” the organization said in a statement. The website says it has “helped more than 1,500 members earn their doctoral degree.”

The group of 31 colleges listed by the department included major public research universities such as Arizona State, Ohio State and the University of Michigan, along with prestigious private schools like Yale, Duke and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

MIT, like many of the schools cited in the investigation, had paid The PhD Project “a nominal fee” to participate in the group’s university fairs or conferences, allowing MIT to send representatives to answer questions about attending their school, spokesperson Kimberly Allen said.

MIT informed the government in April 2025 it had ended its participation in such conferences and was noti ed months later that the O ce for Civil Rights had found it in violation of Title VI. The school signed a “resolution agreement” with the department about a week ago

to resolve the matter “but explicitly did not admit any liability, wrongdoing or violation of any law or regulation,” Allen said.

The University of North Dakota said it, too, promptly ended its membership with The PhD Project two weeks after the investigation was announced last year.

“The University became a member of the PhD Project to have access to the PhD Project’s member directory and applicant database, to be able to recruit a larger pool of quali ed applicants for faculty positions,” spokesperson David Dodds said in a statement.

The University of Utah said it had a table at annual conferences hosted by the nonpro t in the 2024-25 school year and two previous years. It cut ties with the project in October after settling with the department, university spokesperson Rebecca Walsh said.

Out of 170 PhD students admitted to Utah’s business school over the past 14 years, just two were involved through the PhD Project, Walsh said.

The Education Department said that all of the 31 universities have also agreed to review partnerships with other organizations “to identify any that violate Title VI by restricting participation based on race.”

The administration has targeted a wide range of practices that it has labeled as diversity, equity and inclusion.

Horse’s neigh may be unique in animal kingdom; now scientists know how they do it

Their distinctive calls combine vocal cord vibration with internal whistling

By Adithi Ramakrishnan The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Horses whinny to nd new friends, greet old ones and celebrate happy moments like feeding time. How exactly horses produce that distinctive sound — also called a neigh — has long eluded scientists.

The whinny is an unusual combination of both high- and low-pitched sounds, like a cross between a grunt and a squeal — that come out at the same time. The low-pitched part wasn’t much of a mystery. It comes from air passing over bands of tissue in the voice box that make noise when they vibrate. It’s a technique similar to how humans speak and sing.

But the high-pitched piece is more puzzling. With some exceptions, larger animals have larger vocal systems and typically make lower sounds. So how do horses do it?

According to a new study, they whistle. Researchers slid a small camera through horses’ noses to lm what happened inside while they whinnied and made an-

SUE OGROCKI / AP PHOTO

A horse whinnies in a barn at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City during a cutting horse competition in June 2011.

other common horse sound, the softer, subtler nicker. They also conducted detailed scans and blew air through the isolated voice boxes of dead horses.

The whinny’s mysterious high-pitched tones, they discovered, are a kind of whistling that starts in the horse’s voice box. Air vibrates the tissues in the voice box while an area just above contracts, leaving a small opening for the whistle to escape. That’s di erent from human whistling, which we do with our mouths.

“I’d never imagined that there was a whistling component. It’s really interesting, and I can hear that now,” said Jenifer Nadeau, who studies horses at the University of Connecticut. Na-

CHATHAM happening

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

Now through Feb. 26

Virtual Film Screening: “From Sea to Shining Sea”

The Chatham Community Library will present this lm virtually all day on Feb. 19 as part of its America 250 celebrations. The 2025 lm tells the story of Katharine Lee Bates, the woman who penned the poem upon which the song “America the Beautiful” is based. The link to log in to the movie is Vimeo PRO. A password is required to view; contact social. library@chathamlibraries.org to request one.

Feb.

21

The History Between the Lines Book Club

9:30 a.m.

Delve into Thomas Healy’s 2021 book, “Soul City: Race, Equality, and the Lost Dream of an American Utopia,” in honor of Black History Month. Participation is free. Chatham County Historical Museum 9 Hillsboro St. Pittsboro

Feb. 25

Paint & Sip Gathering for Chatham Young Professionals

5-7 p.m.

This guided painting experience is sponsored by the Chatham Chamber and is a networking opportunity for professionals 40 and under. For more information, contact Cheryl Littleton, at 984-265-9172.

Inspire Briar Chapel 152 Market Chapel Road Pittsboro

Feb. 26

Bynum Bite Night at BFP

6-8 p.m.

deau was not involved with the study, which was published Monday in the journal Current Biology.

A few small rodents like rats and mice whistle like this, but horses are the rst known large mammal to have a knack for it. They’re also the only animals known to be able to whistle through their voice boxes while they sing.

“Knowing that a ‘whinny’ is not just a ‘whinny’ but that it is actually composed of two different fundamental frequencies that are created by two di erent mechanisms is exciting,” said Alisa Herbst with Rutgers University’s Equine Science Center, of the study in an email.

A big lingering question is how horses’ two-toned calls came to be. Wild Przewalski’s horses can do something similar, as can elks. But more distant horse relatives like donkeys and zebras can’t make the high-pitched sounds.

The two-toned whinnies could help horses convey multiple messages at the same time. The di erently pitched neighs may help them express a more complex range of feelings when socializing, said study author Elodie Mandel-Briefer with the University of Copenhagen.

“They can express emotions in these two dimensions,” Mandel-Briefer said.

If you are an area teen with an inner geek – embrace it with kids who have similar interests at this bimonthly event at BFP. There is a virtual reality (VR) headset on-site so you can go beyond this world for a short time. Bring your projects and games and be ready to discuss your personal passion of the moment! Questions? Call Helbragga (John G.) at 919-593-3559.

Front Porch, Bynum General Store 950 Bynum Road Bynum

Feb. 28

Bluegrass Jam Circle

10 a.m. to noon

This free acoustic jam session is open to musicians and singers of all ages and skill levels. There is no admission fee, and the public is welcome to attend.

Front Porch, Bynum General Store 950 Bynum Road Bynum

MARK SCHIEFELBEIN / AP PHOTO

Education Secretary Linda McMahon arrives at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Feb. 1 to attend the wedding of White House deputy chief of sta Dan Scavino and Erin Elmore.

NASA delays moon mission again after new rocket problem

Interrupted helium ow forced the rocket back to the hangar, pushing the mission to April

By Marcia Dunn The Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. —

In the latest setback to return astronauts to the moon, NASA delayed the highly anticipated ight yet again after a new problem cropped up with the rocket Saturday.

April is now the earliest that the four Artemis II astronauts could y to the moon.

NASA revealed the latest problem just one day after targeting March 6 for Artemis II, humanity’s rst ight to the moon in more than half a century. Overnight, the ow of helium to the rocket’s upper stage was interrupted, o cials said. Solid helium ow is essential for purging the engines and pressurizing the fuel tanks.

This helium issue has nothing to do with the hydrogen fuel leaks that marred a countdown dress rehearsal of the Space Launch System rocket earlier this month and forced a repeat test.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said a bad lter, valve or connection plate could

be to blame for the stalled helium ow. Regardless of the cause, he said, the only way to access the area and x the problem is to return the 322-foot rocket to its hangar for repairs.

“We will begin preparations for rollback, and this will take the March launch window out of consideration,” Isaacman said via X. NASA’s next opportunities would be at the beginning or end of April.

“I understand people are disappointed by this development,” he added. “That disappointment is felt most by the team at NASA, who have been working tirelessly to prepare for this great endeavor.”

Earlier in the day, NASA said it was preparing to move the rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center while raising the possibility of the work being done at the pad.

The situation is dynamic, said spokeswoman Cheryl Warner. Whether the xes are at the pad or in the hangar, the rollback preparations alone rule out any chance of making a March launch, she said.

Hydrogen fuel leaks had already delayed the Artemis II lunar y-around by a month. A second fueling test last Thursday revealed hardly any leaks, giving managers the con dence

to aim for a March lifto . The four astronauts went into their two-week quarantine Friday evening, mandatory for avoiding germs.

Everything worked ne with the rocket’s helium system during both dress rehearsals, Isaacman said. The “unexpected development” cropped up later in routine testing that kept engineers up all night assessing the situation.

The interrupted helium ow is con ned to the SLS rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage. This upper stage is essential for placing the Orion crew capsule into the proper high-altitude orbit around Earth for checkout, following lifto . After that, it’s supposed to separate from Orion and serve as a target for the astronauts inside the capsule, allowing them to practice docking techniques for future moon missions.

During NASA’s Apollo program, 24 astronauts ew to the moon from 1968 through 1972. The new Artemis program has completed only one ight so far, a lunar-orbiting mission without a crew in 2022. That rst test ight was also plagued by hydrogen fuel leaks before blasting o , as well as a helium issue similar to the one that arose Saturday. The rst moon landing with a crew under Artemis is still at least a few years away.

NASA’s moon rocket sits on the pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida last Thursday.

Church News

OAKLEY BAPTIST CHURCH

As Oakley Baptist Church (2300 Siler CityGlendon Road, Siler City) seeks to begin its next chapter, we are enjoying hearing a word from the Lord from various old and new friends. Our service begins at 10:30 a.m., but we also have Sunday School classes for every member of the family at 9:30 a.m. We would be blessed if you joined us for any and all of these speakers in the coming weeks. Spencer Andrews will return on March 1 to speak. Andrews is the former youth pastor at Oakley and is currently ministering at Grace Hill Church in Pittsboro (gracehillchatham.com), a church he helped plant.

We look forward to meeting you at any of these services and in the future, and invite you to pray with us as we seek a new pastor. To learn more, go to oakleybaptist.org or email us at oakleybaptistchurch@gmail.com.

from page A1

“to neutralize the threat,” said Sheri Ric Bradshaw. Trump, who often spends weekends at the Palm Beach, Florida, resort, was at the White House at the time. Investigators have not identi ed a motive. Trump faced two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign, including one just a few miles from Mar-a-Lago when a man was spotted aiming a ri e through shrubbery while Trump was gol ng. Following Sunday’s incident, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said investigators believe Martin bought his shotgun while driving to Florida. Authorities said his family had recently reported him missing. Martin was from central North Carolina, where guns and hunting are a part of life, his cousin said. But whenever they’d go hunting or target shooting, Martin would never pick up a gun, Fields told The Associated Press on Sunday. He lived with his mother in a modest modular house

down a rutted sandy road near the town of Cameron. No one answered the door Monday, and the large police presence from the day before was gone. Martin’s sister was killed in a car accident a few years ago, and he has an older brother who’s in the military, Fields said.

For the past three years, Martin worked as a groundskeeper at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club.

“It’s tragic. I feel for his family,” said Kelly Miller, president of the course in nearby Southern Pines. “It’s just unfortunate what transpired. It was totally unexpected.”

Martin last year started a business to sell pen drawings he made, according to state records. A website matching the company name features illustrations of golf courses, buildings and ancient Roman architecture.

Politics didn’t seem to be among his interests, his cousin said.

“We are big Trump supporters, all of us. Everybody,” Fields said, but his cousin was “real quiet, never really talked about anything.”

Wolfpack Women’s Basketball Camp at N.C. State University in Raleigh.

To be eligible to apply, the student must be in the sixth or seventh grade during the upcoming school year, have permission from a parent or guardian to attend the overnight camp and must provide their own transportation if selected to attend.

Scan the QR code or visit CEMCPower.com for more information or to apply. e deadline for applications to both camps is March 31.

MAR-A-LAGO

NASA VIA AP

THE CONVERSATION

Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

COLUMN | ANDREW TAYLOR-TROUTMAN

A tribute to the Rev. Jesse Jackson

“If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it, I know I can achieve it.”

I ONCE OFFERED a prayer at a public gathering in which I was introduced by my ministerial title. Afterward, a gentleman came up to me and wagged his pointer nger in my face, “I believe only one man was ‘revered.’”

Honestly, I agree. The “revered one” in my faith tradition warned against those leaders who walked around with their chests pu ed out and made long-winded prayers to hear the sound of their voices.

But I also think that the Rev. Jesse Jackson deserves to be remembered with respect.

After the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson was one of the leaders who strove to pick up the mantle left by the fallen leader. He worked to build a “rainbow coalition” of poor and working-class citizens of di erent races and ethnicities in hopes “to transform the mind of America.” In the 1980s, he campaigned for the nomination of the president of the United States, and while he didn’t win, he helped to change the face of politics.

Like many preachers in his tradition, Jackson was a terri c orator with a rhythmic cadence: “If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it, I know I can achieve it.” These are clearly the words of an ambitious man. Jackson was criticized for his self-promotion. Public and family controversies also marred his image. I’m not here to cast stones.

It’s not easy to be a pastor in today’s culture. Religions, like many institutions, have fallen from public trust, and

COLUMN | BOB WACHS

admittedly, corrupt and crooked pastors are a tragic contributing factor. Religious leaders who believe they deserve worship are not what we need.

At his best, Jackson identi ed with people who struggled at the bottom of American society; he claimed to speak for “the desperate, the damned, the disinherited, the disrespected and the despised.” He foreshadowed the modern progressive movement of a multiracial coalition confronting inequality. What I nd most laudable was that Jackson’s professed alignment with the poor and oppressed was the identical platform of an ancient rabbi who claimed to be found “among the least of my family” (Matthew 25).

Jackson delivered his most famous speech at the 1988 Democratic Convention, concluding with the shout, “Keep hope alive!” Twenty years later, another African American man campaigned for president on a message of hope. When Barack Obama won the election, a photograph captured Jackson with tears streaming down his face. To me, this photograph could be captioned with the psalm, “Joy comes in the morning.”

May his memory continue to inspire us to revere the best in each other. Keep hope alive.

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.

Life’s lessons learned from bagging groceries

Along with the perishable food items were numerous nonperishable things which are not food, things which live in rooms other than the kitchen.

THE OTHER DAY my wife paid her weekly visit to the grocery store, bringing home valuable and necessary food items — things like big jars of extra-crunchy Jif peanut butter, which I often consume via spoon, a feat which explains in part my current physical pro le.

There were other important things, as well, things like jars of V8 juice, which goes well with Jif extra-crunchy. There were also raspberry preserves, which I like on pumpernickel rye bread, fudge-stripe cookies and a host of other nutritious, well-balanced foods.

Along with the perishable food items were numerous nonperishable things which are not food, things which live in rooms other than the kitchen. Among those are soft, u y tissues and toothpaste, essential items for today’s world. In the past, we have also gotten bird seed, dog feed, antifreeze and motor oil o our friendly grocer’s shelves. Simply put, today you can get all kinds of nongrocery things at a grocery store.

The fact it took several dollars to accomplish her haul didn’t bother me. I’m thankful we can do that from time to time. And the fact there were many bags wasn’t a big deal either. I’m con dent she left enough in the store for a few other folks. But as I helped her bring in her (our) goodies, I was struck by the number of plastic bags used to get the stu home and how the items were “bagged.” My mind immediately went back to my teenage bag-boy days at the Progressive Store in Pittsboro. Now long gone, it stood where the town’s parking lot is, o the street between Hillsboro Street’s tra c signal and the Pittsboro Baptist Church buildings.

Shirley’s haul the other day featured one loaf of bread in a bag, a bag of sugar by itself in a bag, a bunch of cans way too heavy for the one layer of bag they were in, and a host of other creations which made no sense to me. The reason for such attention, I now know, is because in my day, bagging groceries wasn’t just chucking items at plastic bags. Rather, it was an art, carefully taught by the masters of such (older bag

boys), studied in great detail and re ned on the y through repeated experiences, all sometimes painful.

And plastic bags? No way. We used paper bags you could snap open that would then stand up for the pack. And there were boxes. Many folks wanted boxes so we saved them after stocking shelves, throwing them into a bin to be shed out later when a customer asked for his or her goodies to be packed into one.

Box or bag, you learned to put square things like cereal or pasta boxes in the corners, to put some cans but not all in the centers, to double-bag if needed, to put bread on the top of an almost- lled bag, to not put cartons of Pepsis into a bag and to do it all using both hands at the same time. And then we’d take the groceries to the customer’s car.

I learned some valuable lessons then and there that became life lessons — lessons like focus on what you’re doing, don’t put the eggs on the bottom under two heads of cabbage, same for the bread, and don’t put bags of potatoes on top of anything, if you put milk in the bottom of a bag, it would eventually get the bottom wet and it would fall through, that some customers were nice and others weren’t and on and on.

Today, some 60 years since, I haven’t always followed those lessons. I know they’re still there; it’s just that I don’t always remember them. But it’s still a good thing to focus on what you’re doing. And don’t put your fragile eggs and bread of life under a load of heavy worry. Separate and center the heavy cans among other things. Sometimes it’s better just to leave the heavy potatoes o to the side by themselves. And when life gets moist and sweaty, take time to dry it o before proceeding. And, oh yeah, when you can, help other people carry their bags as you come and go into the grocery store of life. Usually makes things go better …

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

Dancing on a rooftop

Even my homemade, potent, cold brew co ee couldn’t touch my exhaustion.

THAT’S FABULOUS! I love plantar fasciitis! Dancing on a rooftop in my mind’s eye! Go, plantar fasciitis, go!! Whoa! Let’s back up. Thought I had a stress fracture in one foot, but even more worrying, a knot suddenly appeared in the middle of that same foot, with considerable ankle pain.

Waited eight days for an ortho appointment. A week to work myself into considerable anxiety, fear and certainty that I had ALS. Hey, I have a fertile mind, a disposition toward anxiety, and quite a stretch of unexpected — boom, boom, boom — physical challenges. (I did keep myself from googling ALS; wonderful new restraint on my part.)

Finally saw the ortho practitioner. X-rays, palpations and no apparent “red ags.” Doing absolute somersaults in my mind as I listened! It’s plantar fasciitis!! (Wondering when plantar fasciitis was last so celebrated?) Arriving home, I was exhausted. Even my homemade, potent, cold brew co ee couldn’t touch my exhaustion. Realized I’d been so lled with stress around this

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

Marco Rubio: more than just the good cop

In February 2025, the audience at Munich took Vance’s comments as insults. In February 2026, the audience, as evidenced by its standing ovation, took Rubio’s as compliments.

MY FIRST REACTION to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech, delivered on Valentine’s Day, at the Munich Security Conference, was, “Last year, President Donald Trump sent the bad cop, Vice President JD Vance. This year, he sent the good cop, Rubio. Progress.” In February 2025, the audience at Munich took Vance’s comments as insults. In February 2026, the audience, as evidenced by its standing ovation, took Rubio’s as compliments.

Yet, as even journalists writing on deadline quickly discerned, Rubio’s words were no less critical than Vance’s of what have been European elites’ cherished policies.

“Mass migration,” Rubio said, is “a crisis which is transforming and destabilizing societies all across the West.” He decried a “climate cult” and “energy policies” that “impoverished our people.” He condemned policies that “outsourced our sovereignty to international institutions” and “invested in massive welfare states.”

Red meat substance, suitable for delivery at any of the three Trump Republican National Conventions — more than have nominated any one person, the president might remind you, except for President Richard Nixon. But leavened, as the above quotations suggest, with frequent employment of the rst-person pronouns and adjectives — “we” (69 times in the text, by my count), “us” (11), “our” (65).

“What comforted worried attendees,” wrote Michael Froman, head of the Council on Foreign Relations and Obama trade negotiator, “was the undertone of the secretary’s remarks.”

But it wasn’t just the undertone that had many Republicans and others start thinking of Rubio as a possible future presidential candidate, despite his recent avowals of support for Vance for the Republican nomination in 2028.

And as a national leader with an intellectually serious grasp of history. Rubio began by summoning memories of the rst Munich conference, in 1963, when the Iron Curtain ran through a divided Germany and the Berlin Wall was just two years old.

Halfway through the speech, he went further back, to the postwar years when “our predecessors,” faced with a “Europe in ruins” and expanding communism, “recognized that decline was a choice, and it was a choice they refused to make.” An interesting way to frame the decisions that produced the Truman Doctrine and the NATO treaty.

Against that, he described the post-Cold War euphoria that “the rules-based global order” would replace national interest. “A foolish idea,” he said unemolliently, that “has cost us dearly.” A Trumpian take, followed by an implicit denunciation of opening up trade relations with China.

Rather than dwell on that critique, however, he segued back to “centuries of shared history, Christian faith, culture,

appointment that exhaustion was the natural outcome. Poof. Energy totally sucked up. (The mini-celebration for plantar fasciitis, however, was still ongoing in a corner of my mind.)

With each new medical appointment (and there have been a helluva lot of them lately) anxiety sees an opening and dives right in, leaving me feeling exhausted afterward. (Upcoming cliche, be warned.) I’m learning that being purely kind to myself is something of a panacea during the waiting period for appointments. Let’s face it, I’m not very skilled at being purely kind to myself, unless I have a searing reason for doing so. I’ve been too well trained by our “suck-it-up” culture. You’d think reaching a certain age would have provided me with all the wisdom I need. Dream on. At my august age, I won’t be growing any taller, but the kindness of my heart can still grow to be more inclusive of me. Take that, culture! Thanks, plantar fasciitis.

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

Obama is in no position to lecture us about decency

IN A RECENT INTERVIEW with “No Lie” podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen, former President Barack Obama claimed that conservatives do “the mean, angry, exclusive, us/them, divisive politics. That’s their home court. Our court is coming together.”

This is a jaw-dropping contention coming from a man who began his presidential aspirations accusing Americans who refused to embrace his brand of progressive politics of being “bitter” and clinging “to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them.”

Is there any group of people in the country who exude more “antipathy to people who aren’t like them” than progressives?

Virtually every poll taken on the issue nds Democrats are far less inclined to accept Republicans as friends or family members. This comes as no surprise to anyone who’s witnessed the screeching moralistic anger of the average leftist activist — a disposition popularized during the Obama era.

Obama’s entire scandal-ridden supercilious presidency was focused on coercing, browbeating and, ultimately, slandering the bitter clingers. In the former president’s vernacular, “coming together” simply meant accepting Obama’s worldview as incontrovertible truth.

And one of the most grating habits in this regard was Obama’s turning every tragedy and political event into a sermon about our collective failings.

heritage, language, ancestry,” all parts of “the common civilization to which we have fallen heir.”

This might have rankled, and perhaps was intended to rankle, the European Union leaders who, out of secular conviction or for fear of angering Muslim immigrants, successfully blocked mention of Europe’s “Christian roots” in the EU charter.

As he neared his peroration, Rubio celebrated Christopher Columbus and the English, Scots-Irish, French, German, Spanish and Dutch roots of Americans from Davy Crockett to “the cowboy archetype ... born in Spain.” Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez (D-N.Y.), in Munich for her rst security conference, ridiculed that last claim, apparently unaware that the Americas had no horses until Hernan Cortes brought some to Mexico in 1519.

More importantly, Rubio’s emphasis on America’s European heritage is a rebuke of the Franz Fanon-inspired theory, fostered on campuses for decades and sweeping the streets in post-Oct. 7, 2023, “anti-Zionist” demonstrations, that colonialism was the greatest evil in history, and that Europeans and Americans should do penance for their complicity.

Europeans are or should be aware, from the totalitarian tides of the 20th century, that there are worse evils than colonialism — and that to exclude di cult-to-assimilate immigrants is to commit another Holocaust.

But rather than belabor that last point, Rubio instead made the point earlier that “it was here, in Europe, where the ideas that planted the seeds of liberty that changed the world were born.” Including “the rule of law, the universities and the scienti c revolution,” plus Mozart and Beethoven, Dante and Shakespeare, Michelangelo and Leonardo, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

Europe should be “proud,” a word he repeated half a dozen times, “of its heritage and its history.” Proud of a “spirit of creation and liberty that sent ships out into uncharted seas and birthed our civilization,” with a Europe that has the means to defend itself and the will to survive.”

Among American and European elites, open expression of pride is something, well, just not done. They prefer to denounce the “systemic racism” of their fellow citizens or the “oppressive colonialism” of their forebears, to disparage the motives of “settlers” and idealize the virtues of the “indigenous.”

But pride in one’s nation and one’s civilization, properly understood, is not a warrant for self-satisfaction but a summons to duty, a reminder that for us to whom much has been given, much is asked. In Munich, Rubio was not just Trump’s good cop but a mature American leader towering above the crowd.

Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner. (Copyright 2026 Creators.com)

IN TOUCH

BE

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

Obama, the only president to that point to belittle the notion of American exceptionalism, would go abroad and tell the world that the “future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.”

Slandering Christians in the United States, on the other hand, was no problem. The Obama administration spent years trying to destroy the Little Sisters of the Poor for their faithbased objections to paying for condoms. The Obama- era Democrats normalized the legal war on orthodox Christianity, meant to chill speech and compel progressive cultural supremacy, a cause that’s not abated to this day.

The inclusive Obama, who had hitched his career to Black Liberation theologians like the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and irted with the Nation of Islam (a picture of a smiling Obama meeting with black supremacist Louis Farrakhan was hidden during his presidency), was the rst president to engage in anti-Jewish dual loyalty tropes against Americans who opposed his obsession with rewarding Iran with nuclear weapons.

But perhaps worst of all, the rst black president in history, Obama, did everything he could to roll back 40 years of progress on race relations.

There seemingly wasn’t a single “racial” incident anywhere in the country that Obama wouldn’t exacerbate and exploit for political purposes.

It began with his contention that “Cambridge police acted stupidly” after local police arrested historian Henry Louis Gates Jr., who was seen breaking into his own house, and continued with the killing of Trayvon Martin in an altercation with a neighborhood watch volunteer. Obama implored 350 million Americans, none of whom had anything to do with the case, to do “soul-searching.”

“If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon,” Obama said. “Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago.” The implication, of course, was that young black men were being killed solely due to their color.

Martin’s shooter, George Zimmerman, was found not guilty by a jury, and Obama’s Justice Department did not le civil rights charges. Nothing, however, tops Obama’s detestable speech at the funeral of ve Dallas police o cers, murdered by a racist anti-cop extremist at Black Lives Matter protest in 2016. “None of us are entirely innocent” when it comes to “racial discrimination,” the president noted, “and this includes our police departments.”

Obama invoked the names of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, two black men who had been recently shot by police, not only creating a false equivalency but also basically rationalizing the anger of the shooter.

It’s worth remembering that neither of the investigations into Sterling and Castile had even been concluded at the time. In 2017, Obama’s Department of Justice didn’t charge the police in the killing of Sterling.

By 2016, Gallup found that 46% of Americans believed race relations had worsened during his presidency, compared with 29% who felt they improved. A 2016 New York Times poll found 69% of Americans described race relations as “generally bad.”

Obviously, Americans are divided because we have deep -seated, legitimate and meaningful disagreements about the future. That’s why politics exists. The political “unity” that Democrats claimed to strive for only exists in dictatorships. The inability to accept this made Obama the most divisive president of the modern age.

Which isn’t to say that subsequent presidents brought us together. Far, far from it. It’s to say that Obama changed the way presidents spoke about and to their constituents. It was Obama’s systematic subversion of norms that made Donald Trump possible.

We don’t need any more of his lectures.

David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner. Harsanyi is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of ve books. (Copyright 2026 Creators.com)

obituaries

IN MEMORY

EDNA LOUISE NALL HAITHCOX MAY

23, 1943 – FEB. 21, 2026

Edna Louise Nall Haithcox, 82, of Moncure peacefully left this world to be with her savior Friday February 21st surrounded by her family. Louise, as her family a ectionally called her, was born May 23,1943 in Hot Springs, Arkansas to William Berry and Charlotte Elizabeth Nall. The growing Nall family moved to Mississippi when Louise was 6. Finally settling in southern Florida, more siblings followed, making Louise the eldest of nine. After attending The University of Miami, Louise earned a Teaching Degree in Mathematics Education. Spending the rst three years of her career between Florida and Pennsylvania she and her husband along with their three kids moved to North Carolina. After settling in Moncure, Louise spent the rest of her career at Moncure Elementary teaching Math and Social Studies. During her exceptionally long career Louise taught at least 2 generations of families including all three of her children, two grandchildren, and at least 10 nieces, nephews, and great nephews.

In addition to her parents, Louise was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Robert Loften “Bob” Haithcox, their son William Nall (Billy) Haithcox and her sister Lucy Nall. She leaves behind her son Robert (Rene’) of Moncure, her daughter Charlotte (Bill) of Moncure, her daughter-in-law Wendy Haithcox Lee of FL, four grandchildren Justin (Halley), Ashton, Abigail, and Nicholas and one great granddaughter, Arden, with whom she was smitten. Louise also leaves behind three brothers, Bill (Terry), George (Kay), and James Nall, four sisters, Charlotte, Nancy, Liz, and Gini (Eric) Nall, one sisterin-law Shirley (Duncan) Harrington and many nieces and nephews.

Eric L. Baines

3/28/66-01/22/26

Memorial service

Eric L. Baines, 59 of Charlotte, North Carolina, originally from Siler City, will be Saturday, March 7, 2026 at God’s Way Fellowship from 4 pm - 5 pm.

Address: 1121 12th St. Siler City, North Carolina

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

Willie Colón, architect of urban salsa music, dead at 75

The Grammy-nominated musician championed social activism alongside his approach to salsa

The Associated Press

WILLIE COLÓN, the Grammy-nominated architect of urban salsa music and social activist, died Saturday. He was 75.

Over his decades-long career, the trombonist, composer, arranger and singer produced more than 40 albums that sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. He collaborated with a wide range of artists, including the Fania All Stars, David Byrne and Celia Cruz.

His celebrated collaboration with Rubén Blades, “Siembra,” became one of the bestselling salsa albums of all time, and the pair were known for addressing social issues through the genre.

Colón’s family and manager con rmed his death through social media posts.

“Willie didn’t just change salsa; he expanded it, politicized it, clothed it in urban chronicles, and took it to stages where it hadn’t been heard before,” manager Pietro Carlos wrote. “His trombone was the voice of the people, an echo of the Caribbean in New York, a bridge between two cultures.”

Colón, who was nominated for 10 Grammys and one Latin Grammy, made famous songs such as “El gran varón,” “Sin poderte hablar,” “Casanova,” “Amor verdad” and “Oh, qué será.”

Blades said on the social platform X that he con rmed “what I was reluctant to believe” and o ered his condolences to Colón’s family.

Born in New York’s Bronx borough, Colón was raised by his grandmother and aunt, who from a young age nurtured him with traditional Puerto Rican music and the typical rhythms of the Latin American repertoire, including Cuban son and tango.

At age 11, he ventured into the world of music, rst with ute, then bugle, trumpet and nally trombone, with which he stood out in the then-nascent genre of salsa.

His interest in trombone arose after hearing Barry Rogers playing it on “Dolores,” Mon

Colón, considered by many to be the “architect of urban salsa,” died Saturday. He was 75.

Rivera’s song with Joe Cotto.

“It sounded like an elephant, a lion ... an animal. Something so di erent that, as soon as I heard it, I said to myself: ‘I want to play that instrument,’” he recalled in an interview published in the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo in 2011.

At 17, he joined the group of artists that formed the famous record label Fania Records, led and created by Jerry Masucci and Johnny Pacheco. Fania was largely responsible for the new sound that was produced in the Latin world of New York and would later be called “salsa.”

Colón’s main characteristic as a musician was the fusion of rhythms, as he harmonized jazz, rock, funk, soul and R&B with the old Latin school of Cuban son, cha-cha-cha, mambo and guaracha, adding the nostalgia of the traditional Puerto Rican sound that encompasses jíbara, bomba and plena music.

In 2004 the Latin Recording Academy awarded Colón a special Grammy for his career and contributions to music.

As a community leader, Colón fought for civil rights, mostly in the United States. He was part of the Hispanic Arts Association, the Latino Commission on AIDS, the Arthur Schomburg Coalition for a Better New York and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, among others.

In 1991, he was honored with the Chubb fellowship from Yale University, a public service rec-

ognition also awarded to the likes of John F. Kennedy, Moshe Dayan, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Ronald Reagan, among others. In the political arena, he served as special assistant to David Dinkins, New York’s rst black mayor, and was later appointed special assistant and adviser to Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Colón had little luck running for public o ce himself, however. He failed in a challenge to then-U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel in the 1994 Democratic primary, and in 2001 came in third in the Democratic primary for New York’s public advocate.

He backed Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2008, but he told the Observer that he voted for Donald Trump in 2016. Colón had public clashes with artists and politicians. His friendship with Blades ruptured after Colón sued for breach of contract over the 2003 concert “Siembra ... 25 years later,” held in Puerto Rico. He also sparked a controversy when he called the then-president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez “rotten” on a social network.

Colón acted in lms such as “Vigilante,” “The Last Fight” and “It Could Happen to You,” and on TV in “Miami Vice” and “Demasiado Corazón.” More recently, he appeared in Bad Bunny’s music video for “NuevaYol.” He is survived by his wife and four sons.

2-time WNBA champion Kara Braxton dead at 43 after fatal car crash

Georgia’s SEC Freshman of the Year spent 10 seasons in the WNBA

By Doug Feinberg The Associated Press

TWO-TIME WNBA champion Kara Braxton died after being in a car crash in Atlanta on Saturday. She was 43.

The athletic department at Georgia, where Braxton played in college, texted The Associated Press con rmation of her death on Monday and posted on social media. Her son, Jelani Thurman, posted a photo of his younger self in his mother’s jersey on social media and wrote that he we will miss his “queen.”

Braxton last played in the WNBA in 2014 while nishing up a four-year stint with New York. She won two titles with the Detroit Shock in 2006 and 2008. She celebrated her birthday last week.

“It is with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of 2x WNBA Champion Kara Braxton,” the league said on social media on Sunday night. “A

JESSICA HILL / AP PHOTO

New York Liberty’s Kara Braxton walks on the court at the end Game 1 of an opening-round WNBA playo series against Connecticut in Uncasville, Connecticut, in 2012.

10-season veteran, Kara played with the Detroit Shock, Tulsa Shock, Phoenix Mercury, and New York Liberty. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and

former teammates at this time.” The 6-foot-6 Braxton was drafted by Detroit with the seventh pick in 2005. She earned All-Rookie honors that season after averaging 6.9 points and 3.0 rebounds. She played half of a season with the franchise when it moved to Tulsa in 2010 before getting traded to Phoenix for the second half of the year.

Braxton then played the rst 18 games in Phoenix in 2011 before being acquired by New York. She played with the Liberty until 2014 when she was waived after playing four games.

“We mourn the loss of Kara Braxton, a former Liberty player whose presence and passion left a lasting impact on our organization and the women’s game,” the Liberty posted on social media.

Braxton was SEC Freshman of the Year for Georgia in 2002. Thurman played football for Ohio State and won a national championship with the Buckeyes in 2024. He has since transferred to North Carolina.

Braxton is also survived by her husband Jarvis Jackson and their young son Jream.

ANDRES LEIGHTON / AP PHOTO

Willie Colon plays the trombone while performing the song

“La Murga” during a tribute concert in honor of the late salsa music pioneer Hector Lavoe in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2007.

Eric Dane, star of ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ ‘Euphoria,’ dead at 53

The “McSteamy” actor died less than a year after his ALS diagnosis

By Maria Sherman The Associated Press

ERIC DANE, the celebrated actor best known for his roles on “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Euphoria” and who later in life became advocate for ALS awareness, died last Thursday. He was 53. His representatives said Dane died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known also as Lou Gehrig’s disease, less than a year after he announced his diagnosis.

“He spent his nal days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world,” said a statement that requested privacy for his family. “Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a di erence for others facing the same ght. He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received.”

Dane was born Nov. 9, 1972, and raised in California. His father, a Navy man, died of a gunshot wound when he was 7. After high school, he moved to Los Angeles to purse acting, landing guest roles on

shows like “Saved by the Bell,” “Married...With Children,” “Charmed” and “X-Men: the Last Stand” and one season of the short-lived medical drama “Gideon’s Crossing.”

His big break arrived in the mid-2000s when he was cast as Dr. Mark Sloan, a.k.a. McSteamy, on the ABC medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy,” a role he would play from 2006 until 2012 and reprise in 2021. In 2019, he did a complete 180 and became Cal Jacobs, a troubled married man, in HBO’s provocative drama, “Euphoria,” a role he continued in up until his death.

Dane also starred as Tom Chandler, the captain of a U.S. Navy destroyer at sea after a global catastrophe wiped out most of the world’s population, in the TNT drama “The Last Ship.” In 2017, production was halted as Dane battled depression.

In April 2025, Dane announced he had been diagnosed with ALS, a progressive disease that attacks nerve cells controlling muscles throughout the body.

ALS gradually destroys the nerve cells and connections needed to walk, talk, speak and breathe. Most patients

die within three to ve years of a diagnosis.

Dane became an advocate for ALS awareness, speaking a news conference in Washington, D.C., on health insurance prior authorization. “Some of you may know me from TV shows, such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” which I play a doctor. But I am here today to speak brie y as a patient battling ALS,” he said in June 2025. In September of that year, the ALS Network named Dane the recipient of their advocate of the year award, recognizing his commitment to raising awareness and support for people living with ALS.

A memoir by Dane is scheduled to be published in late 2026. “Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments” will be released by Maria Shriver’s The Open Field, a Penguin Random House imprint. According to Open Field, Dane will look back upon key moments in his life, from his rst day at work on “Grey’s Anatomy” to the births of his two daughters and learning that he has ALS.

“I want to capture the moments that shaped me — the beautiful days, the hard ones, the ones I never took for granted — so that if nothing else, people who read it will remember what it means to live with heart,” Dane said in a statement around the book’s announcement. “If sharing this helps someone nd meaning in their own days, then my story is worth telling.”

“Some of you may know me from TV shows, such as ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ which I play a doctor. But I am here today to speak brie y as a patient battling ALS.”

Eric Dane during a June 2025 news conference

Dane is survived by his wife, actor Rebecca Gayheart, and their two teen daughters, Billie Beatrice and Georgia Geraldine. Gayheart and Dane wed in 2004 and separated in September 2017. Gayheart led for divorce in 2018, but later led to dismiss the petition. In a December essay for New York magazine’s The Cut re ecting on Dane’s diagnosis, Gayheart called their dynamic “a very complicated relationship, one that’s confusing for people.” She said they never got a divorce, but dated other people and lived separately.

“Our love may not be romantic, but it’s a familial love,” she said. “Eric knows that I am always going to want the best for him. That I’m going to do my best to do right by him. And I know he would do the same for me. So whatever I can do or however I can show up to make this journey better for him or easier for him, I want to do that.”

ing to make the best jar that’s ever been made.”

particularly in the Appalachian region where the show was lmed — distilling has long been intertwined with agriculture.

The state’s moonshine tradition dates back to 18th-century Scotch-Irish settlers who brought copper stills and distilling knowledge into the mountains. For generations, farmers converted excess corn into untaxed whiskey, creating a crucial income stream in rural economies. Hidden woodland stills became part of the landscape, and the illicit white liquor evolved into a symbol of independence and resistance to federal taxation. North Carolina would eventually earn the nickname “Moonshine Capital of the World.”

That underground enterprise also gave rise to another industry. Bootleggers modi ed cars to outrun law enforcement while transporting liquor through the mountains — mechanical innovations that later evolved into organized stock car racing and, ultimately, NASCAR.

Stevens’ work today is legal hobbyist craft, but it remains rooted in that same agricultural logic: grain in, value-added product out.

When his children grew up and moved out, Stevens found himself looking for a hobby. Watching television shows about moonshining sparked an idea. What began as curiosity turned into hours of study, experimentation and re nement.

“There’s probably some history of drinking it in my family,” he said with a laugh. “But not making it.”

He learned through research and trial and error, building technique the same way many farmers learn new equipment or crop rotations — by doing. Over time, the hobby became less about novelty and more about precision.

“I wanted to make something better than what you could buy,” Stevens said. “Try-

His approach leans small batch rather than mass production. From 50 gallons of fermented mash, he might yield about ve gallons of nished spirits after carefully separating the unusable “heads” from the drinkable “hearts.”

He prefers whiskey in the 90- to 100-proof range — strong but balanced — and fruit brandies around 80 proof.

“You can’t enjoy 150 proof,” he said. “I don’t want two sips and then I’m done for the night.”

Where Stevens separates himself is in his grain selection. He favors heritage varieties such as Hickory King white corn and Jimmy Red, a nearly extinct South Carolina grain revived from just two surviving cobs after the original grower died. Jimmy Red is the corn he used during lming.

For Stevens, using older grains connects agriculture and distilling — past and present. Grain quality matters on the farm, and it matters in a mash bill.

Beyond the barn, Stevens has found a sizable audience. He joined TikTok to share his process and discovered a large home-distilling community. Today, he has roughly 190,000 followers, many of whom are hobbyists re ning their own craft.

Still, farming remains the foundation. Stevens would eventually like to pursue a legal partnership with an established distillery to produce his recipes commercially. For now, the focus is the farm — and March 3. Filming lasted 11 days in Asheville. Stevens spent roughly 42 hours on set, about 20 in front of the camera, all distilled into 42 minutes of television.

From Bear Creek elds to a national stage, a craft rooted in North Carolina’s agricultural past is about to air coast to coast.

STEVENS from page A1

PHOTO COURTESY DANIEL STEVENS

Tim Jones, an international spirits expert and one of the judges on the show, poses with Daniel Stevens for a photo after taping “Moonshiners.”

JORDAN STRAUSS / AP PHOTO

Actor Eric Dane arrives at a promotional event for the series “Euphoria” in Los Angeles on April 20, 2022.

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TAKE NOTICE

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, CHATHAM COUNTY 25 SP 117

Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Jared Spruill, Mortgagor(s), in the original amount of $197,150.00, to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., (“MERS”) as bene ciary as nominee for AdvantageFirst Lending Inc. , Mortgagee, dated January 21st, 2023 and recorded on February 9th, 2023 in Book 2347, Page 0562, as instrument number 01145, Chatham County Registry. Default having been made in the payment of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Anchor Trustee Services, LLC having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the O ce of the Register of Deeds of Chatham County, North Carolina, and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the courthouse door or other usual place of sale in Chatham County, North Carolina, at 1:00 PM on March 3rd, 2026, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property, to wit: All that certain lot or parcel of land situated in Matthews Township, Chatham County, North Carolina and more particularly described as follows: BEGINNING at the southern margin of East Raleigh Street and in the eastern margin of South 7th Avenue (formerly State Avenue) and running thence with the eastern margin of South 7th Avenue in a southerly direction 125 feet to a stake; thence in an easterly direction, a line parallel with East Raleigh Street, 75 feet to a stake; thence in a northerly direction with a line parallel with South 7th Avenue 125 feet to a stake in the southern margin of East Raleigh Street, thence in a westerly direction with the southern margin of East Raleigh Street 75 feet to the point of beginning, and being a portion of that certain real estate

NOTICE

Anthemnet, Inc proposes to build a 199-foot monopole communications tower at the approx. vicinity of 1879 Andrews Store Road, Pittsboro, Chatham County, NC 27312 [Lat: 35-48-57.4, Long: -79-7-29.8]. Public comments regarding potential e ects from this site on historic properties may be submitted within 30 days from the date of this publication to: Trileaf Corp, Hannah Dell, h.dell@ trileaf.com, 1775 The Exchange SE, Suite 525, Atlanta, GA 30339, 314-492-3468.

Public Notice

Chatham County Schools’ federal projects under Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 are presently being developed. Projects included: Title I (Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards)

Title II (High Quality Teachers and Principals)

Title III (Language Acquisition) Title IV A (Student Support and Academic Enrichment) Migrant Education Program (MEP) Career and Technical Education (CTE) High school students can enroll, without cost, in college credit classes through the Career and College Promise program. This includes Career and Technical Education pathways of study. IDEA (Students with Disabilities) The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEAPart B, Public Law 108.446) Project is presently being amended. The Project describes the special education programs that Chatham County Schools proposes for Federal funding for the 2026-2027 School Year. Interested persons are encouraged to review amendments to the Project and make comments concerning the implementation of special education under this Federal Program. All comments will be considered prior to submission of the amended Project to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction in Raleigh, North Carolina These projects describe the programs that Chatham County Schools proposes for federal funding for the 2026-2027 school year. Non-pro t private schools and interested persons are encouraged to review these federal guidelines for the above listed projects and indicate their interest in participation in the projects if quali ed. These projects are being developed during April and May and are due to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction on June 30, 2026. The initial Equitable Services for Private Schools meeting will be held on March 4, 2026, at 2:00 PM, in person, at the address listed below. Interested parties are encouraged to contact the o ce of Carol Little, Executive Director Federal Programs and School Improvement, at Chatham County Board of Education, P.O. Box 128, 468 Renaissance Dr, Pittsboro, N.C.

Spanish Version below: Aviso público Los proyectos federales de las Escuelas del Condado Chatham bajo la Ley Cada Estudiante Triunfa (ESSA) de 2015 están en proceso de plani cación. Los proyectos incluidos son: Título I (Ayuda a los niños desfavorecidos a alcanzar altos estándares)

Título II (Maestros y directores de alta calidad)

Título III (Adquisición del Lenguaje)

Título IV A (Apoyo al Estudiante y Enriquecimiento Académico) Programa de Educación para Familias Migrantes (MEP, por sus siglas en Inglés) Carreras y Educación Técnica (CTE, por sus siglas en Inglés) Los estudiantes de preparatoria pueden inscribirse, sin costo, en clases de créditos universitarios a través del programa Career and College Promise. Esto incluye vías de estudio de Educación Técnica y Profesional. IDEA (Estudiantes con Discapacidades) Actualmente se encuentra en proceso de modi cación el Proyecto de Ley de Educación para Personas con Discapacidad (IDEA-Parte B, Ley Pública 108.446). El Proyecto describe los programas de educación especial que las Escuelas del Condado Chatham proponen para nanciamiento federal para el año escolar 20262027. Se anima a las personas interesadas a revisar las enmiendas al Proyecto y hacer comentarios sobre la implementación de la educación especial bajo este Programa Federal. Todos los comentarios serán considerados antes de la presentación del Proyecto modi cado al Departamento de Instrucción Pública de Carolina del Norte en Raleigh, Carolina del Norte. Estos proyectos describen los programas que las Escuelas del Condado Chatham proponen para nanciamiento federal para el año escolar 20262027. Se anima a las escuelas privadas sin nes de lucro y a las personas interesadas a revisar estas pautas federales para los proyectos enumerados anteriormente e indicar su interés en participar en los proyectos si cali can. Estos proyectos se están desarrollando durante abril y mayo y deben entregarse al Departamento de Instrucción Pública de Carolina del Norte el 30 de junio del 2026. La reunión inicial de Servicios Equitativos para Escuelas Privadas se llevará a cabo el 4 de marzo del 2026 a las 2:00 PM, en persona en la dirección listada abajo. Se anima a las partes interesadas a comunicarse con la o cina de Carol Little, Directora Ejecutiva de Programas Federales y Mejoramiento Escolar, en la Junta de Educación del Condado de Chatham, P. O. Box 128, 468 Renaissance Dr, Pittsboro, N.C.

NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF ANNETTE ANN MORDUS All persons, rms, and corporations having claims against Annette Ann Mordus, now deceased, are noti ed to exhibit them to Sandrah Pederson, Executor of the decedent’s estate, on or before the 5th day of May, 2026, at Post O ce Box 2290, Burlington, North Carolina 27216, or be barred from their recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment to the above-named Executor. Sandrah Pederson Executor of the Estate of Annette Ann Mordus (25E000646-180) Nathan R. Adams Pittman & Steele, PLLC Post O ce Box 2290 Burlington, NC 27216 336-270-4440 The Chatham News & Record February 5, 12, 19 and 26, 2026

NOTICE

ALL PERSONS, rms and corporations holding claims against Dorothy H King aka Dorothy King Harris aka Dorothy Herring King, deceased, of Chatham County, NC are noti ed to exhibit same to the undersigned on or before May 29, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This 26th day of February 2026. Sandra King McGraw, Exec., c/o Clarity Legal Group, PO Box 2207, Chapel Hill, NC 27515. Notice to Creditors

Having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of MARGARET KAY HIRSCHMAN HICKS, late of Chatham County, North Carolina (26E000085-180), the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 29th day of May, 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 26th day of February 2026. Charles Hirschman Administrator of the Estate of Margaret Kay Hirschman Hicks c/o Lisa M. Schreiner Attorney at Law P.O. Box 446 114 Raleigh Street Fuquay Varina, NC 27526 (For publication: 02/26, 03/05, 03/12, 03/19/2026)

CREDITOR’S NOTICE

Having quali ed on the 30th day of October 2025, as Administrator of the Estate of Edward Joe Truett, 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 20th day of May, 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 10th day of February 2026. W. Woods Doster, Administrator of the Estate of Edward Joe Truett 206 Hawkins Ave Sanford, NC 27330

Attorneys: Law O ces of Doster & Brown, P.A. 206 Hawkins Avenue Sanford, NC 27330 Publish On: February 19th, February 26th, March 5th & 12th 2026.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

26E000060-180 NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY The undersigned, Linda Sue Eubanks, having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Susan D. Eubanks, deceased, late of Chatham County, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the day of May 6, 2026 or this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 5th day of February 2026. Linda Sue Eubanks

Administrator

Marie H. Hopper

Attorney for the Estate Hopper Cummings, PLLC Post O ce Box 1455 Pittsboro, NC 27312

NOTICE TO CREDITORS:

Chatham County, North Carolina RE: THE ESTATE OF JOHN THOMAS NASH –

25E000476-180 Having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of John Thomas Nash, deceased, Chatham County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 20th day of May, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 19th day of February, 2026. Leigh Goodwin, Executrix DSR Legal, PLLC PO Box 51596 Durham, NC 27717

NOTICE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHATHAM PUBLIC NOTICE HEARING ON INTENT TO PERMANENTLY CLOSE A PORTION OF NC HWY 902

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Chatham County Board of Commissioners has scheduled a public hearing to consider the closing of a portion of NC HWY 902. The public hearing has been scheduled for March 16, 2026, at 6:00 o’clock p.m. at the Superior Court Courtroom, Historic Chatham County Courthouse, Pittsboro, North Carolina at 9 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro NC 27312. The hearing is being held pursuant to the provisions of NCGS §153A-241 and the Resolution of Intent to Permanently Close a portion of NC HWY 902 that was approved and adopted by the Chatham County Board of Commissioners on February 16, 2026 upon Petition led by Gavin Mekemson, Maura McKeon and Triple A Homes, Inc. (“Petitioner”).

This the 16th day of February, 2026. Chatham County Board of Commissioners ATTEST: Clerk to the Board Chatham County Board of Commissioners

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Sandra G. Funk aka Sandra Gail Funk, Deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate to exhibit them to the undersigned at the o ces of Tillman, Whichard & Cagle, PLLC, 501 Eastowne Drive, Suite 130, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, on or before the 19th day of May, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment. This 19th day of February, 2026. SARAH ELIZABETH TILLMAN, EXECUTOR ESTATE OF SANDRA G. FUNK AKA SANDRA GAIL FUNK

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

26E000079-180

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

The undersigned, James Yuschik, having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Elaine Marie Gregg, deceased, late of Chatham County, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the day of May 27, 2026 or this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 26th day of February 2026. James Yuschik

Administrator Marie H. Hopper Attorney for the Estate Hopper Cummings, PLLC Post O ce Box 1455 Pittsboro, NC 27312

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#26E000097-180 The undersigned RICKY HALL, having quali ed on the 19TH Day of FEBRUARY 2026 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of MICHAEL ALLEN HALL, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 26TH Day OF MAY 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 26TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2026. RICKY HALL, ADMINISTRATOR 881 BIG PEAK CREEK ROAD LAUREL SPRINGS, NC 28644 Run dates: F26,M5,12,19p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having quali ed as Executor/Administrator of the Estate of Donald G. Cheek, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against the estate to present them to the undersigned on or before May 19, 2026 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 19 day of February, 2026. Danis A. Smith

Executor/Administrator of the Estate of Donald G Cheek Jr 3630 Lyle Creek Ave NE Conover, NC 28613

Dates of Publication: February 19, 2026

February 26, 2026

March 5, 2026 March 12, 2026

Notice to Creditors

All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Patricia C. Dutcher, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before June 1, 2026 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 26th day of February, 2026.

Paul C. Dutcher, Administrator c/o W. Thomas McCuiston 200 Towne Village Drive Cary, NC 27513

NOTICE

ALL PERSONS, rms, and corporations having claims against Frederick R Stagg, Jr., deceased, of Chatham County, N.C., are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before May 19th, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment.

This the 19th of February, 2026. Ryan Frederick Pamplin, Executor of the Estate of Frederick R Stagg, Jr., c/o Jessica Mantekas, Attorney, 1255 Crescent Green, Suite 200, Cary, NC 27518.

Notice to Creditors

ALL PERSONS, rms and corporations having claims against Virginia Dare Taylor, deceased, of Chatham County, NC, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before May 22, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment.

This the 19th day of February, 2026. Sherra Chedaille, Executor, c/o Bagwell Holt Smith P.A., 111 Cloister Court, STE 200, Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Notice to Creditors

ALL PERSONS, rms and corporations having claims against Suzanne Duvall Steward, deceased, of Chatham County, NC, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before May 15, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment.

This the 12th day of February, 2026. Laura Strickler, Executor, c/o Bagwell Holt Smith P.A., 111 Cloister Court, STE 200, Chapel Hill, NC 27514

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

25E000671-180

ALL persons having claims against June A. Keefe, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before May 05 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 5th day of February, 2026. KEVIN KEEFE, Co-Executor JOSEPH KEEFE, Co-Executor C/O Howard Stallings Law Firm PO Box 12347 Raleigh, NC 27605 F5, 12, 19 and 26

NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF Mary Jane C. McKenney

All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Mary Jane C. McKenney, late of Chatham, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit them to William P. McKenney, Esq. as Executor of the decedent’s estate on or before May 15, 2026, c/o Janet B. Witchger, Attorney at Law, 1414 Raleigh Rd., Ste. 203, Chapel Hill, NC 27517, or be barred from their recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment to the above-named Executor. This the 12th day of February 2026. William P. McKenney, Esq., Executor c/o Janet B. Witchger, Atty. TrustCounsel 1414 Raleigh Rd., Ste. 203 Chapel Hill, NC 27517

NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF Frederick Oscar Bowman, Jr. All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Frederick Oscar Bowman, Jr., late of Chatham, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit them to Frederick O. Bowman, III or John S. Bowman as Co-Executors of the decedent’s estate on or before May 23, 2026, c/o Janet B. Witchger, Attorney at Law, 1414 Raleigh Rd., Ste. 203, Chapel Hill, NC 27517, or be barred from their recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment to the above-named Executor.

This the 19th day of February 2026. Frederick O. Bowman, III, Co-Executor John S. Bowman, Co-Executor c/o Janet B. Witchger, Atty.

TrustCounsel 1414 Raleigh Rd., Ste. 203 Chapel Hill, NC 27517

Notice to Creditors

ALL PERSONS, rms and corporations having claims against Susan Trivitt Dotson, deceased, of Chatham County, NC, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before May 8, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 5th day of February, 2026. William Claude Cornette III, Executor, c/o Bagwell Holt Smith P.A., 111 Cloister Court, STE 200, Chapel Hill, NC 27514

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#26E000081-180

The undersigned

RHONDA BOONE POE, having quali ed on the 11TH Day of FEBRUARY 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of BARBARA HOLT BOONE, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 19TH Day OF MAY 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 19TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2026. RHONDA BOONE POE, EXECUTOR 4577 PINEY GROVE CHURCH RD SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: F19,26,M5,12p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#26E000033-180 The undersigned KENNETH WARREN STURDIVANT, having quali ed on the 10TH Day of FEBRUARY 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of LARRY STURDIVANT, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 19TH Day OF MAY 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 19TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2026. KENNETH WARREN STURDIVANT, EXECUTOR 714 MT. PISGAH CHURCH RD. APEX, NC 27523 Run dates: F19,26,M5,12p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#25E000660-180 The undersigned ANN PATRICIA RILEY, having quali ed on the 14TH Day of JANUARY 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of MARY RILEY SEGAL, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 12TH Day OF MAY 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 12TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2026. ANN PATRICIA RILEY, EXECUTOR 19 CHEMIN LEFEBVRE LA MINERVE QC J0T 150 CANADA MAIL TO: MICHAEL RILEY 154 HICKORY HILL

and a written agreement. A summary of the proposed incentive and project description will be available for public inspection at Pittsboro Town Hall and on the Town’s website no later than February 23, 2026. All interested persons are invited to attend and may be heard. Individuals requiring special accommodations should contact the

streams. Members of the public must attend in person if they wish to speak at the hearing. Contact the Town Clerk by 1 pm on March 9, 2026, with written comments or to sign up to speak at the public hearing. You can contact Town Clerk Carrie Bailey at cbailey@pittsboronc.gov, (919) 282-6647, or PO Box 759, Pittsboro, NC 27312.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000087-180 The undersigned MARY BETH COOKE, having quali ed on the 17TH Day of FEBRUARY 2026 as ADMINISTRATOR, CTA of the Estate of JAMES FRANKLIN WARFFORD, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 26TH Day OF MAY 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 26TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2026. MARY BETH COOKE, ADMINISTRATOR CTA 1176 ASHEFORD GREEN AVENUE NW CHARLOTTE, NC 28207 Run dates: F26,M5,12,19p

US House campaigns underway, yet redistricting battles triggered by Trump rages in several states

The president’s push for redistricting has sparked a national tit-for-tat clash

By David A. Lieb

The Associated Press

CANDIDATES ARE campaigning, and voting is underway in some primaries. Yet a national battle to redraw U.S. House districts for partisan advantage is still raging in some states ahead of the November midterm elections.

Final boundaries for congressional voting districts remain uncertain in Missouri, New York, Utah and Virginia. Governors in Florida and Maryland are pushing lawmakers to reshape House districts. And that all comes on top of redistricting changes already enacted in California, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas.

Voting districts typically are redrawn once a decade after each census. But President Donald Trump triggered an unusual round of mid-decade redistricting when he urged Texas Republicans last summer to redraw House districts to give the GOP an edge in the midterm elections. California Democrats reciprocated, and a tit-for-tat redistricting clash soon spread.

So far, Republicans believe they could win nine additional seats in states where they have redrawn congressional districts, while Democrats think they could gain six seats elsewhere because of redistricting. But that presumes past voting patterns hold in November. And that’s uncertain, especially since the party in power typically loses seats in the midterms and Trump faces negative approval ratings in polls.

Democrats need to gain just a few seats in November to wrest control of the House from Republicans, which could allow them to obstruct Trump’s agenda.

REDISTRICTING BATTLEGROUNDS

Virginia

Current map: six Democrats, ve Republicans Proposed map: A new U.S. House map passed by the Democratic-led General Assembly could help Democrats win up to four additional seats. To facilitate that, lawmakers referred a constitutional amendment to the April ballot that would allow mid-decade redistricting.

Challenges: A state judge temporarily blocked the April referendum after ruling that the

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increasingly leave online traces. The potential value to investigators of the data Google collects is obvious in cases with no suspect, such as the search for Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapper.

The legal tension between the need to solve crimes quickly and the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment protections against overly broad searches was at the heart of a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision that upheld the use of a reverse keyword warrant in a rape investigation.

Privacy advocates see it as giving police “unfettered access to the thoughts, feelings, concerns and secrets of countless people,” according to an amicus brief led in the Pennsylvania appeal by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Internet Archive and several library organizations.

In response to written questions about the warrants, Google provided an emailed statement:

“Our processes for handling law enforcement requests are designed to protect users’ privacy while meeting our legal obligations. We review all legal demands for legal validity, and we push back against those that are overbroad or improper, including objecting to some entirely.”

A break in the case

Pennsylvania State Police were stymied in their investigation into the violent rape of a woman in 2016 on a remote

amendment is invalid because lawmakers violated their own rules while passing it. Democrats are appealing.

Maryland

Current map: seven Democrats, one Republican Proposed map: The Democratic-led state House passed a redistricting plan backed by Democratic Gov. Wes Moore that could help Democrats win an additional seat.

Challenges: The Democratic state Senate president has said his chamber won’t move forward with redistricting because of concerns it could backre on Democrats.

Missouri

Current map: two Democrats, six Republicans New map: Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a revised House map into law last fall that could help Republicans win an additional seat. Challenges: Opponents submitted petition signatures in December to try to force a statewide referendum on the map. The Republican secretary of state has until August to determine whether the petition meets legal muster and has enough signatures. Meanwhile, several lawsuits are challenging the legality of the new districts.

Utah

Current map: no Democrats, four Republicans New map: A judge in November imposed revised House districts that could help Democrats win a seat. The court ruled that lawmakers had circumvented anti-gerrymander-

cul-de-sac outside Milton, a small community in the center of the state. With no clear leads, police obtained a warrant directing Google to disclose accounts that searched for the victim’s name or address over the week when she was attacked.

More than a year later, Google reported two searches for the woman’s address were made a few hours before the assault from a speci c IP address, a numeric designation that lists where a phone or computer lives on the internet.

That led them to the home of a state prison guard named John Edward Kurtz.

Police then conducted surveillance and collected a cigarette butt he discarded that matched DNA recovered from the victim, according to court records. He confessed to the rape and attacks involving four other women over a ve-year period, and was convicted in 2020. Now 51, he’s been sentenced to 59 to 280 years.

Kurtz’s attorneys argued police lacked probable cause to obtain the information and impinged on his privacy rights.

The state Supreme Court rejected those claims late last year but split on the reasons why.

Three justices said Kurtz should not have expected his Google searches to be private, while three more said police had probable cause to look for anyone who searched the victim’s address before the attack. But a dissenting justice said probable cause requires more than just a “bald hunch” and guessing that a per-

Challenges: The U.S. Supreme Court in December cleared the way for the new districts to be used in this year’s elections. It put on hold a lower-court ruling that blocked the new map because it was “racially gerrymandered.”

California

Current map: 43 Democrats, nine Republicans New map: Voters in November approved revised House districts drawn by the Democratic-led Legislature that could help Democrats win ve additional seats.

ing standards passed by voters when adopting the prior map.

Challenges: Republicans are challenging the judicial map selection in the state Supreme Court and in federal court.

New York

Current map: 19 Democrats, seven Republicans

Proposed map: A judge in January ordered a state commission to draw new boundaries for the only congressional district in New York City represented by a Republican, ruling it unconstitutionally dilutes the votes of black and Hispanic residents.

Challenges: Republicans lost an appeal in state court but have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case.

Florida

Current map: eight Democrats, 20 Republicans

Proposed map: Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis says he will call a special legislative session in April on congressional redistricting.

Challenges: A lawsuit asserts that DeSantis cannot legally call the special session. The state constitution says districts cannot be drawn with intent to favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent.

REDISTRICTING TRIUMPHS

Texas

Current map: 13 Democrats, 25 Republicans

New map: Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a revised House map into law last August that could help Republicans win ve additional seats.

petrator would have used Google.

Kurtz lawyer Douglas Taglieri made the same point in a court ling but conceded, “It was a good guess.”

Julia Skinner, a prosecutor in the case, said reverse keyword searches are much more e ective when there are specific and even unusual terms that can narrow results, such as a distinctive name or an address. They are also particularly e ective when crimes appear to have been planned out beforehand, she said.

“I don’t think they’re used super frequently because what you need to target has to be so speci c,” she said. There were 57 searches returned in the Kurtz case, but many of them were rst responders trying to locate the home in the immediate aftermath of the crime, Skinner said. Acting in good faith

In the similar case in Colorado, police sought the IP addresses of anyone who searched over a 15-day period for the address of a home where a deadly arson occurred. Authorities got IP addresses for 61 searches made by eight accounts, ultimately helping identify three teenage suspects.

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that although the keyword warrant was constitutionally defective for not specifying an “individualized probable cause,” the evidence could be used because police had act-

Challenges: The U.S. Supreme Court in February allowed the new districts to be used in this year’s elections. It denied an appeal from Republicans and the Department of Justice, which claimed the districts impermissibly favor Hispanic voters.

North Carolina

Current map: four Democrats, 10 Republicans New map: The Republican-led General Assembly gave nal approval in October to revised districts that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: A federal court panel in November denied a request to block the revised districts from being used in the midterm elections.

Ohio

Current map: ve Democrats, 10 Republicans New map: A bipartisan panel composed primarily of Republicans voted in October to approve revised House districts that improve Republicans’ chances of winning two additional seats.

Challenges: None. The state constitution required new districts before the 2026 election. Because Republicans had approved the prior maps without su cient Democratic support, they were required to expire after the 2024 election.

REDISTRICTING POSSIBILITIES

Louisiana

Current map: two Democrats, four Republicans

Proposal: Republican Gov. Je Landry signed legislation in October to delay the state’s primary election from April 18 until May 16. That could give lawmakers extra time to redraw House districts if the U.S. Su-

ed in good faith about what was known about the law at the time.

“If dystopian problems emerge, as some fear, the courts stand ready to hear argument regarding how we should rein in law enforcement’s use of rapidly advancing technology,” the majority of Colorado justices ruled.

Courts have long permitted investigators to seek things like bank records or phone logs. However, civil liberties groups say extending those powers to online keywords turns every search user into a suspect.

It’s unclear how many keyword warrants are issued every year — Google does not break down the total number of warrants it receives by type, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in a January 2024 brief.

The two groups said police working on the bombings in Austin, Texas, sought anyone who searched for terms such as “low explosives” and “pipe bomb.”

And in Brazil, investigators trying to solve the 2018 assassination in Rio de Janeiro of the politician Marielle Franco asked for those who searched for Franco’s name and the street where she lived. A Brazilian high court is expected to decide soon on the legality of those search disclosures.

Reverse keyword warrants are distinct from “geofence” warrants, where criminal investigators seek information about who was in a given area at a particu-

2

Districts altered by redistricing in North Carolina

preme Court overturns the current districts.

Challenges: The Supreme Court heard arguments in October but has not ruled yet.

Carolina

South

Current map: one Democrat, six Republicans

Proposed map: A legislative committee is considering a congressional redistricting plan that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: Republican legislative leaders are concerned the plan could back re, and time is running short before this year’s election.

Colorado

Current map: four Democrats, four Republicans

Proposed map: A proposed ballot initiative would authorize mid-decade redistricting and impose a new House map that could help Democrats win three additional seats.

Challenges: Organizers must gather enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. If approved by voters, the new districts couldn’t be used until the 2028 elections.

Washington

Current map: eight Democrats, two Republicans

Proposed map: Democratic lawmakers have proposed a constitutional amendment that would allow mid-decade redistricting.

Challenges: Democrats don’t hold the two-thirds majority needed in both legislative chambers to refer a proposed amendment to the ballot, meaning it is unlikely to be approved before the November election.

Wisconsin

Current map: two Democrats, six Republicans

Proposed map: Two lawsuits assert that congressional districts must be redrawn because they unconstitutionally favor Republicans.

Challenges: One case is not scheduled for trial until 2027, and it’s unclear whether the other case can be resolved before the midterm election.

lar time. The U.S. Supreme Court said last month it will rule on that method’s constitutionality. An index of deeply personal matters

For many people, their Google search history contains some of their most personal thoughts, from health issues and political beliefs to nancial decisions and spending patterns. Google is introducing more arti cial intelligence into its search engine, seemingly a way to learn even more about users.

“What could be more embarrassing,” asked University of Pennsylvania law professor and civil rights lawyer David Rudovsky, if every Google search “was now out there, gone viral?” Google warns users personal information can be shared outside the company when it has a “good-faith belief that disclosure of the information is reasonably necessary” to respond to applicable laws, regulations, legal processes or an “enforceable government request.”

In the Kurtz case, Pennsylvania Justice David Wecht drew a distinction between Kurtz deciding to search for the victim’s name on Google and a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision that limited the use of broad collections of cellphone location data.

“A user who wants to keep such material private has options,” Wecht wrote. “That user does not have to click on Google.”

KATE PAYNE / AP PHOTO

Opponents of mid-decade e orts to redraw congressional voting districts gather to protest in the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee on Dec. 2, 2025. PRIVACY

CHATHAM SPORTS

Seaforth’s baseball players stand in the dugout during a 2025 game.

Chatham County baseball preview

The 2026 season gets underway this week

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

Last year

Seaforth: 19-8, 12-1 ( rst in Mid-Carolina 1A/2A); exited third round of NCHSAA 2A playo s Northwood: 13-10, 8-5 (third in Mid-Carolina 1A/2A); exited rst round of NCHSAA 2A playo s Jordan-Matthews: 0-18, 0-11 (seventh in Mid-Carolina 1A/2A); missed playo s Chatham Central: 8-16, 5-7 (fourth in Mid-Carolina 1A/2A): exited rst round of NCHSAA 1A playo s Chatham Charter: 15-9,

8-0 ( rst in Central Tar Heel

1A): exited third round of NCHSAA 1A playo s Top returners

• Bauer Bowling (Seaforth, junior)

• Jaedyn Rader (Seaforth, senior)

• Bryce Huneycutt (Seaforth, junior)

• Easton Sykes (Seaforth, junior)

• Colin Dorney (Seaforth, senior)

• Finn Sullivan (Northwood, junior)

• Dylan Perry (Northwood, senior)

• Riley D’Angelo

(Northwood, sophomore)

• Brett Phillips (Chatham Central, junior)

• Brayden Brewer (Chatham Central, senior)

• Carson Jackson (Chatham Central, junior)

• Jace Young (Chatham Charter, senior)

• Tyner Williams (Chatham Charter, senior)

• Landon Moser (Jordan-Matthews, senior)

Key matchups

Seaforth vs. Grace Christian (April 17 and April 23): Seaforth will welcome a challenge against the back-to-back defending NCISAA 3A champions. Northwood vs. Uwharrie

PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Chatham Central’s Addison Goldston takes a swing against Seaforth in a 2025 matchup.

Chatham County softball preview

Local teams will begin the regular season this week

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

Last year

Seaforth: 16-7, 11-3 (second in Mid-Carolina 1A/2A); exited third round of NCHSAA 2A playo s Northwood: 4-16, 4-10 (sixth in Mid-Carolina 1A/2A); missed playo s Jordan-Matthews: 13 -9, 9-5 (third in Mid-Carolina 1A/2A); exited rst round of

NCHSAA 2A playo s Chatham Central: 204, 14-0 ( rst in Mid-Carolina 1A/2A); exited third round of NCHSAA 1A playo s Chatham Charter: 11-9, 6-3 (second in Central Tar Heel 1A); exited rst round of NCHSAA 1A playo s

Top returners

• Emma Grace Hill (Seaforth, junior)

• Annika Johansson (Seaforth, junior)

• Alyssa Harris (Seaforth, sophomore)

• Allison Bryant (Northwood, senior)

• Makenna Lux (Northwood, sophomore)

• Emma Payseur (Northwood, sophomore)

• Lilli Hicks (Jordan-Matthews, senior)

• Jasmine Sorto (Jordan-Matthews, junior)

• Addison Goldston (Chatham Central, sophomore)

See GIRLS, page B4

Charter (April 21 and April 24): A Four Rivers 3A/4A conference title will go through the Eagles, who have won three straight state titles.

Seaforth vs. Northwood (April 7 and April 8): The Battle of Pittsboro no longer has conference implications, but it’s still a prideful rivalry, nonetheless. Seaforth enters this season with a 4-3 lead in the series.

Chatham Charter vs. Falls Lake (March 18 and March 25); The Knights and the Firebirds face o in a rematch of last year’s meeting in the third round of the 1A playo s. TEAM OUTLOOK

Seaforth

7

Seaforth opponents won at least 15 games in 2025

Although they’ll miss two-way player Daniel White, the Hawks are returning 12 members from last year’s team that won 13 straight games before their playo loss. This season, the schedule is full of challenges as Seaforth will face seven opponents that won at least 15 games in 2025. The talented and experienced roster has plenty of chances to prove it can hang with some of the best programs in the state and make a deeper run in the state playo s. Northwood

Eskelund

The senior became the school’s rst swimmer in 2022

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

JESSE ESKELUND’S father Dave recalled then Chatham Central athletic director Tommy Peele giving him a “quizzical look” when he approached him about starting a school swimming team during a pre-winter sport meeting in 2022. In the school’s more than 60 -year history, no one had ever represented the Bears in a pool.

“I was like, if he wants to do it, we can try to make that happen,” Peele said. “Especially with swimming being a sport that you can compete in as an individual.”

The school assigned baseball coach Brett Walden as the coach of the one-man team, made things o cial with the NCHSAA and let Eskelund take care of the rest. He practiced with his club team year-round, only needing his high school coach or a school representative to take him to his meets.

In 2025, the Chargers fared well for a team with three seniors

COURTESY DAVE ESKELUND

Chatham Central’s Jesse Eskelund poses with his state championship medals.

And four years later, an initially bizarre inquiry resulted in state championships for Chatham Central’s athletic program.

Eskelund won the boys’ 100 free and the 50 free at the NCHSAA 1A-3A state championship meet in Cary on Feb. 13. “De nitely a really good feeling,” Eskelund said. “Just knowing all the hard work that

GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Shaylah Glover

Northwood, girls’ basketball

Northwood senior Shaylah Glover earns athlete of the week honors for the week of Feb. 16.

Glover posted a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double to lead the Chargers over Uwharrie Charter for the Four Rivers 3A/4A conference tournament title Friday. She also recorded three steals, a block and her only 3-point make of the year.

This season, Glover has logged three double-doubles. She’s averaging a career-high 9.7 points per game entering the state playo s.

from page B1

and multiple freshmen and sophomores playing crucial roles. This season, the experience gained will be put to the test. Northwood will compete in a tough Four Rivers 3A/4A conference with defending champions Uwharrie Charter and an Eastern Randolph team that made a regional nal appearance last spring. After winning 13 games in 2025, the Chargers are looking to continue its ascent as a program

and increase its wins for third straight year since the 7-15 campaign in 2023.

Chatham Central

Chatham Central graduated seven seniors, including six starters, from last year’s team.

The Bears will look to have key returners such as Brett Phillips and Brayden Brewer lead the way while new faces step into starting positions. After posting its worst win percent-

Horton sweeps county middle school championships

The Wildcats won their rst title under coach DeMarus Scurlock

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

Boys: Horton 60, Pollard 38

Horton forward Lorenzo Gatlin scored a team-high 22 points to lift the Wildcats to a Chatham County middle school basketball title over Pollard 60-38 Friday in Pittsboro.

Gatlin set the tone with 11 points in the rst quarter. He got most of his buckets in the paint and at the free throw line.

“(Gatlin) does everything,” Horton coach DeMarus Scurlock said. “He defends. He can shoot it from outside.”

Horton guard Tyson Toomer poured in 17 points, including four made 3s. As Pollard tried to make up ground in the second half, Toomer scored eight points in the fourth quarter to close out the victory.

“I think Tyson Toomer might be the best guard under 15 in Chatham County,” Scurlock said.

The win marked the rst championship for Horton under Scurlock, who took over for his dad, Kenneth, in the 2023-24 season. After falling short in the championship game twice, Scurlock said it’s an “amazing feeling” to see his players nally take the crown.

“It’s a relief,” Scurlock said. “My dad was here for 30-plus years. So to follow in those footsteps and to nally be able to get me one, it’s a heavy weight lifted.”

Last year, Pollard defeated Horton in the county championship game.

“They came to me at the beginning of the season, and they said, ‘Coach, we don’t want to feel that way again,’” Scurlock said. “Last year kind of left

age since 2017 and giving up at least 10 runs in six games last year, Chatham Central hopes to turn things around this spring.

Jordan-Matthews

The only way is up for the 2026 Jets. After Jordan-Matthews graduated six seniors ( ve starters) from last year’s winless squad that gave up at least 10 runs in 14 games, senior and Guilford commit Landon Mos-

a bad taste in our mouth. We thought we should’ve had it, and we didn’t get it, and those guys came to me at the beginning of the year, and they had a goal.”

Girls: Horton 61, Bennett 5

Horton’s girls cruised to a county title with a 61-5 victory over Bennett on Friday.

With the win, Horton completed its second straight undefeated championship season.

“It feels good,” an emotional Horton coach Wanda Bland said. “That’s a special group.” The Wildcats dominated the game from start to nish, opening the game with a 22-1 run.

er looks to lead a massive turnaround. The Jets have opportunities to snap their losing streak before a challenging conference slate, including meetings with Uwharrie Charter, Northwood and Eastern Randolph.

Chatham Charter

The Knights graduated seniors Hunter Murphy (last year’s on-base percentage and stolen bases leader) and Luke Johnson (last year’s third-best

Forward Alaina Toomer scored all her team-high 16 points in the rst three quarters. Zadia Frazier contributed 11 points, including one of two Horton 3s. Kylee Moore and Camryn Lux poured in 10 points each.

Bland credited her eighth grade class, led by Toomer and Moore, for being “well rounded.”

“They’re going to do good at the next step,” Bland said. “We might even see some of them in a couple of years going on to play (Division I) basketball, and I’m sure that some of my seventh graders will be there too.”

Bland believes her Wildcats will be back in the championship game next season.

batting average) from its 2025 o ensive production, but they will return their two best hitters from last season in Jace Young and Tyner Williams (top two in batting average and RBIs). The biggest question is how Chatham Charter will replace the impact of pitcher Zach Cartrette, who achieved a 1.33 ERA in his senior season. Replicating last year’s defensive success will be huge for the Knights as they hope to make a deeper run in the state playo s.

GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

BASEBALL

GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Horton’s Lorenzo Gatlin ghts for a rebound in the county middle school title game.

Seaforth wrestlers win state, local basketball teams earn historic wins

Jordan Miller and Gabe Rogers each won state titles

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

Wrestling

For the third straight year, Seaforth made it to the top of the podium in the First Horizon Coliseum on Saturday in Greensboro.

In the NCHSAA individual wrestling state tournament, seniors Gabe Rogers, wrestling in the 144-pound bracket, and Jordan Miller, a 120-pounder, capped o their careers with state championships and helped the Hawks nish as 5A state runners-up with a team score of 61.

Rogers won his second title over Dixon’s Dominic Avvisato, who he defeated in the 5A East regional, by a 19-3 tech fall. After Rogers took a 13-2 lead with three takedowns and a near fall by the end of the rst period, he nished his opponent with two more takedowns in the second. Rogers nished the year with a 28-1 record and ranked as North Carolina’s fourth-best 144-pounder.

“It’s nice to do it in the most dominant way,” Rogers said. “So I know all my hard work paid o .” Miller defeated Enka’s Colton Farmer by a 9-4 decision for his second state title. He built a 7-1 lead going into the nal period and scored on two escapes to cushion his advantage. With the win, Miller achieved a 44-1 record and nished the season as the No. 1 120-pounder in North Carolina.

earning his 150th career win this winter.

placer in program history.

Basketball

Chatham County’s championship Friday could best be described as “historic.”

Seaforth’s boys, the regular season conference champions, won their rst conference tournament title in team history after defeating South Granville 76-72 in overtime behind a career-high 37 points from senior Campbell Meador.

South Granville junior Samir Lewis knocked down a 3 at the buzzer to send the game into overtime, but Meador knocked down two more triples, and junior Duncan Parker made a clutch free throw to ice the game.

“I got some easy ones early,” Meador said. “It helps a lot that I have (Declan Lindquist) on the team because they have to give him so much attention and stu opens up for me.”

After a buzzer-beater from sophomore Campbell Blackburn sent Woods Charter’s boys over Chatham Charter in the conference tournament semi nal, the Wolves pulled o a 41-38 upset over Southern Wake Academy to win their rst conference tournament title. Woods Charter led 30-27 entering the fourth quarter, and Blackburn hit a free throw to put the Wolves ahead three with 18 seconds left. Southern Wake defeated the Wolves by more than 30 points twice in the regular season.

37

points for Seaforth’s Campbell Meador for the Hawks’ rst conference tournament title

“It’s kind of sad I’m done in high school,” Miller said. “I’m happy to wrestle and go out there and compete for the last time.”

I put in and paying it o , it was a really special moment. I won’t ever forget it.”

From Chatham Central’s point of view, it may seem a historic rst just fell into the school’s lap, but Eskelund wanted it that way.

Eskelund started swimming in his younger days as a hobby, joining summer swim clubs for fun while also playing other sports. In 2019, Dave Eskelund retired from the military and moved his family from the Washington, D.C., area to Chatham County, and Jesse began swimming competitively in Asheboro.

Seaforth’s senior 190-pounder Harrison Compton came up short in his rst state nal appearance to Croatan’s Luke Padgett 1-0. Compton nished the season with a 35-3 record,

“After some training year-round, we did a couple of meets, and I had made a lot of improvements,” Eskelund said.

“That’s kind of when we decided, hey, this might be something we keep doing to maybe accomplish higher goals later on in the future.”

Coming into high school, Eskelund had two options of where to continue his swim journey.

Eskelund’s father recalled Jordan-Matthews, which already had a swim team and a recent state champion in Jennah Fadely, doing some recruiting for his son, but Jesse wanted to go to school with the friends he made at Bonlee. Also, his decision boiled down to what Eskel-

Chatham Central senior Carson Williams fell to Bradford Prep’s Michael Mauro by a 17-0 tech fall in the 1A/2A 157-pound title match. He became Chatham Central’s rst podium nish since Cole Armstrong in 2019 and the school’s rst state championship nalist since Nick Daggett took home the 113-pound crown in 2017. Williams nished the season with a 34-6 record.

In the girls’ tournament, Jordan-Matthews sophomore Alexandra Zumano Garcia nished fourth in the 1A-4A 114-pound bracket, becoming the Jets’ rst state

und and his family were looking for when they moved to North Carolina.

“We moved down here for small town America, and Chatham Central is that high school,” Dave Eskelund said.

Eskelund balanced swimming with basketball and golf in his rst three years at Chatham Central. In the pool, he consistently picked up wins in high school meets, including a Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference title and a 1A/2A Central Regional title for the 50 free in 2025.

Leading up to his senior year, Eskelund had never placed higher than fourth in a state championship event. With goals to win a state title, swim on a

Seaforth’s Lilliana Messier nished third in the 5A 165-pound division.

Jordan-Matthews senior Jakari Blue tied for fth in the 4A 190-pound bracket after taking a loss in the consolation semi nals, and his teammate Mariyah Spruiell fell in the rst consolation round of the girls’ 1A-4A 145-pound division.

Seaforth’s Sarah Tanner nished her tournament run in the rst consolation round of the girls’ 5A 132-pound bracket. Luke Ayers, Seaforth’s 126-pounder, fell short of a podium placement in the consolation semi nals.

“I didn’t want to take fourth place as an answer.” Jesse Eskelund

team at the national level in the YMCA and become one of the top sprinters on a college roster, Eskelund decided in the fall to drop basketball, focus on swimming, switch to Greensboro Community YMCA and train harder than years prior.

“I didn’t want to take fourth place as an answer,” Eskelund said. “I really wanted to nish out on top, and I pretty

Northwood’s boys earned its sixth conference tournament title in the last seven seasons with a 78-60 win over Uwharrie Charter. Junior Josiah Brown went 9 for 9 from the eld (including 5 3s) in a 23-point performance.

Northwood’s girls won its fth conference tournament championship in the last seven seasons after beating Uwharrie Charter 51-37. Senior Shaylah Glover posted a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double.

Seaforth’s girls won the team’s fourth conference tournament title after a 58-33 victory over Orange. Senior Katie Leonard recorded 24 points and nine rebounds.

much did everything I could in my power to come out on top.”

After blazing his own path at Chatham Central, Eskelund will pursue another personal goal at the University of Lynchburg in Lynchburg, Virginia.

“The thing I’m most proud of is that when kids are younger, you’re kind of pushing them towards things,” Dave Eskelund said. “After his junior year, basicially, it was all on him. You make the decisions. We’re not going to dictate when practice is. You want to go to practice? You can go to practice. So all these decisions and goals were made by him himself, and my wife and I pretty much just stand by as observers, watching him.”

ASHEEBO ROJAS / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Seaforth’s Jordan Miller works his way toward his second state title.

ESKELUND from page B1

Reddick wins at Atlanta to give 23 XI Racing, Jordan second straight NASCAR Cup victory

The driver is the rst in 17 years to win the rst two races of a season

The Associated Press

HAMPTON, Ga. — Whether on or o the racetrack, all Michael Jordan does is win in NASCAR.

For the second consecutive Sunday to open the season, the basketball great and co-owner of 23XI Racing celebrated in Victory Lane with driver Tyler Reddick. This time, after a thriller at Echo Park Speedway.

Jordan’s team now has the top two drivers in the Cup Series points standings with Reddick and Bubba Wallace. The six-time NBA champion already added a ring last week with Reddick in the Daytona 500, the crown jewel of stockcar racing.

Oh, and Jordan also settled a federal antitrust lawsuit with NASCAR in December, a major legal victory that secured a permanent franchise-style model and ensured his team would remain in business for the long term.

“The guys worked hard all summer, and I know we had our little ordeal,” Jordan said after Reddick’s victory Sunday, referring to the bruising court battle that ended with him making peace with NASCAR CEO and chairman Jim France. “They kept working hard, and this is the fruit of their labor. They put forth the e ort, and for us to come out and win the rst two races says a lot about our whole team.”

It especially says a lot about Reddick, who put on another dazzling performance the week

after he became the fourth driver in history to win the Daytona 500 by leading only thenal lap.

This time, he led a race-high 53 laps on the 1.54-mile oval south of Atlanta — including the nal two in a double-overtime restart. He snatched the lead from Wallace despite the right-front fender of his No. 45 Toyota being damaged in a nine-car crash on the 224th of a scheduled 260 laps. Reddick fell two laps down for repairs but came roaring back from 27th for his 10th career victory.

“I mean, that’s crazy, ain’t it?” said Reddick, who became the rst driver since Matt Kenseth

in 2009 to win the rst two NASCAR Cup Series races of the season. “I just found a way to get back in the top ve, and I tried to stay committed to somebody.”

He got a helpful push from runner-up Chase Briscoe. Ross Chastain nished third, followed by the Spire Motorsports tandem of Carson Hocevar (who triggered a large crash in the rst overtime) and Daniel Suarez.

“Tyler had like another gear,” Chastain said. “(He had) no fender, and he pulled us so fast.”

In a race that featured a track-record 57 lead changes, Wallace was rst entering

the nal restart but shu ed to eighth. He still gained the second-most points (48) by winning the second stage and leading 46 laps.

“Tyler did an unbelievable job,” Jordan said. “I feel bad for Bubba because he had an unbelievable day. But Tyler drove his ass o . I’m very happy for Tyler. I’m very happy for 23XI.”

Green turns to yellow

Austin Cindric took advantage of a stretch of 61 green- ag laps to open the race, winning the rst stage after starting 30th.

It was the second consecutive

Irving won’t play this season for Mavericks while continuing to recover from knee injury

The All-Star guard will miss a full season for the rst time in his career

By Schuyler Dixon

The Associated Press

DALLAS — Kyrie Irving won’t play this season as the star guard for the Dallas Mavericks continues his recovery from a knee injury sustained almost a year ago.

The nine-time All-Star and the team made the announcement two days before the Mavericks return from the All-Star break. Dallas entered the break on a nine-game losing streak, its longest in 28 years, and out of playo contention.

ny Davis. Just nine months earlier, Irving and Doncic led the Mavs to the NBA Finals.

Irving and Davis played together for just 21⁄2 quarters because Davis aggravated an abdominal injury in his Dallas debut and didn’t return before Irving went down in a 122-98 loss at home to Sacramento.

The Mavericks converted a 1.8% chance to win the draft lottery and picked former Duke standout Cooper Flagg No. 1 overall. But Irving, Davis and Flagg never played together.

year that the rst stage in the February race was completed without a yellow ag — an oddity for a track known for chaos since its 2022 recon guration into a high-banked drafting oval.

The cautions quickly picked up pace in the second stage with three yellow ags in 40 laps that collected 16 cars and eliminated notable drivers Ty Gibbs, Josh Berry, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch. The 160-lap middle segment ended under another yellow when defending Cup Series champion Kyle Larson slammed the outside wall after a collision with Shane van Gisbergen.

spect for Cooper,” said co-interim general manager Michael Finley, who was a two-time All-Star with the Mavericks a quarter-century ago. “He loves the kid’s work ethic. He loves the kid’s love for the game. And I think Kyrie’s embracing the role as a mentor to Cooper.”

The team said Irving would remain “actively engaged” with the team the rest of this season. Dallas is on its way to missing the playo s for the second year in a row since the ve-game loss to Boston in the NBA Finals.

“This decision wasn’t easy, but it’s the right one,” Irving said in a statement released by the team. “I am grateful for the Mavericks organization, my teammates and our fans for their continued support throughout the process. I am looking forward to coming back stronger next season. The belief and drive I have inside only grows.”

from page B1

• Maeson Smith (Chatham Central, junior)

• Sallie Oldham (Chatham Central, junior)

Maddie Kaczmarczyk (Chatham Central, junior)

Makenly Stanley (Chatham Charter, junior)

Taylor Hussey (Chatham Charter, senior)

Allie McLeod (Chatham Charter, junior)

Key matchups

Seaforth at Apex Friendship (April 22): The Hawks are 0-3 all-time against Apex Friendship. This season, the Patriots (8A) will be a late-season test and a chance to improve seeding near the start of the state playo s. Jordan-Matthews vs. Cha-

Irving tore the ACL in his left knee on March 3. This will be the rst time in his 15-year career that the 33-year-old has missed an entire season.

tham Central (April 8 and April 9): The West Chatham rivalry will continue despite the teams being in di erent conferences this season. Last year, Chatham Central swept the regular season series for the rst time since 2022.

Jordan-Matthews vs. Southwestern Randolph (March 24 and March 27): Southwestern Randolph will likely be one of the Jets’ toughest conference opponents, and the matchup could have conference title implications.

Chatham Central at Apex Friendship (March 25): Chatham Central will also take a trip to Apex to face the Patriots for a mid-season challenge.

TEAM OUTLOOK

Seaforth

Seaforth’s roster has been building chemistry for the past three seasons while improving

The most signi cant injury of Irving’s career came a month after the Mavericks traded young superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package centered around older and oft-injured big man Antho-

2022

The last time

Chatham Central swept the regular season series with Jordan-Matthews

each year. After a breakout season in which the Hawks made their rst playo appearance and reached the third round, the Hawks are looking to take things a step further. Seaforth will return its top hitters, including Emma Grace Hill, who will once again give batters a hard time with her presence in the circle.

Northwood

The Chargers struggled defensively in 2025, giving up

Dallas sent Davis to Washington before the trade deadline, a deal that signaled the Mavericks were moving on from the ill-fated Doncic deal less than three months after ring general manager Nico Harrison in part because of that trade.

The Mavericks appear set to build around Flagg with help from Irving, believing the older of the two one-and-done stars from Duke can complement the new face of the franchise.

“Kyrie has the ultimate re-

double-digit runs in all but one of their losses. Northwood will need better play in the circle in order to improve this season, but o ensively, the return of Allison Bryant (last year’s batting average leader) and sophomores Emma Payseur and Makenna Lux could also help Northwood turn things around through more runs.

Chatham Central

With new classi cations, Roxboro Community (2A), which has eliminated Chatham Central the past two seasons in the playo s, is no longer in the way of a deep playo run. The Bears are reloading with all three of their top batters returning and their star pitcher Maddie Kaczmarczyk once again taking the circle. Chatham Central looks to be one of the best teams in the 1A classi cation and take the success it’s built in the past few years to a new level.

“And I wanted to send a huge shoutout to ALL of my brothers and sisters out there who’ve torn their ACL or gotten injured doing what they love to do every day,” Irving said in the team’s statement. “THANK YOU for the inspiration. No fear!” Before the injury, Irving thrived in two years with the Mavericks following a trade that ended a tumultous three-plus seasons in Brooklyn. There was plenty of drama in Boston before that. Irving was the No. 1 pick by Cleveland in 2011 and won a championship there with LeBron James in 2016.

Irving has averaged 23.7 points and and 5.6 assists per game over 779 games while shooting almost 40% from 3-point range and 89% on free throws.

Jordan-Matthews

Jordan-Matthews graduated key contributors from last year including Marcy Clark, Reagan Sandel and Sophia Murchison. Senior two-way player Lilli Hicks will lead the Jets after an all-district season, being one of the more experienced players on a young roster.

Chatham Charter

Chatham Charter fell just short of a conference title in 2025, but it will return its best hitters. Makenly Stanley will try to top last year in which she batted .574 with a .603 on-base percentage. After nishing second in the conference last spring, the Knights will look to nd themselves near the top of the Central Tar Heel 1A standings and hope for a di erent outcome in the rst round of the state playo s.

GIRLS

COLIN HUBBARD / AP PHOTO

Tyler Reddick reacts after winning Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race in Hampton, Georgia.

TONY GUTIERREZ / AP PHOTO

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving stands on the court during a timeout of a January game.

SIDELINE REPORT

NBA

Warriors’ Curry to be reevaluated next week after second MRI on knee

San Francisco

Golden State star Stephen Curry had a second MRI on his troublesome right knee that revealed no structural damage, although the two -time NBA MVP is expected to miss at least another ve games before being reevaluated. The 37-year- old guard last played Jan. 30. He has been diagnosed with patella-femoral pain syndrome/bone bruising, otherwise referred to as runner’s knee. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Curry will be reevaluated in 10 days from last Thursday’s scan.

BOXING

Unbeaten Mayweather plans return to pro boxing 9 years after retirement

Los Angeles

Floyd Mayweather says he is ending his nine-year retirement and returning to competitive boxing this summer. He turned 49 last week and hasn’t fought in a real boxing match since 2017, when he beat Conor McGregor and retired for the third time. The former ve- division world champion has still been in the ring regularly throughout his 40s with a series of lucrative exhibition bouts. Mayweather already has announced yet another exhibition coming up this spring against 59-year-old Mike Tyson, although no location or television partner has been con rmed.

NCAA BASKETBALL

Selection committee picks Michigan, Duke, Arizona, Iowa State as top preliminary seeds

Michigan is the No. 1 overall seed in the preliminary rankings by the committee that will select the 68-team men’s eld for the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines were joined by Duke, Arizona and Iowa State as the 1-seeds. The Cyclones got the last No. 1 seed ahead of UConn and Houston. Saturday’s reveal is a snapshot of where things stand with less than a month left until Selection Sunday.

Texas Tech standout

Toppin to miss rest of season with torn ACL Lubbock, Tex.

Texas Tech standout forward JT Toppin will miss the rest of the season because of a torn ACL in his right knee. An MRI con rmed the ACL tear after Toppin got hurt late in the 13th-ranked Red Raiders’ 72-67 loss at Arizona State. The 6-foot-9 Toppin, a preseason AP All-America selection, is the Big 12’s leading rebounder with 10.8 a game and ranks third in the league with 21.8 points a game.

Gibbs Racing sues ex-director Gabehart, alleging ‘brazen’ trade secrets theft

JGR claims its former employee took sensitive information to Spire

Motorsports

By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE — Joe Gibbs

Racing led suit against former competition director Chris Gabehart for allegedly embarking on “a brazen scheme to steal JGR’s most sensitive information” for the bene t of rival NASCAR team Spire Motorsports.

The suit led in the Western District of North Carolina — the same court that heard last December’s antitrust suit between 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR — claims Gabehart violated his contract and stole con dential team trade secrets when “his demands for additional authority were rebu ed by JGR’s owner.”

The suit alleges Gabehart caused more than $8 million in damages to JGR. The ling did not request an injunction preventing Gabehart from working for Spire.

JGR was founded by Joe Gibbs in 1992 after he won three Super Bowls as Washington’s football coach.

Gibbs is a member of both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and NASCAR Hall of Fame and now co-owns JGR with his daughter-in-law, Heather. The team elds Cup cars for Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin. Gabehart joined JGR in 2012 as an engineer, worked his way to crew chief for Hamlin, and became competition director ahead of the 2025 season. Gabehart in that role was responsible for all competitive aspects of the race team, and as such, had access to all of JGR’s proprietary information. The lawsuit claims Gabehart throughout last season wanted complete responsibility and control over all competition

“The results were shocking.”

JGR lawsuit on the results of its laptop search

departments and asked Joe Gibbs in a Nov. 6, 2025, meeting for “carte blanche authority over all racing decisions.”

The suit said Gibbs denied the request, and Gabehart said he wanted to leave the organization. In the course of negotiating a separation agreement, JGR alleges it learned Gabehart had been meeting with Spire Motorsports, which triggered the organization to do a forensic analysis of Gabehart’s team-issued laptop.

“The results were shocking,” the suit alleges, claiming it found Google searches about Spire in October and November of last year, folders titled

“Spire” and “Past Setups,” and more than a dozen images of JGR les containing condential information and trade secrets.

From there, the suit alleges JGR and Gabehart squabbled over further forensic reviews and JGR attempted to impose a “cooling o period” in which Gabehart would not work for another organization.

JGR alleges it learned on Feb. 11 that Gabehart plans to become the chief motorsports o cer at Spire, where he would be responsible for all of Spire’s racing strategy and operations.

“This was new information to JGR, as Defendant previously represented to JGR ... that the job o er he received from Spire was for a role in which he would not provide Spire with services similar to the services he provided JGR,” the suit claims.

JGR contends Gabehart knew his actions accessing

JGR materials was unlawful, and he took intentional steps to avoid detection and hide his digital trail. Gabehart turned in his JGR laptop on Nov. 10 and has not worked for JGR since. The lawsuit claims the o er from Spire was made to Gabehart on Nov. 13, and Gabehart met with Spire co-owner Je Dickerson on Dec. 2. JGR claims Gabehart told his former team on Dec. 4 he had not spoken to anyone from Spire about employment, nor had he spoken to any other potential employers.

Instead, JGR claims Gabehart was actively soliciting JGR employees to move to Spire, and at least one employee has made the move. Spire has yet to announce hiring Gabehart. Cary Davis, the attorney representing Gabehart, said he could not comment on the suit. Gabehart must respond to JGR’s ling in 21 days.

Doug Moe, rumpled, irreverent coach of high-scoring Denver Nuggets, dead at 87

The former Tar Heel was an ABA legend

By Eddie Pells The Associated Press

DENVER— Doug Moe, an ABA original who gained fame over a rumpled, irreverent decade as coach of the Denver Nuggets in the 1980s, died at 87 after a long bout with cancer.

Moe went 628-529 over 15 seasons as a head coach, including stints with the San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers. He never won a title and was the NBA Coach of the Year in 1988. More than for wins and losses, Moe will be remembered for his motion o ense and for the equally entertaining shows he put on while prowling the bench during his coaching days.

His Denver teams led the league in scoring over ve straight seasons in the early ’80s, and he rarely ran a set play.

He called the people he liked the most “sti s” (or worse) and used more colorful language to drive points home to some of his favorite foils — Kiki VanDeWeghe, Danny Schayes and Bill Hanzlik stood out.

The coach stalked the sidelines in one of his well-worn sports coats, usually without a tie (he had a small stash of “emergency suits” in his closet for bigger events), his hair a mess and his overtaxed voice barely at a croak by the end of most games.

The Nuggets bench, along with the 10 rows behind it, was no place for children, but within hours, Moe would be at the bar or co ee shop hang-

ing with many of those same players he’d excoriated, often himself wondering where that foul-mouthed man on the sideline had come from.

“Sometimes I think I have a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality. I clown around a lot before and after a game, but once a game starts, my emotions just take over,” Moe said in a 1983 interview with The New York Times.

Moe paired with good friend Larry Brown at UNC, where as a 6-foot-5 small forward he twice earned All-America honors. But Moe’s college career was terminated early because of a point-shaving scandal for which he received $75 to y to a meeting; he refused to throw games. After a few years in Europe, Moe again became a package deal with Brown, as they winded their way through the new and edgling ABA. Moe was a three-time All-Star over

a ve-year career that ended early because of his perpetually ailing knees. His playing days done, he teamed again with Brown, working as his assistant with the Carolina Cougars and then with the Nuggets toward the end of the franchise’s ABA days. Alex English and VanDeWeghe nished 1-2 in scoring in the 1982-83 season, a feat no teammates have accomplished since. The Nuggets lost a 186 -184 game to the Pistons in 1983 that remains the highest-scoring game in NBA history. Moe won 432 games with the Nuggets, and the franchise retired that number, with Moe’s name attached. It took more than 30 years after Moe retired and moved back to San Antonio for the Nuggets to break through and become NBA champions.

Oddly enough, one of Moe’s most colorful coaching coups

came at the expense of the Nuggets on the last day of the 1977-78 season when he was with the Spurs. In an early game, Denver, coached by Brown at the time, fed David Thompson on the way to a 73-point outburst against Detroit that brie y put him ahead of Gervin in a neck-and-neck battle for the scoring title.

So that night, Moe told the Spurs to get out of “Ice’s” way. Gervin scored 63 against the Jazz to win the title by 0.07.

Though the focus of the Nuggets was o ense, Moe spent ample time preaching defense — insisting it, not the team’s scoring ability, would make the di erence between winning and losing.

Once, incensed at the lack of e ort during a blowout loss at Portland, he commanded his team to stop trying on defense and to let the Blazers make layups at will over the nal minutes to set the franchise scoring record for a single game. That earned him a ne and suspension, only weeks after he was ned for throwing water on an o cial.

For the most part, though, Moe made a career out of not taking himself too seriously — a wryly wrinkled counterbalance to the slicked-down Pat Riley and the Laker Showtime teams that dominated the NBA’s Western Conference over the decade.

Moe even punctuated one of his lowest moments — his ring by the Nuggets in 1990 — by wearing a Hawaiian shirt and popping open champagne at the news conference while his wife, whom he called “Big Jane,” looked on. A day to celebrate, he insisted, because he would now be getting paid to do nothing.

ED ANDRIESKI / AP PHOTO

Former Denver Nuggets head coach Doug Moe pleads with his team during a timeout in the closing seconds of a 1986 game.

MATT KELLEY / AP PHOTO

Team owner Joe Gibbs looks on prior to NASCAR’s The Clash preseason auto race in Winston-Salem.

this week in history

Gunbattle in Waco with Branch Davidians, Chamberlain scores 100, rst Federal Congress meets in New York

The Associated Press

FEB. 26

1815: Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from exile on the island of Elba, sailing back to France in an attempt to reclaim power.

1919: President Woodrow Wilson signed legislation establishing the Grand Canyon as a national park.

1993: A truck bomb built by Islamic extremists exploded in the parking garage beneath the North Tower of New York’s World Trade Center, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000 others.

FEB. 27

1933: Germany’s parliament building, the Reichstag, was severely damaged by re. Chancellor Adolf Hitler blamed communists and used the incident to justify suspending civil liberties.

1942: The Battle of the Java Sea began during World War II, ending in a decisive victory for Imperial Japanese naval forces over the Allies.

1951: The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, limiting a president to two terms in o ce, was rati ed.

FEB. 28

1953: Francis H.C. Crick announced that he and fellow scientist James D. Watson had discovered the double-helix structure of DNA.

1983: The nal episode of the television series “M*A*S*H” aired; nearly 106 million viewers saw the nale, which remains the most-watched epi-

were indicted on charges of conspiring to obstruct justice in connection with the Watergate break-in.

MARCH 2

1807: The Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves was signed by President Thomas Je erson.

1861: The state of Texas, having seceded from the Union, was admitted to the Confederacy.

1962: Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks, a single-game NBA record that still stands. Philadelphia won by a score of 169-147.

MARCH 3

sode of any U.S. television series to date.

1993: A gunbattle erupted near Waco, Texas, as federal agents attempted to arrest Branch Davidian leader David Koresh on weapons charges.

Four agents and six Davidians were killed, triggering a 51-day stando .

MARCH 1

1872: President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act, making Yellowstone the nation’s rst national park.

1932: Charles A. Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh, was kidnapped from the family home in New Jersey.

1961: President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order establishing the Peace Corps.

1974: Seven people, including former Nixon White House aides H.R. Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman, former Attorney General John Mitchell and former assistant Attorney General Robert Mardian,

1845: Florida became a U.S. state.

1931: President Herbert Hoover signed a bill making “The Star-Spangled Banner” the national anthem of the United States.

1991: Motorist Rodney King was severely beaten by Los Angeles police o cers after a high-speed chase in a scene captured on amateur video that sparked public outrage.

MARCH 4

1789: The Constitution of the United States took e ect as the rst Federal Congress met in New York.

1801: Thomas Je erson became the rst president to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C.

1933: Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated for his rst term as president; he was the last U.S. president to be inaugurated on this date (subsequent inaugurations have been held on Jan. 20). In his inaugural speech, Roosevelt stated, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

AP PHOTO

One of three photos of Rodney King taken three days after his March 3, 1991, videotaped beating that were introduced as evidence in the trial of four Los Angeles police o cers in Simi Valley, California.

MARTY LEDERHANDLER / AP PHOTO

A police o cer assists a survivor of the World Trade Center bombing in New York on Feb. 26, 1993. Islamic extremists were responsible for the blast that killed six and injured more than 1,000 people.

Bagpipers play at Olympic curling in homage to sport’s Scottish heritage — but they’re Italian

The Cateaters Pipe Band are one of the only bands of its kind in the region

By Julia Frankel The Associated Press

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO,

Italy — Spectators trekking through heavy snow to the Cortina Olympic curling stadium were delighted to be greeted by a traditional Scottish bagpipe performance from a group of high sock-wearing, kilt-sporting, snare drum-carrying, glengarry-topped ... Italians.

The Milan Cortina Winter Games have put their own spin on the tradition of having a pipe band play at Olympic curling medal ceremonies, an homage that is meant to honor the sport’s Scottish heritage.

For this Games, the bagpipers are from northeastern Italy, more than 2,000 miles from Scotland. The Cateaters Pipe Band say they are one of two pipe bands in the Veneto region.

Until recently, the Cateaters’ performances were limited to local concerts, ballet performances and ceremonies around Veneto. Performing at

BBC, host apologize after racial slur shouted during BAFTA awards by guest with Tourette

The neurological disorder can cause the uttering of inappropriate words

By Jill Lawless The Associated Press

LONDON — Britain’s lm academy and the BBC apologized to viewers after an audience member with Tourette syndrome shouted a racial slur during the British Academy Film Awards.

The highly o ensive word could be heard as “Sinners” stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting the award for best visual e ects during Sunday’s ceremony.

Host Alan Cumming had earlier told the audience that a guest at the ceremony was John Davidson, a Scottish campaigner for people with Tourette syndrome who inspired the BAFTA-nominated lm “I Swear.”

Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary, repetitive movements and vocalizations, including the uttering of inappropriate words.

“This is really one of the most acute examples of where something that is a disability can cause quite understandably huge amounts of o ense to someone.”

Ed Palmer, Tourettes Action vice chairman

After the outburst, Cumming apologized to the audience at London’s Royal Festival Hall for the “strong and o ensive language.”

“Tourette syndrome is a disability and the tics you have heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette syndrome has no control over their language,” Cumming said. “We apologize if you were o ended.”

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts referred to Cumming’s statement when asked for comment on Monday.

The epithet could be heard

the Olympic medal ceremony is their biggest gig yet.

“It’s so emotional for us to play here for the world,” said Marianna Spadarotto, the lone woman in the band, who is on the bass drum. “For me, yes, it is exciting, but also I’m shy, so it makes me nervous.”

Asked if they add Italian air to the Scottish tunes, they emphatically shake their heads. They don’t mess with tradition — though it is not unknown in Italy.

Luca Eze, who plays the bagpipes, says he started his career on the zampogna, a type of instrument common in central and southern Italy. In the Veneto re-

Italian

practice outside the curling stadium at the 2026 Winter Olympics in

gion, it’s sometimes called a “piva” and is played on Christmas and during other festivities.

“I played the electric guitar and then a friend passed along this instrument to me,” says Mauro Fortuna, a Venetian who began playing Scottish music in 2008.

Curling is believed to have originated in Scotland, with the rst written evidence of the sport’s existence documented, in Latin, by a notary living in Paisley, Scotland, in the 16th century, according to World Curling.

The notary told of a sti contest between a monk, John Sclater, and a representative of the Abbot, Gavin Hamilton, in-

volving sliding stones across ice. It was in Scotland where organized curling clubs originated, with players sliding stones across frozen lochs.

On a snowy day in front of the Cortina curling center, Olympic fans paused to take in the scene, some wondering how the musicians’ ungloved hands were not too cold to play.

The tufts of Eze’s hair, jutting out from beneath his glengarry cap, were covered in snow akes that fell down his face with every pu of the bagpipe. He’s bright red and smiling.

Some fans proudly wave Scottish ags. They’re here to watch the four players representing Britain on the ice, all of whom are from Scotland.

Italian tourists look animated in the breaks between tunes, realizing they understand the chatter between the bandmates. Cristian Negro, on snare drum, says that as an Italian, choosing to pursue Scottish music has given him frequent opportunities for gigs.

“I focus more on high tension snare drums because there are so few people who play it here,” he says. “I get to play more music — and it’s necessary for someone to do.”

when the BBC broadcast the ceremony about two hours after the live event. The broadcaster apologized, though the o ensive word could still be heard on its iPlayer streaming service on Monday morning. The program was later removed, and the BBC said the slur would be edited out.

“Some viewers may have heard strong and o ensive language during the Bafta Film Awards,” the BBC said in a

statement. “This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony it was not intentional.

“We apologize that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.”

“I Swear” won two BAFTAs, including best actor for Robert Aramayo, who plays Davidson.

Ed Palmer, vice chairman

of the charity Tourettes Action, said the BBC should have considered bleeping out the slur.

“This is really one of the most acute examples of where something that is a disability can cause quite understandably huge amounts of o ense to someone,” he told Times Radio. “So if it’s being prerecorded now, then bleeping it out, for example, might be a reasonable compromise.”

SCOTT A GARFITT / INVISION / AP PHOTO

An audience member with Tourette syndrome involuntarily shouted obscenities during the British Academy Film Awards on Sunday.

MISPER APAWU / AP PHOTO

bagpipers

Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, last Thursday.

famous birthdays this week

Actor Joanne Woodward turns 96, former Tar Heel James Worthy hits 65, Huntersville native Luke Combs is 36

The Associated Press THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week.

FEB. 26

Singer Mitch Ryder is 81. Singer Michael Bolton is 73. Hockey Hall of Famer Joe Mullen is 69. Actor Greg Germann is 68. Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia is 68. Singer Erykah Badu is 55.

FEB. 27

Actor Joanne Woodward is 96. Football Hall of Famer Raymond Barry is 93. Consumer advocate Ralph Nader is 92. Broadcast journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault is 84. Rock musician Neal Schon (Journey) is 72. Basketball Hall of Famer James Worthy is 65.

FEB. 28

Rock singer Sam the Sham (aka Domingo Samudio) is 89. Actor-director-choreographer Tommy Tune is 87. Hall of Fame auto racer Mario Andretti is 86. Actor Mercedes Ruehl is 79. Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman is 73. Actor John Turturro is 69.

MARCH 1

Rock singer Roger Daltrey is 82. Actor Dirk Benedict is 81. Republican Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska is 75. Filmmaker Ron Howard is 72. Actor Javier Bardem is 57. Basketball Hall of Famer Chris Webber is 53. Actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar is 52. Pop singer Justin Bieber is 32.

MARCH 2

Author John Irving is 84.

Actor-comedian Laraine Newman (“Saturday Night Live”) is 74. Golf Hall of Famer Ian Woosnam is 68. Musician Jon Bon Jovi is 64. Actor Daniel Craig is 58. Rapper-actor Method Man is 55. Musician Chris Martin (Coldplay) is 49. Country musician Luke Combs is 36.

MARCH 3

Filmmaker George Miller is 81. Singer Jennifer Warnes is 79. Author Ron Chernow is 77. Football Hall of Famer Randy Gradishar is 74. Musician Robyn Hitchcock is 73. Radio personality Ira Glass is 67. Olympic track and eld gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee is 64. Rapper-actor Tone Loc is 60.

MARCH 4

Film director Adrian Lyne is 85. Author James Ellroy is 78. Musician-producer Emilio Estefan is 73. Actor Mykelti Williamson is 69. Actor Patricia Heaton is 68. Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota is 68. Actor Steven Weber is 65.

MARK VON HOLDEN / INVISION VIA AP Ron Howard turns 72 on Sunday.

ROB GRABOWSKI / INVISION VIA AP Rapper-turned-actor Tone Loc turns 60 on Tuesday.

EVAN AGOSTINI / INVISION VIA AP

Original SNL cast member Laraine Newman turns 74 on Monday.

Bruno Mars drops ‘The Romantic,’ Paul McCartney doc, ‘Survivor’ at 50

“Scrubs” is back after 16 years

The Associated Press

BOTH THE K-POP girl group Blackpink and the funky pop star Bruno Mars returning with new music and a documentary about Paul McCartney after the Beatles 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: “Paradise” starring Sterling K. Brown returns for its second season, the freshly rebranded Actors Awards will be handed out live and there are bloodthirsty zombies to ght in Resident Evil Requiem.

MOVIES TO STREAM

Andrew Stanton has directed some very memorable Pixar movies (“WALL-E,” “Finding Nemo”), but his live-action track record is more checkered. Following 2012’s poorly received “John Carter,” Stanton is back with “In the Blink of an Eye,” a lm that brings together a handful of interconnected stories that explore the history of the world. Kate McKinnon, Rashida Jones and Daveed Diggs co-star. After a rocky reception at the Sundance Film Festival last month, “In the Blink of an Eye” debuts Friday on Hulu.

The Actor Awards, formerly the SAG Awards, will be handed out March 1 in a livestreamed ceremony on Net ix. Dished out by SAG-AFTRA, the actors guild, the awards are one of the most closely watched Oscar predictors. This year, Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” comes in the lead nominee.

MUSIC TO STREAM

For the McCartney superfan comes a new documentary series from director Morgan Neville, who also helmed “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” and “Piece by Piece.” Not on the Beatles but what came after, “Paul McCartney: Man on the Run,” which hits Amazon Prime Video on Friday chronicles the music man’s life in the 1970s — Wings and then some. It’s an intimate portrait worth spending time with.

A

CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP

Andrew Stanton, director of the lm “In the Blink of an Eye,” attends the lm’s premiere during the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 26 in Park City, Utah. The lm debuts Friday on Hulu.

Also on Friday: The return of Bruno Mars! “The Romantic” is Mars’ fourth full-length project and rst solo album since 2016’s hit making “24K Magic.” (That’s of course excluding his mega-popular collaborative project with Anderson. Paak, Silk Sonic, and their 2021 release “An Evening with Silk Sonic.”)

Retro-pop is the name of the game and Mars remains one of the great, spirited nostalgists. That’s evident from the jump: “I Just Might” is feel-good disco-pop-soul; it’s clear Mars is making his return just when the world wants him most.

All four members of K-pop girl group Blackpink have

“In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make” Sir Paul McCartney

found incredible success as soloists, with ubiquitous pop hits like “APT.” and starring roles on “The White Lotus” among them. But now is the time for a comeback. On Friday, Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa will release “Deadline,” their latest EP. Details surrounding the ve -track release have been scant, but the bilingual “Jump” is bouncy europop that irts with hardstyle, the ideal soundtrack to a Las Vegas day club. Clearly, they just want their listeners to have fun.

SERIES TO STREAM

Season 2 of “Paradise” starring Brown returns to Hulu. Brown plays Xavier, a Secret Service agent assigned to protect the president of the United States, played by James Mars-

den. In Season 1, we learned that Marsden’s character and a small number of privileged people escaped to an underground bunker just as an apocalypse was about to destroy everything. Xavier and his kids also made it to safety, but his wife got left behind. In Season 2, he sets out to nd her. Shailene Woodley joins the cast, and Julianne Nicholson and Marsden return.

The 50th, yes 50th, season of “Survivor” is streaming on Paramount+ after it airs on CBS. Make sure to have your whole night free though because the rst episode is three hours long. Season 50 features all returning “Survivor” contestants including “The White Lotus” creator, Mike White. Sixteen years after it aired its series nale, Zach Bra ’s “Scrubs,” has been resuscitated. The irreverent hospital begins streaming on Hulu on Thursday, with a returning cast Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke and Judy Reyes.

Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman rst worked together on the lm “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.” They’ve got a new collab as executive producers of a new Civil War series for Prime Video called “The Gray House.” Mary Louise Parker stars alongside Ben Vereen, Robert Knepper (“Prison Break”) and Paul Anderson of “Peaky Blinders.” All eight episodes drop Thursday.

A washed-up Broadway actor (played by Kevin Kline) returns to his hometown and ends up directing a local production of “Our Town” in the new series “American Classic.” He also butts heads with his former girlfriend-turned-mayor played by Laura Linney. MGM+ kicks o the series by releasing the rst two episodes on Sunday.

VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

It’s been 30 years since Capcom introduced us to the world of Resident Evil, where a bioweapon has turned all sorts of creatures into bloodthirsty zombies. With the ninth main entry in the franchise, Resident Evil Requiem, the monsters show no sign of slowing down. The new protagonist is Grace Ashcroft, an FBI analyst who has only a few weapons and is just trying to get out alive. Fortunately, Leon Kennedy — who has been around since RE2 — is also on the case, and he has a much more versatile arsenal. The developers hope to appeal to fans of pure survival horror as well as gamers who love more explosive action. The nightmare resumes Friday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Switch 2 and PC.

CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO Bruno Mars releases “The Romantic,” his rst full-length solo album since 2016’s “24K Magic.”

EDUARDO VERDUGO / AP PHOTO

new documentary about former Beatle Paul McCartney, titled “Paul McCartney: Man on the Run,” lands on Amazon Prime Video on Friday.

PHOTO

Duplin Journal

the BRIEF this week

Magnolia launches water line replacement project

Magnolia

The town of Magnolia has begun a major water line replacement project expected to last approximately six months. Work will impact multiple streets, beginning with the section from Railroad Street to McRae Street. Residents and motorists are urged to use caution while traveling in a ected areas and to expect possible delays. Town o cials ask for patience and understanding as crews work to improve the town’s water infrastructure. For more information, contact Town Hall at 910-289-3205.

Drought conditions expand

Duplin County

According to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, severe drought conditions now a ect Faison, Warsaw, Magnolia, Calypso, Wolfscrape, Alberson and parts of Kenansville. Moderate drought has emerged in portions of Rose Hill, Beulaville, Greenevers, Teachey, Wallace, Rock sh and Cypress Creek. The drought conditions increase wild re danger across the area and could potentially impact farmers as planting season approaches. For the latest drought updates and maps, visit ncdrought.org.

Road closure underway

Duplin County

The N.C. Department of Transportation has closed a section of N.C. 50 over Tea Swamp near N.C. 24 in Duplin County for bridge maintenance. The road is expected to reopen by 5 p.m. March 19, weather permitting. Local tra c can detour via N.C. 24. Drivers should exercise caution and check DriveNC.gov for updates.

Sheri warns of USB ash drive scam

Duplin County

The Duplin County Sheri ’s O ce is warning residents about a scam involving malicious USB ash drives.

Sheri Stratton Stokes said scammers leave infected drives in public places or mail them to victims disguised as promotional materials from legitimate companies in hopes they will plug them into a computer. Once connected, the device can install malware or ransomware. Residents are advised to contact local law enforcement immediately if they believe they have been targeted by a scam.

State Sen. Brent Jackson tours James Sprunt Community College’s new Workforce Development Center

Sen. Brent Jackson toured the nearly completed Workforce Development Center at James Sprunt Community College on Monday, meeting faculty and students from the electrical program. Jackson, front row center, is joined by JSCC President Shannon Hair, left, and Electrical Systems Technology Instructor Philip Anderson, far left, along with students and other faculty from the program. Turn to A2 for more.

Energy expansion promises stronger, smarter grid for Duplin

real-time energy management system

By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal

DUPLIN COUNTY’S electric grid is set for a high-tech upgrade that o cials say will improve reliability, strengthen support for agriculture and position the re-

gion for future business growth.

N.C. Electric Membership Corporation (NCEMC) and OATI recently announced plans to deploy next-generation smart grid technology in Duplin County, part of a broader effort to enhance grid resilience

Downtown Wallace parking forum discusses current issue, future needs

The consensus favors removing restrictions, the town council is expected to consider recommendation soon

By Mark Grady For Duplin Journal

WALLACE — A mix of downtown Wallace merchants and interested citizens gathered in the Wallace Woman’s Club on

“For the average household in Duplin County, this means your utility is using new technologies to better manage

across rural North Carolina. As part of the project, NCEMC will upgrade its energy management platform with OATI’s advanced Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS), adding real-time monitoring, coordination and control capabilities. The enhanced system will allow utilities to manage electricity using live system conditions, forecasts and planning data — better integrating solar panels, battery storage, demand response programs and microgrids across the state’s 26 locally owned electric cooperatives.

“One acre of land can have parking for 100 cars.”

James Crayton

Taylor, who facilitated the Wallace Downtown Parking Forum along with Wallace Police Chief James Crayton, apologized for a graphic he posted on social media that insinuated the town was considering the installation of parking meters downtown. Taylor said he used arti cial intelligence, speci cally ChatGPT,

Feb. 18 to give their input on issues involving parking downtown. Wallace Town Manager Rob Taylor told Duplin Journal that the forum was scheduled after the town received some complaints about parking downtown, especially on Main Street.

Warsaw faces questions on enforcement, transparency

Consultants say the town failed to enforce its own wastewater penalty policy despite violations

By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal

WARSAW — Questions about nes, delayed public records and nancial oversight dominated a tense February meeting of the Warsaw Board of Commissioners, as town leaders confronted mounting concerns over transparency. Mayor Wesley Boykin and the board of commissioners centered much of the three-hour-long meeting on governance and oversight.

A representative from McDavid Associates updated the board on the town’s wastewater pretreatment program, which has faced multiyear permit violations tied to industrial discharges.

enforcement response plan. However, the town has not issued formal nes to industrial users despite repeated violations, placing it out of compliance with its own adopted program.

“The town submitted that plan to the state. The state approved it. In as much as that, the town has not ned these industries. It is in violation of its own town adopted enforcement response plan,” said McDavid Associates. “We’ve got oodles of violations every day. So, I mean, you’re talking millions of dollars a month in potential nes. … So that’s one of the problems we have between the town and the state that we’ve got to reconcile. It’s because we adopted rules that said we were going to issue nes.”

Instead, commissioners said costs associated with violations, including state-imposed penalties, have been “passed through” to industries as surcharges. Confusion arose during discussion over the $2.00

Consultants told the board the town has authority to issue nes of up to $25,000 per day per violation under its approved

to create a graphic for the forum which automatically generated visual images of a parking meter and a sign saying, “enforcement coming soon.” The graphic created a negative response on social media.

MARK GRADY FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL

Ena

Jaenicke

Patsy Teachey 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

LOCAL BRIEFS

Animal services Facebook page hacked

Kenansville

Duplin County o cials are urging the public not to click on any links, provide personal information or respond to messages from the Duplin County Animal Services Facebook page until further notice as the page has been compromised, and unauthorized or ctitious information may have been posted.

Golden LEAF scholarship application deadline

Duplin County The application deadline for the Golden LEAF Foundation Colleges and Universities Scholarship is March 1. A total of 215 scholarships will be awarded to eligible high school seniors and community college transfer students attending North Carolina colleges and universities. Awards range from $10,500 to $14,000. Students can apply through CFNC.org.

THURSDAY

New Workforce Center at JSCC draws praise from Senator Jackson

The senator visited the JSCC Electrical program ahead of the center’s opening

By Mark Grady For Duplin Journal

NORTH CAROLINA 9th

District Sen. Brent Jackson toured the nearly completed 22,000-square-foot Workforce Development Center at James Sprunt Community College on Monday, meeting faculty and students in the electrical program.

JSCC President Shannon Hair welcomed Jackson and updated him on campus growth, including plans for a satellite campus near Wallace.

Jackson also toured the current electrical training facility in the Hall Building, speaking with electrical systems technology instructor Philip Anderson and students.

“I am thrilled and excited from what I’m seeing,” Jackson told Duplin Journal. “This is our future, and we need these trades, especially electrical, plumbing, heating and air.”

Elizabeth Howard, JSCC’s dean of business and industry, said rapid vocational growth is fueled by local demand and the Career and College Promise Program, which allows high school students to begin vocational training while still in school.

“Since 2020, we have seen

MARK

JSCC President Shannon Hair, left, shows N.C. Senator Brent Jackson one of the large rooms inside the new Workforce Development Center that is expected to be completed in May.

“This is our future, and we need these trades, especially electrical, plumbing, heating and air.”

Jackson

Brent

enormous growth with our high school students,” she said. “Many of them are able to graduate with a certi cate, some with a diploma, before they graduate high school.”

Some instructors in the electrical systems program are alumni who chose to stay and teach others the trade.

Jacob Walker of the Pink

Hook community near Wallace told Duplin Journal he grew up on a farm where he was introduced to electrical work and started working when he was 16. Walker said being able to teach others has added an entirely di erent level to the profession for him.

“It’s a big deal. I love it,” he said. “That’s what wakes me up in the morning.”

A fellow electrical instructor, Zachary Craig of Grantham, agrees teaching others is very rewarding.

“It’s a good feeling knowing that what you gave a student he can take and run with it.”

The new Workforce Development Center is nearing completion and could be open as soon as May.

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in

Feb. 27

Wallace Rotary annual Pancake Supper 5 to 8 p.m.

The Wallace Rotary Club is hosting its annual Pancake Supper at the Wallace Elementary School Cafeteria. The cost is $10 per person. The proceeds from this fundraiser will support Wallace Rotary Club Charities in the Greater Wallace area. Tickets available for purchase at the door or from any Rotarian.

Wallace Elementary School 4266 N.C. 11, Wallace

Feb. 28

Mount Olive Black History Parade 1 p.m.

Parade along Talton Avenue to Carver Cultural Center. Line-up is 11 a.m. to noon. The parade was rescheduled from Feb. 22 and the rain date is March 1.

Downtown Mount Olive

March 2

Veterans First meeting 6:30 p.m.

Veterans First will hold a meeting featuring local candidates as the speakers. The public is invited.

329 Highway 24, Highway 50, Kenansville

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.

Duplin County.

GRADY FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL

Water shuto s spark outrage in Warsaw

A resident was told she was “on the list” despite having proof of payment

By Mark Grady For Duplin Journal

PRESIDENTS DAY,

ON

Macy Hardy of Warsaw noticed a man in a Warsaw town truck parked in her driveway near her water meter. She opened her door and asked, “Is there something wrong with the meter?” Hardy told Duplin Journal the man replied no, and that the water’s being shut o .

She said she pulled the receipt on her phone to show him the bill was paid, but according to Hardy, he refused to view the receipt and told her that she was “on the list” and he had to “turn it o .”

Hardy added the man ad-

Complaints regarding downtown parking, primarily from merchants, range from people parking in spaces for very long periods of time, to employees parking in front of businesses on Main Street limiting access to spaces by patrons.

Using a downtown map on a video monitor, Taylor pointed out the current parking rules for downtown which show a mix of one- and two-hour parking restrictions. He pointed out there are signs in the area that were installed in 1965.

On the issue of charging for parking, Taylor said that has never been a consideration of the town or the town council.

Crayton added he did not want the police department to become involved in parking enforcement downtown.

“We’re not going to police for pro t,” Crayton said.

Most of the concern focused on Main Street parking, while several comments were made regarding plenty of parking available during the day on Railroad Street, Boney Street and oth-

mitted the town was “having computer problems” but proceeded to cut o her water service anyway.

When Hardy contacted town hall around 12:05 p.m., she said she was again told the town was having computer issues and was asked to email her receipt to the town clerk. She did, and her service was restored around 3:10 p.m.

Hardy was far from alone in having water service terminated by the Town of Warsaw despite having paid their bill.

Warsaw Mayor Wesley Boykin, in an interview with Duplin Journal, said he rst became aware of the issue while he was at a meeting with the town’s zoning specialist.

“When I was at town hall, I experienced an extremely explosive situation,” Boykin said, adding he heard the commo -

tion at the window where customers pay their water bills and attempted to intervene.

Boykin said the confrontation escalated to the point police had to be called. He added he did not believe the town sta handled the situation appropriately.

“My process of decision making would have been di erent,” Boykin said.

On Feb. 16, Commissioner Ebony Wills-Wells posted a notice via social media explaining that the town was experiencing a technical malfunction with the water payment system, which resulted in service disconnections for many citizens who had already paid their bills.

“I have formally advised the board of commissioners, the town manager, and the nance clerk that all disconnections must cease immediately.”

Commissioner Ebony Wills-Wells

“I have formally advised the board of commissioners, the town manager, and the nance clerk that all disconnections must cease immediately. Work orders have been prioritized to restore service to all a ected households at no cost,” wrote Wills-Wells. Boykin said he was not unaware of the details of what had transpired until after 5 p.m. on Presidents Day when he saw a message from Duplin Journal asking him

er locations. A few attendees expressed concern over employees who work at locations such as 211 Main Salon having to walk to side streets after dark. It was suggested that additional lighting on Railroad Street, Boney Street and around the Wallace Depot could make those areas safer.

Crayton said those concerned about employees walking to parking spaces not located on Main Street can call for a police escort to their vehicle.

After much discussion, a con-

Wallace Police Chief James Crayton, who facilitated the Wallace Downtown Parking Forum on Feb. 18, said he did not want his o cers to become tied up with enforcing downtown parking ordinances.

sensus was reached that it was best to eliminate all hourly parking restrictions downtown. In regard to the current signage indicating one- or two-hour parking, Michael Blackburn, who has an o ce on West Railroad Street said, “I’d take them all down.”

His remark was followed by several saying, “Amen.”

“We’re happy to do that,” Crayton said.

Another consensus was reached that the best way to handle those who may be park-

DUPLIN COUNTY CLERK OF COURT

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• Christian

• 23+ Years Experience

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EARLY VOTING: FEBRUARY 12TH – 28TH

ELECTION DAY March 3rd

ing for a long period of time in front of their business while they worked elsewhere is communication. Most agreed that cars left in downtown spaces for very long periods of time can be reported to the police department for investigation.

A car that had been left in a parking space for almost two months was recently towed under a town abandoned-vehicle ordinance.

While the agreement on parking issues seemed to please most attending the forum, it is obvious that downtown parking needs will have to be addressed again in the not-too-distant future as the growth of apartments over shops becomes more common.

Currently, there are two apartments already occupied on Main Street that have a total of four occupants. That number may soon change. Edward Troubleeld, a developer originally from the Faison area who now lives in California, attended the forum and said his plans to convert the Carter Building on Main Street into rst- oor shops with apartments above are being delayed

to comment on the situation. Town Manager Lea Turner was not in the o ce Monday or Tuesday. Boykin said neither he nor the town’s zoning o cer were aware she was out of the ofce. Duplin Journal left several messages and emails for Turner between Feb. 16 and Feb. 20. She responded late Friday afternoon by email.

“I was out of the o ce on Monday when (the cuto s) occurred,” Turner said in the email. “I was noti ed there was a high number of cuto s which was out of the normal. With me being in a conference, I was unable to investigate. However, on my lunch break, I did advise sta to stop cuto s and reconnect all services until the problem could be resolved. On Tuesday morning, my sta reviewed the billing information and resumed a normal cuto schedule.”

because of the lack of parking for future residents of the apartments. He said banks nancing the project want to be assured adequate parking will be available. He said the bank is asking there be a minimum of 28 parking spaces available for residents and their guests.

Taylor asked Trouble eld to meet with him to discuss options. Crayton said one possibility would be for the town to purchase a tract of land speci cally for parking.

“One acre of land can have parking for 100 cars,” he said. Crayton added the one suggestion of a parking deck downtown would be very expensive, saying it costs almost $80,000 per level to construct a parking deck.

As far as the elimination of all time-restricted parking currently in e ect, the town council will have to approve that recommendation. It is likely it will be on the agenda of an upcoming meeting. At the conclusion of the forum, Crayton suggested there be other forums in the future to allow citizens and town o cials to gather to discuss issues.

MARRIAGE LICENSES

Anita Marie Savage, Duplin County Register of Deeds issued 11 marriage licenses for the month ending on Jan. 31, 2026.

• Josel Yuanan Valdez Acosta, Wallace, and Indira Dayanary Rubi Munguia, Wallace;

• Milton Ray Ward, Turkey, and Brittany Mae Blackburn, Turkey; Leroy Mathis Sr, Wallace, and Ethel Mathis, New York;

• Jessica Katelyn Batts, Wallace, and Lucas Lee Carter, Harrells;

• Edgardo Melgar Martinez, Wallace, and Adalinda Amaya Canaca, Wallace;

• Gary Marcus Quinn, Pink Hill, and Misty Ruth Wallace, Pink Hill;

• Gabriella Borja Gomez, Magnolia, and Jose Manuel Herrea Cruz, Magnolia;

• Joseph Lee Cole, Warsaw, and Lovey Ash Burgess, Warsaw;

• Je rey Keith Chestnutt, Beulaville, and Nettie Rose Herring, Beulaville;

• Adam Michael Mangum, Deep Run, and Celia Amy Bartholf, Deep Run;

• Bobby Earl Price, Clinton, and Angela Marie Miller, Beulaville.

PARKING from page A1

MARK GRADY FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL

THE CONVERSATION

Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

Grandparents’ advice, parents’ wisdom and the call to be a good citizen

“Be a good boy or girl.” Four simply beautiful words that express how we should act and treat each other.

DO YOU REMEMBER some of these pearls of great price given to you by your parents, grandparents, a coach, a teacher or a good friend? Be sure to wash behind your ears. Make sure you put on clean underwear, in case you have a wreck. Hold your shoulders up. I said, eat those vegetables. Do that one more time and I’m going to tell your daddy. I told you no! Don’t do that again! Did you brush your teeth? Have you nished your homework?

To your mother you asked, “Why?” She said, “Because I’m your mother!” To your daddy you asked, “Why?” He said, “Because I said so!” This spanking is going to hurt me more than it hurts you. Just because his/her parents let him/her wear that kind of clothes doesn’t make it right for you.

It’s going to take a lot of hard work to make the team. You know you could have done better on that test if you had studied any at all. Hey, quit complaining and go to work. I want to see more e ort from you; you’ve got plenty of talent, but it’s going to take more e ort. Don’t let winning go to your head. You better not quit trying. Maybe you set your goal too low. The most important shot you will take is the next one.

Additionally, many of us remember being told, as we left home, “Remember who you are.” That

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

admonition carried with it the idea that family reputations were enhanced or diminished by each family member’s actions. Honor, pride and character were important characteristics to be carefully maintained both in word and in deed.

As we got older and had children of our own, we found ourselves saying some of the same things to them as our parents said to us. Then we realized it was out of righteous love and genuine care for our wellbeing that they said and did what they did.

My grandmother more than a few times instructed me, “Be a good boy.” Four simply beautiful words and four beautifully simple words. For most of us it takes a lifetime to understand how profoundly that phrase, “Be a good boy or girl” really expresses how we should act and treat each other.

Sadly, many children today do not and cannot remember or understand what I am saying here, nor have they had the necessary experiences to understand the value of these kinds of memories.

With those thoughts in mind, can anything be more important than letting others know who we are — who we really are by our actions? Can there be any more important time than during our elections to be who we say we are? Do we realize that the freedom and liberty we enjoy in America depends on protecting our precious

right to vote? Do we realize that we should feel duty bound to exercise our precious right to vote?

After over eight years of debate, court cases and radical left wing Democrat opposition, presenting a photo ID to vote seems to be rmly established. It is amazing how long it takes for good ol’ common sense to reestablish itself. Over and over again state and national Democrat leaders bemoaned how racist and oppressive the requirement for photo ID would be and how it would discourage voter turnout. That has been dramatically proven wrong.

Some time back, I expressed my opinion that there are only two forces that we deal with in mortality: good and evil. I understand that many may think that conclusion is too simple. However, the older I get the smarter my Granny’s advice and instructions have become in my daily actions. When, in honest hindsight, I review my actions in the light of her admonition, “Be a good boy,” I am left to conclude that when I was a good boy my problems were few, and when I was not a “good boy” my problems increased. We the people should be good boys and girls, inform ourselves and vote.

Rep. Jimmy Dixon represents Duplin and Wayne counties in the N.C. House of Representatives.

Marco Rubio: more than just the good cop

In February 2025, the audience at Munich took Vance’s comments as insults. In February 2026, the audience, as evidenced by its standing ovation, took Rubio’s as compliments.

MY FIRST REACTION to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech, delivered on Valentine’s Day, at the Munich Security Conference, was, “Last year, President Donald Trump sent the bad cop, Vice President JD Vance. This year, he sent the good cop, Rubio. Progress.” In February 2025, the audience at Munich took Vance’s comments as insults. In February 2026, the audience, as evidenced by its standing ovation, took Rubio’s as compliments.

Yet, as even journalists writing on deadline quickly discerned, Rubio’s words were no less critical than Vance’s of what have been European elites’ cherished policies.

“Mass migration,” Rubio said, is “a crisis which is transforming and destabilizing societies all across the West.” He decried a “climate cult” and “energy policies” that “impoverished our people.” He condemned policies that “outsourced our sovereignty to international institutions” and “invested in massive welfare states.”

Red meat substance, suitable for delivery at any of the three Trump Republican National Conventions — more than have nominated any one person, the president might remind you, except for President Richard Nixon. But leavened, as the above quotations suggest, with frequent employment of the rst-person pronouns and adjectives — “we” (69 times in the text, by my count), “us” (11), “our” (65).

“What comforted worried attendees,” wrote Michael Froman, head of the Council on Foreign Relations and Obama trade negotiator, “was the undertone of the secretary’s remarks.”

But it wasn’t just the undertone that had many Republicans and others start thinking of Rubio as a possible future presidential candidate, despite his recent avowals of support for Vance for the Republican nomination in 2028. And as a national leader with an intellectually serious grasp of history. Rubio began by summoning memories of the rst Munich conference, in 1963, when the Iron Curtain ran

through a divided Germany and the Berlin Wall was just two years old.

Halfway through the speech, he went further back, to the postwar years when “our predecessors,” faced with a “Europe in ruins” and expanding communism, “recognized that decline was a choice, and it was a choice they refused to make.” An interesting way to frame the decisions that produced the Truman Doctrine and the NATO treaty.

Against that, he described the post-Cold War euphoria that “the rules-based global order” would replace national interest. “A foolish idea,” he said unemolliently, that “has cost us dearly.”

A Trumpian take, followed by an implicit denunciation of opening up trade relations with China.

Rather than dwell on that critique, however, he segued back to “centuries of shared history, Christian faith, culture, heritage, language, ancestry,” all parts of “the common civilization to which we have fallen heir.”

This might have rankled, and perhaps was intended to rankle, the European Union leaders who, out of secular conviction or for fear of angering Muslim immigrants, successfully blocked mention of Europe’s “Christian roots” in the EU charter.

As he neared his peroration, Rubio celebrated Christopher Columbus and the English, ScotsIrish, French, German, Spanish and Dutch roots of Americans from Davy Crockett to “the cowboy archetype ... born in Spain.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), in Munich for her rst security conference, ridiculed that last claim, apparently unaware that the Americas had no horses until Hernan Cortes brought some to Mexico in 1519.

More importantly, Rubio’s emphasis on America’s European heritage is a rebuke of the Franz Fanon-inspired theory, fostered on campuses for decades and sweeping the streets in post-Oct. 7, 2023, “anti-Zionist”

demonstrations, that colonialism was the greatest evil in history, and that Europeans and Americans should do penance for their complicity.

Europeans are or should be aware, from the totalitarian tides of the 20th century, that there are worse evils than colonialism — and that to exclude di cult-to-assimilate immigrants is to commit another Holocaust.

But rather than belabor that last point, Rubio instead made the point earlier that “it was here, in Europe, where the ideas that planted the seeds of liberty that changed the world were born.” Including “the rule of law, the universities and the scienti c revolution,” plus Mozart and Beethoven, Dante and Shakespeare, Michelangelo and Leonardo, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

Europe should be “proud,” a word he repeated half a dozen times, “of its heritage and its history.” Proud of a “spirit of creation and liberty that sent ships out into uncharted seas and birthed our civilization,” with a Europe that has the means to defend itself and the will to survive.”

Among American and European elites, open expression of pride is something, well, just not done. They prefer to denounce the “systemic racism” of their fellow citizens or the “oppressive colonialism” of their forebears, to disparage the motives of “settlers” and idealize the virtues of the “indigenous.”

But pride in one’s nation and one’s civilization, properly understood, is not a warrant for selfsatisfaction but a summons to duty, a reminder that for us to whom much has been given, much is asked. In Munich, Rubio was not just Trump’s good cop but a mature American leader towering above the crowd.

Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner. (Copyright 2026 Creators.com)

COLUMN | JIMMY DIXON

Pitch It Duplin! returns to spotlight local entrepreneurs

Five participants will complete an eight-week REAL program and pitch for cash prizes

By Mark Grady For Duplin Journal

IN WHAT CAN easily be described as a local version of “Shark Tank,” Duplin-area entrepreneurs are participating in a competition to win prizes of up to $3,000 to fund their business ideas. The program, Pitch It Duplin!, is thanks to a partnership between the

from page A1

distinction between nes and surcharges, with some board members stating they had previously been told industries were being ned.

Town o cials said grace periods were allowed while facilities, including Villari and C2NC, constructed or upgraded pretreatment systems. One facility experienced equipment failures requiring additional investment before meeting standards.

The wastewater discussion preceded presentation of the town’s annual audit by Austin Eubanks of Thompson, Price, Scott & Adams for the scal year ending June 30, 2025. Auditors con rmed that all pro-

James Sprunt Community College Small Business Center, the Kenansville Area Chamber of Commerce and Marine Federal Credit Union in Jacksonville. This is the second year the competition has been held.

Duplin Journal spoke with Joy Wynne, associate dean of continuing education based at WestPark, who said participants in Pitch It Duplin! not only have the opportunity to share their ideas with a panel to win prizes, but they also get valuable training. “They have to participate in eight training events, classes

cedures were completed with one notable de ciency: Expenditures in the Memorial Park Project Fund occurred without an adopted budget ordinance. The board approved a required response letter to the Local Government Commission.

Financially, the General Fund reported approximately $3.9 million in revenues and a net decrease of about $173,000. The unassigned fund balance totaled $3.6 million, well above the commission’s recommended minimum threshold. The town’s tax collection rate was 97.64%.

The Water and Sewer Fund reported roughly $3.18 million in operating revenues and $3.4 million in expenses, re -

that meet eight times,” Wynne said. “They learn about entrepreneurship, how to properly start up a business, market it and write the business plan. We do that through a curriculum called REAL, which is a nationally recognized curriculum.”

REAL is the acronym for Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning, a program created more than 30 years ago by Johanthan Sher in North Carolina and Paul DeLargy in Georgia.

Wynne said the classes not only prepare participants for

ecting an operating loss before accounting for capital contributions.

Commissioners also revisited a proposed Cash Flow Policy governing how the town handles cash, checks and electronic payments. Concerns were raised about internal controls, documentation of shortages and whether the nance o cer had formally vetted the policy. One commissioner warned that adopting nancial control procedures without clear nance department certi cation could blur accountability and complicate future audits. The board ultimately approved the policy with one dissenting vote, noting concerns about sta involvement.

running a business but also help them prepare for their pitch.

The rst of the eight classes begins this week.

At completion of the REAL program, the ve contestants this year will make their pitch in May to a panel of judges called the Business Bulldogs, made up of four or ve business representatives from across the county, as well as a judge selected by Marine Federal Credit Union. The actual pitches very much resemble an episode of “Shark Tank.” Marine Federal Credit Union sends a lm crew to

After a contentious meeting, Boykin stressed the importance of civility, collaboration and timely citizen responses, particularly regarding Freedom of Information Act requests. He criticized delays in processing requests. This came after Jessica Thomas, representing the Duplin County NAACP and Cape Fear River Watch, noti ed the board that a public records request submitted on Oct. 20, 2025, concerning a wastewater discharge incident had not been ful lled nearly four months later. She reported receiving acknowledgment of the request by the town manager and assurances of rolling production but no documents as of late-February.

capture the pitches which will be available for public viewing in June.

Wynne said the public has an opportunity to weigh in on the judging by voting after viewing the videos. Public voting can a ect the entrants’ scores by as much as a 25-point increase. They are competing for one of three cash prizes: $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000.

For more information on Pitch It Duplin!, visit the James Sprunt Community College or Marine Federal Credit Union websites, or see their Facebook pages.

local energy resources, such as solar and batteries at customer sites and at substations, not only to provide backup power during outages, but also to help reduce energy costs for all customers,” said Ali Ipakchi, OATI chief visionary o cer.

According to Ipakchi, the system helps prevent outages by reducing strain on the grid and can speed up restoration — in some cases automatically — by tapping into nearby energy resources while full service is restored.

Critical facilities such as hospitals, emergency shelters and water systems can directly bene t as this technology can create microgrids that keep these essential services powered during outages.

“The new technologies being deployed also allow these same resources to support the grid during normal conditions, helping reduce energy costs for the facility and for other customers in the region,” he explained.

Duplin County’s strong agricultural sector also stands to gain, according to Ipakchi, who told Duplin Journal that these capabilities are already deployed and in active use at one of the largest poultry operations in the region, though the company was not publicly identi ed.

“The system ensures constant, 24/7 power to the farm, as well as to a nearby housing community,” he added. “In addition, the system can now use these same resources to provide certain grid reliability services that traditionally come from large power plants.”

OATI says the new real-time capabilities represent a major industry advancement and will also support long-term economic development.

“Reliable and a ordable electricity is one of the most important factors companies consider when choosing where to locate or expand. By investing in proven, modern technologies that improve reliability and reduce energy costs, the utility is helping make Duplin County a more attractive place for new businesses and expansions,” said Ipakchi. “These upgrades strengthen the region’s competitiveness and support long-term economic development.”

Ipakchi explained while Tri-County Electric Cooperative already o ers several energy eciency rebates and programs for its members, with the new technologies being deployed, the cooperative will also be able to introduce modern demand response options that help residents save money.

“These programs work by rewarding members for shifting energy use to lower cost periods — for example, running appliances later in the evening — or by allowing the utility to make small, temporary adjustments to devices like smart thermostats during times of very high demand. In return, participating households receive bill credits, incentives or reduced energy costs,” said Ipakchi.

“As these technologies continue to roll out, members can expect more opportunities to participate in exible use programs that lower bills while helping keep the entire system reliable and a ordable.”

While electric bills depend on many factors, leaders say the long-term goal is a more exible, e cient grid that keeps power dependable and a ordable for the community.

The next time a storm rolls through Duplin County, the lights may come back on faster — and in some cases may not go out at all — thanks to a new smart grid technology project.

GRID from page A1

WARSAW

Faith, music drive family success

The Penny Family celebrated 10 years of bluegrass gospel music

By Rebecca Whitman Cooke For Duplin Journal

BEULAVILLE — For The Penny Family, bluegrass gos-

pel isn’t just music — it’s a legacy written into their very bones. From family reunions lled with harmonies to the miraculous story of 18-year-old Jeremiah Penny, music has shaped their lives, their faith and their dreams of performing together on stages near and far.

“My momma’s family was a very musical family,” said Brent Penny, a Beulaville musician.

“Before I was born, they had a gospel bluegrass band — The Simpson Family. They were farmers and went out to sing at churches and homecomings but didn’t want to pursue anything professional. All our family reunions consisted of the family getting together to play music.”

Brent’s mother was one of 13 children — all sang in family harmony, and the majority of them played. In the 1960s, Brent’s father played too, and he traveled around in a band with some of his wife’s brothers.

“I decided one day if I had a family, that would be my dream: to have my own little band with my family,” Brent said. When Brent married Sonia, the dream started to come true.

Before their son Jeremiah was born, he was immersed in music, hearing the gentle strains of his mother’s banjo from the womb. After his birth, Brent played gospel bluegrass for him every night at bedtime.

Around the age of 1, things started to change for Jeremiah. He began regressing, stopped making eye contact and spoke less. Still, he joined the family on the stage with toy instruments as soon as he could stand.

“He’s never known stage fright because he grew up on the stage,” Brent said. Jeremi-

COURTESY BRENT PENNY

ah couldn’t play yet; he was just strumming. “I tried to teach him a little bit, and it seemed like it was going nowhere there for a while,” Brent said. At one point, Jeremiah was diagnosed with autism.

One night during a church service, everything changed.

“I’ve never been one to say I hear the voice of the Lord all the time, but I know when I hear it,” Brent recalled. “I heard the voice of the Lord tell me, ‘Go down right now and lay your hands on him in Jesus’ name.

You’re gonna pray for Jeremiah, and I’m gonna touch him.’”

He was obedient, stopped in the middle of his sermon, and went and prayed for his son.

“When I put my hand on his head, I felt the power of God.

God touched Jeremiah miraculously,” Brent said.

Jeremiah started to talk again, and his interest in music increased. He developed a perfect pitch and could play instruments by ear. By age 8, he could play the banjo as well as Earl Scruggs. He became the banjo player for the family band. His siblings, Leah and Silas, came along and started playing. The whole family now plays multiple instruments and sings together. While they mostly perform hymns, The Penny Family also play Easter Brothers and the Lewis Family songs.

Jeremiah, 18, along with his siblings Leah, 15, and Silas, 10, have been homeschooled and nurtured in the rhythms of blue-

Members of the Penny Family — from left, Silas, Sonia, Brent, Leah and Jeremiah — are pictured with their primary instruments, showcasing their musical heritage.

grass gospel. Jeremiah graduated at 16, and his dream is to one day perform professionally in the genre. He loves Martin guitars and Gibson banjos, and he can talk in detail about every instrument he plays. He also holds his learner’s permit and looks forward to getting his license — milestones he was once told he might never reach.

One of his dreams was to play at the Lorraine’s Co eehouse in Garner, and the family got to play there. Another dream was to celebrate his 18th birthday in a local concert with other bands. That dream came true earlier this month on the 10th anniversary of The Penny Family Band.

Anonymous sponsors helped make it possible to rent the Fine Arts building at East Duplin High School and bring in two other bands: The King James Boys and The Churchmen. Another dream yet to come true is to perform at The Song of the Mountains in Marion, Virginia.

“I told Jeremiah to hold on to those dreams and keep pushing forward,” Brent said. “He’s been told by a lot of people that he can’t, but we tell him he can. Philippians 4:13: ‘With God, all things are possible.’ The Lord has been generous to provide for us to be able to do what we do, and we give Him the glory all along the way.”

The family, who currently performs at events and shut-ins, plans to record an album later this year.

Duplin County prepares for primary amid busy early voting

O cials report increased voter interest and changes in party a liation

By Mark Grady For Duplin Journal

FOR VOTERS, GOING to the polls to cast their vote seems like a simple process — go to the polling place, show your ID, complete your ballot and turn it in. For those who may be unavailable to vote during early voting or on Election Day, voters can submit an absentee ballot by mail. The early voting period ends Feb. 28.

For the sta and Duplin County Board of Elections, months of preparation have gone into getting everything set for this year’s primary election on March 3. The process started last year when the Board of Elections began contacting about 900 voters whose registration was missing identi cation information. Those who did not respond to the county request were sent a letter from the N.C. State Board of Elections.

Duplin County Board of Elections Director Carrie Sullivan told Duplin Journal the past two weeks have been very busy setting up the early voting sites, sta ng them and completing the nal upload of voter records into their electronic pollbooks. She said the Board of Elections has been participating in weekly meetings.

“These meetings are for the review and approval of absentee ballots that have been returned by the voters,” Sullivan said. “Board members check over each envelope to ensure that voters have met all the requirements for acceptance.”

“We are seeing that increase this year due to the sheri and clerk of court candidates having no Democrat opposition.”

Carrie Sullivan

The chairperson of the Duplin County Board of Elections, Ann Henderson, told Duplin Journal, “We have to literally vote on every single absentee ballot submitted.”

Sullivan said a great deal of sta time is committed to the absentee ballot process before the board votes on the individual ballots.

“Prior to these meetings, ofce sta must complete an initial review of each envelope,” she said. “If there are de ciencies, we must reach out to voters to notify them. Depending on the de ciency, voters are given the option to cure the ballot or be reissued a ballot.”

Sullivan said they have seen an increase in voters modifying their registration in order to change their party a liation.

“We are seeing that increase this year due to the sheri and clerk of court candidates having no Democrat opposition.” Often, midterm elections, especially primaries for the midterms, do not get the attention elections get during years voters are choosing the president. However, both Henderson and Sullivan said they believe there is more interest than usual this year.

“I feel like it de nitely is,” Sullivan said. “Midterms are especially important this year.”

DUPLIN SPORTS

Panthers power way to ECC titles

Kinsey Cave took control as ED took down previously unbeaten Clinton

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

BEULAVILLE — Kinsey Cave can take over a basketball game and, in the process, get every player on her team involved.

Last Friday, the junior scored 24 points when East Duplin stunned previously unbeaten Clinton 55-43 in the ECC Tournament nals on Jerry Hunter Court. She was one-point shy of tying her career high and had 11 rebounds and four assists.

Zakoya Farrior added 14, while Zoe Cavanaugh nailed a pair of key 3-pointers and Lorena Rodriguez chipped in with a key basket in crunch time.

The win exacted revenge on two close regular season losses — 51-47 and 48-37 — to Clinton (23-1). It likely cost the No. 3 Dark Horses a spot seeding position for the 4A playo s, while also giving No. 8 ED (19-6) a two-step leap.

ED had to overcome a size advantage and did so by spreading the court, being deliberate with the basketball and playing standup defense.

“We had a lot of players step up and make plays, and we took much better care of the ball,” said Panthers head coach Mark Lane. “They are longer than us overall, and we got hurt of some o ensive rebounds. But we did a much better job in the second half keeping them out of the paint.”

Cave scored 17 points in the second half after Clinton took a 21-20 halftime lead.

Three-point shooting serenaded the Panthers into a lead late in the third quarter and early in the fourth.

Cavanaugh ripped in a pair of treys and Cave one in the nal two minutes of the third as ED went in front 37-34.

Farrior zipped in a bomb to start the fourth as the bulge expanded to 40-34. It ballooned to 50-38 as Cave had two hoops

and two charity tosses and Lorena Rodriguez sank two layups via long connection passes.

ED held its ground the rest of the way, e ectively using a spread o ense that Clinton couldn’t solve.

Phoenix Everett (16), Ciara Stuart (11) and Jayla Pickett (10) paced the Dark Horses, but ED held them to 28% shooting from the eld.

A pair of bombs by Farrior started the game, yet Clinton led 12-8 at the rst break. Farrior scored with nine ticks left on the rst-half clock

to trim the de cit to a point.

A jump shot by Bennett Holley and layup by Farrior tied the game at 26-26 with four minutes left in the third quarter. Cave, who was Ms. Basketball in Duplin County the previous two seasons but missed a few games with an ankle injury late in the season, was the master controller of the game from that point forward.

And her young, less-experienced teammates followed her lead.

See GIRLS, page B3

The East Duplin boys turned back the clock to 2009 when head coach Blake Lanier led ED to its last conference title

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

BEULAVILLE — East Duplin grad Blake Lanier took the head basketball coaching job in 2019 to see crowds rush onto Jerry Hunter Court after winning a championship. It didn’t happen until last Friday night when the Panthers pulled out a 65-60 overtime win over Clinton to capture the East Central Conference Tournament title.

The irony is that it was 17 years ago to the day that ED won nearly anything of significance, including early playo games.

Lanier and his 2009 Panthers beat the Dark Horses 66-63 win the ECC tourney after taking the regular season crown. ED went on to nish with a program-best 23-7 mark before falling to Northwood in the region nals.

“It’s been 17 years, so I don’t take it for granted,” said Lanier, who has also coached the boys’ soccer team the past ve seasons. “It’s something that doesn’t happen every year, even though we are building the pro-

gram. There are no guarantees in sports.

“We also have to remember that it’s just one game.”

Yet an event of signi cance for the packed gymnasium as both sides pounded on the bleachers and roared to baskets, fouls and turnovers as if each possession were the last of the night.

Zachary Ball had 20 points and hauled down 10 rebounds, Dominick Hall and Aaron Hall each netted 13, and Shawn Davis (7 points, eight rebounds), DJ Davis (5 points, including a big 3-point play in OT) and reserve Obediah Miller (5 points, which included a big trey) made contributions in what was a team e ort.

“I told the kids before the game that I wanted them to have the opportunity to know how it feels, what it feels like in a championship setting,” said Lanier, who had to play point guard against the Dark Horses in ’09 because Tyson Lane (son of ED girls coach Mark Lane) was out sick.

“We played consistent the whole time, and I was really proud of the way our players responded when Clinton hit a few shots and we made some mistakes.

The Panthers (11-11) were seemingly in control in the

See BOYS, page B4

Tigers roast ’Dawgs, fall to Cougars in Swine Valley nals

23

to

JK

WRH

JK will likely face WRH for a fourth time in the second round of the 3A playo s

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

GOLDSBORO — Anyone ready for this winter’s fourth rivalry chapter of James Kenan vs. Wallace-Rose Hill?

Barring an upset, it will be featured fare in the second round of the 3A playo s on Feb. 27 in Warsaw if the No. 9 Bulldogs get past No. 24 South Columbus (6 -15). JK earned a rst-round bye and will wait.

The winner will get to trav-

el to No. 1 Farmville Central (24 - 0) two days later.

The No. 8 Tigers (17-5) picked up their second win over WRH (18-5) in the semi nals of the Swine Valley Conference Tournament last week.

Three of JK’s losses are to No. 5 Goldsboro, which tagged the Tigers 45-33 in the nals on Feb. 20.

Bulldogs overwhelmed in Cougars’ gymnasium

WRH might have played its worst game of the season, while JK was at its best during a convincing 75-61 win in Goldsboro.

CJ Hill scored 23 points, Kentrall Morrisey 21 and Zamarion Smith 13. The threesome com-

bined for 47 second-half points to continue to stretch JK’s lead, which was 41-23 at halftime.

Morrisey got hot early in the third quarter, scoring three baskets, and after a Hill 3-pointer, the JK lead ballooned to 52-32 midway through the stanza.

A driving bucket by Smith, 3-pointer by Mari Graham and three charity tosses by Morrisey extended it to 60-36 to begin the fourth, and it looked as if WRH didn’t want to be playing.

Bulldog Jamari Carr scored 10 of his 14 markers in the second half to keep WRH from disappearing from the court.

Matthew Wells and Darrius McCrimmon had 13 apiece,

See TIGERS, page B3

PHOTOS BY EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL

East Duplin’s girls beat ECC champ and unbeaten Clinton to win the league’s tournament.

EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL

EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL

The East Duplin boys’ basketball team captured a conference tournament title for the rst time in 17 years.

ED head coach Mark Lane, left, directs Lorena Rodriguez (13) and Bennett Holley (11) during a win over Clinton.

CJ Hill (4) scored

points

help

beat

in the semi nals of the Swine Valley Conference Tournament.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

SPONSORED BY BILL CARONE

Abby Rose

North Duplin, girls’ basketball

Abby Rose is on a tear. And it could be a sign of things to come in the next two seasons.

The North Duplin sophomore scored 50 points in her last two games as the new leader of the Rebels.

Rose is averaging 16.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.8 steals this winter and has rmly taken over for Addy Higginbotham (a 1,000-point career scorer) and Tateyawna Faison (a 1,000-point scorer who had more than 1,000 rebounds).

That club went 24-5 with Rose putting up 6.1 points and 2.7 rebounds as a starter in 29 games.

She’s on a roster with just one senior this season and has been a consistent performer, hitting double gures in every game, 15 times throwing down 15 or more points.

Rose red in 24 points in a semi nal win during a 60-13 Carolina Conference Tournament round win over West Columbus and then 26 in a 67-50 loss in the nals to Lakewood.

She led the Rebels to a 17-7 mark this season and has scored 578 points in two seasons. Only an injury can keep her away from the prestigious 1,000-point plateau.

BOYS’ BASKETBALL ROUNDUP

Crusaders rally to reach Final Four; Rebels comeback falls short

Harrells Christian got revenge on Burlington, while No. 4 East Bladen clipped No. 3 North Duplin in the CC Tournament nal

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

UNION TOWNSHIP — Revenge was sweet for Antonio McKoy, cousin Dashaun and point guard J’Kaeshi Brunson, though they waited a year for a rematch.

Harrells Christian got the NCISAA playo matchup it wanted to beat the Burlington School 57-55 in the 2A quarter nals.

Antonio McKoy scored 24 points, Dashaun McKoy 17 and Brunson eight with four assists as the Crusaders exacted revenge from a 53-48 loss that ended their season last winter.

Yet it didn’t come easy and HCA trailed 19-4 after eight minutes of play.

“We started slow and turned it on late and got down by 18 in the second quarter and kind of panicked,” said HCA head coach Clayton Hall. “We made an adjustment in the second half and got some steals and easy baskets by opening up the oor. They were getting us on a dribble hando and slipping a guy o it to the basket.”

Yet HCA (29-7) had a 22-7 third-quarter blitz to get back into the contest.

“We didn’t lose our condence, played with discipline and started making shots,” Hall said.

HCA, which was seeded third in its conference and rallied to take the league’s tourney title the previous week by stomping the Green eld School, the No. 1 team in 2A and regular-season champion of the Coastal Plain 2A/3A Conference, is in the Final Four opposite last year’s champ

Caldwell Academy (20-9).

“They can’t match our power inside, but we have to defend really well because they are extremely athletic and shoot the ball very well,” Hall said. “We have to limit their 3-point attempts. Green eld (26-5) meets No. 4 Fayetteville Academy (25-6) in the other semi nal matchup. The 2A nal is Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Novant Health Fieldhouse in Greensboro.

Antonio McKoy tossed in 44 and Dashaun McKoy 24 two days earlier during a 107-78 rout of Freedom Christian Academy (16-16). It might have been as much fun for the Crusaders as their 93-32 stomping of Epiphany (New Bern) in the second round. Antonio McKoy had 25 markers on 12-of-17 shooting, while Dashaun McKoy added 21 on 10 of 13 from the eld, which included a pair of treys. Colten Harrell came up with nine and Jeremiah Davis eight for HCA, which has won its last seven games.

Antonio McKoy (28.1 points per game) has scored 1,010 points this season and is 43 shy of 3,000 for his career. Dashaun McKoy (18.1) has

1,859 career points and is two rebounds short of 1,000. Meanwhile, Brunson is averaging 6.4 assists this season.

Rebels need OT to subdue Vikings; fall to Eagles

Jae’lyn Ingram and Missah Cooper combined for 46 points as North Duplin avenged two previous losses by beating West Columbus 54-53.

Ingram’s 3-point play with 1:13 left and free throw with 5.9 to play was the di erence, though Carell Phillips added a key putback with 36 seconds remaining.

Ingram and Cooper worked well together in the fourth quarter as ND rallied from a 25-21 halftime de cit.

WC clipped ND 50-49 on Jan. 16 in Cerra Gordo and by same score three weeks later in Calypso.

Ingram hit one of two charity tosses for the win after WC’s Ayden Scott’s hoop tied it at 53-all with 18 second left.

East Bladen (10-15), which upset top-seed East Columbus, roared to a 22-1 lead in the rst half in the nals last Friday. But the Rebels (14-10) chipped away and got to within 46-40 after a nine-point fourth-quarter rush.

Lucas Dail’s jumper made it 53-50 with a little more than a minute to play.

Keyshawn Kemp, who had game-high honors with 30 points, canned three free throws in the nal 14 seconds. Ingram, who led ND with 15 markers, swished in a late 3-pointer as the Rebels refused to go down easy.

Lucas Gregory added 11, Cooper 10 and Quan Stevens eight. No. 11 ND hosts No. 22 Triangle Math and Science Academy on Feb. 24. The winner plays at No. 6 Holmes (13-11) on Feb. 26.

EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL

EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL

Antonio McKoy has nearly scored 3,000 points during his four-year career at HCA.

Tigers close gap on Cougars; Rebels ahead of the curve

JK lost for a third time to Goldsboro, while ND looks to the postseason after its second loss to Lakewood

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

GOLDSBORO– If scores are any indication, James Kenan is closing the gap on the top teams in 3A as the NCHSAA playo s begin this week.

The Tigers (17-3) have three losses on their resume to Goldsboro (23-2), the No. 2 seed in the 3A playo s, and will enter as the No. 3 seed.

That was nalized after the Cougars’ 47-41 triumph over the Tigers in the nals of the Swine Valley Tournament last Friday. Yet it’s a reason to have faith in Aaron Smith’s club, which will host the winner of No. 14 Ayden-Grifton (12 -10) and No. 19 Bedding eld (8 -14) in the second round of the playo s.

JK’s previous two setbacks to the Cougars were not close — 60-49 on Jan. 9 and 45-24 on Feb. 20.

To get a fourth shot at Goldsboro, JK will have to advance to the fourth round. No. 1 Kinston (21-1) could await the winner. But the Vikings will run into JK’s archrival in Duplin, No. 8 Wallace-Rose Hill (16 -10) in the second round if the Bulldogs beat the winner of No. 9 Northeastern (10-10) and No. 24 Pasquotank County (3-19).

Cougar rush to early lead, hold on late

Goldsboro went in front early by having two 9-0 first-quarter spurts to lead 18-2. Hoops by Y’Anna Rivers and Zanyia Brown got the Tigers moving, though they trailed 24-12 in the middle of the second quarter and 25-17 by halftime.

from page B1

but WRH had no answers for JK and made the Tigers look like professionals.

The bulge went to 66-40 after a 6-2 run and then 72-50 with 3:19 to play.

Carr, who is playing his best basketball, had two driving scores to stake WRH to an early 12-6 lead.

JK got its rst lead — 14-12 — when Smith scored o a nice pass from David Zeleya.

But Carr tied it before Eli Avent’s bucket sent JK to an 18-16 edge heading into the second quarter.

Aspen Brown scored o an assist from Wells, but JK ran o 15 of the next 18 points to forge a 33-21 edge 3:17 before the extended intermission. The kickers were a Smith trey, a baseline move by Morrisey and a pair of layups by Hill.

But JK wasn’t done streaking after a WRH timeout to regroup and led 42-23 as Jeremiah Hall got involved in the Tigers’ o ense.

JK trimmed the lead to 35 - 31 entering the fourth quarter on the strength of three baskets by Rivers and two from junior post Aleyah Wilson.

The comeback got JK to 44 - 41 late in the fourth quarter but, missed free throws and two technical fouls detoured the rally.

Wilson finished with 16 and Rivers 15. Nieirah Smith led a balanced Goldsboro attack with 14.

Tigers take down Bulldogs in semi nals

WRH hung with JK for the better part of two quarters before falling to their rival for the third time this season, 63-43.

Rivers connected for a 3-pointer and three free throws, and Outlaw and Wilson each canned two charity tosses as JK expanded on it six-point halftime lead with a 9-2 run to start the third quarter. It got out of hand quickly after the burst and the edge went to 39-25 entering the fourth quarter.

A 3-point play by Rivers midway through the quarter amped the lead to 20 and a driving layup by Outlaw pushed it to 30 with 1:11 to play.

Rivers nished with 15, Outlaw 13, Wilson 11, Brown six and LaBria McGowan ve.

Post Marion Francis had 12 for WRH and guards QuoRyiona Vines and Sophie Sloan combined for 15.

Vines and Francis each pumped in 10 in a 47-20 rst-round win over Princeton. Smith and Savannah Smith each hit for eight and Amana Newkirk six.

JK had just an easy time

WRH earned the tournament’s No. 2 seed by beating JK 66-64 in the regular season nale for both schools. But JK leapfrogged the ’Dawgs in RPI for the 3A playo s with the tourney win. The Tigers also whipped WRH 52-49 on Jan. 20. The loss snapped the Bulldogs’ six-game winning streak.

WRH pounded Spring Creek 85-48 in the rst round, while JK manhandled Rosewood 55-32.

Kinston (17-3), which played in the ECC against both JK and WRH before this year’s realignment and move from four to eight classi cations, took the No. 2 seed in the 3A East. Northeastern (18-3) got the third seed and Martin County (22-4) the fourth.

Fans will certainly show up in numbers for JK-WRH IV.

JK won two battles this fall in football over WRH, while WRH captured two matches on the soccer eld from the Tigers.

One of the best rivalries in the east still packs the seats with fervent fans. Try nding that at larger schools.

and JK are the No. 3 seed in the 3A

during its 47-8 win over Spring Creek in its tourney opener as Outlaw and Wilson each netted 11.

Leopards’ McKoy stings Rebels in CC semi nals

North Duplin allowed Lakewood’s Areona McKoy to roam free and paid a big price for it. McKoy scored from nearly every spot on the oor to tie her career high of 40 points as the Leopards won the rubber match of the series 65-50 in the Carolina Conference Tournament semi nals at Union High. McKoy also hit for 40 last season against the tourney’s host school.

Lakewood (18-7) won its 10th in a row by beating East Bladen 45-40 in the nals. EB (19-7) upset regular season champion East Columbus (15-6) in the semi nals.

Lakewood was seeded fth, EB sixth, ND seventh in the 2A playo brackets, while EC was fth in the 1A tournament.

“The top four teams in our conference best up on each other and that kind of competition makes you better,” said ND coach Jon Kornegay, who, despite losing two 1,000-point scorers, has the Rebels at 17-7 entering its second-round game on Feb. 26.

“We’ve really improved, and I was proud of how we competed

against Lakewood and how we go out and compete each night. Hats o to Lakewood. They’re on a hot streak.

Sophomore Abby Rose tossed in a career-high 26 points, her eighth game of 20 or more points this season. She’s averaging a team-high 16.7 points and just seems to be beginning to peak.

“Abby loves to play — a lot — and is a special player we’ll look to lean on in the playo s and beyond,” Kornegay said.

Lilly Fulghum and Maggie Brown each chipped in 10.

“Maggie’s a greatly improved player who, like Abby, had a strong summer,” Kornegay said. “She can bring the ball up the court, shoot and defend and is third in the 2A East in blocks.”

ND was never in the game against Lakewood after an 18-0 push that turned a ve -point cushion into a 32-13 lead early in the third quarter, even though ND fought back.

A mid-range jumper by Brown, 3-pointer by Fulghum and layup and putback hoop by Rose fueled a 9-0 blitz to trim the de cit to 32-22.

Rose tallied eight markers in the last 3:12 to once again make it a 10-point game — 43-33 — entering the fourth quarter. The Rebels never got closer, and while they bene tted from full-court pressure, anytime Lakewood beat it McKoy drove to the iron for a layup.

A Rose steal and layup made it 57-50, but Lakewood hit all six of its free throws in thenal 1:41, and McKoy and Trinity Bell (15 points) each added an uncontested layup as part of a 10-0 nish.

Rose red in 25, Brown 11 and Fulghum nine when ND beat West Columbus 50-13 in the semi nals. The Rebels held the Vikings to 4-of-42 (10%) shooting from the eld, and Demya Powell had all but two of WC’s points.

from page B1

Cavanaugh and post Andraia Scarborough are the lone seniors on ED’s roster.

Both had 16 markers during a 74-36 semi nal victory over Trask.

Cave chipped in 15 and had eight assists, Holley eight markers, six assists and 10 rebounds, while Rodriguez had six points. ED had 25 assists, 20 steals and 12 blocks. Hoops notebook

ED, which has won ve straight, is one win from its 10th season of 20 or more wins since Lane became the head coach in 2008-09. That win will also make it four 20 -win seasons in a row. The Panthers also had four consecutive 20 -win seasons from 2017-20.

Another may have followed, but the COVID-19 pandemic limited schools to only conference play in 2021 when ED was 12-2 overall and 11-1 in ECC play. Lane (329-130) has guided

ED to wins in 71% of its games. His lone losing seasons came in 2022 (3-18) and 2023 (11-14). Cave is 121 points from breaking the 1,000-point mark for her career. She also notched 24 points last season during a win over James Kenan. She’s scored 20 or more points six times this season.

The No. 8 Panthers earned a bye in the rst round of the 4A playo s and will host the survivor of No. 9 Southwestern Randolph (17-5) and No. 24 Jordan Matthews (5-19) on Feb. 26.

That winner will square o against No. 1 TW Andrews (19-4) if the Red Raiders can dispose of either No. 16 Cummings (12-8) or No. 17 John M. Morehead (14-10).

Yet being in the bottom half of the bracket with No. 2 First Flight (18-2) and No. 3 Clinton might have been an easier road. ED made it to the fourth round fourth round last season before falling to Seaforth. The Panthers exited in the third round in 2023-24.

TIGERS

GIRLS

EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL

Labria McGowan

playo s.

Aspen Brown (2) and WRH had trouble scoring on JK’s defense.

EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL

Doug Moe, former coach of Denver Nuggets, dead at 87

The former Tar Heel was an ABA legend

By Eddie Pells

The Associated Press

DENVER— Doug Moe, an ABA original who gained fame over a rumpled, irreverent decade as coach of the Denver Nuggets in the 1980s, died at 87 after a long bout with cancer.

Moe went 628-529 over 15 seasons as a head coach, including stints with the San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers. He never won a title and was the NBA Coach of the Year in 1988.

More than for wins and losses, Moe will be remembered for his motion o ense and for the equally entertaining shows he put on while prowling the bench during his coaching days.

His Denver teams led the league in scoring over ve straight seasons in the early ’80s, and he rarely ran a set play.

He called the people he liked the most “sti s” (or worse) and used more colorful language to drive points home to some of his favorite foils — Kiki VanDeWeghe, Danny Schayes and Bill Hanzlik stood out.

The coach stalked the sidelines in one of his well-worn sports coats, usually without a tie (he had a small stash of “emergency suits” in his closet for bigger events), his hair a mess and his overtaxed voice barely at a croak by the end of most games.

The Nuggets bench, along with the 10 rows behind it, was no place for children, but within hours, Moe would be at the bar or co ee shop hanging with many of those same players he’d excoriated, often himself wondering where that foul-mouthed man on the sideline had come from.

“Sometimes I think I have a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality. I clown around a lot before and after a game, but once a game starts, my emotions just take over,” Moe said in a 1983 interview with The New York Times.

Moe paired with good friend Larry Brown at UNC, where as a 6-foot-5 small forward he twice earned All-America honors. But Moe’s college career was terminated early because of a point-shaving scandal for which he received $75 to y to a meeting; he refused to throw games.

After a few years in Europe, Moe again became a package deal with Brown, as they winded their way through the new

and edgling ABA. Moe was a three-time All-Star over a ve-year career that ended early because of his perpetually ailing knees.

His playing days done, he teamed again with Brown, working as his assistant with the Carolina Cougars and then with the Nuggets toward the end of the franchise’s ABA days.

Alex English and VanDeWeghe nished 1-2 in scoring in the 1982-83 season, a feat no teammates have accomplished since. The Nuggets lost a 186 -184 game to the Pistons in 1983 that remains the highest-scoring game in NBA history. Moe won 432 games with the Nuggets, and the franchise retired that number, with Moe’s name attached.

It took more than 30 years after Moe retired and moved back to San Antonio for the Nuggets to break through and become NBA champions.

Oddly enough, one of Moe’s most colorful coaching coups came at the expense of the Nuggets on the last day of the 1977-78 season when he was with the Spurs. In an early game, Denver, coached by Brown at the time, fed David Thompson on the way to a 73-point outburst against Detroit that brie y put him ahead of Gervin in a neck-and-neck battle for the scoring title.

So that night, Moe told the Spurs to get out of “Ice’s” way. Gervin scored 63 against the Jazz to win the title by 0.07.

Though the focus of the Nuggets was o ense, Moe spent ample time preaching defense — insisting it, not the team’s scoring ability, would make the di erence between winning and losing.

Once, incensed at the lack of e ort during a blowout loss at Portland, he commanded his team to stop trying on defense and to let the Blazers make layups at will over the nal minutes to set the franchise scoring record for a single game. That earned him a ne and suspension, only weeks after he was ned for throwing water on an o cial.

For the most part, though, Moe made a career out of not taking himself too seriously — a wryly wrinkled counterbalance to the slicked-down Pat Riley and the Laker Showtime teams that dominated the NBA’s Western Conference over the decade.

Moe even punctuated one of his lowest moments — his ring by the Nuggets in 1990 — by wearing a Hawaiian shirt and popping open champagne at the news conference while his wife, whom he called “Big Jane,” looked on. A day to celebrate, he insisted, because he would now be getting paid to do nothing.

third quarter at 46-37 after Ball’s buzzer-beater.

Down 50-41 after a Ball layup, the Dark Horses (13-11) went on a 10-2 tear to trim the lead to 52-51 with three minutes left in regulation.

Clinton’s bigger surge — 9-0 — happened after a putback by Aaron Hall to give the Dark Horses a 60-54 lead.

Ball then canned a 3-pointer, and Dominick Davis had a conventional 3-point play to knot the contest at 60-60 with eight seconds to play. His play was set up by Dark Horse Jaden Bell, who cracked under pressure to miss both of his free throws with 34 seconds remaining.

Given new life, the Panthers seized the victory by getting a 3-point play by DJ Davis and two charity tosses by Ball. Shawn Davis and Ball had change-of-possession blocks in the nal minute of the extra session.

“We got our composure back, and that’s a credit to the kids,” Lanier said. “I’m kind of a glori ed waterboy.”

And-one shots

The rubber-game series win helped ED earn the No. 12 seed in the 4A playo s and a home

game opposite No. 22 North Pitt (7-15), with the survivor traveling to No. 5 Eastern Wayne (17-8) on Feb. 26. Aaron Hall netted a career-high 25 points in the semi nals as ED dunked Trask 64 -53. Dominick Hall added 15 and point guard DJ Davis 10. Clinton upset No. 1 South Lenoir 53-42 on the same night. ED is 7-3 since beating Clinton 49-47 on Jan. 20 and avenged a 67-65 setback to the Dark Horses on Feb. 6. Lanier guided ED to a 15-10 mark his rst season and to a 7-5 record during the COVID-shortened season in 2020-21, but the Panthers only other .500 or better season was last season’s 11-11 record. That season came after ED recovered from a 2-22 campaign. He’s 64-87 in nearly seven seasons with a 36-49 mark in conference play. His predecessor, Robert Ross, went 76-92 overall and 34-44 in league play in seven seasons. According to longtime sportswriter Bill Rollins, ED lost 51-44 to North Edgecombe in the 2A nal in 1962-63 behind the play of Charlie Lanier (ECU) and Jerry Simpson, who is known as the rst great athletes at the school. Lanier died in 2019 and Simpson three years later.

NOTICE

TOWN OF WALLACE TOWN COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE March 12, 2026, after 6:00 PM

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Town Council of theTown of Wallace has called for a Public Hearing at the Wallace Women’s Club, located at 216 N. East Railroad Street, Wallace, NC 28466, on Thursday, March 12, 2026, after 6:00 PM for the following:

The applicant is seeking to rezone 192 +/acres, Pins 331603003661 and 331603115966 located on the north side of River Road, west of Highway 11, from RA-20 (residential, agricultural, minimum lot size 20,000 sq. ft.) to Conditional. Persons wishing to speak on the issues are invited to attend and be heard at the scheduled public hearing.

Persons having questions may contact Rod Fritz, Planning Director at (910) 285-4136 or rfritz@wallacenc.gov.

and invites the submission of proposals from minority and women-owned rms.

BOYS from page B1

EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL Shawn Davis scored and rebounded for ED during its win over Clinton.

ED ANDRIESKI / AP PHOTO

Former Denver Nuggets head coach Doug Moe pleads with his team during a timeout in the closing seconds of a 1986 game.

Martha Merritt Teachey

Sept. 13, 1922 – Feb. 17, 2026

A gracious, kind, and loving lady, Martha Merritt Teachey, entered into the arms of Jesus on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at the age of 103. She was born on September 13, 1922, in Rose Hill, North Carolina, the daughter of the late Willie Gregory and Margaret Ann “Annie” Teachey. Martha was also preceded in death by her husband Bennie F. Teachey Sr.; their sons Bennie F. Teachey Jr., William “Billy” Teachey, and James Gregory Teachey; daughter Nancy T. Iredale and granddaughter Amanda Lancaster. She was a lifelong dedicated member and active worker of Poston Baptist Church. She was a faithful Sunday School teacher, Deacon, WMU president and a member of the Eastern Baptist Association.

Surviving to cherish her memory is her daughter Glenda T. Moore and husband John of Lawrenceville, Ga; grandchildren Denise Houghton and husband Tim of Holly Ridge, NC, Lori Keir and husband Allen of Harrells, NC, Jennifer Rinderle and husband Ed of Crested Butte, CO, Brent Iredale and wife Genie Decatur, GA, John C. Moore and wife Virginia of Suwanee, GA, Melissa Teachey of Wallace, NC and Kayla Murray and husband Je rey of Wallace, NC; great grandchildren Ben Houghton, Matthew Keir, Hailey Carr, Abby Moore, Ellie Moore, Eva Claire Moore, Sam Moore, Tilly Rinderle, Leona Rinderle, Thomas Iredale, Jack Iredale, Bella Lancaster, Zayne Robinson, Madison Daniel, Rowan Murray, Gracie Murray and Colt Murray; great-great grandson Graham Carr; daughters-in-law Janice Kennedy, Clara Teachey and Gail Teachey; special caregivers Peggy Creech and Diane Barrett; numerous extended family and friends that loved Martha dearly. Martha was a diligent homemaker who enjoyed being a wife, a mother and “Granny”. With a big heart for the Lord and her children, she instilled love of family and love of God in each of them. Martha taught Sunday School until she was 82. She was an inspiration to many youth who later gave their hearts to Christ. Martha loved everyone and made sure that

Bernabe Antonio Venegas

June 11, 1937 – Feb. 19, 2026

Mr. Bernabe Antonio Venegas, age 88, of Magnolia, NC, passed away on Thursday, February 19, 2026, at his home. The funeral service will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 3 p.m. at Iglesia Nuevo Renacer, Carroll Street in Magnolia, NC. Burial will follow at Rose Hill Funeral Home Cemetery in Magnolia, NC, on Sunday, February 22, 2026.

He is survived by his children: Bernabe Antonio Venegas Jr. (Stephanie) of Florida, Lionel Venegas Ramos of Magnolia, NC, Dulce Venegas Padilla (Aly) of Rose Hill, NC, Ruben Venegas Ramos (Joni) of Teachey, NC, Rosa Venegas Ramos and Ricardo Venegas Ramos, both of Magnolia; eleven grandchildren; a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends that will miss him dearly.

those she met knew God loved them more. Although Martha had a big family to care for, she always opened her home to everyone for a bowl of delicious veggie soup. Many visiting missionaries enjoyed spending Sunday afternoon around her dinner table, sharing their stories of evangelism. Martha enjoyed gardening, both vegetables and owers. She was the last surviving member of the Quilting Club, which produced several quilts for loved ones. At age 94, Martha and Aileen Moore delivered Meals on Wheels to the “Old People”. On Martha’s 102nd birthday, she was honored with a big birthday celebration given by her family. She was blessed with many family, friends and special guests to honor her on her special day. Duplin County Commissioner Jesse Dowe was in attendance and read a proclamation from Duplin County and a letter from Governor Roy Cooper’s o ce wishing her a happy birthday. Representatives from Duplin County Senior Services came and informed everyone that Martha’s picture would be placed in their Centennial Club Facebook page which was an honor. Martha’s pastor, Chris Jarman came and spoke of her many years of service to her church. He told how she always remembered everybody’s name, prayed for everyone and how involved and faithful Martha had always been. He stated she had always been a part of the backbone of Poston Baptist Church. What a grand time everyone had celebrating Martha’s birthday, but no one enjoyed it more than Martha herself. She was overjoyed and felt so blessed to have so many people who loved her and came to celebrate.

Martha was a true servant of God, a Proverbs 31 woman, a Christian mother, grandmother, and great-great-grandmother, and a loyal friend to all. She will surely be missed but her legacy will live on for many years to come.

A celebration of Martha’s life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, February 23, 2026, at Poston Baptist Church with her pastor, Chris Jarman, and her grandson, John C. Moore, o ciating.

The family will receive friends from 1-2 p.m. on Monday, one hour prior to the service at the church.

Burial will follow the service at Riverview Memorial Park, Watha, NC

In lieu of owers, the family requests donations be made to Wallace Christian Academy (WCA), 4121 S NC Hwy 11, Wallace, NC 28466.

The family would like to especially thank the sta at DaySprings of Wallace for the exceptional care they gave to Martha. For the love you showed her and for being so good and attentive to her needs (and wants). The family will forever be grateful to you.

Felicia Ann Swann

Jan. 13, 1960 – Feb. 19, 2026

Ms. Felecia Ann Swann, age 65, of Spring Lake, NC, passed away on Thursday, February 19, 2026, at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville, NC. A memorial service will be held at noon on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at the Rose Hill Funeral Home Chapel in Rose Hill, NC. Left to cherish her precious memories are her mother, Annie Swann Maynor of Moncks Corner, SC; two brothers: Raeford Carr Jr. (Donyell) of Summerville, NC and Allen Carr (Monica) of Goldsboro, NC; one sister, Gisele Dixon of Columbia, SC; three aunts, three uncles; a host of extended family, other relatives and friends that will miss her dearly.

Iris Beechie Lunny

Sept. 8, 1945 – Feb. 16, 2026

Iris Beechie Lunny, 80, of Turkey, North Carolina, passed peacefully on Monday, February 16, 2026, at Lower Cape Fear LifeCare in Wilmington, North Carolina.

She was born September 8, 1945, in Wilmington, North Carolina, to the late Clifton Beechie Lutterloah and the late Linnie May Streeter Lutterloah.

Iris drifted through life like a song carried on the wind- never bound by maps, clocks, or expectations. Born with a restless heart, she sought beauty in every horizon and found home in the laughter of strangers and the quiet of starlit nights. Though her path led her away from the role of a traditional parent, her children remain a part of her story, carrying forward pieces of her spirit in their own journeys.

She is survived by her children, Tina (Gary) Kudlack, Stan (Heather) Olive, Teresa (Emanuel) Olive; her sisters and best friends, Elizabeth, Rosa Lee, Lynn; her brothers, Cli , Chris, Eric; six grandchildren and several extended family members. A special thanks to Asya Taylor for helping care for Iris in her time of need.

A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, February 20, 2026, at Quinn McGowen Funeral Home, with Pastors Daniel Brown and Billy Cooper o ciating. The family will receive friends from 1-2 p.m., one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Burial will follow the service at Prospect Cemetery in Wilmington.

Linwood Earl Sumner

June 7, 1942 – Feb. 19, 2026

Linwood Earl Sumner passed away on February 19, 2026, at The Service of League of Greenville Hospice House, Greenville, NC

He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Tynia Thigpen Sumner, and his parents, Martin and Ruby Blalock Sumner.

After a short time in the Air Force, he returned to Beulaville to help his father on the farm while partnering with his friend, Guy Miller, to run the Texaco gas station. Shortly afterwards, he was employed by DuPont, where he worked for 38 years until his retirement. After his retirement from DuPont, he delivered LP Gas for Sandlin’s Oil Company for several years.

A graveside service will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at East Duplin Memorial Gardens, Beulaville, NC, at 3 p.m.

He is survived by daughter Donna Sumner Padgett of Beulaville, NC; granddaughter Kimberly Simpson Whaley (Johnny) of Potters Hill, NC; great-grandsons Christopher Whaley (Nicole) and Grayson Whaley, both of Potters Hill, NC; great-great granddaughter Penelope Whaley of Potters Hill, NC; sister Shelby Sumner Blizzard of Beulaville, NC; and brother Charles Sumner (Jean) of Beulaville, NC. In lieu of owers, memorial donations may be made in Linwood’s memory to the Beulaville Fire Department, P O Box 738, Beulaville, NC 28518

James “Jimmy” H. Southerland

April 27, 1939 – Feb. 19, 2026

James “Jimmy” H. Southerland, 86, of Teachey, left this earthly life on Thursday, February 19, 2026, to be forever with his Lord and Savior.

He was born on April 27, 1939, in Duplin County and was the son of the late Joseph H. and Lillian James Southerland. Jimmy was also preceded in death by his sister Mary Faye Southerland; brotherin-law Wayne Brock and sister-inlaw Betty Sue Gidden Hill and her husband Glenn Hill. Jimmy served in the United States National Guard for 9 years and was a member of Antioch Church.

Surviving to cherish his memory is his best friend and wife of 58 years Charlotte Giddens Southerland; his son James “Bart” Barton Southerland and wife Kimberly; his grandchildren and ‘apples of his eye’ Timberly Southerland and Kendall Southerland; niece Cindy Mobley Jarrett and husband Richard; sister-in-law Althea Brock; numerous nieces, nephews, extended family and friends that loved Jimmy dearly.

Jimmy was a devoted husband and caring father, grandfather and friend. He was a hard worker who always stayed busy as long as his health allowed. Jimmy was an avid football fan and especially a Wallace-Rose Hill football fan. He enjoyed watching football games on TV and always pulled for his local team, WRH. Jimmy also spent time outside on his favorite 140 tractor which he really enjoyed. Most of all Jimmy loved the Lord and was a dedicated Christian, husband, father and grandfather. He enjoyed spending time with his family and helping Bart with landscaping when he was able. Jimmy will surely be missed but never forgotten. Funeral service will be held at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at Quinn-McGowen Funeral Home Wallace Chapel with Reverend Tommy Blanton o ciating.

The family will receive friends from 2-3 p.m. on Tuesday, one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Burial will follow the service at Rock sh Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Wallace.

You may share your memories and send condolences to the family by selecting our Tribute Wall above.

Quinn-McGowen Funeral Home of Wallace, NC.

Joyce Byrd

April 16, 1942 – Feb. 16, 2026

Joyce Rena Scott Byrd, 83, passed away at her home on February 16, 2026. She is preceded in death by her mother, Beatrice Scott, father Archie Scott, and sister Margaret Elbrnk, all of Charlotte, Michigan. Joyce was born in Charlotte, Michigan, on April 16, 1942. She graduated from Charlotte High School in 1960. She worked for the State of Michigan for 32 years.

She is survived by her spouse of 63 years, Joseph (Gene) Byrd of Pink Hill, NC, son, Bill Byrd of Kinley, Nebraska, daughter, Teresa Roshong (Randy), of Pink Hill, NC, four wonderful grandchildren; Chris Rector (Stacey), Amanda Rector, Sarah Byrd and Brooke Byrd, and one great-grandchild, Elizabeth Rector. Arrangements will be made at a later date.

Alvin Ray Batchelor

Oct. 1, 1941 – Feb. 19, 2026

Alvin Ray Batchelor, 84, passed away on Thursday, February 19, 2026, at his home. Memorial service will be held Sunday, February 22, at 3 p.m. at his home, 240 Futrell Loop Rd., Richlands, with Reverends Sammy Boone and Richard McKenna o ciating. He is survived by his daughters, Nichelle Batchelor Jinks and Charliss Batchelor Gwynn (Scott), both of Richlands; sister Linnie Crosley of Texas; brothers Ellis Batchelor of Kentucky, Archie Batchelor of Virginia, Arthur Batchelor of Burgaw, NC, and Barthur Batchelor of Alabama.

Community Funeral Home of Beulaville is honored to serve the Batchelor family.

Pamela Brock Quinn

Oct. 22, 1966 – Feb. 17, 2026

Pamela Brock Quinn, age 59, died on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at her home. She is preceded in death by her sister, Sheena Stover. Pam, known to her loved ones as “Pam Pam”, is survived by her husband, Steven Quinn of Kenansville; daughter Lindsey Jane Quinn of Kenansville; bonus daughters, Jessie Jones of Potters Hill, Christa Parker of Beulaville; father, Phillip Brock of Rose Hill; mother, Jane Stover of Rose Hill; sister Shauna Stover of Kenansville, Erin Clark of Carlsbad, CA, Elizabeth Hardy of Shallotte, NC; brothers, Ned Brock of Kenansville, Jeremy Carr of Rose Hill; and many extended family that she really loved, no one more than the Lord who she loved with all her heart! Memorial visitation will be Friday, February 20, 2026, from 6-8 p.m. at Serenity Funeral Home in Beulaville.

A private burial of her ashes will be held at a later date in Kenansville, NC.

Brodie

Frederick Jr.

Feb. 21, 1951 – Feb. 14, 2026

Brodie Frederick Jr., 74, of Warsaw, NC, passed away February 14, 2026, at his residence. Funeral service will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, February 21, 2026, at New Kenansville First Baptist Church. Public viewing will be from noon to 1 p.m. (one hour prior to the service). Interment following the service at Devotional Gardens in Warsaw.

Helen Whit eld

Oct. 29, 1929 – Feb. 19, 2026

Goldsboro- It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Ms. Helen Whit eld, age 96, who passed into the arms of Jesus at Kitty Askins Hospice Care in Goldsboro, North Carolina, on Thursday, February 19, 2026. The arrangements are incomplete at this time. The Sta of J. B. Rhodes Funeral Home & Cremations Inc. extend our deepest condolences to the family, and please keep the family in your prayers during their time of bereavement.

Vivian Richardson

Oct. 30, 1958 – Feb. 20, 2026

Goldsboro- It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Ms. Vivian Richardson age 69, who passed on Friday, February 20, 2026, at Gentiva Hospice in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The arrangements are incomplete at this time. We extend our condolences to the family, and please keep the family in your prayers.

John Edward Tooley

May 30, 1937 – Feb. 13, 2026

John Edward Tooley, formerly of Wallace, passed away in Winter Park (FL) on February 13, 2026, while a resident of Winter Park Care and Rehabilitation Center. Born in Decatur (IL) on May 30, 1937, he is the son of the late John Charles and Althea Louise Peck Tooley. Also preceding him in death is his wife, Pauline Joyce Tooley.

Left to cherish his memory are his children—Scott Tooley and wife Amal of Winter Springs (FL), Dinah Ho man of Rose Hill, Wendy Allen and husband Paul of Debary (FL), Jodi Aikens of Turner (MI), Mark Tooley of California, and Sue Hunt and husband Tracy of Taylorville (IL); fteen grandchildren; and eighteen great grandchildren.

Mr. Ed spent his early life in Iowa, where he was the owner/ operator of his own trucking business, and Mrs. Tooley operated a day care for children. In 1993, his trucking business brought them to Wallace, where they later retired. During his ftyyear trucking career, he traveled over ve million miles. In his younger years, he served his country as a private in the United States Army from 1963 to 1965.

A funeral service to celebrate his life is set for 6 p.m. on February 26, 2026, in Ban eld Funeral Home & Crematory in Winter Springs (FL). Family will greet friends during a visitation from 4-6 p.m. prior to the service. Interment is set for 1 p.m. on March 2, 2026, in the Rock sh Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Wallace (NC).

Ibrahim Alaya

Aug. 10, 1975 – Feb. 19, 2026

Yemen- Mr. Ibrahim Alaya, age 50, slipped away into eternal rest on Thursday, February 19, 2026, at Genesis Skilled Nursing Home in Mt. Olive, North Carolina. The arrangements are currently incomplete at this time. We extend our deepest condolences to the family, and please keep the family in your prayers.

Jarvis Charles Mathis

June 9, 1939 – Feb. 15, 2026

Jarvis Charles Mathis, 86, of Magnolia, NC, passed away February 15, 2026, in New Bern, NC. Funeral service will be at 1 p.m. Thursday, February 26, 2026, at St. James AME Zion Church in Magnolia, NC. Public viewing will be noon – 1 p.m. (one hour prior to the service). Interment following the service at Magnolia Town Cemetery.

Andrew Dale

Jan. 19, 1964 – Feb. 19, 2026

Fremont- Mr. Andrew Dale, age 62, passed away on Thursday, February 19, 2026, at Kitty Askins Hospice Center in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The arrangements are incomplete at this time. We extend our deepest condolences to the family, and please continue to keep the Dale family in your prayers during this time of their bereavement.

Julia Boseman

Feb. 12, 1944 – Feb. 20, 2026

Goldsboro- It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Ms. Julia Boseman, age 82, who left us on Friday, 20, 2026, at Kitty Askins Hospice Care in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Though her voice is silent, her spirit lives on in every heart she touched. “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” 2Corinthians 5-8 ( KJV) The arrangements are incomplete at this time. We would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family and ask that you keep them in your prayers.

Stanly NewS Journal

THE STANLY COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL

WHAT’S HAPPENING

U.S. military boards

third oil tanker in Indian Ocean after tracking it from Caribbean

The Pentagon says U.S. military forces have boarded a third sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean Sea in an e ort to target illicit oil connected to Venezuela. U.S. forces boarded the Bertha overnight. President Donald Trump had ordered a quarantine of sanctioned tankers near Venezuela in December to pressure then-President Nicolás Maduro before his capture. Venezuela faced U.S. sanctions on its oil for several years, relying on a shadow eet of falsely agged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains.

Supreme Court rules Postal Service can’t be sued

A divided Supreme Court has ruled that Americans can’t sue the U.S. Postal Service, even when employees deliberately refuse to deliver mail. By a 5-4 vote Tuesday, the justices ruled against Texas landlord Lebene Konan, who alleged her mail was intentionally withheld for two years. Konan is black and claims racial prejudice played a role in postal employees’ actions. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in his majority opinions the federal law that generally shields the Postal Service from lawsuits over missing, lost and undelivered mail includes “the intentional nondelivery of mail.” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent the immunity doesn’t apply to situations when the decision not to deliver mail “was driven by malicious reasons.”

Louvre Museum’s director resigns in wake of jewels heist in Paris French President Emmanuel Macron has accepted the resignation of the Louvre Museum’s director, Laurence des Cars. She’d been under re in the wake of a stunning and embarrassing heist of the French Crown jewels. Macron praised des Cars’ resignation decision as “an act of responsibility at a time when the world’s largest museum needs calm and a strong new impetus to carry out major projects.” Thieves took less than eight minutes in October to steal $102 million worth of crown jewels.

Auria to expand Albemarle plant with

The project will create 13 new jobs

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

ALBEMARLE — Global automotive supplier Auria is expanding its Albemarle manufacturing facility, creating 13 jobs and investing more than $9 million in equipment, the Stanly County Economic Development Commission announced Thursday.

The project reinforces the company’s long-term commitment to the region. Auria, which operates a plant on Bethany Road o U.S.

$9M investment

Highway 52, produces engineered systems for automotive ooring, acoustics, soft trim and cargo management for gas and electric vehicles.

The expansion will result in at least $9.06 million in new taxable investment in machinery and equipment over the next eight years. The 13 new positions will o er salaries above the county average, according to the county’s EDC.

To support the project, the Stanly County Board of Commissioners and Albemarle City Council approved a property tax–based Business Development Grant equal to 75% of the new taxable investment for eight years.

“The city is pleased to once again work with Auria and Stanly County to grow our local economy.”

Ronnie Michael, Albemarle mayor

Local o cials said the incentives re ect the community’s commitment to attracting quality jobs and strengthening the tax base.

“The city is pleased to once again work with Auria and

Stanly County to grow our local economy,” Albemarle Mayor Ronnie Michael said in a press release. “Our residents have told us they want more career opportunities close to home, and our city council listened. We made community and economic growth a key goal in the city’s strategic plan. Supporting Auria’s expansion re ects our commitment to delivering on those goals and creating a stronger future for our residents.”

Scott E rd, chairman of the Stanly County Board of Commissioners, echoed that sentiment.

“Auria’s expansion is a strong endorsement of Stanly County’s workforce, infrastructure and pro-business climate,” E rd said. “These new jobs and signi cant capital investment will have a meaningful impact on our community.

Uwharrie

Players to

present “The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!”

The youth theater production opens Friday

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

ALBEMARLE — An interactive retelling of a classic tale is coming to downtown Albemarle this weekend.

Director Christian Payne

For its fourth annual Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) production, the Uwharrie Players will be presenting “The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!” at the Albemarle Neighborhood Theatre. The community theater

group’s stage play opens Friday at 7 p.m., with additional performances scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m.

Based on the children’s book by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, the show brings familiar fairy-tale characters to life with a courtroom twist.

In Piggsylvania’s “Trial of the Century,” the Big Bad Wolf takes the stand while the audience serves as the jury. Unlike past TYA plays, this show features an interactive element in which the

RICHARD DREW / AP PHOTO

Charlotte in elder and former West Stanly Colt Teagan Ritchie, left, forces out a Clemson baserunner last Wednesday in Charlotte. The 49ers beat the Tigers 8-3 and improved to 12-4 on the season.

NELL REDMOND / AP PHOTO

THURSDAY FEB.

FRIDAY FEB.

Armed NC man shot,

killed at

Mar-a-Lago

never interested in politics, guns, cousin says

Authorities say the 21-year-old groundskeeper purchased the shotgun while driving to Florida

By Allen G. Breed The Associated Press

CAMERON — The 21-year-old North Carolina man who drove through a gate at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort with a shotgun before he was shot and killed worked as a golf course groundskeeper and liked to sketch.

Austin Tucker Martin rarely, if ever, talked about politics, seemed afraid of guns and came from a family of Trump supporters, according to Braeden Fields, a cousin who said the two grew up together.

“I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind-blowing,” Fields said.

“He wouldn’t even hurt an ant. He doesn’t even know how to use a gun.”

Martin drove into the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago early Sunday and raised a shotgun at two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheri ’s deputy who then opened re “to neutral-

ize the threat,” said Sheri Ric Bradshaw.

Trump, who often spends weekends at the Palm Beach, Florida, resort, was at the White House at the time.

Investigators have not identi ed a motive. Trump faced two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign, including one just a few miles from Mar-a-Lago when a man was spotted aiming a rie through shrubbery while Trump was gol ng.

Following Sunday’s incident, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said investigators believe Martin bought his shotgun while driving to Florida. Authorities said his family had recently reported him missing.

Martin was from central North Carolina, where guns and hunting are a part of life, his cousin said. But whenever they’d go hunting or target shooting, Martin would never pick up a gun, Fields told The Associated Press on Sunday.

He lived with his mother in a modest modular house

down a rutted sandy road near the town of Cameron. No one answered the door Monday, and the large police presence from the day before was gone.

Martin’s sister was killed in a car accident a few years ago, and he has an older brother who’s in the military, Fields said.

For the past three years, Martin worked as a groundskeeper at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club.

“It’s tragic. I feel for his family,” said Kelly Miller, president of the course in nearby Southern Pines. “It’s just unfortunate what transpired. It was totally unexpected.”

Martin last year started a business to sell pen drawings he made, according to state records. A website matching the company name features illustrations of golf courses, buildings and ancient Roman architecture.

Politics didn’t seem to be among his interests, his cousin said.

“We are big Trump supporters, all of us. Everybody,” Fields said, but his cousin was “real quiet, never really talked about anything.”

STANLY happening

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in and around Stanly County.

Feb. 27

Believe National Talent Competition

3-10 p.m.

The 2026 Regional Tour of the annual dance competition will be in Albemarle for one day only. For more information, call 844-737-3737 or email info@believetalent.com.

Stanley County Agri-Civic Center 26032 Newt Road

NeedleBugs

10:30-11:30 a.m.

A social group speci cally for those who love needlework. Bring your own supplies.

Stanly County Public Library 207 Pee Dee Avenue

Norwood

133 E. Main St. Albemarle

March 4

Chair Yoga 3-3:30 p.m.

A gentle, adult yoga class geared toward those with coordination issues or di culties standing for long periods without support. No experience or mat needed for this free class.

Stanly County Library 133 E. Main St. Albemarle

Now through March 31

The Art of Laura King A painting exhibition of original acrylic and watercolor works is currently on display. Admission is free.

Stanly County Agri-Civic Center 26032 Newt Rd # B Albemarle

PALM BEACH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE VIA AP

Left, a vehicle blocks access to a property in Cameron on Sunday. Right, a weapon and gas can was found after a 21-year-old North Carolina man was shot and killed by authorities after entering the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago.

ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO

THE CONVERSATION

COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI

Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

Obama is in no position to lecture us about decency

Obama’s entire scandalridden supercilious presidency was focused on coercing, browbeating and, ultimately, slandering the bitter clingers.

IN A RECENT INTERVIEW with “No Lie” podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen, former President Barack Obama claimed that conservatives do “the mean, angry, exclusive, us/them, divisive politics. That’s their home court. Our court is coming together.”

This is a jaw-dropping contention coming from a man who began his presidential aspirations accusing Americans who refused to embrace his brand of progressive politics of being “bitter” and clinging “to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them.”

Is there any group of people in the country who exude more “antipathy to people who aren’t like them” than progressives?

Virtually every poll taken on the issue nds Democrats are far less inclined to accept Republicans as friends or family members. This comes as no surprise to anyone who’s witnessed the screeching moralistic anger of the average leftist activist — a disposition popularized during the Obama era.

Obama’s entire scandal-ridden supercilious presidency was focused on coercing, browbeating and, ultimately, slandering the bitter clingers. In the former president’s vernacular, “coming together” simply meant accepting Obama’s worldview as incontrovertible truth.

And one of the most grating habits in this regard was Obama’s turning every tragedy and political event into a sermon about our collective failings.

Obama, the only president to that point to belittle the notion of American exceptionalism, would go abroad and tell the world that the “future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.”

Slandering Christians in the United States, on the other hand, was no problem. The Obama administration spent years trying to destroy the Little Sisters of the Poor for their faith-based objections to paying for condoms.

The Obama- era Democrats normalized the legal war on orthodox Christianity, meant to chill speech and compel progressive cultural supremacy, a cause that’s not abated to this day.

The inclusive Obama, who had hitched his career to Black Liberation theologians like the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and irted with the Nation of Islam (a picture of a smiling Obama meeting with black supremacist Louis Farrakhan was hidden during his presidency), was the rst president to engage in anti-Jewish dual loyalty tropes against Americans who opposed his obsession with rewarding Iran with nuclear weapons.

But perhaps worst of all, the rst black president in history, Obama, did everything he could to roll back 40 years of progress on race relations.

There seemingly wasn’t a single “racial” incident anywhere in the country that Obama wouldn’t exacerbate and exploit for political purposes.

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

It began with his contention that “Cambridge police acted stupidly” after local police arrested historian Henry Louis Gates Jr., who was seen breaking into his own house, and continued with the killing of Trayvon Martin in an altercation with a neighborhood watch volunteer. Obama implored 350 million Americans, none of whom had anything to do with the case, to do “soul-searching.”

“If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon,” Obama said. “Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago.” The implication, of course, was that young black men were being killed solely due to their color. Martin’s shooter, George Zimmerman, was found not guilty by a jury, and Obama’s Justice Department did not le civil rights charges.

Nothing, however, tops Obama’s detestable speech at the funeral of ve Dallas police o cers, murdered by a racist anti-cop extremist at Black Lives Matter protest in 2016. “None of us are entirely innocent” when it comes to “racial discrimination,” the president noted, “and this includes our police departments.”

Obama invoked the names of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, two black men who had been recently shot by police, not only creating a false equivalency but also basically rationalizing the anger of the shooter.

It’s worth remembering that neither of the investigations into Sterling and Castile had even been concluded at the time.

In 2017, Obama’s Department of Justice didn’t charge the police in the killing of Sterling.

By 2016, Gallup found that 46% of Americans believed race relations had worsened during his presidency, compared with 29% who felt they improved. A 2016 New York Times poll found 69% of Americans described race relations as “generally bad.”

Obviously, Americans are divided because we have deep -seated, legitimate and meaningful disagreements about the future. That’s why politics exists. The political “unity” that Democrats claimed to strive for only exists in dictatorships. The inability to accept this made Obama the most divisive president of the modern age.

Which isn’t to say that subsequent presidents brought us together. Far, far from it. It’s to say that Obama changed the way presidents spoke about and to their constituents. It was Obama’s systematic subversion of norms that made Donald Trump possible. We don’t need any more of his lectures.

David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner. Harsanyi is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of ve books. (Copyright 2026 Creators.com)

Marco Rubio: more than just the good cop

In February 2025, the audience at Munich took Vance’s comments as insults.

In February 2026, the audience, as evidenced by its standing ovation, took Rubio’s as compliments.

MY FIRST REACTION to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech, delivered on Valentine’s Day, at the Munich Security Conference, was, “Last year, President Donald Trump sent the bad cop, Vice President JD Vance. This year, he sent the good cop, Rubio. Progress.” In February 2025, the audience at Munich took Vance’s comments as insults. In February 2026, the audience, as evidenced by its standing ovation, took Rubio’s as compliments.

Yet, as even journalists writing on deadline quickly discerned, Rubio’s words were no less critical than Vance’s of what have been European elites’ cherished policies.

“Mass migration,” Rubio said, is “a crisis which is transforming and destabilizing societies all across the West.” He decried a “climate cult” and “energy policies” that “impoverished our people.” He condemned policies that “outsourced our sovereignty to international institutions” and “invested in massive welfare states.”

Red meat substance, suitable for delivery at any of the three Trump Republican National Conventions — more than have nominated any one person, the president might remind you, except for President Richard Nixon. But leavened, as the above quotations suggest, with frequent employment of the rst-person pronouns and adjectives — “we” (69 times in the text, by my count), “us” (11), “our” (65).

“What comforted worried attendees,” wrote Michael Froman, head of the Council on Foreign Relations and Obama trade negotiator, “was the undertone of the secretary’s remarks.”

But it wasn’t just the undertone that had many Republicans and others start thinking of Rubio as a possible future presidential candidate, despite his recent avowals of support for Vance for the Republican nomination in 2028.

And as a national leader with an intellectually serious grasp of history. Rubio began by summoning memories of the rst Munich conference, in 1963, when the Iron Curtain ran through a divided Germany and the Berlin Wall was just two years old.

Halfway through the speech, he went further back, to the postwar years when “our predecessors,” faced with a “Europe in ruins” and expanding communism, “recognized that decline was a choice, and it was a choice they refused to make.” An interesting way to frame the decisions that produced the Truman Doctrine and the NATO treaty.

Against that, he described the post-Cold War euphoria that “the rules-based global order” would replace national interest.

“A foolish idea,” he said unemolliently, that “has cost us dearly.”

A Trumpian take, followed by an implicit denunciation of opening up trade relations with China.

Rather than dwell on that critique, however, he segued back to “centuries of shared history, Christian faith, culture,

heritage, language, ancestry,” all parts of “the common civilization to which we have fallen heir.”

This might have rankled, and perhaps was intended to rankle, the European Union leaders who, out of secular conviction or for fear of angering Muslim immigrants, successfully blocked mention of Europe’s “Christian roots” in the EU charter.

As he neared his peroration, Rubio celebrated Christopher Columbus and the English, Scots-Irish, French, German, Spanish and Dutch roots of Americans from Davy Crockett to “the cowboy archetype ... born in Spain.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), in Munich for her rst security conference, ridiculed that last claim, apparently unaware that the Americas had no horses until Hernan Cortes brought some to Mexico in 1519.

More importantly, Rubio’s emphasis on America’s European heritage is a rebuke of the Franz Fanon-inspired theory, fostered on campuses for decades and sweeping the streets in post-Oct. 7, 2023, “anti-Zionist” demonstrations, that colonialism was the greatest evil in history, and that Europeans and Americans should do penance for their complicity.

Europeans are or should be aware, from the totalitarian tides of the 20th century, that there are worse evils than colonialism — and that to exclude di cult-to-assimilate immigrants is to commit another Holocaust.

But rather than belabor that last point, Rubio instead made the point earlier that “it was here, in Europe, where the ideas that planted the seeds of liberty that changed the world were born.” Including “the rule of law, the universities and the scienti c revolution,” plus Mozart and Beethoven, Dante and Shakespeare, Michelangelo and Leonardo, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

Europe should be “proud,” a word he repeated half a dozen times, “of its heritage and its history.” Proud of a “spirit of creation and liberty that sent ships out into uncharted seas and birthed our civilization,” with a Europe that has the means to defend itself and the will to survive.”

Among American and European elites, open expression of pride is something, well, just not done. They prefer to denounce the “systemic racism” of their fellow citizens or the “oppressive colonialism” of their forebears, to disparage the motives of “settlers” and idealize the virtues of the “indigenous.”

But pride in one’s nation and one’s civilization, properly understood, is not a warrant for self-satisfaction but a summons to duty, a reminder that for us to whom much has been given, much is asked. In Munich, Rubio was not just Trump’s good cop but a mature American leader towering above the crowd.

Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner. (Copyright 2026 Creators.com)

We are proud to support Auria’s continued

and look forward to its ongoing

The investment is expected to enhance production

while contributing to sustained job creation and economic growth across Stanly County and the surrounding region.

The company’s technologies aim to reduce noise and improve vehicle comfort and durability while lowering environmental impact. Its cus-

tomers include major automakers such as General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, along with Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mercedes, BMW and Volkswagen.

As part of the expansion, Auria will install an EcoPunch nonwoven production line, a move that strengthens the plant’s manufacturing capabilities while advancing sustainability e orts. The new line will enable a signi cant increase in recycled ber content in the company’s components during production.

White House pressure leads universities to cut ties with race-focused nonpro t

Federal o cials say the nonpro t’s race-based eligibility violates civil rights law

By Jocelyn Gecker and Collin Binkley

The Associated Press

THE TRUMP administration said last Thursday its campaign to end diversity programs in higher education has led dozens of universities to cut ties with an organization known as The PhD Project, which helps racial minorities earn doctorate degrees.

The PhD Project was a little-known nonpro t group until it caught the attention of conservative strategists last year and became the focus of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education. The Republican administration says school diversity programs often exclude white and Asian American students.

The investigation, opened in March 2025, has resulted in 31 universities agreeing to end partnerships with the group, the department’s O ce for Civil Rights said last week. Negotiations are continuing with 14 additional schools, it said.

The department said in its statement that The PhD Project “unlawfully limits eligibility based on the race of participants” and that institutions partnering with it violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in education programs and activities that receive federal money.

“This is the Trump e ect in action: institutions of higher education are agreeing to cut ties with discriminatory organizations, recommitting themselves to abiding by federal law, and restoring equality of opportunity on campuses across the nation,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said.

Many of the schools promptly cut ties with The PhD Project after the investigation was opened in order to avoid entanglements with the administration. It had undertaken the inquiries after warning

schools they could lose federal money over “race-based preferences.”

The PhD Project is one of many nonpro ts that helps underrepresented groups gain access to higher education.

“The PhD Project was founded with the goal of providing more role models in the front of business classrooms and this remains our goal today,” the organization said in a statement. The website says it has “helped more than 1,500 members earn their doctoral degree.”

The group of 31 colleges listed by the department included major public research universities such as Arizona State, Ohio State and the University of Michigan, along with prestigious private schools like Yale, Duke and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

MIT, like many of the schools cited in the investigation, had paid The PhD Project “a nominal fee” to participate in the group’s university fairs or conferences, allowing MIT to send representatives to answer questions about attending their school, spokesperson Kimberly Allen said.

MIT informed the government in April 2025 it had ended its participation in such conferences and was noti ed months later that the O ce for Civil Rights had found it in violation of Title VI. The school signed a “resolution agreement” with the department

Education Secretary Linda McMahon arrives at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Feb. 1 to attend the wedding of White House deputy chief of sta Dan Scavino and Erin Elmore.

about a week ago to resolve the matter “but explicitly did not admit any liability, wrongdoing or violation of any law or regulation,” Allen said.

The University of North Dakota said it, too, promptly ended its membership with The PhD Project two weeks after the investigation was announced last year.

“The University became a member of the PhD Project to have access to the PhD Project’s member directory and applicant database, to be able to recruit a larger pool of quali ed applicants for faculty positions,” spokesperson David Dodds said in a statement.

The University of Utah said it had a table at annual conferences hosted by the nonpro t in the 2024-25 school year and two previous years. It cut ties with the project in October after settling with the department, university spokesperson Rebecca Walsh said.

Out of 170 PhD students admitted to Utah’s business school over the past 14 years, just two were involved through the PhD Project, Walsh said.

The Education Department said that all of the 31 universities have also agreed to review partnerships with other organizations “to identify any that violate Title VI by restricting participation based on race.”

The administration has targeted a wide range of practices that it has labeled as diversity, equity and inclusion.

PLAY from page A1

crowd determines the ending.

Director Christian Payne is returning for his fourth year leading the Players’ TYA production. The production team also includes Bradley Eudy as stage manager, Blair Johnson handling choreography, Juan Leon on lighting, Gene Starnes on audio and Audrey Barringer managing props.

“Everyone here is familiar with the accommodations that it takes to perform for a young crowd,” Payne said. “I’ve been very lucky to have such a competent group of cast members who are able to ll in the blanks as we go through the rehearsal process.”

The cast features Payne, Eudy, Suzanne Holshouser, Kimrey Lowder and Maegan Sloan.

The musical is made possible through a grant from the Stanly County Community Foundation and sponsorship from First Street Legal. Those partnerships allow all rst grade and second grade students in Stanly County Schools to attend the production through the Stanly County Arts Council’s Cultural Education Program.

Following the public performances, special student-only shows will be held next week at the Stanly County Agri-Civic Center. Classroom Connection packets will help teachers guide students in connecting the literature to the live performance.

“I’m very grateful for the coordination and the volunteers that help make that school show possible, because moving 700 to 800 elementary

The Uwharrie Players’ Maegan Sloan, left, rehearses on stage with Blair Johnson and Kimrey Lowder.

students in and out of a performance in a timely manner is no small task,” Payne said. “The classes are able to read the book, and then start to envision what that book might look like when it comes to life on stage. That is an effort to create more of a stake for the students, so that they have some familiarity with the show. For a lot of them, it will be their rst time seeing a live theater piece.”

Tickets for weekend performances at the Albemarle Neighborhood Theatre are $10 for ages 14 and older and free for children 13 and under. They can be purchased online at theuwharrieplayers.org or at the door.

Organizers encourage advance purchases, as previous TYA productions have sold out.

US House campaigns underway, yet redistricting battles triggered by Trump rages in several states

The president’s push for redistricting has sparked a national tit-for-tat clash

By David A. Lieb

The Associated Press

CANDIDATES ARE campaigning, and voting is underway in some primaries. Yet a national battle to redraw U.S. House districts for partisan advantage is still raging in some states ahead of the November midterm elections.

Final boundaries for congressional voting districts remain uncertain in Missouri, New York, Utah and Virginia. Governors in Florida and Maryland are pushing lawmakers to reshape House districts. And that all comes on top of redistricting changes already enacted in California, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas.

Voting districts typically are redrawn once a decade after each census. But President Donald Trump triggered an unusual round of mid-decade redistricting when he urged Texas Republicans last summer to redraw House districts to give the GOP an edge in the midterm elections. California Democrats reciprocated, and a tit-for-tat redistricting clash soon spread.

So far, Republicans believe they could win nine additional seats in states where they have redrawn congressional districts, while Democrats think they could gain six seats elsewhere because of redistricting. But that presumes past voting patterns hold in November. And that’s uncertain, especially since the party in power typically loses seats in the midterms and Trump faces negative approval ratings in polls.

Democrats need to gain just a few seats in November to wrest control of the House from Republicans, which could allow them to obstruct Trump’s agenda.

REDISTRICTING BATTLEGROUNDS

Virginia

Current map: six Democrats, ve Republicans Proposed map: A new U.S. House map passed by the Democratic-led General Assembly could help Democrats win up to four additional seats. To facilitate that, lawmakers referred a constitutional amendment to the April ballot that would allow mid-decade redistricting.

Challenges: A state judge temporarily blocked the April referendum after ruling that the amendment is invalid because lawmakers violated their own rules while passing it. Democrats are appealing.

Maryland

Current map: seven Democrats, one Republican

Proposed map: The Democratic-led state House passed a redistricting plan backed by Democratic Gov. Wes Moore that could help Democrats win an additional seat.

Challenges: The Democratic state Senate president has said his chamber won’t move forward with redistricting because of concerns it could back re on Democrats.

Missouri

Current map: two Democrats, six Republicans

New map: Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a revised House map into law last fall that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: Opponents submitted petition signatures in December to try to force a statewide referendum on the map.

The Republican secretary of state has until August to determine whether the petition meets legal muster and has enough signatures. Meanwhile, several lawsuits are challenging the legality of the new districts.

Utah

Current map: no Democrats, four Republicans

New map: A judge in November imposed revised House districts that could help Democrats win a seat. The court ruled that lawmakers had circumvented anti-gerrymandering standards passed by voters when adopting the prior map.

Challenges: Republicans are challenging the judicial map selection in the state Supreme Court and in federal court.

New York

Current map: 19 Democrats, seven Republicans

Proposed map: A judge in January ordered a state commission to draw new boundaries for the only congressional district in New York City represented by a Republican, ruling it unconstitutionally dilutes the votes of black and Hispanic residents.

Challenges: Republicans lost an appeal in state court but have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case.

Current map: eight Democrats, 20 Republicans

Proposed map: Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis says he will call a special legislative session in April on congressional redistricting.

Challenges: A lawsuit asserts that DeSantis cannot legally call the special session. The state constitution says districts cannot be drawn with intent to favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent.

REDISTRICTING TRIUMPHS

Texas

Current map: 13 Democrats, 25 Republicans New map: Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a revised House map into law last August that could help Republicans win ve additional seats.

Challenges: The U.S. Supreme Court in December cleared the way for the new districts to be used in this year’s elections. It put on hold a lower-court ruling that blocked the new map because it was “racially gerrymandered.”

California

Current map: 43 Democrats, nine Republicans New map: Voters in November approved revised House districts drawn by the Democratic-led Legislature that could help Democrats win ve additional seats.

Challenges: The U.S. Supreme Court in February allowed the new districts to be used in this year’s elections. It denied an appeal from Republicans and the Department of Justice, which claimed the districts impermissibly favor Hispanic voters.

North Carolina

Current map: four Democrats, 10 Republicans New map: The Republi-

can-led General Assembly gave nal approval in October to revised districts that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: A federal court panel in November denied a request to block the revised districts from being used in the midterm elections.

Ohio

Current map: ve Democrats, 10 Republicans New map: A bipartisan panel composed primarily of Republicans voted in October to approve revised House districts that improve Republicans’ chances of winning two additional seats.

Challenges: None. The state constitution required new districts before the 2026 election. Because Republicans had approved the prior maps without su cient Democratic support, they were required to expire after the 2024 election.

REDISTRICTING POSSIBILITIES

Louisiana

Current map: two Democrats, four Republicans

Proposal: Republican Gov. Je Landry signed legislation in October to delay the state’s primary election from April 18 until May 16. That could give lawmakers extra time to redraw House districts if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the current districts.

Challenges: The Supreme Court heard arguments in October but has not ruled yet.

South Carolina

Current map: one Democrat, six Republicans

Proposed map: A legislative committee is considering a congressional redistricting plan that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: Republican legislative leaders are concerned the plan could back re, and time is

Opponents of mid-decade e orts to redraw congressional voting districts gather to protest in the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee on Dec. 2, 2025.

Districts altered by redistricing in North Carolina

running short before this year’s election.

Colorado

Current map: four Democrats, four Republicans

Proposed map: A proposed ballot initiative would authorize mid-decade redistricting and impose a new House map that could help Democrats win three additional seats.

Challenges: Organizers must gather enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. If approved by voters, the new districts couldn’t be used until the 2028 elections.

Washington

Current map: eight Democrats, two Republicans

Proposed map: Democratic lawmakers have proposed a constitutional amendment that would allow mid-decade redistricting.

Challenges: Democrats don’t hold the two-thirds majority needed in both legislative chambers to refer a proposed amendment to the ballot, meaning it is unlikely to be approved before the November election.

Wisconsin

Current map: two Democrats, six Republicans

Proposed map: Two lawsuits assert that congressional districts must be redrawn because they unconstitutionally favor Republicans.

Challenges: One case is not scheduled for trial until 2027, and it’s unclear whether the other case can be resolved before the midterm election.

Florida

KATE PAYNE / AP PHOTO

Ann Wilson Mercer

Dec. 15, 1942 – Feb. 7, 2026

Ann Wilson Mercer, 83, of Albemarle, passed away February 7, 2026.

Born December 15, 1942, Ann was the daughter of the late James and Mildred Mercer and was preceded in death by her brother, Jim Mercer.

Ann devoted many years to a career in credit management, serving several companies with dedication and integrity. Outside of her profession, she enjoyed traveling, reading, decorating, cooking, and entertaining

A member of Pine Grove Methodist Church, Ann maintained a close relationship with her Savior throughout her life.

She is survived by a nephew and niece, Shawn and Holly Mercer; two great-nieces; and many cousins and special friends.

A private celebration of Ann’s life will be held later this spring. In lieu of owers, memorials may be made to any organization supporting animal care and rescue or to her church.

CARON LOWDER

JUNE 27, 1942 –FEB. 18, 2026

Elizabeth Caron Harward Lowder, 83, of Norwood, passed away on Wednesday, February 18, 2026.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at Green Memorial Methodist Church. Rev. Garry Baker will o ciate, and interment will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service.

Mrs. Lowder was born on June 27, 1942, in Stanly County to the late Banks Poplin and Shellie Clinton Harward. She graduated from Aquadale High School in 1960 and then went on to graduate from Pfei er University. She retired from Stanly County Schools as a teacher.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Jerry Wayne Lowder and her brother Darril Harward.

She is survived by her brothers, Jerry Harward and Roger Harward, both of Norwood; stepchildren: Rebecca Goforth (Donald) and Kenneth Lowder; and stepgrandchildren: Tyler McPherson (Je rey) and Samantha Thomas (RJ). In lieu of owers, memorials may be made to Green Memorial Methodist Church, 11495 Hwy. 138, Norwood, NC 28128.

OBITUARIES

LINDA GAY DUKE FRANCIS

JAN. 27, 1939 – DEC. 24, 2025

Linda Gay Duke Francis lived at the intersection of vision and action.

She quietly passed away the morning of Christmas Eve 2025.

Born January 27, 1939, in Stanly County, North Carolina, Linda was the daughter of the late James Claude Duke and Thelma Duke Forrest, and sister to Jimmy Duke of Albemarle. She was a faithful attendee of First Presbyterian Church of Albemarle, where she shared her love of music through singing hymns and participating in the church choir.

Trained in Home Economics at East Carolina University—an education that, in her era, encompassed design, management, logistics, and systems thinking—Linda built a career that shaped homes, businesses and communities across North Carolina.

Her professional life began in public service, working more than a decade in social services at the state level in Atlanta, Georgia, auditing county programs across multiple jurisdictions to ensure compliance and protect critical funding.

By the late 1960s and 1970s, Linda transitioned into sales, marketing, and business systems in Atlanta, GA, and later in New York, NY. In male-dominated industries, she consistently outperformed peers, earned repeated sales awards, and was known for her ability to understand complex systems, and proved herself equally adept at persuasion and precision.

Returning to Albemarle in early 1970s, Linda became a driving force behind downtown revitalization and civic beauti cation.

Working with the City of Albemarle, the Mayor’s O ce, and the Stanly County Chamber of Commerce, she led public-private initiatives from Co-Chairing the Federal Bicentennial Celebration in Albemarle - and painting re-hydrants like revolutionary soldiers- to the Beauti cation committee to improve storefronts, public spaces, and the visual character of the city. Using graphic renderings—well ahead of their time—she helped stakeholders see what was possible, often delivering award-winning results with minimal budgets by leveraging donated labor and materials. She also played an integral part in the facilitation of the new Courthouse Town Square Park.

Linda remained deeply engaged in community leadership through the 80s. She co-chaired Stanly County’s Mayfest, raised all funds for the county-wide celebration, and received the Chamber’s Outstanding Achievement Award in 1983. She served as President and Vice-President of the Community Concerts Association, was active in the PTA, led a Girl Scout troop, restored a 100-year-old home largely with her own labor, and raised her daughter as a single parent while selling ads for the local radio station WZKY.

In 1986, Linda founded Haute Couture Services, a multidisciplinary design and consulting business o ering custom clothing, interior design, wardrobe consulting, event planning, and catering. Her work blended aesthetics with logistics, producing cohesive environments—homes, events, and wardrobes—that re ected both beauty and function. She also founded and ran earlier ventures in business forms brokerage and temporary sta ng, handling nancing, operations, sales and bookkeeping herself. Also during this time, Linda took on complex civic challenges that required long-term planning and persistence. One of her most consequential e orts was her role in securing the remodel and modernization of Albemarle’s existing post o ce facility. She proposed reorienting the building by making the rear entrance the primary public entrance, addressing safety concerns associated with the original front access and improving space for public use. Advancing the project required sustained work with local o cials and correspondence with state and federal o cials, including U.S. Senator Richard Burr.

She founded the Albemarle Cemetery Foundation, Inc. and, for more than a decade, personally led the restoration and preservation of the Albemarle Cemetery. In addition to raising tens of thousands of dollars, she was directly involved in physical cleanup of the grounds, repair and resetting of gravestones, planting over 50 trees, construction of a perimeter fence, and acquisition of additional land. She also conducted and directed extensive research to identify, document, and map burial plots and the individuals interred there, including a chronological listing by birth date, death date, and a military service listing. An e ort that led the Stanly County Historic Preservation Commission to grant Linda the Individual Award for Preservation in 1996. She was also granted the Governor’s Award 1987, for outstanding Volunteer Service, as well as the Woman of the Year award 1998, by the Albemarle Women’s Club.

Linda was an active member of the Daughters of the Revolution and discovered that she was a descendant of one of Stanly County’s rst settlers. She is survived by her daughter, Keely Francis Owens, and her husband, Stephen Craig Owens of Kitty Hawk, two grandchildren: Stryker Duke Owens of Florida and Sadie Lucille Owens of Kitty Hawk; and cousins Charles Shoe and Tommy Shoe, both of Concord.

“…She has given of herself, her talent, abilities, energy, time and even physical labor in tackling projects most people would never even think of” - Linda Moose, SNAP December 31, 1998. Her legacy is one of competence, creativity, and determined authority —the kind that leaves places better than she found them.

A Service of Remembrance will be held on February 28 at 2 p.m. at the CB Crook Pavilion at the YMCA in Albemarle, where the family will welcome stories from family and friends to celebrate her life well lived and all her contributions to this world. In lieu of owers, memorials can be sent to Stanly Funeral Home. Linda’s family would like to donate a bench in honor of her lifelong community service to be dedicated in the Albemarle Cemetery. These memorial gifts will be used toward the purpose of the bench.

HELEN HARGETT

AUG. 4, 1940 – FEB.16, 2026

Mary Helen Bristow Hargett, 85, of Norwood, passed away on Monday, February 16, 2026, at Carolinas Continued Care in Pineville.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 3 p.m. at Freedom Holiness Church. Rev. Ryan Burris will o ciate. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service.

Helen was born on August 4, 1940, in Modesto, California, to the late Eugene Biven Bristow and Mary Lorene Brooks.

Helen was a devout Christian all her life. She was a member of Freedom Holiness Church, which started in her living room on October 16, 1993. She was also family-oriented and loved all of her grandchildren. Helen was a seamstress for many years and enjoyed working at Burnsville Apparel as a supervisor. She was also a fan of going out to eat.

In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her husband Ervin Phillips Hargett, and her son, Darren Hargett. She is survived by her son, Steve Hargett (Pam), daughter Sandy Wrenn (Kenny), seven grandchildren and 16 greatgrandchildren.

FRANKIE MICHELLE MOORE

NOV. 15, 1969 – FEB.18, 2026

Frankie Michelle Moore, 56, of Albemarle, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at Levine & Dickson Hospice House in Huntersville, surrounded by care and compassion.

The family will receive friends from 6 p.m. on Monday, February 23, 2026, at Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Albemarle.

Born November 15, 1969, in Stanly County, Frankie was the daughter of the late Ralph and Blondell Moore. She was also preceded in death by her beloved grandchild, James Harris.

Frankie will be lovingly remembered by her children, Elizabeth Harris (Brandon) of Rich eld, Natasha Oxendine (Latereon Broome) of Concord, and Chavezy Oxendine (Samantha) of Albemarle. Her greatest joy was her grandchildren: Nevaeh, Tripp, Carson, Jordan, Ava, Raylynne, Aniya, Alexzander, Emery, Latereon Jr., and Forrest. She is also survived by her brother, Curt Moore; her sisters, Joni James, Kathy Hunter (Hal), Sherry Hudson (James), and Susan Eudy; and her special friend, Ricky Oxendine.

Frankie was a devoted mother and grandmother, strong-willed and independent, always determined to make her own way in life. She knew what she wanted and pursued it with conviction. When her children were young, she treasured afternoons spent together at the park, creating memories that would last a lifetime. In recent years, she enjoyed joining a Bible study with Jimmy and participating in a book club, where she discovered a renewed love for reading and fellowship. A former member of Pure Heart Church, Frankie valued her faith and community. She also found simple happiness in sharing a good meal and time spent with those she loved.

The family extends heartfelt gratitude to Tiya House, Debbie Kluttz, Beth Walter, and Joshua Lowder for the care, compassion, and unwavering support shown to Frankie during her declining health. In lieu of owers, memorials may be made to Levine & Dickson Hospice House, 11900 Vanstory Drive, Huntersville, NC 28078. Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Albemarle is honored to serve the Moore family.

BRENDA WIDENHOUSE WHITLEY

JAN. 3, 1946 – FEB. 19, 2026

Brenda Widenhouse Whitley, 80, of Charlotte, passed away peacefully on February 19, 2026, in Charlotte. A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church Cemetery, o ciated by Pastor Tab Whitley.

Born January 3, 1946, in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, Brenda was the daughter of the late Hugh Widenhouse and Mary Elizabeth Moss Widenhouse. She retired from Rexam Corporation, where she worked faithfully for many years as an accountant, known for her precision, integrity, and strong work ethic.

Brenda was a member of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church and a woman of steadfast faith. She lived her life guided by the words of Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Her faith was not only something she professed, but something she lived daily — with strength, grace, and quiet determination.

Her family remembers her as detail-oriented, strong-willed, and deeply devoted to those she loved. She cherished her daughters and took great pride in her family. She also held a special and enduring love for the father of her children, Terrell Whitley. Brenda found joy in life’s simple pleasures — reading a good book, tending to her yard and owers, and listening to music, especially “Come Jesus Come” by CeCe Winans, which re ected the hope and devotion that marked her life.

She is survived by her daughters, Marilyn Whitley and Cynthia Whitley, both of Charlotte; their father, Terrell Whitley of Albemarle; her sister, Judy Sides of Concord; and her sister-inlaw, Linda Widenhouse of Concord. She was preceded in death by her brother, Wayne Widenhouse.

Brenda’s life was a testimony of faith, perseverance, and love. She leaves behind a legacy of strength and devotion that will continue to inspire all who knew her.

In lieu of owers, the family requests that memorials be made to the hospice organization of the donor’s choice.

STANLY SPORTS

8 Stanly basketball teams receive state playo bids

Second-round action is scheduled for Thursday

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

ALBEMARLE — While the Yadkin Valley Conference and Rocky River Conference tournaments wrapped up on Friday, the postseason will continue for eight Stanly County high school basketball teams within the state playo s.

Both the boys’ and girls’ teams for North Stanly, Albemarle, South Stanly and West Stanly each received a bid to play in the NCHSAA 2026 championships.

Tournament brackets were nalized Sunday with the rst round set for Tuesday.

Winners of both the YVC regular season and tournament titles, North Stanly’s boys (242, 10-1 YVC) were awarded a rst-round bye to go with their No. 3 seed in the 3A bracket. The Comets, coming o a

59-51 tournament championship win over North Rowan, will host the winner of No. 14 Bessemer City and No. 19 Owen in the second round on Thursday.

In the 2A bracket’s opening round, the No. 18 Albemarle Bulldogs boys’ team (10-14, 6-5 YVC) squared o on the road with the No. 15 Hayesville Yellow Jackets (11-14, 5-9 Big Smoky).

Meanwhile, the South Stanly Rowdy Rebel Bulls boys (8-16, 2-8 YVC) received a No. 23 seed in the 2A bracket and hit the

road to challenge the No. 10 Elkin Buckin’ Elks (13-9, 8-6 Mountain Valley).

The No. 23 West Stanly Colts boys (7-17, 2-10 RRC) traveled to King to face the No. 10 West Stokes Wildcats (14-11, 7-3 Northwest) in the 4A bracket.

On the girls’ side of the state playo bracket, the No. 3 Comets (21-3, 11-0 YVC) — also victors of both the YVC regular-season and tournament championships — received a rst-round bye in the 3A bracket.

Riding a 13-game winning streak, they are set to host the winner of No. 14 West Lincoln and No. 19 Pine Lake Prep in the second round.

Looking to bounce back from their 43-23 tournament championship loss to North Stanly, Al-

bemarle’s girls received a No. 13 seed in the 2A bracket and hosted the No. 20 Swain County Maroon Devils (5-9, 3-11 Smoky Mountain).

The No. 21 Rowdy Rebel Bulls (7-14, 3-7 YVC) traveled to Walnut Cove to play against the No. 12 South Stokes Sauras (11-12, 5-5 Greater Triad) in the 2A bracket.

Representing the county in the girls’ 4A bracket, the Colts (13-12, 7-5 RRC) were given a No. 16 seed and hosted a familiar conference foe in the No. 17 Mount Pleasant Tigers (11-14, 6-6 RRC).

The second round of playo action is set for Thursday night, followed by the third round on Saturday and fourth round on Monday.

Pfei er men, women clinch USA South tournament spots

The championship round is scheduled for Saturday

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

MISENHEIMER — Postseason play has arrived for Pfei er University basketball, with the Falcons’ men’s and women’s teams earning the No. 1 and No. 4 seeds, respectively, in the 2026 USA South Conference tournaments.

Following the conclusion of the regular season this past weekend, tournament play began Tuesday. Semi nals are scheduled for Thursday, with championship games set for Saturday.

The Pfei er men (16-8, 12-2 USA South) enter the tournament atop the conference standings, riding a 12-game winning streak and securing back-to-back regular-season titles. The Falcons are seeded ahead of No. 2 N.C. Wesleyan, No. 3 Southern Virginia, No. 4 Greensboro, No. 5 Methodist and No. 6 Mary Baldwin in the six-team bracket.

With the top two seeds receiving rst-round byes, Pfei er will host Thursday’s semi nal against the winner of Greensboro and Methodist, while N.C. Wesleyan will face the winner of Southern Virginia and Mary Baldwin.

The Falcons locked up their leading spot in the conference standings Saturday with a 67- 65 road win over Mary Baldwin. Senior guard Clayton Robinson nished with 15 points and six rebounds, and senior forward Doug Smith recorded a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Pfei er now has two straight winning seasons following a six-year period in which it had only two of them. The Falcons are also the defending tournament champions after defeating N.C. Wesleyan in last year’s title game. In the other league bracket, the Pfei er women (15-10, 12-6 USA South) secured the No. 4 seed in the eight-team tournament after winning six of their nal 10 regular-season games. The Falcons are seeded behind No. 1 Brevard, No. 2 Southern Virginia and No. 3 N.C. Wesleyan, and ahead of No. 5 William Peace, No. 6 Greensboro, No. 7 Methodist and No. 8 Meredith. Pfei er hosted William Peace

Pfei er’s Doug Smith goes up for a slam dunk during a road game at N.C. Wesleyan.

in Tuesday’s opening round, with the winner advancing to face either Brevard or Meredith in Thursday’s semi nals. The Falcons defeated William Peace 64-50 on Feb. 17 and went 2-0 against Meredith during the regular season, but dropped both matchups against Brevard. Pfei er entered the postseason with momentum after a 69 - 64 home victory over Southern Virginia on Saturday. Junior guard Miya Horton scored a season-high 28 points to lead the Falcons, who are enjoying their rst winning season in eight years. After a rst-round tournament exit at the hands of Methodist last year, Pfei er’s women will look to translate their progress into a deeper tournament run this week.

PJ WARD-BROWN / STANLY NEWS JOURNAL

North Stanly’s Maddox Lowder shoots a 3-pointer during a matchup with Uwharrie Charter Academy.

COURTESY PFEIFFER ATHLETICS

NBA Warriors’ Curry to be reevaluated next week after second MRI on knee

San Francisco

Golden State star Stephen Curry had a second MRI on his troublesome right knee that revealed no structural damage, although the two -time NBA MVP is expected to miss at least another ve games before being reevaluated. The 37-year- old guard last played Jan. 30. He has been diagnosed with patella-femoral pain syndrome/bone bruising, otherwise referred to as runner’s knee. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Curry will be reevaluated in 10 days from last Thursday’s scan.

BOXING

Unbeaten Mayweather plans return to pro boxing 9 years after retirement

Los Angeles Floyd Mayweather says he is ending his nine-year retirement and returning to competitive boxing this summer. He turned 49 last week and hasn’t fought in a real boxing match since 2017, when he beat Conor McGregor and retired for the third time. The former ve- division world champion has still been in the ring regularly throughout his 40s with a series of lucrative exhibition bouts. Mayweather already has announced yet another exhibition coming up this spring against 59-year-old Mike Tyson, although no location or television partner has been con rmed.

NCAA BASKETBALL

Selection committee picks Michigan, Duke, Arizona, Iowa State as top preliminary seeds

Michigan is the No. 1 overall seed in the preliminary rankings by the committee that will select the 68-team men’s eld for the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines were joined by Duke, Arizona and Iowa State as the 1-seeds. The Cyclones got the last No. 1 seed ahead of UConn and Houston. Saturday’s reveal is a snapshot of where things stand with less than a month left until Selection Sunday.

Texas Tech standout Toppin to miss rest of season with torn ACL Lubbock, Tex.

Texas Tech standout forward JT Toppin will miss the rest of the season because of a torn ACL in his right knee. An MRI con rmed the ACL tear after Toppin got hurt late in the 13thranked Red Raiders’ 72-67 loss at Arizona State. The 6-foot-9 Toppin, a preseason AP All-America selection, is the Big 12’s leading rebounder with 10.8 a game and ranks third in the league with 21.8 points a game.

NASCAR Fire that killed NASCAR driver Hamlin’s father ruled accidental; cause unknown

Gastonia Investigators ruled as accidental the December house re that killed NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin’s father and injured his mother. However the exact cause remains unclear. A Gaston County re report says the Dec. 28 re started in a bedroom of the couple’s home but o cials list how it began as “undetermined.” Authorities have said Dennis Hamlin and Mary Lou Hamlin su ered catastrophic injuries. Dennis Hamlin later died.

Share with your community!

Send us your births, deaths, marriages, graduations and other announcements: community@stanlynewsjournal.com Weekly deadline is Monday at noon

SOUTH STANLY BOYS’ BASKETBALL 8-16, 2-9 in Yadkin Valley 2A/3A

Last week’s scores:

• Lost 62-60 at Union Academy

This week’s schedule:

• Feb. 24 No. 23 seed at No. 10 Elkin, NCHSAA Class 2A playo s

SOUTH STANLY GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

7-14, 3-8 in Yadkin Valley 2A/3A

Last week’s scores:

• Lost 57-55 at Union Academy

This week’s schedule:

• Feb. 24 No. 21 seed at No. 12 South Stokes, NCHSAA Class 2A playo s

WEST STANLY BOYS’ BASKETBALL 7-17, 2-10 in Rocky River 4A/5A

Last week’s scores:

NORTH STANLY GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

21-3, 10-0 in Yadkin Valley

Last week’s scores:

• Won 45-39 vs. Union Academy

• Won 43-23 vs. Albemarle

This week’s schedule:

• Feb. 26 No. 3 seed, vs. winner of No. 14 West Lincoln and No. 19 Pine Lake Prep in NCHSAA Class 3A playo s

ALBEMARLE BOYS’ BASKETBALL 10-14, 6-4 in Yadkin Valley

Last week’s scores:

• Won 56-21 vs. Gray Stone Day

• Lost 71-52 at North Rowan

This week’s schedule:

• Feb. 24 No. 18 seed at No. 15 Hayesville in NCHSAA Class 2A playo s

The driver is the rst in 17 years to win the rst two races of a season

The Associated Press

HAMPTON, Ga. — Whether on or o the racetrack, all Michael Jordan does is win in NASCAR.

For the second consecutive Sunday to open the season, the basketball great and co-owner of 23XI Racing celebrated in Victory Lane with driver Tyler Reddick. This time, after a thriller at Echo Park Speedway.

Jordan’s team now has the top two drivers in the Cup Series points standings with Reddick and Bubba Wallace. The six-time NBA champion already added a ring last week with Reddick in the Daytona 500, the crown jewel of stockcar racing.

Oh, and Jordan also settled a federal antitrust lawsuit with NASCAR in December, a major legal victory that secured a permanent franchise-style model and ensured his team would remain in business for the long term.

“The guys worked hard all summer, and I know we had our little ordeal,” Jordan said after Reddick’s victory Sunday, referring to the bruising court battle that ended with him making peace with NASCAR CEO and chairman Jim France. “They kept working hard, and this is the fruit of their labor. They put forth the e ort, and for us to come out and win the rst two races says

“They

hard, and this is the fruit of their labor.”

Jordan

Michael

a lot about our whole team.”

It especially says a lot about Reddick, who put on another dazzling performance the week after he became the fourth driver in history to win the Daytona 500 by leading only the nal lap.

This time, he led a race-high 53 laps on the 1.54-mile oval south of Atlanta — including the nal two in a double-overtime restart. He snatched the lead from Wallace despite the right-front fender of his No. 45 Toyota being damaged in a nine-car crash on the 224th of a scheduled 260 laps. Reddick fell two laps down for repairs but came roaring back from 27th for his 10th career victory.

“I mean, that’s crazy, ain’t it?” said Reddick, who became the rst driver since Matt Kenseth in 2009 to win the rst two NASCAR Cup Series races of the season. “I just found a way to get back in the top ve, and I tried to stay committed to somebody.”

He got a helpful push from runner-up Chase Briscoe. Ross Chastain nished third, followed by the Spire Motorsports tandem of Carson Hocevar (who triggered a large crash in the rst overtime) and Daniel Suarez.

“Tyler had like another gear,” Chastain said. “(He had) no fender, and he pulled us so fast.”

In a race that featured a track-record 57 lead changes, Wallace was rst entering the nal restart but shu ed to eighth. He still gained the second-most points (48) by winning the second stage and leading 46 laps.

“Tyler did an unbelievable job,” Jordan said. “I feel bad for Bubba because he had an unbelievable day. But Tyler drove his ass o . I’m very happy for Tyler. I’m very happy for 23XI.” Green turns to yellow

Austin Cindric took advantage of a stretch of 61 greenag laps to open the race, winning the rst stage after starting 30th.

It was the second consecutive year that the rst stage in the February race was completed without a yellow ag — an oddity for a track known for chaos since its 2022 reconguration into a high-banked drafting oval.

The cautions quickly picked up pace in the second stage with three yellow ags in 40 laps that collected 16 cars and eliminated notable drivers Ty Gibbs, Josh Berry, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch. The 160-lap middle segment ended under another yellow when defending Cup Series champion Kyle Larson slammed the outside wall after a collision with Shane van Gisbergen.

• Lost 66-26 at Mount Pleasant

This week’s schedule:

• Feb. 24 No. 23 seed at No. 10 West Stokes, NCHSAA Class 4A playo s

WEST STANLY GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

13-12, 7-5 in Rocky River 4A/5A

Last week’s scores:

• Won 60-31 vs. Central Academy

• Lost 63-46 vs. Monroe

This week’s schedule:

• Feb. 24 No. 16 seed vs. No. 17 Mount Pleasant, NCHSAA Class 4A playo s

NORTH STANLY BOYS’ BASKETBALL

24-2, 9-1 in Yadkin Valley

Last week’s scores:

• Won 48-36 vs. Union Academy

• Won 59-51 vs. North Rowan

This week’s schedule:

• Feb. 26 No. 3 seed, vs. winner of No. 14 Bessemer City and No. 19 Owen in NCHSAA Class 3A playo s

ALBEMARLE GIRLS’ BASKETBALL 14-12, 6-4 in Yadkin Valley

Last week’s scores:

• Won 46-16 vs. Gray Stone Day

• Won 53-46 vs. North Rowan

• Lost 43-23 vs. North Stanly

This week’s schedule:

• Feb. 24 No. 13 seed vs. No. 20 Swain County in NCHSAA Class 2A playo s

GRAY STONE DAY BOYS’ BASKETBALL 1-24, 0-10 in Yadkin Valley

Last week’s scores:

• Lost 56-21 at Albemarle Season complete

GRAY STONE DAY

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL 2-18, 0-10 in Yadkin Valley

Last week’s scores:

• Lost 46-16 at Albemarle

COLIN HUBBARD / AP PHOTO

Tyler Reddick reacts after winning Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race in Hampton, Georgia.

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NOTICES

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY

In the General Court of Justice Superior Court Clerk Before the Clerk 26E000053-830

Having quali ed as Public Administrator of the Estate of DONNIE LEON THOMAS, deceased, late of Stanly County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the Estate of said deceased to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before May 12, 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery.

All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment.

This the 11th day of February, 2026. MARK T. LOWDER PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ESTATE OF DONNIE LEON THOMAS

MARK T. LOWDER ATTORNEY AT LAW P.O. Box 1284 Albemarle, NC 28002 Telephone (704) 982-8558

Please run Notice: February 11, 18, 25 and March 4, 2026

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 26E000036-830 NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having quali ed as Administratrix of the estate of Dennis Ray Aldridge deceased, of Stanly County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said Dennis Ray Aldridge to present them to the undersigned on or before May 27, 2026 or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment.

This the 25h day of February 2026. Annette Marie Aldridge 31329 Garrett Way Albemarle. NC 28001 Administratrix

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF STANLY

24 E 001540 - 830 In the Matter of the Estate Of Meldonna G. Britt

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Meldonna G. Britt 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 May 12, 2026 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 8th day of February, 2026.

Judson C. Britt, Jr. Executor

Brian P. Hayes

Attorney Ferguson Hayes Hawkins, PLLC P. O. Box 444 Concord, NC 28026

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 26E000088-830

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having quali ed as Executor of the estate of Mae Ward Brooks deceased, of Stanly County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said Mae Ward Brooks to present them to the undersigned on or before May 27, 2026 or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment.

This the 25h day of February 2026. Roy Washington Brooks, Jr. 8300 Talley Road Stan eld, North Carolina 28163 Executor

been made in the payment of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Anchor Trustee Services, LLC having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the O ce of the Register of Deeds of Stanly County, North Carolina, and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the courthouse door or other usual place of sale in Stanly County, North Carolina, at 2:00PM on March 10th, 2026, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property, to wit: BEGINNING at a set ½” iron rod in the margin of the 25 foot public right-of-way known as Claymon Street, being a common corner with Lot 1 (see MB 29 Pg 181); thence S 03°39`50″E 8.92 feet to a calculated point in the margin of Claymon Street; thence continuing with Claymon Street S 05°44`56” 29.32 feet to a calculated point; thence continuing with Claymon Street S 02°40`15”E 37.91 feet to a calculated point; thence continuing with Claymon Street following a curve with a radius of 334.5 feet, with an arc length of 10.42 feet, with a chord length of 10.42 feet, and a chord bearing of S 02°27`05”W,

will be immediately due and owing. 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,

health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being o ered for sale. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, special assessments, land transfer taxes, if any, and encumbrances of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are Tamara Babinova and Julia Babinova. PLEASE TAKE NOTICE: An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to North Carolina General Statutes §45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the Clerk of Superior Court of the county in which the property is sold.

Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be 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 (North Carolina General Statutes §45-21.16A(b)(2)). Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the e ective date of termination. If the Trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the ling of a bankruptcy petition prior to the con rmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the Substitute 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.

Anchor Trustee Services, LLC Substitute Trustee

By: January N. Taylor, NCSB #33512 David Neill, NCSB #23396 Olivia S. Sings, NCSB# 54991 McMichael Taylor Gray, LLC Attorney for Anchor Trustee Services, LLC 3550 Engineering Drive, Suite 260 Peachtree Corners, GA 30092 404-474-7149 (phone) 404-745-8121 (fax) jtaylor@mtglaw.com dneill@mtglaw.com osings@mtglaw.com 25-003201-01

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 26E000065-830

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having quali ed as Administrator of the estate of Timothy Ray Krimminger deceased, of Stanly County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said Timothy Ray Krimminger to present them to the undersigned on or before May 20, 2026 or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment. This the 18th day of February 2026. Angela K. Gardner 1521 Clontz-Long Rd. Monroe, NC 28110 Administrator

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA

STANLY COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 26E000069-830

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Having quali ed as Administrator of the estate of Shirley Murray McSwain deceased, of Stanly County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said Shirley Murray McSwain to present them to the undersigned on or before May 20, 2026 or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment. This the 18th day of February 2026. Michael D. Murray 222 N. Depot Street Albemarle, NC 28001 Administrator

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 26E000040-830

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having

Bruno Mars drops ‘The Romantic,’ Paul McCartney doc, ‘Survivor’ at 50

“Scrubs” is back after 16 years

The Associated Press

BOTH THE K-POP girl group Blackpink and the funky pop star Bruno Mars returning with new music and a documentary about Paul McCartney after the Beatles 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: “Paradise” starring Sterling K. Brown returns for its second season, the freshly rebranded Actors Awards will be handed out live and there are bloodthirsty zombies to ght in Resident Evil Requiem.

MOVIES TO STREAM

Andrew Stanton has directed some very memorable Pixar movies (“WALL-E,” “Finding Nemo”), but his live-action track record is more checkered. Following 2012’s poorly received “John Carter,” Stanton is back with “In the Blink of an Eye,” a lm that brings together a handful of interconnected stories that explore the history of the world. Kate McKinnon, Rashida Jones and Daveed Diggs co-star. After a rocky reception at the Sundance Film Festival last month, “In the Blink of an Eye” debuts Friday on Hulu.

The Actor Awards, formerly the SAG Awards, will be handed out March 1 in a livestreamed ceremony on Net ix. Dished out by SAG-AFTRA, the actors guild, the awards are one of the most closely watched Oscar predictors. This year, Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” comes in the lead nominee.

MUSIC TO STREAM

For the McCartney superfan

VERDUGO / AP PHOTO

Bruno Mars releases “The Romantic,” his rst fulllength solo album since 2016’s “24K Magic.”

“In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make”

Sir Paul McCartney

comes a new documentary series from director Morgan Neville, who also helmed “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” and “Piece by Piece.” Not on the Beatles but what came after, “Paul McCartney: Man on the Run,” which hits Amazon Prime Video on Friday chronicles the music man’s life in the 1970s — Wings and then some. It’s an intimate portrait worth spending time with.

Also on Friday: The return of Bruno Mars! “The Romantic” is Mars’ fourth full-length project and rst solo album since

2016’s hit making “24K Magic.” (That’s of course excluding his mega-popular collaborative project with Anderson. Paak, Silk Sonic, and their 2021 release “An Evening with Silk Sonic.”) Retro-pop is the name of the game and Mars remains one of the great, spirited nostalgists. That’s evident from the jump: “I Just Might” is feel-good disco-pop-soul; it’s clear Mars is making his return just when the world wants him most.

All four members of K-pop girl group Blackpink have found incredible success as soloists, with ubiquitous pop hits like “APT.” and starring roles on “The White Lotus” among them. But now is the time for a comeback. On Friday, Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa will release “Deadline,” their latest EP. Details surrounding the vetrack release have been scant, but the bilingual “Jump” is

bouncy europop that irts with hardstyle, the ideal soundtrack to a Las Vegas day club. Clearly, they just want their listeners to have fun.

SERIES TO STREAM

Season 2 of “Paradise” starring Brown returns to Hulu. Brown plays Xavier, a Secret Service agent assigned to protect the president of the United States, played by James Marsden. In Season 1, we learned that Marsden’s character and a small number of privileged people escaped to an underground bunker just as an apocalypse was about to destroy everything. Xavier and his kids also made it to safety, but his wife got left behind. In Season 2, he sets out to nd her. Shailene Woodley joins the cast, and Julianne Nicholson and Marsden return.

The 50th, yes 50th, season of “Survivor” is streaming on Paramount+ after it airs on CBS. Make sure to have your whole night free though because the rst episode is three hours long.

Season 50 features all returning “Survivor” contestants including “The White Lotus” creator, Mike White.

Sixteen years after it aired its series nale, Zach Bra ’s “Scrubs,” has been resuscitated. The irreverent hospital begins streaming on Hulu on Thursday, with a returning cast Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke and Judy Reyes.

Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman rst worked together on the lm “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.” They’ve got a new collab as executive producers of a new Civil War series for Prime Video called “The Gray House.” Mary Louise Parker stars alongside Ben Vereen, Robert Knepper (“Prison Break”) and Paul Anderson of “Peaky Blinders.” All eight episodes drop Thursday. A washed-up Broadway actor (played by Kevin Kline) returns to his hometown and ends up directing a local production of “Our Town” in the new series “American Classic.” He also butts heads with his former girlfriend-turned-mayor played by Laura Linney. MGM+ kicks o the series by releasing the rst two episodes on Sunday.

VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

It’s been 30 years since Capcom introduced us to the world of Resident Evil, where a bioweapon has turned all sorts of creatures into bloodthirsty zombies. With the ninth main entry in the franchise, Resident Evil Requiem, the monsters show no sign of slowing down. The new protagonist is Grace Ashcroft, an FBI analyst who has only a few weapons and is just trying to get out alive. Fortunately, Leon Kennedy — who has been around since RE2 — is also on the case, and he has a much more versatile arsenal. The developers hope to appeal to fans of pure survival horror as well as gamers who love more explosive action. The nightmare resumes Friday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Switch 2 and PC.

CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO

EDUARDO

A new documentary about former Beatle Paul McCartney, titled “Paul McCartney: Man on the Run,” lands on Amazon Prime Video on Friday.

Solution to last week’s puzzle

Solution to this week’s puzzles

Golden age

Team USA forward Brady Tkachuk, foreground, takes a photo of Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin and his family after the United States defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime Sunday to win the men’s hockey gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

U.S. military boards oil

tanker in Indian Ocean

The Pentagon says U.S. military forces have boarded a third sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean Sea in an e ort to target illicit oil connected to Venezuela. U.S. forces boarded the Bertha overnight. President Donald Trump had ordered a quarantine of sanctioned tankers near Venezuela in December to pressure then-President Nicolás Maduro before his capture. Venezuela faced U.S. sanctions on its oil for several years, relying on a shadow eet of falsely agged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains.

Supreme Court

rules Postal Service can’t be sued

A divided Supreme Court has ruled that Americans can’t sue the U.S. Postal Service, even when employees deliberately refuse to deliver mail. By a 5-4 vote Tuesday, the justices ruled against Texas landlord Lebene Konan, who alleged her mail was intentionally withheld for two years. Konan is black and claims racial prejudice played a role in postal employees’ actions. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in his majority opinions the federal law that generally shields the Postal Service from lawsuits over missing, lost and undelivered mail includes “the intentional nondelivery of mail.” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent the immunity doesn’t apply to situations when the decision “was driven by malicious reasons.”

Winston-Salem seeks state action on zoning, a ordable housing

The council is also seeking public input on the Downtown Business Improvement District contract

By Ryan Henkel Twin City Herald

WINSTON-SALEM — The Winston-Salem City Council met Feb. 16 for its regular business meeting with a rather short agenda before them.

The council’s rst action was to approve a resolution adopting the city’s legislative priorities for the 2026 State Legislative Session, which will be a short session held in Raleigh in April.

“Intergovernmental relations involve the coordination and collaboration among federal, state and local governments, focusing on policy alignment, funding opportunities such as grants and community project funding, and advocacy,” said Assistant City

Manager Angel Wright Lanier.

Winston-Salem submitted bill requests for the 2025 legislative long session of the North Carolina General Assembly, however, the city’s requested bill language did not receive nal passage.

According to Lanier, the council’s main priorities for this year focused primarily on items that didn’t move in that long session, namely the prohibition of double compensation for nonconforming signs, the repeal of downzoning restrictions and the exemption from system development fees for a ordable housing projects.

The council also wanted to prioritize supporting legislation that protected local government authority over planning and zoning decisions, and opposing legislation that imposes unfunded mandates.

In addition, the city specifically is seeking to have a bill passed to enable the city to

“A cleaner environment, enhanced physical appearance, stronger marketing and promotion and economic development.”

Assistant City Manager Ben Rowe on the four key areas of the RFP

confer the authority for rezoning properties to the city/county planning board with certain rights of appeal and review before the city council. City sta will also meet in March at the National League of Cities with federal congressional sta and representatives to discuss items that were on the federal legislative agenda approved in January.

As the council is considering

a new contract for services and programming in the Downtown Business Improvement District, a public hearing also was held on the matter to receive community input and recommendations to be used for the request for proposals.

“The RFP will focus on four service areas,” said Assistant City Manager Ben Rowe. “A cleaner environment, enhanced physical appearance, stronger marketing and promotion and economic development.”

The city intends to contract with just a single rm, although it may contract with multiple to deliver the full range of services.

The city’s current contract, which is with Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership, runs through FY26.

An online survey is available on the city’s website for citizens to provide feedback, with a decision expected in April.

The Winston-Salem City Council will next meet March 2.

Authorities say the 21-year-old groundskeeper purchased the shotgun while driving to Florida

By Allen G. Breed The Associated Press

CAMERON — The 21-year- old North Carolina man who drove through a gate at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort with a shotgun before he was shot and killed worked as a golf course groundskeeper and liked to sketch.

Austin Tucker Martin rare-

ly, if ever, talked about politics, seemed afraid of guns and came from a family of Trump supporters, according to Braeden Fields, a cousin who said the two grew up together.

“I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind-blowing,” Fields said. “He wouldn’t even hurt an ant. He doesn’t even know how to use a gun.” Martin drove into the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago early Sunday and raised a shotgun at two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheri ’s deputy who then opened re

HASSAN AMMAR / AP PHOTO

2.26.26

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Police nding criminal suspects based on online searches

as courts weigh privacy concerns

Investigators work backward from search terms to identify suspects

By Mark Scolforo The Associated Press

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NC 27607

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Criminal investigators hoping to develop suspects in di cult cases have been asking Google to reveal who searched for speci c information online, seeking “reverse keyword” warrants that critics warn threaten the privacy of innocent people.

Unlike traditional search warrants that target a known suspect or location, keyword warrants work backward by identifying internet addresses where searches were made in a certain window of time for particular terms, such as a street address where a crime occurred or a phrase like “pipe bomb.”

Police have used the method to investigate a series of bombings in Texas, the assassination of a Brazilian politician and a fatal arson in Colorado.

It’s not a wild guess by investigators to conclude that people are using Google searches in all manner of crimes, as the company’s search engine has become the main gateway to the internet and users’ daily lives increasingly leave online traces. The potential value to investigators of the data Google collects is obvious in cases with no suspect, such as the search for Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapper.

The legal tension between the need to solve crimes quickly and the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment protections against overly broad searches was at the heart of a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision that upheld the use of a reverse keyword warrant in a rape investigation.

Privacy advocates see it as giving police “unfettered access to the thoughts, feelings, concerns and secrets of countless people,” according to an amicus brief led in the Pennsylvania appeal by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Internet Archive and several library organizations.

In response to written questions about the warrants, Google provided an emailed statement: “Our processes for handling law enforcement requests are designed to protect users’ privacy while meeting our legal obligations. We review all legal demands for legal validity, and we push back against those that are overbroad or improper, including objecting to some entirely.”

A break in the case

Pennsylvania State Police were stymied in their investi-

MAR-A-LAGO from page A1

“to neutralize the threat,” said Sheri Ric Bradshaw. Trump, who often spends weekends at the Palm Beach, Florida, resort, was at the White House at the time. Investigators have not identi ed a motive. Trump faced two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign, including one just a few miles from Mar-a-Lago when a man was spotted aiming a rie through shrubbery while Trump was gol ng. Following Sunday’s inci-

gation into the violent rape of a woman in 2016 on a remote cul- de-sac outside Milton, a small community in the center of the state. With no clear leads, police obtained a warrant directing Google to disclose accounts that searched for the victim’s name or address over the week when she was attacked.

More than a year later, Google reported two searches for the woman’s address were made a few hours before the assault from a speci c IP address, a numeric designation that lists where a phone or computer lives on the internet.

That led them to the home of a state prison guard named John Edward Kurtz.

Police then conducted surveillance and collected a cigarette butt he discarded that matched DNA recovered from the victim, according to court records. He confessed to the rape and attacks involving four other women over a ve-year period, and was convicted in 2020. Now 51, he’s been sentenced to 59 to 280 years.

Kurtz’s attorneys argued police lacked probable cause to obtain the information and impinged on his privacy rights.

The state Supreme Court rejected those claims late last year but split on the reasons why. Three justices said Kurtz should not have expected his Google searches to be private, while three more said police had probable cause to look for anyone who searched the victim’s address before the attack. But a dissenting justice said probable cause requires more than just a “bald hunch” and guessing that a perpetrator would have used Google.

Kurtz lawyer Douglas Taglieri made the same point in a court ling but conceded, “It was a good guess.”

Julia Skinner, a prosecutor in the case, said reverse keyword searches are much more e ective when there are specif-

dent, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said investigators believe Martin bought his shotgun while driving to Florida. Authorities said his family had recently reported him missing. Martin was from central North Carolina, where guns and hunting are a part of life, his cousin said. But whenever they’d go hunting or target shooting, Martin would never pick up a gun, Fields told The Associated Press on Sunday.

He lived with his mother in a modest modular house down

ic and even unusual terms that can narrow results, such as a distinctive name or an address. They are also particularly effective when crimes appear to have been planned out beforehand, she said.

“I don’t think they’re used super frequently because what you need to target has to be so speci c,” she said. There were 57 searches returned in the Kurtz case, but many of them were rst responders trying to locate the home in the immediate aftermath of the crime, Skinner said.

Acting in good faith

In the similar case in Colorado, police sought the IP addresses of anyone who searched over a 15-day period for the address of a home where a deadly arson occurred. Authorities got IP addresses for 61 searches made by eight accounts, ultimately helping identify three teenage suspects.

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that although the keyword warrant was constitutionally defective for not specifying an “individualized probable cause,” the evidence could be used because police had acted in good faith about what was known about the law at the time.

“If dystopian problems emerge, as some fear, the courts stand ready to hear argument regarding how we should rein in law enforcement’s use of rapidly advancing technology,” the majority of Colorado justices ruled.

Courts have long permitted investigators to seek things like bank records or phone logs. However, civil liberties groups say extending those powers to online keywords turns every search user into a suspect.

It’s unclear how many keyword warrants are issued every year — Google does not break down the total number of warrants it receives by type,

a rutted sandy road near the town of Cameron. No one answered the door Monday, and the large police presence from the day before was gone.

Martin’s sister was killed in a car accident a few years ago, and he has an older brother who’s in the military, Fields said. For the past three years, Martin worked as a groundskeeper at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club.

“It’s tragic. I feel for his family,” said Kelly Miller, president of the course in nearby Southern Pines. “It’s just un-

“Unfettered access to the thoughts, feelings, concerns and secrets of countless people”

Amicus brief

according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in a January 2024 brief.

The two groups said police working on the bombings in Austin, Texas, sought anyone who searched for terms such as “low explosives” and “pipe bomb.”

And in Brazil, investigators trying to solve the 2018 assassination in Rio de Janeiro of the politician Marielle Franco asked for those who searched for Franco’s name and the street where she lived. A Brazilian high court is expected to decide soon on the legality of those search disclosures.

Reverse keyword warrants are distinct from “geofence” warrants, where criminal investigators seek information about who was in a given area at a particular time. The U.S. Supreme Court said last month it will rule on that method’s constitutionality.

An index of deeply personal matters

For many people, their Google search history contains some of their most personal thoughts, from health issues and political beliefs tonancial decisions and spending patterns. Google is introducing more arti cial intelligence into its search engine, seemingly a way to learn even more about users.

“What could be more embarrassing,” asked University of Pennsylvania law professor and civil rights lawyer David Rudovsky, if every Google search “was now out there, gone viral?”

Google warns users personal information can be shared outside the company when it has a “good-faith belief that disclosure of the information is reasonably necessary” to respond to applicable laws, regulations, legal processes or an “enforceable government request.”

In the Kurtz case, Pennsylvania Justice David Wecht drew a distinction between Kurtz deciding to search for the victim’s name on Google and a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision that limited the use of broad collections of cellphone location data.

“A user who wants to keep such material private has options,” Wecht wrote. “That user does not have to click on Google.”

fortunate what transpired. It was totally unexpected.” Martin last year started a business to sell pen drawings he made, according to state records. A website matching the company name features illustrations of golf courses, buildings and ancient Roman architecture.

Politics didn’t seem to be among his interests, his cousin said.

“We are big Trump supporters, all of us. Everybody,” Fields said, but his cousin was “real quiet, never really talked about anything.”

KEVIN MERTZ / STANDARD JOURNAL VIA AP

John Edward Kurtz, a former prison guard, is taken by state troopers to be arraigned in Milton, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 18, 2017.

THE CONVERSATION

COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI

Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

Obama is in no position to lecture us about decency

Obama’s entire scandalridden supercilious presidency was focused on coercing, browbeating and, ultimately, slandering the bitter clingers.

IN A RECENT INTERVIEW with “No Lie” podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen, former President Barack Obama claimed that conservatives do “the mean, angry, exclusive, us/them, divisive politics. That’s their home court. Our court is coming together.”

This is a jaw-dropping contention coming from a man who began his presidential aspirations accusing Americans who refused to embrace his brand of progressive politics of being “bitter” and clinging “to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them.”

Is there any group of people in the country who exude more “antipathy to people who aren’t like them” than progressives?

Virtually every poll taken on the issue nds Democrats are far less inclined to accept Republicans as friends or family members. This comes as no surprise to anyone who’s witnessed the screeching moralistic anger of the average leftist activist — a disposition popularized during the Obama era.

Obama’s entire scandal-ridden supercilious presidency was focused on coercing, browbeating and, ultimately, slandering the bitter clingers. In the former president’s vernacular, “coming together” simply meant accepting Obama’s worldview as incontrovertible truth.

And one of the most grating habits in this regard was Obama’s turning every tragedy and political event into a sermon about our collective failings.

Obama, the only president to that point to belittle the notion of American exceptionalism, would go abroad and tell the world that the “future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.”

Slandering Christians in the United States, on the other hand, was no problem. The Obama administration spent years trying to destroy the Little Sisters of the Poor for their faith-based objections to paying for condoms.

The Obama- era Democrats normalized the legal war on orthodox Christianity, meant to chill speech and compel progressive cultural supremacy, a cause that’s not abated to this day.

The inclusive Obama, who had hitched his career to Black Liberation theologians like the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and irted with the Nation of Islam (a picture of a smiling Obama meeting with black supremacist Louis Farrakhan was hidden during his presidency), was the rst president to engage in anti-Jewish dual loyalty tropes against Americans who opposed his obsession with rewarding Iran with nuclear weapons.

But perhaps worst of all, the rst black president in history, Obama, did everything he could to roll back 40 years of progress on race relations.

There seemingly wasn’t a single “racial” incident anywhere in the country that Obama wouldn’t exacerbate and exploit for political purposes.

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

It began with his contention that “Cambridge police acted stupidly” after local police arrested historian Henry Louis Gates Jr., who was seen breaking into his own house, and continued with the killing of Trayvon Martin in an altercation with a neighborhood watch volunteer. Obama implored 350 million Americans, none of whom had anything to do with the case, to do “soul-searching.”

“If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon,” Obama said. “Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago.” The implication, of course, was that young black men were being killed solely due to their color. Martin’s shooter, George Zimmerman, was found not guilty by a jury, and Obama’s Justice Department did not le civil rights charges.

Nothing, however, tops Obama’s detestable speech at the funeral of ve Dallas police o cers, murdered by a racist anti-cop extremist at Black Lives Matter protest in 2016. “None of us are entirely innocent” when it comes to “racial discrimination,” the president noted, “and this includes our police departments.”

Obama invoked the names of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, two black men who had been recently shot by police, not only creating a false equivalency but also basically rationalizing the anger of the shooter.

It’s worth remembering that neither of the investigations into Sterling and Castile had even been concluded at the time.

In 2017, Obama’s Department of Justice didn’t charge the police in the killing of Sterling.

By 2016, Gallup found that 46% of Americans believed race relations had worsened during his presidency, compared with 29% who felt they improved. A 2016 New York Times poll found 69% of Americans described race relations as “generally bad.”

Obviously, Americans are divided because we have deep -seated, legitimate and meaningful disagreements about the future. That’s why politics exists. The political “unity” that Democrats claimed to strive for only exists in dictatorships. The inability to accept this made Obama the most divisive president of the modern age.

Which isn’t to say that subsequent presidents brought us together. Far, far from it. It’s to say that Obama changed the way presidents spoke about and to their constituents. It was Obama’s systematic subversion of norms that made Donald Trump possible. We don’t need any more of his lectures.

David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner. Harsanyi is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of ve books. (Copyright 2026 Creators.com)

Marco Rubio: more than just the good cop

In February 2025, the audience at Munich took Vance’s comments as insults.

In February 2026, the audience, as evidenced by its standing ovation, took Rubio’s as compliments.

MY FIRST REACTION to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech, delivered on Valentine’s Day, at the Munich Security Conference, was, “Last year, President Donald Trump sent the bad cop, Vice President JD Vance. This year, he sent the good cop, Rubio. Progress.” In February 2025, the audience at Munich took Vance’s comments as insults. In February 2026, the audience, as evidenced by its standing ovation, took Rubio’s as compliments.

Yet, as even journalists writing on deadline quickly discerned, Rubio’s words were no less critical than Vance’s of what have been European elites’ cherished policies.

“Mass migration,” Rubio said, is “a crisis which is transforming and destabilizing societies all across the West.” He decried a “climate cult” and “energy policies” that “impoverished our people.” He condemned policies that “outsourced our sovereignty to international institutions” and “invested in massive welfare states.”

Red meat substance, suitable for delivery at any of the three Trump Republican National Conventions — more than have nominated any one person, the president might remind you, except for President Richard Nixon. But leavened, as the above quotations suggest, with frequent employment of the rst-person pronouns and adjectives — “we” (69 times in the text, by my count), “us” (11), “our” (65).

“What comforted worried attendees,” wrote Michael Froman, head of the Council on Foreign Relations and Obama trade negotiator, “was the undertone of the secretary’s remarks.”

But it wasn’t just the undertone that had many Republicans and others start thinking of Rubio as a possible future presidential candidate, despite his recent avowals of support for Vance for the Republican nomination in 2028.

And as a national leader with an intellectually serious grasp of history. Rubio began by summoning memories of the rst Munich conference, in 1963, when the Iron Curtain ran through a divided Germany and the Berlin Wall was just two years old.

Halfway through the speech, he went further back, to the postwar years when “our predecessors,” faced with a “Europe in ruins” and expanding communism, “recognized that decline was a choice, and it was a choice they refused to make.” An interesting way to frame the decisions that produced the Truman Doctrine and the NATO treaty.

Against that, he described the post-Cold War euphoria that “the rules-based global order” would replace national interest.

“A foolish idea,” he said unemolliently, that “has cost us dearly.”

A Trumpian take, followed by an implicit denunciation of opening up trade relations with China.

Rather than dwell on that critique, however, he segued back to “centuries of shared history, Christian faith, culture,

heritage, language, ancestry,” all parts of “the common civilization to which we have fallen heir.”

This might have rankled, and perhaps was intended to rankle, the European Union leaders who, out of secular conviction or for fear of angering Muslim immigrants, successfully blocked mention of Europe’s “Christian roots” in the EU charter.

As he neared his peroration, Rubio celebrated Christopher Columbus and the English, Scots-Irish, French, German, Spanish and Dutch roots of Americans from Davy Crockett to “the cowboy archetype ... born in Spain.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), in Munich for her rst security conference, ridiculed that last claim, apparently unaware that the Americas had no horses until Hernan Cortes brought some to Mexico in 1519.

More importantly, Rubio’s emphasis on America’s European heritage is a rebuke of the Franz Fanon-inspired theory, fostered on campuses for decades and sweeping the streets in post-Oct. 7, 2023, “anti-Zionist” demonstrations, that colonialism was the greatest evil in history, and that Europeans and Americans should do penance for their complicity.

Europeans are or should be aware, from the totalitarian tides of the 20th century, that there are worse evils than colonialism — and that to exclude di cult-to-assimilate immigrants is to commit another Holocaust.

But rather than belabor that last point, Rubio instead made the point earlier that “it was here, in Europe, where the ideas that planted the seeds of liberty that changed the world were born.” Including “the rule of law, the universities and the scienti c revolution,” plus Mozart and Beethoven, Dante and Shakespeare, Michelangelo and Leonardo, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

Europe should be “proud,” a word he repeated half a dozen times, “of its heritage and its history.” Proud of a “spirit of creation and liberty that sent ships out into uncharted seas and birthed our civilization,” with a Europe that has the means to defend itself and the will to survive.”

Among American and European elites, open expression of pride is something, well, just not done. They prefer to denounce the “systemic racism” of their fellow citizens or the “oppressive colonialism” of their forebears, to disparage the motives of “settlers” and idealize the virtues of the “indigenous.”

But pride in one’s nation and one’s civilization, properly understood, is not a warrant for self-satisfaction but a summons to duty, a reminder that for us to whom much has been given, much is asked. In Munich, Rubio was not just Trump’s good cop but a mature American leader towering above the crowd.

Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner. (Copyright 2026 Creators.com)

White House pressure leads universities to cut ties with nonpro t that helps racial minorities

Federal o cials say the nonpro t’s race-based eligibility violates civil rights law

By Jocelyn Gecker and Collin Binkley The Associated Press

THE TRUMP administration said last Thursday its campaign to end diversity programs in higher education has led dozens of universities to cut ties with an organization known as The PhD Project, which helps racial minorities earn doctorate degrees.

The PhD Project was a little-known nonpro t group until it caught the attention of conservative strategists last year and became the focus of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education. The Republican administration says school diversity programs often exclude white and Asian American students.

The investigation, opened in March 2025, has resulted in 31 universities agreeing to end partnerships with the group, the department’s O ce for Civil Rights said last week. Negotiations are continuing with 14 additional schools, it said.

The department said in its statement that The PhD Project “unlawfully limits eligibility based on the race of participants” and that institutions partnering with it violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of

1964, which bars discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in education programs and activities that receive federal money.

“This is the Trump e ect in action: institutions of higher education are agreeing to cut ties with discriminatory organizations, recommitting themselves to abiding by federal law, and restoring equality of opportunity on campuses across the nation,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said.

Many of the schools promptly cut ties with The PhD Project after the investigation was opened in order to avoid entanglements with the administration. It had undertaken the inquiries after warning schools they could lose federal money

Education Secretary Linda McMahon arrives at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Feb. 1 to attend the wedding of White House deputy chief of sta Dan Scavino and Erin Elmore.

over “race-based preferences.”

The PhD Project is one of many nonpro ts that helps underrepresented groups gain access to higher education.

“The PhD Project was founded with the goal of providing more role models in the front of business classrooms and this remains our goal today,” the organization said in a statement. The website says it has “helped more than 1,500 members earn their doctoral degree.”

The group of 31 colleges listed by the department included major public research universities such as Arizona State, Ohio State and the University of Michigan, along with prestigious private schools like Yale, Duke and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“This is the Trump e ect in action: institutions of higher education are agreeing to cut ties with discriminatory organizations, recommitting themselves to abiding by federal law, and restoring equality of opportunity on campuses across the nation.”

Linda McMahon, Education Secretary

MIT, like many of the schools cited in the investigation, had paid The PhD Project “a nominal fee” to participate in the group’s university fairs or conferences, allowing MIT to send representatives to answer questions about attending their school, spokesperson Kimberly Allen said.

MIT informed the government in April 2025 it had ended its participation in such conferences and was noti ed months later that the O ce for Civil Rights had found it in violation of Title VI. The school signed a “resolution agreement” with the department about a week ago to resolve the matter “but explicitly did not admit any liability, wrongdoing or violation of any law or regulation,” Allen said.

The University of North Dakota said it, too, promptly ended its membership with The PhD Project two weeks after the investigation was announced last year.

“The University became a member of the PhD Project to

have access to the PhD Project’s member directory and applicant database, to be able to recruit a larger pool of quali ed applicants for faculty positions,” spokesperson David Dodds said in a statement.

The University of Utah said it had a table at annual conferences hosted by the nonpro t in the 2024-25 school year and two previous years. It cut ties with the project in October after settling with the department, university spokesperson Rebecca Walsh said.

Out of 170 PhD students admitted to Utah’s business school over the past 14 years, just two were involved through the PhD Project, Walsh said.

The Education Department said that all of the 31 universities have also agreed to review partnerships with other organizations “to identify any that violate Title VI by restricting participation based on race.”

The administration has targeted a wide range of practices that it has labeled as diversity, equity and inclusion.

NASA delays moon mission again after new rocket problem

Interrupted helium ow forced the rocket back to the hangar, pushing the mission to April

By Marcia Dunn

The Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. —

In the latest setback to return astronauts to the moon, NASA delayed the highly anticipated ight yet again after a new problem cropped up with the rocket Saturday.

April is now the earliest that the four Artemis II astronauts could y to the moon.

NASA revealed the latest problem just one day after targeting March 6 for Artemis II, humanity’s rst ight to the moon in more than half a century. Overnight, the ow of helium to the rocket’s upper stage was interrupted, o cials said. Solid helium ow is essential for purging the engines and pressurizing the fuel tanks.

This helium issue has nothing to do with the hydrogen fuel leaks that marred a countdown dress rehearsal of the Space Launch System rocket earlier this month and forced a repeat test.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said a bad lter, valve or connection plate could be to blame for the stalled helium ow. Regardless of the cause, he said, the only way to access the area and x the problem is to return the 322-foot rocket to its hangar for repairs.

“We will begin preparations for rollback, and this will take the March launch window out of consideration,” Isaacman said via X. NASA’s next opportunities would be at the beginning or end of April.

“I understand people are disappointed by this development,” he added. “That disappointment is felt most by the team at NASA, who have been working tirelessly to prepare for this great endeavor.”

Earlier in the day, NASA said it was preparing to move the rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center while raising the possibility of the work being done at the pad.

The situation is dynamic, said spokeswoman Cheryl Warner. Whether the xes are at the pad or in the hangar, the rollback preparations alone rule out any chance of making a March launch, she said.

Hydrogen fuel leaks had already delayed the Artemis II lunar y-around by a month. A second fueling test last Thursday revealed hardly any leaks, giving managers the con dence to aim for a March lifto . The four astronauts went into their two-week quarantine Friday evening, mandatory for avoiding germs.

Everything worked ne with the rocket’s helium system during both dress rehearsals, Isaacman said. The “unexpected development” cropped up lat-

er in routine testing that kept engineers up all night assessing the situation.

The interrupted helium ow is con ned to the SLS rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage. This upper stage is essential for placing the Orion crew capsule into the proper high-altitude orbit around Earth for checkout, following lifto . After that, it’s supposed to separate from Orion and serve as a target for the astronauts inside the capsule, allowing them to practice docking techniques for future moon missions.

During NASA’s Apollo program, 24 astronauts ew to the moon from 1968 through 1972.

The new Artemis program has completed only one ight so far, a lunar-orbiting mission without a crew in 2022. That rst test ight was also plagued by hydrogen fuel leaks before blasting o , as well as a helium issue similar to the one that arose Saturday. The rst moon landing with a crew under Artemis is still at least a few years away.

MARK SCHIEFELBEIN / AP PHOTO

NASA’s moon rocket sits on the pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida last Thursday.

JIM ROSS / NASA VIA AP

NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket with the Orion spacecraft sits atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex

last month at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Forsyth SPORTS

Irving won’t play this season while continuing to recover from knee injury

The All-Star guard will miss a full season for the rst time in his career

By Schuyler Dixon The Associated Press

DALLAS — Kyrie Irving won’t play this season as the star guard for the Dallas Mavericks continues his recovery from a knee injury sustained almost a year ago.

The nine-time All-Star and the team made the announcement two days before the Mavericks return from the All-Star break. Dallas entered the break on a nine-game losing streak, its longest in 28 years, and out of playo contention.

“This decision wasn’t easy, but it’s the right one,” Irving said in a statement released by the team. “I am grateful for the Mavericks organization, my teammates and our fans for their continued support throughout the process. I am looking forward to coming back stronger next season. The belief and drive I have inside only grows.”

Irving tore the ACL in his left knee on March 3. This will be the rst time in his 15-year career that the 33-year-old has missed an entire season.

The most signi cant injury of Irving’s career came a month after the Mavericks traded young superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package centered around older and oft-injured big man Anthony Davis. Just nine months earlier, Irving and Doncic led the Mavs to the NBA Finals.

Irving and Davis played together for just 21⁄2 quarters because Davis aggravated an abdominal injury in his Dallas debut and didn’t return before Irving went down in a 122-98 loss at home to Sacramento.

The Mavericks converted a 1.8% chance to win the draft

game.

lottery and picked former Duke standout Cooper Flagg No. 1 overall. But Irving, Davis and Flagg never played together.

Dallas sent Davis to Washington before the trade deadline, a deal that signaled the Mavericks were moving on from the ill-fated Doncic deal less than three months after ring general manager Nico Harrison in part because of that trade.

The Mavericks appear set to build around Flagg with help from Irving, believing the older of the two one-and-done stars from Duke can complement the new face of the franchise.

“Kyrie has the ultimate respect for Cooper,” said co-interim general manager Michael Finley, who was a two-time All-Star with the Mavericks a quarter-century ago. “He loves the kid’s work ethic. He loves the kid’s love for the game. And I think Kyrie’s embracing the role as a mentor to Cooper.”

The team said Irving would

remain “actively engaged” with the team the rest of this season. Dallas is on its way to missing the playo s for the second year in a row since the ve-game loss to Boston in the NBA Finals.

“And I wanted to send a huge shoutout to ALL of my brothers and sisters out there who’ve torn their ACL or gotten injured doing what they love to do every day,” Irving said in the team’s statement. “THANK YOU for the inspiration. No fear!”

Before the injury, Irving thrived in two years with the Mavericks following a trade that ended a tumultous three-plus seasons in Brooklyn. There was plenty of drama in Boston before that. Irving was the No. 1 pick by Cleveland in 2011 and won a championship there with LeBron James in 2016. Irving has averaged 23.7 points and and 5.6 assists per game over 779 games while shooting almost 40% from 3-point range and 89% on free throws.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Whit Longhurst

Mount Tabor, track and eld

Whit Longhurst is a senior on the Mount Tabor track team. The Spartans won the NCHSAA class 6A indoor boys’ track championships, and Longhurst was the highest- nishing runner on the state champions. He nished second in the boys’ 1,600-meter run, missing out on a state title in the event by a little over a second. He also added a fth-place nish in the boys’ 3,200-meter run. Teammates Luke Mistor (boys’ 1,000) and Josiah Felton (triple jump) also had second place nishes, as did Rachel Riley (girls’ 1000). However, Longhurst was the only Mount Tabor silver medalist to earn top ves in multiple individual events.

Reddick wins at Atlanta to give 23 XI Racing, Jordan second straight NASCAR Cup victory

The driver is the rst in 17 years to win the rst two races of a season

The Associated Press

HAMPTON, Ga. — Whether on or o the racetrack, all Michael Jordan does is win in NASCAR.

For the second consecutive Sunday to open the season, the basketball great and co-owner of 23XI Racing celebrated in Victory Lane with driver Tyler Reddick. This time, after a thriller at Echo Park Speedway.

Jordan’s team now has the top two drivers in the Cup Series points standings with Reddick and Bubba Wallace. The six-time NBA champion already added a ring last week with Reddick in

the Daytona 500, the crown jewel of stock-car racing.

Oh, and Jordan also settled a federal antitrust lawsuit with NASCAR in December, a major legal victory that secured a permanent franchise-style model and ensured his team would remain in business for the long term.

“The guys worked hard all summer, and I know we had our little ordeal,” Jordan said after Reddick’s victory Sunday, referring to the bruising court battle that ended with him making peace with NASCAR CEO and chairman Jim France. “They kept working hard, and this is the fruit of their labor. They put forth the e ort, and for us to come out and win the rst two races says a lot about our whole team.”

It especially says a lot about Reddick, who put on another dazzling performance the week after he became the fourth driver in history to win the Daytona 500 by leading only the nal lap.

This time, he led a race-high 53 laps on the 1.54-mile oval south of Atlanta — including the nal two in a double-overtime restart. He snatched the lead from Wallace despite the right-front fender of his No. 45 Toyota being damaged in a nine-car crash on the 224th of a scheduled 260 laps. Reddick fell two laps down for repairs but came roaring back from 27th for his 10th career victory.

“I mean, that’s crazy, ain’t it?” said Reddick, who became the rst driver since Matt Kenseth in 2009 to win the rst two NASCAR Cup Series races of the

season. “I just found a way to get back in the top ve, and I tried to stay committed to somebody.”

He got a helpful push from runner-up Chase Briscoe. Ross Chastain nished third, followed by the Spire Motorsports tandem of Carson Hocevar (who triggered a large crash in the rst overtime) and Daniel Suarez.

“Tyler had like another gear,” Chastain said. “(He had) no fender, and he pulled us so fast.”

In a race that featured a track-record 57 lead changes, Wallace was rst entering thenal restart but shu ed to eighth. He still gained the second-most points (48) by winning the second stage and leading 46 laps.

“Tyler did an unbelievable job,” Jordan said. “I feel bad for Bubba because he had an unbe-

lievable day. But Tyler drove his ass o . I’m very happy for Tyler. I’m very happy for 23XI.” Green turns to yellow

Austin Cindric took advantage of a stretch of 61 greenag laps to open the race, winning the rst stage after starting 30th.

It was the second consecutive year that the rst stage in the February race was completed without a yellow ag — an oddity for a track known for chaos since its 2022 recon guration into a high-banked drafting oval.

The cautions quickly picked up pace in the second stage with three yellow ags in 40 laps that collected 16 cars and eliminated notable drivers Ty Gibbs, Josh Berry, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch. The 160-lap middle segment ended under another yellow when defending Cup Series champion Kyle Larson slammed the outside wall after a collision with Shane van Gisbergen.

Tyler Reddick reacts after winning Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race in Hampton, Georgia.

TONY GUTIERREZ / AP PHOTO

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving stands on the court during a timeout of a January

COLIN HUBBARD / AP PHOTO

SIDELINE REPORT

NBA

Warriors’ Curry to be reevaluated next week after second MRI on knee

San Francisco

Golden State star Stephen Curry had a second MRI on his troublesome right knee that revealed no structural damage, although the two -time NBA MVP is expected to miss at least another ve games before being reevaluated. The 37-year- old guard last played Jan. 30. He has been diagnosed with patella-femoral pain syndrome/bone bruising, otherwise referred to as runner’s knee. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Curry will be reevaluated in 10 days from last Thursday’s scan.

BOXING

Unbeaten Mayweather plans return to pro boxing 9 years after retirement

Los Angeles

Floyd Mayweather says he is ending his nine-year retirement and returning to competitive boxing this summer. He turned 49 last week and hasn’t fought in a real boxing match since 2017, when he beat Conor McGregor and retired for the third time. The former ve- division world champion has still been in the ring regularly throughout his 40s with a series of lucrative exhibition bouts. Mayweather already has announced yet another exhibition coming up this spring against 59-year-old Mike Tyson, although no location or television partner has been con rmed.

NCAA BASKETBALL

Selection committee picks Michigan, Duke, Arizona, Iowa State as top preliminary seeds

Michigan is the No. 1 overall seed in the preliminary rankings by the committee that will select the 68-team men’s eld for the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines were joined by Duke, Arizona and Iowa State as the 1-seeds. The Cyclones got the last No. 1 seed ahead of UConn and Houston. Saturday’s reveal is a snapshot of where things stand with less than a month left until Selection Sunday.

Texas Tech standout

Toppin to miss rest of season with torn ACL Lubbock, Tex.

Texas Tech standout forward JT Toppin will miss the rest of the season because of a torn ACL in his right knee. An MRI con rmed the ACL tear after Toppin got hurt late in the 13th-ranked Red Raiders’ 72-67 loss at Arizona State. The 6-foot-9 Toppin, a preseason AP All-America selection, is the Big 12’s leading rebounder with 10.8 a game and ranks third in the league with 21.8 points a game.

Gibbs Racing sues ex-director Gabehart, alleging ‘brazen’ trade secrets theft

JGR claims its former employee took sensitive information to

Spire Motorsports

By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE — Joe Gibbs

Racing led suit against former competition director Chris Gabehart for allegedly embarking on “a brazen scheme to steal JGR’s most sensitive information” for the bene t of rival NASCAR team Spire Motorsports.

The suit led in the Western District of North Carolina — the same court that heard last December’s antitrust suit between 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR — claims Gabehart violated his contract and stole con dential team trade secrets when “his demands for additional authority were rebu ed by JGR’s owner.”

The suit alleges Gabehart caused more than $8 million in damages to JGR. The ling did not request an injunction preventing Gabehart from working for Spire.

JGR was founded by Joe Gibbs in 1992 after he won three Super Bowls as Washington’s football coach.

Gibbs is a member of both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and NASCAR Hall of Fame and now co-owns JGR with his daughter-in-law, Heather. The team elds Cup cars for Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin. Gabehart joined JGR in 2012 as an engineer, worked his way to crew chief for Hamlin, and became competition director ahead of the 2025 season. Gabehart in that role was responsible for all competitive aspects of the race team, and as such, had access to all of JGR’s proprietary information. The lawsuit claims Gabehart throughout last season wanted complete responsibility and control over all competition

“The results were shocking.”

JGR lawsuit on the results of its laptop search

departments and asked Joe Gibbs in a Nov. 6, 2025, meeting for “carte blanche authority over all racing decisions.”

The suit said Gibbs denied the request, and Gabehart said he wanted to leave the organization. In the course of negotiating a separation agreement, JGR alleges it learned Gabehart had been meeting with Spire Motorsports, which triggered the organization to do a forensic analysis of Gabehart’s team-issued laptop.

“The results were shocking,” the suit alleges, claiming it found Google searches about Spire in October and November of last year, folders titled

“Spire” and “Past Setups,” and more than a dozen images of JGR les containing condential information and trade secrets.

From there, the suit alleges JGR and Gabehart squabbled over further forensic reviews and JGR attempted to impose a “cooling o period” in which Gabehart would not work for another organization.

JGR alleges it learned on Feb. 11 that Gabehart plans to become the chief motorsports o cer at Spire, where he would be responsible for all of Spire’s racing strategy and operations.

“This was new information to JGR, as Defendant previously represented to JGR ... that the job o er he received from Spire was for a role in which he would not provide Spire with services similar to the services he provided JGR,” the suit claims.

JGR contends Gabehart knew his actions accessing

JGR materials was unlawful, and he took intentional steps to avoid detection and hide his digital trail. Gabehart turned in his JGR laptop on Nov. 10 and has not worked for JGR since. The lawsuit claims the o er from Spire was made to Gabehart on Nov. 13, and Gabehart met with Spire co-owner Je Dickerson on Dec. 2. JGR claims Gabehart told his former team on Dec. 4 he had not spoken to anyone from Spire about employment, nor had he spoken to any other potential employers.

Instead, JGR claims Gabehart was actively soliciting JGR employees to move to Spire, and at least one employee has made the move. Spire has yet to announce hiring Gabehart. Cary Davis, the attorney representing Gabehart, said he could not comment on the suit. Gabehart must respond to JGR’s ling in 21 days.

Doug Moe, rumpled, irreverent coach of high-scoring Denver Nuggets, dead at 87

The former Tar Heel was an ABA legend

By Eddie Pells The Associated Press

DENVER— Doug Moe, an ABA original who gained fame over a rumpled, irreverent decade as coach of the Denver Nuggets in the 1980s, died at 87 after a long bout with cancer.

Moe went 628-529 over 15 seasons as a head coach, including stints with the San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers. He never won a title and was the NBA Coach of the Year in 1988. More than for wins and losses, Moe will be remembered for his motion o ense and for the equally entertaining shows he put on while prowling the bench during his coaching days.

His Denver teams led the league in scoring over ve straight seasons in the early ’80s, and he rarely ran a set play.

He called the people he liked the most “sti s” (or worse) and used more colorful language to drive points home to some of his favorite foils — Kiki VanDeWeghe, Danny Schayes and Bill Hanzlik stood out.

The coach stalked the sidelines in one of his well-worn sports coats, usually without a tie (he had a small stash of “emergency suits” in his closet for bigger events), his hair a mess and his overtaxed voice barely at a croak by the end of most games.

The Nuggets bench, along with the 10 rows behind it, was no place for children, but within hours, Moe would be at the bar or co ee shop hang-

ing with many of those same players he’d excoriated, often himself wondering where that foul-mouthed man on the sideline had come from.

“Sometimes I think I have a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality. I clown around a lot before and after a game, but once a game starts, my emotions just take over,” Moe said in a 1983 interview with The New York Times.

Moe paired with good friend Larry Brown at UNC, where as a 6-foot-5 small forward he twice earned All-America honors. But Moe’s college career was terminated early because of a point-shaving scandal for which he received $75 to y to a meeting; he refused to throw games. After a few years in Europe, Moe again became a package deal with Brown, as they winded their way through the new and edgling ABA. Moe was a three-time All-Star over

a ve-year career that ended early because of his perpetually ailing knees. His playing days done, he teamed again with Brown, working as his assistant with the Carolina Cougars and then with the Nuggets toward the end of the franchise’s ABA days. Alex English and VanDeWeghe nished 1-2 in scoring in the 1982-83 season, a feat no teammates have accomplished since. The Nuggets lost a 186 -184 game to the Pistons in 1983 that remains the highest-scoring game in NBA history. Moe won 432 games with the Nuggets, and the franchise retired that number, with Moe’s name attached. It took more than 30 years after Moe retired and moved back to San Antonio for the Nuggets to break through and become NBA champions.

Oddly enough, one of Moe’s most colorful coaching coups

came at the expense of the Nuggets on the last day of the 1977-78 season when he was with the Spurs. In an early game, Denver, coached by Brown at the time, fed David Thompson on the way to a 73-point outburst against Detroit that brie y put him ahead of Gervin in a neck-and-neck battle for the scoring title.

So that night, Moe told the Spurs to get out of “Ice’s” way. Gervin scored 63 against the Jazz to win the title by 0.07.

Though the focus of the Nuggets was o ense, Moe spent ample time preaching defense — insisting it, not the team’s scoring ability, would make the di erence between winning and losing.

Once, incensed at the lack of e ort during a blowout loss at Portland, he commanded his team to stop trying on defense and to let the Blazers make layups at will over the nal minutes to set the franchise scoring record for a single game. That earned him a ne and suspension, only weeks after he was ned for throwing water on an o cial.

For the most part, though, Moe made a career out of not taking himself too seriously — a wryly wrinkled counterbalance to the slicked-down Pat Riley and the Laker Showtime teams that dominated the NBA’s Western Conference over the decade.

Moe even punctuated one of his lowest moments — his ring by the Nuggets in 1990 — by wearing a Hawaiian shirt and popping open champagne at the news conference while his wife, whom he called “Big Jane,” looked on. A day to celebrate, he insisted, because he would now be getting paid to do nothing.

ED ANDRIESKI / AP PHOTO

Former Denver Nuggets head coach Doug Moe pleads with his team during a timeout in the closing seconds of a 1986 game.

MATT KELLEY / AP PHOTO

Team owner Joe Gibbs looks on prior to NASCAR’s The Clash preseason auto race in Winston-Salem.

Bruno Mars drops ‘The Romantic,’ Paul McCartney doc, ‘Survivor’ at 50

“Scrubs” is back after 16 years

The Associated Press

BOTH THE K-POP girl group Blackpink and the funky pop star Bruno Mars returning with new music and a documentary about Paul McCartney after the Beatles 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: “Paradise” starring Sterling K. Brown returns for its second season, the freshly rebranded Actors Awards will be handed out live and there are bloodthirsty zombies to ght in Resident Evil Requiem.

MOVIES TO STREAM

Andrew Stanton has directed some very memorable Pixar movies (“WALL-E,” “Finding Nemo”), but his live-action track record is more checkered. Following 2012’s poorly received “John Carter,” Stanton is back with “In the Blink of an Eye,” a lm that brings together a handful of interconnected stories that explore the history of the world. Kate McKinnon, Rashida Jones and Daveed Diggs co-star. After a rocky reception at the Sundance Film Festival last month, “In the Blink of an Eye” debuts Friday on Hulu. The Actor Awards, formerly the SAG Awards, will be handed out March 1 in a livestreamed ceremony on Net ix. Dished out by SAG-AFTRA, the actors guild, the awards are one of the most closely watched Oscar predictors. This year, Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” comes in the lead nominee.

MUSIC TO STREAM

For the McCartney superfan comes a new documentary series from director Morgan Neville, who also helmed “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” and “Piece by Piece.” Not on the Beatles but what came after, “Paul McCartney: Man on the Run,” which hits Amazon Prime Video on Friday chronicles the music man’s life in the 1970s — Wings and then some. It’s an intimate portrait worth spending time with.

A new documentary about former

CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO

Andrew Stanton, director of the lm “In the Blink of an Eye,” attends the lm’s premiere during the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 26 in Park City, Utah. The lm debuts Friday on Hulu.

Also on Friday: The return of Bruno Mars! “The Romantic” is Mars’ fourth full-length project and rst solo album since 2016’s hit making “24K Magic.” (That’s of course excluding his mega-popular collaborative project with Anderson. Paak, Silk Sonic, and their 2021 release “An Evening with Silk Sonic.”)

Retro-pop is the name of the game and Mars remains one of the great, spirited nostalgists. That’s evident from the jump: “I Just Might” is feel-good disco-pop-soul; it’s clear Mars is making his return just when the world wants him most.

All four members of K-pop girl group Blackpink have

EDUARDO VERDUGO / AP

“In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make” Sir Paul McCartney

found incredible success as soloists, with ubiquitous pop hits like “APT.” and starring roles on “The White Lotus” among them. But now is the time for a comeback. On Friday, Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa will release “Deadline,” their latest EP. Details surrounding the ve -track release have been scant, but the bilingual “Jump” is bouncy europop that irts with hardstyle, the ideal soundtrack to a Las Vegas day club. Clearly, they just want their listeners to have fun.

SERIES TO STREAM

Season 2 of “Paradise” starring Brown returns to Hulu. Brown plays Xavier, a Secret Service agent assigned to protect the president of the United States, played by James Mars-

den. In Season 1, we learned that Marsden’s character and a small number of privileged people escaped to an underground bunker just as an apocalypse was about to destroy everything. Xavier and his kids also made it to safety, but his wife got left behind. In Season 2, he sets out to nd her. Shailene Woodley joins the cast, and Julianne Nicholson and Marsden return.

The 50th, yes 50th, season of “Survivor” is streaming on Paramount+ after it airs on CBS. Make sure to have your whole night free though because the rst episode is three hours long. Season 50 features all returning “Survivor” contestants including “The White Lotus” creator, Mike White.

Sixteen years after it aired its series nale, Zach Bra ’s “Scrubs,” has been resuscitated. The irreverent hospital begins streaming on Hulu on Thursday, with a returning cast Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke and Judy Reyes.

Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman rst worked together on the lm “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.” They’ve got a new collab as executive producers of a new Civil War series for Prime Video called “The Gray House.” Mary Louise Parker stars alongside Ben Vereen, Robert Knepper (“Prison Break”) and Paul Anderson of “Peaky Blinders.” All eight episodes drop Thursday.

A washed-up Broadway actor (played by Kevin Kline) returns to his hometown and ends up directing a local production of “Our Town” in the new series “American Classic.” He also butts heads with his former girlfriend-turned-mayor played by Laura Linney. MGM+ kicks o the series by releasing the rst two episodes on Sunday.

VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

It’s been 30 years since Capcom introduced us to the world of Resident Evil, where a bioweapon has turned all sorts of creatures into bloodthirsty zombies. With the ninth main entry in the franchise, Resident Evil Requiem, the monsters show no sign of slowing down. The new protagonist is Grace Ashcroft, an FBI analyst who has only a few weapons and is just trying to get out alive. Fortunately, Leon Kennedy — who has been around since RE2 — is also on the case, and he has a much more versatile arsenal. The developers hope to appeal to fans of pure survival horror as well as gamers who love more explosive action. The nightmare resumes Friday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Switch 2 and PC.

CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO

Bruno Mars releases “The Romantic,” his rst full-length solo album since 2016’s “24K Magic.”

PHOTO

Beatle Paul McCartney, titled “Paul McCartney: Man on the Run,” lands on Amazon Prime Video on Friday.

STATE & NATION

US House campaigns underway, yet redistricting battles triggered by Trump rages in several states

The president’s push for redistricting has sparked a national tit-for-tat clash

By David A. Lieb The Associated Press

CANDIDATES ARE campaigning, and voting is underway in some primaries. Yet a national battle to redraw U.S. House districts for partisan advantage is still raging in some states ahead of the November midterm elections.

Final boundaries for congressional voting districts remain uncertain in Missouri, New York, Utah and Virginia. Governors in Florida and Maryland are pushing lawmakers to reshape House districts. And that all comes on top of redistricting changes already enacted in California, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas.

Voting districts typically are redrawn once a decade after each census. But President Donald Trump triggered an unusual round of mid-decade redistricting when he urged Texas Republicans last summer to redraw House districts to give the GOP an edge in the midterm elections. California Democrats reciprocated, and a tit-for-tat redistricting clash soon spread.

So far, Republicans believe they could win nine additional seats in states where they have redrawn congressional districts, while Democrats think they could gain six seats elsewhere because of redistricting. But that presumes past voting patterns hold in November. And that’s uncertain, especially since the party in power typically loses seats in the midterms and Trump faces negative approval ratings in polls.

Democrats need to gain just a few seats in November to wrest control of the House from Republicans, which could allow them to obstruct Trump’s agenda.

REDISTRICTING

BATTLEGROUNDS

Virginia

Current map: six Democrats, ve Republicans

Proposed map: A new U.S. House map passed by the Democratic-led General Assembly could help Democrats win up to four additional seats. To facilitate that, lawmakers referred a constitutional amendment to the April ballot that would allow mid-decade redistricting.

Challenges: A state judge temporarily blocked the April referendum after ruling that the amendment is invalid because lawmakers violated their own rules while passing it. Democrats are appealing.

Maryland

Current map: seven Democrats, one Republican

Proposed map: The Democratic-led state House passed a redistricting plan backed by

Democratic Gov. Wes Moore that could help Democrats win an additional seat.

Challenges: The Democratic state Senate president has said his chamber won’t move forward with redistricting because of concerns it could backre on Democrats.

Missouri

Current map: two Democrats, six Republicans

New map: Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a revised House map into law last fall that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: Opponents submitted petition signatures in December to try to force a statewide referendum on the map. The Republican secretary of state has until August to determine whether the petition meets legal muster and has enough signatures. Meanwhile, several lawsuits are challenging the legality of the new districts.

Utah

Current map: no Democrats, four Republicans

New map: A judge in November imposed revised House districts that could help Democrats win a seat. The court ruled that lawmakers had circumvented anti-gerrymandering standards passed by voters when adopting the prior map. Challenges: Republicans are challenging the judicial map selection in the state Supreme Court and in federal court.

New York

Current map: 19 Democrats, seven Republicans

Proposed map: A judge in January ordered a state commission to draw new boundaries for the only congressional district in New York City represented by a Republican, ruling it unconstitutionally dilutes the votes of black and Hispanic residents.

Challenges: Republicans

lost an appeal in state court but have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case.

Florida

Current map: eight Democrats, 20 Republicans

Proposed map: Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis says he will call a special legislative session in April on congressional redistricting.

Challenges: A lawsuit asserts that DeSantis cannot legally call the special session. The state constitution says districts cannot be drawn with intent to favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent.

REDISTRICTING TRIUMPHS

Texas

Current map: 13 Democrats, 25 Republicans

New map: Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a revised House map into law last August that could help Republicans win ve additional seats.

Challenges: The U.S. Supreme Court in December cleared the way for the new districts to be used in this year’s elections. It put on hold a lower-court ruling that blocked the new map because it was “racially gerrymandered.”

California

Current map: 43 Democrats, nine Republicans

New map: Voters in November approved revised House districts drawn by the Democratic-led Legislature that could help Democrats win ve additional seats.

Challenges: The U.S. Supreme Court in February al-

lowed the new districts to be used in this year’s elections. It denied an appeal from Republicans and the Department of Justice, which claimed the districts impermissibly favor Hispanic voters.

North Carolina

Current map: four Democrats, 10 Republicans

New map: The Republican-led General Assembly gave nal approval in October to revised districts that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: A federal court panel in November denied a request to block the revised districts from being used in the midterm elections.

Ohio

Current map: ve Democrats, 10 Republicans

New map: A bipartisan panel composed primarily of Republicans voted in October to approve revised House districts that improve Republicans’ chances of winning two additional seats.

Challenges: None. The state constitution required new districts before the 2026 election. Because Republicans had approved the prior maps without su cient Democratic support, they were required to expire after the 2024 election.

REDISTRICTING POSSIBILITIES

Louisiana

Current map: two Democrats, four Republicans

Proposal: Republican Gov. Je Landry signed legislation in October to delay the state’s primary election from April 18 until May 16. That could give lawmakers extra time to redraw House districts if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the current districts.

Challenges: The Supreme Court heard arguments in October but has not ruled yet.

Opponents of mid-decade e orts to redraw congressional voting districts gather to protest in the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee on Dec. 2, 2025.

South Carolina

Current map: one Democrat, six Republicans

Proposed map: A legislative committee is considering a congressional redistricting plan that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: Republican legislative leaders are concerned the plan could back re, and time is running short before this year’s election.

Colorado

Current map: four Democrats, four Republicans

Proposed map: A proposed ballot initiative would authorize mid-decade redistricting and impose a new House map that could help Democrats win three additional seats.

Challenges: Organizers must gather enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. If approved by voters, the new districts couldn’t be used until the 2028 elections.

Washington

Current map: eight Democrats, two Republicans

Proposed map: Democratic lawmakers have proposed a constitutional amendment that would allow mid-decade redistricting.

Challenges: Democrats don’t hold the two-thirds majority needed in both legislative chambers to refer a proposed amendment to the ballot, meaning it is unlikely to be approved before the November election.

Wisconsin

Current map: two Democrats, six Republicans

Proposed map: Two lawsuits assert that congressional districts must be redrawn because they unconstitutionally favor Republicans.

Challenges: One case is not scheduled for trial until 2027, and it’s unclear whether the other case can be resolved before the midterm election.

KATE PAYNE / AP PHOTO

Districts altered by redistricing in North Carolina

Randolph record

Golden age

Team USA forward Brady Tkachuk, foreground, takes a photo of Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin and his family after the United States defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime Sunday to win the men’s hockey gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

U.S. military boards third oil tanker in Indian Ocean after tracking it from Caribbean

The Pentagon says U.S. military forces have boarded a third sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean Sea in an e ort to target illicit oil connected to Venezuela. U.S. forces boarded the Bertha overnight. President Donald Trump had ordered a quarantine of sanctioned tankers near Venezuela in December to pressure then-President Nicolás Maduro before his capture. Venezuela faced U.S. sanctions on its oil for several years, relying on a shadow eet of falsely agged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains.

Supreme Court rules Postal Service can’t be sued

A divided Supreme Court has ruled that Americans can’t sue the U.S. Postal Service, even when employees deliberately refuse to deliver mail. By a 5-4 vote Tuesday, the justices ruled against Texas landlord Lebene Konan, who alleged her mail was intentionally withheld for two years. Konan is black and claims racial prejudice played a role in postal employees’ actions. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in his majority opinions the federal law that generally shields the Postal Service from lawsuits over missing, lost and undelivered mail includes “the intentional nondelivery of mail.” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent the immunity doesn’t apply to situations when the decision not to deliver mail “was driven by malicious reasons.”

$2.00

Board of Education to consider closure of Uwharrie Ridge

The grades 6-12 school has seen a steady decline in its enrollment

By Ryan Henkel Randolph Record

ASHEBORO — The Randolph County School System could potentially close down Uwharrie Ridge Six-Twelve following the conclusion of the 2025-26 school year.

At the Randolph County Schools Board of Education’s Feb. 9 meeting, Superintendent Stephen Gainey presented the board with a study the district had conducted on the feasibility of the school.

The study focused primarily on the facts that the school has had declining enrollment, has not met academic performance standards and is at a high cost to the district in a time of budgetary constraints.

“It’s a thorough study primarily focused on the welfare of the children should the school be closed,” Gainey said.

The study found that the enrollment numbers at the school have steadily decreased since 2021, and based on the OREd 10-Year Student Enroll-

ment Forecast completed by the Institute for Transportation Research and Education at NC State, the enrollment projections aren’t expected to trend positively in the coming years.

“The school opened in 2002- 03 with a capacity of 660, and it has never reached its capacity,” Gainey said. “The need and demand for Uwharrie Ridge Six-Twelve has declined signi cantly since the start of this program in 2017-18.”

Furthermore, the school has received a low-performing designation and failed to reach growth measures in every year of state accountability data since 2017-18.

According to Gainey, the closing of Uwharrie Ridge would see reassignments to both Southwestern Randolph Middle School and Southwestern Randolph High School, and the expectation is that those schools would help students academically.

“We’ve got plenty of room to bring students in,” Gainey said.

Gainey also stated that Uwharrie Ridge students would have access to all the same middle school programming, and high school students would gain

access to AP courses as well as more CTE options but would lose some of the specialized programs unique to the school.

Finally, the district anticipates savings around $1.3 million per year with the closing.

“If we close Uwharrie Ridge, the state and local resources will follow the kids,” Gainey said. “The teachers at Uwharrie Ridge will be moved to vacant positions in the school system, and there would be savings which could bene t our entire school system in light of the reduction in funding from the state.”

While the superintendent admitted there would be some di culties faced by parents and students around things such as transportation, he still felt that the best recommendation was to close the school as “closure would not cause signi cant hardships to current students in grades 6-11.”

“This is nothing about the teachers, this is nothing about the kids, this is nothing about the community,” Gainey said.

“It’s a wonderful place, but I don’t know how we can keep operating this when we continue to get handed reduced funding from the state. We have got

County revises personnel policy

A decade had passed since there had been updates

Randolph Record sta

ASHEBORO — The Randolph County Board of Commissioners approved revisions to its personnel policy earlier this month.

The policy was last updated in 2016.

“This has been in the works for over a year,” human resources director Jill Williams said.

“We have used the services of Teague Campbell Employment Law Firm to review our policies and help us see what needs to be updated, what needs to be revised, what needs to be added.”

Revisions include adding new federal policies to the manual, including the Pregnant Workers’ Fairness Act and the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections Act, language clari cations, the implementation of well-being leave, implementation of prociency pay, as well as other various changes.

“We are well due to get this policy updated and plan to come to you much sooner next time,” Williams said.

Board will revisit sign regulations

The topic of changing sign regulations in Randolph County was tabled from the February meeting until the March 2 meeting.

Commissioners were approached about potential changes to the county’s uni ed development ordinance (UDO) in order to relax some of the restrictions surrounding signage.

Applications for additional signage or signage outside of the UDO speci cations would also be considered for approval by the planning board, similar to rezoning requests where the planning board makes a decision and appeals can be heard by the commissioners. Due to concerns expressed by some of the commissioners regarding the perceived restrictiveness of the proposed requirements, the item was tabled.

“This is still considerably more restrictive than the state

to make hard decisions, and my job is to bring you options.”

The board will hold a public hearing on the matter on March 9 at 6 p.m.

Following that, the board would be able to make a decision on whether or not to close the school, although that decision must be based on “what is in the educational interest of the whole school system.”

“Every year, for the last four years, it seems that we have conversations on what we can do to x it and make it work better,” said Board Chair Gary Cook.

“That’s been a major conversation piece for this board, and I can tell you it hasn’t been taken lightly. We’ve fought hard for it.”

“Over the last several years, the charter schools and the private schools have hurt the southwest area more than any other district in the county, by far,” said board member Tracy Boyles. “Out of the students we’ve lost to those schools, probably 70% of them are from that area. I fought for Uwharrie Ridge as hard as anybody has. It’s like a home for me, but again, I have this job to do too.”

The Randolph County Schools Board of Education will next meet March 9.

requirements,” commissioners chairman Darrell Frye said.

“Farmers and older adults use land leases for billboards to subsidize retirement pay or aging pay and I think that is a little too restrictive.”

Commissioner Hope Haywood said, “I don’t think the goal is to limit businesses. I think it’s just to keep the rural nature of Randolph County.”

Some of the changes the commissioners suggested were reducing the distance between billboards to 1,000 feet, reducing the required distance from residentially zoned properties to 150 feet and allowing for more than one sign on the frontage of single lots.

“I want our ordinances to be friendly for the property owners who might need or want the income, and friendly for whatever businesses that want to do business in Randolph County,” vice chair Kenny Kidd said.

HASSAN AMMAR / AP PHOTO

Trip

Bob

THURSDAY 2.26.26

Asheboro police le charges from 2021 shooting deaths

The investigation had been launched more than ve years ago before an arrest

Randolph Record sta ASHEBORO — The Asheboro Police Department made an arrest in a case involving two deaths from a 2021 shooting. Jay Hanson, assistant police chief, announced that Roberto McIntyre Jr. has been charged with two counts of rst-degree murder and one count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent

CRIME LOG

Feb. 16

Austin Troy Tucker, 27, of Siler City, was arrested by NCHP for driving while impaired.

Feb. 17

Robin Taylor Lawson, 56, of Ramseur, was arrested by RCSO for rst-degree burglary, communicating threats and injury to real property.

• Roberto Lee McIntyre, 30, of Mount Gilead, was arrested by Asheboro PD for rstdegree murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill in icting serious injury.

• Venancio Morales Guevara, 41, of Siler City, was arrested by NCHP for driving while impaired, driving without an operator’s license, open container alcohol violation, driving left of center and failure to wear a seat belt.

THURSDAY FEB. 26

FRIDAY FEB. 27

SATURDAY

Cassandra Leanne Sanders, 41, of Seagrove, was arrested by RCSO for felony child abuse, misdemeanor child abuse, possession of fentanyl, possession of heroin, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Feb. 18

Paul McRae Andrews, 68, of High Point, was arrested by Asheboro PD for open container alcohol violation and driving while impaired.

• Gracie Melissa Brown, 24, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for misdemeanor larceny and felony possession of stolen goods.

Anna Danielle Crouse, 55, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for felony possession of cocaine, driving on a revoked license and possession of drug paraphernalia.

• Braxton Wayne Faircloth, 22, of Liberty, was arrested by Asheboro PD for assault on a female and communicating threats.

Randy Franklin Goodman, 39, of Kannapolis, was arrested by RCSO for statutory sex o ense with a child 15 or younger, solicitation by computer and indecent liberties with a

to kill in icting serious injury.

McIntyre, 30, has been placed with Randolph County Jail with no bond, based on Hanson’s information. His arrest was made Feb. 17, and he appeared in court the next day. Another court date has been set for March 11.

The case involves the Jan. 21, 2021, shooting deaths of Eli Gainey, 25, and a 16-year-old. They were shot while standing near a vehicle on Kemp Boulevard, police said. Also during the incident, a 2-year-old was shot but survived. Media reports in 2021 said that the toddler had mul-

child.

Jennifer Ann Hunt, 43, of Star, was arrested by RCSO for misdemeanor larceny.

• Kaitlin Dawes Illig, 37, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for misdemeanor larceny, felony possession of stolen goods, open container alcohol violation and second-degree trespass.

Issiah Montrell Mack, 22, of Troy, was arrested by Asheboro PD for driving on a revoked license, simple possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana paraphernalia and covering or disguising a registration plate.

Tyrie Quwaun Richardson, 24, of Greensboro, was arrested by NCHP for misdemeanor crime of domestic violence and breaking and entering to terrorize or injure.

• Nicholas Lee Toomes, 30, of Ramseur, was arrested by Randleman PD for possession of methamphetamine, possession of heroin, resisting a public o cer and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Hunter Dylan Auldon Whitcher, 28, of Climax, was arrested by RCSO for possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia.

• Montana Lane Lopossay, 28, of Siler City, was arrested by Asheboro PD for felony possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, rstdegree burglary, seconddegree kidnapping, larceny of a rearm and assault by pointing a gun.

Feb. 19

• Camryn Jacob Culler, 19, of Greensboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for misdemeanor larceny, felony possession of stolen goods and possession of drug paraphernalia.

• William Ray Hodges, 37, of Crescent City, was arrested by RCSO for indecent liberties with a child.

• Brittany Nicole Johnson, 35, of Seagrove, was arrested by RCSO for identity theft,

tiple surgeries as a result of the shooting. McIntyre had been quickly identi ed as a person of interest in this homicide investigation, police said. Later, extensive investigation and forensic analysis of evidence helped police con rm McIntyre to be the suspect. Warrants for his arrest were obtained Feb. 17 after consulting with the District Attorney’s O ce. The Asheboro Police Department credited assistance from the Montgomery County Sheri ’s O ce and the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force in making the arrest.

obtaining property by false pretenses, misdemeanor nancial card fraud, felony nancial card fraud and nancial card theft.

• Krystal Areta Routh Foland, 42, of Randleman, was arrested by Asheboro PD for abduction of children, felony conspiracy and misdemeanor child abuse.

Feb. 20

Rima Yevtte Yancey, 60, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for misdemeanor larceny.

• Keyshun Diarell Boswell, 29, of Littleton, was arrested by RCSO for possession of a controlled substance on prison or jail premises.

Jasmine Haley Caudill, 25, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for exposing a child to a controlled substance, simple possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, misdemeanor cruelty to animals and misdemeanor child abuse.

Crystal Marie Gwyn, 44, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for exposing a child to a controlled substance, simple possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, misdemeanor cruelty to animals and misdemeanor child abuse.

• Daniel Lee Hutchins, 34, of Asheboro, was arrested by RCSO for misdemeanor larceny and misdemeanor possession of stolen goods.

James Develyn McBryde, 31, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for exposing a child to a controlled substance, simple possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and misdemeanor cruelty to animals.

Jessica Haylee Morgan, 28, of Denton, was arrested by RCSO for nonsupport of a child.

• Antwain Addias Person, 32, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for impeding tra c, assault and battery and communicating threats.

Randolph Guide

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

Feb.

27

“Southern Fried Funeral”

7 p.m.

The RSVP Community Theatre presents a play about a close-knit southern family in Mississippi that must face the unexpected death of the patriarch and the comedic chaos that ensues as funeral plans are made. Tickets are $17 for adults; $12 for students/seniors and veterans.

Sunset Theatre 234 Sunset Ave. Asheboro

March 2

Randolph County Commissioners’ Meeting

6-9 p.m.

Open to the public, and members of the community are encouraged to attend.

145 C. Worth St. Asheboro

March

4

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 in advance at the library.

Seagrove Public Library 530 Old Plank Road

March

6

Stephen Freeman 7 p.m.

Live tribute concert honoring Elvis Presley. Freeman has built a loyal following for his plays and live musical performances celebrating Presley’s music. Tickets range from $24-$49.

The Liberty Showcase Theater 101 S. Fayetteville St. Liberty

THE CONVERSATION

COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI

Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

Obama is in no position to lecture us about decency

Obama’s entire scandalridden supercilious presidency was focused on coercing, browbeating and, ultimately, slandering the bitter clingers.

IN A RECENT INTERVIEW with “No Lie” podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen, former President Barack Obama claimed that conservatives do “the mean, angry, exclusive, us/them, divisive politics. That’s their home court. Our court is coming together.”

This is a jaw-dropping contention coming from a man who began his presidential aspirations accusing Americans who refused to embrace his brand of progressive politics of being “bitter” and clinging “to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them.”

Is there any group of people in the country who exude more “antipathy to people who aren’t like them” than progressives?

Virtually every poll taken on the issue nds Democrats are far less inclined to accept Republicans as friends or family members. This comes as no surprise to anyone who’s witnessed the screeching moralistic anger of the average leftist activist — a disposition popularized during the Obama era.

Obama’s entire scandal-ridden supercilious presidency was focused on coercing, browbeating and, ultimately, slandering the bitter clingers. In the former president’s vernacular, “coming together” simply meant accepting Obama’s worldview as incontrovertible truth.

And one of the most grating habits in this regard was Obama’s turning every tragedy and political event into a sermon about our collective failings.

Obama, the only president to that point to belittle the notion of American exceptionalism, would go abroad and tell the world that the “future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.”

Slandering Christians in the United States, on the other hand, was no problem. The Obama administration spent years trying to destroy the Little Sisters of the Poor for their faith-based objections to paying for condoms.

The Obama- era Democrats normalized the legal war on orthodox Christianity, meant to chill speech and compel progressive cultural supremacy, a cause that’s not abated to this day.

The inclusive Obama, who had hitched his career to Black Liberation theologians like the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and irted with the Nation of Islam (a picture of a smiling Obama meeting with black supremacist Louis Farrakhan was hidden during his presidency), was the rst president to engage in anti-Jewish dual loyalty tropes against Americans who opposed his obsession with rewarding Iran with nuclear weapons.

But perhaps worst of all, the rst black president in history, Obama, did everything he could to roll back 40 years of progress on race relations.

There seemingly wasn’t a single “racial” incident anywhere in the country that Obama wouldn’t exacerbate and exploit for political purposes.

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

It began with his contention that “Cambridge police acted stupidly” after local police arrested historian Henry Louis Gates Jr., who was seen breaking into his own house, and continued with the killing of Trayvon Martin in an altercation with a neighborhood watch volunteer. Obama implored 350 million Americans, none of whom had anything to do with the case, to do “soul-searching.”

“If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon,” Obama said. “Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago.” The implication, of course, was that young black men were being killed solely due to their color. Martin’s shooter, George Zimmerman, was found not guilty by a jury, and Obama’s Justice Department did not le civil rights charges.

Nothing, however, tops Obama’s detestable speech at the funeral of ve Dallas police o cers, murdered by a racist anti-cop extremist at Black Lives Matter protest in 2016. “None of us are entirely innocent” when it comes to “racial discrimination,” the president noted, “and this includes our police departments.”

Obama invoked the names of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, two black men who had been recently shot by police, not only creating a false equivalency but also basically rationalizing the anger of the shooter.

It’s worth remembering that neither of the investigations into Sterling and Castile had even been concluded at the time.

In 2017, Obama’s Department of Justice didn’t charge the police in the killing of Sterling.

By 2016, Gallup found that 46% of Americans believed race relations had worsened during his presidency, compared with 29% who felt they improved. A 2016 New York Times poll found 69% of Americans described race relations as “generally bad.”

Obviously, Americans are divided because we have deep -seated, legitimate and meaningful disagreements about the future. That’s why politics exists. The political “unity” that Democrats claimed to strive for only exists in dictatorships. The inability to accept this made Obama the most divisive president of the modern age.

Which isn’t to say that subsequent presidents brought us together. Far, far from it. It’s to say that Obama changed the way presidents spoke about and to their constituents. It was Obama’s systematic subversion of norms that made Donald Trump possible. We don’t need any more of his lectures.

David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner. Harsanyi is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of ve books. (Copyright 2026 Creators.com)

Marco Rubio: more than just the good cop

In February 2025, the audience at Munich took Vance’s comments as insults.

In February 2026, the audience, as evidenced by its standing ovation, took Rubio’s as compliments.

MY FIRST REACTION to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech, delivered on Valentine’s Day, at the Munich Security Conference, was, “Last year, President Donald Trump sent the bad cop, Vice President JD Vance. This year, he sent the good cop, Rubio. Progress.” In February 2025, the audience at Munich took Vance’s comments as insults. In February 2026, the audience, as evidenced by its standing ovation, took Rubio’s as compliments.

Yet, as even journalists writing on deadline quickly discerned, Rubio’s words were no less critical than Vance’s of what have been European elites’ cherished policies.

“Mass migration,” Rubio said, is “a crisis which is transforming and destabilizing societies all across the West.” He decried a “climate cult” and “energy policies” that “impoverished our people.” He condemned policies that “outsourced our sovereignty to international institutions” and “invested in massive welfare states.”

Red meat substance, suitable for delivery at any of the three Trump Republican National Conventions — more than have nominated any one person, the president might remind you, except for President Richard Nixon. But leavened, as the above quotations suggest, with frequent employment of the rst-person pronouns and adjectives — “we” (69 times in the text, by my count), “us” (11), “our” (65).

“What comforted worried attendees,” wrote Michael Froman, head of the Council on Foreign Relations and Obama trade negotiator, “was the undertone of the secretary’s remarks.”

But it wasn’t just the undertone that had many Republicans and others start thinking of Rubio as a possible future presidential candidate, despite his recent avowals of support for Vance for the Republican nomination in 2028.

And as a national leader with an intellectually serious grasp of history. Rubio began by summoning memories of the rst Munich conference, in 1963, when the Iron Curtain ran through a divided Germany and the Berlin Wall was just two years old.

Halfway through the speech, he went further back, to the postwar years when “our predecessors,” faced with a “Europe in ruins” and expanding communism, “recognized that decline was a choice, and it was a choice they refused to make.” An interesting way to frame the decisions that produced the Truman Doctrine and the NATO treaty.

Against that, he described the post-Cold War euphoria that “the rules-based global order” would replace national interest.

“A foolish idea,” he said unemolliently, that “has cost us dearly.”

A Trumpian take, followed by an implicit denunciation of opening up trade relations with China.

Rather than dwell on that critique, however, he segued back to “centuries of shared history, Christian faith, culture,

heritage, language, ancestry,” all parts of “the common civilization to which we have fallen heir.”

This might have rankled, and perhaps was intended to rankle, the European Union leaders who, out of secular conviction or for fear of angering Muslim immigrants, successfully blocked mention of Europe’s “Christian roots” in the EU charter.

As he neared his peroration, Rubio celebrated Christopher Columbus and the English, Scots-Irish, French, German, Spanish and Dutch roots of Americans from Davy Crockett to “the cowboy archetype ... born in Spain.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), in Munich for her rst security conference, ridiculed that last claim, apparently unaware that the Americas had no horses until Hernan Cortes brought some to Mexico in 1519.

More importantly, Rubio’s emphasis on America’s European heritage is a rebuke of the Franz Fanon-inspired theory, fostered on campuses for decades and sweeping the streets in post-Oct. 7, 2023, “anti-Zionist” demonstrations, that colonialism was the greatest evil in history, and that Europeans and Americans should do penance for their complicity.

Europeans are or should be aware, from the totalitarian tides of the 20th century, that there are worse evils than colonialism — and that to exclude di cult-to-assimilate immigrants is to commit another Holocaust.

But rather than belabor that last point, Rubio instead made the point earlier that “it was here, in Europe, where the ideas that planted the seeds of liberty that changed the world were born.” Including “the rule of law, the universities and the scienti c revolution,” plus Mozart and Beethoven, Dante and Shakespeare, Michelangelo and Leonardo, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

Europe should be “proud,” a word he repeated half a dozen times, “of its heritage and its history.” Proud of a “spirit of creation and liberty that sent ships out into uncharted seas and birthed our civilization,” with a Europe that has the means to defend itself and the will to survive.”

Among American and European elites, open expression of pride is something, well, just not done. They prefer to denounce the “systemic racism” of their fellow citizens or the “oppressive colonialism” of their forebears, to disparage the motives of “settlers” and idealize the virtues of the “indigenous.”

But pride in one’s nation and one’s civilization, properly understood, is not a warrant for self-satisfaction but a summons to duty, a reminder that for us to whom much has been given, much is asked. In Munich, Rubio was not just Trump’s good cop but a mature American leader towering above the crowd.

Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner. (Copyright 2026 Creators.com)

Levena “Pete” Rush Norris

Nov. 5, 1929 – Feb. 18, 2026

Levena “Pete” Rush Norris, born on November 5, 1929, in McDu e County, Georgia, passed away on February 18, 2026, at the age of 96. She was a long-time resident of Randolph County, and her nal days were spent at Ramseur Health and Rehabilitation in Ramseur, North Carolina.

Levena, who her friends called “Pete”, dedicated her career to her work at Klopman Mills and Ramtex, where she was a machine operator for over 25 years until her retirement. Beyond her professional life, she found joy and ful llment in spending time with her beloved family, a testament to her gentle spirit and caring nature.

A woman of faith, Pete was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Asheboro, where she found community and solace throughout her life.

She is preceded in death by her husbands, John Rush and John Norris; her daughters, Jane Kellum and Debbie Luther; her sons, Ricky Rush, Johnny Rush, and Reuben Rush; her brother, Bill Farr; sisters, Nancy Black and Frances Yanuzzi; and her parents, Frank and Mattie Gray Farr, who all held special places in her heart.

Left to cherish her memory are her loving daughter, Vickie Antrim, and her husband, Ron, of Asheboro, brother, Tommy Farr, and wife, Ginger, of Seagrove, along with numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren who will remember her warmth, kindness, and unwavering love.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at Lo in Chapel in Ramseur. Interment will follow at Randolph Memorial Park.

Her family and friends are invited to gather for a time of visitation to honor a life well lived, sharing memories and celebrating her enduring legacy before the service, from noon until 1:45 p.m., at the Lo in Funeral Home in Ramseur. Lo in Funeral Home in Ramseur is honored to serve the Norris Family.

Thomas “Tommy” Eugene Lamb

April 2, 1947 – Feb. 20, 2026

Thomas “Tommy” Eugene Lamb, age 78, of Sophia, NC, passed away on February 20, 2026, at Randolph Hospital. Tommy was born on April 2, 1947, to Robert and Frances Shaw Lamb.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his daughter, Julie Stewart, and his brother, Edwin Lamb.

Tommy is survived by his daughter, Glenda Hutchens; his brothers, Darrell Lamb and Mitchell Lamb (Brenda); his sister, Faye Goins (Kenneth); and his grandchildren, Laura Hutchens, Brian Hutchens, Jordan Stewart, and Joel Stewart.

A graveside service will be held on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 2 p.m. at Randolph Memorial Park, with Rev. Jr. Dawkins o ciating.

Myrtie Jane Staley Allred

Nov. 20, 1943 – Feb. 18, 2026

Myrtie Jane Staley Allred, 82, of Asheboro, passed away on February 18, 2026, at her home. Jane was born on November 20, 1943, to parents Clayton and Thelma Davis Staley. She worked for nearly 40 years as a knitter at Crawford Knitting. Jane loved the Lord and always enjoyed reading her Bible, as well as listening to gospel music and preaching. Jane loved people and had never met a stranger; however, her family held a very special place in her heart, and she enjoyed spending time with them. In her free time, Jane enjoyed working with her owers and spending time with her dog Cupcake. In addition to her parents, Jane was preceded in death by the father of her children, David Monroe Baldwin; her second husband, Jimmy Allred; daughter, Frieda Lynn Baldwin; siblings, Freida Maness, Marie Setli , Mary Magdalene Kearns, Stella Reila Godwin, Newby Staley, Reba Hussey, Clayton Eston Staley, Tula Cranford, and Julia Coyala Staley

Ms. Allred is survived by her children, Jane Francena Fowler of Liberty, Lora Byrd Hutto and husband Tommy of Lexington, and Clarence David Baldwin and wife Jennifer of Archdale; eight grandchildren; 14 greatgrandchildren; three great-greatgrandchildren; and siblings, Myrtis Jean Cummings of Asheboro and Ralph Staley of Seagrove.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, February 23, 2025, at the Lo in Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Gerald Hussey o ciating. Burial will follow at Pleasant Hill Community Church Cemetery in Seagrove. Visitation will be held Sunday evening from 6-8 p.m. at Lo in Funeral Home.

Pamela “Pam” Renee Dow Tekumalla

Sept. 25, 1959 –Feb. 19, 2026

Pamela “Pam” Renee Dow Tekumalla, age 66, of Asheboro, passed away on Thursday, February 19, 2026, at Randolph Hospital.

Pam was born in Akron, OH, on September 25, 1959, to Richard and Barbara Garman Dow. She was formerly employed with B.B. Walker Shoe Company in Asheboro and as a property manager for Booker Creek Townhouse Apartments in Chapel Hill. Pam was a devoted daughter. She loved crocheting, sewing and crafting. Pam was an avid reader, especially murder mysteries.

She was preceded in death by her father, Richard Dow and her faithful feline companions, Tricia, Chloe and Zoey. She is survived by her son, Jim Keagy (Diana); mother, Barbara Rae Prestridge; former husband, Srikanth Tekumalla; Jim’s father, Tom Keagy; and her feline companions, whom she loved very much, Spot and Tiger Tekumalla.

A Celebration of Pam’s life will be held on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at noon at Pugh Funeral Home, 437 Sunset Avenue in Asheboro.

Memorials may be made to SAFE Haven for Cats, 8431 Garvey Dr., #137, Raleigh, NC 27616.

Fred Eugene Baker

May 5, 1935 – Feb. 19, 2026

Fred Eugene Baker, 90, of Asheboro, died Thursday, February 19, 2026, at Alpine Health and Rehabilitation in Asheboro.

Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at Ridge Funeral Home Chapel, with Rev. Dr. Keith Less o ciating. Graveside service will be held at 3 p.m., Saturday, February 28, 2026, at St. John’s Lutheran Church Cemetery, Conover, NC.

Fred was born May 5, 1935, the son of the late Cecil Lloyd and Exie Viola Hefner Baker. He graduated from NewtonConover High School in 1953. In 1954, Fred joined the US Army and served his country at SHAPE Headquarters in Paris, France, as a cryptographer. After his time in the Army, Fred attended NC State University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree, with honors, in Mechanical Engineering. While at NCSU, he married his beloved Cordia Belle Sigmon. After college, Fred began his career with General Electric.

Fred traveled to many countries around the world, always trying to stop in Hawaii on his way home. He and Cordia moved to Florida during the Cuban Missile Crisis, where Fred enjoyed working with the US Navy on jet engines.

After the death of his brother, Glenn, Fred, Cordia and their son, David, returned to NC, locating in Asheboro with G.E. He retired from General Electric / Black & Decker in 1998 after 38 years of service and seven patents.

Fred and his family joined St. John’s Lutheran Church in 1965 and attended faithfully until Covid and his declining health.

In addition to his parents and brother, Fred was preceded in death by his wife, Cordia, brothers-in-law, Jack Fulbright, Joe Fulbright, Hal Sigmon and Johnny Sigmon.

Fred is survived by his wife, Frances Chaney Caviness Baker, whom were married in 2000; son, David Eugene Baker (Susan) of Asheboro; stepson, Toby Caviness (Melissa) of Liberty; stepdaughter, Ginger Hancock (John) of Asheboro; several step grandchildren and step great grandchildren; niece, Teresa Boggs and her children, Jason and Kristy, of Hickory; sister-in-law, Vickie Lineberger of Claremont; brothers-in-law, Birchie Chaney, Bert Chaney (Bonita) all of Asheboro; special cousin, Harold Baker of Conover; and several other nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends from 9:45 -10:45 a.m. at Ridge Funeral Home on Saturday, prior to the funeral service.

Memorials may be made to St. John’s Lutheran Church, 505 Park Street, Asheboro, NC 27203; or to St. John’s Lutheran Church, Cemetery Fund, 2126 St. John’s Church Road, Conover, NC, 28613.

The Baker family wishes to thank all of Fred’s nurses, CNAs, doctors, and sta at Alpine Health & Rehabilitation for all their love and care for Fred Baker.

Terry Lynn Waisner

July 3, 1955 – Feb. 21, 2026

Terry Lynn Waisner went to be with his Lord on February 21, 2026, at Randolph Hospice House, surrounded by the love of his wife and sons. Terry was born to Gary Lamar Waisner and Shirley Marie Ritchie in Stanley County on July 3, 1955.

Terry was a true old-school cowboy. Old school cowboys were de ned by their toughness, their sheer will, and their diverse skills, all of which Terry had in spades. He rode bulls, worked leather, carved walking sticks, raced go-karts, coached his sons’ sports teams, and was the picture of a classic outdoorsman. He was a living historian, not only delving into the record of the past but re-enacting it for the bene t of all. He is remembered for singular will exempli ed in many facets. From his volunteer re ghting, to establishing traditions within the family, for example reading the Christmas story every Christmas morningsomething his sons now practice with their families. He even surprised the hospice nurses with how strongly he fought at the very end of his life to stay with his family for just a little bit longer. He always put his family rst and took very seriously the role of Papa to his grandkids. Terry’s story would not be complete without telling of his commitment to his faith and his church. He sang in the choir, was Sunday School superintendent, was very involved in the pig pickin’, and participated in the annual nativity for as long as he was able. Terry’s trust in God got him through situations that would have ruined normal men. Though he was a ghter of singular will, it was his faith that brought him through all that life threw at him. Now he is healed, whole, and triumphant with the God that never left him.

Terry is survived by his wife of 47 years Lisa Waisner of the home; his sons Matthew Waisner (Kimberly), and Mark Waisner (Amie); his grandchildren Selah, Emmalie, and Graham; his sister Cynthia Mo tt (Steve); his sisterin-law Lorelei Phillips (Jarrett); his uncle Lynn Ritchie (Kate); and various nieces, nephews, and cousins. Terry was pre-deceased by his parents, his parents-in-law Leonard and Elaine Cox, his grandparents, especially Papa, with whom he was very close, and his beloved bulldog Chance. The funeral service for Terry will be on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at Bethel Friends Meetinghouse, 2519 Bethel Friends Rd, Asheboro, NC 27205, at 3 p.m. A visitation will precede the service at 2 p.m., and a period of refreshments in the fellowship hall will follow the burial in the Bethel Friends cemetery. The family would like to publicly thank Hospice House of Randolph for the incredible care they showed both to Terry and to the rest of the family. In lieu of owers, the family has asked that donations be made to the 26th North Carolina Re-enactors through PayPal treasurer@26nc.org, and to Bethel Friends Meeting.

Joshua David Parks

Feb. 10, 2007 – Feb. 19, 2026

Joshua David Parks, cherished son,

uncle and friend, passed away on February 19, 2026, at the Wake Forest Baptist Hospital. Born on February 10, 2007, in Randolph County, he was a beloved member of his community and family during his 19 years of life. Joshua will lie in repose on Friday, February 27, from noon until 5 p.m. at the Lo in Funeral Home. Visitation will follow from 6-8 p.m. at the Lo in Funeral Home. A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date.

Joshua was a vibrant young man whose passion for swimming was evident from an early age. As a dedicated member of the Eastern Randolph Swim Team and the Men’s Track Team, he displayed not only talent but also a commitment to teamwork and sportsmanship that inspired those around him. Joshua also loved participating in the Randolph County Special Olympics, bowling, swimming, track and basketball.

A devout member of Holly’s Chapel Pentecostal Holiness Church in Liberty, Joshua’s faith was an integral part of his life. He carried his beliefs into all his endeavors, sharing his love of Jesus with everyone. His faith provided him with strength and comfort throughout his journey. In 2025, Joshua proudly graduated from Eastern Randolph High School in Ramseur, where he formed lasting friendships and memories that enriched his life. He was known for his warm heart, gentle spirit and unwavering kindness. He loved and was loved by everyone.

Joshua also loved cleaning the house and washing clothes and he especially loved the spring when mowing season began and he and his pawpaw David began their yard work. He also enjoyed gazing at the clouds in the sky and telling his family and friends about the weather. Joshua was full of joy and happiness and he will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

Joshua is preceded in death by his grandparents, Harold and Cornelia Brown, as well as his great-grandparents, Don and Vann Parks, Charles and Teresa Whitehead, Floyd and Ruby Brown, and Lewis and Jean Bristow.

He leaves behind a loving family who will forever hold his memory close: his parents, Seth and Teresa Brown Parks; his sisters, Emily Parks and Makala Parks, both of Ramseur; his brother, Brandon Parks and sister-in-law Kayla, of Asheboro. He is also survived by his grandparents, David and Carolyn Parks of Ramseur; his aunts, Lindsay Hylton and husband Matt of Salem, VA, and Annette Langley of Ramseur; his uncle, Wesley Brown and wife Sherry of Franklinville; nephew, Kolesyn Parks of Asheboro, and his great aunt, Linda Parks of Mt. Airy, NC. Joshua’s light shone brightly in the hearts of all who knew him, and though he has departed this world, his legacy of love and kindness endures. He will be profoundly missed and fondly remembered by his family, friends, and community.

Memorials may be made in Joshua’s honor to Special Olympics Randolph County, 241 Sunset Ave., Asheboro, NC 27203.

brother, grandson, nephew,

Michael “Mike” Ray Mabe

Dec. 23, 1956 – Feb. 20, 2026

Michael “Mike” Ray Mabe, 69, of Asheboro, passed away Friday, February 20, 2026, at his home.

The family will receive friends from 6-9 p.m., Friday, February 27, 2026, at Ridge Funeral Home.

Mike was born on December 23, 1956, in Stuart, VA, the son of the late Claude Swanson Mabe and Opal Robertson Mabe. He was a man of the Baptist faith whose belief in God was quiet but steadfast. He retired from Energizer after 38 years, then worked for Randolph County Schools, and later retired again from Asheboro City Schools. He continued working during retirement, delivering for Asheboro Wholesale. He was a member of the Sons of the Confederacy, SGT. John A. Lisk, SCV Camp #1502. Mike enjoyed walking with his wife, Susie, hiking, cycling and wood carving. He found joy in having an immaculate landscape and spent countless hours in his yard making sure things looked perfect. His most precious pastime activity was the time that he spent shing with his grandsons.

In addition to his parents, Mike was preceded in death by his brother, Larry Wayne Mabe.

Mike is survived by his wife of 33 years, Susie Mabe of the home; daughter, Brittney Lawson and husband Shannon; sisters, Linda McNeill and husband Stewart, Brenda Boyles and husband Craig, Denice Cagle and husband Tim; brother, Bobby Mabe and wife Jennifer; grandchildren, Nathan Mabe, Ryleigh Mabe, Brody Greene, Taylor Lawson; and many nieces and nephews.

The family would like to extend a special thanks to the Asheboro Masonic Lodge #699, his high school classmates, and his Energizer family.

In lieu of owers, memorials may be made to the Asheboro Masonic Lodge, #699, 325 Sunset Avenue, Suite A, Asheboro, NC 27203.

Barbara Brown Woodell

Sept. 10, 1943 – Feb. 19, 2026

Barbara Brown Woodell, devoted mother and cherished friend, passed away peacefully at her residence on February 19, 2026, at the age of 82. Born on September 10, 1943, in Randolph County, she was a beacon of love and kindness to all who knew her.

Barbara was the heart and soul of her family, nding her greatest joy in cooking for her loved ones. Her kitchen was always lled with warmth, laughter and delicious aromas, serving as a testament to her nurturing spirit. She was a loving mother and grandmother, beloved by her family and friends.

Alongside her late husband, John Woodell, Barbara skillfully managed and operated Woodell Paint and Drywall, where she served as secretary. Her dedication to the family business was a re ection of her strong work ethic and commitment to the community.

A faithful member of Panther Creek Baptist Church, Barbara’s faith was central to her life, providing her with strength and guidance throughout her years. Her community at church was an extension of her family, and she cherished the fellowship and friendships she found there.

Preceding her in death are her husband, John Woodell; parents, Robert James and Ethel Mae Rose Brown; sister, Virginia Davis; and brothers, Clinton Brown, Ray Brown, and Harvey Brown. She is lovingly remembered by her daughter, Rose Woodell Branch and husband Eric, of Franklinville; grandchildren, Jonathan Eric Branch II of Asheboro, Jamie Branch Rose and husband Jonathan of Asheboro; greatgrandchildren, Jake Billy Rose and Jayden Eric Rose of Asheboro; sister, Brenda Ayers of Randleman; numerous nieces and nephews; and her dear friend, Christie Lamb of Seagrove.

The family extends heartfelt gratitude to the sta of Gentiva Hospice and special caregivers, Donna, Brittany, Marie, Crystal, Carolyn and Gail, whose compassionate care and support were invaluable during Barbara’s nal days.

Friends and family are invited to pay their respects during the visitation on Thursday, February 26, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lo in Funeral Home, and at the home of Barbara Woodell at other times. A funeral service celebrating her life will be held on Friday, February 27, at 2 p.m. at Panther Creek Baptist Church in Seagrove with the Rev. Jimmy Honeycutt o ciating. Committal will follow in the church cemetery.

Barbara’s legacy of love will forever remain in the hearts of those she touched. May she rest in eternal peace. Lo in Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Ramseur is honored to assist the family of Ms. Barbara Brown Woodell.

Dorothy Clara McNeill Upton

Aug. 4, 1930 – Feb. 18, 2026

Dorothy Clara McNeill Upton of Seagrove passed away on February 18, 2026, at Randolph Hospital. She was a very dearly loved mother, grandmother, aunt, sister and friend.

Dorothy attended school at Seagrove, after which she had a career in the sewing industry, making various types of garments. She was married to her husband Lloyd for 55 years, until he passed away. She was a wonderful mother to her two children, Wanda and David, and an adoring grandmother to Ti any and Danielle.

Dorothy was very talented and could do most anything she wanted to do, to the best of her ability. She loved owers and always had beautiful ower beds of many di erent types. She enjoyed gardening along with Lloyd and was usually busy canning the fruit of their labor in the summer. She liked being outdoors watching birds and animals and enjoyed shopping for fabrics and quilting.

Dorothy was also a musician and singer, and in her early years she and two of her sisters would sing on radio programs and at various churches. She passed that love of music on to her children and grandchildren and was very encouraging up to the end of her life.

Dorothy thoroughly enjoyed being with her grandchildren, taking care of them and just spending time with them as they grew up. She was well-known for being a good cook and loved having her family at the table with her for a good meal. She will be greatly missed and her memory cherished.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband Lloyd Upton, son David Leigh, parents James Astor and Dessie Saunders McNeill, sisters Ruby Hoover and Mildred Boggs, and brother Buddy McNeill. She is survived by her daughter, Wanda Upton Byerly (Boyd), her granddaughters, Ti any Byerly and Danielle Byerly, her sisters, Clarice Hurley and Jean Smith, and her brother, Richard McNeill.

The family will receive friends on Monday, February 23, 2026, from 5-7 p.m. at Pugh Funeral Home, 437 Sunset Avenue in Asheboro. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 2 p.m. at Sunset Avenue Church of God, 900 Sunset Avenue in Asheboro, with Bishop Matt Gunter O ciating. Interment will follow at the Union Grove Baptist Church Cemetery.

Eric Dane, star of ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ ‘Euphoria,’ dead at 53

The “McSteamy” actor died less than a year after his ALS diagnosis

By Maria Sherman The Associated Press

ERIC DANE, the celebrated actor best known for his roles on “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Euphoria” and who later in life became advocate for ALS awareness, died last Thursday. He was 53.

His representatives said Dane died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known also as Lou Gehrig’s disease, less than a year after he announced his diagnosis.

“He spent his nal days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world,” said a statement that requested privacy for his family. “Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a di erence for others facing the same ght. He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received.”

Dane was born Nov. 9, 1972, and raised in California. His father, a Navy man, died of a gunshot wound when he was 7. After high school, he moved to Los Angeles to purse acting, landing guest roles on shows like “Saved by the Bell,” “Married...With Children,” “Charmed” and “X-Men: the Last Stand” and one season of the short-lived medical drama “Gideon’s Crossing.”

His big break arrived in the mid-2000s when he was cast as Dr. Mark Sloan, a.k.a. McSteamy, on the ABC medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy,” a role he would play from 2006 until 2012 and reprise in 2021.

In 2019, he did a complete 180 and became Cal Jacobs, a troubled married man, in HBO’s provocative drama, “Euphoria,” a role he continued in up until his death.

Dane also starred as Tom Chandler, the captain of a U.S. Navy destroyer at sea after a global catastrophe wiped out most of the world’s population, in the TNT drama “The Last Ship.” In 2017, production was halted as Dane battled depression.

In April 2025, Dane announced he had been diagnosed with ALS, a progressive disease that attacks nerve cells controlling muscles throughout the body.

ALS gradually destroys the nerve cells and connections needed to walk, talk, speak and breathe. Most patients die within three to ve years of a diagnosis.

Dane became an advocate for ALS awareness, speaking a news conference in Washington, D.C., on health insurance prior authorization. “Some of you may know me from TV shows, such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” which I play a doctor. But I am here today to speak briefly as a patient battling ALS,” he said in June 2025. In September of that year, the ALS Network named Dane the recipient of their advocate of the year award, recognizing his commitment to raising awareness and support for people living with ALS.

A memoir by Dane is scheduled to be published in late 2026. “Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments” will be released by Maria Shriver’s The Open Field, a Penguin Random House imprint. According to Open Field, Dane will look back upon key moments in his life, from his rst day at work on “Grey’s Anatomy” to the births of his two daughters and learning that he has ALS.

“I want to capture the moments that shaped me — the beautiful days, the hard ones, the ones I never took for granted — so that if nothing else, people who read it will remember what it means to live with heart,” Dane said in a statement around the book’s announcement. “If sharing this helps someone nd meaning in their own days, then my story is worth telling.”

Dane is survived by his wife, actor Rebecca Gayheart, and their two teen daughters, Billie Beatrice and Georgia Geraldine. Gayheart and Dane wed in 2004 and separated in September 2017. Gayheart led for divorce in 2018, but later led to dismiss the petition. In a December essay for New York magazine’s The Cut re ecting on Dane’s diagnosis, Gayheart called their dynamic “a very complicated relationship, one that’s confusing for people.” She said they never got a divorce, but dated other people and lived separately.

“Our love may not be romantic, but it’s a familial love,” she said. “Eric knows that I am always going to want the best for him. That I’m going to do my best to do right by him. And I know he would do the same for me. So whatever I can do or however I can show up to make this journey better for him or easier for him, I want to do that.”

JORDAN STRAUSS / AP PHOTO

Actor Eric Dane arrives at a promotional event for the series “Euphoria” in Los Angeles on April 20, 2022.

STATE & NATION

US House campaigns underway, yet redistricting battles triggered by Trump rages in several states

The president’s push for redistricting has sparked a national tit-for-tat clash

By David A. Lieb The Associated Press

CANDIDATES ARE campaigning, and voting is underway in some primaries. Yet a national battle to redraw U.S. House districts for partisan advantage is still raging in some states ahead of the November midterm elections.

Final boundaries for congressional voting districts remain uncertain in Missouri, New York, Utah and Virginia. Governors in Florida and Maryland are pushing lawmakers to reshape House districts. And that all comes on top of redistricting changes already enacted in California, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas.

Voting districts typically are redrawn once a decade after each census. But President Donald Trump triggered an unusual round of mid-decade redistricting when he urged Texas Republicans last summer to redraw House districts to give the GOP an edge in the midterm elections. California Democrats reciprocated, and a tit-for-tat redistricting clash soon spread.

So far, Republicans believe they could win nine additional seats in states where they have redrawn congressional districts, while Democrats think they could gain six seats elsewhere because of redistricting. But that presumes past voting patterns hold in November. And that’s uncertain, especially since the party in power typically loses seats in the midterms and Trump faces negative approval ratings in polls.

Democrats need to gain just a few seats in November to wrest control of the House from Republicans, which could allow them to obstruct Trump’s agenda.

REDISTRICTING BATTLEGROUNDS

Virginia

Current map: six Democrats, ve Republicans

Proposed map: A new U.S. House map passed by the Democratic-led General Assembly could help Democrats win up to four additional seats. To facilitate that, lawmakers referred a constitutional amendment to the April ballot that would allow mid-decade redistricting.

Challenges: A state judge temporarily blocked the April referendum after ruling that the amendment is invalid because lawmakers violated their own rules while passing it. Democrats are appealing.

Maryland

Current map: seven Democrats, one Republican

Proposed map: The Democratic-led state House passed a redistricting plan backed by

Democratic Gov. Wes Moore that could help Democrats win an additional seat.

Challenges: The Democratic state Senate president has said his chamber won’t move forward with redistricting because of concerns it could backre on Democrats.

Missouri

Current map: two Democrats, six Republicans

New map: Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a revised House map into law last fall that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: Opponents submitted petition signatures in December to try to force a statewide referendum on the map. The Republican secretary of state has until August to determine whether the petition meets legal muster and has enough signatures. Meanwhile, several lawsuits are challenging the legality of the new districts.

Utah

Current map: no Democrats, four Republicans

New map: A judge in November imposed revised House districts that could help Democrats win a seat. The court ruled that lawmakers had circumvented anti-gerrymandering standards passed by voters when adopting the prior map.

Challenges: Republicans are challenging the judicial map selection in the state Supreme Court and in federal court.

New York

Current map: 19 Democrats, seven Republicans

Proposed map: A judge in January ordered a state commission to draw new boundaries for the only congressional district in New York City represented by a Republican, ruling it unconstitutionally dilutes the votes of black and Hispanic residents.

Challenges: Republicans

lost an appeal in state court but have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case.

Florida

Current map: eight Democrats, 20 Republicans

Proposed map: Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis says he will call a special legislative session in April on congressional redistricting.

Challenges: A lawsuit asserts that DeSantis cannot legally call the special session. The state constitution says districts cannot be drawn with intent to favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent.

REDISTRICTING TRIUMPHS

Texas

Current map: 13 Democrats, 25 Republicans

New map: Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a revised House map into law last August that could help Republicans win ve additional seats.

Challenges: The U.S. Supreme Court in December cleared the way for the new districts to be used in this year’s elections. It put on hold a lower-court ruling that blocked the new map because it was “racially gerrymandered.”

California

Current map: 43 Democrats, nine Republicans

New map: Voters in November approved revised House districts drawn by the Democratic-led Legislature that could help Democrats win ve additional seats.

Challenges: The U.S. Supreme Court in February al-

lowed the new districts to be used in this year’s elections. It denied an appeal from Republicans and the Department of Justice, which claimed the districts impermissibly favor Hispanic voters.

North Carolina

Current map: four Democrats, 10 Republicans

New map: The Republican-led General Assembly gave nal approval in October to revised districts that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: A federal court panel in November denied a request to block the revised districts from being used in the midterm elections.

Ohio

Current map: ve Democrats, 10 Republicans

New map: A bipartisan panel composed primarily of Republicans voted in October to approve revised House districts that improve Republicans’ chances of winning two additional seats.

Challenges: None. The state constitution required new districts before the 2026 election. Because Republicans had approved the prior maps without su cient Democratic support, they were required to expire after the 2024 election.

REDISTRICTING POSSIBILITIES

Louisiana

Current map: two Democrats, four Republicans

Proposal: Republican Gov. Je Landry signed legislation in October to delay the state’s primary election from April 18 until May 16. That could give lawmakers extra time to redraw House districts if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the current districts.

Challenges: The Supreme Court heard arguments in October but has not ruled yet.

Opponents of mid-decade e orts to redraw congressional voting districts gather to protest in the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee on Dec. 2, 2025.

South Carolina

Current map: one Democrat, six Republicans

Proposed map: A legislative committee is considering a congressional redistricting plan that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: Republican legislative leaders are concerned the plan could back re, and time is running short before this year’s election.

Colorado

Current map: four Democrats, four Republicans

Proposed map: A proposed ballot initiative would authorize mid-decade redistricting and impose a new House map that could help Democrats win three additional seats.

Challenges: Organizers must gather enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. If approved by voters, the new districts couldn’t be used until the 2028 elections.

Washington

Current map: eight Democrats, two Republicans

Proposed map: Democratic lawmakers have proposed a constitutional amendment that would allow mid-decade redistricting.

Challenges: Democrats don’t hold the two-thirds majority needed in both legislative chambers to refer a proposed amendment to the ballot, meaning it is unlikely to be approved before the November election.

Wisconsin

Current map: two Democrats, six Republicans

Proposed map: Two lawsuits assert that congressional districts must be redrawn because they unconstitutionally favor Republicans.

Challenges: One case is not scheduled for trial until 2027, and it’s unclear whether the other case can be resolved before the midterm election.

KATE PAYNE / AP PHOTO

Districts altered by redistricing in North Carolina

RandolpH SPORTS

Alston completes historic wrestling sweep

The senior from UCA has won a championship in all four years of high school

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

Alston won the Class 4A title at 175 pounds Saturday night at First Horizon Coliseum. He’s one of 17 four-time state champs in North Carolina.

“I did it. The job is done,” Alston said. “Then I was thinking about my celebrations and what I was going to do for my celebration because I had a dif-

GREENSBORO — Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Lorenzo Alston became one of the most accomplished wrestlers in state history by capturing his fourth state championship.

ferent celebration in mind and went totally away from that. My mind was everywhere. Just excited, very excited.” That excitement was demonstrated as his on-mat reaction included a cartwheel and backip after handling Mount Pleasant’s Jacob Reigel for an 8-1 decision in his last match and nishing a third consecutive unbeaten season.

the state tournament Friday and Saturday at First Horizon Coliseum. “This is the best showing that we’ve ever had.”

Burkholder notches second title

Alston was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler in Class 4A. He nished his career with a 202-2 record, with the losses as a freshman to out-of-state opponents.

“It’s a blessing to keep coming back,” Alston said of the states, though admitting it all seems normal. “It has gotten to that point a little bit.”

He’s an NC State signee.

Also becoming four-time champions Saturday were Bentley Sly, a 150-pounder for Stuart Cramer in Class 4A, and Cael Dunn, a 215-pounder for South Davidson in Class 1A/2A (after winning his rst three with Avery County). Earlier in the tournament, Alston pinned South Rowan’s

See ALSTON, page B3

The Bulldogs were busy in the state nals while taking team honors

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

GREENSBORO — With four state champions, Trinity racked up the most individual titles in a single season in school history. The Bulldogs, who also claimed the Class 3A team crown, had nalists in seven of the 14 weight classes. Aiden Burkholder was a repeat champion by winning at 113 pounds, while Omega Edge (132 pounds), Hezekyah Matson (138) and Joseph Trahan (285) also secured titles.

Burkholder earned the championship with a 12-3 decision against Mount Airy’s Angel Olalde. After a scoreless rst period, Burkholder went up 7-0 in the second.

Burkholder, a junior, was dominant in the states with a third-period technical fall against North Wilkes’ Ethan Goins and an 8-1

“A really good day, two days,” coach Brandon Coggins said of

See TRINITY, page B3

UCA freshman collects title in girls’ state tournament

There were two girls from Randolph County to reach the state nals

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

GREENSBORO — It turned out that Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Riley White shouldn’t have had anything to be afraid about.

One title match involved reigning champions against each other

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

GREENSBORO — Wheatmore teammates Dominic Hittepole and Ayden Sumners each racked up their second state championships with victories in Saturday night’s nals at First Horizon Coliseum.

Hittepole, a senior, won at 190 pounds, and Sumners, a junior, held o Eastern Randolph’s David Lambright to win at 126 in Class 3A.

champion in the girls’ division of the state tournament Friday night at First Horizon Coliseum.

“It was scary,” White said. “I don’t do great under pressure when the spotlight is on me.”

White completed an unbeaten season by defeating Heide Trask’s Lauren Hall by 6-3 in the nal. White, who was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler for Class 1A-4A, was composed

The Sumners/Lambright match involved a pair of 2025 state titlists, with Sumners notching a 1-0 decision for his third victory of the season against the Eastern Randolph grappler.

“I de nitely felt more pressure this year,” Sumners said.

“Coming in as a state champion, everybody wants to beat me. Coming in undefeated, I felt con dent, but I still always have the feeling that I could lose.”

Ayden Sumners

with Lambright unable to get out.

“Ayden is really good and rode him out,” Eastern Randolph coach Josh Coble said.

Sumners, who was named the Most Outstanding Werstler for Class 3A, completed a 45-0 season. Lambright ended with a 43-3 record for his senior season.

Sumners scored a 9-0 victory against Carson Gri n of North Wilkes in the quarternals and used a takedown that led to a pin of Pasquotank County’s Elijah Sylvester in 1:06 in the semi nals. Lambright advanced with an 8-5 quarter nal decision against Trinity’s Edgar Vasquez and a Four

The freshman 132-pounder took care of business and became the Class 1A-4A state

Sumners scored his point with an escape to begin the second period. He worked from top for the third period,

See WHEATMORE, page B2

JANN ORTIZ FOR RANDOLPH RECORD

Uwharrie Charter Academy wrestler Lorenzo Alston reacts to winning a fourth individual state championship Saturday in Greensboro.

NCHSAA PHOTO

NCHSAA PHOTO

Riley White

Lorenzo Alston

Uwharrie Charter Academy, wrestling

Alston’s historic high school career on the mats concluded with his fourth individual state championship.

It was quite a week because he received awards as the top wrestler in two events across a ve-night period.

He was recognized with an individual award at the conclusion of the Class 4A dual team championships, which had been postponed. Then he received similar honors as the Most Outstanding Wrestler in Class 4A in the individual state tournament Saturday night in Greensboro.

We stand corrected

The event was incorrectly listed in last week’s edition for Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Megan Becker’s championship e ort in the Class 4A swimming state championships. Becker won the girls’ 100-yard freestyle in 52.45 seconds at Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary.

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

SIDELINE REPORT

NBA

Warriors’ Curry to be reevaluated next week after second MRI on knee

San Francisco Golden State star Stephen Curry had a second MRI on his troublesome right knee that revealed no structural damage, although the two -time NBA MVP is expected to miss at least another ve games before being reevaluated. The 37-year- old guard last played Jan. 30. He has been diagnosed with patella-femoral pain syndrome/bone bruising, otherwise referred to as runner’s knee. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Curry will be reevaluated in 10 days from last Thursday’s scan.

BOXING

Unbeaten Mayweather plans return to pro boxing 9 years after retirement

Los Angeles

Floyd Mayweather says he is ending his nine-year retirement and returning to competitive boxing this summer. He turned 49 last week and hasn’t fought in a real boxing match since 2017, when he beat Conor McGregor and retired for the third time. The former ve- division world champion has still been in the ring regularly throughout his 40s with a series of lucrative exhibition bouts. Mayweather already has announced yet another exhibition coming up this spring against 59-year-old Mike Tyson, although no location or television partner has been con rmed.

UCA adds another title in state duals

The Eagles collected this championship in their home gym

Randolph Record sta

ASHEBORO — Uwharrie Charter Academy’s wrestling team won its fourth consecutive dual team state championship last week, this one coming in its home gym. The Eagles claimed the Class 4A title by defeating Pisgah 44-28 on Tuesday night in the championship round. UCA was host for regional semi nals and nals prior to winning it all with three victories on the same day in the tournament’s revamped format after weather-related postponements.

Trinity pins down dual team state title

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

TRINITY — When members of the Trinity wrestling team reached the dual team state nals, it was business as usual.

That meant a second championship in three seasons with a dominating performance last week at Wheatmore.

The Bulldogs overwhelmed three opponents.

“The best thing for me was how con dent we were,” said 120-pounder Stephen Cross, who began the nals against West Lincoln with a technical fall.

And rightly so, by the time teammate Anees Khan claimed a decision at 190 pounds, Trinity had built a 42-9 lead and clinched the Class 3A championship with four matches to spare.

The nal score goes down as 42-33, but that masked how dominant the Bulldogs were.

“I thought we were peaking,” said coach Brandon Coggins, whose team completed the dual team portion of the season with a 33-0 record.

The Most Valuable Performer of the nals was Edgar Vasquez, who recorded at pin in 1:02 at 126 pounds.

“Winning as a team,” Vasquez said. “We had expectations.”

There were pins and technical falls at nearly every turn for the Bulldogs.

“It was a part of it, a big part of it,” said Vasquez, one of four seniors in the lineup.

Omega Edge (132 pounds) followed Vasquez with a pin that came one second faster than his teammate. Hezekyah Matson (144) notched a second-period pin and Simeon Hammett (152) supplied a technical fall before 157-pounder Addam Bernal took his turn in what

second-period pin of East Surry’s Gabriel Jones.

Hittepole won 6-3 in thenal against Polk County’s Styler Blackwell in a rst-time meeting between the wrestlers.

during the match and afterward.

“She told me, ‘I don’t know how to celebrate,’” coach Hayden Waddell said.

There was celebrating in the stands, though, with a group of UCA boys’ wrestlers whooping it up to show their appreciation for White’s achievement.

That response was appropriate for various reasons.

“I love my teammates,” White said. “They’re amazing.”

One of those teammates is her brother, who by Saturday secured a third-place nish in the boys’ tournament.

Those guys are also her training partners.

UCA senior Lorenzo Alston was named the Most Valuable Performer. With eight teams at one site, competition began with UCA topping North Pitt 75-6 in the East Region semi nal while Central Davidson was handling Eden Morehead 44-36 in the other semi nal.

Then in the regional nal, the Eagles bounced Central Davidson 51-22. Meanwhile, in the West Region, Pisgah beat Bandys 54 -30, while Rutherfordton-Spindale Central topped Maiden 42-31. Then Pigsah defeated R-S Central 44-29 for the regional title.

Class 3A teams were sent to Wheatmore. Trinity hammered Ayden-Grifton 71-6 in the East Region semi nal in competition that barely lasted a half-hour.

“I thought we were peaking. ... It’s a testament to the hard work they put in.”

Brandon

Coggins, Trinity coach

seemed like a de ning bout. Bernal trailed 5-0 before getting cranked up, zapping any hope West Lincoln might have sensed and nishing with a second-period pin.

“I always know I’m going to get it done,” said Bernal, a North Davidson transfer.

With a technical fall at 165, Haris Idrees put the Bulldogs on the cusp of the title before Khan’s nishing touch.

The celebratory mood was far di erent for Trinity from a couple of occasions since last winter. When the Bulldogs lost to Rutherford-Spindale Central in the 2025 West Region nal, it was a jarring outcome.

“I never want to feel like that again,” Cross said. “We train too hard not to (win).”

Then there was a regular-season dual meet in December at Wheatmore. Trinity racked up a comfortable victory, but Coggins wasn’t satised as he stormed out of gym, calling for a team practice when the team returned to its campus.

The coach departed the same gym in a much better mood Tuesday night.

“It’s a testament to the hard work they put in,” Coggins said.

Bulldogs bounce regional foes

Because the dual team playo s had been postponed multiple times, the nal day resulted in eight teams gathering at one site for two regional rounds and the state nal — held at school locations rather than a neutral-site in Greensboro.

Hittepole took a 3-1 lead with a second-period takedown and later extended the margin with a third-period reversal. “I got the job, so that’s probably the memory,” Hittepole said.

Hittepole nished with 201

“Riley wrestles the boys all the time,” Waddell said. “There’s no way she’s not getting better.” White posted a 37-0 record. She led Hall 6-0 in the nal before completing the task. Earlier, she pinned Newton-Conover’s Abigail Martinez in the rst period and then defeated Brevard’s Malie Turner 5-0.

Class 6A

Asheboro’s Alaina Scherer was the runner-up at 235 pounds. She lost in the nals to White Oak’s Malea Vinson, who recorded a pin with four seconds remaining.

Scherer and Vinson were

Next came Trinity’s 56 -21 victory in the regionalnal against Wheatmore with pins from Aiden Burkholder, Cross, Vasquez, Edge, Matson, Khan, Joseph Trajan and Jeven Palmeri and a technical fall from Bernal.

Wheatmore’s points came from pins by Ayden Sumners (132) and Andrew Fayne (215), a decision from Spencer Moore (150) and a forfeit. The Warriors didn’t have enough promising sequences.

“We wrestled solid,” Wheatmore coach Kyle Spencer said. “They moved some things around (in the lineup) … would liked to have been better, but I think we learned some things.”

In the West Region, West Lincoln defeated Lincolnton 33-32 and then survived Mount Airy 39-38. Mount Airy topped Polk County 42 -28 in a semi nal.

Wheatmore eliminates Eastern Randolph

The Warriors started strong in the East Region semi nal, clinching the outcome with a couple of matches remaining in what became a 42-36 victory

Pins from Dylan Harris (106) and Terry Gillespie (113) set the tone, while Noah Moore (138) secured a 6-4 decision and Spencer Moore (150) notched a pin before Nolan Hammonds’ overtime victory. Wheatmore, which also received a couple of forfeits, opted to forfeit remaining matches with the team outcome secure.

Other than forfeits, Eastern Randolph’s winners were Lucas Kennedy (120), David Lambright (132) and Hayden Payne (175) with pins.

“We had a couple of swing matches we lost,” Eastern Randolph coach Josh Coble said. “They won the toss-ups. A tough pill to swallow.”

Still, the Wildcats nished with a 30-7 record in duals.

“We’ve really bought into have a dual team that’s able to compete,” Coble said.

career victories, the most in a Wheatmore singlet in school history.

Hittepole’s tournament path began with a rst-period pin of Shelby’s Jimon Leach before a second-period semi nal pin of Trinity’s Grayson Carroll.

tied at 2-2 late in the second period prior to it going awry for the Blue Comets junior. Vinson recorded back points.

To begin the third period, Scherer started on the bottom and couldn’t escape.

“Being on bottom was something on wanted to work on,” said Wes Scherer, the wrestler’s father and coach.

Scherer, who didn’t compete this season until January, nished with a 15-3 record.

Scherer controlled Harnett Central’s Tamysha Austin before securing a pin in 3:03 in the quarter nals. It was similar in the semi nals with a dominating performance against Northern Nash’s Cara Brake before a pin in 2:26.

NCHSAA PHOTO

Lorenzo Alston

GIRLS from page B1

WHEATMORE from page B1

The Bulldogs had answers throughout the lineup to complete an undefeated season

Wheatmore girls complete sweep in conference play

The Warriors followed a regular-season title by winning the tournament

Randolph Record sta

WHEATMORE’S girls’ basketball team won the Central Carolina 3A Conference Tournament championship by defeating second-seeded Providence Grove 54-38 on Friday night at home.

Kaelyn Whitehart’s 21 points led the top-seeded Warriors, while Jocelyn McDowell added 11 points and Kinsley Davis had 10 points.

Wheatmore defeated fourth-seeded East Davidson 46-31 a night earlier as Whitehart posted 17 points.

Providence Grove withstood third-seeded West Davidson for a 55-38 semi nal victory as Adi Johnson poured in 31 points.

Earlier in the week in the completion of the regular season, Wheatmore won 57-31 at West Davidson.

Providence Grove edged host East Davidson 36-32. Trinity rolled past host Thomasville 49-24.

Also, Wheatmore blitzed

visiting East Davidson 44-16, while Providence Grove tamed host Trinity 58-37.

Four Rivers Conference

The conference tournament was a one-night event pitting the top two teams, with Northwood defeating visiting and second-seeded Uwharrie Charter Academy 51-37.

Kayla Brown had 11 points for UCA.

Earlier last week, teams played make-up games to nish the regular season.

UCA pulled into a second-place tie by defeating visiting Southwestern Randolph 44-42 with Nevaeh Staples supplying 13 points. Jordin George had 17 points for the Cougars.

UCA also upended visiting Eastern Randolph 63-40 as Staples had 12 points and Lainey Thomas provided 10 points. Callie Craven scored 12 for Eastern Randolph.

UCA also topped host North Moore 65-31 with Erika Ledbetter’s 11 points.

Southwestern Randolph took down visiting Eastern Randolph 69-42 with NautticaParrish racking up 27 points. Craven scored 20 for the Wildcats.

Triad Area Athletic Conference

Fourth-seeded Asheboro was eliminated in the conference tournament semi nals with a 50-39 loss to top-seeded Northern Guilford despite Adalynn Scherer’s 24 points. The Blue Comets won 39-16 against fth-seeded Northeast Guilford in the quarter nals as Scherer had 14 points.

Northern Guilford was the champion, defeating Eastern Guilford 53-32 in the nal.

Asheboro nished the regular season at the beginning of last week with a 46-26 road loss to Eastern Guilford.

Piedmont Athletic Conference

Randleman’s regular season ended with a 63-28 bashing of visiting High Point Central last Thursday.

Earlier in the week, the Tigers absorbed a 41-29 road loss to Montgomery Central and su ered a 48-44 loss to visiting Central Davidson. There was no conference tournament.

Providence Grove cruises through league until nal

The regular season wrapped up followed by conferece tournaments

Randolph Record sta

PROVIDENCE GROVE’S boys’ basketball team went unbeaten in the Central Carolina 3A Conference regular season but then lost in the conference tournament nal by 60-45 to second-seeded Thomasville on Friday night at Wheatmore.

Will Dabbs had 15 points for Providence Grove.

In the semi nals, Providence Grove won 56-39 at home vs. fourth-seeded West Davidson with Dabbs scoring 17 points.

Third-seeded Wheatmore fell 50-37 at Thomasville despite Collin Dodd’s 13 points.

Regular-season play wrapped up earlier in the week, with Providence Grove winning 69-51 at East Davidson, Wheatmore prevailing 43-40 at West Davidson, and Thomasville topping host Trinity 52-39.

Also, Dabbs had 22 points and Andrew Thomas posted 18 points in Providence Grove’s 69-36 road romp past Trinity, while Wheatmore’s 74-56 triumph against visiting East Da-

vidson came with 25 points from Avery Ivey.

Four Rivers Conference

The one-game tournament consisted of host and top-seeded Northwood defeating Uwharrie Charter Academy 78-60 on Friday night in Pittsboro.

Justyce Lawson’s 17 points and Jaxon Mabe’s 15 points were tops for UCA.

In regular-season play earlier in the week, UCA blew past host North Moore 87-28 with Lawson and Mabe each pouring in 25 points.

Mabe scored 29 points when UCA drubbed visiting Eastern Randolph 74-44. Tyler Gee had 18 points for Eastern Randolph.

UCA’s 57-39 victory against visiting Southwestern Randolph came with 19 points from Lawson.

Southwestern Randolph’s Carter Edmonds scored 24 points in a 77-67 home victory vs. Eastern Randolph. Gee had 25 points.

Triad Area Athletic Conference

Third-seeded Asheboro was

ousted from the conference tournament with a 78-58 loss to second-seeded Northeast Guilford in the semi nals last Thursday.

Top-seeded Northern Guilford defeated Northeast Guilford 92-79 in Friday’s title game. With Darrion Johnson scoring 20 points, Asheboro had a 76-57 quarter nal victory against sixth-seeded Eastern Guilford.

A day before that, Asheboro completed the regular season by defeating host Eastern Guilford 59-44 with Johnson scoring 25 points.

Piedmont Athletic Conference

Connor Cassidy poured in 18 points as Randleman topped visiting High Point Central 60 - 49 last Thursday to end the regular season on a four-game winning streak. There was no conference tournament.

Earlier in the week, Randleman crushed host Montgomery Central 74-39 and, behind Cassidy’s 17 points, Damari Garner’s 16 points and Pacey Wagner’s 14 points, handled visiting Central Davidson by 64-43.

decision against West Caldwell’s Ellis Whisnant.

“The work paying o ,” Burkholder said of the best part of his latest experience. “It has been a long season. I just had to gure things out.”

Trinity’s Joseph Trahan had to put in some real work to earn a state championship in the nal bout of his high school career.

The winning Edge

Edge exceeded his expectations.

“I was hoping to place top three in states,” he said.

But as the postseason progressed, there was more to accomplish. He defeated Madison’s Alexander Cecil 7-3 in the title bout.

“You keep winning, the layers keep happening,” Edge said, then expressing his thoughts as the title match wound down. “I’m going to do it, be state champ.”

Edge opened the tournament with a 16-second pin before never trailing in a 6-4 semi nal decision against Mount Airy’s Justice Collins.

Don’t doubt Matson

Matson said he battled nerves and doubt about whether he’d win. Perhaps that was complicated with the 138 division the last weight class in the nals lineup.

Matson never allowed Black Mountain Owen’s John Bryson Perkins to score in the title bout.

Then he turned a second-period reversal into a pin at 3:48.

“I didn’t think I was pinning him,” Matson said.

It was quite a conclusion for Matson, who dealt with a torn shoulder growth plate last summer.

Matson came back from a four-point de cit in the semi nals to defeat Ayden-Grifton’s Chayton Oxendine 7-5, going ahead with a third-period reversal.

Trahan wins

tussle vs. Carson

Trinity’s Joseph Trahan won the Class 3A heavyweight title in a intra-county matchup with Eastern Randolph’s Maddox Carson in the nal. Trahan’s 4-2 decision completed an undefeated season.

“I’m beyond excited,” Trahan said. “All the blood, sweat and tears.”

The match was tied 1-1 until Trahan’s takedown with 1:03 remaining. Carson escaped with 37 seconds left, but couldn’t secure a go-ahead takedown.

It was a rare time when Trahan didn’t make short work of a foe.

Aiden Carter in 58 seconds and dominated East Gaston’s Zane Dodd for a technical fall in 3:54. UCA’s other place nishers were Andrew White (120), Paxton Kearns (126) and Huntley Adcock (132) in third place, and Caleb Saldana (138) and Travis Nobles (157) in fourth place.

Asheboro’s Zelaya is runner-up

In Class 6A, Oscar Zelaya of Asheboro placed second at 126 pounds.

Pairings set for basketball state playo s

The goal for area teams is to navigate through three rounds this week

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

ONLY THE Wheatmore girls’ team received a rst-round bye among basketball teams from Randolph County when the pairings for the state playo s were unveiled Saturday.

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association released brackets that included an intra-county matchup in the rst round.

Three rounds will be contested this week, with Tuesday’s rst round, Thursday’s second round and Saturday’s third round. After the fourth round Mon-

day, regional nals are in either Greenville (East Region) or Hickory (West Region) on March 4-7. The state nals are set for March 11-14 in Winston-Salem.

Here’s a look at area teams:

CLASS 3A BOYS

Providence Grove is No. 9 in the West Region with a home game vs. West Caldwell, with the winner going to eighth-seeded Lincolnton. No. 20 seed Wheatmore headed to No. 13 seed Pine Lake Prep. Eastern Randolph is the No. 22 seed in the East Region with a matchup at No. 11 seed North Carolina School of Science and Math. The winner visits sixth-seeded Northwood.

Trinity didn’t make the eld.

CLASS 4A BOYS

Randleman is the No. 9 seed in the East Region with a home game vs. No. 24 seed North Johnston, with the winner visiting Bunn. Uwharrie Charter Academy is the No. 11 seed on that bracket with a home game vs. No. 22 seed Graham. No. 6 seed SouthWest Edgecombe takes on the winner. Also in that bracket is No. 17 seed Southwestern Randolph, which was to travel to No. 16 seed Anson County with top-seeded Reidsville awaiting the winner.

CLASS 6A BOYS

No. 13 seed Asheboro was to

“By far the toughest one I’ve had all year,” Trahan said. “There’s not many matches I’ve had that have gone the whole six minutes.”

Trahan, who also defeated Carson in the East Regionnal a week earlier, began states by attening Madison’s Peyton Jessup in 1:52 before sticking Ayden-Grifton’s Jorge Medina in 1:22.

Carson, a 2025 state titlist, reached the nal by earning a 13-6 decision against East Rutherford’s Colby Pack and claiming a 2-1 decision against Mount Airy’s Aiden Frank.

More place nishers

Trinity’s runners-up were Jeven Palmeri (106), Stephen Cross (120) and Simeon Hammett (144).

The most excruciating of those defeats was dealt to Cross, who rallied from a decits of 4-0 and 9-5 to force overtime at 10-10 against Surry Central’s Jose Trejo. Cross’ takedown in the waning seconds forced overtime.

From there, the drama heightened as the overtime session extended to ultimate tiebreakers. Trejo escaped with three seconds to spare when he started in the down position. When Cross started on bottom, he scored on reversal, but Trejo’s escape followed by a penalty point award gave him a 13-12 victory. There were a series of protests lodged from both sides.

“It just went his way,” Cross said. “I tried my best. It just wasn’t enough.”

Coggins said, “He did handle it well. A lot better than I did.” Cross reached the nal with a technical fall in the quarter nals and then defeated Providence Grove’s Jeremiah Payne 4-1 in the semi nals.

“Just the opportunity to show everybody what I got,” Cross said. Palmeri won by a decision and a technical fall before encountering North Wilkes’ Hunter Dancy, who built a lead before a pin at the 4:31 mark.

Hammett never led in dropping a 5-4 decision to Mount Airy’s Michael Fisher in thenal. Earlier, Hammett won by decision in the quarternals before handling Eastern Randolph’s Jamie Crabtree for a 10-0 decision in the semi nals.

Taking fourth place were Trinity teammates Edgar Vasquez (126), Haris Idrees (165) and Grayson Carroll (190).

Third place went to Providence Grove’s Payne (120) and Eastern Randolph’s Crabtree (144).

Piedmont’s Caleb Edwards broke a 4-4 tie to begin the third period on the way to scoring seven points in less than a minute in an 11-6 victory against Zelaya.

“We fell into wrestling (Edwards’) style instead of our style,” Asheboro coach Cli Thompson said. Zelaya lost twice to Edwards last season.

Zelaya, a junior, notched two technical falls to reach the nal. He nished Drew Lawrence of Union Pines in 3:32 in the opening round and then handled St. Stephens’ Malachai Esclamado in 2:58 of the semi nals.

CLASS 4A GIRLS

be home vs. No. 20 seed Sun Valley. The winner goes to No. 4 seed Asheville Roberson.

CLASS 3A GIRLS

Central Carolina 3-A Conference champion Wheatmore received a bye as the No. 7 seed in the West Region, facing either No. 10 Lincolnton or No. 23 Patton in the second round. Also in the West Region, No. 21 seed Trinity was to visit No. 12 seed Shelby with the winner traveling to No. 5 seed Hendersonville. In the East Region, No. 13 seed Providence Grove was to begin at home vs. No. 20 seed Eastern Randolph in the rst round. The winner heads to Four County Conference champion Northwood, the No. 4 seed.

Ninth-seeded Southwestern Randolph started at home vs. fellow Four Rivers Conference member Jordan-Matthews, the No. 24 seed, in the East Region. The winner travels to eighth-seeded East Duplin. No. 10 seed Uwharrie Charter Academy had a home date with No. 23 seed Southwest Onslow. Seventh-seeded North Johnston is the foe for the winner. Randleman, the No. 13 seed, was to start at home vs. No. 20 seed Carrboro, with No. 4 seed Nash Central awaiting the winner.

CLASS 6A GIRLS

Asheboro was to be home as the No. 15 seed vs. No. 18 seed Piedmont, with the winner going to No. 2 seed Alexander Central.

ALSTON from page B1

TRINITY from page B1

Bagpipers play at Olympic curling in homage to sport’s Scottish

heritage — but they’re Italian

The Cateaters Pipe Band are one of the only bands of its kind in the region

By Julia Frankel

The Associated Press

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO,

Italy — Spectators trekking through heavy snow to the Cortina Olympic curling stadium were delighted to be greeted by a traditional Scottish bagpipe performance from a group of high sock-wearing, kilt-sporting, snare drum-carrying, glengarry-topped ... Italians.

The Milan Cortina Winter Games have put their own spin on the tradition of having a pipe band play at Olympic curling medal ceremonies, an homage that is meant to honor the sport’s Scottish heritage.

For this Games, the bagpipers are from northeastern Italy, more than 2,000 miles from Scotland. The Cateaters Pipe Band say they are one of two pipe bands in the Veneto region.

Until recently, the Cateaters’ performances were limited to local concerts, ballet performances and ceremonies around Veneto. Performing at the Olympic medal ceremony is their biggest gig yet.

“It’s so emotional for us to play here for the world,” said Marianna Spadarotto, the lone woman in the band, who is on

“It’s so emotional for us to play here for the world.”

Marianna Spadarotto

the bass drum. “For me, yes, it is exciting, but also I’m shy, so it makes me nervous.”

Asked if they add Italian air to the Scottish tunes, they emphatically shake their heads. They don’t mess with tradition — though it is not unknown in Italy.

Luca Eze, who plays the bagpipes, says he started his career on the zampogna, a type of instrument common in central and southern Italy. In the Veneto region, it’s sometimes called a “piva” and is played on Christmas and during other festivities.

“I played the electric guitar and then a friend passed along this instrument to me,” says Mauro Fortuna, a Venetian who began playing Scottish music in 2008.

Curling is believed to have originated in Scotland, with the rst written evidence of the sport’s existence documented, in Latin, by a notary living in Paisley, Scotland, in the 16th century, according to World Curling.

The notary told of a sti contest between a monk, John Sclater, and a representative of the Abbot, Gavin Hamilton, involving sliding stones across ice. It was in Scot-

land where organized curling clubs originated, with players sliding stones across frozen lochs.

On a snowy day in front of the Cortina curling center, Olympic fans paused to take in the scene, some wondering how the musicians’ ungloved hands were not too cold to play.

The tufts of Eze’s hair, jutting out from beneath his glengarry cap, were covered in snow akes that fell down his face with every pu of the bagpipe. He’s bright red and smiling.

Some fans proudly wave Scottish ags. They’re here to watch the four players representing Britain on the ice, all of whom are from Scotland.

Italian tourists look animated in the breaks between tunes, realizing they understand the chatter between the bandmates. Cristian Negro, on snare drum, says that as an Italian, choosing to pursue Scottish music has given him frequent opportunities for gigs.

“I focus more on high tension snare drums because there are so few people who play it here,” he says. “I get to play more music — and it’s necessary for someone to do.”

Italian bagpipers practice outside the curling stadium at the

Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, last Thursday.

Kingsolver returns with ‘Partita,’ author’s rst novel since ‘Demon Copperhead’

She is a National Book Award for lifetime achievement recipient

By Hillel Italie

Associated Press

NEW YORK — For her rst novel since the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Demon Copperhead,” Barbara Kingsolver is taking on a subject she rarely discussed in public while growing up in a small Kentucky town: classical music. Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced last Thursday that “Partita” will be published Oct. 6. (Faber will release the book two days later in the UK).

Like “Demon Copperhead,” “The Poisonwood Bible” and other Kingsolver novels, it’s centered on a rural community. But in “Partita,” the main character is a married woman and onetime pianist haunted by a passion for music that she never lived out. In the 1970s, Kingsolver herself was a music scholarship student at DePauw University who switched her major to biology after deciding she stood little chance of mak-

“All my life, I’ve loved both language and music in a hungry, passionate way that happily entwines them in my brain.”

Barbara Kingsolver

ing a career out of playing classical piano. At the same time, she had ambitions to become a writer. She worked in journalism and published poetry and short ction before completing her rst novel, “The Bean Trees,” which came out in 1988.

“All my life, I’ve loved both language and music in a hungry, passionate way that happily entwines them in my brain,” Kingsolver said in a statement.

“A novel about a classical musician never occurred to me, though, because of the sorts of people I write about. I was the weird country kid who loved reading Tolstoy and playing Bach, but I kept those interests to myself. Finally, now, it strikes me as a worthy project to ask who made these rules,

that small-town ddlers and country music fans don’t feel welcome in a symphony hall, and vice versa?”

Kingsolver, 70, has long been known for her socially conscious ction, often working in themes of class, community, immigration and the environment. The bestselling “Demon Copperhead” was a reworking of Charles Dickens’ “David Copper eld” that Kingsolver set in modern Appalachia. Published in 2022, it was an Oprah Winfrey book club pick that shared the ction Pulitzer with Hernan Diaz’s “Trust.” Her other honors include a National Humanities Medal and induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

MISPER APAWU / AP PHOTO

2026 Winter Olympics in

The

ANDY KROPA / INVISION / AP PHOTO

Author Barbara Kingsolver appears at the 75th National Book Awards ceremony in New York on Nov. 20, 2024.

the stream

Bruno Mars drops ‘The Romantic,’ Paul McCartney doc, ‘Survivor’ at 50

“Scrubs” is back after 16 years

The Associated Press

BOTH THE K-POP girl group Blackpink and the funky pop star Bruno Mars returning with new music and a documentary about Paul McCartney after the Beatles 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: “Paradise” starring Sterling K. Brown returns for its second season, the freshly rebranded Actors Awards will be handed out live and there are bloodthirsty zombies to ght in Resident Evil Requiem.

MOVIES TO STREAM

Andrew Stanton has directed some very memorable Pixar movies (“WALL-E,” “Finding Nemo”), but his live-action track record is more checkered. Following 2012’s poorly received “John Carter,” Stanton is back with “In the Blink of an Eye,” a lm that brings together a handful of interconnected stories that explore the history of the world. Kate McKinnon, Rashida Jones and Daveed Diggs co-star. After a rocky reception at the Sundance Film Festival last month, “In the Blink of an Eye” debuts Friday on Hulu. The Actor Awards, formerly the SAG Awards, will be handed out March 1 in a livestreamed ceremony on Net ix. Dished out by SAG-AFTRA, the actors guild, the awards are one of the most closely watched Oscar predictors. This year, Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” comes in the lead nominee.

MUSIC TO STREAM

For the McCartney superfan comes a new documentary series from director Morgan Neville, who also helmed “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” and “Piece by Piece.” Not on the Beatles but what came after, “Paul McCartney: Man on the Run,” which hits Amazon Prime Video on Friday chronicles the music man’s life in the 1970s — Wings and then some. It’s an intimate portrait worth spending time with.

A new documentary about former

CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO

Andrew Stanton, director of the lm “In the Blink of an Eye,” attends the lm’s premiere during the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 26 in Park City, Utah. The lm debuts Friday on Hulu.

Also on Friday: The return of Bruno Mars! “The Romantic” is Mars’ fourth full-length project and rst solo album since 2016’s hit making “24K Magic.” (That’s of course excluding his mega-popular collaborative project with Anderson. Paak, Silk Sonic, and their 2021 release “An Evening with Silk Sonic.”)

Retro-pop is the name of the game and Mars remains one of the great, spirited nostalgists. That’s evident from the jump: “I Just Might” is feel-good disco-pop-soul; it’s clear Mars is making his return just when the world wants him most.

All four members of K-pop girl group Blackpink have

“In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make” Sir Paul McCartney

found incredible success as soloists, with ubiquitous pop hits like “APT.” and starring roles on “The White Lotus” among them. But now is the time for a comeback. On Friday, Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa will release “Deadline,” their latest EP. Details surrounding the ve -track release have been scant, but the bilingual “Jump” is bouncy europop that irts with hardstyle, the ideal soundtrack to a Las Vegas day club. Clearly, they just want their listeners to have fun.

SERIES TO STREAM

Season 2 of “Paradise” starring Brown returns to Hulu. Brown plays Xavier, a Secret Service agent assigned to protect the president of the United States, played by James Mars-

den. In Season 1, we learned that Marsden’s character and a small number of privileged people escaped to an underground bunker just as an apocalypse was about to destroy everything. Xavier and his kids also made it to safety, but his wife got left behind. In Season 2, he sets out to nd her. Shailene Woodley joins the cast, and Julianne Nicholson and Marsden return.

The 50th, yes 50th, season of “Survivor” is streaming on Paramount+ after it airs on CBS. Make sure to have your whole night free though because the rst episode is three hours long. Season 50 features all returning “Survivor” contestants including “The White Lotus” creator, Mike White.

Sixteen years after it aired its series nale, Zach Bra ’s “Scrubs,” has been resuscitated. The irreverent hospital begins streaming on Hulu on Thursday, with a returning cast Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke and Judy Reyes.

Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman rst worked together on the lm “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.” They’ve got a new collab as executive producers of a new Civil War series for Prime Video called “The Gray House.” Mary Louise Parker stars alongside Ben Vereen, Robert Knepper (“Prison Break”) and Paul Anderson of “Peaky Blinders.” All eight episodes drop Thursday.

A washed-up Broadway actor (played by Kevin Kline) returns to his hometown and ends up directing a local production of “Our Town” in the new series “American Classic.” He also butts heads with his former girlfriend-turned-mayor played by Laura Linney. MGM+ kicks o the series by releasing the rst two episodes on Sunday.

VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

It’s been 30 years since Capcom introduced us to the world of Resident Evil, where a bioweapon has turned all sorts of creatures into bloodthirsty zombies. With the ninth main entry in the franchise, Resident Evil Requiem, the monsters show no sign of slowing down. The new protagonist is Grace Ashcroft, an FBI analyst who has only a few weapons and is just trying to get out alive. Fortunately, Leon Kennedy — who has been around since RE2 — is also on the case, and he has a much more versatile arsenal. The developers hope to appeal to fans of pure survival horror as well as gamers who love more explosive action. The nightmare resumes Friday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Switch 2 and PC.

CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO

Bruno Mars releases “The Romantic,” his rst full-length solo album since 2016’s “24K Magic.”

EDUARDO VERDUGO / AP PHOTO

Beatle Paul McCartney, titled “Paul McCartney: Man on the Run,” lands on Amazon Prime Video on Friday.

HOKE COUNTY

“We are One” Gathering

“We are here to bring the community together,” said

citizens and leaders. The

WHAT’S HAPPENING

U.S. military boards

third oil tanker in Indian Ocean after tracking it from Caribbean

The Pentagon says U.S. military forces have boarded a third sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean Sea in an e ort to target illicit oil connected to Venezuela. U.S. forces boarded the Bertha overnight. President Donald Trump had ordered a quarantine of sanctioned tankers near Venezuela in December to pressure then-President Nicolás Maduro before his capture. Venezuela faced U.S. sanctions on its oil for several years, relying on a shadow eet of falsely agged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains.

Supreme Court

rules Postal Service can’t be sued

A divided Supreme Court has ruled that Americans can’t sue the U.S. Postal Service, even when employees deliberately refuse to deliver mail. By a 5 - 4 vote Tuesday, the justices ruled against Texas landlord Lebene Konan, who alleged her mail was intentionally withheld for two years. Konan is black and claims racial prejudice played a role in postal employees’ actions. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in his majority opinions the federal law that generally shields the Postal Service from lawsuits over missing, lost and undelivered mail includes “the intentional nondelivery of mail.” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent the immunity doesn’t apply to situations when the decision not to deliver mail “was driven by malicious reasons.”

took place at

Armed NC man shot, killed at Mar-a-Lago

never interested in politics, guns, cousin says

Authorities say the 21-year-old groundskeeper purchased the shotgun while driving to Florida

By Allen G. Breed The Associated Press

CAMERON — The 21-year-old North Carolina man who drove through a gate at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort with a shotgun before he was shot and killed worked as a golf course groundskeeper and liked to sketch.

Austin Tucker Martin rarely, if ever, talked about politics, seemed afraid of guns and came from a family of Trump supporters, according to Braeden Fields, a cousin who

said the two grew up together.

“I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind-blowing,” Fields said. “He wouldn’t even hurt an ant. He doesn’t even know how to use a gun.” Martin drove into the secure perimeter at Mar -a-Lago early Sunday and raised a shotgun at two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheri ’s deputy who then opened re “to neutralize the threat,” said Sheri Ric Bradshaw.

Trump, who often spends weekends at the Palm Beach, Florida, resort, was at the White House at the time.

Investigators have not identied a motive. Trump faced two assassination attempts during

Police nding criminal suspects based on online searches as courts weigh privacy concerns

Investigators work backward from search terms to identify suspects

By Mark Scolforo The Associated Press HARRISBURG,

Pa. —

Criminal investigators hoping to develop suspects in di cult cases have been asking Google to reveal who searched for speci c information online, seeking “reverse keyword” warrants that critics warn threaten the privacy of innocent people.

Unlike traditional search warrants that target a known suspect or location, keyword warrants work backward by identifying internet addresses where searches were made in a certain window of time for particular terms, such as a street address where a crime occurred or a phrase like “pipe bomb.”

Police have used the method to investigate a series of bomb -

ings in Texas, the assassination of a Brazilian politician and a fatal arson in Colorado.

It’s not a wild guess by investigators to conclude that people are using Google searches in all manner of crimes, as the company’s search engine has become the main gateway to the internet and users’ daily lives increasingly leave online traces. The potential value to investigators of the data Google collects is obvious in cases with no suspect, such as the search for Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapper.

John Edward Kurtz, a former prison guard, is taken by state troopers to be arraigned in Milton, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 18, 2017.

The legal tension between the need to solve crimes quickly and the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment protections against overly broad searches was at the heart of a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision that upheld the use of a reverse keyword warrant in a rape investigation. Privacy advocates see it as giving police “unfettered access to the thoughts, feelings, concerns and secrets of countless people,” according to an amicus brief led in the Penn-

sylvania appeal by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Internet Archive and several library organizations. In response to written questions about the warrants, Google provided an emailed statement: “Our processes for handling law enforcement requests are designed to protect users’ privacy while meeting our legal obligations. We review all legal demands for legal validity, and we push back against those that are overbroad or improper, including objecting to some entirely.”

A break in the case

Pennsylvania State Police were stymied in their investigation into the violent rape of a woman in 2016 on a remote cul-de-sac outside Milton, a small community in the center of the state. With no clear leads, police obtained a warrant

ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO A vehicle blocks access to a property in Cameron on Sunday.

America 250 Hoke County Chair Iris Flowers, last Saturday, at a gathering of Hoke

meeting

The Executive Studio in Raeford. Above are volunteer committee members Freddie McPhaul, Iris Flowers, Rosa McAllister-McRae and Da’Nice Green with some community members who attended the meeting.

ELAINA J. MARTIN FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL

KEVIN MERTZ / STANDARD JOURNAL VIA AP

2.26.26

MAR-A-LAGO from page A1

the 2024 campaign, including one just a few miles from Mar-a-Lago when a man was spotted aiming a ri e through shrubbery while Trump was gol ng.

Following Sunday’s incident, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said investigators believe Martin bought his shotgun while driving to Florida. Authorities said his family had recently reported him missing.

Martin was from central North Carolina, where guns and hunting are a part of life, his cousin said. But whenever they’d go hunting or target shooting, Martin would never pick up a gun, Fields told The Associated Press on Sunday.

He lived with his mother in a modest modular house down a rutted sandy road near the town of Cameron. No one answered the door Monday, and the large police presence from the day before was gone.

PRIVACY from page A1

directing Google to disclose accounts that searched for the victim’s name or address over the week when she was attacked.

More than a year later, Google reported two searches for the woman’s address were made a few hours before the assault from a speci c IP address, a numeric designation that lists where a phone or computer lives on the internet.

That led them to the home of a state prison guard named John Edward Kurtz.

Police then conducted surveillance and collected a cigarette butt he discarded that matched DNA recovered from the victim, according to court records. He confessed to the rape and attacks involving four other women over a ve-year period, and was convicted in 2020. Now 51, he’s been sentenced to 59 to 280 years.

Kurtz’s attorneys argued police lacked probable cause to obtain the information and impinged on his privacy rights.

The state Supreme Court rejected those claims late last year but split on the reasons why. Three justices said Kurtz should not have expected his Google searches to be private, while three more said police had probable cause to look for anyone who searched the victim’s address before the attack. But a dissenting justice said probable cause requires more than just a “bald hunch” and guessing that a perpetra-

Martin’s sister was killed in a car accident a few years ago, and he has an older brother who’s in the military, Fields said.

For the past three years, Martin worked as a groundskeeper at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club.

“It’s tragic. I feel for his family,” said Kelly Miller, president of the course in nearby Southern Pines. “It’s just unfortunate what transpired. It was totally unexpected.”

Martin last year started a business to sell pen drawings he made, according to state records. A website matching the company name features illustrations of golf courses, buildings and ancient Roman architecture.

Politics didn’t seem to be among his interests, his cousin said.

“We are big Trump supporters, all of us. Everybody,” Fields said, but his cousin was “real quiet, never really talked about anything.”

with your community!

and

tor would have used Google.

Kurtz lawyer Douglas Taglieri made the same point in a court ling but conceded, “It was a good guess.”

Julia Skinner, a prosecutor in the case, said reverse keyword searches are much more e ective when there are specific and even unusual terms that can narrow results, such as a distinctive name or an address. They are also particularly effective when crimes appear to have been planned out beforehand, she said.

“I don’t think they’re used super frequently because what you need to target has to be so speci c,” she said. There were 57 searches returned in the Kurtz case, but many of them were rst responders trying to locate the home in the immediate aftermath of the crime, Skinner said.

Acting in good faith

In the similar case in Colorado, police sought the IP addresses of anyone who searched over a 15- day period for the address of a home where a deadly arson occurred. Authorities got IP addresses for 61 searches made by eight accounts, ultimately helping identify three teenage suspects.

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that although the keyword warrant was constitutionally defective for not specifying an “individualized probable cause,” the evidence could be used because police had acted in good faith about what

was known about the law at the time.

“If dystopian problems emerge, as some fear, the courts stand ready to hear argument regarding how we should rein in law enforcement’s use of rapidly advancing technology,” the majority of Colorado justices ruled.

Courts have long permitted investigators to seek things like bank records or phone logs. However, civil liberties groups say extending those powers to online keywords turns every search user into a suspect.

It’s unclear how many keyword warrants are issued every year — Google does not break down the total number of warrants it receives by type, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in a January 2024 brief.

The two groups said police working on the bombings in Austin, Texas, sought anyone who searched for terms such as “low explosives” and “pipe bomb.”

And in Brazil, investigators trying to solve the 2018 assassination in Rio de Janeiro of the politician Marielle Franco asked for those who searched for Franco’s name and the street where she lived. A Brazilian high court is expected to decide soon on the legality of those search disclosures.

Reverse keyword warrants are distinct from “geofence” warrants, where criminal investigators seek informa-

tion about who was in a given area at a particular time. The U.S. Supreme Court said last month it will rule on that method’s constitutionality.

An index of deeply personal matters

For many people, their Google search history contains some of their most personal thoughts, from health issues and political beliefs to nancial decisions and spending patterns. Google is introducing more arti cial intelligence into its search engine, seemingly a way to learn even more about users.

“What could be more embarrassing,” asked University of Pennsylvania law professor and civil rights lawyer David Rudovsky, if every Google search “was now out there, gone viral?” Google warns users personal information can be shared outside the company when it has a “good-faith belief that disclosure of the information is reasonably necessary” to respond to applicable laws, regulations, legal processes or an “enforceable government request.”

In the Kurtz case, Pennsylvania Justice David Wecht drew a distinction between Kurtz deciding to search for the victim’s name on Google and a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision that limited the use of broad collections of cellphone location data.

“A user who wants to keep such material private has options,” Wecht wrote. “That user does not have to click on Google.”

podcast local to Hoke-Raeford, NC, with Ruben Castellon and Chris Holland.

THE CONVERSATION

COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI

Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

Obama is in no position to lecture us about decency

Obama’s entire scandalridden supercilious presidency was focused on coercing, browbeating and, ultimately, slandering the bitter clingers.

IN A RECENT INTERVIEW with “No Lie” podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen, former President Barack Obama claimed that conservatives do “the mean, angry, exclusive, us/them, divisive politics. That’s their home court. Our court is coming together.”

This is a jaw- dropping contention coming from a man who began his presidential aspirations accusing Americans who refused to embrace his brand of progressive politics of being “bitter” and clinging “to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them.”

Is there any group of people in the country who exude more “antipathy to people who aren’t like them” than progressives?

Virtually every poll taken on the issue nds Democrats are far less inclined to accept Republicans as friends or family members. This comes as no surprise to anyone who’s witnessed the screeching moralistic anger of the average leftist activist — a disposition popularized during the Obama era.

Obama’s entire scandal-ridden supercilious presidency was focused on coercing, browbeating and, ultimately, slandering the bitter clingers. In the former president’s vernacular, “coming together” simply meant accepting Obama’s worldview as incontrovertible truth.

And one of the most grating habits in this regard was Obama’s turning every tragedy and political event into a sermon about our collective failings.

Obama, the only president to that point to belittle the notion of American exceptionalism, would go abroad and tell the world that the “future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.”

Slandering Christians in the United States, on the other hand, was no problem. The Obama administration spent years trying to destroy the Little Sisters of the Poor for their faith-based objections to paying for condoms.

The Obama-era Democrats normalized the legal war on orthodox Christianity, meant to chill speech and compel progressive cultural supremacy, a cause that’s not abated to this day.

The inclusive Obama, who had hitched his career to Black Liberation theologians like the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and irted with the Nation of Islam (a picture of a smiling Obama meeting with black supremacist Louis Farrakhan was hidden during his presidency), was the rst president to engage in anti-Jewish dual loyalty tropes against Americans who opposed his obsession with rewarding Iran with nuclear weapons.

But perhaps worst of all, the rst black president in history, Obama, did everything he could to roll back 40 years of progress on race relations.

There seemingly wasn’t a single “racial” incident anywhere in the country that Obama wouldn’t exacerbate and exploit for political purposes.

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

It began with his contention that “Cambridge police acted stupidly” after local police arrested historian Henry Louis Gates Jr., who was seen breaking into his own house, and continued with the killing of Trayvon Martin in an altercation with a neighborhood watch volunteer. Obama implored 350 million Americans, none of whom had anything to do with the case, to do “soul-searching.”

“If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon,” Obama said. “Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago.” The implication, of course, was that young black men were being killed solely due to their color. Martin’s shooter, George Zimmerman, was found not guilty by a jury, and Obama’s Justice Department did not le civil rights charges.

Nothing, however, tops Obama’s detestable speech at the funeral of ve Dallas police o cers, murdered by a racist anti- cop extremist at Black Lives Matter protest in 2016. “None of us are entirely innocent” when it comes to “racial discrimination,” the president noted, “and this includes our police departments.”

Obama invoked the names of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, two black men who had been recently shot by police, not only creating a false equivalency but also basically rationalizing the anger of the shooter.

It’s worth remembering that neither of the investigations into Sterling and Castile had even been concluded at the time.

In 2017, Obama’s Department of Justice didn’t charge the police in the killing of Sterling.

By 2016, Gallup found that 46% of Americans believed race relations had worsened during his presidency, compared with 29% who felt they improved. A 2016 New York Times poll found 69% of Americans described race relations as “generally bad.”

Obviously, Americans are divided because we have deep-seated, legitimate and meaningful disagreements about the future. That’s why politics exists. The political “unity” that Democrats claimed to strive for only exists in dictatorships. The inability to accept this made Obama the most divisive president of the modern age.

Which isn’t to say that subsequent presidents brought us together. Far, far from it. It’s to say that Obama changed the way presidents spoke about and to their constituents. It was Obama’s systematic subversion of norms that made Donald Trump possible.

We don’t need any more of his lectures.

David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner. Harsanyi is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of ve books. (Copyright 2026 Creators.com)

Marco Rubio: more than just the good cop

In February 2025, the audience at Munich took Vance’s comments as insults.

In February 2026, the audience, as evidenced by its standing ovation, took Rubio’s as compliments.

MY FIRST REACTION to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech, delivered on Valentine’s Day, at the Munich Security Conference, was, “Last year, President Donald Trump sent the bad cop, Vice President JD Vance. This year, he sent the good cop, Rubio. Progress.” In February 2025, the audience at Munich took Vance’s comments as insults. In February 2026, the audience, as evidenced by its standing ovation, took Rubio’s as compliments.

Yet, as even journalists writing on deadline quickly discerned, Rubio’s words were no less critical than Vance’s of what have been European elites’ cherished policies.

“Mass migration,” Rubio said, is “a crisis which is transforming and destabilizing societies all across the West.” He decried a “climate cult” and “energy policies” that “impoverished our people.” He condemned policies that “outsourced our sovereignty to international institutions” and “invested in massive welfare states.”

Red meat substance, suitable for delivery at any of the three Trump Republican National Conventions — more than have nominated any one person, the president might remind you, except for President Richard Nixon. But leavened, as the above quotations suggest, with frequent employment of the rst-person pronouns and adjectives — “we” (69 times in the text, by my count), “us” (11), “our” (65).

“What comforted worried attendees,” wrote Michael Froman, head of the Council on Foreign Relations and Obama trade negotiator, “was the undertone of the secretary’s remarks.”

But it wasn’t just the undertone that had many Republicans and others start thinking of Rubio as a possible future presidential candidate, despite his recent avowals of support for Vance for the Republican nomination in 2028.

And as a national leader with an intellectually serious grasp of history. Rubio began by summoning memories of the rst Munich conference, in 1963, when the Iron Curtain ran through a divided Germany and the Berlin Wall was just two years old.

Halfway through the speech, he went further back, to the postwar years when “our predecessors,” faced with a “Europe in ruins” and expanding communism, “recognized that decline was a choice, and it was a choice they refused to make.” An interesting way to frame the decisions that produced the Truman Doctrine and the NATO treaty.

Against that, he described the post- Cold War euphoria that “the rules-based global order” would replace national interest. “A foolish idea,” he said unemolliently, that “has cost us dearly.”

A Trumpian take, followed by an implicit denunciation of opening up trade relations with China.

Rather than dwell on that critique, however, he segued back to “centuries of shared history, Christian faith, culture,

heritage, language, ancestry,” all parts of “the common civilization to which we have fallen heir.”

This might have rankled, and perhaps was intended to rankle, the European Union leaders who, out of secular conviction or for fear of angering Muslim immigrants, successfully blocked mention of Europe’s “Christian roots” in the EU charter.

As he neared his peroration, Rubio celebrated Christopher Columbus and the English, Scots-Irish, French, German, Spanish and Dutch roots of Americans from Davy Crockett to “the cowboy archetype ... born in Spain.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio - Cortez (D -N.Y.), in Munich for her rst security conference, ridiculed that last claim, apparently unaware that the Americas had no horses until Hernan Cortes brought some to Mexico in 1519. More importantly, Rubio’s emphasis on America’s European heritage is a rebuke of the Franz Fanon-inspired theory, fostered on campuses for decades and sweeping the streets in post- Oct. 7, 2023, “anti-Zionist” demonstrations, that colonialism was the greatest evil in history, and that Europeans and Americans should do penance for their complicity.

Europeans are or should be aware, from the totalitarian tides of the 20th century, that there are worse evils than colonialism — and that to exclude di cult-to -assimilate immigrants is to commit another Holocaust.

But rather than belabor that last point, Rubio instead made the point earlier that “it was here, in Europe, where the ideas that planted the seeds of liberty that changed the world were born.” Including “the rule of law, the universities and the scienti c revolution,” plus Mozart and Beethoven, Dante and Shakespeare, Michelangelo and Leonardo, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

Europe should be “proud,” a word he repeated half a dozen times, “of its heritage and its history.” Proud of a “spirit of creation and liberty that sent ships out into uncharted seas and birthed our civilization,” with a Europe that has the means to defend itself and the will to survive.”

Among American and European elites, open expression of pride is something, well, just not done. They prefer to denounce the “systemic racism” of their fellow citizens or the “oppressive colonialism” of their forebears, to disparage the motives of “settlers” and idealize the virtues of the “indigenous.”

But pride in one’s nation and one’s civilization, properly understood, is not a warrant for self-satisfaction but a summons to duty, a reminder that for us to whom much has been given, much is asked. In Munich, Rubio was not just Trump’s good cop but a mature American leader towering above the crowd.

Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner. (Copyright 2026 Creators.com)

White House pressure leads universities to cut ties with nonpro t that helps racial minorities

Federal o cials say the nonpro t’s race-based eligibility violates civil rights law

By Jocelyn Gecker and Collin Binkley

The Associated Press

THE TRUMP administration said last Thursday its campaign to end diversity programs in higher education has led dozens of universities to cut ties with an organization known as The PhD Project, which helps racial minorities earn doctorate degrees.

The PhD Project was a little-known nonpro t group until it caught the attention of conservative strategists last year and became the focus of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education. The Republican administration says school diversity programs often exclude white and Asian American students.

The investigation, opened in March 2025, has resulted in 31 universities agreeing to end partnerships with the group, the department’s O ce for Civil Rights said last week. Negotiations are continuing with 14 additional schools, it said.

The department said in its statement that The PhD Project “unlawfully limits eligibility based on the race of participants” and that institutions partnering with it violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in education programs and activities that receive federal money.

“This is the Trump e ect in

action: institutions of higher education are agreeing to cut ties with discriminatory organizations, recommitting themselves to abiding by federal law, and restoring equality of opportunity on campuses across the nation,”

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said.

Many of the schools promptly cut ties with The PhD Project after the investigation was opened in order to avoid entanglements with the administration. It had undertaken the inquiries after warning schools they could lose

federal money over “race-based preferences.”

The PhD Project is one of many nonpro ts that helps underrepresented groups gain access to higher education.

“The PhD Project was founded with the goal of providing more role models in the front of business classrooms and this remains our goal today,” the organization said in a statement. The website says it has “helped more than 1,500 members earn their doctoral degree.”

The group of 31 colleges list-

“This is the Trump e ect in action: institutions of higher education are agreeing to cut ties with discriminatory organizations, recommitting themselves to abiding by federal law, and restoring equality of opportunity on campuses across the nation.”

Linda McMahon, Education Secretary

ed by the department included major public research universities such as Arizona State, Ohio State and the University of Michigan, along with prestigious private schools like Yale, Duke and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

MIT, like many of the schools cited in the investigation, had paid The PhD Project “a nominal fee” to participate in the group’s university fairs or conferences, allowing MIT to send representatives to answer questions about attending their school, spokesperson Kimberly Allen said.

MIT informed the government in April 2025 it had ended its participation in such conferences and was noti ed months later that the O ce for Civil Rights had found it in violation of Title VI. The school signed a “resolution agreement” with the department about a week ago to resolve the matter “but explicitly did not admit any liability, wrongdoing or violation of any law or regulation,” Allen said.

The University of North Dakota said it, too, promptly ended its membership with The PhD Project two weeks after the in-

vestigation was announced last year.

“The University became a member of the PhD Project to have access to the PhD Project’s member directory and applicant database, to be able to recruit a larger pool of quali ed applicants for faculty positions,” spokesperson David Dodds said in a statement.

The University of Utah said it had a table at annual conferences hosted by the nonpro t in the 2024 -25 school year and two previous years. It cut ties with the project in October after settling with the department, university spokesperson Rebecca Walsh said.

Out of 170 PhD students admitted to Utah’s business school over the past 14 years, just two were involved through the PhD Project, Walsh said.

The Education Department said that all of the 31 universities have also agreed to review partnerships with other organizations “to identify any that violate Title VI by restricting participation based on race.”

The administration has targeted a wide range of practices that it has labeled as diversity, equity and inclusion.

NASA delays moon mission again after new rocket problem

Interrupted helium ow forced the rocket back to the hangar, pushing the mission to April

By Marcia Dunn

The Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. —

In the latest setback to return astronauts to the moon, NASA delayed the highly anticipated ight yet again after a new problem cropped up with the rocket Saturday.

April is now the earliest that the four Artemis II astronauts could y to the moon.

NASA revealed the latest problem just one day after targeting March 6 for Artemis II, humanity’s rst ight to the moon in more than half a century. Overnight, the ow of helium to the rocket’s upper stage was interrupted, o cials said. Solid helium ow is essential for purging the engines and pressurizing the fuel tanks.

This helium issue has nothing to do with the hydrogen fuel leaks that marred a countdown dress rehearsal of the Space Launch System rocket earlier this month and forced a repeat test.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said a bad lter, valve or connection plate could be to blame for the stalled helium ow. Regardless of the cause, he said, the only way to access the area and x the problem is to return the 322-foot rocket to its hangar for repairs.

“We will begin preparations for rollback, and this will take the March launch window out of consideration,” Isaacman said via X. NASA’s next opportunities would be at the beginning or end of April.

“I understand people are disappointed by this development,” he added. “That disappointment is felt most by the team at NASA, who have been working tirelessly to prepare for this great endeavor.”

Earlier in the day, NASA said it was preparing to move the rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center while raising the possibility of the work being done at the pad.

The situation is dynamic, said spokeswoman Cheryl Warner. Whether the xes are at the pad or in the hangar, the rollback preparations alone rule out any chance of making a March launch, she said.

Hydrogen fuel leaks had already delayed the Artemis II lunar y-around by a month. A second fueling test last Thursday revealed hardly any leaks, giving managers the con dence to aim for a March lifto . The four astronauts went into their two-week quarantine Friday evening, mandatory for avoiding germs.

Everything worked ne with the rocket’s helium system during both dress rehearsals, Isaacman said. The “unexpected development” cropped up lat-

Celeste Bullard

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.

Celeste Bullard is our amazing CPA worker who truly loves the residents and goes above and beyond! In her free time, she enjoys family and cooking. Integrity Open Arms truly appreciates her dedication and all that she does.

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.

er in routine testing that kept engineers up all night assessing the situation.

The interrupted helium ow is con ned to the SLS rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage. This upper stage is essential for placing the Orion crew capsule into the proper high-altitude orbit around Earth for checkout, following lifto . After that, it’s supposed to separate from Orion and serve as a target for the astronauts inside the capsule, allowing them to practice docking techniques for future moon missions.

During NASA’s Apollo program, 24 astronauts ew to the moon from 1968 through 1972. The new Artemis program has completed only one ight so far, a lunar-orbiting mission without a crew in 2022. That rst test ight was also plagued by hydrogen fuel leaks before blasting o , as well as a helium issue similar to the one that arose Saturday. The rst moon landing with a crew under Artemis is still at least a few years away.

MARK SCHIEFELBEIN / AP PHOTO

Education Secretary Linda McMahon arrives at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Feb. 1 to attend the wedding of White House deputy chief of sta Dan Scavino and Erin Elmore.

NASA VIA AP NASA’s moon rocket sits on the pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida last Thursday.

HOKE SPORTS

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

Jianna Gomez and Jekai Sedgwick

Hoke County, wrestling

Call us wishy-washy, but we’re not going to choose between two undefeated state champions who were each named the state tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler.

Jekai Sedgwick is a junior on the Hoke County boys’ wrestling team. Jianna Gomez is a senior on the Hokegirls’ wrestling team.

Sedgwick capped a 38-0 season by winning the 120-pound state title with a pinfall victory in 1:20. It took Gomez 10 seconds longer to score her pinfall and win the 114-pound girls’ title, capping a 36-0 season.

Both wrestlers were named the Most Outstanding Wrestler for their respective state tournaments.

Hoke girls win state wrestling title

Hoke places in top 20 in indoor track states

North State Journal sta

THE HOKE COUNTY girls’ wrestling team nished rst in the state Class 8A individual meet with 140 points. 114-pound champion Jianna Gomez took the meet’s Most Outstanding Wrestler title after winning her weight class with a fall in 1:30 in the title bout. She nishes the season with a perfect 36-0 record.

Kierra Rush brought home a title at 132 pounds, winning a majority decision in the cham-

pionship match to nish the year at 46-1. Harley Hardin nished second in 120 pounds, nishing the season at 46-7. Jada Lebron also took a second place nish at 138 pounds, nishing at 42.4.

The Hoke boys nished fth in the state wrestling individual tournament, and 120-pounder Jekai Sedwick was named the Class 8A meet’s Most Outstanding Wrestler.

Sedwick won the state title, scoring a pinfall in 1:20 in the title match. He nished the season with a perfect 38-0 record.

The Hoke County girls’ track team nished in a tie for 19th place at the NCHSAA Class 8A

indoor championships, scoring 8 points.

Junior Dasia Morrisey nished fth in the triple jump.

Freshman London Barnes led a trio of Bucks in the long jump, nishing sixth. Senior Nia McCoy nished ninth, and junior Azalia Langley was tenth.

Junior Arielle Owens took eighth in the 55-meter hurdles.

The Hoke County boys’ team placed 19th in the Class 8A championship meet with 13 points.

Senior William Leak nished second in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump.

Senior Kenneth Ashby took 12th in the shot put. Doug

The Hoke County girls’ wrestling team mugs for the cameras after winning the state individual meet.

By Eddie Pells The Associated Press

DENVER— Doug Moe, an ABA original who gained fame over a rumpled, irreverent decade as coach of the Denver Nuggets in the 1980s, died at 87 after a long bout with cancer. Moe went 628-529 over 15 seasons as a head coach, including stints with the San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers. He never won a title and was the NBA Coach of the Year in 1988. More than for wins and losses, Moe will be remembered for his motion o ense and for the equally entertaining shows he put on while prowling the bench during his coaching days. His Denver teams led the league in scoring over ve straight seasons in the ear-

ly ’80s, and he rarely ran a set play.

He called the people he liked the most “sti s” (or worse) and used more colorful language to drive points home to some of his favorite foils — Kiki VanDeWeghe, Danny Schayes and Bill Hanzlik stood out.

The coach stalked the sidelines in one of his well-worn sports coats, usually without a tie (he had a small stash of “emergency suits” in his closet for bigger events), his hair a mess and his overtaxed voice barely at a croak by the end of most games.

The Nuggets bench, along with the 10 rows behind it, was no place for children, but within hours, Moe would be at the bar or co ee shop hanging with many of those same players he’d excoriated, often himself wondering where that foul-mouthed man on the sideline had come from.

“Sometimes I think I have a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality. I

ED ANDRIESKI / AP PHOTO

Former Denver Nuggets head coach Doug Moe pleads with his team during a timeout in the closing seconds of a 1986 game.

COURTESY NCHSAA

The former Tar Heel was an ABA legend

COURTESY NCHSAA

NBA Warriors’ Curry to be reevaluated next week after second MRI on knee

San Francisco

Golden State star Stephen Curry had a second MRI on his troublesome right knee that revealed no structural damage, although the two -time NBA MVP is expected to miss at least another ve games before being reevaluated. The 37-year- old guard last played Jan. 30. He has been diagnosed with patella-femoral pain syndrome/bone bruising, otherwise referred to as runner’s knee. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Curry will be reevaluated in 10 days from last Thursday’s scan.

BOXING

Unbeaten Mayweather plans return to pro boxing 9 years after retirement

Los Angeles Floyd Mayweather says he is ending his nine-year retirement and returning to competitive boxing this summer. He turned 49 last week and hasn’t fought in a real boxing match since 2017, when he beat Conor McGregor and retired for the third time. The former ve- division world champion has still been in the ring regularly throughout his 40s with a series of lucrative exhibition bouts. Mayweather already has announced yet another exhibition coming up this spring against 59-year-old Mike Tyson, although no location or television partner has been con rmed.

NCAA BASKETBALL

Selection committee picks Michigan, Duke, Arizona, Iowa State as top preliminary seeds

Michigan is the No. 1 overall seed in the preliminary rankings by the committee that will select the 68-team men’s eld for the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines were joined by Duke, Arizona and Iowa State as the 1-seeds. The Cyclones got the last No. 1 seed ahead of UConn and Houston. Saturday’s reveal is a snapshot of where things stand with less than a month left until Selection Sunday.

Gibbs Racing sues ex-director Gabehart, alleging ‘brazen’ trade secrets theft

JGR claims its former employee took sensitive information to Spire Motorsports

By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE — Joe Gibbs

Racing led suit against former competition director Chris Gabehart for allegedly embarking on “a brazen scheme to steal JGR’s most sensitive information” for the bene t of rival NASCAR team Spire Motorsports.

The suit led in the Western District of North Carolina — the same court that heard last December’s antitrust suit between 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR — claims Gabehart violated his contract and stole con dential team trade secrets when “his demands for additional authority were rebu ed by JGR’s owner.”

The suit alleges Gabehart caused more than $8 million in damages to JGR. The ling did not request an injunction preventing Gabehart from working for Spire.

JGR was founded by Joe Gibbs in 1992 after he won three Super Bowls as Washington’s football coach.

Gibbs is a member of both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and NASCAR Hall of Fame and now co-owns JGR with his daughter-in-law, Heather. The team elds Cup cars for Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin. Gabehart joined JGR in 2012 as an engineer, worked his way to crew chief for Hamlin, and became competition director ahead of the 2025 season. Gabehart in that role was

clown around a lot before and after a game, but once a game starts, my emotions just take over,” Moe said in a 1983 interview with The New York Times.

Moe paired with good friend Larry Brown at UNC, where as a 6-foot-5 small forward he twice earned All-America honors. But Moe’s college career was terminated early because of a point-shaving scandal for which he received $75 to y to a meeting; he refused to throw games.

After a few years in Europe, Moe again became a package deal with Brown, as they winded their way through the new and edgling ABA. Moe was a three-time All-Star over a ve-year career that ended early because of his perpetually ailing knees.

responsible for all competitive aspects of the race team, and as such, had access to all of JGR’s proprietary information.

The lawsuit claims Gabehart throughout last season wanted complete responsibility and control over all competition departments and asked Joe Gibbs in a Nov. 6, 2025, meeting for “carte blanche authority over all racing decisions.”

The suit said Gibbs denied the request, and Gabehart said he wanted to leave the organization. In the course of negotiating a separation agreement, JGR alleges it learned Gabehart had been meeting with Spire Motorsports, which triggered the organization to do a forensic analysis of Gabehart’s team-issued laptop.

“The results were shocking,” the suit alleges, claiming it found Google searches about Spire in October and November of last year, folders titled “Spire” and “Past Setups,”

His playing days done, he teamed again with Brown, working as his assistant with the Carolina Cougars and then with the Nuggets toward the end of the franchise’s ABA days.

Alex English and VanDeWeghe nished 1-2 in scoring in the 1982-83 season, a feat no teammates have accomplished since. The Nuggets lost a 186-184 game to the Pistons in 1983 that remains the highest-scoring game in NBA history. Moe won 432 games with the Nuggets, and the franchise retired that number, with Moe’s name attached.

It took more than 30 years after Moe retired and moved back to San Antonio for the Nuggets to break through and become NBA champions.

Oddly enough, one of Moe’s most colorful coaching coups came at the expense of the

and more than a dozen images of JGR les containing condential information and trade secrets.

From there, the suit alleges JGR and Gabehart squabbled over further forensic reviews and JGR attempted to impose a “cooling o period” in which Gabehart would not work for another organization.

JGR alleges it learned on Feb. 11 that Gabehart plans to become the chief motorsports o cer at Spire, where he would be responsible for all of Spire’s racing strategy and operations.

“This was new information to JGR, as Defendant previously represented to JGR ... that the job o er he received from Spire was for a role in which he would not provide Spire with services similar to the services he provided JGR,” the suit claims.

JGR contends Gabehart knew his actions accessing JGR materials was unlawful,

Nuggets on the last day of the 1977-78 season when he was with the Spurs. In an early game, Denver, coached by Brown at the time, fed David Thompson on the way to a 73-point outburst against Detroit that brie y put him ahead of Gervin in a neck-and-neck battle for the scoring title.

So that night, Moe told the Spurs to get out of “Ice’s” way. Gervin scored 63 against the Jazz to win the title by 0.07.

Though the focus of the Nuggets was o ense, Moe spent ample time preaching defense — insisting it, not the team’s scoring ability, would make the di erence between winning and losing.

Once, incensed at the lack of e ort during a blowout loss at Portland, he commanded his team to stop trying on defense and to let the Blazers make

Team owner Joe Gibbs looks on prior to NASCAR’s The Clash preseason auto race in WinstonSalem.

and he took intentional steps to avoid detection and hide his digital trail.

Gabehart turned in his JGR laptop on Nov. 10 and has not worked for JGR since. The lawsuit claims the o er from Spire was made to Gabehart on Nov. 13, and Gabehart met with Spire co-owner Je Dickerson on Dec. 2.

JGR claims Gabehart told his former team on Dec. 4 he had not spoken to anyone from Spire about employment, nor had he spoken to any other potential employers.

Instead, JGR claims Gabehart was actively soliciting JGR employees to move to Spire, and at least one employee has made the move.

Spire has yet to announce hiring Gabehart. Cary Davis, the attorney representing Gabehart, said he could not comment on the suit. Gabehart must respond to JGR’s ling in 21 days.

layups at will over the nal minutes to set the franchise scoring record for a single game. That earned him a ne and suspension, only weeks after he was ned for throwing water on an o cial.

For the most part, though, Moe made a career out of not taking himself too seriously — a wryly wrinkled counterbalance to the slicked-down Pat Riley and the Laker Showtime teams that dominated the NBA’s Western Conference over the decade.

Moe even punctuated one of his lowest moments — his ring by the Nuggets in 1990 — by wearing a Hawaiian shirt and popping open champagne at the news conference while his wife, whom he called “Big Jane,” looked on. A day to celebrate, he insisted, because he would now be getting paid to do nothing.

MATT KELLEY / AP PHOTO

MOE from page B1

Kenneth Matthews

Feb. 1, 1938 – Feb. 16, 2026

Kenneth Matthews passed away on February 16, 2026, at the age of 88. He was born on February 1, 1938.

Margaret Shortt

Aug. 10, 1926 – Feb. 22, 2026

Margaret Shortt, of Raeford, NC, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Sunday, February 22, 2026, at the age of 99.

She was born on August 10, 1926, to the late Henry and Alma Roberts.

Along with her parents, she is preceded by her husband, Harold Shortt; her four daughters, Ruth Anne Batts, Karen Sue Boahn, Deanna Jean Boahn, Alice Lynn Gibson; her grandchildren, Amanda Boahn, Sara Harris, and Margaret Denise Boahn; and her great-grandson, Wesley Batts.

Margaret was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother.

She is survived by her grandchildren, Tony Batts, Teresa Batts, Tammy Boahn, Matthew Boahn (Joy), and Joey Gibson (Kimberly); several greatgrandchildren and great-greatgrandchildren. Services to be announced.

obituaries

Janice Locklear Fulmer

Jan. 3, 1955 – Feb. 17, 2026

Ms. Janice Locklear Fulmer, age 71, of Red Springs, North Carolina, was born on January 3, 1955, in Robeson County to the late Mr. Lewis Locklear and the late Mrs. Pirlie Bullard Locklear. She departed this life on February 17, 2026, at her home, surrounded by her loving family. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her three sisters, Dorothy Locklear, Sarah Brooks, and Linda Locklear; three brothers, Lewis Locklear, Larry Locklear; and Stacy Locklear and her granddaughter, Kaylie Cierra Fulmer.

Janice was a loving and devoted mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt. Her family was her pride and joy. She was a committed member of Macedonia Holiness Methodist Church, where she faithfully served and actively participated in many events and programs. No matter what the occasion, she was always willing to lend a helping hand and share her love with others.

Janice was a dedicated and hardworking individual who devoted 32 years of service to JP Stevens in Aberdeen, where she later retired. In her leisure time, she enjoyed cooking, attending yard sales, shopping at consignment stores, and repotting owers, pastimes that brought her much joy.

She leaves to cherish her precious memories her three children: Jessie Mae Fulmer of Red Springs, NC; William Fulmer Jr. (Annette) of Red Springs, NC; and Lewis Fulmer of the home; three sisters: Lillian Cummings of Aberdeen, NC; Carolyn Locklear of Maxton, NC; and Pirlie Locklear of Laurinburg, NC; one brother, David Locklear of St. Pauls, NC; eight grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; a special niece, Doris Ann Jacobs; a special friend, Penny Hammonds; and a host of other relatives and friends.

Rev.

Eric Dane, star of ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ ‘Euphoria,’ dead at 53

The “McSteamy” actor died less than a year after his ALS diagnosis

By Maria Sherman The Associated Press

ERIC DANE, the celebrated actor best known for his roles on “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Euphoria” and who later in life became advocate for ALS awareness, died last Thursday. He was 53. His representatives said Dane died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known also as Lou Gehrig’s disease, less than a year after he announced his diagnosis.

“He spent his nal days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world,” said a statement that requested privacy for his family.

“Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a di erence for others facing the same ght. He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received.”

Dane was born Nov. 9, 1972, and raised in California. His father, a Navy man, died of a gunshot wound when he was 7. After high school, he moved to Los Angeles to purse acting, landing guest roles on shows like “Saved by the Bell,” “Married...With Children,” “Charmed” and “X-Men: the Last Stand” and one season of the short-lived medical drama “Gideon’s Crossing.”

His big break arrived in the mid-2000s when he was cast as Dr. Mark Sloan, a.k.a. McSteamy, on the ABC medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy,” a role he would play from 2006 until 2012 and reprise in 2021. In 2019, he did a complete 180 and became Cal Jacobs, a troubled married man, in HBO’s provocative drama, “Euphoria,” a role he continued in up until his death.

Dane also starred as Tom Chandler, the captain of a

U.S. Navy destroyer at sea after a global catastrophe wiped out most of the world’s population, in the TNT drama “The Last Ship.” In 2017, production was halted as Dane battled depression.

In April 2025, Dane announced he had been diagnosed with ALS, a progressive disease that attacks nerve cells controlling muscles throughout the body.

ALS gradually destroys the nerve cells and connections needed to walk, talk, speak and breathe. Most patients die within three to ve years of a diagnosis.

Dane became an advocate for ALS awareness, speaking a news conference in Washington, D.C., on health insurance prior authorization. “Some of you may know me from TV shows, such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” which I play a doctor. But I am here today to speak briefly as a patient battling ALS,” he said in June 2025. In September of that year, the ALS Network named Dane the recipient of their advocate of the year award, recognizing his commitment to raising awareness and support for people living with ALS.

A memoir by Dane is scheduled to be published in late 2026. “Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments” will be released by Maria Shriver’s The Open Field, a Penguin Random House imprint. According to Open Field, Dane will look back upon key moments in his life, from his

Actor Eric Dane arrives at a promotional event for the series “Euphoria” in Los

rst day at work on “Grey’s Anatomy” to the births of his two daughters and learning that he has ALS.

“I want to capture the moments that shaped me — the beautiful days, the hard ones, the ones I never took for granted — so that if nothing else, people who read it will remember what it means to live with heart,” Dane said in a statement around the book’s announcement. “If sharing this helps someone nd meaning in their own days, then my story is worth telling.”

Dane is survived by his wife, actor Rebecca Gayheart, and their two teen daughters, Billie Beatrice and Georgia Geraldine. Gayheart and Dane wed in 2004 and separated in September 2017. Gayheart led for divorce in 2018, but later led to dismiss the petition. In a December essay for New York magazine’s The Cut re ecting on Dane’s diagnosis, Gayheart called their dynamic “a very complicated relationship, one that’s confusing for people.” She said they never got a divorce, but dated other people and lived separately.

“Our love may not be romantic, but it’s a familial love,” she said. “Eric knows that I am always going to want the best for him. That I’m going to do my best to do right by him. And I know he would do the same for me. So whatever I can do or however I can show up to make this journey better for him or easier for him, I want to do that.”

Jesse Jackson, who carried on Civil Rights Movement for decades after King, dead at 84

The dramatic speaker had an unparallelled impact on generations of Americans

The Associated Press

CHICAGO — The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and two-time presidential candidate who led the Civil Rights Movement for decades after the revered leader’s assassination, died last week. He was 84.

His daughter, Santita Jackson, con rmed that Jackson died at home, surrounded by family.

As a young organizer in Chicago, Jackson was called to meet with King at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis shortly before King was killed and he publicly positioned himself thereafter as King’s successor. Jackson led a lifetime of crusades in the United States and abroad, advocating for the poor and underrepresented on issues from voting rights and job opportunities to education and health care. He scored diplomatic victories with world leaders, and through his Rainbow/ PUSH Coalition, he channeled cries for black pride and self-determination into corporate boardrooms, pressuring executives to make America a more open and equitable society.

And when he declared, “I am Somebody,” in a poem he often repeated, he sought to reach people of all colors. “I may be poor, but I am Somebody; I may be young; but I am Somebody; I may be on welfare, but I am Somebody,” Jackson intoned. It was a message he took literally and personally, having risen from obscurity in the segregated South to become America’s best-known civil rights activist since King. Despite profound health challenges in his nal years including a rare brain disor -

der that a ected his ability to move and speak, Jackson continued protesting against racial injustice into the era of Black Lives Matter. In 2024, he appeared at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and at a City Council meeting to show support for a resolution backing a cease re in the Israel-Hamas war.

“Even if we win,” he told marchers in Minneapolis before the o cer whose knee kept George Floyd from breathing was convicted of murder, “it’s relief, not victory. They’re still

killing our people. Stop the violence, save the children. Keep hope alive.”

Calls to action, delivered in a memorable voice

Jackson’s voice, infused with the stirring cadences and powerful insistence of the black church, demanded attention.

On the campaign trail and elsewhere, he used rhyming and slogans such as: “Hope not dope” and “If my mind can conceive it and my heart can believe it then I can achieve it,″ to deliver his messages.

Jackson had his share of critics, both within and outside of the black community. Some considered him a grandstander, too eager to seek out the spotlight. Looking back on his life and legacy, Jackson told The Associated Press in 2011 that he felt blessed to be able to continue the service of other leaders before him and to lay a foundation for those to come.

“A part of our life’s work was to tear down walls and build bridges, and in a half century of work, we’ve basically torn down walls,” Jackson said. “Sometimes when you tear down walls, you’re scarred by falling debris, but your mission is to open up holes so others behind you can run through.”

In his nal months, as he received 24-hour care, he lost his ability to speak, communicating with family and visitors by holding their hands and squeezing.

“I get very emotional knowing that these speeches belong to the ages now,” his son, Jesse Jackson Jr., told the AP in October.

A student athlete drawn to the Civil Rights Movement

Jesse Louis Jackson was born on Oct. 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, the son of high school student Helen Burns and Noah Louis Robinson, a married man who lived next door. Jackson was later adopted by Charles Henry Jackson, who married his mother.

In 1965, he joined the voting rights march King led from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. King dispatched him to Chicago to launch Operation Breadbasket, a Southern Christian Leadership Conference e ort to pressure companies to hire black workers.

Jackson was with King on April 4, 1968, when the civil rights leader was slain at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Jackson’s account of the assassination was that King died in his arms.

JORDAN STRAUSS / AP PHOTO

RON EDMONDS / AP PHOTO

President George W. Bush speaks with the Rev. Jesse Jackson, right, after signing a bill in the Eisenhower Executive O ce Building on Dec. 1, 2005, authorizing a statue of civil rights leader Rosa Parks be placed in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall.

Angeles on April 20, 2022.

STATE & NATION

US House campaigns underway, yet redistricting battles triggered by Trump rages in several states

The president’s push for redistricting has sparked a national tit-for-tat clash

By David A. Lieb The Associated Press

CANDIDATES ARE campaigning, and voting is underway in some primaries. Yet a national battle to redraw U.S. House districts for partisan advantage is still raging in some states ahead of the November midterm elections.

Final boundaries for congressional voting districts remain uncertain in Missouri, New York, Utah and Virginia. Governors in Florida and Maryland are pushing lawmakers to reshape House districts. And that all comes on top of redistricting changes already enacted in California, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas.

Voting districts typically are redrawn once a decade after each census. But President Donald Trump triggered an unusual round of mid-decade redistricting when he urged Texas Republicans last summer to redraw House districts to give the GOP an edge in the midterm elections. California Democrats reciprocated, and a tit-for-tat redistricting clash soon spread.

So far, Republicans believe they could win nine additional seats in states where they have redrawn congressional districts, while Democrats think they could gain six seats elsewhere because of redistricting. But that presumes past voting patterns hold in November. And that’s uncertain, especially since the party in power typically loses seats in the midterms and Trump faces negative approval ratings in polls.

Democrats need to gain just a few seats in November to wrest control of the House from Republicans, which could allow them to obstruct Trump’s agenda.

REDISTRICTING

BATTLEGROUNDS

Virginia

Current map: six Democrats, ve Republicans

Proposed map: A new U.S. House map passed by the Democratic-led General Assembly could help Democrats win up to four additional seats. To facilitate that, lawmakers referred a constitutional amendment to the April ballot that would allow mid-decade redistricting.

Challenges: A state judge temporarily blocked the April referendum after ruling that the amendment is invalid because lawmakers violated their own rules while passing it. Democrats are appealing.

Maryland

Current map: seven Democrats, one Republican

Proposed map: The Democratic-led state House passed a redistricting plan backed by

Democratic Gov. Wes Moore that could help Democrats win an additional seat.

Challenges: The Democratic state Senate president has said his chamber won’t move forward with redistricting because of concerns it could backre on Democrats.

Missouri

Current map: two Democrats, six Republicans

New map: Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a revised House map into law last fall that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: Opponents submitted petition signatures in December to try to force a statewide referendum on the map. The Republican secretary of state has until August to determine whether the petition meets legal muster and has enough signatures. Meanwhile, several lawsuits are challenging the legality of the new districts.

Utah

Current map: no Democrats, four Republicans

New map: A judge in November imposed revised House districts that could help Democrats win a seat. The court ruled that lawmakers had circumvented anti-gerrymandering standards passed by voters when adopting the prior map.

Challenges: Republicans are challenging the judicial map selection in the state Supreme Court and in federal court.

New York

Current map: 19 Democrats, seven Republicans

Proposed map: A judge in January ordered a state commission to draw new boundaries for the only congressional district in New York City represented by a Republican, ruling it unconstitutionally dilutes the votes of black and Hispanic residents.

Challenges: Republicans

lost an appeal in state court but have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case.

Florida

Current map: eight Democrats, 20 Republicans

Proposed map: Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis says he will call a special legislative session in April on congressional redistricting.

Challenges: A lawsuit asserts that DeSantis cannot legally call the special session. The state constitution says districts cannot be drawn with intent to favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent.

REDISTRICTING TRIUMPHS

Texas

Current map: 13 Democrats, 25 Republicans

New map: Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a revised House map into law last August that could help Republicans win ve additional seats.

Challenges: The U.S. Supreme Court in December cleared the way for the new districts to be used in this year’s elections. It put on hold a lower-court ruling that blocked the new map because it was “racially gerrymandered.”

California

Current map: 43 Democrats, nine Republicans

New map: Voters in November approved revised House districts drawn by the Democratic-led Legislature that could help Democrats win ve additional seats.

Challenges: The U.S. Supreme Court in February al-

lowed the new districts to be used in this year’s elections. It denied an appeal from Republicans and the Department of Justice, which claimed the districts impermissibly favor Hispanic voters.

North Carolina

Current map: four Democrats, 10 Republicans

New map: The Republican-led General Assembly gave nal approval in October to revised districts that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: A federal court panel in November denied a request to block the revised districts from being used in the midterm elections.

Ohio

Current map: ve Democrats, 10 Republicans

New map: A bipartisan panel composed primarily of Republicans voted in October to approve revised House districts that improve Republicans’ chances of winning two additional seats.

Challenges: None. The state constitution required new districts before the 2026 election. Because Republicans had approved the prior maps without su cient Democratic support, they were required to expire after the 2024 election.

REDISTRICTING POSSIBILITIES

Louisiana

Current map: two Democrats, four Republicans

Proposal: Republican Gov. Je Landry signed legislation in October to delay the state’s primary election from April 18 until May 16. That could give lawmakers extra time to redraw House districts if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the current districts.

Challenges: The Supreme Court heard arguments in October but has not ruled yet.

Opponents of mid-decade e orts to redraw congressional voting districts gather to protest in the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee on Dec. 2, 2025.

South Carolina

Current map: one Democrat, six Republicans

Proposed map: A legislative committee is considering a congressional redistricting plan that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: Republican legislative leaders are concerned the plan could back re, and time is running short before this year’s election.

Colorado

Current map: four Democrats, four Republicans

Proposed map: A proposed ballot initiative would authorize mid-decade redistricting and impose a new House map that could help Democrats win three additional seats.

Challenges: Organizers must gather enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. If approved by voters, the new districts couldn’t be used until the 2028 elections.

Washington

Current map: eight Democrats, two Republicans

Proposed map: Democratic lawmakers have proposed a constitutional amendment that would allow mid-decade redistricting.

Challenges: Democrats don’t hold the two-thirds majority needed in both legislative chambers to refer a proposed amendment to the ballot, meaning it is unlikely to be approved before the November election.

Wisconsin

Current map: two Democrats, six Republicans

Proposed map: Two lawsuits assert that congressional districts must be redrawn because they unconstitutionally favor Republicans.

Challenges: One case is not scheduled for trial until 2027, and it’s unclear whether the other case can be resolved before the midterm election.

KATE PAYNE / AP PHOTO

Districts altered by redistricing in North Carolina

MOORE COUNTY

Golden age

Team USA forward Brady Tkachuk, foreground, takes a photo of Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin and his family after the United States defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime Sunday to win the men’s hockey gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

U.S. military boards

third oil tanker in Indian Ocean after tracking it from Caribbean

The Pentagon says U.S. military forces have boarded a third sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean Sea in an e ort to target illicit oil connected to Venezuela. U.S. forces boarded the Bertha overnight. President Donald Trump had ordered a quarantine of sanctioned tankers near Venezuela in December to pressure then-President Nicolás Maduro before his capture. Venezuela faced U.S. sanctions on its oil for several years, relying on a shadow eet of falsely agged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains.

Supreme Court

rules Postal Service can’t be sued

A divided Supreme Court has ruled that Americans can’t sue the U.S. Postal Service, even when employees deliberately refuse to deliver mail. By a 5-4 vote Tuesday, the justices ruled against Texas landlord Lebene Konan, who alleged her mail was intentionally withheld for two years. Konan is black and claims racial prejudice played a role in postal employees’ actions. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in his majority opinions the federal law that generally shields the Postal Service from lawsuits over missing, lost and undelivered mail includes “the intentional nondelivery of mail.” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent the immunity doesn’t apply to situations when the decision not to deliver mail “was driven by malicious reasons.”

$2.00

Commissioners approve Holly Grove Pines

subdivision near Seven Lakes

The subdivision will be located o Holly Grove School Road

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

CARTHAGE — The Moore County Board of Commissioners has given its initial approval for the development of a new subdivision.

At the board’s Feb. 17 meeting, the commissioners held a quasi-judicial hearing in regard to request for a special use permit for a 25-lot conventional major subdivision (Holly Grove Pines) located south of Holly Grove School Road.

The proposed project, which will be developed across approximately 51 acres, is located west of the Seven Lakes North subdivision, east of the McLendon Hills subdivision and north of N.C. Highway 211.

The property is zoned Rural Agricultural – Urban Ser-

vice Boundary, which is one of three zoning districts where major subdivisions are allowed with a special use permit.

The lots are intended to be served by Moore County Public Utilities for water and will utilize individual, private septic systems for wastewater.

“With a conventional subdivision, at least 5% of the overall site is required to be open space, and they have met this requirement by providing 3.09 acres,” said Planning Director Ruth Pedersen.

A homeowners association will also be required per the Uni ed Development Ordinance, and it will be responsible for the maintenance of all streets within the development.

In terms of the lots themselves, according to the applicant (Rhetson Companies), the 25 lots will vary in size between one to three acres in size, with the homes anticipated to be between 2,200 and 3,000 square feet.

Authorities say the 21-year-old groundskeeper purchased the shotgun while driving to Florida

By Allen G. Breed The Associated Press

CAMERON — The 21-year-old North Carolina man who drove through a gate at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort with a shotgun before he was shot and killed worked as a golf course groundskeeper and liked to sketch.

Austin Tucker Martin rarely, if ever, talked about politics, seemed afraid of guns and came from a family of Trump supporters, according to Braeden Fields, a cousin who said the two grew up together.

“I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind-blowing,” Fields said. “He wouldn’t even hurt an ant.

He doesn’t even know how to use a gun.” Martin drove into the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago early Sunday and raised a shotgun at two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheri ’s deputy who then opened re “to neutralize the threat,” said Sheri Ric Bradshaw.

Trump, who often spends weekends at the Palm Beach, Florida, resort, was at the White House at the time.

Investigators have not identi ed a motive. Trump faced two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign, including one just a few miles from Mar-a-Lago when a man was spotted aiming a rie through shrubbery while Trump was gol ng.

At this time, the applicants have not selected a builder, so details on the design and types of material to be used for the houses are not yet nalized.

“I don’t know what exactly the models will look like and what bricks or stones and what the architectural features will be at this time, but I can testify under oath that you will not have 25 of the same looking houses on that road,” said Rhetson Companies Development Manager Greg Stewart.

The project was originally submitted as a 68-lot subdivision encompassing 111 acres, however, the applicant reduced the proposed size after discussions with surrounding property owners.

“In development, it is very rare for all concerned parties to come together and work together in the spirit of a quality product and in my opinion, we did that with both McLendon

Hills and Seven Lakes,” Stewart said.

Following the hearing, the board approved the special use permit and preliminary plat for the Holly Grove Pines subdivision with a condition forbidding the construction of mobile homes, which would normally be allowed in a RA-USB district.

Board chair Nick Picerno did voice concerns over the condition of the road the subdivision is o of, but it wasn’t enough to dissuade his decision.

“Holly Grove is not a very well built road,” Picerno said. “It’s very curvy, not really aligned well. So increasing the number of cars on it makes me hesitant. NCDOT should at least do a review on that road to see if there’s anything they can do to bring it up to standard.”

The Moore County Board of Commissioners will next meet March 3.

Following Sunday’s incident, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said investigators believe Martin bought his shotgun while driving to Florida. Authorities said his family had recently reported him missing.

Martin was from central North Carolina, where guns and hunting are a part of life, his cousin said. But whenever they’d go hunting or target shooting, Martin

ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO

A vehicle blocks access to a property in Cameron on Sunday.

HASSAN AMMAR / AP PHOTO

THURSDAY

2.26.26

THURSDAY

“Join the conversation”

(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

We stand corrected

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

CRIME LOG

Feb. 16

Carl Eric Hagins, 34, of Pineblu , was arrested by Aberdeen PD for driving while impaired and unsafe movement.

Jimmy Leshaun Dockery, 48, of Southern Pines, was arrested by Aberdeen PD for misdemeanor larceny, possession of stolen goods and second-degree trespass.

Ubaldo Virgen Moreno, 56, of Southern Pines, was arrested by NCHP for driving while impaired, open container after consuming alcohol, reckless driving to endanger persons or property, driving without an operator’s license and failure to maintain lane control.

Feb. 17

Michael Benton Blue, 62, of Carthage, was arrested by Vass PD for tra cking in methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver methamphetamine, possession of fentanyl, maintaining a vehicle, dwelling or place for a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and simple possession of a controlled substance.

Ashley Kay Garner, 33, of Robbins, was arrested by MCSO for resisting a public o cer.

FRIDAY

Police nding criminal suspects based on online searches as courts weigh privacy concerns

Investigators work backward from search terms to identify suspects

By Mark Scolforo The Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. —

Criminal investigators hoping to develop suspects in di cult cases have been asking Google to reveal who searched for speci c information online, seeking “reverse keyword” warrants that critics warn threaten the privacy of innocent people. Unlike traditional search warrants that target a known suspect or location, keyword warrants work backward by identifying internet addresses where searches were made in a certain window of time for particular terms, such as a street address where a crime occurred or a phrase like “pipe bomb.”

Police have used the method to investigate a series of bombings in Texas, the assassination of a Brazilian politician and a fatal arson in Colorado.

It’s not a wild guess by investigators to conclude that people are using Google searches in all manner of crimes, as the company’s search engine has become the main gateway to the internet and users’ daily lives increasingly leave online traces. The potential value to investigators of the data Google collects is obvious in cases with no suspect, such as the search for Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapper. The legal tension between the need to solve crimes quickly and the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment protections against overly broad searches was at the heart of a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision that upheld the use of a reverse keyword warrant in a rape investigation.

Privacy advocates see it as giving police “unfettered access to the thoughts, feelings, concerns and secrets of countless people,” according to an amicus brief led in the Pennsylvania appeal by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Internet Archive and several library organizations.

In response to written questions about the warrants, Google provided an emailed statement: “Our processes for handling law enforcement requests are designed to protect users’ privacy while meeting our legal obligations. We review all legal demands for legal validity, and we push back against those that are overbroad or improper, including objecting to some entirely.”

A break in the case

Pennsylvania State Police were stymied in their investigation into the violent rape of a woman in 2016 on a remote cul- de-sac outside Milton, a small community in the center of the state. With no clear leads, police obtained a warrant directing Google to disclose accounts that searched for the victim’s name or address over the week when she was attacked.

More than a year later, Google reported two searches for the woman’s address were made a few hours before the assault from a speci c IP address, a numeric designation that lists where a phone or computer lives on the internet.

That led them to the home of a state prison guard named

KEVIN MERTZ / STANDARD JOURNAL VIA AP

John Edward Kurtz, a former prison guard, is taken by state troopers to be arraigned in Milton, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 18, 2017.

John Edward Kurtz.

Police then conducted surveillance and collected a cigarette butt he discarded that matched DNA recovered from the victim, according to court records. He confessed to the rape and attacks involving four other women over a ve-year period, and was convicted in 2020. Now 51, he’s been sentenced to 59 to 280 years.

Kurtz’s attorneys argued police lacked probable cause to obtain the information and impinged on his privacy rights.

The state Supreme Court rejected those claims late last year but split on the reasons why. Three justices said Kurtz should not have expected his Google searches to be private, while three more said police had probable cause to look for anyone who searched the victim’s address before the attack. But a dissenting justice said probable cause requires more than just a “bald hunch” and guessing that a perpetrator would have used Google.

Kurtz lawyer Douglas Taglieri made the same point in a court ling but conceded, “It was a good guess.”

Julia Skinner, a prosecutor in the case, said reverse keyword searches are much more e ective when there are specific and even unusual terms that can narrow results, such as a distinctive name or an address. They are also particularly effective when crimes appear to have been planned out beforehand, she said.

“I don’t think they’re used super frequently because what you need to target has to be so speci c,” she said. There were 57 searches returned in the Kurtz case, but many of them were rst responders trying to locate the home in the immediate aftermath of the crime, Skinner said.

Acting in good faith

In the similar case in Colorado, police sought the IP addresses of anyone who searched over a 15-day period for the address of a home where a deadly arson occurred. Authorities got IP addresses for 61 searches made by eight accounts, ultimately helping identify three teenage suspects.

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that although the keyword warrant was constitutionally defective for not specifying an “individualized probable cause,” the evidence could be used because police had acted in good faith about what was known about the law at the time.

“If dystopian problems emerge, as some fear, the courts stand ready to hear argument regarding how we should rein in law enforcement’s use of rapidly advancing technology,” the majority of Colorado justices ruled.

Courts have long permitted investigators to seek things like bank records or phone logs. However, civil liberties groups say extending those powers to online keywords turns every search user into a suspect.

It’s unclear how many keyword warrants are issued every year — Google does not break down the total number of warrants it receives by type, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in a January 2024 brief.

The two groups said police working on the bombings in Austin, Texas, sought anyone who searched for terms such as “low explosives” and “pipe bomb.”

And in Brazil, investigators trying to solve the 2018 assassination in Rio de Janeiro of the politician Marielle Franco asked for those who searched for Franco’s name and the street where she lived. A Brazilian high court is expected to decide soon on the legality of those search disclosures.

Reverse keyword warrants are distinct from “geofence” warrants, where criminal investigators seek information about who was in a given area at a particular time. The U.S. Supreme Court said last month it will rule on that method’s constitutionality.

An index of deeply personal matters

For many people, their Google search history contains some of their most personal thoughts, from health issues and political beliefs tonancial decisions and spending patterns. Google is introducing more arti cial intelligence into its search engine, seemingly a way to learn even more about users.

“What could be more embarrassing,” asked University of Pennsylvania law professor and civil rights lawyer David Rudovsky, if every Google search “was now out there, gone viral?”

Google warns users personal information can be shared outside the company when it has a “good-faith belief that disclosure of the information is reasonably necessary” to respond to applicable laws, regulations, legal processes or an “enforceable government request.”

In the Kurtz case, Pennsylvania Justice David Wecht drew a distinction between Kurtz deciding to search for the victim’s name on Google and a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision that limited the use of broad collections of cellphone location data.

“A user who wants to keep such material private has options,” Wecht wrote. “That user does not have to click on Google.”

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in and around Moore County:

Feb. 25

Dementia Caregiver Support Group

1 p.m.

Caregivers receive education and support along with strategies for caring for family members and other loved ones su ering from dementia. The group is led by Pat Soler and Dale Krech, certi ed facilitators through the Dementia Alliance of NC. Contact Kelly Pritchard at 910-715-4224 for more information.

Shadowlawn Room Clara McLean House 20 First Village Drive

Feb.

26

Movie: “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” 7 p.m.

A mysterious man from the future must assemble a collection of disgruntled diner patrons to help him as he attempts to save the world from the threat of arti cial intelligence gone awry. The clock is ticking as he has one night to save the earth. Tickets are $12.50 each.

Sunrise Theater 250 NW Broad St. Southern Pines

Feb.

26 -28

Moore County Historical Association: Shaw House and Property Tours

1-4 p.m.

The Moore County Historical Association’s grounds and properties are open for tours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday afternoons. Tours are free and open to all ages. Enjoy learning about the impressive history of Moore County.

Shaw House 110 Morganton Road Southern Pines

March 13

Friday Night Jazz at the Sunrise: Part 3: Songs, Stories and Soul 7-9 p.m.

This presentation by the Moore County Arts Council introduces audiences songs from the '60s and '70s that had a profound e ect on generations. Tickets are $34. Sunrise Theater 250 NW Broad St. Southern Pines Pinehurst

THE CONVERSATION

COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI

Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

Obama is in no position to lecture us about decency

Obama’s entire scandalridden supercilious presidency was focused on coercing, browbeating and, ultimately, slandering the bitter clingers.

IN A RECENT INTERVIEW with “No Lie” podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen, former President Barack Obama claimed that conservatives do “the mean, angry, exclusive, us/them, divisive politics. That’s their home court. Our court is coming together.”

This is a jaw-dropping contention coming from a man who began his presidential aspirations accusing Americans who refused to embrace his brand of progressive politics of being “bitter” and clinging “to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them.”

Is there any group of people in the country who exude more “antipathy to people who aren’t like them” than progressives?

Virtually every poll taken on the issue nds Democrats are far less inclined to accept Republicans as friends or family members. This comes as no surprise to anyone who’s witnessed the screeching moralistic anger of the average leftist activist — a disposition popularized during the Obama era.

Obama’s entire scandal-ridden supercilious presidency was focused on coercing, browbeating and, ultimately, slandering the bitter clingers. In the former president’s vernacular, “coming together” simply meant accepting Obama’s worldview as incontrovertible truth.

And one of the most grating habits in this regard was Obama’s turning every tragedy and political event into a sermon about our collective failings.

Obama, the only president to that point to belittle the notion of American exceptionalism, would go abroad and tell the world that the “future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.”

Slandering Christians in the United States, on the other hand, was no problem. The Obama administration spent years trying to destroy the Little Sisters of the Poor for their faith-based objections to paying for condoms.

The Obama- era Democrats normalized the legal war on orthodox Christianity, meant to chill speech and compel progressive cultural supremacy, a cause that’s not abated to this day.

The inclusive Obama, who had hitched his career to Black Liberation theologians like the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and irted with the Nation of Islam (a picture of a smiling Obama meeting with black supremacist Louis Farrakhan was hidden during his presidency), was the rst president to engage in anti-Jewish dual loyalty tropes against Americans who opposed his obsession with rewarding Iran with nuclear weapons.

But perhaps worst of all, the rst black president in history, Obama, did everything he could to roll back 40 years of progress on race relations.

There seemingly wasn’t a single “racial” incident anywhere in the country that Obama wouldn’t exacerbate and exploit for political purposes.

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

It began with his contention that “Cambridge police acted stupidly” after local police arrested historian Henry Louis Gates Jr., who was seen breaking into his own house, and continued with the killing of Trayvon Martin in an altercation with a neighborhood watch volunteer. Obama implored 350 million Americans, none of whom had anything to do with the case, to do “soul-searching.”

“If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon,” Obama said. “Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago.” The implication, of course, was that young black men were being killed solely due to their color. Martin’s shooter, George Zimmerman, was found not guilty by a jury, and Obama’s Justice Department did not le civil rights charges.

Nothing, however, tops Obama’s detestable speech at the funeral of ve Dallas police o cers, murdered by a racist anti-cop extremist at Black Lives Matter protest in 2016. “None of us are entirely innocent” when it comes to “racial discrimination,” the president noted, “and this includes our police departments.”

Obama invoked the names of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, two black men who had been recently shot by police, not only creating a false equivalency but also basically rationalizing the anger of the shooter.

It’s worth remembering that neither of the investigations into Sterling and Castile had even been concluded at the time.

In 2017, Obama’s Department of Justice didn’t charge the police in the killing of Sterling.

By 2016, Gallup found that 46% of Americans believed race relations had worsened during his presidency, compared with 29% who felt they improved. A 2016 New York Times poll found 69% of Americans described race relations as “generally bad.”

Obviously, Americans are divided because we have deep -seated, legitimate and meaningful disagreements about the future. That’s why politics exists. The political “unity” that Democrats claimed to strive for only exists in dictatorships. The inability to accept this made Obama the most divisive president of the modern age.

Which isn’t to say that subsequent presidents brought us together. Far, far from it. It’s to say that Obama changed the way presidents spoke about and to their constituents. It was Obama’s systematic subversion of norms that made Donald Trump possible. We don’t need any more of his lectures.

David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner. Harsanyi is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of ve books. (Copyright 2026 Creators.com)

Marco Rubio: more than just the good cop

In February 2025, the audience at Munich took Vance’s comments as insults.

In February 2026, the audience, as evidenced by its standing ovation, took Rubio’s as compliments.

MY FIRST REACTION to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech, delivered on Valentine’s Day, at the Munich Security Conference, was, “Last year, President Donald Trump sent the bad cop, Vice President JD Vance. This year, he sent the good cop, Rubio. Progress.” In February 2025, the audience at Munich took Vance’s comments as insults. In February 2026, the audience, as evidenced by its standing ovation, took Rubio’s as compliments.

Yet, as even journalists writing on deadline quickly discerned, Rubio’s words were no less critical than Vance’s of what have been European elites’ cherished policies.

“Mass migration,” Rubio said, is “a crisis which is transforming and destabilizing societies all across the West.” He decried a “climate cult” and “energy policies” that “impoverished our people.” He condemned policies that “outsourced our sovereignty to international institutions” and “invested in massive welfare states.”

Red meat substance, suitable for delivery at any of the three Trump Republican National Conventions — more than have nominated any one person, the president might remind you, except for President Richard Nixon. But leavened, as the above quotations suggest, with frequent employment of the rst-person pronouns and adjectives — “we” (69 times in the text, by my count), “us” (11), “our” (65).

“What comforted worried attendees,” wrote Michael Froman, head of the Council on Foreign Relations and Obama trade negotiator, “was the undertone of the secretary’s remarks.”

But it wasn’t just the undertone that had many Republicans and others start thinking of Rubio as a possible future presidential candidate, despite his recent avowals of support for Vance for the Republican nomination in 2028.

And as a national leader with an intellectually serious grasp of history. Rubio began by summoning memories of the rst Munich conference, in 1963, when the Iron Curtain ran through a divided Germany and the Berlin Wall was just two years old.

Halfway through the speech, he went further back, to the postwar years when “our predecessors,” faced with a “Europe in ruins” and expanding communism, “recognized that decline was a choice, and it was a choice they refused to make.” An interesting way to frame the decisions that produced the Truman Doctrine and the NATO treaty.

Against that, he described the post-Cold War euphoria that “the rules-based global order” would replace national interest.

“A foolish idea,” he said unemolliently, that “has cost us dearly.”

A Trumpian take, followed by an implicit denunciation of opening up trade relations with China.

Rather than dwell on that critique, however, he segued back to “centuries of shared history, Christian faith, culture,

heritage, language, ancestry,” all parts of “the common civilization to which we have fallen heir.”

This might have rankled, and perhaps was intended to rankle, the European Union leaders who, out of secular conviction or for fear of angering Muslim immigrants, successfully blocked mention of Europe’s “Christian roots” in the EU charter.

As he neared his peroration, Rubio celebrated Christopher Columbus and the English, Scots-Irish, French, German, Spanish and Dutch roots of Americans from Davy Crockett to “the cowboy archetype ... born in Spain.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), in Munich for her rst security conference, ridiculed that last claim, apparently unaware that the Americas had no horses until Hernan Cortes brought some to Mexico in 1519.

More importantly, Rubio’s emphasis on America’s European heritage is a rebuke of the Franz Fanon-inspired theory, fostered on campuses for decades and sweeping the streets in post-Oct. 7, 2023, “anti-Zionist” demonstrations, that colonialism was the greatest evil in history, and that Europeans and Americans should do penance for their complicity.

Europeans are or should be aware, from the totalitarian tides of the 20th century, that there are worse evils than colonialism — and that to exclude di cult-to-assimilate immigrants is to commit another Holocaust.

But rather than belabor that last point, Rubio instead made the point earlier that “it was here, in Europe, where the ideas that planted the seeds of liberty that changed the world were born.” Including “the rule of law, the universities and the scienti c revolution,” plus Mozart and Beethoven, Dante and Shakespeare, Michelangelo and Leonardo, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

Europe should be “proud,” a word he repeated half a dozen times, “of its heritage and its history.” Proud of a “spirit of creation and liberty that sent ships out into uncharted seas and birthed our civilization,” with a Europe that has the means to defend itself and the will to survive.”

Among American and European elites, open expression of pride is something, well, just not done. They prefer to denounce the “systemic racism” of their fellow citizens or the “oppressive colonialism” of their forebears, to disparage the motives of “settlers” and idealize the virtues of the “indigenous.”

But pride in one’s nation and one’s civilization, properly understood, is not a warrant for self-satisfaction but a summons to duty, a reminder that for us to whom much has been given, much is asked. In Munich, Rubio was not just Trump’s good cop but a mature American leader towering above the crowd.

Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner. (Copyright 2026 Creators.com)

White House pressure leads universities to cut ties with nonpro t that helps racial minorities

Federal o cials say the nonpro t’s race-based eligibility violates civil rights law

By Jocelyn Gecker and Collin Binkley The Associated Press

THE TRUMP administration said last Thursday its campaign to end diversity programs in higher education has led dozens of universities to cut ties with an organization known as The PhD Project, which helps racial minorities earn doctorate degrees.

The PhD Project was a little-known nonpro t group until it caught the attention of conservative strategists last year and became the focus of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education. The Republican administration says school diversity programs often exclude white and Asian American students.

The investigation, opened in March 2025, has resulted in 31 universities agreeing to end partnerships with the group, the department’s O ce for Civil Rights said last week. Negotiations are continuing with 14 additional schools, it said.

The department said in its statement that The PhD Proj-

ect “unlawfully limits eligibility based on the race of participants” and that institutions partnering with it violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in education programs and activities that receive federal money.

“This is the Trump e ect in action: institutions of higher education are agreeing to cut ties with discriminatory organizations, recommitting themselves to abiding by federal law, and restoring equality of opportunity on campuses across the na-

Education Secretary Linda McMahon arrives at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Feb. 1 to attend the wedding of White House deputy chief of sta Dan Scavino and Erin Elmore.

tion,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said.

Many of the schools promptly cut ties with The PhD Project after the investigation was opened in order to avoid entanglements with the administration. It had undertaken the inquiries after warning schools they could lose federal money over “race-based preferences.”

The PhD Project is one of many nonpro ts that helps underrepresented groups gain access to higher education.

“The PhD Project was founded with the goal of providing more role models in the front of

business classrooms and this remains our goal today,” the organization said in a statement. The website says it has “helped more than 1,500 members earn their doctoral degree.”

The group of 31 colleges listed by the department included major public research universities such as Arizona State, Ohio State and the University of Michigan, along with prestigious private schools like Yale, Duke and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

MIT, like many of the schools cited in the investigation, had paid The PhD Project “a nominal fee” to participate in the group’s university fairs or conferences, allowing MIT to send representatives to answer questions about attending their school, spokesperson Kimberly Allen said.

MIT informed the government in April 2025 it had ended its participation in such conferences and was noti ed months later that the O ce for Civil Rights had found it in violation of Title VI. The school signed a “resolution agreement” with the department about a week ago to resolve the matter “but explicitly did not admit any liability, wrongdoing or violation of any law or regulation,” Allen said.

The University of North Da-

NASA delays moon mission after rocket problem

Interrupted helium ow forced the rocket back to the hangar, pushing the mission to April

By Marcia Dunn The Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. —

In the latest setback to return astronauts to the moon, NASA delayed the highly anticipated ight yet again after a new problem cropped up with the rocket Saturday.

April is now the earliest that the four Artemis II astronauts could y to the moon.

NASA revealed the latest problem just one day after targeting March 6 for Artemis II, humanity’s rst ight to the moon in more than half a century. Overnight, the ow of helium to the rocket’s upper stage was interrupted, o cials said. Solid helium ow is essential for purging the engines and pressurizing the fuel tanks.

This helium issue has nothing to do with the hydrogen fuel leaks that marred a countdown dress rehearsal of the Space Launch System rocket earlier this month and forced a repeat test.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said a bad lter, valve or connection plate could be to blame for the stalled helium ow. Regardless of the cause, he said, the only way to access the area and x the problem is to return the 322-foot rocket to its hangar for repairs.

“We will begin preparations for rollback, and this will take the March launch window out of consideration,” Isaacman said via X. NASA’s next opportunities would be at the beginning or end of April.

“I understand people are disappointed by this development,” he added. “That disappointment is felt most by the team at NASA, who have been working tirelessly to prepare for this great endeavor.”

Earlier in the day, NASA said it was preparing to move the rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center while raising the possibility of the work being done at the pad.

The situation is dynamic, said spokeswoman Cheryl Warner. Whether the xes are at the pad or in the hangar, the rollback preparations alone rule out any chance of making a March launch, she said.

Everything worked ne with the rocket’s helium system during both dress rehearsals, Isaacman said. The “unexpected development” cropped up later in routine testing that kept engineers up all night assessing the situation.

The interrupted helium ow is con ned to the SLS rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage. This upper stage is essential for placing the Orion crew capsule into the proper high-altitude orbit around Earth for checkout, following lifto . After that, it’s supposed to separate from Orion and serve as a target for the astronauts inside the capsule, allowing them to practice docking techniques for future moon missions.

Hydrogen fuel leaks had already delayed the Artemis II lunar y-around by a month. A second fueling test last Thursday revealed hardly any leaks, giving managers the con dence to aim for a March lifto . The four astronauts went into their two-week quarantine Friday evening, mandatory for avoiding germs.

During NASA’s Apollo program, 24 astronauts ew to the moon from 1968 through 1972. The new Artemis program has completed only one ight so far, a lunar-orbiting mission without a crew in 2022. That rst test ight was also plagued by hydrogen fuel leaks before blasting o , as well as a helium issue similar to the one that arose Saturday. The rst moon landing with a crew under Artemis is still at least a few years away.

kota said it, too, promptly ended its membership with The PhD Project two weeks after the investigation was announced last year.

“The University became a member of the PhD Project to have access to the PhD Project’s member directory and applicant database, to be able to recruit a larger pool of quali ed applicants for faculty positions,” spokesperson David Dodds said in a statement.

The University of Utah said it had a table at annual conferences hosted by the nonpro t in the 2024-25 school year and two previous years. It cut ties with the project in October after settling with the department, university spokesperson Rebecca Walsh said.

Out of 170 PhD students admitted to Utah’s business school over the past 14 years, just two were involved through the PhD Project, Walsh said.

The Education Department said that all of the 31 universities have also agreed to review partnerships with other organizations “to identify any that violate Title VI by restricting participation based on race.”

The administration has targeted a wide range of practices that it has labeled as diversity, equity and inclusion.

would never pick up a gun, Fields told The Associated Press on Sunday.

He lived with his mother in a modest modular house down a rutted sandy road near the town of Cameron. No one answered the door Monday, and the large police presence from the day before was gone.

Martin’s sister was killed in a car accident a few years ago, and he has an older brother who’s in the military, Fields said.

For the past three years, Martin worked as a groundskeeper at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club.

“It’s tragic. I feel for his family,” said Kelly Miller, president of the course in nearby Southern Pines. “It’s just unfortunate what transpired. It was totally unexpected.”

Martin last year started a business to sell pen drawings he made, according to state records. A website matching the company name features illustrations of golf courses, buildings and ancient Roman architecture.

Politics didn’t seem to be among his interests, his cousin said.

“We are big Trump supporters, all of us. Everybody,” Fields said, but his cousin was “real quiet, never really talked about anything.”

MARK SCHIEFELBEIN / AP PHOTO

NASA VIA AP

NASA’s moon rocket sits on the pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida last Thursday.

MOORE SPORTS

COURTESY

The Union Pines boys’ and girls’ wrestling teams mug for the cameras after winning their respective state individual meets.

Union Pines takes dual team wrestling state title

Pinecrest placed in the top 10 in indoor track states

North State Journal sta

UNION PINES won the Class 6A NCHSAA dual team title. The Vikings entered as the top seed and swept through No. 16 West Johnston, No. 4 Middle Creek and No. 3 White Oak to earn a spot in the championship match. Union Pines then topped No. 1 St. Stephens to take the title.

In the individual meet, the Union Pines girls nished rst with 82 points. MacKenzie Shaver was named the meet’s outstanding wrestler after winning the state title at 138 pounds. She scored a pinfall win in 4:56 to take the title, nishing the season with a 43-7 record.

At 132, LilyAnn Blair got a majority decision to win the state title with a 41-5 record on the season.

Leila Flechsenhaar gave the Vikings girls a third state champion, scoring a pinfall in 3:46 to take the 165-pound title. She nished the season at 46-11.

Union Pines completed the sweep by taking the rst place

nish at the boys’ individual meet as well, with a total of 161 points, a 74.5 point margin of victory.

Liam Myles took the state title at 106 pounds, winning a 7-4 decision in the championship match to nish the year at 42-3.

Dominic Blue joined him atop the podium, winning the state title at 175 pounds. He scored a technical fall to win the title, nishing with a 43-2 record.

Daniel McDermott took second at 113 pounds, nishing with a 50-6 record.

Joseph Shook was second at 138, nishing 40-6 on the year.

Tripp Sullivan was second at 167, nishing 29-6.

Pinecrest boys’ wrestling nished third in class 8A.

The Patriots were led by state champion Matthew Akins, who took a 4-3 decision in the championship match to win the title and nish the season with a 43-7 record.

The Pinecrest girls’ track team nished in sixth place at the NCHSAA Class 8A indoor championships, scoring 39 points.

Junior Alessia Potts won state individual titles in the 1,000-meter run with a time

of 2:50.17 and the 1,600 with a time of 4:51.04.

Sophomore Madeline Dorsch nished second to Potts in the 1,600. She also won a state title of her own with a win in the 3,200, nishing in a time of 10:44.20, cruising to victory by a 14.66 second margin.

Junior Lavinia Booker nished eighth in the pole vault, and the 4x800 relay nished 10th.

The Pinecrest boys’ team placed seventh in the Class 8A championship meet with 29 points.

Junior Wendell Wells nished third in the 55-meter dash, missing a state title by .05 seconds. He also placed fth in the 300.

Junior Jude Schmitt took fourth in the 55 hurdles.

Senior Tyvrian Praylo earned sixth in the triple jump, while junior Zaiden Pratt nished eighth.

Senior Donovan Chelley took sixth in shot put, with junior Zelden Marsh nishing ninth.

Junior Carter Jackson placed eighth in the 500-meters.

Junior Gavin Church nished 10th in the 1,600.

Pinecrest also took third in the 4x400 relay.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Alessia Potts

Pinecrest, girls’ basketball

Alessia Potts is a junior on the Pinecrest girls’ track and eld team. The Patriots took sixth in the NCHSAA Class 8A track meet, and Potts took a pair of state titles. She nished rst in the 1,000-meter run, beating the runner-up by a 2.51-second margin of victory. She then won the girls’ 1,600 in a rout, winning by a margin of 9.98 seconds. The second- through seventh-place nishers were separated by less than seven seconds, showing just how big her cushion was.

Her two individual titles earned her an additional honor, as she was named the meet’s Most Outstanding Performer for the girls’ competition.

Reddick wins at Atlanta to give 23 XI Racing, Jordan second straight NASCAR Cup victory

The driver is the rst in 17 years to win the rst two races of a season

The Associated Press

HAMPTON, Ga. — Whether on or o the racetrack, all Michael Jordan does is win in NASCAR.

For the second consecutive Sunday to open the season, the basketball great and co-owner of 23XI Racing celebrated in Victory Lane with driver Tyler Reddick. This time, after a thriller at Echo Park Speedway.

Jordan’s team now has the top two drivers in the Cup Series points standings with Reddick and Bubba Wallace. The six-time NBA champion already added a ring last week with Reddick in the Daytona 500, the crown jewel of stock-car racing.

Oh, and Jordan also settled a federal antitrust lawsuit with NASCAR in December, a major legal victory that secured a permanent franchise-style model and ensured his team would remain in business for the long term.

“The guys worked hard all summer, and I know we had our little ordeal,” Jordan said after Reddick’s victory Sunday, referring to the bruising court battle that ended with him making peace with NASCAR CEO and chairman Jim France. “They kept working hard, and this is the fruit of their labor. They put forth the e ort, and for us to come out and win the rst two races says a lot about our whole team.”

It especially says a lot about Reddick, who put on another dazzling performance the week after he became the fourth driver in history to win the Daytona 500 by leading only the nal lap.

“They kept working hard, and this is the fruit of their labor.”

said Reddick, who became the rst driver since Matt Kenseth in 2009 to win the rst two NASCAR Cup Series races of the season. “I just found a way to get back in the top ve, and I tried to stay committed to somebody.”

Wallace was rst entering thenal restart but shu ed to eighth. He still gained the second-most points (48) by winning the second stage and leading 46 laps.

This time, he led a race-high 53 laps on the 1.54-mile oval south of Atlanta — including the nal two in a double-overtime restart. He snatched the lead from Wallace despite the right-front fender of his No. 45 Toyota being damaged in a nine-car crash on the 224th of a scheduled 260 laps. Reddick fell two laps down for repairs but came roaring back from 27th for his 10th career victory.

He got a helpful push from runner-up Chase Briscoe. Ross Chastain nished third, followed by the Spire Motorsports tandem of Carson Hocevar (who triggered a large crash in the rst overtime) and Daniel Suarez.

“Tyler had like another gear,” Chastain said. “(He had) no fender, and he pulled us so fast.”

“I mean, that’s crazy, ain’t it?”

In a race that featured a track-record 57 lead changes,

“Tyler did an unbelievable job,” Jordan said. “I feel bad for Bubba because he had an unbelievable day. But Tyler drove his ass o . I’m very happy for Tyler.

I’m very happy for 23XI.”

Green turns to yellow

Austin Cindric took advantage of a stretch of 61 green- ag laps to open the race, winning the rst stage after starting 30th. It was the second consecu-

tive year that the rst stage in the February race was completed without a yellow ag — an oddity for a track known for chaos since its 2022 recon guration into a high-banked drafting oval.

The cautions quickly picked up pace in the second stage with three yellow ags in 40 laps that collected 16 cars and eliminated notable drivers Ty Gibbs, Josh Berry, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch. The 160-lap middle segment ended under another yellow when defending Cup Series champion Kyle Larson slammed the outside wall after a collision with Shane van Gisbergen.

COURTESY NCHSAA

NCHSAA

COLIN HUBBARD / AP PHOTO

Tyler Reddick reacts after winning Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race in Hampton, Georgia.

Michael Jordan

Diana Stampley Walden

March 9, 1936 – Feb. 17, 2026

Diana Stampley Walden, age 89, of Southern Pines, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital.

Diana was the beloved daughter of the late Charles Douglas and Margaret Stallings Stampley. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Doug Stampley Jr.

Diana was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, in a di erent time - as a child, she would ride her horse through the wilds of what is now the South Park area, accompanied by her dog on the saddle. Diana attended the Women’s College in Greensboro and was honored as N.C. State’s “Sweetheart of Sigma Chi” in 1957 for her beauty, charm, and vibrant spirit that would de ne her throughout her life. The summer before college, she met the love of her life, Sam Walden - they married in December of 1957.

Diana and Sam made homes in many places - Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Winston Salem - before settling in Charlotte to live their lives and raise a family. In a bold move far ahead of her time, Diana decided that Charlotte needed more exposure to good art, so she opened Walden Gallery in the early 1980’s and became an art dealer. Walden Gallery specialized in the art of the American West - Diana possessed a natural eye for beauty and creativity, and her passion for good art was matched only by the warm a ection that artists had for this charming Southern lady.

Fondly known as “Moo” to those who loved her most, Diana was truly a force of nature, with a personality that left a lasting impression on everyone she met. She loved her dogs, she loved the beach, she loved her extended family, and all the many, many friends she made along the way. Her warmth, humor, and boundless energy will be remembered and cherished by all who knew her. To know her was to love her.

Moo is survived by her husband of 68 years, Samuel Walden of Southern Pines; daughter, Christie Spivey (Michael) of Fort Mill, South Carolina; four sons, Crews Walden (M.J.) of Savannah, Georgia, Stamp Walden (Laura) of Southern Pines, Calvin Walden (Marzenna) of Brooklyn, New York, and Scott Walden (Ti any) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 13 grandchildren and eight greatgrandchildren. In lieu of owers, donations may be made to Moore Humane Society, PO Box 203, Southern Pines, NC 28388.

Dannie H. Mason Sr.

Feb. 18, 2026

It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of Dannie H. Mason Sr. of Charlotte, NC, formerly of Laurinburg, NC, who departed this life and answered the Master’s call on February 18, 2026. He was the son of the late Mrs. Odessa Everette Mason and the late Mr. Daniel Mason.

Dannie was preceded in death by his wife, Mrs. Jacqueline Jackson Mason; his son, Dannie H. Mason Jr.; four sisters, Minnie Pearl Mason, Katie Mears, Roxanne Garner, and Lennie Mae “Pam” Brown; and ve brothers, Lendo Mason, Calvin L. Mason, Jessie Mason, Daniel Jessie Mason and Willie Pearl Mason.

Dannie leaves to cherish his memory his son, Bryan Mason of Rocky Mount, as well as a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives and friends.

A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at noon at Star of Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church. Rev. Michael McDougald will be the eulogist, Rev. Dr. Elijah Fulcher, Pastor. A viewing and visitation will be held from 11 a.m. to noon prior to the service.

The family will greet family members and friends during the visitation.

All oral arrangements are to be sent to Star of Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church on Wednesday, February 25, between 11 a.m. and the service time.

Vernice S. Congery

April 15, 1962 – Feb. 20, 2026

Vernice S. Congery, 63, of Ludowici, Georgia, formerly of Scotland County, departed this life on February 20, 2026. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 27, 2026, at Spring Branch Missionary Baptist Church. Interment will follow in the Spring Branch - Matthew Cemetery, Wagram. A viewing and visitation will be held one hour prior to the services. Services are entrusted to Purcell Funeral Home & Cremation Services.

Harold Williams

Dec. 21, 1927 – Feb. 19, 2026

A Life Well Lived:

Remembering Harold Williams

Harold Edwin Williams, age 98, of Eagle Springs, NC, passed away on Thursday, February 19, 2026. He was born on December 21, 1927, to the late James Lucian and Estella Williamson Williams. One of eleven children, he grew up in Eagle Springs, NC, and moved with his family to Aberdeen, NC, in 1963.

Harold was a 1945 graduate of West End High School, where he met his sweetheart and wife-tobe, Nellie Grey Monroe Williams. His marriage to her on November 19, 1949, was a highlight of his life, and they spent the next 67 years together before her passing on April 27, 2016. Each of them came from large loving families with meager beginnings, which instilled in them the importance of hard work, thrift, and strong Christian values.

Growing up on a farm as part of a large family, Harold learned early the values of sharing, cooperation, and perseverance. The Williams family home was a modest house, yet it was lled with love, laughter, good food, and the steady rhythm of daily chores. Together, they tended crops, cared for cattle and hogs, canned vegetables and managed the endless tasks that came with rural life.

Harold’s father, a World War I US Army veteran, worked in the logging and sawmill business. Harold and his brothers followed

Shirley Deloris (Jackson) Piggie

Oct. 17, 1949 – Feb. 15, 2026

Mrs. Shirley Deloris (Jackson) Piggie, 76 of Sanford, North Carolina, entered into eternal rest on Sunday, February 15, 2026, at her residence.

Please keep the family and friends of Mrs. Shirley Deloris (Jackson) Piggie in your thoughts and prayers.

in his footsteps, gaining rsthand experience in the value of hard work and determination. From his mother, Harold inherited a love for gardening. She oversaw the planting and harvesting of a large family garden each year, ensuring there was always food on the table and jars of preserved fruits and vegetables lining the pantry shelves.

Over the years, Harold held many di erent jobs to provide for his family. He served as postmaster in Eagle Springs, worked as a supervisor in both a furniture factory and a small appliance manufacturer, and even spent a brief period working for the railroad. But most of his career was spent in the logging business. Operating chainsaws, skidders, forklifts, and driving log trucks was what he did best, in spite of the challenges and risk involved in this dangerous business. He was the go-to person when friends, neighbors or his church needed help with tree removal.

Faith was a cornerstone of Harold’s upbringing. Living less than half a mile from Bensalem Presbyterian Church in Eagle Springs, he and his family were devoted members, contributing to a legacy of service that continues today. In 1963, the family moved to Aberdeen and quickly became involved members of Bethesda Presbyterian Church. Over a period spanning more than 50 years, Harold served the church in many roles, including Elder and Deacon, youth group leader, and greeter. He spent countless hours assisting with special projects around the current church and at Old Bethesda. Harold’s life was a testament to the power of love, resilience, community and the simple pleasures that make life meaningful. His story is not just one of personal achievement, but of the bonds of family, the strength of faith, and the quiet dignity of a life well lived.

Harold was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, a

Althea Marie (Buchanan) Powell

Nov. 9, 1965 – Feb. 16, 2026

Mrs. Althea Marie (Buchanan) Powell, 60, of Sanford, North Carolina, entered into eternal rest on Monday, February 16, 2026, at her residence.

Please keep the family and friends of Mrs. Althea Marie (Buchanan) Powell in your thoughts and prayers.

daughter, Deborah Ella Williams, and seven brothers and two sisters, Arthur, Roy, Viola Williams Monroe, James, Foster, Treva Williams Smith, Winford, Clinton and Fred Williams.

He is survived by a sister, Elizabeth Williams Pusser, and sister-in-law Ruby Hartsell Williams, both of Pinehurst, NC; ve children, Darrell Williams (Elizabeth) of Fort Mill, SC, the Rev. Dwight Williams (Susan) of Laurinburg, NC, Denise Buckner (Bill) of Raleigh, NC, Dolores Richardson (Don) of Jackson Springs, NC, and Doug Williams of Southern Pines, NC.

Grandchildren: Laura Williams Ciotoli (Darren), Kristen Buckner McAllister, Anna Buckner Pabon (Javier), Jonathan Buckner, Brian Williams (Amy), David Buckner (Ashley), Cassi Williams Beech (Josh), Whitney Richardson, Zach Williams (Rebecca), Austin Richardson (Caitlin), Molly Richardson Poole (Joe), Hillary Williams Sessions (Matt), Monroe Williams (Alejandra), and Logan Williams (Kat).

Great-grandchildren: Paul Ciotoli, Banks Buckner, Kullen McAllister, Ella Ciotoli, Sta ord Buckner, Parks Buckner, Flynn McAllister, Arlie Buckner, Laneya Williams, Clyde Williams, James Beech, Coble Poole, Ezra Pabon, Willa Buckner, Lilly Williams, Hart Sessions, Virginia Sessions, Maggie Poole, Decker Sessions, Agustin Williams, Hollis Richardson, Elizabeth Poole, So a Williams and Walt Sessions.

The funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, February 24, at Bethesda Presbyterian Church, 1002 N Sandhills Blvd., Aberdeen, NC, followed by a private burial at Bensalem Presbyterian Church cemetery in Eagle Springs. Instead of owers, donations may be made in his memory to Bethesda Presbyterian Church,1002 N Sandhills Blvd, Aberdeen, NC 28315. The family would like to thank Maggie Chadwick for her love and long-time support, and also FirstHealth Hospice and other caregivers who assisted our Dad.

Thomas Junior Smith

Oct. 16, 1976 – Feb. 17, 2026

Thomas Junior Smith, 49, of Laurinburg, departed this life on February 17, 2026. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, February 28, 2026, at Star Bethlehem Church. Interment will follow in the Hillside Memorial Park. Services are entrusted to Purcell Funeral Home & Cremation Services.

More obituaries on page B3

Ellen Bates Morrison

July 15, 1953 – Feb. 18, 2026

Ellen Bates Morrison, 72, passed away peacefully at her home in Cameron, North Carolina, on February 18, 2026.

Born on July 15, 1953, in Norwich, New York, Ellen was the beloved daughter of Warren Bates and Elizabeth Jilson Bates. Though she was raised in Norwich, she spent most of her life in North Carolina, where she built a life centered around family, friendship, and community.

Ellen was known for her wonderful sense of humor and her remarkable ability to keep a smile on your face no matter the circumstances. She had a true gift for conversation, the kind that could last for hours, making everyone she spoke with feel heard, valued and loved. Her warmth and laughter lled every room she entered.

She was a proud supporter of the Duke Blue Devils basketball team. She especially loved rivalry game nights against the North Carolina Tar Heels, cheering passionately and wholeheartedly, fully invested in every play. Those game nights were lled with excitement, spirited commentary, and the same enthusiasm she brought to everything she loved.

Ellen is survived by her loving children: Chris Bates, Crystal Vivero and Sue Vivero. She also leaves behind her cherished grandchildren: Gabrielle Bates, Justin Bates, Adrianna Vivero, Marcelo Vivero, Maria Vivero, Ariana Vivero, Mike Rodriguez, Mia Rodriguez, Madelynn Ramirez, Adam Monterrosas, Camila Vivero, Bryan Lerma, and Analyece Lerma; and her dear sister, Shirley Bates and her brother, Warren Bates Jr.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Warren Bates and Elizabeth Jilson Bates; her brothers, Clarence Bates and Richard Bates; and her granddaughter, Michelle Bates. Ellen’s kindness, humor, and unwavering love for her family will be deeply missed. Her legacy lives on in the laughter she shared, the conversations she cherished, and the countless lives she touched.

Joe Louis Ross

Jan. 20, 1951 – Feb. 18, 2026

Mr. Joe Louis Ross, 75, of West End, North Carolina, entered into eternal rest on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at The Greens at Pinehurst in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Please keep the family and friends of Mr. Joe Louis Ross in your thoughts and prayers.

Teresa Joy JohnsonTyhanic

Dec. 14, 1958 – Feb. 18, 2026

Teresa Joy Johnson-Tyhanic, 67, of Whispering Pines, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at the Hospice House in West End, North Carolina.

She was born on December 14, 1958, in Pinehurst to the late Edward Lee and Wilma Bibey Johnson.

Teresa graduated from Pinecrest High School and went on to graduate from Sandhills Community College as a Respiratory Therapist. She dedicated 30 years to FirstHealth, where she loved medicine and caring for those who could not care for themselves. She shared endless stories — often unbelievable, but always true. She enjoyed music, horseback riding, and art. Teresa de ed all odds, living 15 years beyond what doctors predicted, often making them laugh in disbelief at her strength and determination. She was a devoted mother to her two sons, each wonderfully di erent but always united when it mattered most. She is lovingly remembered as a caring mother and proud grandmother.

Teresa was preceded in death by her parents and her husband of 27 years, Michael S. Tyhanic, another medical anomaly, and her perfect match.

She is survived by her sons, Bascom “Jonathan” and wife Shannon Johnson of Fox re, and Stephen “Jake” Tyhanic of Whispering Pines; her three granddaughters, Kayla Johnson, Willow Johnson, and Adeline Johnson of Fox re; her sister, Debbie Williams of Vass; and her brothers, Gary Johnson of Raleigh, and Lanny Johnson of Carthage.

The family will hold a private memorial service.

Julia Faulkner Matthews

Feb. 6, 1934 – Feb. 18, 2026

Julia Faulkner Matthews “Baby”, age 92, of Pineblu , passed away peacefully at her home on Wednesday, February 18, 2026.

A native of Moore County, she was the daughter of the late Edwin Fenner and Julia Short Faulkner. Baby worked in the meat department at the old A&P Grocery store for several years, but was most passionate about farming.

She was preceded in death by her husband Gordon “Gordy” Matthews; brothers Edwin and Fenner Faulkner; sister Nancy Sherman; daughters-in-law Paulette and LouAnn Matthews; son-in-law Gary Priest.

She is survived by her children, Ralin Matthews and Lonnie Matthews, both of Pineblu , Jane Priest and Sherrill Matthews, both of Carthage; nine grandchildren, and several greatgrandchildren and great-greatgrandchildren.

A graveside service will be held at Yates-Thagard Baptist Church Cemetery. The time and date will be announced when available.

Memorials may be made to: Gentiva Hospice, 3350 Riverwood Place, SE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, GA 30339.

Dr. Daniel John O’Connor Jr.

Aug. 22, 1931 – Feb. 18, 2026

Dr. Daniel John O’Connor Jr., a pioneering radiologist, dedicated hospital executive, and beloved husband, father and friend, passed away on February 18, 2026, at the age of 94.

He was born and raised in the “Acre” of Lowell, Massachusetts, to the late Daniel and Helene O’Connor, and was the brother of Gerard and Helene. Known a ectionately as “Bucky” to his lifelong Lowell friends, he established himself as a premier student-athlete in Lowell and a dedicated lifeguard at Salisbury Beach. He competed in football, basketball, and baseball and was awarded the McGuinness trophy as recognition.

His athletic prowess followed him to Harvard College, where he famously quarterbacked the Leverett House “Bunnies” to a Strauss Cup championship. After earning his undergraduate degree, he graduated from Harvard Medical School, beginning a lifelong journey of service in medicine.

While awaiting his Naval commission, Dan worked as a physician at Miner’s Memorial Hospital in Williamson, West Virginia. He then served his country as a Flight Surgeon in the U.S. Navy at Quonsett Point, Rhode Island before embarking on a distinguished career in Radiology. A true visionary, he was at the forefront of the diagnostic revolution, playing a pivotal role in the adoption of CT scanning and was recognized as a Diplomate of the American Board of Radiology. He is remembered as a pioneer who helped bring the rst CT scanner to Massachusetts outside of the Boston area, forever changing the landscape of local patient care.

Beyond his technical innovation, Dan was revered for his clinical intuition and caring approach. Long after his retirement, individuals sought his insights on their most challenging cases. His leadership extended into the executive suite, where he served on the Board of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and as the CEO of St. John’s Hospital, where he successfully navigated the merger to create Saints Memorial Medical Center.

While his professional achievements were vast, Dan’s heart belonged to his family and the golf course. In his later years, Dan enjoyed the greens of Pinehurst, North Carolina.

He was a passionate golfer and an active, spirited member of the “Gentlemen of the Round Table” at the Country Club of North Carolina, where his Friday afternoons were spent in the company of good friends and even better conversation. His greatest joy was being the devoted husband of his cherished wife Christine, who he met when he was 15 years old and to whom he was married for 67 wonderful years. Together, they raised four children: Daniel John III, Christine Barrett, Paul Kennedy, and Joseph Vincent. He was predeceased by his siblings, Gerard and Helene.

Eric Dane, star of ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ ‘Euphoria,’ dead at 53

The “McSteamy” actor died less than a year after his ALS diagnosis

By Maria Sherman The Associated Press

ERIC DANE, the celebrated actor best known for his roles on “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Euphoria” and who later in life became advocate for ALS awareness, died last Thursday. He was 53.

His representatives said Dane died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known also as Lou Gehrig’s disease, less than a year after he announced his diagnosis.

“He spent his nal days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world,” said a statement that requested privacy for his family. “Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a di erence for others facing the same ght. He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received.”

Dane was born Nov. 9, 1972, and raised in California. His father, a Navy man, died of a gunshot wound when he was 7. After high school, he moved to Los Angeles to purse acting, landing guest roles on shows like “Saved by the Bell,” “Married...With Children,” “Charmed” and “X-Men: the Last Stand” and one season of the short-lived medical drama “Gideon’s Crossing.” His big break arrived in the mid-2000s when he was cast as Dr. Mark Sloan, a.k.a. McSteamy, on the ABC medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy,” a role he would play from 2006 until 2012 and reprise in 2021. In 2019, he did a complete 180 and became Cal Jacobs, a troubled married man, in HBO’s provocative drama, “Euphoria,” a role he continued in up until his death.

Dane also starred as Tom Chandler, the captain of a U.S. Navy destroyer at sea after a global catastrophe wiped out most of the world’s population, in the TNT drama “The Last Ship.” In 2017, production was halted as Dane battled depression. In April 2025, Dane announced he had been diagnosed with ALS, a progressive disease that attacks nerve cells controlling muscles throughout the body. ALS gradually destroys the nerve cells and connections needed to walk, talk, speak and breathe. Most patients die within three to ve years of a diagnosis.

Dane became an advocate for ALS awareness, speaking a

“Some of you may know me from TV shows, such as ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ which I play a doctor. But I am here today to speak brie y as a patient battling ALS.” Eric Dane during a June 2025 news conference

news conference in Washington, D.C., on health insurance prior authorization. “Some of you may know me from TV shows, such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” which I play a doctor. But I am here today to speak briefly as a patient battling ALS,” he said in June 2025. In September of that year, the ALS Network named Dane the recipient of their advocate of the year award, recognizing his commitment to raising awareness and support for people living with ALS. A memoir by Dane is scheduled to be published in late 2026. “Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments” will be released by Maria Shriver’s The Open Field, a Penguin Random House imprint. According to Open Field, Dane will look back upon key moments in his life, from his rst day at work on “Grey’s Anatomy” to the births of his two daughters and learning that he has ALS.

“I want to capture the moments that shaped me — the beautiful days, the hard ones, the ones I never took for granted — so that if nothing else, people who read it will remember what it means to live with heart,” Dane said in a statement around the book’s announcement. “If sharing this helps someone nd meaning in their own days, then my story is worth telling.”

Dane is survived by his wife, actor Rebecca Gayheart, and their two teen daughters, Billie Beatrice and Georgia Geraldine. Gayheart and Dane wed in 2004 and separated in September 2017. Gayheart led for divorce in 2018, but later led to dismiss the petition. In a December essay for New York magazine’s The Cut re ecting on Dane’s diagnosis, Gayheart called their dynamic “a very complicated relationship, one that’s confusing for people.” She said they never got a divorce, but dated other people and lived separately.

“Our love may not be romantic, but it’s a familial love,” she said. “Eric knows that I am always going to want the best for him. That I’m going to do my best to do right by him. And I know he would do the same for me. So whatever I can do or however I can show up to make this journey better for him or easier for him, I want to do that.”

JORDAN STRAUSS / AP PHOTO

Actor Eric Dane arrives at a promotional event for the series “Euphoria” in Los Angeles on April 20, 2022.

STATE & NATION

US House campaigns underway, yet redistricting battles triggered by Trump rages in several states

The president’s push for redistricting has sparked a national tit-for-tat clash

By David A. Lieb The Associated Press

CANDIDATES ARE campaigning, and voting is underway in some primaries. Yet a national battle to redraw U.S. House districts for partisan advantage is still raging in some states ahead of the November midterm elections.

Final boundaries for congressional voting districts remain uncertain in Missouri, New York, Utah and Virginia. Governors in Florida and Maryland are pushing lawmakers to reshape House districts. And that all comes on top of redistricting changes already enacted in California, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas.

Voting districts typically are redrawn once a decade after each census. But President Donald Trump triggered an unusual round of mid-decade redistricting when he urged Texas Republicans last summer to redraw House districts to give the GOP an edge in the midterm elections. California Democrats reciprocated, and a tit-for-tat redistricting clash soon spread.

So far, Republicans believe they could win nine additional seats in states where they have redrawn congressional districts, while Democrats think they could gain six seats elsewhere because of redistricting. But that presumes past voting patterns hold in November. And that’s uncertain, especially since the party in power typically loses seats in the midterms and Trump faces negative approval ratings in polls.

Democrats need to gain just a few seats in November to wrest control of the House from Republicans, which could allow them to obstruct Trump’s agenda.

REDISTRICTING

BATTLEGROUNDS

Virginia

Current map: six Democrats, ve Republicans

Proposed map: A new U.S. House map passed by the Democratic-led General Assembly could help Democrats win up to four additional seats. To facilitate that, lawmakers referred a constitutional amendment to the April ballot that would allow mid-decade redistricting.

Challenges: A state judge temporarily blocked the April referendum after ruling that the amendment is invalid because lawmakers violated their own rules while passing it. Democrats are appealing.

Maryland

Current map: seven Democrats, one Republican

Proposed map: The Democratic-led state House passed a redistricting plan backed by

Democratic Gov. Wes Moore that could help Democrats win an additional seat.

Challenges: The Democratic state Senate president has said his chamber won’t move forward with redistricting because of concerns it could backre on Democrats.

Missouri

Current map: two Democrats, six Republicans

New map: Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a revised House map into law last fall that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: Opponents submitted petition signatures in December to try to force a statewide referendum on the map. The Republican secretary of state has until August to determine whether the petition meets legal muster and has enough signatures. Meanwhile, several lawsuits are challenging the legality of the new districts.

Utah

Current map: no Democrats, four Republicans

New map: A judge in November imposed revised House districts that could help Democrats win a seat. The court ruled that lawmakers had circumvented anti-gerrymandering standards passed by voters when adopting the prior map.

Challenges: Republicans are challenging the judicial map selection in the state Supreme Court and in federal court.

New York

Current map: 19 Democrats, seven Republicans

Proposed map: A judge in January ordered a state commission to draw new boundaries for the only congressional district in New York City represented by a Republican, ruling it unconstitutionally dilutes the votes of black and Hispanic residents.

Challenges: Republicans

lost an appeal in state court but have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case.

Florida

Current map: eight Democrats, 20 Republicans

Proposed map: Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis says he will call a special legislative session in April on congressional redistricting.

Challenges: A lawsuit asserts that DeSantis cannot legally call the special session. The state constitution says districts cannot be drawn with intent to favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent.

REDISTRICTING TRIUMPHS

Texas

Current map: 13 Democrats, 25 Republicans

New map: Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a revised House map into law last August that could help Republicans win ve additional seats.

Challenges: The U.S. Supreme Court in December cleared the way for the new districts to be used in this year’s elections. It put on hold a lower-court ruling that blocked the new map because it was “racially gerrymandered.”

California

Current map: 43 Democrats, nine Republicans

New map: Voters in November approved revised House districts drawn by the Democratic-led Legislature that could help Democrats win ve additional seats.

Challenges: The U.S. Supreme Court in February al-

lowed the new districts to be used in this year’s elections. It denied an appeal from Republicans and the Department of Justice, which claimed the districts impermissibly favor Hispanic voters.

North Carolina

Current map: four Democrats, 10 Republicans

New map: The Republican-led General Assembly gave nal approval in October to revised districts that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: A federal court panel in November denied a request to block the revised districts from being used in the midterm elections.

Ohio

Current map: ve Democrats, 10 Republicans

New map: A bipartisan panel composed primarily of Republicans voted in October to approve revised House districts that improve Republicans’ chances of winning two additional seats.

Challenges: None. The state constitution required new districts before the 2026 election. Because Republicans had approved the prior maps without su cient Democratic support, they were required to expire after the 2024 election.

REDISTRICTING POSSIBILITIES

Louisiana

Current map: two Democrats, four Republicans

Proposal: Republican Gov. Je Landry signed legislation in October to delay the state’s primary election from April 18 until May 16. That could give lawmakers extra time to redraw House districts if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the current districts.

Challenges: The Supreme Court heard arguments in October but has not ruled yet.

Opponents of mid-decade e orts to redraw congressional voting districts gather to protest in the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee on Dec. 2, 2025.

South Carolina

Current map: one Democrat, six Republicans

Proposed map: A legislative committee is considering a congressional redistricting plan that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: Republican legislative leaders are concerned the plan could back re, and time is running short before this year’s election.

Colorado

Current map: four Democrats, four Republicans

Proposed map: A proposed ballot initiative would authorize mid-decade redistricting and impose a new House map that could help Democrats win three additional seats.

Challenges: Organizers must gather enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. If approved by voters, the new districts couldn’t be used until the 2028 elections.

Washington

Current map: eight Democrats, two Republicans

Proposed map: Democratic lawmakers have proposed a constitutional amendment that would allow mid-decade redistricting.

Challenges: Democrats don’t hold the two-thirds majority needed in both legislative chambers to refer a proposed amendment to the ballot, meaning it is unlikely to be approved before the November election.

Wisconsin

Current map: two Democrats, six Republicans

Proposed map: Two lawsuits assert that congressional districts must be redrawn because they unconstitutionally favor Republicans.

Challenges: One case is not scheduled for trial until 2027, and it’s unclear whether the other case can be resolved before the midterm election.

KATE PAYNE / AP PHOTO

Districts altered by redistricing in North Carolina