North State Journal Vol. 5, Issue 48

VOLUME 5 ISSUE 48

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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2021

the Wednesday

NEWS BRIEFING

Two state legislators announce positive COVID-19 tests RALEIGH — State Rep. Brian Turner (D-Buncombe) and state Sen. Bill Rabon (R-Brunswick) announced separately on Tuesday they each have tested positive for COVID-19.

“Today I joined the over 675,000 people in NC who have tested positive for COVID-19,” Turner wrote on his Facebook page.

He said he experienced some symptoms that he called having a “bad cold” but didn’t lose his sense of smell and taste and didn’t have a fever.

A statement from the Senate Republican Caucus said Rabon felt mild symptoms before the test and on Tuesday was not experiencing symptoms and was isolating at home.

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NC COVID-19 vaccination rate marginally improves RALEIGH — The state’s COVID-19 vaccination rate has improved slightly but still trails most of the nation. According to the CDC, the state’s rate, as of data uploaded at the end of last week, showed 2,887 per 100,000 residents were able to receive vaccinations. That places the state’s rate as the 12th-worst among 100,000.

Earlier, the state consistently rated in the bottom ten.

The state fared slightly better with those receiving their second dose of the vaccine, rising four spots and placing 34th nationally.

The slow roll out of the vaccine has led NCDHHS to change their guidelines several times, and NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen was grilled by state lawmakers over the slow pace in an oversight committee hearing.

“The administration had 10 months to draft and refine a plan to distribute a vaccine that everybody in the world knew was in development, but they didn’t even effectively plan for something as simple as what to do when too many people call asking to schedule their vaccination. The status quo is completely unacceptable, and the failure of the county-centric model was known before planning even began,” said state Sen. Joyce Krawiec (R-Forsyth).

State Sen. Jim Perry (R-Lenoir) added, “The executive branch is now in the unfortunate position of having to build the plane while flying it, which is not a recipe for success.”

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MIT professor charged with hiding work for China BOSTON — A Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor was charged with hiding work he did for the Chinese government while he was also collecting U.S. dollars for his nanotechnology research.

Gang Chen, 56, was arrested by federal agents at his home in Cambridge on charges including wire fraud, officials said.

While working for MIT, Chen entered into undisclosed contracts and held appointments with Chinese entities, including acting as an “overseas expert” for the Chinese government.

He and his research group collected about $29 million in foreign dollars, while getting $19 million in grants from U.S federal agencies for his work at MIT since 2013.

“It is not illegal to collaborate with foreign researchers. It is illegal to lie about it,” Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling told reporters.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ALEX BRANDON | AP PHOTO

Biden, Harris inauguration A large American Flag is are placed on the National Mall, with the U.S. Capitol behind, ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

NORTH

STATE

JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION

Lt. Gov. Robinson headlines 23rd Annual NC Right to Life March in Raleigh Dr. Bill Pincus of NCRTL describes legislative priorities for incoming session

By David Larson North State Journal

Commission report recommends $20B investment over 10 years for NCDOT All revenue sources are on the table, including changes to tax rates and DMV fees

NCDOT’s current annual budget is $5.1 billion. Most of that funding (77%) is from three sources: the Motor Fuels Tax, the Highway Use Tax and Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV)

By A.P. Dillon fees. Federal funding makes North State Journal up the balance, mainly coming from federal fuel taxes.

RALEIGH — A The NCDOT commission tasked has been under fire with looking at ways to during most of Gov. boost revenue streams “Until we get Roy Cooper’s first for the N.C. Depart- somewhere term after the agenment of Transportation cy was found to have (NCDOT) has deliv- away from the overspent its budered a 173-page report three eggs we get by $2 billion in recommending a $20 billion additional in- have right now, 2019. Subsequent state audits found vestment in the agency which is gas overspending of over 10 years. tax, highway $742 million, with Ward Nye, co-chair an agency-wide lack of the NC FIRST Com- use tax and of internal controls mission and chairman, DMV fees and oversight. A president and chief exseparate second auecutive officer of Mar- ... and until dit also revealed imtin Marietta, said in a we find some proper salary adstatement that “This justments. report offers a road- other means The NCFC remap to assure that of revenue, I port gives a tiered North Carolina is posidon’t know how approach, with optioned to succeed. Our tions for long-term remedies aren’t easy the people’s modernization of — but North Carolina highway the NCDOT revedoesn’t shrink from donue streams and oping the hard, but right, network can tions that will create thing. And this is it.” continue to immediate impact “We really appreciat the state level ate all the hard work grow.” and the local levels. and research the comThe report analyzes mission did to develop State Rep. construction and this report. It certain- John Torbett maintenance needs, ly gives policymakers a with a deeper dive great deal to consider,” (R-Gaston) into revenue investsaid NCDOT Secretary ment needs which Eric Boyette.

The NC First Commission are categorized into four grades, (NCFC) was formed in 2019 by ranging from “A” to “D.” The informer NCDOT Secretary James creased revenue recommendaTrogdon in order to research po- tions by the commission over the tential ways to develop a “long- next 10 years would bring transrange transportation investment portation spending closer to a “Grade B” rating. strategy.”

Immediate impact options inThe recommendation means funding an additional $2 billion clude expanding revenue sourca year for the department, rep- es but also hiking certain existresenting a budget increase of around 40%.

See NCDOT, page A2

RALEIGH — The annual downtown Raleigh pro-life march, put on by North Carolina Right to Life, gathered Jan. 16 despite cold weather, extra inauguration security around the state Capitol and

COVID restrictions. Dr. Bill Pincus, president of NCRTL, told NSJ on Jan. 18 the event went well and he’s heard a lot of positive feedback about having Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and U.S. Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC6) as speakers. Pincus also described the group’s legislative agenda for the 2021-22 General Assembly’s session.

“It was kind of a brisk day,” Pincus said. “I was out there early, and by the time it was over, I was froSee ROBINSON, page A2

Biden’s long political evolution leads to his biggest test

By Bill Barrow The Associated Press WILMINGTON, Del. — Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. has navigated a half-century in American politics by relentlessly positioning himself at the core of the Democratic Party.

Wherever that power center shifted, there Biden has been, whether as the young senator who opposed court-ordered busing in school integration cases or the soon-to-be 46th president pitching an agenda on par with Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal and Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society.

The common thread through that evolution is Biden always pitching himself as an institutionalist — a mainstream liberal but also a pragmatist who still insists that governing well depends on compromise and consensus.

Now Biden’s central political identity faces the ultimate trial.

On Wednesday, the 78-year-old president-elect inherits stewardship of a nation wrenched by pandemic, seismic cultural fissures and an opposition party’s base that considers him illegitimate.

Biden’s answer follows two tracks: defending the fabric of society and institutions of government that Trump’s tenure has stressed and calling for sweeping legislative action. His agenda includes an initial $1.9 trillion pandemic response, along with proposed overhauls for health care, taxation, infrastructure, education, criminal justice, the energy grid and climate policy.

“A message of unity. A message of getting things done,” Ron Klain, his incoming White House chief of staff, explained Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

The first approach, rooted in Biden’s campaign pledge to “restore the soul of the nation,” netted 81 million votes in the election.

In his Nov. 7 victory speech, Biden called that coalition “the broadest

and most diverse in history” and framed it as evidence Americans are ready to “lower the temperature” and “heal.”

Biden’s second, policy-based approach, however, still must confront a hyperpartisan age and a closely divided Congress.

The outcome will determine the reach of Biden’s presidency and further test the lifetime politician’s ability to evolve and meet events.

See BIDEN, page A2

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

A2 WEDNESDAY

THE WORD: IN THE BEGINNING…

1.20.21

As the media concerns itself with the traditional transfer of power in Washington, many are discussing “the big picture” of how politics will shape our state, nation and world in the years to come. Surely the government response to public health issues, natural disasters and environmental policy will have an impact on our society.

This is not the beginning of America. It is the continuation of a process that started in 1776. But, as great as our country is, we are just an ephemeral piece of the real story. God created the platform of our world when He created the heavens and the earth.

With His words, “let there be light,” our framework of existence began. As we are told to consider “the big picture,” we should.

The widest view of that picture is that politics is merely a small part of our society, and an even smaller piece of God’s plan for our world and for each of us.

#266

“Esse quam videri” Visit us online nsjonline.com

GENESIS 1:1-3

North State Journal (USPS 20451) (ISSN 2471-1365) JOE CHANSAK | FILE

Neal Robbins Publisher Matt Mercer Editor in Chief Cory Lavalette Managing/Sports Editor

Sunrise from Little Pinnacle Overlook at Pilot Mountain State Park.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good.

And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Frank Hill Senior Opinion Editor Emily Roberson Business/Features Editor David Larson Associate Editor Lauren Rose Design Editor

Published each Wednesday

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ROBINSON from page A1 zen. And I think we would have had a bigger turnout, but COVID made some of the older folks, I’m sure, a little bit concerned. Then there was that threat of armed violence at the state capitols last weekend. But overall, I think it went very well.”

Pincus said the music, put on by a band from Life Community Church, was a hit, as were the speeches by Robinson, Walker and others.

Judging by crowd response, Robinson was the highlight of the event.

“This is the reason why we’re all standing here in the cold right now; because we know and believe that life begins in the womb, and the protection of life begins thereof,” Robinson told the crowd. “It is our mission to carry that banner. You know, 100-and-some-odd years

NCDOT from page A1 ing taxes, such as the Highway Use Tax (HUT) and expanding the number of toll roads in the state.

The commission says that increasing HUT from 3% to 5% will bring in additional revenue of $5.8 billion over the next 10 years.

“Until we get somewhere away from the three eggs we have right now, which is gas tax, highway use tax and DMV fees — all three of those are declining — and until we find some other means of revenue, I don’t know how the people’s highway network can continue to grow,” said Rep. John Torbett (R-Gaston), co-chair of the House Select Committee on Strategic Transportation Planning and Long Term Funding Solutions.

Torbett said no one likes to see additional tolling and taxes, but that additional funding options are becoming necessary. He also

ago, there were some other folks who stood where you’re standing that understood that a nation that believed that all men were created equal could not stand and say those words and allow slavery to be on our shores. It is the same with us today. We cannot say that we believe in equality; we cannot say that black lives matter, or all lives matter, or blue lives matter until we say that unborn lives matter.”

The event usually has a march, but Pincus said the city and local police asked them to exclude that element this year.

“They didn’t want me to have the parade, per se, so we ended up having to get a protest permit,” Pincus said.

They also adjusted by adding masks, hand sanitizer and social distancing.

Most years there is a counterprotest by NARAL Pro-Choice

noted if tolls were added to existing roads, a new lane would have to be added, because state law doesn’t allow adding tolling to an existing road. An example might be the I-540 highway in Wake County, where the southern end is the only section currently tolled.

Additional immediate impact suggestions include taxing ride-sharing services, altering DMV fees for heavy vehicles and electric vehicles, adjusting DMV fees for inflation every two years, and adding “road impact fees” to e-commerce deliveries which significantly increased since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Road impact fees would bring in an estimated $600 million for NCDOT and $290 million for municipalities.

Eliminating the net-of-trade exemption will bring in an estimated $1 billion. The net-of-trade exemption is trade-in value of a vehicle purchase and a vehicle sale that are made in one transaction.

North Carolina and some of their allied groups, but there wasn’t evidence on their social media pages of organizing a presence this year.

“I never actually saw them, but I was told that they were on an opposite corner,” Pincus said. “It was not like last year where they were right behind us with their bullhorn and vulgarities. So that was kind of nice to not have them right behind us.”

With session beginning earlier in the week, Pincus said they are already making progress speaking with legislators about N.C. Right to Life’s legislative agenda.

“We had four bills that were keyed-up and ready to go in the last long session,” Pincus said. “We tried to get the Born Alive Survivors Act passed. (Gov.) Roy Cooper had vetoed it, and we were able to override the veto in the Senate, but we could not do it in the House, so

The report notes that “consumers with high trade-in values will pay the greatest share” if this exemption is removed.

Moving the proceeds from short-term vehicle rentals, vehicle subscription services and car sharing from the General Fund to the NCDOT’s budget would add over $800 million.

NCFC’s report recommends two sales tax increase options, both with offsets in the motor fuels tax rates. A one-half-percent sales tax increase, with an offset by a 9-cents-per-gallon Motor Fuels Tax decrease, would bring in $4.2 billion. Increasing the sales tax by three-quarters of a cent would be offset by a 14-cent-per-gallon motor fuels tax decrease for a net gain of $6.3 billion.

Transferring existing sales tax revenues from transportation-related goods and services to NCDOT would mean additional revenue of over $4.7 billion, and over $350 million could be brought in

the veto was sustained. That bill basically says that if a baby is born alive from a botched abortion, you need to treat the baby just like any other baby.”

This session, the group will try to get the bill through again and hopes there are enough votes to override the likely Cooper veto.

The Senate had overridden the veto with the 30 of 50 votes needed, but they have since lost one seat, possibly meaning they’d come up one vote shy.

The override failed 67-53 in the House, five votes shy of the 72 they’d need for three-fifths of the chamber. With Republicans gaining four members, the House may also be just a single vote shy if the bill again passes and is vetoed.

The other three bills on NCRTL’s agenda would likely see similar partisan breakdowns. One is a bill to require informed consent on the

BIDEN from page A1 “We can’t have a claim to want to heal the nation if what people mean is just having the right tone and being able to pat one another on the back,” said Goldsboro’s Rev. William Barber.

“Real healing of the nation,” Barber said, “must be dealing with the sickness in the body of the nation caused by policy, by racism, by polity.”

Activists such as Barber represent just one of many flanks surrounding Biden.

Republicans are clear they won’t passively ratify Biden’s responses to the pandemic or controversial issues Biden campaigned on: institutional racism, widening wealth gaps, the climate crisis.

The Democratic Party isn’t marching in lockstep, either, as progressives, liberals and moderates dicker over details.

Democrats will control a 50-50 Senate with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’s tiebreaking vote as presiding officer. But the chamber’s 60-vote filibuster threshold for major legislation remains.

Biden’s longtime friend, California Rep. Nancy Pelosi, is the House speaker, but presides over a diminished Democratic majority and slim margin for error.

John Anzalone, Biden’s campaign pollster, noted in a recent interview that Biden won with a message spanning ideology. Some voters “may not believe in his politics. But they believe in him,” An-

LYNN SLADKY | AP PHOTO

In this Oct. 29, 2008, file photo, vice presidential candidate Joe Biden, D-Del., left, and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., right, wave during a rally at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla. zalone said. “They believe in his compassion and they believe in, quite frankly, his leadership skills.”

Biden projects confidence, in part, because of his long tenure in Washington buttressed now with the presidential megaphone, those close to him say.

“Part of the president’s job is

making the case to the American people and persuading them what the right way forward is,” said Stef Feldman, policy director for Biden’s campaign.

Through that lens, it becomes less surprising to see the politician who joined Republicans in the mid-1990s to clamor for a bal-

anced budget now declares emergency spending measured by the trillions “more urgent than ever,” even “including deficit spending.”

It was a similar course for Biden as he aged from a young senator in a chamber still stocked with old-guard segregationists into the trusted lieutenant for the nation’s

by taxing “Transportation Network Companies” such as Uber and Lyft.

Long-term modernization options suggested are a Mileage-Based User Fee, Public-Private Partnerships and setting up a State Infrastructure Bank.

Franchising air space and monetizing rights of way were included in the value capture suggestions. NCFC also recommended expanding broadband connectivity, increasing debt capacities and adding a chief innovation officer to the NCDOT. “Every dollar of capital investment in North Carolina produces at least $2.04 in increased output and business activity,” reads the NCFC report.

According to the report, deteriorated and congested roads cost North Carolina drivers $3.4 billion each year in higher vehicle ownership costs and transportation capital outlays. Maintenance expenditures totaled $7.4 billion in 2018.

possibility of reversing an RU-486induced abortion. Another is a bill to ban using what Pincus calls “dismemberment abortions” on later fetuses, and the last is a ban on abortions on “pain-capable” fetuses later into the pregnancies.

“So those are four bills which we would hope to get through the legislature, and we’ll be working with the House and the Senate to try to get these bills passed and enacted into law,” Pincus said.

Pincus added he wants to pursue the bills as far as they’ll go, even if it is clear the votes aren’t there, because it will give voters a chance to see which members opposed them.

“When elections come up, you can make a good case to say, ‘Look, these guys are very anti-life.’ You can use that and use those vetoes to establish a pattern. And you can hold people accountable by that.”

first black president. The Senate Judiciary chairman who in 1991 led an all-male panel in Supreme Court confirmation hearings involving sexual harassment claims turned the widely panned experience into invitations for the committee to seat its first Democratic female members.

The Catholic politician, who for decades acknowledged his struggle over abortion policy, flouted church teachings as vice president by announcing his support for same-sex marriage before most other elected Democrats, including the ostensibly more socially progressive Obama. And during the 2020 campaign, even as Biden started to the left of Obama and 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton, he inched further leftward on health care, college tuition aid and climate policy.

While Biden aides argue his shifts don’t involve changes in principle or fundamental values, some other observers say the point is moot. The question, said Maurice Mitchell, who leads the progressive Working Families Party, is simply whether Biden will continue to evolve and leverage his political capital into both postTrump stability and big policy wins.

“We can’t control people’s convictions, but we can shift the politics of the possible,” Mitchell said, noting that Johnson signed seminal civil rights laws less than a decade after quashing such measures as Senate majority leader.

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

A3

NC bars finding their permits have been canceled without notice Permit cancellation hits private bars largely shuttered since March 2020

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal EMILY WANG | AP PHOTO

In this Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020, file photo, Health Officials in hazmat suits wait at the gate to check body temperatures of passengers arriving from the city of Wuhan, at the airport in Beijing, China.

“What is clear to the panel is that public health measures could have been applied more forcefully by local and national health authorities in China in January.”

Panel: China, WHO should have acted quicker to stop pandemic ic after months of political wrangling to secure China’s approval for the probe.

The panel also cited evidence of cases in other countries in late January, saying public health containment measures should have been put in place immediately in any country with a likely case, adding: “They were not.”

The experts also wondered why WHO did not declare a global public health emergency — its highest warning for outbreaks — sooner. The U.N. health agency convened its emergency committee on Jan. 22, but did not characterize the emerging pandemic as an international emergency until a week later.

“One more question is whether it would have helped if WHO used the word pandemic earlier than it did,” the panel said.

WHO did not describe the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic until March 11, weeks after the virus had begun causing explosive outbreaks in numerous continents, meeting WHO’s own definition for a flu pandemic.

As the coronavirus began spreading across the globe, WHO’s top experts disputed how infectious the virus was, saying it was not as contagious as flu and that people without symptoms only rarely spread the virus. Scientists have since concluded that COVID-19 transmits even quicker than the flu and that a significant proportion of spread is from people who don’t appear to be sick.

Over the past year, WHO has come under heavy criticism for its handling of the response to

COVID-19. U.S. President Donald Trump slammed the U.N. health agency for “colluding” with China to cover up the extent of the initial outbreak before halting U.S. funding for WHO and pulling the country out of the organization.

The U.N. health agency bowed to the international pressure at the annual assembly of its member states last spring by creating the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. The WHO chief appointed Johnson Sirleaf and Clark — who both have previous ties to the U.N. agency — to lead the team.

An Associated Press investigation in June found WHO repeatedly lauded China in public while officials privately complained that Chinese officials stalled on sharing critical epidemic information with them.

Although the panel concluded that “many countries took minimal action to prevent the spread (of COVID-19) internally and internationally,” it did not name specific countries. It also declined to call out WHO for its failure to more sharply criticize countries for their missteps instead of lauding countries for their response efforts.

Last month, the author of a withdrawn WHO report into Italy’s pandemic response said he warned his bosses in May that people could die and the agency could suffer “catastrophic” reputational damage if it allowed political concerns to suppress the document, according to emails obtained by the AP.

Fate of Biden agenda rests with Schumer in 50-50 Senate

impeachment trial in the opening days of Biden’s term adds a huge degree of uncertainty. Senate rules are unforgiving, but Schumer and McConnell are hoping to establish a dual-track process to confirm nominations even as the trial unfolds.

McConnell and Schumer have a tortured, tense relationship after years of bruising political battles and fights over Supreme Court nominees. They rarely talk spontaneously and have no hesitation in slinging barbs that earlier generations of leaders managed to avoid.

But Biden and McConnell are long-standing friends, and the Kentucky Republican — pondering a “guilty” vote in Trump’s second impeachment trial and still absorbing the disastrous Senate losses in Georgia — appears inclined to help Biden as best he can.

The events of the past week, as damaging and unsettling as they were for the country, seem likely to assist Biden and Schumer.

What is more, Democratic control of the chamber comes with filibuster-proof treatment of Biden’s nominees, with only a simple majority needed, though Republicans could easily force delays.

McConnell and his Republican caucus want to “reasonably cooperate on the national security nominations,” said Hazen Marshall, a former McConnell policy aide. “His view has traditionally been that presidents deserve their staff, unless their staff are crazy or criminals.” But GOP senators are sure to drag their feet on less urgent Cabinet posts given the experience under Trump, when even former Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., had to endure delays.

But with the economy slipping and the public appalled by the melee in Washington, GOP resistance to Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package or his slate of Cabinet picks may not be as resolute.

World Health Organization report

“Chuck Schumer has done a remarkable job as our caucus leader the last four years holding our caucus together.”

Delaware Sen. Chris Coons

By Maria Cheng The Associated Press GENEVA — A panel of experts commissioned by the World Health Organization has criticized China and other countries for not moving to stem the initial outbreak of the coronavirus earlier and questioned whether the U.N. health agency should have labeled it a pandemic sooner.

In a report issued Monday, the panel, led by former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, said there were “lost opportunities” to set up basic public health measures as early as possible.

“What is clear to the panel is that public health measures could have been applied more forcefully by local and national health authorities in China in January,” it said.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying disputed whether China had reacted too slowly.

“As the first country to sound the global alarm against the epidemic, China made immediate and decisive decisions,” she said, pointing out that Wuhan — where the first human cases were identified — was locked down within three weeks of the outbreak starting.

“All countries, not only China, but also the U.S., the U.K., Japan or any other countries, should all try to do better,” Hua said.

Last week, an international team of WHO-led scientists arrived in Wuhan to research the animal origins of the pandem-

By Andrew Taylor The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — Chuck Schumer, the incoming Senate majority leader, has never taken on such a torrent of challenges, with the opening days of both the Biden administration and Democratic control of the Senate coming at the very moment an impeachment trial gets underway.

A 38-year veteran of Congress who first came to the Senate during President Bill Clinton’s impeachment, Schumer has one overriding mandate: Help Joe Biden become a successful president. To do so, he’ll have to leverage the narrowest possible majority — a 50-50 Senate with the incoming vice president, Kamala Harris, delivering the tiebreaking vote.

It’s a tough assignment. It’s far easier, though often unsatisfying, to be a minority leader equipped with the tools of obstruction than it is to be a majority leader armed mostly with persuasion. But the goodwill Schumer enjoys with key members, and his careful management of the party’s constituencies, could help ease the way.

“Chuck Schumer has done a remarkable job as our caucus leader the last four years holding our caucus together,” said a beaming Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., as he entered the Senate chamber during last Wednesday’s Electoral College count, speaking just before protesters supporting President Donald Trump assaulted the Capitol and the situation turned dire.

The ransacking of the Capitol has brought impeachment to the Senate’s door again and set Re-

publicans on their heels. And it’s put a spotlight on whether the polarized chamber can process Biden’s agenda.

Take the installation of Biden’s Cabinet. The Senate has traditionally tried to confirm a batch of the most important nominees on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, and the days thereafter. But to do so requires the cooperation of the entire Senate.

Democrats slow-walked many of Trump’s Cabinet picks four years ago after a crushing election loss, but there’s a palpable sense that Republicans may be more cooperative now, at least when confirming national security nominees and picks like Janet Yellen to run the Treasury Department.

Schumer seeks — and is used to operating in — the spotlight, whether he’s helping run the unwieldy, increasingly divided Senate, micromanaging his beloved Democratic caucus or crisscrossing New York.

Any of these is a full-time job.

And they don’t always point him in the same direction. For instance, Biden is preaching bipartisanship, and Schumer wants to help, but tensions are inevitable with ardent progressives such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, an ambitious Bronx Democrat whom Schumer allies are watching closely as he runs for a fifth term in 2022.

Schumer was a force in Biden’s decision to “go big” on Thursday with a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief and economic stimulus bill that was bigger than earlier Biden drafts. Progressives hailed the measure.

Meanwhile, the prospect of an

RALEIGH — Bar owners across North Carolina are reporting that many of their establishment permits have been canceled by the state’s alcohol beverage control division with no notice.

In a press release issued by the N.C. Bar Owner’s Association (NCBOA) on Jan. 14, around 120 private bar permits were canceled by the N.C. Alcohol Beverage Control Commission (ABC) as of Jan. 4 with no notice to the owners. Some owners report local and state law enforcement ordered them to close their bars immediately or be issued charges and penalties.

“Yet another detrimental action aimed at private bars in the state, which have taken the greatest burden of the pandemic and economic restrictions,” the NCBOA press release reads. “We call for immediate action from Governor Roy Cooper, NC legislation and the NC ABC Commission to take whatever action necessary to reinstate these bars’ permits and save thousands of jobs and livelihoods that have been, and continue to be, destroyed by these restrictions and discriminatory treatment from the other 6000 plus alcohol permitted establishments in the state.”

Logan Martin, the lobbyist hired by NCBOA, tweeted the release, which received a response from Sen. Jim Perry (R- Lenoir), “Insult to injury! Legislation will be filed.” Perry tagged House Majority Leader Rep. John Bell (R-Wayne) on the tweet.

There’s a lot of confusion about the cancellations, with some questioning if they should have even happened.

On July 13, 2020, a bill signed into law by Gov. Roy Cooper gave bars prohibited from operating under Executive Order 141 a deferment window for the payment of fees or permit renewals until 90 days after the order was rescinded.

Notwithstanding G.S. 18B-903, payment of the fee for renewal or registration of an ABC permit held by an ABC permittee that is prohibited from operating pursuant to Executive Order No. 141, Easing Restrictions on Travel, Business Operations, and Mass Gatherings, shall not be required until 90 days after the date the Governor signs an executive order rescinding the prohibition on those permittees’ operation, provided the ABC permittee notifies the ABC Commission in writing, including by e-mail or other electronic means, of its intent to delay payment It was not until Oct. 2, 2020, that Cooper issued executive order 169 allowing private bars to operate, but only at 30% of outdoor occupancy. Indoor operations remained closed and the outdoor seating allowed by E.O. 169 did not help most bars. Owners said they either did not have an outdoor space or the space wasn’t large enough to produce enough revenue to warrant opening. Additionally, winter weather has made most outdoor spaces unusable.

NCBOA believes that E.O. 169’s expiration date of Oct. 23 appears to be the date the ABC is using to start the clock ending the deferment on paying permit fees. If so, ABC appears to have begun their clock on permits too soon, as the 90-day window wouldn’t begin until Jan. 21.

John “Beau” Tate owns two bars in Winston-Salem which have been closed since Mar. 17, 2020. He says permits for those two establishments, Tate’s Craft Cocktails and Bar Pina, costs around $4,400 or $2,200 each.

“I don’t think it really registered that the ABC would start the clock for renewing that day,” said Tate about Cooper’s October order allowing 30% outdoor only seating. “There was also no communication from ABC to permit holders that that clock began to tick.”

Tate said he’s in a unique situation as he owns two bars, but others who own a single establishment have been “blindsided” by this.

The restriction on private bars indoor spaces and the 30% outdoor seating allowance were repeated in Cooper’s E.O. 181, which was issued Dec. 11, 2020.

That order was set to expire Jan. 8 unless replaced, and it was, by the governor’s modified stay at home E.O. 188. Order 188 does not expire until Jan. 29, keeping bars and clubs from operating.

Tate says it isn’t “financially viable” to open an outdoor space that allows for only seven people per 1,000 feet. He added it was even less viable now that winter is here and the alcohol curfew dictating last call is set at 9 p.m.

“It seems like such an outlandish thought that ABC would a) start the countdown for renewing permits and b) not let anybody know about it and just cancel their permit without any notification,” said Tate.

North State Journal reached out to the ABC for comment and clarification and received a response after the original report was filed. Jeff Strickland, the public affairs director for the ABC, said that the canceled permits for the bars were being moved into “inactive status” and will be moved to active when the bars are ready to reopen. Strickland said they would work with the bars through the process as things progress.

On Friday, Jan. 15, the ABC published a legal announcement which included a letter about the cancellations. The letter was specifically addressed to Jay Ruth, one of the members of NCBOA. The letter makes no mention of the deferment granted through the General Assembly and claims the cancellation of the permits is “part of the standard process required by state law and that the ABC Commission follows each year.”

“While these permits show “cancelled” on our website, we have moved them to an inactive status for the time being,” the two-paragraph long ABC letter reads.

Board members of NCBOA have filed a lawsuit against Cooper over executive orders which have kept private bars closed since mid-March of 2020. Currently, private bars and clubs are the only business in North Carolina which remain closed 11 months later.

The suit is the second of its kind; the first was filed by Pacific Legal Foundation in late December of 2020.

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

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North State Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Murphy to Manteo

Jones & Blount What happens if Gov. Roy Cooper is elected to the U.S. Senate

PRESIDENT Joe Biden Durham, then Charlotte High Country Cloggers Boone

FILE PHOTO

NC representative to Biden inauguration’s “Parade Across America” AP PHOTO

EPA ADMINISTRATOR NOMINEE

During the 2020 campaign, one of Biden’s selected in-person visits went viral – a spontaneous trip to a Durham Cook Out with his granddaughter in October. Biden also made an appearance in Charlotte during the campaign.

Michael Regan Raleigh

FILE PHOTO

Joe Biden’s ties to NC

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NSJ staff RALEIGH — The battle for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Richard Burr will be one of the most watched by state and national political observers in 2022. Burr, who was elected to his third term in 2016, said during that campaign he would not run again — and by all indications is sticking with that position.

The open seat is expected to draw competitive primaries in both the Democratic and Republican parties and a tough, competitive general election.

The 2020 race between Sen. Thom Tillis and Cal Cunningham was the most expensive in 2020, until the dual Georgia Senate runoffs eclipsed them, with over a quarter-of-a-billion dollars spent by the campaigns, their respective parties and numerous outside groups.

A North State Journal/Cardinal Point Analytics poll taken in December 2020 showed a clear favorite among state Democrats for the seat: Gov. Roy Cooper.

Cooper led the Democratic field by a wide margin, earning 42% of likely Democratic primary voters. Trailing Cooper were the party’s 2020 nominee, Cal Cunningham, with 18% and

N.C. Department of Environmental Quality secretary who is a Goldsboro native, and also graduated from NC A&T University.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE NOMINEE Retired four star Gen. Lloyd Austin Fort Bragg Austin served in several tours at with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, leading a brigade and becoming a member of the base’s Hall of Fame in 2019. A WTVD report stated that Austin “is considered a legend” at the base.

Attorney General Josh Stein with 8%.

If Cooper ran and won the seat, his departing from the governor’s mansion to Washington, D.C. would elevate Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson to the office.

The N.C. Constitution says, “The Lieutenant Governor shall become Governor upon the death, resignation, or removal from office of the Governor.”

“Cooper has nothing to lose by running,” said Cardinal Point Analytics president Aimee Mulligan. “If he runs in 2022 and loses, he remains governor. If he runs and wins, he cuts short his stint as governor two years early and wins an additional six-year term in public office. He would set himself apart on the Democratic side by doing something Jim Hunt couldn’t do — make it to the US Senate,” she added.

Former State Sen. Erica Smith, who announced she would seek the nomination shortly after the 2020 general election, registers nearly 4% of the vote and State Sen. Jeff Jackson, who is likely to announce a run for the seat, earned the support of just 3% of primary voters.

Twenty percent of Democratic voters said they were undecided.

FILE PHOTO

WEST Rescuers: Person fell, got stuck on rock face Transylvania County Rescuers removed a person who fell 100 feet and became stuck on a rock face.

The Transylvania County Rescue Squad responded to the nose of Looking Glass Rock, made contact with the unidentified person and lowered them to the ground, where an ambulance carried them to a nearby hospital.

Rescuers also went out to assist a person who called the rescue squad, who was still on the rock face. There was no word on injuries.

Looking Glass Rock has an elevation of 3,980 feet. The Looking Glass Rock trail climbs about 1,700 feet in just over three miles.

PIEDMONT

Police department workers test positive after vaccine event Haywood County Six workers at a police department have tested positive for COVID-19 days after a vaccination event, according to local officials.

Haywood County officials said Friday that six people in the Waynesville Police Department received positive test results two days after several police department workers received their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The health department didn’t say whether those who participated in the clinic were among those who tested positive. Officials say the police department has taken the necessary steps to identify those affected and exposed.

AP

Police seek 2 in fatal shooting at store Catawba County Two people are wanted in connection with a shooting death at a furniture store. Hickory police said in a news release that Phelifia Michele Marlow, 51, was shot in the head and killed around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday as workers at the furniture store ran after hearing the first of two gunshots. Tangela L. Parker is wanted for first-degree murder and Eric Parker is wanted for accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. Police consider the suspects, both from Alexander County, as armed and dangerous. The two women had been involved in an argument last week.

Appalachian State delays inperson classes

Henderson County One person was killed and at least four people were injured after a retaining wall fell on construction workers in Henderson, officials said Wednesday. The City of Hendersonville said in a news release that the accident occurred around 9:30 a.m. at a site adjacent to the parking lot of a local business.

According to the city, two people were taken by helicopter and one was taken by ambulance to nearby hospitals, while a fourth person was treated at the scene. The name of the victim hasn’t been released as officials work to notify relatives.

AP

Wake County North Carolina State University said its investigation into an employee accused of being a member of the Proud Boys and publishing personal information about leftwing activists “did not substantiate any significant allegations.” School officials acknowledge the findings into Chadwick Jason Seagraves’ activities “will not satisfy everyone.” More than 2,000 people had signed a petition calling on the university to fire Seagraves, who is a desktop support team manager at the school.

AP

AP

AP

One dead, several hurt after retaining wall collapses

EAST

College employee accused of being Proud Boy, no fault found

Watauga County Appalachian State University has delayed the start of in-person classes as the number of coronavirus cases rise across the state.

In-person classes at Appalachian State won’t begin until Feb. 1. That is two weeks later than originally planned. They will start their spring semester classes with remote instruction later this month. UNC-Chapel Hill was the first public university in North Carolina to push back the start of in-person undergraduate classes. It announced last week that undergraduate classes will be held online for the first three weeks of the semester.

Reward offered for missing teen girl Chatham County Officials announced a reward for information leading to the location of a 17-year-old girl who has been missing since Dec. 12. Emealia “Emma” Rose Marie Staley was last seen in Randolph County. The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office said that Staley is believed to have contacts in Chatham and Orange counties and called the circumstances around her disappearance “particularly worrisome.”

Crimestoppers has offered a reward.

WNCT

AP

Orange County A foundation ended the lease for a fraternity at UNC-Chapel Hill that was linked to a drug trafficking ring. The lease for the Kappa Sigma fraternity ended Jan. 18. Two members were charged in October with federal drug crimes. The Alpha Mu Housing Foundation, a nonprofit that owns the property, will take over the house. The drug activity also involved two other fraternities.

Kappa Sigma’s national organization has since suspended its chapter. The drug ring funneled more than a half-ton of marijuana and several hundred kilograms of cocaine into UNC, Duke and Appalachian State.

AP

Several Democrats get co-chairmanships in House

Another 100 Guard members sent to Washington Sampson County Another 100 North Carolina National Guard members are going to Washington to help with security leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration next week. Gov. Roy Cooper already announced 200 guard members would be heading to the nation’s capital to help government authorities there in light of last week’s mob attack at the U.S. Capitol. The National Guard Bureau in Washington requested the additional personnel. All 300 guard members — serving in military police, engineering and armored brigade units based in Asheville, Clinton and Raeford — should be in place by Monday.

Northampton County Four Democrats landed chairmanships in the N.C. House for the next two years, marking rare assignments for the minority party in the chamber. A judiciary committee cochairmanship went to Democratic Rep. Billy Richardson of Fayetteville. Rep. George Graham of Robeson County will co-lead a committee on American Indian affairs, while Rep. Howard Hunter of Hertford County will co-chair the Families, Children and Aging Policy committee. Rep. Michael Wray of Northampton County will hold two cochairmanships — one on the House Finance Committee and the other on the House Ethics Committee. Wray joined the House in 2005.

AP

AP

Foundation boots UNC-Chapel Hill fraternity from house Rare sea turtle found dead on Outer Banks

Dare County A species of sea turtle rarely seen on Outer Banks has been found dead in a Frisco marsh.

Biologists have been unable to find a cause of death of the leatherback sea turtle. The investigation revealed no physical injuries, plastics in the intestines or major parasites.

But the 500-pound animal’s organs suggested it was under physiological stress. Biologists solicited the help of a construction company’s crane to lift the dead animal onto a barge and take it in for a necropsy.

AP

North Carolina’s state pension one of best funded in nation

Investigators: Man had toy gun when deputies killed him Robeson County A man was holding a toy gun when sheriff’s deputies shot and killed him last weekend. The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office said deputies believed Matthew Oxendine, 46, of Red Springs was pointing a gun at them when he was killed. The State Bureau of Investigation recovered a toy gun from the car Oxendine was in. Oxendine set fire to the car he was in when deputies arrived, and as deputies tried to coax him out of the burning vehicle, Oxendine told them he had a weapon and had served time in prison for shooting at police.

AP

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell has announced that the state’s pension plan gained 11% in 2020 and achieved a “record $114.9 billion valuation entering 2021,” despite the shifting and uncertain economic climate due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The performance is all the more remarkable when considering its value dropped to an estimated $93.6 billion on March 23, 2020, at the height of the pandemic scare, but rebounded by nearly 23% to record-setting numbers just nine months later,” Folwell said.

Folwell said the credit belongs to the department’s two chief investment officers, Christopher Morris and Jeff Smith, for “their oversight of one of the most seasoned teams in the nation.”

“The largeness and strength of the state pension plan and staying the course on a decades-long conservative management strategy instead of panicking and chasing risky get-richquick investment schemes led to a phenomenal year for the state employees, retirees and taxpayers who are stakeholders in the pension plan,” said Folwell.

The pension plan’s original target rate of return for 2020 was 7%. According to the N.C. Treasurer’s office, for the first six months of the fiscal year,

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beginning July 1, 2020, the pension plan earned an estimated 11.6% rate of return. Under Folwell, the pension plan’s actuarial rate of return for three of the past four years has exceeded its target expectations.

The monthly auditing process is expected to be completed by the end of this month and the figures may change slightly.

North Carolina’s state pension plan is considered among the best funded in the nation, however, the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System (TSERS) has an $11.5 billion unfunded liability. The Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System is underfunded by $3.3 billion.

“By exceeding the investment return goal in 2020, an additional $3 billion is available to help offset $11.5 billion in unfunded liabilities in the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System,” Folwell’s release states. “It will add about $1 billion above expectations to help offset $3.3 billion of unfunded liabilities in the Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System. Those higher earnings are critical as the interest on the unfunded debt continues to accumulate.

“Our ability to grow an already secure pension plan that is the 26th largest pool of public money in the world not only puts current and future retirees at ease, but ensures that North Carolina’s coveted Triple-A bond rating is not jeopardized,” Folwell said.

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North State Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

north STATEment Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

Knives, guns, politics and Arabella

“If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun.”

President Barack Obama

A WASHINGTON OPERATIVE called me last week and said: “Ever heard of Arabella? They turned Colorado blue. They turned Virginia blue.

They turned Georgia blue. North Carolina is next. You better tell everyone to get ready and get prepared to fight fire with fire.”

Arabella Advisors is a for-profit organization that liberals have used over the past decade to help advance every cause imaginable. Every legislative success, every public relations coup, every successful legal challenge to our election process by liberals most likely was funded by some entity in the Arabella network.

There were over 4,000 election law challenges this past year brought by lawyers on the left. They did not do all of them pro bono. They basically overwhelmed the legal system and out-maneuvered Republicans at almost every level in targeted swing states.

“Money is the mother’s milk of politics,” goes the old adage. Arabella Advisors is, by definition then, the largest nursing blue whale in American political history.

“Dark money,” or independent expenditure committees, used to be despised in the liberal community. They decried the amount of money spent on campaigns, especially money donated to conservative causes by the Koch Brothers (but not massive sums of money donated to liberal causes by George Soros).

Liberals apparently paid close attention to the success of the Koch brothers after the Citizens United ruling in 2010 that opened up massive, undisclosed contributions to independent non-coordinating political committees. Some estimate Arabella has distributed in excess of $1 billion for the past several years.

Hardly any of Arabella contributions become public. Arabella acts like a pass-through organization for large contributions to be funneled to leftwing groups such as the Sixteen Thirty Fund, which funded the vicious opposition against Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court; New Venture Fund, the Hopewell Fund; and the Windward Fund.

Much of the money is then forwarded to state organizations, such as Arizonans United for Health Care, Michigan Families for Economic Prosperity and North Carolinians for a Fair Economy, again with no fingerprints or disclosures by donors.

Republicans should analyze — and then copy — everything liberal

Democrats did at the state level from the day President Trump was inaugurated four years ago today. Republicans are not great at “inventing” new electoral tactics or fundraising methods, but they are great at figuring what Democrats did to win in last election and then doing it better in the next election.

Put Democrats on defense in every contested state or district for the next two years with thousands of legal election challenges, massive voter registration drives and targeted communications against every far-left initiative they support. Once Joe Biden opens our borders and offers immediate citizenship to 11 million undocumented people in the US, introduces the Green New Deal and Medicare For All, and rejoins the Iran Nuclear Deal and the Paris Climate Accords, the 39% of the people who voted for him without knowing anything about him except that he was “Not Donald Trump!” will start to turn on him and his policies fast.

The first congressional mid-term for any new president is usually poison for his party. LBJ lost 47 Democrats in ‘66; Reagan lost 26 GOP members in 1982; Clinton lost 54 Ds in ‘92; Obama lost 63 Democrats in 2010, and Trump lost 40 Republicans in 2018. Other mid-term losses included FDR losing 72 Democrats in Congress in 1938 and Eisenhower losing 48 Republicans in ‘58.

The average mid-term loss of any president has been 30 representatives in Congress. Biden may lose 50 Democrats in post-redistricting congressional mid-terms in 2022 after he introduces his onslaught of leftist legislation. In addition, a net eight congressional seats will flip from blue to red states, giving Republicans eight more opportunities right there to win back control of Congress and send Speaker Nancy Pelosi into retirement.

Former President Barack Obama was not kidding when he said, “If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun,” and somehow got away with it in the eyes of a fawning media.

Conservatives have to “out-Arabella” Arabella Advisors. When Silicon Valley oligarchs and George Soros write checks for $10 million, $50 million, $100 million or more to the Arabella network, conservatives have to be willing to match them dollar-for-dollar but be smarter about spending it on better things than thousands of trite television ads.

Today is a good day to start — the first day of President Joe Biden’s term in the White House.

EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS

Coincidence? Democrats begin push for re-openings as Biden prepares to take office

How many American people suffered as a result of the left’s willingness to deceive them on reopening, the vaccine and the COVID relief bill because of politics?

AS IS OFTEN THE CASE, there is a lot going on in the world of American politics. But something rather remarkable has taken place over the last week or so among Democrats.

Some of the same Democrats who for months lectured Republicans on how their push for reopening their states showed a callous disregard for their fellow citizens during the pandemic are all of a sudden pushing for… reopening.

Heading the pack has been none other than New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who announced a stunning reversal in a tweet posted on Jan. 11.

“We simply cannot stay closed until the vaccine hits critical mass,” the man dubbed the “Luv Guv” by the New York media tweeted last Monday.

“The cost is too high. We will have nothing left to open. We must reopen the economy, but we must do it smartly and safely.”

Had one not known it was Cuomo who uttered the words, one might have thought they came from President Trump, who made similar remarks in 2020 even as Democrats and the mainstream media — who are adoring fans of Cuomo — accused Trump of being willing to sacrifice the lives of senior citizens just so the economy could get back up and running.

In addition to Cuomo, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot — who was once such a staunch proponent of lockdowns that she advocated for police to monitor social media feeds in order to bust block parties — said last week that she wants “to get our restaurants and bars reopened as quickly as possible,” not just to stop private parties but also because she says they need to be able to reopen in order to survive.

“They’ve gone above and beyond to put in mitigation controls inside of the restaurants,” Lightfoot stated. “I feel very strongly that we are very close to a point when we should be talking about opening up our bars and restaurants.”

Newsweek magazine, who like many other news organizations has played shame games with Republicans who advocated for reopening in 2020, also published a report last week on a study that found COVID lockdowns have shown “no clear benefit versus other voluntary measures.”

Does it just so happen to merely be coincidental that talk of

reopening among Democratic leaders and media outlets is occurring just as Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is preparing to be inaugurated as America’s 46th president?

In my opinion, no. This is reminiscent of what Democrats and the media did with the coronavirus vaccine whenever Trump talked about how it could be available by the end of the year. His political opponents said it couldn’t happen, but that if it did, it would be unsafe.

Yet a week after the election, when it was announced that the first vaccine doses would soon be rolling out, magically the vaccine was safe again, and the media and Democrats launched campaigns to urge people to get it.

Biden, his running mate Kamala Harris, and others on the left and in the media undermined the vaccine in the months leading up to Election Day — and then stopped doing so afterward. I think the reasons why are pretty obvious.

In addition to that, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi admitted a month after the election that she deliberately stalled the COVID relief bill, not on principle, but because she wanted to give Biden a superficial legislative victory in the event that he won the election.

How many American people suffered as a result of the left’s willingness to deceive them on reopening, the vaccine and the COVID relief bill because of politics?

For anyone wondering why so many are not on board with the “unity and healing” Democrats and the media have called for over the last two months, well, maybe now they can better understand why.

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

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

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GUEST OPINION | BILLY WARDEN

Mr. President-elect, please be brief …

Be eloquent, certainly, and inspirational; just do it with the kind of confident compactness that suggests the best is yet to come.

MR. PRESIDENT-ELECT, please be brief. As you craft your inaugural address, please consider making it one of the tightest in America’s verbose history.

This is not personal, Mr. President-elect. You are an engaging fellow, and you no doubt employ many talented writers eager to unleash soaring prose. It’s just that a tight inaugural address would, in and of itself, send the important message that your presidency will emphasize action and results over talk — that you are determined to help turn Bloviation Nation into a can-do country.

In 2007, Barack Obama called out a sad pattern when he kicked off his first campaign for the presidency, observing, “Too many times, after the election is over, and the confetti is swept away, all those promises fade from memory, and the lobbyists and the special interests move in, and people turn away, disappointed as before, left to struggle on their own.”

Three presidential cycles later, the difference is that disappointment is in some quarters turning to bitter, let’s-smash-some-glass rage. Working Americans face declining wages. Years into the digital revolution that this country largely created, many here don’t have reliable access to the internet. A sometimes chaotic response to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to needless deaths and staggering economic losses.

Tuning into America’s political culture for the last couple of decades, you might expect all this could be solved with a heaping helping of fine phrases and slashing zingers. Many politicians, pundits and social media mavens seem to think so.

We’ve gone from a country that gets things done to one that talks (and tweets!) past each other about getting things done.

A tight inaugural would send a message that your focus is on the behind-the-scenes labor that makes the wheels turn again. You’d also be demonstrating your discipline and work ethic; crafting a short, meaningful speech is a tougher challenge than a long one. Be eloquent, certainly, and inspirational; just do it with the kind of confident compactness that suggests the best is yet to come.

After that, please, feel free to interrupt our

primetime TV habits with addresses laying out practical bipartisan plans for, say, upgrading our national infrastructure and dealing in an economically advantageous way with our world’s changing climate. Those are the words we’re waiting for — not promises, but action.

America may never again see a political speech as stunningly precise and epically moving as Abraham Lincoln’s two-minute-plus-change, 10-sentence, 272-word Gettysburg Address. But let’s not lose sight of the power of precision, or, on the flip side, how too much talk (and not enough action) can drain rhetoric of its potency.

The five inaugural addresses since 2000 have averaged 1,922 words or about 19 minutes. That’s a whisker beyond FDR’s 1,883 word, 18-minute “fear itself” speech when he took over amid the pain and despair of the Great Depression.

Years earlier, despair may have been the mood as Americans struggled through the inaugurals of FDR’s predecessors — Herbert Hoover at 3,801 (probably a half hour) and Calvin Coolidge at 4,054 (to put it scientifically: an eternity).

America’s longest inaugural speech is reputed to have really slayed — but not in a good way. William Henry Harrison slogged through 8,445 words for nearly two hours on a cold and blustery day in 1841.

Showing even more bad judgement, he failed to wear a hat or overcoat. A few weeks later, he died of pneumonia.

By contrast, Lyndon Johnson, one of the presidency’s most effective dealmakers, was notably terse at 1,492 words (11:25) in 1965. And in 2001, George W. Bush, following a contested election, knew better than to overplay his hand, coming in at 1,571 (14:38).

Of course, “words matter” and persuasion is an essential political tool. Yes, Mr. President-elect, seize the moment to set the stage for the next four years. But please also use your inaugural to signal an era of less grandstanding and less browbeating.

Don’t just tell us, show us that your emphasis is on delivering.

Billy Warden is a writer, producer and co-founder of the strategic communications firm, GBW Strategies.

GUEST OPINION | KELLY JOHNSTON

What should Republicans do now?

Clear-eyed Republicans with appreciation for history know the party has been here before.

After 1930.

After 1958. After 1964. After 1974.

After 1992. After 2008.

Republicans were reeling before last week’s criminal breach of the US Capitol, led by criminals who deserve jail time. That event tossed Democrats a cudgel with which to drive a wedge between proand anti-Trump Republicans.

It reminds me of “Pickett’s charge” during the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863. General George Pickett led his Confederate troops in an ill-fated charge across an open field in an effort to break the center of the Union line. It failed miserably.

However, the Democrats’ own version of Pickett’s charge, with the violent protesters providing artillery cover, has indeed breached the GOP middle.

How has the GOP responded? By shooting at each other.

Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans demanded Trump’s immediate removal. And if you don’t support that goal, you support the insurrectionists, or worse. They miss the irony of having said little while over 200 cities were pummeled with violence this past summer; no nuance, no exceptions, and zero appreciation for history or self-awareness.

Clear-eyed Republicans with appreciation for history know the party has been here before. After 1930. After 1958. After 1964. After 1974. After 1992.

After 2008, when Barack Obama and the Democrats controlled Congress, including a filibuster-proof Senate. It is time for some retrospection about events and to re-engineer things for 2022 and beyond.

The path forward is not complicated, but not easy.

Where are we?

Republicans have become an increasingly personality-driven party. It is the party less known for its success of the past four years, but as “The Party of Trump.” That is unfamiliar territory.

Republicans historically are an agenda-driven party — lower taxes, less government, a strong economy, safe neighborhoods, good schools, and peace through strength. And yes, let’s fully investigate the 2020 election irregularities and institute reform were needed. We need closure.

But what has America been hearing the past several months? The election is rigged… but vote Republican anyway! How did that work out in Georgia’s Jan. 5 U.S. Senate runoff elections?

Republicans shoot at each over the failure to give the case on election law violations and irregularities a fair hearing.

When some in Congress tried to provide such a

hearing, consistent with the Electoral Count Act, the Capitol insurrection undermined it and turned some House and Senate members into pariahs.

Ultimately, the job of exposing election illegalities fell to state legislatures, and they mostly punted.

That’s where we are. What now?

Republicans cannot allow Democrats to succeed in driving a wedge between Republicans.

Republicans need to focus on two things: rediscovering their agenda and combating Democratic excesses.

A forward-looking, optimistic agenda that resonates with a new, emerging multi-ethnic, working-class base should also help bring suburban voters turned off by Trump back into the fold: like smartly ending badly-implemented lockdowns, reforming and building good schools, safe neighborhoods, and military strength to preserve peace and check an emergent communist power in Asia.

Remember that Republicans had great successes in 2020 at the local, state and U.S. House level in 2020, including almost a full sweep in North Carolina. That’s a good place to start.

We need new spokespeople. The RNC should name a new lead spokesperson for the party, someone not running for president who has the respect of our elected leaders, and a with sharp mind, quick wits, and pleasant demeanor who doesn’t fall into a “never” or “pro” Trump trap. Leave the party machinery to the estimable current party chair Ronna McDaniel.

Who are potential new spokespeople? U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, (R-SC); U.S. Rep. Elise Stephanik, (RNY); Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, (R-NC); U.S. Rep. Mike Garcia, (R-CA); new U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-TX).

That’s a younger, geographically and raciallydiverse set with great personal stories and inclusive messages. Look also among successful community activists, entrepreneurs and educators.

Lastly, Republicans must stop shooting at each other. #NeverTrumpers, stop disparaging pro-Trump Republicans, curb the arrogance and learn to listen.

Pro-Trumpers, focus less on tribalism, accept the reality of the moment, reject lawlessness and work constructively to build on their successes of the past 4+ years. Both sides are guilty of shouting past each other and possessing an “either/or” mentality. Both wings of the party are needed for a successful flight during the Biden years.

The hard part is trying to achieve this in the face of media, cultural and educational headwinds. Who will lead, and will anyone follow?

Kelly D. Johnston is a retired corporate executive and former U.S. Secretary of the Senate. He blogs at http://www.againstthegrain.expert.

COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO

The lies tearing America apart LAST WEEK, the Capitol was breached by a group of fringe Trump supporters who had bought into a series of lies: the lie that President Donald Trump lost the election due to proven voter fraud and irregularity; the lie that the Electoral College results, legally certified state by state, could be overturned by Congress or the vice president; the lie that Trump would remain in office if only some sort of armed rebellion were to prevent the election certification by Congress.

Those were lies. And those lies had deadly consequences.

Thankfully, the vast majority of Americans don’t believe those lies.

Which means we should be able to unify around certain basic truths: that Joe Biden is legally president-elect of the United States; that violence in pursuit of political ends is a deep wrong and those who participate in it should be punished to the full extent of the law; that broad claims regarding invasion of rights ought to be backed by compelling evidence.

But we won’t.

That’s because while the Democratic Party and the political left agree that Joe Biden is president-elect, they absolutely disagree with both the fundamental precept that violence in pursuit of political ends is a deep wrong and the even more fundamental precept that claims require evidence.

We saw that this summer when Democratic Party officials made light of riots spreading across the nation in the name of yet another lie — the lie that America is systemically racist, rooted in slavery and Jim Crow, and replete with bigoted police dedicated to endangering black lives. Democrats demanded no evidence to support those claims; in knee-jerk fashion, they simply repeated ad nauseam untruths about the existential threat to black Americans in the United States. Which means that for the Democrats and the political left, violence is fine so long as it supports their narrative, and unevidenced claims are fine so long as they support an agenda.

In order to defend such violence, the political left has mobilized behind another convenient and advantageous lie: the lie that the Capitol riots represent all conservatives and Republicans. Paul Krugman of The New York Times suggested that the “putsch was decades in the making,” chalking up the rioting to “Republican elites” since before Ronald Reagan.

The Washington Post amplified a nutty post from the chairman of the Nye County Republican Party in Nevada into a referendum on a “long-festering struggle within the Republican Party over conspiracy theories, purity tests and fealty to the rule of law.” Members of the media gleefully hunted for Republicans to blame for the Capitol riots, calling for the de-platforming of brand-name conservatives and cheering on social media crackdowns.

Lies are dangerous. And double standards are perhaps the most dangerous form of lying: They grant the bravery of purity to those most willing to defy decency, prompting similar spasms of cruelty and malice from the other side. The solution to our national crisis of conscience isn’t badfaith political purges or repetition of tiresome falsehoods about the nature of the United States. It’s truth.

But truth is more a shield than a sword. And we are now in the age of swords, wielded aggressively by those with little principle but an unending sense of their own moral superiority.

Ben Shapiro, 36, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show” and editorin-chief of DailyWire.com.

BE IN TOUCH

Letters addressed to the editor may be sent to letters@nsjonline.com or 3101 Industrial Dr. Suite 105. Raleigh, N.C. 27609. 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.

A8

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

NATION & WORLD National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre speaks at the NRA Annual Meeting of Members in Indianapolis, Saturday, April 27, 2019.

MICHAEL CONROY | AP PHOTO

NRA plans to incorporate in Texas

By Paul J. Weber The Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas — The National Rifle Association announced Friday it has filed for bankruptcy protection and will seek to incorporate the nation’s most politically influential gun-rights group in Texas instead of New York, where a state lawsuit is trying to put the organization out of business. The NRA is the nation’s oldest civil rights organization.

The announcement came months after New York Attorney General Letitia James sued the NRA, seeking its dissolution over claims that top executives illegally diverted tens of millions of dollars for lavish personal trips, no-show contracts for associates and other questionable expenditures.

The coronavirus pandemic forced the organization to cancel its national convention and scuttled fundraising. The NRA’s bankruptcy filing listed between $100 million and $500 million in as-

sets and between $100 million and $500 million in liabilities. Still, the NRA claimed in announcing the move that the organization was “in its strongest financial condition in years.”

The NRA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in federal court in Dallas and said it planned to incorporate in Texas, where records show it formed a limited liability corporation, Sea Girt LLC, in November 2020. Sea Girt LLC made a separate bankruptcy filing Friday, listing few assets and fewer than $100,000 in liabilities.

In its filing, the NRA said its longtime leader, Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, made the decision to file for bankruptcy protection in consultation with a committee of three NRA officials formed in September to oversee its legal strategies. The NRA board voted Jan. 7 to clarify LaPierre’s employment agreement, giving him the power to “reorganize or restructure the affairs” of the organization.

“The move will enable longterm, sustainable growth and ensure the NRA’s continued success as the nation’s leading advocate for constitutional freedom — free from the toxic political environment of New York,” the NRA said in a statement.

In an interview, NRA board member Charles Cotton made clear that the bankruptcy filing was motivated by litigation and regulatory scrutiny in what he called “corrupt New York” — not financial concerns.

“We’ve got to get in a state where we can operate without that kind of undue weaponizing of governmental agencies, and frankly to get all the litigation in a place where we’ve got an even shake,” Cotton told The Associated Press.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, quickly welcomed the news, tweeting: “Welcome to Texas — a state that safeguards the 2nd Amendment.” The NRA said it has more than 400,000 members in Texas and plans to hold its an-

nual convention in Houston later this year.

Shortly after the announcement, James said she would not allow the NRA to “evade accountability” or oversight. The Democrat’s lawsuit last year highlighted misspending and self-dealing claims that have roiled the NRA and LaPierre in recent years — from hair and makeup for his wife to a $17 million post-employment contract for himself.

“The NRA’s claimed financial status has finally met its moral status: bankrupt,” James said.

Cotton said the allegations in James’ lawsuit will be proven false.

He said he expects LaPierre to remain at the helm of the reconstituted NRA, praising his popularity with members and proficiency at raising money for the organization.

“Wayne leaving would be a bigger blow to the organization than was the illness and death of Charlton Heston,” Cotton said.

The gun-rights group boasts about 5 million members. Though headquartered in Virginia, the NRA was chartered as a nonprofit in New York in 1871 and is incorporated in the state. Going for-

ward, the NRA said a committee will study opportunities to relocate segments of its operations to Texas and elsewhere.

In recent years, the NRA’s relationship with New York has increasingly soured.

In 2018, the organization sued Gov. Andrew Cuomo, claiming a “political vendetta” was behind a state financial watchdog’s probe of whether it broke state laws by marketing an insurance program to gun owners. In November, the NRA agreed to pay $2.5 million and accept a five-year ban on marketing insurance in the state.

In response to James’ lawsuit, the NRA countersued with claims her actions were motivated by hostility toward its political advocacy, including comments she made while running for attorney general in 2018 that the NRA is a “terrorist organization.”

The NRA’s largest creditor, owed $1.2 million, is the organization’s former advertising agency, Ackerman McQueen. The NRA sued the company in 2019, alleging overbilling, and said in Friday’s bankruptcy filing that the debt owed is disputed. The lawsuit is pending.

Gen. Milley key to military continuity as Biden takes office

By Robert Burns The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — In taking charge of a Pentagon that’s seen three leaders in the past four years, the Biden administration will look to one holdover as a source of military continuity: Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

President-elect Joe Biden will inherit Milley as his senior military adviser, and although Biden could replace Milley, he likely won’t.

A Princeton-educated history buff with the gift of gab, Milley has been a staunch defender of the military’s apolitical tradition even as President Donald Trump packed the Pentagon with political loyalists. Military leaders always have critical roles in ensuring stability from one administration to the next. But Milley will be especially important for continuity after a rocky postelection transition and uncertainty about when the Senate will confirm top Pentagon nominees.

Milley, 62, is early in the second year of a four-year term as the military’s top officer. His predecessor, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, now retired, was a similarly transitional figure, appointed by President Barack Obama and continuing for nearly three years with Trump.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs does not command troops but advises a president and a secretary of defense on approaches to major military problems.

Biden will have many problems on his plate from the get-go, including Iran and North Korea. In addition to dealing with potential military crises, Biden would look to Milley, along with his prospective secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, for advice on broader strategic goals, including pursuing arms control with Russia, countering terrorism in the Mideast

JACQUELYN MARTIN | AP PHOTO

In this March 4, 2020, file photo, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley testifies to Senate Armed Services Committee about the budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. and competing with China.

Milley already is being singled out as a go-to official.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called him two days after the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol to ask what might be done to check Trump’s authority to order a nuclear attack in his final days in office. The Joint Chiefs chairman is not in the nuclear chain of command, but Pelosi’s call reflected a view that, with no Senate-confirmed secretary of defense in place, stability starts with Milley.

Milley is not shy about taking charge.

He loves to talk, often relying on his deep knowledge of military history, occasionally personalizing his point, never reluctant to assert

“If Biden wants to send some messages about reconciliation and bipartisan cooperation, working closely with Milley … wouldn’t be a bad place to start.”

Brookings Institution analyst Michael O’Hanlon his view. Milley speaks reverently of his late father, a veteran of combat in the Pacific theater of World War II, and worriedly of America’s vulnerability to space-based war-

fare, which he says could bring on the next Pearl Harbor.

A Massachusetts native, Milley was commissioned as an armor officer in 1980 and rose to become Army chief of staff 35 years later. When Trump announced him as his choice to be Joint Chiefs chairman nearly a year before Dunford’s term expired, he called Milley a “great gentleman” and outstanding soldier.

Michael O’Hanlon, a defense analyst at the Brookings Institution, said Biden should not see Milley as tainted by Trump.

“If Biden wants to send some messages about reconciliation and bipartisan cooperation, working closely with Milley… wouldn’t be a bad place to start,” O’Hanlon said.

It appears unlikely that Austin, Biden’s defense secretary nominee, will win Senate confirmation

by Inauguration Day, Wednesday.

Anticipating that bump, Biden has persuaded a Trump administration official, Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist, to stay on temporarily as acting secretary.

That makes Milley’s presence even more significant.

The Austin nomination adds a further twist in Milley’s path, given Austin’s background as a recently retired Army general. Questions are being raised in Congress and elsewhere about how having a former career military officer lead the Pentagon will affect relations between civilian and military officials.

Roger Zakheim, Washington director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, says the extra effort required to win a congressional waiver of the prohibition against recently retired military officers serving as defense secretary would appear to give Biden less reason to remove Milley.

“You don’t want to create more turbulence here beyond what they’re already going to have to deal with getting Gen. Austin through the nomination process,” Zakheim said.

Biden would look to Milley not just for advice on current problems but also for guidance on future adjustments to military structure and strategy, including changes to the U.S. military footprint abroad.

Milley seems amenable to the prospect of Biden seeking to find savings in defense budgets.

“We in the Pentagon, civilian and military alike, have got to do a quick reality check on the national budget and what is likely to happen in the not-too-distant future,” Milley said recently. “I suspect that at best the Pentagon’s budgets will start flattening out. There is a reasonable prospect that they could actually decline.”

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2021

SPORTS

No March Madness in NC a possibility, B3

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AMERICAN CORNHOLE LEAGUE

Dravin Sneed, who was medically discharged from the Army after injuring his foot in a parachute jump, won the American Cornhole League collegiate title last month.

Discharged Army vet claims cornhole title

the Wednesday SIDELINE REPORT NHL

Hurricanes game canceled due to COVID-19 on roster Nashville The NHL postponed Tuesday’s game in Nashville between the Hurricanes and Predators, a rematch of Monday’s 4-2 win by Carolina, “out of an abundance of caution to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel.” The release neither mentioned COVID-19 nor if either team was the cause of the postponement, but a source said two or more players on the Hurricanes have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The NHL said the rescheduled game would be announced at a later date. Carolina captain Jordan Staal was placed in the league’s protocol Friday after playing the day before in Carolina’s season-opening win over the Detroit Red Wings. It has not been confirmed that Staal tested positive for the coronavirus, and players can also be placed in the protocol due to contact tracing or symptoms similar to those caused by COVID-19.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

The Panthers hired longtime Seahawks executive Scott Fitterer to be their next general manager.

New Panthers GM Scott Fitterer looks to continue Panthers’ rebuild The former Seahawks lifer is ready to find talent for Carolina

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

NC State women move up to No. 2 despite pause

AFTER INTERVIEWING more than a dozen candidates, the Carolina Panthers decided on their next general manager, hiring Scott Fitterer away from the Seattle Seahawks.

Fitterer had spent 19 years with Seattle, beginning as an area scout and working his way up the ladder into decision-making front office roles. He became the team’s director of college scouting in 2011 just before a series of drafts that helped vault the Seahawks into their position as an annual Super Bowl contender.

In the 10 years Fitterer was out scouting, the Seahawks drafted 10 future Pro Bowl players. Seattle then drafted two in Fitterer’s first year as scouting director — linebacker K.J. Wright and corner Richard Sherman.

The following year, the Seahawks had one of the best drafts in recent history, taking defensive end Bruce Irvin, linebacker Bobby Wagner, quarterback Russell Wilson and running back Robert

Raleigh Louisville is No. 1 in The Associated Press women’s college basketball poll for the first time in school history, and NC State — which hasn’t played since Jan. 3 because of a COVID-related pause — moved up to No. 2 for its best ranking since Dec. 31, 1990. Both teams climbed one spot after No. 1 Stanford lost to Colorado on Sunday.

Louisville (12-0) received 20 first-place votes from a 29-member national media panel, while NC State was on top of five ballots. NC State (10-0) and Louisville were scheduled to play last Sunday, but the game was postponed because of COVID-19 issues in the Wolfpack program. The potential 1-2 matchup has been rescheduled Feb. 1.

Turbin with their first four picks.

Not only did Seattle’s Super Bowl XLVIII champions feature seven starters selected in those first two drafts, but two others were signed as undrafted free agents. And that doesn’t include linebacker Malcolm Smith, a seventh-round draft pick in 2011 who returned an interception for a touchdown in the game on his way to being named Super Bowl MVP. In 2015, Fitterer was promoted to co-director of player personnel and, last year, to VP of football operations.

Fitterer brings a culture of winning to the Panthers, as well as his ability to identify talent. The Seahawks have continued to find starters and Pro Bowl players in the draft, even as their success has put the team near the bottom of the NFL draft order.

He also brings a background different from that of coach Matt Rhule. In his first year at the helm, Rhule had a say in personnel and brought in several players who he’d worked with at Temple and Baylor. The Panthers interviewed candidates who had ties to the head coach, but Fitterer wasn’t one of them. That ensures the Panthers will have a variety of viewpoints as See FITTERER, page B3

Injured in a Fort Bragg parachute jump, NC State student Dravin Sneed found a second calling competing against the best in the growing backyard sport

By Brett Friedlander North State Journal DRAVIN SNEED fancied himself as the best cornhole player around.

And why not?

The NC State junior had always dominated games among family members and friends at backyard gatherings and tailgates before Wolfpack football games.

But he quickly learned that, as in all other sports, there’s a big difference in skill between even the best weekend warriors and serious competitors that perform at the highest level.

“Compared to everyone I played with, I won all the time, so I just thought I was really good,” Sneed said. “I wasn’t really competitive until I went to a blind draw tournament last year and played against some really, really good players that beat me bad.

“It was a shock when I went to that blind draw. It forced me to want to get better at it.”

Calling on the work ethic he learned while serving in the Army and challenging himself against more accomplished opponents, Sneed didn’t just get better.

He actually did become the best cornhole player around.

It’s a title he secured in Myrtle Beach on Dec. 29 when the 24-year-old Cherryville native won the collegiate title at the American Cornhole League College National Championships.

The third-seeded Sneed was a perfect 12 for 12 in the final against Ryan Fillingam of Texas’ Blinn College to secure the victory and the $25,000 in scholarship money that went with it. He and State teammate Alex Lippard also made it to the championship match of the doubles competition before falling to a duo from Auburn to settle for runner-up honors.

“Once you get started going well, you start feeling it,” Sneed said. “You get in a zone and ev-

“I’ve got two plates, two screws and nine (bolts) in my left foot. It still hurts and gets worse every now and then. But I’ve learned to deal with it.

Dravin Sneed

erything just feels like you can do whatever you want.”

His performance in the singles final was especially impressive since the match was broadcast to a national audience on ESPN. But it was nothing out of the ordinary as far as his doubles partner is concerned.

“It was something I’d seen before,” Lippard said. “But for the people watching and to do it on that stage was pretty amazing because I knew I was not going to be able to do it on that stage.”

Competitive cornhole is the same game as the one played in the parking lots at Carter-Finley and virtually every other college football stadium around the country on fall Saturdays. The object of the game is to get more bean bags into the hole cut in the middle of a slanted board situated 33 feet away.

In addition to the college division, there’s also a professional tour. Stacey Moore, the founder and commissioner of the American Cornhole League, is hoping that cornhole will someday become an Olympic sport.

It’s a pursuit that proved perfect for Sneed after his left leg suffered significant damage during a training jump while a member of the 82nd Airborne stationed at Fort Bragg in 2016.

“I’ve got two plates, two screws and nine (bolts) in my left foot,” said Sneed, who played basketball and golf at Cherryville High School. “It still hurts and gets worse every now and then. But I’ve learned to deal with it.

“Basketball is a little tough See CORNHOLE, page B3

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

B2 WEDNESDAY

1.20.21

TRENDING

Brandon Staley: The Los Angeles Chargers have hired the Rams defensive coordinator as the team’s next head coach. The move came two days after the Rams were eliminated from the playoffs with a 32‑18 loss to the Packers.

The 38‑year‑old Staley was in demand with interviews also scheduled with the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles.

Carolina offensive coordinator Joe Brady was one of five other candidates interviewed for the Chargers job.

Sarah Fuller: The Vanderbilt kicker, who became the first woman to score in a Power Five conference football game this season, says she’s been invited to attend President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday.

Fuller, who was the goalkeeper on Vanderbilt’s SEC Tournament-winning women’s soccer team, helped out the football team while it was dealing with COVID-19 issues. She became the first woman to play in a Power Five game Nov. 28, then converted two extra points in a Dec. 12 loss to Tennessee.

Kevin Porter Jr.: The Cavaliers are planning to either trade or release the 2019 first‑round pick, who has not played for them this season.

Porter rejoined the team only last week after tending to personal issues.

Porter, who was in street clothes and on the bench for the Cavs’ win Friday over the Knicks, reportedly became angry when he learned the Cavs had moved his locker for newly acquired forward Taurean Prince.

Beyond the box score POTENT QUOTABLES

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Tennessee fired football coach Jeremy Pruitt on Monday, creating an opening at one of college football’s blue-chip programs that has fallen on hard times. NC State coach Dave Doeren was previously pursued by the Volunteers, and Charlotte’s Will Healy and Louisville’s Scott Satterfield — formerly of Appalachian State — have both been mentioned as possible replacements for Pruitt, who was dismissed following an investigation into recruiting violations.

ETHAN HYMAN | NEWS & OBSERVER VIA AP

“We’re trying to get on the court, and it’s been a challenge.”

NC State basketball coach Kevin Keatts on Monday after announcing five people in the program were in quarantine.

RANDY SARTIN | KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINEL VIA AP

NBA

NHL

ROD AYDELOTTE | WACO TRIBUNE VIA AP

“It’s called the almighty dollar.”

Baylor women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey on why she believes the NCAA will complete its men’s and women’s basketball seasons.

PRIME NUMBER

296 Consecutive games with a shot on goal for Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton until Monday, when he was held without a shot on goal in Carolina’s 4-2 win in Nashville. It had been nearly five years since Hamilton was held without a shot on goal. The last time was April 5, 2016, in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Kings when he was with the Flames.

JIM RASSOL | AP PHOTO

It looked like Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle’s ironman streak was going to end when he was rumored to be a healthy scratch in Florida’s season opener. Instead, the 34-year-old played in his 867th consecutive game Sunday and, for good measure, scored his 100th career goal in a 5-2 win over the Blackhawks.

FRANK FRANKLIN II | AP PHOTO

Kyrie Irving missed a seventh straight game Monday, but the Brooklyn Nets hoped their point guard would be able to rejoin their lineup in Cleveland. The Nets play the Cavaliers on Wednesday and Friday. Irving’s absence began when he missed a victory over Philadelphia on Jan. 7 for personal reasons.

SAILING

MICHAEL CRAIG | NZ HERALD VIA AP

American Magic will miss the next round of racing in the America’s Cup challenger series after its dramatic capsize, but the team is determined to be ready for the series semifinals in just over a week. The New York Yacht Club-backed team faces a huge repair job after a high-speed crash while leading Sunday’s race against Italy’s Luna Rossa left its racing yacht Patriot with a gaping hole in its hull.

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

B3

Early returns have Hornets’ Ball among Hall of Fame players The Charlotte rookie is off to a fast start in his first season

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal

GERRY BROOME | AP PHOTO

LeVelle Moton and the NC Central Eagles have played only four games this season and would need to win the MEAC Tournament to earn an NCAA Tournament bid for the fifth time during the coach’s tenure in Durham.

March Madness without an NC team? It could happen The state’s best are on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament

By Shawn Krest North State Journal ON TUESDAY NIGHT, ACC fans were treated to an experience they haven’t seen in nearly five years. When Duke took the floor for its game at Pitt, the Blue Devils played their first game as an unranked team since 2016, snapping a 91poll streak in the top 25.

The Blue Devils were in the “others receiving votes” group, with a total of 42 poll points, and they didn’t have any local company. No other team from the state of North Carolina received a single vote in the poll.

It was the first time since December 1982 that archrivals Duke and North Carolina were both absent from the weekly poll. However, NC State, on its way to the national championship the next March, was ranked No. 15 and No. 17 in the two polls the Tar Heels and Blue Devils missed. So we need to return to the Way Back Machine to keep looking.

Dec. 28, 1970, is the last time that no team from North Carolina was in the AP poll, which, back then, was a Top 20, not 25.

A little less than three months after that poll, March Madness tipped off without a team from North Carolina. Two years later, the 1973 NCAA Tournament also shut out the state.

Could it happen again?

While it still appears to be a long shot at this point, there’s a distinct possibility that the 2021 NCAA Tournament may be the first in 47 years without a team from North Carolina.

The latest bracketology projections look grim. ESPN has three teams from the state in the 2021 field of 68, none seed-

ed higher than 11th and only one avoiding the First Four play-in round. CBSSports.com has one team playing in for a 16 seed.

With less than two months until Selection Sunday, here’s a look at the state’s Division I teams and the likelihood that they’ll keep North Carolina’s NCAA streak alive.

Losing records: Three teams entered Tuesday have losing records on the season and will need to win their conference tournaments to make the Big Dance. The group includes Wake Forest (3-5, 0-5 and last in the ACC), High Point (3-6, 1-3 and seventh in the Big South) and Gardner-Webb (3-8, 2-4 and eighth in the Big South) One-bid conferences: Another eight teams also need to win their conference tournaments because the leagues they play in are unlikely to get multiple bids. Only one of them, at the moment, appears to be a favorite to win their tournament: NC A&T, who is 2-0 in the MEAC despite a 5-9 overall record. A&T is projected as a 16-seed bound for the play-in game by both CBS and ESPN. The rest of the one-bid Charlies are UNC Asheville (7-6, 6-2 and third in the Big South, a conference topped by undefeated Winthrop), Campbell (9-7, 4-4 and fifth in the Big South), UNC Wilmington (64, 0-1 and ninth in CAA), Elon (3-3, 0-2 and last in the CAA), NC Central (1-2, 0-0 and third in the MEAC South, but always a tough conference tournament out under coach LeVelle Moton), UNC Greensboro (9-5, 4-2 and fourth in the Southern) and Western Carolina (7-5, 0-3 and last in the Southern).

That leaves seven North Carolina teams with at least some hope of an at-large bid, in ascending order of likelihood.

East Carolina (7-3, 1-3 and eighth in the AAC): The Pi-

CORNHOLE from page B1 these days and golf is still doable, but cornhole is very low impact. It’s nice to go out there and stand still most of the time.”

Sneed enrolled at State after receiving a medical discharge from the Army. Not only is he an accomplished cornhole player, but he also serves as president of the university’s Student Veterans Association while pursuing a business degree with an emphasis on finance.

It was through his connection to the Wolfpack that he met Lippard.

A sophomore agriculture major from Statesville, Lippard had wanted to play in the national tournament since seeing the event on television while still in high school. But he didn’t want to go until he could find an accomplished doubles partner.

Sneed, on the other hand, only began thinking about nationals after teaming up with Lippard.

“They play every night down here pretty much and I met up with Dravin,” Lippard said. “I knew that if I was going to NC State and I wanted to play in this (national) tournament, I needed to find somebody that also went to NC State. The deck of cards just fell perfect for us because we’re both thrilled to play with each other.”

Sneed is equally as thrilled to be repre-

rates are near the bottom of the league standings, but it’s early enough that a hot streak could move them up. ECU doesn’t have any impressive nonconference wins on its resume and are favored in just two of its remaining 16 games, according to the Torvik projections.

Appalachian State (10-5, 4-2 and tied for first in the Sun Belt): The Sun Belt has gotten an at-large bid twice since 2008, and App is tied with Georgia State for first in the Sun Belt East. The Mountaineers would need to at least win the divisional title to have hope of getting considered.

Charlotte (6-6, 2-2 and third in Conference USA): The 49ers have a win at Davidson but little else going in their favor. They’ll need to get hot over the next two months.

Davidson (8-5, 4-2 and fifth in the A-10): The Wildcats would be in better shape if they completed an upset of Texas, but they lost by two. A road win at Rhode Island is their best win so far, although they’ll have plenty of opportunities to add to their resume down the stretch.

NC State (6-4, 2-3 and tenth in the ACC): A threegame losing streak has put the Wolfpack on the wrong side of the bubble, but State has six Quadrant I and six Quadrant II games left, so its fate is in its hands.

North Carolina (8-5, 3-3 and ninth in the ACC): The Heels are in a First Four game as a No. 11 seed, according to ESPN. With six freshmen in the rotation, Carolina should continue to improve as the year goes on.

Duke (5-3, 3-1 and fourth in the ACC): The Blue Devils should also continue to improve as their six freshmen gain experience. They are projected for an 11th seed by ESPN. Duke will need to win some road games to earn a bid.

senting the Wolfpack, especially since his nationally televised success has brought some positive attention to a school that hasn’t had a lot to celebrate in recent years.

The only national championships State has won since Jim Valvano’s men’s basketball team upset Houston to cut down the nets in 1983 have come in bass fishing and Ultimate Frisbee.

“We’re not so good at the big sports, but we’ve got the little ones,” Sneed said, adding that his title fits right in with the perception many have of his school. “There’s been a lot of people saying, “It figures State is good bass fishing and cornhole.’

It’s all over the internet. It just feels good to win for State. I love State.”

Because cornhole, like bass fishing, isn’t a varsity sport, it’s uncertain if Sneed’s victory will be officially acknowledged by his school. Athletic department spokesman Fred Demarest said that in-game presentations are currently on hold because of coronavirus protocols.

While Sneed isn’t expecting an elaborate ceremony to commemorate his accomplishment, he said some kind of recognition would be nice.

Perhaps something fitting, like a championship banner hung in view of all the other cornhole players in the parking lot of Carter-Finley Stadium “That would be pretty cool,” he said. “I’d be all for that if they’d want to do it.”

AFTER LAMELO BALL become the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double, even Hornets coach James Borrego — the man changed with having to mold the teenager and his raw talent into a future superstar — had to pause and admire how far Charlotte’s foundational player has already come.

“A 19-year-old rookie does not look like this,” Borrego said. “This is just rare what you’re seeing. I can’t get over this kid. He’s just a wonderful person to be around, he’s humble, he’s genuine, he’s coachable.”

Ball’s performance Jan. 9 — 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in just over 31 minutes of the Hornets’ 113-105 win — helped Charlotte even its record at 5-5. Now at 6-8 and about to play after a season-long three-day break, it’s an ideal time to look at Ball’s progress nearly a month into his NBA career.

The assessment? Ball is in rare company.

Through the first 14 games of his career, Ball is averaging 11.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.1 assists while playing just over 25 minutes a night. Individually, none of those numbers jump off the page, but when put together, they put the youngest Ball brother in elite company.

Only three other rookies age 20 or younger in league history have had at least 150 points, 75 rebounds and 75 assists in their 14 games — and the list is impressive.

This century, Chris Paul and LeBron James — two future Hall of Famers — did it. James came right out of high school in 2003 to take the NBA storm, while Winston-Salem’s Paul entered the league in 2005 after one season at Wake Forest and has been one of league’s top point guards since.

Speaking of the Hall of Fame and elite point guards, the third player on this exclusive list is both — Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

Impressive indeed. Two of the three, by the way, won Rookie of the Year.

Johnson lost out to the man who became his foil, Boston’s Larry Bird. The Celtics star got the individual trophy, Johnson got the NBA title — and also won the first of his three Finals MVP awards.

Like Johnson was compared to Bird, Ball will be measured against the two players who were picked in front of him: Atlanta guard Anthony Edwards

“I love the person, I love the kid and, more than anything, I love his spirit.”

James Borrego, Hornets coach

and Golden State center James Wiseman.

So far, the ball is clearly in Ball’s court.

Edwards, the first overall pick out of Georgia, is averaging just under a point more per game than Ball with just 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in his first 12 NBA games in similar floor time.

Wiseman checks in at 10.7 points with 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in his first 13 games. He has just five total assists.

That Ball could emerge as the best of the three players is no surprise — he was considered by many to be the top the talent in the 2020 draft, but concerns about his lack of experience and the distractions his father, LaVar, created when the oldest Ball brother, Lonzo, entered the NBA made some take pause.

Borrego has brushed aside any worries about Ball’s attitude.

“I love the person, I love the kid and, more than anything, I love his spirit,” Borrego said following the triple-double. “I love what he brings to our locker room, our organization. Just proud of him, he was fantastic tonight.”

Another real concern was Ball’s play on the defensive end. Any 19-year-old can be expected to struggle upon entry into the league, but Ball’s lack of experience playing against top competition — he played just 12 games last year in Australia’s National Basketball League — was cause for concern.

Borrego says Ball is already taking steps in the right direction there as well.

“I’m seeing him improve, and especially on the defensive end,” Borrego said. “We’re still a work in progress here as a team, he’s still a work in progress there. … He’s a young kid but he gets it, and I expect him to get better. This is just the start for him. Nobody’s satisfied with where we’re at or where he’s at.”

For now, Ball is already leading the team in assists while ranking fifth in scoring and third in rebounding — an appetizer to the main course of what the Hornets and Borrego believe is to come.

“He wants to get better, I want him to get better, and we’re going to push him to do that.”

GERRY BROOME | AP PHOTO

Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball has averaged 11.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.1 assists in just over 25 minutes per game in his first 14 NBA contests.

FITTERER from page B1 they debate the best way to continue the rebuilding process.

That’s not to say Fitterer and Rhule are complete strangers. The Seahawks brought in undrafted free agents from Rhule’s Baylor teams each of the last two years — cornerback Derrek Thomas in 2019 and safety Chris Miller in 2020. Rhule also was involved in the hiring process.

With his long tenure in the NFL, Fitterer has plenty of former players floating around the league, some of whom may be candidates to come to Carolina.

The Panthers still have one of the oldest rosters in the league and need to get younger across the board. Most glaring on the list of needs are linebacker, offensive line, cornerback and tight end.

One of Fitterer’s first draft hits was Wright, who hits the unrestricted free agent market this year and would be a good fit for the Panthers defense. He wouldn’t fit in with the need to get younger, but, after the Panthers used last year’s entire draft on the defense, an experienced voice in the middle could help pull things together on that side of the ball.

If Fitterer is determined to bring in youth, 2018 Seattle draft pick Shaquem Griffin is available, along with twin brother and cornerback Shaquill, drafted a year earlier.

Jacob Hollister is worth considering at tight end. The 28-year-old has eight starts and six

touchdowns in two years with the Seahawks.

On the offensive line, two of Seattle’s 2020 starters are scheduled to be available on the free agent market — guard Mike Iupati and center Ethan Pocic. Iupati is 34, but Pocic is 26 and can move to guard, if necessary. Tackle Cedric Ogbuehi, who started four games, will be 29 and is another possibility. Guard Jordan Simmons, 26, started six games for Seattle.

There are also former Fitterer players who have moved on from Seattle, although many of them will make the Panthers older, not younger. This list is topped by Sherman, a future Hall of Famer who showed he still has something left on the 49ers this year. Safety Earl Thomas is 31 and didn’t play last season, so a Legion of Boom reunion in Carolina is probably not on the horizon.

There’s also edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, still a folk hero in South Carolina. He’s struggled with injury in recent years and missed most of this past season, but a return to his old stomping grounds of the Carolinas could revive his career.

Unlike Rhule, who was new to the league and needed familiar faces to help him install his system and culture, Fitterer has been in the NFL for two decades and has a proven ability to uncover talent, both in college and elsewhere in the league. So it’s possible the team won’t need to lean on his former connections.

He’ll have plenty of opportunities as the team begins what promises to be another active offseason.

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North State Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

NFL’s final four led by its best quarterbacks In two Week 6 rematches, future Hall of Famers Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers will face off for a Super Bowl spot, while the new guard of Patrick Mahomes — if healthy — and Josh Allen are going head to head in the AFC

14 Consecutive trips to the conference championship game for Tom Brady, who reached the AFC title game 13 straight years with the Patriots before leading the Buccaneers to the NFC’s final two this year

By Josh Dubow The Associated Press TOM BRADY WILL take on Aaron Rodgers in a matchup of quarterback legends in the NFC title game.

The AFC championship could feature two of the top young QBs if Patrick Mahomes is healthy enough to start for Kansas City against Buffalo’s Josh Allen.

An enticing final four in the NFL was set up Sunday when Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the New Orleans Saints 30-20 after the Chiefs held on for a 22-17 win over Cleveland after Mahomes left with a concussion.

Backup Chad Henne converted a fourth-and-1 pass to Tyreek Hill to seal the win for Kansas City after Mahomes had been knocked out of the game.

“We’re one team. We’re one heartbeat. We play for one another and that’s really always the thought,” defensive back Tyrann Mathieu said.

“Any time any of our teammates go

MARK LOMOGLIO | AP PHOTO

Quarterbacks Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers meet on the field after Brady’s Buccaneers defeated Rodgers’ Packers 38-10 back in Week 6.

MARK LOMOGLIO | AP PHOTO

Patrick Mahomes, who suffered a concussion in Kansas City’s win over the Browns on Sunday, led the Chiefs past Josh Allen and the Bills in Week 6.

down, we always feel the need to kind of step it up a notch and take care of what we need to take care of.”

Coach Andy Reid’s gutsy call helped make sure the Chiefs would become the first team to host the AFC championship game for the third straight year. No AFC team has ever done that and the only one to do it in the NFC was Reid’s Philadelphia Eagles in the 2002-04 seasons.

Kansas City (15-2) will host the Buffalo Bills (15-3) next Sunday with a return trip to the Super Bowl on the line for the Chiefs. Kansas City won the regular-season matchup 2617 in Buffalo in Week 6.

“Great team. Big-time quarterback. Playmakers all over the place,” Mathieu said of the Bills. “A really, really good defense, so we’re going to have our hands full next week.”

Mahomes’ status won’t be known until much later in the week. He threw a TD pass and ran for another score in the first half before getting

hurt on a quarterback option midway through the third quarter.

Brady threw two TD passes and relied on his defense to make it to his 14th conference title game and first since joining Tampa Bay (13-5) in the offseason.

Brady will be the fourth quarterback to start in conference title games in both the NFC and AFC with his boyhood hero Joe Montana the most recent to do it.

The Bucs will visit Green Bay on Sunday to take on Rodgers and the Packers (14-3). Tampa Bay won the regular-season matchup 38-10 in Week 6.

“It’s great for our team,” Brady said. “We worked hard to get to this point. Two road playoff wins is pretty sweet.

“We’ve got to go beat a great football team we know pretty well. Aaron’s playing incredible, and we’re going to have to play great to beat them.”

NWSL teams target NC players at draft; Courage take Canadian Deanne Rose in 1st round UNC defender Emily Fox went first overall to incoming Racing Louisville FC, one of six players from North Carolina schools selected

By Brett Friedlander North State Journal IF YOU’RE A professional women’s soccer expansion team looking to build a solid foundation for your franchise, you could do a lot worse than building around players from the nation’s most successful college program.

That’s the approach Racing Louisville FC took last week during its first National Women’s Soccer League draft.

The league’s newest team selected Tar Heel defender Emily Fox with the No. 1 overall pick, then added her college teammate, midfielder Taylor Otto, with the opening pick of the second round.

They will join fellow UNC alumnus and expansion draft selection Tobin Heath on the roster of a team that is scheduled to begin its inaugural season when the NWSL begins its 2021 season this spring.

“We had a very clear set of plans that we wanted, and we’re delighted with the players we’ve acquired,” Racing Louisville coach Christy Holly said. “I think our situation is a little bit unique compared to the other nine teams in the sense that we need players immediately.

“That’s the approach that we took. We were looking for the best possible players immediately available for preseason as opposed to planning down the line for those that may come out in the spring or this time next year.”

Fox and Otto were among a group of six players from North Carolina colleges taken in last Wednesday’s draft.

Fellow Tar Heel Brianna Pinto

“It is an honor, a privilege, and a dream come true. It’s going to be something that I remember forever.”

Tar Heels midfielder Brianna Pinto on being selected third overall

by Sky Blue FC was also a first-round pick, taken No. 3 overall by the Newark, N.J.based Sky Blue FC. UNC Wilmington goalkeeper Sydney Schneider was taken in the third round (29th overall) by the Washington Spirit, while Wake Forest’s Hannah Betford (37th overall to the Portland Thorns) and Duke’s Tess Boade (40th overall to Sky Blue FC) went in the fourth round.

Boade, a midfielder, bookended Fox’s selection at No. 1 by becoming the final player taken in the draft.

Also of note was the second overall selection. Sandwiched between UNC’s Fox and Pinto, the Washington Spirit took forward Trinity Rodman of Washington State, the daughter of former NBA star Dennis Rodman.

Fox is a three-time first-team All-ACC selection who overcame two ACL tears to lead UNC to NCAA College Cup appearances in 2018-19. She led the Tar Heels with 11 assists in 2019 while becoming a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy as the nation’s top college player.

The Ashburn, Virginia, native also has an extensive international resume that includes her current assignment to the U.S. National Team, on which her new coach, Holly, is a member of the staff.

“I’m super excited,” Fox said in a Zoom conference following her selection with Racing Louisville. “I

DAVID VINCENT | AP PHOTO

UNC defender Emily Fox, pictured in 2019 playing with the U.S. Women’s National Team, was selected first overall in last week’s NWSL Draft by Racing Louisville FC. know Christy from when he was on the national team as an assistant, so talking to him and him telling me about the culture and everything that they have in store — the facilities, the girls on the team.

“Especially since it’s a new club, I feel like it’s a very unique opportunity for me to be able to go in there and try to do as best as I can and work my way up and do anything I can for the team.”

She is the second Tar Heel to go No. 1 in the draft’s nine-year history. The Washington Spirit took Crystal Dunn with the first pick in 2014.

This also marks the third time and second year in a row in which UNC had two players taken in the first round.

Unlike Fox, however, Pinto will

wait before turning pro. With one more year of college eligibility remaining, the All-ACC midfielder plans to play the spring 2021 season with the Tar Heels.

One of five finalists for the 2019 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year Award, Pinto has 23 goals and 16 assists in 65 career games for UNC. “It is an honor, a privilege, and a dream come true,” Pinto said of her selection. “It’s going to be something that I remember forever.”

While other teams turned to North Carolina to add to their rosters, the team based in Cary looked north of the border with its first-round selection.

Picking 10th out of 10 teams, the NC Courage took forward Deanne Rose. A member of the Canadian

national team since the age of 15, she became the youngest player in Olympic soccer history to record a goal when she scored against Brazil while helping her country to a bronze medal in 2016.

In addition to her international experience, Rose scored 17 goals in 46 games while playing for the University of Florida.

“She’s a full international in the first round and that’s huge for us and, obviously, we really like her,” Courage coach Paul Riley said.

“She’s a really good player, a smart player, and a good athlete too. She has a huge upside and we’re excited to have her.”

The Courage’s other two picks were Auburn defender Alyssa Malonson and Vanderbilt defender Myra Konte, the 2020 SEC Tournament MVP.

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

features Hickory-based skin care product becomes media sensation, trending on Amazon

By Elizabeth Lincicome North State Journal HICKORY — For many of us the onset of winter means dry, cracked, irritated skin commonly associated with nature’s harshest elements. Luckily, a family-owned and operated skin care business based in Hickory has come to the rescue with a new foot peel exfoliating mask. Soft Touch is the business behind this new at-home do it yourself dry foot remedy. The company, which specializes in dry skin therapies, first made waves several years back with the release of its original Foot Peel Mask.

The product quickly became a social media sensation with millions of online video views, more than 8,000 Amazon reviews, and even received an Amazon Choice Award. Now their latest product, a Soothing Tea Tree foot peel, is quickly catching up.

Tim and Lynsey Frey founded Soft Touch in 2014 after moving to the area from Northern Michigan in 2007. Lynsey says they needed an escape from the bitter Michigan winters and to be closer to her family. With a 2019 population of around 41,000, Hickory, located just northwest of the Charlotte area, is perhaps best known for its rich heritage in furniture manufacturing. However, the Freys have brought different acclaim to their adopted town, and say it has been a fantastic place to call home while launching their successful skin care company. “Hickory is a small town but has the feel of a city in that it has the essential city requirements that suited us,” Lynsey says.

“Social media loves our product because it’s just plain crazy to watch dead skin just peel off in layers over a short time. It’s amazing to see people’s reactions to it!”

Soft Touch owner Lynsey Frey

PHOTO COURTESY OF SOFT TOUCH

Soft Touch is small, with under 10 employees but the Freys say they are working on expanding the brand with time. Their products are available on Amazon and on their own Softtouchfootcare. com website. The new dry cracked treatment with tea tree oil is already trending on Amazon and customer reviews are overwhelmingly positive, including: “Very easy to use and they work great! I also loved the smell of these, very refreshing!”

“Got this for my husband who has some kind of crazy un-kill-

able foot fungus leftover from his Navy days. He soaked for 45 minutes and started peeling less than a week later and his feet look/feel so much better!! Really helped.”

“This is an amazing foot peel mask! Avoiding chemicals and harmful ingredients is important to me, so it’s great to find a product that I feel safe using and that really works! The instructions are easy to follow and the booties are comfortable to wear. My feet were quite dry and rough after a summer of wearing sandals, so I was really looking forward to having

soft feet again. It took about 6 days to begin peeling and about 3 weeks for the peeling to completely stop.

My feet were soft and the dryness was gone! I’m really impressed by the results and can’t wait to do the foot peel again. Thank you for a great product!”

Lynsey Frey became a licensed esthetician in 2008. Over the course of her career she says she discovered that a combination of pure botanical acids and other wholesome ingredients could rid feet of rough heels and stubborn calluses without the need for harsh chemicals or other harmful ingredients. “I had a love of exfoliation and seeing fresh youthful results with skincare treatments.

The feet have always been a difficult area for me personally to soften with foot scrubs and foot files.

The best solution for this problem I came to learn was a mild natural enzyme solution to breakdown the skin cells, allowing the skin to slough off naturally with no work at all.” Although Soft Touch caters mainly to women aged 25-45 men also use their products because as

B5

Lynsey says, “who doesn’t want soft feet?”

While Lynsey is the beauty expert behind the invention, she credits her husband Tim with being the business brains behind the operation. “Tim had a business education and background…. he took this idea and put his heart and soul into it. He learned the tricks and techniques of online retail and e-commerce. He has a hardcore work ethic and is completely involved in all details of this product to make sure it appeals to everyone. He consults me with skin care questions because of my background and he does all of the online, social media, Amazon advertising, marketing research and development. He is awesome at it!”

The new easy-to-use foot peeling mask is suitable for men and women and can accommodate feet up to men’s size 11. Each set includes two pairs of booties designed to treat dead skin, calluses and cracked heels to reveal soft, rejuvenated feet without the need for painful scrubbing.

The Freys recommend the following tips in order to ensure maximum benefits from their new scrub: Wear the mask for a full 60 minutes.

Put socks on over the booties.

After treatment, soak feet in warm water daily for 10 minutes.

Allow one to two weeks for feet to begin peeling.

The Freys say people are obsessed with the foot peel process and they are thrilled with what their one product has brought to people. “We currently have over 13 million views from one YouTuber that tried our product. Overall, our videos online have had many millions of views. Social media loves our product because it’s just plain crazy to watch dead skin just peel off in layers over a short time.

“It’s amazing to see people’s reactions to it!”

LARRY HORRICKS | NETFLIX VIA AP

This image released by Netflix shows Carey Mulligan, left, and Ralph Fiennes in a scene from “The Dig.”

Review: Buried treasure, impending war and loss in ‘The Dig’

By Lindsey Bahr The Associated Press JUST BEFORE the outbreak of the World War II, a small-time archeologist was hired by a local woman to excavate her land. The thought was that it possibly contained some Viking remnants.

But what was unearthed in the mounds out in the fields was far more significant than they could have imagined: Buried in the grounds of Sutton Hoo was actually a ship that would end up providing a deeper understanding of the sophistication of the early Anglo-Saxon period.

It’s this true story that John Preston used as the stage for his novel “ The Dig,” which has been adapted into a very lovely film by screenwriter Moira Buffini

and director Simon Stone. Carey Mulligan stars as the Sutton Hoo landowner, Edith Pretty, a wealthy widow, mother to a preteen son and a bit of an amateur archaeologist who has a hunch about one of the mounds on her property. There’s also a ticking clock behind her expedition — the story is set in the summer of 1939 and by September, Britain would be declaring war.

The man she chooses for the job is Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes), a local excavator for a provincial museum. He is no doubt a brilliant archaeologist and an expert in his region, taught by two generations of his own family, but his formal education and external demeanor denote a lower class and thus he’s not taken seriously by many. Even his colleagues call

him “unorthodox and untrained.”

Basil establishes a connection with Edith, however, who had purchased the lands with her husband to explore the mounds together. The project was derailed by his untimely death and she and her son, Robert (Archie Barnes, excellent), are determined to finish even with the impending war and much of the country distracted elsewhere.

When they do realize what lies beneath the mounds is in fact more important than Viking graves, suddenly the big museums and important archeologists find the time and resources to contribute to the dig. This adds a whole host of subplots and characters, including Edith’s cousin, Rory (Johnny Flynn), who has enlisted with the air force, and new-

lywed archaeologists Stuart (Ben Chaplin) and Peggy Piggott (Lily James), all of whom roll their sleeves up to join in the project.

It’s here where the film’s novel origins become a bit of liability as they rush through various side stories with the Piggotts and Rory. These threads were likely more rewarding in the book, yet they do still add scope and context to this very insulated story. And it’s very easy to get swept away by it all.

Mulligan is also too young for this part (Nicole Kidman was originally slated for the role), although she excels nonetheless with a subtle and heartbreaking performance.

The director, Stone, is an acclaimed theater director in his native Australia without many

film credits to his name. His 2015 debut, “The Daughter,” an Ibsen adaptation, was not widely released in the United States.

But in “The Dig” he and his talented filmmaking team have made a truly beautiful piece, contemplative and melancholy, with a lovely score by Stefan Gregory and enveloping scenery shot

by Mike Eley. In some ways “The Dig” feels like its own artifact too, like a lost Anthony Minghella film made 30 years ago and buried until now.

“The Dig,” a Netflix release in theaters Friday and on Netflix Jan. 29, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for “brief sensuality and partial nudity.” Running time: 112 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.

B6

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

B7

2021 Polestar 2

The best new car you’ve never heard of Better than Tesla, except for how you charge it

By Jordan Golson North State Journal SAN DIEGO — I’ve spent a lot of time behind the wheel of various electric cars. Tesla, Hyundai, Chevrolet, and now Polestar — the new electric car brand from Volvo.

Polestar began life as a racing team that later built speedy versions of Volvo’s wagons and sedans for folks looking for a more performance-oriented ride. Then Volvo bought the whole company and spun it off as a separate premium brand focused on EVs. It’s not quite the Lexus to Volvo’s Toyota, given that both marques are rather premium — but there are certainly differences even with a lot of shared DNA. Polestar’s first effort was the Polestar 1, a $155,000 grand touring coupe with a two-liter four-cylinder super- and turbocharged engine borrowed from Volvo combined with an all-electric driving range higher than 52 miles and a total of 619 horsepower. Only 1,500 will be made and it’s Polestar’s halo car and you might never see one on the road.

Then there’s the Polestar 2, which the company hopes you’ll see a lot of. It’s a five-door “fastback” (basically a fancy hatchback, sorta) that starts at $59,900 and sports a 78 kilowatt-hour battery. It also has a 233-mile range according to EPA tests, which is borne out in my experience and is a bit lower than competing vehicles — in particular the Tesla Model 3.

But range isn’t everything, and the overall experience of the Polestar 2 is fantastic. First are the looks — it borrows a lot from its

Volvo siblings, which is always a good thing. The interior is very Scandinavian, with clean lines and sharp edges. The fully-loaded Launch Edition that I drove sported a vegan textile interior and the brilliant gold seatbelts that are a hallmark of the Polestar brand these days.

There was an excellent place to put my phone to charge, in a deep bin set just ahead of the gear shifter. There are two cupholders, but one is covered up by the center armrest and is rather inaccessible.

I hope the designers do better next time on that particular element.

The seats are comfortable and I’m calling out the manually-adjustable thigh bolster as a worthy feature that every car should have. The rear seats have terrific

legroom even though the car isn’t particularly large, thanks to clever packaging and the battery location below the passenger compartment.

Trunk space is incredibly spacious as one would expect in an EV, and there’s an extra bonus storage area under the trunk floor that can be accessed by lifting up on a handle on the floor — and then there’s a cute little kickstand to hold the floor panel up. There is a “frunk” front-trunk, but it’s very small and meant to hold charging cables and the car cover.

It’s also a hoot to drive. The launch edition has the $5,000 Performance Pack fitted, adding adjustable Öhlins dampers, four-piston Brembo brake calipers up front (in gold!), those golden seat-

belts, and matching golden tire valve caps which will probably be stolen at the first opportunity.

Between the two electric motors, the Polestar 2 boasts 408 horsepower and an even-more impressive 487 lb-ft of torque, pushing zero-to-60mph in under 4.5 seconds. That’s a lot of oomph and like all EVs, the torque is the most intoxicating part. It’ll rocket from 70 mph up and over 100 mph with startling quickness, so watch out when you’re passing on the highway.

I really like EVs. Aside from the (arguable) environmental benefits, they provide instant torque and acceleration, tend to be very safe because of packaging advantages, and, if you charge them at home, you almost never have to go to the

gas station unless you’re looking to pick up some Mega Millions or Powerball tickets.

Tesla is the king of the roost of EVs of course, and I’ve taken extended drives in the Model S, Model X, and Model 3 — and without question the best feature of a Tesla isn’t the car at all: it’s the company’s network of ultra-fast Supercharger stations.

I used a regular DC fast charger during my time with the Polestar and it was fine. But I had to set up an account with ChargePoint and enter my credit card number and all that, which admittedly I’d only have to do once if I owned the car — but I feel strongly that until the friction is removed from the charging experience, EV adoption will continue to be limited.

Tesla achieves this with the Supercharger — they’re all over the place, and you simply pull up and plug in. The charger recognizes the car and charges you appropriately. There’s no logging in or tap-to-pay or anything of the sort.

You just show up. Charging in the wild right now is like needing to download all the apps for different brands of gas station and then figuring out which one you need before buying gas rather than just swiping a credit card. It’s not simple, and it’s not frustration-free and it just makes the ownership experience that much more difficult.

Someday I believe we’ll have all this figured out and charging will become more seamless, but until then I have to give Tesla the advantage in overall ownership experience. This isn’t a problem unique to Polestar, and the Polestar 2 is probably the best EV I’ve driven to date — but when people inevitably say “should I get this or the Tesla?”

I’m going to have a hard time when it should be a very easy pick.

A CLOSER LOOK

Finally, a smartphone in your dash

By Jordan Golson North State Journal SAN DIEGO — I drive a lot of different cars which means I use a lot of different infotainment units.

These are the in-dash screens that control things like the radio, climate control, and wide variety of connectivity and “apps” that carmakers are looking to stuff into their cars these days.

Some of them are ok, some of them are meh, and some of them are really bad. None of them are great, which is why I’m always emphasizing when cars support Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. With those technologies, the in-car experience is handed over to your

smartphone. This is a good thing because you user your smartphone a lot and it has literally billions of dollars invested in making the user experience a good one.

Apple and Google are really good at user interface design, and each have more than a billion users and a lot of feedback to go on when improving things.

Car companies don’t have the billions of dollars to spend on UX, and have a lot of other difficulties like ensuring their systems can last for more than a decade and run reliably no matter what.

This isn’t to rag on car companies — your iPhone will be obsolete in three or four years, while that new F-150 you buy next week will need

to last at least 20.

But it also makes you wonder why those tech companies don’t just make an in-car infotainment system. Well, know they have. The Polestar 2 is the first car to run Google’s Android Automotive operating system. It’s a special version of Android (like the system in all those smartphones) specifically designed for cars.

It has a ton of Google features built in, including Google Maps, Google Assistant and the Google Play Store, with apps specifically built for the car. It’s always connected and extremely fast and responsive. There’s a 11-inch touch display that’s the focal point of the interior, with a screen split into

quadrants to give at-a-glance access to the maps, media, phone, and vehicle functions.

You can say “Hey Google” to get directions to someplace or adjust in-car functions like the climate control or seat heaters. There are apps you can download like Spotify or IHeartRadio that operate over the in-vehicle cellular connection, and more are on the way.

If you get directions, you get Google Maps point-of-interest search and if you search for something on your phone, it’ll appear in your car as well if you’re logged in to your Google account in both places.

There will also be over-the-air updates so your car can get upgrades and new features just like your phone does. Google and Polestar worked together for three years to make this system a reality, and it’ll be coming to more

vehicles as carmakers realize it’s easier to outsource this to Google than it is to invent their own, inferior system.

Google Maps is particularly excellent, as it takes over the dash screen as well to show you upcoming turns in a crisp, clear way — and the car is clever enough to tell you what your estimated battery level will be when you get to your destination, and to suggest potential charging locations on the way.

Apple CarPlay support is coming later this year, so if you want to skip all the Google nonsense and just use your phone, you can do that too.

This system is also in the new Volvo XC40 Recharge EV, and is coming to the rest of the Volvo lineup over the next few years.

Now we just need to get Android Automotive into every other car on the market.

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There is any evidence thatemergen the “Russian flu” and the 2002 SARS outbreak. There is evidence that the currency, would not be able to fund of these nited States over Perhaps The crisis has cost the U.S. taxpayer at least $2.4 trillion in addedPerhaps to stay at home; they massive 1918 “Spanish flu” pandemic also had its origins in China. massive 1918 “Spanish flu” pandemic also had COVID-19 its origins in China. measures without immediate fear of rampant inflation and c Robbins, publisher | Federal Frank Hill, senior opinion editor y alone can be Neal COVID-19 debt plus trillions more in Reserve backup liquidity to the they’ve donned mask There is depreciation.

100% agreement, outside of China, that COVID-19 There is 100% agreement, outside of China, that COVID-19 We need g Kong flu,” 1977 is China’s markets and financial outlets. If the U.S. dollar were not the reserveis China’s The result: a reduc originated inChina Wuhanhas Province the completely originated Province from the completely to pay probably fortransparency their from aberrant ways and decisions thr evidence that the currency, we would not be ableintoWuhan fund any of these probably emergency According to the Neal Robbins, Chernobyl. unregulated and unsanitary wet markets.

Some believe ithas came out of aUni Chernobyl. unregulated and unsanitary wet markets.

Some believe it came out of a economic and financial means.

Diplomacy obviously not ins in China. measures without immediate fear of rampant inflation and currency Metricseditor and Evaluati and Chinese honesty Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior biowarfare lab run by the communist army.opinion biowarfare lab run by the communist Chinese army. to bring China into the civilized world ofTrump 21st century health OVID-19 depreciation. administratio from our rigorous verifiable policing andregimes regulation of take th Until adopts verifiable policing and regulation of Until China andadopts fair trade.

Totalitarian communist never mpletely China has to pay for theirChina aberrant waysrigorous and decisions through peak outbreak was re their food safety and health protocols, American business has no other scientific experts ve it came out of a economic and financial Diplomacy has obviously notAmerican worked business has no other their means. food safety and health protocols, or express sincere regret and remorse, because thatby is nearly not wh ventilators choice than to build redundant manufacturing elsewhere purely — wedo. need to plants to bring China intochoice the civilized 21st century health, hygieneplants elsewhere purely than toworld buildofredundant manufacturing August by nearly 12,0 They take advantage of every w for nationaltotalitarian security andgovernments safety reasons as well as supply and delivery know what they regulation of and fair trade. Totalitarian communist never take the Here’s the problem for national securityregimes and safety reasons asblame well as supply and delivery they find in adversaries and keep pushing until they win or t reliability concerns. ness has no other or express sincere reliability regret and concerns. remorse, because that is not what know, what they questions that will al push back.

The mostadversaries direct way to make China “pay” for this disaster is to offer s elsewhere purely totalitarian governments do. They takeway advantage every weakness First, what theCh tr don’t and when The most direct to makeofChina “pay” for this disaster is to U.S. offertax credits That is, unless an exogenous event happens asisthe to companies who will source at least half ofsuch their pply and delivery they find in adversaries and keep pushing until they win or the important because it U.S. tax credits to companies who will source at least half of theirproductionmeltdown 1986. States.

Some that event, theyexperts hope to back in theinUnited There isbelieve approximately $120not the S adversaries push back. be open or of closed, wh production back in the United States. There is approximately $120 program of Reagan, directly to the dissolution the Sov billion worth of American directled investment in plants and equipment know what they isaster is to offer That is, unless an exogenous event happens such as the Chernobyl more liberalized soci billion worth of American direct investment in plants and equipment in 1989.direct investment in China. Chinese in the U.S. is about $65 billion by don’t. half of their meltdown in 1986. Some experts believe that event, not the Star Wars ought to lock down fu comparison. in China. Chinese direct investment in the U.S. is about $65 billion by Perhaps COVID-19 is China’s Chernobyl. ximately $120 program of Reagan, led directly to the dissolution of the Soviet Union We’ve in seen case fat An investment tax credit of 30% on half U.S. investment China comparison.

Senators in Washington are of already talking about the pos s and equipment in 1989. the number of identifi today, or $60 billion,forgiving applied to$1.2 repatriated American manufacturing investment tax credit of 30% on half of U.S. investment in China of China trillion in debt we owe them as one w out $65 billion by Perhaps COVID-19An is China’s Chernobyl. and the denominator investmentChina to the to U.S. would U.S. Treasury billionthe in US. Don today, orare $60 billion, applied to repatriated American manufacturing “pay” forcost the the damage they have$18 caused Senators in Washington already talking about the possibility people have actually tax revenue spread over a few years. $18 billion in lost revenue is would cost Treasury $18 billion in breath waiting for a Chinese “Jubilee” to number happen has but been ask you vestment in China of China forgivinginvestment $1.2 trillion to in the debtU.S. we owe them as the oneU.S. way to get ove decimal dust compared to the $6 trillion+ Marshall Plan we are now revenue they spread over a few years. $18 billion in lost revenue is representatives to hold China accountable in tangible financ n manufacturing China to “pay” for tax the damage have caused the US. Don’t hold your of death, particularly undertaking to disaster. save our own economy, not of defeated enemies as in the compared to the $6ask trillion+ Marshall Plan we are now this $18 billion in breath waiting for decimal a Chinesedust “Jubilee” to happen but your elected sources suggest the n past. to save ourinown economy, notways of defeated enemies as in the It is about time they are expected to operate as responsibl t revenue is representatives to undertaking hold China accountable tangible financial for many American people are dyin China has been cheating, stealing, pirating and pillaging Plan we are now this disaster. past. the world like any other modern nation.

Even more importa business now for the past 30 years. They have made no secret that they d enemies as in the It is about time they are expected operate asstealing, responsible citizens ofpillaging American actually have coronav China has beentocheating, pirating and intend to replace the U.S. as the premier superpower in the world and the world like any business other modern nation. of identified cases co now for the past 30 years. They have made no secret thatreplace they the dollar as the reserve currency with their renminbi. laging American number of people wh intend to replace the U.S. as the premier superpower in the world and no secret that they replace the dollar as the reserve currency with their renminbi.

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It’s okay to ask questions about ask questions aboutto when will payIt’s forokay this to COVID-19 catastrophe How Chi we begin get back to normal sstrophe about when A7 The comfort a How China will pay for this COVID-19 catas The 3 big questions nob A7 normalwe begin to get back to normal EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS

EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

EDITORIAL | FRA

COLUMN | REP. RICHARD HU COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO

North State Journal for Wednesday, April 15, 2020

CERTAIN; after this COVID-19 virus dissipates The cavalier manner in which China lied about the origin ofSTATES the WITH MOST under either shelter-in-place or stay-at-homeONE OBINSON hina lied about the origin of the nd in the United States, China will pay for this virus, covered upONE its spread and to tell after the world there to were only THING IStried CERTAIN; thisthanks COVID-19 virus cavalierofmanner in which arounC orders local ordissipates state governments,The a majority Americans WEEK, virus, according to members theand fede iedor toanother. tell the world there were only “THIS ISofTHE DA ay 3,341 related deaths to worldwide panic, economic and aroundhas theled globe and in the United will to pay forTHIS this covered up its spread t areStates, havingChina to collapse adjust what is being called the “new normal.” catast and state and local governments, Americans have rldwide panic, economic collapse and in it” (Psalm 118:24). either shelter-in-place stay-at-home into place.

I understand the related seriousness ofhas theled virus an catastrophe one waybeing or or another.

3,341 to wo he crisis caused by China in perspective,WITH zero MOST STATES millionsunder of Americans needlessly thrown out of work.

Some of fallen these orders extend at least through the end deaths of this month.

In oe ce orcan stay-at-home fallen to into place.

Iorders understand theto seriousness of the virus the the curve inI’m the uneasy novel coronavirus outbreak.

The being thrown of work.

I know that during thanks localThe or state governments, aneed majority of at Americans to precautions, with how people who sim Inand order to puttaxpayer the crisis caused

by China in take perspective, zero millions of Americans needlessly mics traceout their source the United States over crisis has cost the U.S. leastVirginia’s $2.4 trillion in added stay-at-home orders gobut into June. worldw ty of at Americans to take precautions, I’m uneasy withto how people who simply the ask “new normal.” muted afterand all, trends canhas easily reverse — taxp but ayer leastfour $2.4in trillion in added working from home worldwide can trace their source to the United States over The coststart the U.S. arebut having what is being called questions the— data, things can getting ry.

At least the 20th century alone can be to adjustdebt plus trillions more inpandemics Federal Reserve backup liquidity toCarolina, the about Here in North Democratic Gov.when Roycrisis Cooper stated during our 23 normal.” questions and when orders things can startatgetting back tohistory. have abided by recommendations and orders.

The Reserve backup liquidity to the about the data, be glad” the Bible our 231-year AtU.S. least four the 20th century alone can be debt plus trillions more Federa Some of these extend least through the end of this month. normal are treated in some circles with contempt. ainrecent coronavirus press briefing that “we just don’t know yet”asifin the China: 1957 “Asian flu,” 1968 “Hong Kong flu,” 1977 markets and financial outlets.

If the dollar were not the reserve direct nd of this month. are treated in some circles with contempt. to flu,” stay 1977 at home; they’ve practiced socialthe distancin he U.S. dollar were notnormal the reserve dad, Easter directly to to China: flu,” 1968They’re “Hong orders Kong markets andand financial outlets.

If t Virginia’s stay-at-home orders go into June. treated asextend though we as a society simply must acce state’s stay-at-home will into May. he 2002 SARS outbreak.

There is evidence thatwe theas a society currency, wemust would nottraced be able fund1957 any “Asian of these emergency Since when did “Russi Perhaps They’re treated as though simply accept without JIM LO CALZO | POOL VIA AP they’ve donned masks. fund any of these emergency have to be thankful “Russian flu” and the 2002 SARS outbreak.

There is evidence that the currency, we would not be able Perhaps WALTER E. WILLIAMS If he does decide to extend it, questions should be asked as to the in North Carolina, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper stated during question what the government tells us about when it’s massiv safe to toa nish flu”WALTER pandemic also its origins inHere China. measures without immediate fear of rampant inflation and currency We need E. had WILLIAMS questioning per stated during question what the government tells us about when it’s safe to begin the The result: a reduction in expected hospitalizat Lenten and of rampant inflation and currency pandemic. massive 1918 “Spanish flu” had itsfor origins in China. measures without U.S. MarineofCorps. sentries outside a damaged door at the Capitol during a rehearsal for the 59thpandemic inaugural ceremony Joe Biden andCOVID-19 Vice Presidentfor it. President-elect And the answers should not be vague onesimmediate like “we fea a recent press briefing that “we just don’t know yet” ifjustification thealso process of returning back to normalcy.

COVID-19 greement, outside China, that COVID-19 depreciation.

Theis know yet” if the process of returning back tocoronavirus normalcy. transparency According to the University of Washington Institu For me, my faith Easter seasons government elect Kamala Harris on Monday, January 18, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. There is 100% agreement, outside of China, that COVID-19 depreciation. must do this out of an abundance of caution.” is model China’s state’sworks stay-at-home will into May. No. The government works for us, and making. we have the right to an Province probably from thedid completely China has toright pay to for their aberrant ways and decisions through is China’s Since when No. The government for us, andorders we have theextend ask those Metrics and Evaluation most oft cited by m origin ant ways and decisions through As I celebra and honesty originatedshould in at Wuhan Province probably from the completely has to pay for their aberr provide a China all levels It will need to be explained in detail to the people of this state who If he does decide to extend it, questions be asked as to the questions.

And the longer stay-at-home orders are in place a nsanitary wet markets. believe itlonger came out of but aChernobyl. financial means.

Diplomacywet hasmarkets. obviously notbelieve workedit Trump Chernobyl. asked to the questions.

And theis stay-at-home orders in place all over the unsanitary administration, theand expected need for hosp plomacy has obviously notSome worked unreg Corinthians 1:4, whi graduates iseconomic only ableare toand find low-paying work. ned in as two past articles that student debt questioning unregulated and came out of at a home economic financial means.

D fromSome our are being told to remain jobless and for an undetermined message of become a justification for it.

And the answers should not be vague ones like “we country, and the stricter some of them get in states, such as M byones the communist Chinese army. to China into the civilized 21st century health, hygienepeak outbreak was gue likecentury “we country, and the stricter somean ofISA them getbring in states, such as Michigan, revised down by over 120,000, orld of 21st health, hygiene Under agreement, he would owe an agreedlem and that universities have encouraged affliction, so that wew biowa biowarfare lab run world by the of communist Chinese army. to we bring China into the civilized scientific experts amount of time why models predicting hundreds of thousands of cases government hope that will mustupon do this out ofand an abundance ofthe caution.” thethe more people, sitting at nearly home feeling isolated and/or anxi bad thing? the more people, sitting at home feeling isolated and/or anxious about pts verifiable policing and regulation of fair trade. communist regimes neverpolicing take blame ventilators and the number of ov percentage of his income —Totalitarian actual dollar theirrigorous own irresponsible behavior.

With unist regimes never take the blame affliction, withcomm the co Unt Until China adopts rigorous verifiable and regulation of by and 13,000 fair trade.

Totalitarian are reliable.

—iswe need to once again enjoy atnot all levels It amount will need to be in detail to the people of this state who when they can get back to providing for their families, will d would be very low.

With a traditional loan, of this stateprotocols, who when theyfinancial can get back tonoproviding for their families, will demand erse, graduates facing uncertain August by nearly 12,000. nd health American business has other orexplained express sincere regret and remorse, because that not what because that isan what God.” That is what their f their food safety and health protocols, American business nowhat otherthe state or express sincere rem To know date, what I’ve gone alonghas with has asked andregret then and they he would owe the same amount regardless of his t’s particularly important to find solutions ndetermined answers. are being told to remain jobless and at home for an undetermined answers.

Here’s the problem: We still don’t know the ans sporting events, advantage of become every weakness dtake redundant manufacturing plants elsewhere purely If you are celebrat totalitarian governments do.

They take advantage of every weakness a choice than tofree build redundant manufacturing plants elsewhere purely totalitarian governments do.

The choice citizens mandated that we do, but along the way I’ve also had questions about income.

Even with income-based repayment on his So,and what’s to cases be done? housands of Leaders the local state levels should be in as forthcoming assecurity they know, what they questions that state will allow economy tothis reopen. amount of time why models predicting hundreds of thousands of cases theleaders localconcerts, and levels should beon as forthcom pushing until they win or the reflect messa ty safety reasons as well asatsupply andand delivery they find adversaries and keep pushing until they win orLeaders the family for national safety reasons as well as supplyatand delivery they findthe in adversaries and keep for nat the data.

State Republican have, too. thing? livingasinand a free loan,—heand would likely make interest-only payments dical proposals, likebad completely can be with those answers again, not vague answers, but answer First, what is the true coronavirus fatality rate?c God’s example and are reliable. can be with those answers — and again, not vague answers, don’t and when s.student loans adversaries push back. reliability concerns. adversaries push back. gatherings, Unfortunately, when certain types of questions get asked, there is reliabi AMERICA’S COLLEGES are rife withthe principal continued to mount. andasmaking subject AMERICA’S COLLEGES rife withbecause it determines That is them what society ked and then with details that give their low interest rates make itare easiimportant whether certain historic low.

By Boak nt happens such the Chernobyl this difficult Th To date, I’veUniversity gonebelievability. along with what theexogenous statedirect has asked and then with that their statements The most waywere to make China “pay” for this disaster isgive to offer That is, believability. unless an exogenous ev way to make China “pay” for work. this disaster isJosh tostatements offer they hope todetails That is, unless an event happens such asThe the Chernobyl corruption.

The financial squeeze resulting sometimes a disturbing tendency among some people to treat thosetime. church services The Purdue is already experimenting with ptcy protection, would certainly corruption. financial squeeze resulting er to keep financing a stimulus The investment bank GoldThe Associated Press questions about We should all continue to do what we can to keep our families, be open or closed, whether we ought to pursue — believe that event, not the Star Wars confident we will em supposed free citizens COVID-19 offers opportunities for atheirunder mandated that its we“Back do, but along the way also had questions about We should continue towhen do what weinstart can to keep our fam U.S. taxI’ve credits to who willknow source at least half all of their meltdown 1986.

Some experts companies will source at half of ISAs meltdown in plan.

1986.

Some experts believe that event, not the Star Wars what they simply questioning the andfor asking we can getting back a Boiler” The program iscompanies ders whofrom putwho their own money onleast the our line from COVID-19 offers opportunities a many U.S. ta and more and repay added debt.

Thedata intermanstill Sachs estimates that growth Sponsored

by Union ourselves, and communities safe.

But we also continue more liberalized society that presumes wide sprea Sponsored by should the dissolution of the Soviet In this same spirit Sponsored by bit of remediation.

Let’s first examine what production back in the United States.

There is approximately $120 program of Reagan, led directly the data.

State Republican leaders have, too. ourselves, and our communities safe.

But we should also stilt Sponsored by nue the United States.

There is approximately $120 program of Reagan, led directly to the dissolution of the Soviet Union to do, last I to normal as though they are conspiracy theorists or are people who being funded by the Purdue Research Foundation, diligence beforeliving lendingintoa18-yearbit of remediation.

Let’s first examine what free est rate on a 10-year U.S. Treathis year could be 6.6% if part don’t.

BALTIMORE — When Joe produ afterdown ourinown asked, there to of ask questions about the data, because while reasonable stay-at-home ought to lock further. mightisbe the root academic corruption, neighbors helping st ne billion worth of American direct investment in plants and equipment Unfortunately, certain types of questions get asked, there isbenote to ask questions about the data, because while reasonable partentered of the university’s endowment.

It’s a small ers. And direct the fearinvestment of students in filing for and Biden might the root of academic corruption, otherwise care if they get themselves or1989. others sick. sury isdon’t about 1.15%, commerican in 1989. of Biden’s stimulus plan passes. thewhen White House checked. billion suggested bysociety the title were of aplants recent study,equipment ehernobyl. to treat those measures are understandable, they should also have an expiration date.

We’ve seen case fatality rates — the number of temporary In Concord, a high in China.

Chinese direct investment inwith the U.S. is about $65 billion by Perhaps COVID-19 China’s Cd but is already showing positive ydirect wouldinvestment ensure thatGrievance loans are small and bywhen the title ofquestioning a recent study, pared 11.67% in 1984 when That would be results. the strongest gainsuggested as program vice president, the economy sometimes abynow disturbing tendency among some people to treat those measures are understandable, they also have an expi Since did government at all should levels become aisbad in the U.S. $65 billion Perhaps COVID-19 is China’s Chernobyl.

“Academic Studies and to the in Chi North State Journal for Wednesday, April 15, 2020 starttalking getting back supposed This is is allabout new Americans, and it is not normal.

Not in any way, the number of identified COVID-19 cases — but b eady about the possibility money to buy a 3-D sacrifices are growth last thisto since when 7.2%start increase was cratering.

Job the losses were Purdue’s website explains aand few of the1984, benefits ofacan “Academic Grievance Studies and theAmericans, comparison.

Senators Washington arein alra thing?

That isThis what free citizens living in a free were supposed simply questioning data asking when we getting backprospects islooked all new andsociety it isin not normal.

Not Corruption of Scholarship.”

The study was Senators in Washington are already talking about the possibility compa A6 are people who shape, or form.

So while we should remain vigilant and stay safe, atdomestic andstudy theChina denominator are likely wrong.

We don’t k we owe them as one way to get health care workers good and the size of the federal in the gross product mounting.

Stocks were crashISAs: hdebt a solution is politically unpopular.

Corruption of Scholarship.”

The was An investment tax credit of 30% on half of U.S. investment in of China forgiving $1.2 trillion in over. to do, last I checked. done byshows Areo, opinion analysis Data success toan do, last Iand to ing. normal ascomfortable though they are conspiracy theorists or debt are Presipeople who shape, or form.

So while we should remain vigilant and stay ax credit of 30% on half of U.S. investment in China of China forgiving $1.2 trillion in we owe them as one way to get An i ick. the same time we shouldn’t get with this so-called “new debt was significantly smaller. people have actually died of coronavirus.

Some so helped carry Republican Millions of Americans were y have caused the US. Don’t hold your The standard payment period for the Back onsiderably reduce the number byMy Areo, an opinionasand analysis today, or $60 billion,sick. applied done to repatriated American manufacturing China to “pay”isfor the damage digital magazine.

By American theof way, Areo is short first concern we go in all this, of course, my family.

I’m the otherwise don’t care ifisthey get themselves orReagan others same time wealong shouldn’t get comfortable with this so-call on, applied to repatriated manufacturing China totheir “pay” for the damage they have caused the US. the Don’t hold your Republican lawmakers still dent Ronald to a second in the early stages of losing checked. and struggles for NC see” become a bad normal.” today, number has been overestimated, given that classifi toborrow happen but ask your elected a Boiler-ISA Fund about 10 years, making it ble to for college and would digital magazine.

By the way, Areo is short for Areopagitica, a speech delivered by investmentattoall the U.S. become would cost the U.S.about Treasury $18 billion the in virus, and breath waiting Ifor a Chinese worried them catching I’m worried will.

After “Jub Since when did questioning government levels asee bad normal.” the need for aid toof conterm aprivate landslide.

Wellsto Farhomes foreclosure as theFederal housU.S. would cost thein U.S. Treasury $18 into breath waiting for revenue ainChinese “Jubilee” happen but ask your elected y were supposed Not one little bit.billion death, among elderly patients, can competitive with most Plus and loan ionately affect low-income students.

It for Areopagitica, a more speech delivered by particularly invest untable in tangible financial ways for John Milton defense of free speech. tax spread over a few years. $18 billion in lost revenue is representatives to hold China acc small businesses suffering from the H1N1 virus (swine flu) during the 2009 pandemic, tain the pandemic, some are go forecasts growth of 4.6% this bubble thing?

ThatInburst. isaddition, whatrepresentatives free ina asix-month free society were supposed Not but one little bit. suggest the number is dramaticallytax over a few years.majoring $18 billion in lost revenue is to hold China accountable in tangible financial ways for all citizens studentsliving receive disfavor students in soft but John Milton in defense of free speech.

Authors Helen Pluckrose, James A.ingterms. sources under rev decimal dust compared to the $6 trillion+ Marshall Plan we are now this disaster.

I’ve been trying to take extra precautions, because all of this brings up voicing concerns about Biden’s year, payments which would be the best Authors Biden to the White before towe do, last Ireturns checked.

RALEIGH — Most North grace period post-graduation begin.

Lindsay and Peter Boghossian say has that Helen Pluckrose, James A. pared tofamily. the as $6I’m trillion+ Marshall Plan are now e, is my this disaster.

Stacey Matthews also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah many people are dying at home. diplines. to operate responsible citizens of decim undertaking to save our own economy, notmany of defeated enemies as in the It is about timenot they expect desire for another big spending 1999. as president a dozen years since way and too memories ofsay a painful I’d prefer to are repeat. something has gone drastically wrong Carolina small businesses Once recipient makes successful payments for ee are solutions that can be implemented — House Lindsay Peter Boghossian thatmore My first concern as we along inStill, all this, course, is my family.

I’m Stacey Matthews has alsoexperience written under the pseudonym Sist ied I will.

After and is adefeated regular contributor RedState and Legal Insurrection.

Even importantly, we have no clue how mn our own economy, not of enemies asato in theeconomy It is go about time they areof expected to operate asBut responsible citizens of ation. package.

They stress that any there are plenty of ecounder later with the battered past. the world like any other modern what also makes me lose sleep is how easily most everyone has in academia, especially within certain remain open but have seen theshaken prescribed term of theBut contract, norisks additional s acrimonious political climate. something has gone drastically wrong 2009 pandemic, worried aboutbythem catching the any virus, and I’m worried I will.

After and is a regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrec actually have coronavirus.

Some scientists sugges the world like other modern nation. new spending should be directnomic facing Biden.

The and a pandemic.

China has less been cheating, stealing, pirating and pillaging American past. fields within the humanities.

They revenues in the face payments evenitif(swine they have paid solution has been referred to as “skin in call in academia, especially within of this brings updecline ed They toward increasing vaccinamost bullish forecasts hinge30 onyears. ofcertain identified cases could be an order of magnitude this timefrom is are different — virus and suffering therequired H1N1 flu) during the 2009 pandemic, cheating, stealing, pirating and pillaging American business now for the past have made no secret that they these fields “grievance studies,” where Chin of the would COVID-19 than the the amount of funding received.

Suchnot a policy callpandemic, for institutions fields within They Neal Robbins, publisher |a Stroll Frank Hill,coronavirus senior opinion tions and the thathumanities. his proposal for call getting much of Biden’s aid pack-brings could reset nation’s politics ifthey forwho refer to years. repeat.They number of Go people have had and n I’ve been trying to take extra precautions, because all of this up he past 30 have made no secret that they scholarship is not so much based upon intend to replace the U.S. as the premier superpower in the world and according to results from a busine ISAs and skin the game hare in the credit risk of every student fields “grievance studies,” where direct checks of $1,400 per perage policies throughwould Congress. And anythese BidenBoth Democrats canin count ost everyone haspremier finding truthof but upon attending way too and many memories of abenefits. painful experience I’dasprefer notscholarship tocurrency repeat. he as superpower world and replace the dollar thedepend reserve their renminbi. new survey North Carolina have many down-stream Both would put outU.S. a loan tothe attend the institution.

In intothe iswith not so much basedreupon in Shelby intend son could delay people from gains would probably on a level of growth not seen in a social grievances.

Grievance But what also makes me lose sleep is how easily most everyone has small as the reserve currencyreleased with their renminbi. pressure on universities to keep tuition low and his means thatbusinesses universities would bescholars on finding truth but upon attending to turning to work. on overcoming the pandemic. generation. replac If you find yourself in bully students, administrators and other

Innovative solutions he student debt dilemma Fixingn.c. college FAST corruption

FACTS

Fixing college Biden’s test: Engineering economic corruption boom in a partisan divide

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today the Department offset some themillion artificial pressure or some part ofby student loan debtofwhen grievances. outGrievance another $2scholars trilThereonisdemand also the for possibility thatsocial“Blasting Despite the of9.8 jobs departments intoreport adhering their Cleveland County soon, Commerce.

The alsoto lion in borrowed or printed monthe added stimulus championed higher education.

They would also align universities’ lost due to the coronavirus, there efault. Such a policy would require action bully students, administrators and othercheck worldview. The worldview they promote is Jason out Uptown Shelby’s shows more half of the ey — when theadhering ink on DecemBiden couldwould be more than thedepartments signs the country the by with those isof on students.

Universities ss since student loansthan arenor disbursed the areinterests into to their neither scientific rigorous.by Grievance Storybook Stroll. The clever EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS respondents to the survey have ber’s $1 The trillion aid bill is barely economy needs, perhaps stirringworldview. a kind of unseen in not be of invested inboom student success, just increased ernment. worldview they promote is studies consist of disciplines such as cusp family activity encourages takencan advantage of financiallocally. theenrollment. dry and much of therigorous. money isGrievance not inflation.

Trump eras.

THEWS universities would probably begin ther solution be implemented neither scientific nor sociology, anthropology, gender studies, Obama andSome | STAC readers of allEDITORIAL ages to go for yet spent — would be a colossal But the Great Recession Checking account balancassistance programs and that of institutions are already giving it critical a studies consist of disciplines such RICHARD as COLUMN | REP. HUDSON queer studies, sexuality and raceto offer better guidance to students when they choose a leisurely walk through the waste and economically harmBiden’s team the benefitsociology, es majors, have surged byclasses $2.4 trillion such programs remain crucial, choose and taketaught out loans. e Share Agreements (ISAs).

ISAs are anthropology, gender studies, public power community’s studies. ful,” Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of going big with stimulus.

Insince the outbreak began.

Home including the need to better These innovative solutions will do what “Free l agreements in which students receive queer studies, sexuality and critical race uptown — along the way, In 2017 and 2018, authors Pluckrose, prices are soaring because of hot coming White House Chief of of Pennsylvania said in a stateconnect businesses to the and Boghossian started College” cannot: make students and universities funding Lindsay in exchange for a predetermined studies. you’ll read a children’s book And each addition- Staff Ron Klain says Biden’s of- ment. programs that remain available. submitting bogusover academic papers to demand. behave more wisely and act together towards the post-graduation income a certain In 2017 and 2018, authors Pluckrose, page by page at various small Republican voters have alficials learned the hard way that al vaccination moves the world’s The survey conducted academic journals in cultural, queer, sameeconomy goal. Thatcloser goal is tofully createthe educated, wise years. The percent of was income and number Lindsay and Boghossian started businesses. Clear your head ready turned bearish on the roughly $800 billion aplargest to by thegender, Department’s Mainmajor and sexuality studies and productive graduates. Onlyproved with smart policies n changerace, based uponfat a student’s and re-opening. submitting bogus academic papers to with fresh air and fill it with economy after President Donin 2009 to fight the Great Street and Rural Planning determine if they would pass peer that incentivize successRecession can we ensure tential. to journals cultural, queer, ald Trump lost.inThe Universiwas that insufficient, aacademic “If the economy student is improving theTHE magic of storytime!

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“Rape Culture and Queer Performativity re reasonable data points that should serve out if they get themselves or others sick. the same time of we shouldn’t get comfortable with this so-called “new development, and business otherw said Donald Schneider, a memHarvard University’s KenThe potential for a boom under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah checked.

Mycare firstoptions concern as we go along in allDog this, of course, my family.

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A Wall Streeteveryone Journal writerVirtual hospitals and direct primary at Urban Parks.”

This is paper’s subject ation to make decisions to keep continuity planning. questioning government at all levels become a bad normal.” ber of the policy research team at nedy School.

“Too many people flects in large part the roughSinc dState and Legal Insurrection. hadThe figured what they were doing. would be made available through worried about them catching the virus, and I’m worried I will.

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Ongoing testing would be implemented. paper eventually forced Boghossian, re not reopening everything tomorrow.

We Main Street & Rural Planning federal aid, with Biden last week growth) as a sign that the stim- chief economist of the House d. in academic journals citizens, advocated training to do, I’ve been trying takein extra precautions, because all this bringsout up Rigorous statewide would be to and Lindsay to of prematurely care of our mostand vulnerable Center the SBTDC aims toand proposing Ways and Means Committee. ulus didn’t work, when, fact,Pluckrose $1.9 trillion antibody more, an testing men like dogs and punishing whiteismale as we go along all this, ofnow. course, my family. I’m level Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah My implemented once available. themselves.

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by After m catching thestudents virus, and I’m— worried I will. and is which a regular contributor tomakes RedState and Legal Insurrection.

In conjunction with other regional governors had figured out what they were doing. ward if one side comes to power lowing aasking couple of data models Fuller, widely understood.” lus.

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VISU

It’s okay to ask questions about when sk questions about when It’s okay The comfort and hope we begin to get back to normal

get back to normal

What would you do?

we begin

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

ncdot CASH REPORT For the week ending 1/15 Total Cash & Bond Proceeds:

$1,944,983,621 Add Receipts:

$63,126,777 Less Disbursements:

$75,203,065 Reserved Cash:

$877,491,887 Unreserved Cash Balance Total:

$3,725,664,798 Goldman Sachs’ profits more than double, despite pandemic New York Goldman Sachs said its profits more than doubled from a year earlier thanks to a surge in both trading and advising revenue. The earnings were significantly better than the $7.45-per-share profit that analysts were expecting. Goldman’s results reflect that Wall Street had a strong year, despite the pandemic and millions of Americans out of work. After plunging sharply in March and April, the stock market went basically straight up for seven months as investors tried to look beyond the near-term death and pain and focus on where the U.S. economy will be in a year or two years’ time. The stellar quarter also will result in stellar bonuses for Goldman’s well-compensated employees. The bank set aside $13.31 billion to pay out bonuses and payroll this year, up 8% from a year earlier. Most of Goldman’s top employees make most of their money in year-end bonuses.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Canada in touch with incoming Biden admin about oil pipeline

By Rob Gillies The Associated Press TORONTO — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday his officials are in regular contact with U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming administration about a long-disputed oil pipeline that reports say Biden will cancel on his first day in office.

Trudeau said over the last number of days, including Tuesday, that his officials have communicated arguments in favor of the Keystone XL pipeline to the highest levels of his administration. A few Canadian media outlets reported Sunday that Biden plans to scrap the pipeline immediately upon taking office. Biden’s plan is outlined in transition documents seen by the outlets.

“We are speaking with the

Charlotte Bank of America’s fourth-quarter profits fell 18% from a year ago, as lower interest rates weighed down its results. However the bank was able to release more than $800 million from its credit reserves, a sign that it sees the U.S. economy improving in the coming months. The Charlottebased bank said Tuesday that it earned a profit of $5.47 billion, or 59 cents a share, down from a profit $6.99 billion, or 74 cents per share, in the same period a year earlier. Analysts were expecting BofA to earn 56 cents a share, according to Zacks Investment Research. Low interest rates were the biggest drag on BofA’s results compared to last year. The Federal Reserve sharply cut rates once the pandemic hit. Bank of America’s balance sheet is heavily weighted toward short-term interest rates, so it was hit harder than the rest of its competitors. Interest revenue in the quarter went from $12.14 billion to $10.25 billion.

highest level of the administration to promote our arguments in support of this project,” Trudeau said.

Trudeau said he looks forward to talking to Biden about it in the coming days.

Biden spokesman Andrew Bates said this week the transition team had no comment on the pipeline. A person familiar with the pipeline matter said Monday that the document cited by Canadian news media was a draft slide that was a few weeks old. Despite the timing suggested in the draft slide, everything on it “may not happen on day one,” the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record on the matter.

The 1,700-mile (2,735-kilometer) pipeline would carry roughly 800,000 barrels of oil a day from

Alberta to the Texas Gulf Coast, passing through Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma.

First proposed in 2008, the pipeline has become emblematic of the tensions between economic development and curbing the fossil fuel emissions that are causing climate change. The Obama administration rejected it, but President Donald Trump revived it and has been a strong supporter.

Construction already started.

Trudeau raised Keystone XL as a top priority when he spoke with Biden in a phone call in November. The project is meant to expand critical oil exports for Canada, which has the third-largest oil reserves in the world.

Trudeau and Biden are politically aligned and there are expectations for a return to normal relations after four years of Trump,

“This moment will mark a new chapter in the incredible relationship between our two countries.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau but the pipeline is expected to be an early irritant as Biden has said he would cancel it.

Trudeau has tried to balance the oil industry’s desire for more pipelines with environmentalists’ concerns. He canceled one major pipeline to the Pacific coast from oil-rich Alberta, but approved another and instituted a national carbon tax.

Trudeau said Canadians will be watching the swearing-in of Biden and Vice President-elect Harris.

“This moment will mark a new chapter in the incredible relationship between our two countries,” Trudeau said.

Vaccines to stimulus checks: Here’s what’s in Biden plan closing.

Big ticket items: $350 billion to state emergency funds for frontline workers; $130 billion to help schools re-open safely; $50 billion to expand and implement routine virus testing efforts in schools and government

SCHOOLS

The Associated Press WILMINGTON, Del. — President-elect Joe Biden is proposing a $1.9 trillion plan to expand coronavirus vaccinations, help individuals and jump-start the economy. The plan, which would require congressional approval, is packed with proposals on health care, education, labor and cybersecurity. On Friday, he outlined a five-step approach to getting the vaccination to the American people, and to ensure that it is distributed equitably. “Equity is central to our COVID response,” he said.

Here’s a look at what’s in Biden’s plan: CONTAINING THE VIRUS

Bank of America 4Q profit falls 18% on lower interest rates

B9

— A $20 billion national program would establish community vaccination centers across the U.S. and send mobile units to remote communities. Medicaid patients would have their costs covered by the federal government, and the administration says it will take steps to ensure all people in the U.S. can receive the vaccine for free, regardless of their immigration status.

— An additional $50 billion would expand testing efforts and help schools and governments implement routine testing. Other efforts would focus on developing better treatments for COVID-19 and improving efforts to identify and track new strains of the virus.

THE VACCINATION PLAN — Working with states to open up vaccinations beyond health care workers, including to people 65 and older, as well as essential front-line workers.

— Establishing more vaccination sites, including working

MARCIO SANCHEZ | AP PHOTO

In this Jan. 13, 2021, file photo, health care workers receive a COVID-19 vaccination at Ritchie Valens Recreation Center, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, in Pacoima, Calif. with FEMA to set up 100 federally supported centers by the end of his first month in office. He suggested using community centers, school gymnasiums and sports stadiums. He also called for expanding the pool of those who can deliver the vaccine.

— Using pharmacies around the country to administer the vaccine. The Trump administration already has entered into agreements with some large chains to do that.

— Using the Defense Production Act, a Cold War-era law to “maximize the manufacture of vaccine and vaccine supplies for the country.”

— A public education campaign to address “vaccine hesitancy” and the refusal of some to take the vaccine. He called the education plan “a critical piece to account for a tragic reality of the disproportionate impact this virus has had on Black, Latino and Native American communities” INDIVIDUALS AND WORKERS — Stimulus checks of $1,400 per person in addition to the $600 checks Congress approved in December. By bringing pay-

ments to $2,000 — an amount Democrats previously called for — the administration says it will help families meet basic needs and support local businesses.

— A temporary boost in unemployment benefits and a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures would be extended through September.

— The federal minimum wage would be raised to $15 per hour from the current rate of $7.25 per hour.

— An emergency measure requiring employers to provide paid sick leave would be reinstated. The administration is urging Congress to keep the requirement through Sept. 30 and expand it to federal employees.

— The child care tax credit would be expanded for a year, to cover half the cost of child care up to $4,000 for one child and $8,000 for two or more for families making less than $125,000 a year. Families making between $125,000 and $400,000 would get a partial credit.

— $15 billion in federal grants to help states subsidize child care for low-income families, along with a $25 billion fund to help child care centers in danger of

— $130 billion for K-12 schools to help them reopen safely. The money is meant to help reach Biden’s goal of having a majority of the nation’s K-8 schools open within his first 100 days in the White House. Schools could use the funding to cover a variety of costs, including the purchase of masks and other protective equipment, upgrades to ventilation systems and staffing for school nurses. Schools would be expected to use the funding to help students who fell behind on academics during the pandemic, and on efforts to meet students’ mental health needs. A portion of the funding would go to education equity grants to help with challenges caused by the pandemic.

— Public colleges and universities would get $35 billion to cover pandemic-related expenses and to steer funding to students as emergency grants. An additional $5 billion would go to governors to support programs helping students who were hit hardest by the pandemic.

SMALL BUSINESS — $15 billion in grants to more than 1 million small businesses that have been hit hard by the pandemic, as well as other assistance.

STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT — $350 billion in emergency funding for state, local and territorial governments to help frontline workers.

— $20 billion in aid to public transit agencies.

CYBERSECURITY — $9 billion to modernize information technology systems at federal agencies, motivated by recent cybersecurity attacks that penetrated multiple agencies.

— $690 million to boost federal cybersecurity monitoring efforts and $200 million to hire hundreds of new cybersecurity experts.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

GM teams up with Microsoft on driverless cars Detroit General Motors is teaming up with Microsoft to accelerate its rollout of electric, self-driving cars.

In the partnership announced Tuesday, the companies said Microsoft’s Azure cloud and edge computing platform would be used to “commercialize its unique autonomous vehicle solutions at scale.” Microsoft joins General Motors, Honda and other institutional investors in a combined new equity investment of more than $2 billion in Cruise, bringing its valuation to about $30 billion. Cruise, which GM bought in 2016, has been a leader in driverless technology and got the go-ahead from California late last year to test its automated vehicles in San Francisco without backup drivers. Shares in GM jumped more than 8% in early trading on Tuesday, to $54.07.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Yellen urges Congress to do more to fight pandemic recession

“Without further action, we risk a longer, more painful recession now — and long-term scarring of the economy later.”

The Associated Press

Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen is calling on Congress to do more to fight a deep pandemic-induced recession, saying the threats of a longer and even worse downturn are too great to cut back on support now.

“Without further action, we risk a longer, more painful recession now — and long-term scarring of the economy later,” Yellen said in testimony prepared for her confirmation hearing Tuesday before the Senate Finance Committee.

Yellen, who will be the first female treasury secretary in the nation’s history, is expected to have

little trouble winning approval in a Senate that will be narrowly controlled by Democrats once two Democratic senators from Georgia are seated.

In her testimony, Yellen, who was also the country’s first female chair of the Federal Reserve, said that the quick action Congress took by passing trillion-dollar rescue packages last spring and an additional $900 billion relief measure last month were successful in “averting a lot of suffering.”

But she said that even with the extraordinary government help, the pandemic has still caused “widespread devastation.”

“Eighteen million unemployment insurance claims are be-

ing paid every week. Food bank shelves are going empty. The damage has been sweeping and as the president-elect said last Thursday, our response must be too,” Yellen said.

“Over the next few months, we are going to need more aid to distribute the vaccine, to reopen schools, to help states keep firefighters and teachers on the job,” Yellen said. She said more support would also be needed to keep unemployment benefit checks going out and to help families who are going hungry or in

danger of being homeless.

Biden last week unveiled a $1.9 trillion relief plan that would provide more aid to American families, businesses and local communities and provide more support for vaccine production and distribution.

While Democrats have endorsed the effort, many Republican lawmakers have expressed concerns about the price tag given soaring federal budget deficits.

Yellen said that she and Biden were aware of the country’s rising debt burden.

“But right now, with interest rates at historic lows, the smartest thing we can do is act big,” she said. “In the long run, I believe the benefits will far outweigh the costs, especially if we care about helping people who have been struggling for a very long time.”

The Senate Finance Committee hearing with Yellen on Tuesday is one of several that the Senate will be holding as the incoming Biden administration tries to get its top Cabinet officials in office quickly.

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

B10

Biden picks Chopra, Gensler for financial oversight roles

By Marcy Gordon The Associated Press WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Rohit Chopra to be the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, tapping a progressive ally of Sen. Elizabeth Warren to helm the agency whose creation she championed.

Chopra, now a commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission, helped launch the consumer agency after the 2008-09 financial crisis and served as deputy director, where he sounded the alarm about skyrocketing levels of student loan debt. The pick comes as Democrats are eyeing ways to provide student loan relief to millions of Americans as part of a COVID-19 relief package.

Biden announced the move Monday, along with his intent to nominate Gary Gensler, a former chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, as the next chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Gensler, a former Goldman Sachs banker, tightened oversight of the complex financial transactions that helped cause the Great Recession.

Biden’s choice of an expert with experience as a strong markets regulator during the financial crisis to lead the SEC signals a goal of turning the Wall Street watchdog agency toward an activist role after a deregulatory stretch during the Trump administration.

Consumer and investor advocate groups praised the selections of Gensler and Chopra. The two must be confirmed by the Senate, which will be controlled by Democrats.

Gensler, now a professor of economics and management at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, was an assistant Treasury secretary in the Clinton administration and later headed the CFTC during Barack Obama’s term. With a background of having worked for nearly 20 years at Wall Street powerhouse Goldman Sachs, Gensler surprised many by being a tough regulator of big banks as CFTC chairman.

Fluent in the nexus between politics and economic policy, Gensler was chief financial officer for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign against Donald Trump and an economic adviser to Obama in his 2008 presiden-

SUSAN WALSH | AP PHOTO

In this May 8, 2019 file photo, then Federal Trade Commission commissioner Rohit Chopra testifies during a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. tial bid.

Gensler has been a leader and adviser of Biden’s transition team responsible for the Federal Reserve, banking issues and securities regulation.

Jay Clayton, a former Wall Street lawyer who headed the SEC during the Trump administration, presided over a deregulatory push to soften rules affecting Wall Street and the financial markets, as Trump pledged when he took office. Rules under the DoddFrank law that tightened the reins on banks and Wall Street in the wake of the financial crisis and the Great Recession were nipped in.

“Gensler will tip the SEC away from making it easy for companies to raise money and toward protecting unsophisticated investors,” said Erik Gordon, an assistant professor of business at the University of Michigan. “His history in the Obama administration

leaves him few friends on the Republican side — and he probably doesn’t care.”

The senior Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, said Gensler’s receptiveness to new financial technologies and cryptocurrency is positive. But he added, “I fear Democrats want to steer the (SEC) away from bipartisan common ground in an attempt to achieve their most partisan goals.”

Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, the senior Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee who is set to become its chairman, said Gensler’s record as a regulator “demonstrates that he will hold bad actors accountable and put the interests of working families first.”

Brown said Chopra will return the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to its central mission of protecting consumers and also will “ensure the agency plays

a leading role in combatting racial inequities in our financial system.”

The CFPB was created at Warren’s behest as an independent agency by the Dodd-Frank law.

Its director was given broad latitude to act alone, without winning agreement from members of an agency board.

While it enforces consumer-protection laws, the CFPB also gained powers to scrutinize the practices of virtually any business selling financial products and services: credit card companies, payday lenders, mortgage servicers, debt collectors, for-profit colleges, auto lenders, money-transfer agents. Chopra was a deputy to its first director, Richard Cordray, as the agency undertook enforcement actions against an array of companies large and small, and returned tens of billions of dollars to consumers harmed by illegal practices.

The CFPB became a keen target of conservative Republicans.

Trump named then-White House budget director Mick Mulvaney as acting director of the CFPB when Cordray left in November 2017.

Mulvaney had been a vocal critic of the consumer agency and made deep changes to it, softening regulations on payday loans, for example, and pulling back on enforcement efforts. The agency has been led by Trump appointee Kathy Kraninger since December 2018.

As one of two Democratic commissioners on the five-member Federal Trade Commission, Chopra has been an outspoken critic of practices by big companies, especially tech giant Facebook. He has lodged strong dissents on FTC actions against the company for privacy violations and alleged anti-competitive conduct, saying they didn’t go far enough.

TAKE NOTICE

CABARRUS NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 20 SP 286

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Beverly C. Gray, Robert H. Cannon (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Beverly C. Gray and Robert H. Cannon) to Trste, Inc., Trustee(s), dated December 15, 2008, and recorded in Book No. 08533, at Page 0337 in Cabarrus County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Cabarrus County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Concord, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on January 25, 2021 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Concord in the County of Cabarrus, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: All that certain property situated in the City of Concord, in the County of Cabarrus and state of North Carolina and being described in a deed dated 03/29/2001 and

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 20 SP 434

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Edward Long, Lydia Long a/k/a Lydia A. Long (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Edward Long and Lydia Long) to John B. Third, Trustee(s), dated October 26, 2017, and recorded in Book No. 12736, at Page 0343 in Cabarrus County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Cabarrus County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Concord, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on February 1, 2021 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Kannapolis in

recorded 03/29/2001 in Book 3168, Page 27 among the land records of the county and state set forth above and referenced as follows: Lying and being in Number Eleven (11) Township, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, on the east side of Tilley Road, bounded on the north by Frank Wishart Neal, on the east by Willie Blackwelder Walters, and the south by Walter O. Wentz, and being more particularly described as follows: Beginning at an iron in Tilley Road, a corner of Neal, and runs thence with the line of Neal S. 8204-00 E. 387.08 feet to an existing iron, thence continuing with the line of Neal and Walters, S. 52-02-52 E. (Passing an iron at 60.07 feet) for a total distance of 99.81 feet to an existing iron, thence with the line of Walters, S. 42.51.11 E. 54.97 feet to an existing, a rear corner of Wentz; thence with the line of Wentz, S. 20-09-34 W. (Passing an iron at 15.00 feet) for a total distance of 296.37 feet to a bolt in the centerline of Tilley Road, thence with the centerline of Tilley Road, N. 43-56-18 W. 20.33 feet to a point, thence continuing with the centerline of Tilley Road as it curves at a radius of 1637.02 feet for an arc distance of 227.92 feet to a point, thence continuing with the centerline of said road, N. 36-40-36 W. 66.31 feet to a point, thence continuing with the centerline of said road as it curves at a radius of 654.81 feet for an arc distance of 260.43 feet to a point, thence continuing with the centerline of said road, N. 58-36-21 W. 7.71 feet to a point; thence N. 8-37-00 E. 10.70 feet to the point of beginning, containing 2.040 acres, more or less, as surveyed and platted by James T. West, R.L.S. dated March 27, 2001. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 2395 Tilley Road, Concord, North Carolina.

the County of Cabarrus, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: Lying and being in the City of Kannapolis, No. Four (4) Township of Cabarrus County, North Carolina, at the Northwest intersection of Haley Street (formerly Long Street) and Pleasant Avenue (formerly Mountain Street), and being Lots Number 1, 2, 3 and 4 in Block “A” of the subdivision of LINCOLN HEIGHTS, a map of said property being on file in the Office of the Register of Deeds for Cabarrus County, North Carolina, in Map Book 4, Page 23, specific reference thereto being hereby made for a more complete description thereof by metes and bounds. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 520 Pleasant Avenue, Kannapolis, North Carolina.

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

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

The property to be offered pursuant to

The Deed of Trust was modified by the following:

A Loan Modification recorded on November 21, 2018, in Book No. 13275, at Page 0022.

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

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

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

A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale.

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

A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include,

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

Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold.

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

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 3463 - 8978

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC.

but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.

Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold.

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

of termination. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 3833 - 12776

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

B11

TAKE NOTICE

CUMBERLAND AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 20 SP 652

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by James Smith and Gwendolyn Smith to Jeff Dunham, Trustee(s), dated the 10th day of June, 2006, and recorded in Book 7274, Page 038, and Re-recorded in Book 7342, Page 511, and Re-recorded in Book 7447, Page 830, and Additional Deed of Trust in Book 7247, Page 041, in Cumberland 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 Office of the Register of Deeds of Cumberland County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in the City of Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, or the customary location

NORTH CAROLINA CUMBERLAND COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION 20 SP 737 IN THE MATTER OF: Determination of Ownership of Surplus Funds Paid to the Clerk of Court in Civil Matter, 16 CVD 8392 -------------------------------------------------------

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION CUMBERLAND COUNTY 19SP149 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY KATAYA R. BALDWIN AKA KATAYA BALDWIN AND VIRGINIA BALDWIN DATED OCTOBER 25, 2005 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 7049 AT PAGE 427 IN THE CUMBERLAND 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 the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 10:00AM on

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION CUMBERLAND COUNTY 18sp578 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY KEVIN W. HEATH AND ANNE J. HEATH DATED MARCH 7, 2007 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 7529 AT PAGE 127 IN THE CUMBERLAND 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 the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale

17 SP 1145 AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, CUMBERLAND COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Ian Gamble and Maria L. O’Connor to The Real Estate Law Firm, Trustee(s), which was dated November 13, 2006 and recorded on November 16, 2006 in Book 7422 at Page 560, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina.

Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on February 3, 2021 at 01:30 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Cumberland County, North Carolina, to wit: Beginning at a point in the center of S.R. 2042 and in the

ONSLOW AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 19 SP 445

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Justin M. Abbott (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Justin M. Abbott) to Pamela S. Cox, Trustee(s), dated September 21, 2015, and recorded in Book No. 4360, at Page 570 in Onslow County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Onslow County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at in Jacksonville, Onslow County, North Carolina, or the

WAKE 20 SP 1540 NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, WAKE COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by June Spence to First American Title Insurance Company, Trustee(s), which was dated January 22, 2003 and recorded on February 3, 2003 in Book 009888 at Page 00075, Wake County Registry, North Carolina.

designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on February 1, 2021 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in the County of Cumberland, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: BEING all of Lot 10, in a subdivision known as Recombination and Zero Lot Line Subdivision for Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity and the same being duly recorded in Book of Plats 116, Page 165, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 428 Vanstory Street, Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Property Address: 428 Street, Fayetteville, NC Parcel Identification No.: 0437-70-8204

Vanstory 28301

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 offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security

U.S. Bank National Association, not in its individual capacity, but solely as trustee of NRZ Pass-Through Trust XVIII Petitioner, vs.

Charles Scott Vest, III TO:

Formerly of 4821 Desert Ridge Road

Parkton, NC 28371

Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against you has been filed in the above entitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows:

The Plaintiff in the above entitled action has filed on

Charles Scott Vest, III and Sue Ellen Vest Respondents.

NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS

BY PUBLICATION

January 26, 2021 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Kataya R. Baldwin aka Kataya Baldwin and Virginia Baldwin, dated October 25, 2005 to secure the original principal amount of $99,000.00, and recorded in Book 7049 at Page 427 of the Cumberland County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended.

Address of property: 519 Longview Dr, Fayetteville, NC 28311 Tax Parcel ID: 0439-86-6270Present Record Owners: K a t a y a Baldwin And Being more commonly known as: 519 Longview Dr, Fayetteville, NC 28311 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Kataya Baldwin.

at the county courthouse of said county at 10:00AM on January 25, 2021 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Kevin W. Heath and Anne J. Heath, dated March 7, 2007 to secure the original principal amount of $45,000.00, and recorded in Book 7529 at Page 127 of the Cumberland County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended.

Address of property: 4 8 Cottonwood Dr, Fayetteville, NC 28304 Tax Parcel ID: 0416-27-9474 Present Record Owners: Kevin Heath and Anne J. Heath

1

4

And Being more commonly known as: Cottonwood Dr, Fayetteville, NC 28304

4814

W.

The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the

The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is made subject to all prior liens and encumbrances, and unpaid taxes and assessments including but not limited to any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. Following the expiration of the statutory upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be

records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Kevin W. Heath and Anne J. Heath.

The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is made subject to all prior liens and encumbrances, and unpaid taxes and assessments including but not limited to any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. Following the expiration of the statutory upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner

first line of the tract of which this is a part and being located in said first line at a point N. 79° 30’ W., 719.7 feet from the second corner of the tract of which this is a part and runs thence N. 10° 30’ E., 420.0 feet to an iron stake; thence N. 79° 30’ W., 210.0 feet to an iron stake; thence S. 10° 30’ W., 420.0 feet to a point in the aforesaid center line of S.R. 2042 and being in the first line of the tract of which this is a part; thence as said center line, S. 79° 30’ E., 210.0 feet to the point of beginning, containing 2.0 acres, more or less, and being a part of the 210 acre tract which is designated as the “Second Tract” in that deed from R. D. Pugh and wife, Dealie M. Pugh to D.M. Pugh and wife, Annie Lee Pugh and R.C. Pugh and wife, Ruby Catherine Pugh, which deed is dated November 4, 1957, and which may be found of record in Deed Book 743, Page 256, Cumberland County Registry.

See also that deed to James Keith Pugh and wife, Linda McL. Pugh found of record in Deed Book 2050, Page 563, Cumberland County Registry.

of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED.

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

An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold.

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

Said property is commonly known as 7789 Troy Fisher Road, Fayetteville, NC 28312.

A cash deposit (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time

customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 10:00 AM on February 4, 2021 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Holly Ridge in the County of Onslow, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: Being all of Lot 255, neighborhoods of Holly Ridge, Phase Three, section four, as shown on map recorded in Map Book 60, Page 6 of the Onslow County Registry reference to which is hereby made for a more particular description. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 326 Belvedere Drive, Holly Ridge, North Carolina.Subject to covenants, restrictions, and easements of record.

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

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

The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security

will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on January 27, 2021 at 10:00 AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Wake County, North Carolina, to wit: BEING ALL OF LOT 19, LEGEND HILLS SUBDIVISION, ACCORDING TO MAP THEREOF RECORDED IN BOOK OF MAPS 1968, PAGE 196, VOLUME 2, WAKE COUNTY REGISTRY. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.

Said property is commonly known as 111 Old Meadowbrook Dr, Garner, NC 27529.

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

A cash deposit (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 20 SP 1854

highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Knightdale in the County of Wake, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: Being all of Lot 52, Phase IV, Part Three, Ashley Hills Subdivision, as shown on a map recorded in Book of Maps 1982, Page 345, Wake County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 304 Sandy Run, Knightdale, North Carolina.

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Tracey Clark (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Tracey Clark, Heirs of Tracey Clark: Casey Brown a/k/a Casi Brown, Noah Davis) to Brock & Scott, PLLC, Trustee(s), dated October 31, 2005, and recorded in Book No. 11661, at Page 1030 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 Office 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 offer 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 February 1, 2021 and will sell to the

agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition 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 five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return

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

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

The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or

Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, 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 Ian Gamble and Maria L. O’Connor.

the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.

Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold.

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

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm LLP P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street

October 5, 2020, a Petition for Payment of Surplus Funds, Affidavit and Affidavit of Title for surplus funds.

You are required to make defense to such

pleading no later than February 22, 2021, or 40 days from January 13, 2021, said date being the date of first publication notice and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you will apply to the Court for the relief sought.

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.

The date of this Notice is November 30, 2020.

Grady I. Ingle or Elizabeth B. Ells Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28216

Suite

400

will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing.

Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 18-098958

Parkway,

Suite

SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are a tenant residing in the property, be advised that an Order for Possession of the property may be issued in favor of the purchaser. Also, if your lease began or was renewed on or after October 1, 2007, be advised that you may terminate the rental agreement upon written notice to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time notice of termination is provided. You may be liable for rent due under the agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

The date of this Notice is December 23, 2020.

LLG Trustee, LLC

that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b) (2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

File No.: 12-02285-FC04

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

Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 FAX: (910) 392-8587

EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED.

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

any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws.

A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale.

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

(704) 333-8107 16-082106

SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are a tenant residing in the property, be advised that an Order for Possession of the property may be issued in favor of the purchaser. Also, if your lease began or was renewed on or after October 1, 2007, be advised that you may terminate the rental agreement upon written notice to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time notice of termination is provided. You may be liable for rent due under the agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.

Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold.

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

An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold.

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

BY: ____________________________________ JOHN A. MANDULAK

Attorney for Plaintiff

4317 Ramsey Street

Post Office Box 2505

Fayetteville, NC 28302

Telephone: (910) 864-6888

This the 4th day of January, 2021.

HUTCHENS LAW FIRM

agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws.

A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole

Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are All Lawful Heirs of June Carol Spence.

Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Case No: 1284471 (FC.FAY)

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 1273961 - 9876

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC.

Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 FAX: (910) 392-8587 File No.: 20-01152-FC01

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

Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC

Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold.

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

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE

c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 1421 - 2446

400

B12

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

pen & paper pursuits

sudoku

solutions From Jan. 13, 2020

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VOLUME 4 ISSUE 16 | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2021 | STANLYJOURNAL.COM

Stanly County Journal

GERRY BROOME | AP PHOTO

Opening session A Marine color guard marches into the Senate chamber during the opening session of the North Carolina General Assembly in Raleigh, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021.

WHAT’S HAPPENING Biscoe man wanted for larceny, heroin trafficking

Stanly’s new NC House member named freshman majority whip Rep. Ben Moss discusses first week in Raleigh

Stanly County Albemarle police have received several recent reports of larcenies of motor vehicle parts, where catalytic converters have been removed from vehicles. On Jan. 14, officers with the APD arrested Samuel J. Jackson, 38, from Biscoe, for larceny of motor vehicle parts, trafficking heroin, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Jackson received a $10,000 secured bond for his release, but after his release, detectives with the APD issued 13 additional charges related to larceny of auto parts. Jackson is considered wanted at this time for these additional offenses.

Those with information should contact APD at (704) 984-9500 or you can leave an anonymous tip on the Tipline at (704) 9849511.

ALBEMARLE POLICE DEPT.

Local girl wins national teen award Union County Maddie Cross, 18, of Monroe, won USA National Teen 2020 earlier this month. Cross won the crown at the Caribe Royale Resort and Convention Center in Orlando. Cross has written two children’s books, including one that tells the story of kids virtually learning at home. She’s also battled bullying in schools, organizing a movement called Teach Kindness.

SPECTRUM NEWS

Area deputies set to work Biden inauguration Mecklenburg County The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office has sent 40 deputies to Washington, D.C. to help provide security for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ inauguration. The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department is also sending officers, and the North Carolina National Guard is also sending a large number of personnel. The North Carolina Highway Patrol will be on standby.

WBTV

By David Larson Stanly County Journal RALEIGH — N.C. House Rep. Ben Moss, a Republican who represents part of Stanly County as well as Richmond and Montgomery counties, was sworn in last week after winning his first term in office in November. Moss was also named freshman majority whip, a key leadership role that places him as a liaison between his fellow freshmen and the GOP leaders.

“I’m excited; I’m ready to get going,” Moss told SCJ on Jan. 15.

“Hopefully on the 27th we’ll get up and running to see what we can get done.”

Moss said he’s waiting at the moment to hear which committees he will be assigned to. Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) will make the announcements soon and will take into account input from the members.

“I requested the Transportation Committee because of my background in messing with trains for the last 20-something years,” Moss said. “Also some things with wildlife and a few other ones. There’s a little wish list that you fill out and turn in, and then, of course, they take a look

at that and then put you where they want you.”

But Moss said he is comfortable with the fact that his assignments are in the hands of Moore and believes the speaker will be a good leader.

“It really showed me a lot when he was voted in by acclamation to be speaker again,” Moss said. “I think he has a lot of respect from both sides of the aisle. I really like him. He’ll do us right. He’ll put us where we’re needed and where we’ll be the greatest assets to the people of the state and those we represent.”

Moss said, in addition to the speaker and his staff, he’s also met many other key members. Majority Leader John Bell (R-Wayne), he said, has been a “wealth of knowledge” who he calls when he has questions. Moss also gets advice from Rep. Wayne Sasser, another Republican who represents the rest of Stanly County, saying Sasser and Rep. Jaime Boles (R-Moore) get “the brunt of his questions.”

Moss, however, will be partnering most closely with Rep. David Willis (R-Union). Willis is freshman leader for the GOP, so together they will be leading other new majority members. Because of this, the two have desks next to each other and their offices are in the same hall. Moss says Willis is “someone I have a lot in common with.”

“It’s something I’ll always remember. Just looking down and seeing my name engraved on the Bible that I swore-in on that was on my desk — it was one of the best experiences of my life.”

Rep. Ben Moss (R-Richmond) Moss’ role as freshman majority whip will involve him communicating to leadership what freshman Republicans are thinking on legislation and communicating what leadership’s priorities are to those majority freshmen.

“So I’ll just be the middleman, I’d say,” Moss said.

On his swearing-in ceremony, Moss said, “It was a very humbling experience because it all came together — the election is over and people trusted me with this very important position.”

Moss continued, saying, “It’s something I’ll always remember.

Just looking down and seeing my name engraved on the Bible that I swore-in on that was on my desk — it was one of the best experiences of my life.”

Despite the highs of the occasion,

there was also a low — the absence of his family. There was some limited attendance allowed for families, but there were tight restrictions around it, and they would have had to watch from up in the gallery.

Most years, the floor is full of members, their families, staff and other guests.

“I hate the fact that my family wasn’t there,” Moss said. “I really wish things could have been different. But with this pandemic, everything has been changed. But, you know, they were still able to see me and watch it [online]. It ended up being a great day. The leadership did the best they could with the situation we’re under.”

Another memorable moment for him was when he and another member went across the hall to the Senate chambers. Moss said they were able to hear new Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson give a speech, which he called a “heartfelt, sincere, genuine message,” to the body.

While he is still waiting for the session to get started in earnest on Jan. 27 and to get his committee assignments, Moss has his legislative assistant hired, a veteran who has worked for other members, and they are working on getting the office set up.

“Now we’re in the process of doing the little things, like getting a minifridge and a microwave and some decorations, making sure we have some chairs, just the little things. But we’re chipping away at it,” Moss said.

Joking about how he’s feeling waiting for his first session to finally get going, Moss said, “I’m a bit nervous, but also a bit anxious.”

Face-to-face learning returns to Stanly County Schools

By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal ALBEMARLE — After beginning the 2021 spring semester with a self-imposed “remote learning-only period” for two weeks, some of Stanly County’s students returned to the classroom Tuesday morning.

“Students who choose faceto-face instruction will return to their normal schedules where K-5 students attend school Monday through Thursday, and students 6-12 attend school on different days based on their cohort,” Stanly County Schools posted in a Jan. 14 news release on its website.

“Students who remain virtual could be subject to schedule changes as we accommodate students coming back from virtual to face-to-face.”

In-person learning, remote learning and hybrid formats are each available to students for the

rest of the semester, mirroring the same format that Stanly County Schools used for the majority of the fall semester.

“We’re very comfortable at this point,” school board chairman Jeff Chance told SCJ on Jan. 18. “We’ve been keeping up with both the county [COVID-19] numbers and our own numbers. At this point, we’re good to go with adequate staff for classrooms plus enough substitute teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers and such.”

Back on Dec. 16, the Stanly County Board of Education held an emergency meeting, unanimously voting in favor of operating through virtual learning for the first two weeks after the holiday break, with the plan of bringing students back to classrooms on Jan. 19. After virtual days and the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday are factored in, only six face-to-face spring semester classes were missed.

The school board’s hope was that a two-week delay would act as a buffer for an increase in COVID-19 cases after Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations; this decision was in part due to the county’s reported spike in positive COVID-19 cases following Thanksgiving.

The two-week delay also allowed some extra time to ensure that schools would be fully staffed when they reopened.

“After the Christmas holidays, we were critical on staff and concerned about not having enough to adequately teach the classroom, feed, and get the kids back and forth,” Chance said. “Plus, we were concerned about what the Christmas spike may do to us as well.

We wanted a few extra weeks to see what the numbers would look like there, and we really haven’t changed our numbers since before Christmas — they have remained

relatively stable.”

While the school system didn’t see an increase in numbers, the same can’t be said for the county as a whole.

On Jan. 14, the Stanly County Health Department reported 5,147 total positive coronavirus cases, with 8.9% (456) of all positive cases within the county being residents 17 years of age and younger. This report came nearly a month after the health department’s Dec. 17 press release that documented 3,791 positive cases with 8.5% (308 cases) occurring in residents 17 and younger.

“We look forward to seeing our students again in person, but please remember that using safe practices is crucial in halting the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” the school system’s news release continued.

“We ask that parents/guardians do not send students to school if they are experiencing any symptoms of the COVID-19 virus.”

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

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52° 29° 5%

THURSDAY

JAN 21

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FRIDAY

SATURDAY

JAN 22

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MONDAY

SUNDAY

JAN 23

49° 24° 5%

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46° 34° 0%

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WEEKLY CRIME LOG Entering (f) (F), 3) Larceny After Break/enter (F), 4) Larceny After Break/enter (F), 5) Larceny Of Motor Vehicle (f) (F), 6) Possess Stolen Motor Vehicle (F), 7) Poss Stolen Goods/prop (m) (M), 8) Felony Probation Violation (F), and 9) Altering Serial Numbers (F), at Scso, Albemarle, NC, on 1/14/2021

With A Child (F), at 126 S Third St, Albemarle, NC, on 1/12/2021

♦ Lowery, Elbert Nathaniel (W /M/23) Arrest on chrg of 1) Felony Possession Of Cocaine (F), 2) Possess Methamphetamine (F), and 3) Simple Possess Sch Vi Cs (m) (M), at Burris Ro, NC, on 1/18/2021

♦ Efird, Martin Franklin (W /M/41) Arrest on chrg of 1) Breaking And Or Entering (f) (F), 2) Larceny After Break/enter (F), and 3) Poss Stolen Goods/prop (f) (F), at 310 West Church Street, Albemarle, NC, on 1/14/2021

♦ Morgan, Keith Morris (W /M/34) Arrest on chrg of 1) Possess Methamphetamine (F), 2) Possess Marijuana Up To 1/2 Ounce (M), and 3) Possess Drug Paraphernalia (M), at 141 Danritch Dr, Richfield, NC, on 1/12/2021

♦ Morrissette, Bryan John (W /M/33) Arrest on chrg of 1) Trafficking,opium Or Heroin (F) and 2) Poss Marij >1/2 To 1 1/2 Oz (M), at 126 South 3rd St, Albemarle, NC, on 1/17/2021

♦ Alexander, David Wayne (W /M/44) Arrest on chrg of Misdemeanor Stalking (M), at S Stanly Shcool Rd, Norwood, NC, on 1/13/2021

♦ Crump, Gary Demetrius (B /M/27) Arrest on chrg of 1) Pwimsd Heroin (F), 2) Pwimsd Marijuana (F), 3) Maintain Veh/dwell/place Cs (f) (F), and 4) Possess Drug Paraphernalia (M), at Lincoln St/ Mlk Rd, Albemarle, NC, on 1/12/2021

♦ Burris, Jamie Lynn (W /M/36) Arrest on chrg of 1) Breaking And Or Entering (f) (F), 2) Larceny After Break/enter (F), 3) Injury To Personal Property (M), 4) First Deg Tresp Enter/remain (M), and 5) Other - Free Text (F), at 24847 Odell Dr, Albemarle, NC, on 1/17/2021 ♦ Robertson, Duwan Jamal (B /M/28) Arrest on chrg of 1) Felony Possession Sch Ii Cs (F), 2) Simple Possess Sch Iv Cs (m) (M), 3) Driving While Impaired (M), and 4) Reckless Drvg-wanton Disregard (M), at 126 South Third St, Albemarle, NC, on 1/15/2021 ♦ Shaver, Jeremy Steven (W /M/25) Arrest on chrg of 1) Breaking And Or Entering (f) (F), 2) Breaking And Or

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DEATH NOTICES

♦ Register, James Frank (W /M/44) Arrest on chrg of 1) Resisting Public Officer (M), 2) Identity Theft (F), 3) Fta Show Cause After Ftc (M), 4) Dwlr Not Impaired Rev (M), 5) Fict/alt Title/reg Card/ tag (M), and 6) Fictitious Info To Officer (M), at 41424 Smiley Rd, Albemarle, NC, on 1/18/2021

♦ Reed, Jeffery Warren (W /M/45) Arrest on chrg of 1) Breaking And Or Entering (f) (F) and 2) Larceny After Break/enter (F), at 2323 Hahn Road, Mount Pleasant, NC, on 1/17/2021

TUESDAY

JAN 25

JAN 24

♦ Crump, Jennifer Elizabeth (W /F/45) Arrest on chrg of 1) Possess Methamphetamine (F) and 2) Simple Possess Sch Vi Cs (m) (M), at 243 S. Main St, Norwood, NC, on 1/12/2021 ♦ Furr, James Edward (W /M/33) Arrest on chrg of Misdemeanor Conspiracy, M (M), at 139 North Main Street, Norwood, NC, on 1/12/2021 ♦ Furr, Johnathan Lee (W /M/29) Arrest on chrg of 1) Assault Inflict Serious Inj (m) (M) and 2) False Imprisonment (M), at 139 North Main St, Norwood, NC, on 1/12/2021 ♦ Crump, Jennifer Elizabeth (W /F/45) Arrest on chrg of 1) Possess Methamphetamine (F) and 2) Possess Marijuana Up To 1/2 Ounce (M), at 243 S Main, Norwood, NC, on 1/12/2021 ♦ Ruiz, Ismael Henriquez (W /M/38) Arrest on chrg of 1) Sexual Battery (M) and 2) Indecent Liberties

♦ Britt, Daniel Lonnie (W /M/27) Arrest on chrg of 1) Breaking And Or Entering (f) (F) and 2) Larceny After Break/enter (F), at Hwy 52 W/ Bethany Rd, Albemarle, NC, on 1/12/2021

♦ Sasser, Dwayne Lee (W /M/41) Arrest on chrg of Assault On Female (M), at 4277 Shankle Rd, Norwood, NC, on 1/12/2021 ♦ Shook, Steven Andrew (W M, 40) Arrest on chrg of Driving While Impaired, M (M),at 20689 Nc 24-27 Hwy/ frog Pond Rd, Oakboro, on 01/16/202 ♦ Keator, Benjamin Lawrence (W M, 26) Arrest on chrg of Assault On Female (M), at621 Nc 24-27 Bypass E, Albemarle, on 01/16/2021 ♦ Auty, Collin Andrew (W M, 24) Arrest on chrg of Resisting Public Officer (M), at 126S Third St, Albemarle, on 01/16/2021 ♦ Maccheyne, Timothy Lee (W M, 50) Arrest on chrg of Driving While Impaired (M), at509 Aquadale Rd/ morgan Rd, Albemarle, on 01/16/2021

♦ Mcswain, Candice Willene (W F, 39) Arrest on chrg of Larceny By Employee (F), at1451 E Main St/n Bell Av, Albemarle, on 01/15/2021.

♦ Carlton Bernard “Bernie” Holt, Jr., 65, of New London, passed away Jan. 8.

♦ Jackson, Samuel Joshua (W M, 38) Arrest on chrg of Larceny Motor Vehicle Parts (F),at 1600 Nc 24-27 Bypass W, Albemarle, on 01/14/2021

♦ Jim Roger Ellison, 66, of Albemarle, passed away Jan. 10.

♦ Jackson, Samuel Joshua (W M, 38) Arrest on chrg of Trafficking,opium Or Heroin(F), at 1600 Nc 24-27 Bypass W, Albemarle, on 01/14/2021 ♦ Morrison, Brandon Gregory (B M, 35) Arrest on chrg of Possess Methamphetamine(F), at 100 Us 52 North/w Main St, Albemarle, on 01/12/202 ♦ Franklin, Daniel Lee (W M, 30) Arrest on chrg of Attempted Larceny (m), M (M), at155 W South St/s First St, Albemarle, on 01/12/2021. ♦ Watson, Chad Alan (W M, 31) Arrest on chrg of Possess Methamphetamine, F (F), at1309 Us 52 North/snuggs St, Albemarle, on 01/09/202 ♦ Gregory, Alexander Michael (W M, 25) Arrest on chrg of Resisting Public Officer, M(M), at 301 Yadkin St, Albemarle, on 01/08/2021 ♦ Watson, Chad Alan (W M, 31) Arrest on chrg of Larceny Of Motor Vehicle (f) (F), at1309 Us 52 North/ snuggs St, Albemarle, on 01/09/2021 ♦ Ewing, Dwane Everette (B M, 55) Arrest on chrg of Pwimsd Cocaine (F), at 327 AreyAv, Albemarle, on 01/11/2021

♦ Diane Munson Yow, 69, of Locust, passed away Jan. 10.

♦ Tommy Knox Ritchie, 79, of Albemarle, passed away Jan. 10. ♦ Douglas “Daddy B” McCiver Burleson, 78, of Albemarle, passed away Jan. 10. ♦ Pamela Lowder Cagle, 57, of New London, passed away Jan. 10. ♦ Jerry C. Giles, 80, of Albemarle, passed away Jan. 10. ♦ Jean Carol Drye Burleson, 84, of New London, passed away Jan. 11. ♦ Claude Terry Teff, 75, of New London, passed away Jan. 12. ♦ Claude Jackson Hinson, 87, of Stanfield, passed away Jan. 12. ♦ Wade Lee Barbee, 83, of Richfield, passed away Jan. 13. ♦ Sarah Moore Hatley Burleson, 87, of Albemarle, passed away Jan. 14. ♦ Herbert Philmore Veatch, 92, of Albemarle, passed away Jan. 14. ♦ Steve Lee Whitley, 72, of Albemarle, passed away Jan. 15. ♦ Jeweline “Julie” Holt Pate, 87, of Albemarle, passed away Jan. 15. ♦ Teresa Russell Williams, 71, of Albemarle, passed away Jan. 15. ♦ Ralph “Troy” Starr, 67, of Norwood, passed away Jan. 16. ♦ Sarah Catherine Furr, 65, of Albemarle, passed away Jan. 16. ♦ Brenda Whitley Huneycutt, 78, of Locust, passed away Jan. 16. ♦ Herman Lather Bost, 92, of Badin, passed away Jan. 17. ♦ Barbara Annette Miller Jones, 72, of New London, passed away Jan. 18.

OBITUARIES

Claude Teff CLAUDE TERRY TEFF, 75, of New London passed away January 12, 2021 in his home. A memorial service will be held at a later date.

Born August 7, 1945 in Mower County, MN, he was the son of the late Raphael John Teff and Ardis Lane Teff. He was a veteran of the US Army and a member of Badin Presbyterian Church. He retired from Perdue Farms as a Wastewater Manager after 27 years of service.

Mr. Teff’s passion was the Civil War. He was a student, reenactor and collector and spent many years teaching others about the War. Mr. Teff is survived by his wife of 39 years Iris Bowers Teff of the home, son Michael Teff of Monroe and daughter Christy Teff Helms of Jefferson, SC, step-daughters Lynn Gardelle of Burnsville, Iris Horne of Marshville, step-son Daren Billingsley of Burnsville, a brother Thomas Teff of Monroe, two sisters Charlotte Matson of Albert Lea, Minnesota and Barbara Johnson of Lewiston, Michigan, 13 grandchildren and 9 greatgrandchildren.

Diane Yow DIANE MUNSON YOW, 69, of Locust, gained her Heavenly wings on Sunday, January 10, 2021.

Diane was born April 20, 1951 in Concord to the late Frontis and Yoular Munson. She was also preceded in death by her brothers, Billy and Wayne Munson.

Diane’s biggest joy was spending all of her life caring for her family.

She spent half of her life on the ball field either coaching or playing.

Diane was an avid reader and she had a big personality. Most of all, she dearly loved her family. Diane will be greatly missed and forever loved by all who knew her. She was a member of Love’s Grove United Methodist Church.

Survivors include beloved husband of 54 years, Stephen Yow; daughter, Karen Yow Church and husband, Shawn, of Locust; son, Stephen Yow, Jr. and wife, Valerie, of SC; brother, Bobby Munson of Stanfield; 8 grandchildren; 10 greatgrandchildren; and many special nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm, Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at Hartsell Funeral Home of Midland.

A graveside service will be held at 1:00 pm on Thursday, January 14, 2021 at Love’s Grove UMC Cemetery in Stanfield, officiated by Rev. Jim White and Rev. Jim Yow.

Raymond Freeman RAYMOND CLEGG FREEMAN of Alamo, TX, formally of Pleasant Garden and Climax, NC, passed away on Sunday, January 3, 2021 at South Texas Health System. His funeral service will be held 3pm on Sunday, January 17, 2021 at Faith Free Will Baptist Church with Rev. Wayne Eudy and Rev. Jim Honeycutt officiating. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will follow in the Faith Free Will Baptist Church Cemetery.

Raymond was born February 26, 1947, in Greensboro, NC to the late Robert L. Freeman and Mary Foy Freeman.

He was a retired shipping supervisor with Lorillard Tobacco.

Mr. Freeman was also a member of Faith Free Will Baptist Church and loved singing Gospel music with his wife and traveling in their motorhome. Raymond truly enjoyed helping others. He was a Board Member with Gathered Fragments Missions and a Veteran of the US Navy.

He was married to Irene B. Freeman of the home. He is survived by his brother Don Freeman of Key Largo, FL and a special grandson Cooper Eudy.

Memorials can be made to Faith Free Will Baptist Church, PO Box 622, Albemarle, NC 28002 or to Gathered Fragments Missions, PO Box 622, Albemarle, NC 28002.

Jean Burleson

Tommy Ritchie

JEAN CAROL DRYE BURLESON, 84, of New London passed away January 11, 2021 at Atrium Health Cabarrus. A private graveside service will be held at New Mt. Tabor United Methodist Church.

There will be no formal visitation.

Born May 2, 1936 in Guilford County, NC she was the daughter of the late James Joe Drye and Annie Mae Petrea Drye. She was a member of New Mt. Tabor United Methodist Church and was a homemaker and worked in textiles and cafeteria work.

Mrs. Burleson was preceded in death by her husband, Earle Dean Burleson. She is survived by three daughters Jan Lowder (Michael) of New London, Vickey Hall (John) of Cary, Tammy Morgan-Varner (Bill) of New London, 5 grandchildren Dustin Lowder, Joshua Lowder, Amanda Safrit, Andrew Morgan and Emily Morgan and two greatgrandchildren Cayden Lowder and Grayson Lowder. Two brothers and two sisters preceded her in death.

TOMMY KNOX RITCHIE, 79, of Albemarle, passed away Sunday, January 10, 2021.

Tommy was born on June 1, 1941 in Badin, to the late Jack Ritchie and Margaret Knox Ritchie.

Services for the Ritchie family will be private.

Survivors include wife, Carolyn Sue Ritchie of Albemarle, NC, sister, Sheila Reeves of Ashveille, NC, daughters, Amy (Charles) Riggs and Lori (Toby) Talbert of Albemarle, NC, grandchildren, Cody Sanders, Ryan Talbert, Jordan Mabry, Dylan Helms, and great-grandchildren, Asher and Cali Mabry, and Kal’Ell Sanders.

Tommy enjoyed playing golf and played at least twice a week with his golf buddies. He also loved the Dallas Cowboys and fishing with his neighbor Jim, but the highlight of his week was spending time with his grandchildren and greatgrandchildren because of his love for his family.

His oldest daughter, Lori Talbert, is Co-Founder of Friends of Stanly County Animals Rescue. So, in lieu of flowers, we ask that donations in his memory be made to the rescue.

You can usepaypal.me/fscarescue Or checks can be sent to: FSCA 1803 Arbor Way, Albemarle, NC 28001

See OBITS, page 7

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

OPINION

3

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor VISUAL VOICES

COLUMN | NEWT GINGRICH

There will be no GOP civil war

Any doubt conservative Americans had about the radicalism of the Democrats is being rapidly erased by the aggressiveness of their Washington behavior.

VARIOUS LEFT-WING writers (some of them nominally Republican) have been salivating over the prospects of a GOP civil war.

Nothing would make them happier than the Republicans tearing themselves apart in a fight over President Donald Trump and the future of the GOP. However, it will not happen.

It is a sign of how self-delusional the anti-Trump forces are that they could look at the House of Representatives vote on impeaching President Trump (the second one) and convince themselves this is the harbinger of a civil war.

House Republicans split 197-10 against Pelosi’s second impeachment effort.

Only in the delusional world of the left could a vote in which 197 people were on one side and only 10 people were on the other side be described as the beginning of a civil war.

A headline “Overwhelming House Republican vote against impeachment with tiny faction in favor” would be more accurate than the left’s efforts to fan the embers of a GOP civil war into a flame.

The gap between Washington’s left-wing delusional view of the world and reality was further emphasized in John McLaughlin’s poll of voters in 17 swing states. McLaughlin discovered that in these battleground states 80 percent of the Trump voters and 76 percent of all Republicans were less likely to vote for a congressional member who voted to impeach President Trump.

Almost three-quarters of Americans felt that Democratic efforts to try to impeach President Trump after he left office would be politically motivated to try to keep Trump from running again.

The left is using the attack on the Capitol (which I have consistently condemned and called for the perpetrators to be put in jail) as an excuse to try to destroy the conservative movement in America.

They are about to discover how powerful more than 74 million Americans can be.

The dramatic drop in stock prices for Twitter and Facebook — the companies have lost a combined $51 billion in market value after banning Trump — are early warnings that arrogant companies that think they can bully the American people may be running big financial risks.

For the 74 million-plus Americans who voted for President Trump — despite four years of vilification and hatred from the left — it is more likely that they will learn to adopt the cultural-social tools which the left has been using rather than surrender and submit to a tyranny of leftwing bullies.

Any doubt conservative Americans had about the radicalism of the Democrats is being rapidly erased by the aggressiveness of their Washington behavior.

When Speaker Pelosi eliminated the House Republicans’ right to offer an amendment in the vote on House Rules — on the first day of the new Congress – every Republican understood it as a declaration of war on Kevin McCarthy and the leadership team, which gained seats in 2020 when it was supposed to lose them. Pelosi and her leftwing allies know full well their power is tied to seven shaky seats. They also know that it is likely the Republicans will win the House in 2022. Their radical actions are in part a desperate effort to impose their ideology before they lose control.

When the House Democrats, in their first vote on the House Rules, eliminate mother, father, brother, sister and more than two dozen gender-specific words from the House Rules document, it is a sign of their commitment to a cultural radical left which does not represent most Americans.

Any tension within the Republican Party will rapidly be replaced by anger at left-wing Democratic efforts to bully, ostracize, intimidate, and — if necessary — jail those Americans who refuse to go along with their ideologically driven reinterpretation of America (Consider efforts in California and New York to lockup people who attend religious services in violation of selectively enforced COVID-19 restrictions).

Any thought of a Republican civil war will rapidly be replaced by a conservative and moderate revulsion against the Democratic Party’s drive to the left — and desperate efforts to rig the game so they can’t lose future elections (I’m referring to the Democrats’ H.R. 1 and the drive to make Washington D.C. a state, to gain two Democratic senators).

The supposed GOP civil war is wishful thinking by liberal elites in DC and the media — nothing more.

To read, hear, and watch more of Newt’s commentary, visit Gingrich360.com.

COLUMN | REP. RICHARD HUDSON

With malice towards none

In addition to setting a dangerous precedent for a snap impeachment without one hearing or investigation, this rushed impeachment was not serious.

IN PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S second inaugural address, given in the midst of the Civil War, he finished with this appeal: “With malice towards none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

As we approach yet another presidential inauguration, our country once again can be inspired by these words. During this time, I believe it’s so important to remember our shared values that unite us all as Americans. We have been through divisive and troubling times before. Yet throughout history, God has blessed our nation, and working together, we have achieved incredible feats. I am confident we can do this once again.

While I think most Americans agree on the need to unite for the good of our country, I did not support House Democrat’s efforts to impeach President Donald Trump last week.

In addition to setting a dangerous precedent for a snap impeachment without one hearing or investigation, this rushed impeachment was not serious. Speaker Pelosi said it was urgent because President Trump is so dangerous, he has to be removed from office. Yet, she knew a Senate vote to remove him cannot and will not happen before the president leaves office in a matter of days.

Every American was outraged and sickened by what happened at the Capitol on Jan. 6. However, rather than impeachment and lashing out at our political opponents, every one of us needs to ask ourselves what we can do to tone down the temperature of the rhetoric, rancor and violence. Whether it’s groups on the left that rampaged in cities for seven months, or thugs who stormed the Capitol building — we must unite and condemn political violence. I’m encouraged that President Trump has since denounced violence of any kind, and I join him in that condemnation.

For the sake of our country, Republicans and Democrats must come together to reaffirm our commitment to the Constitution, seek understanding, and start the process of restoring faith in our institutions of government. We must also work together to make sure the attack on Jan. 6 never happens again. There is now information that this attack was premediated by a dangerous group of individuals, not a direct

response to a speech given by President Trump. In fact, the attack on the Capitol began while the President was still speaking. It is apparent that some divisions of the FBI knew about this planned attack, but information was not shared with those responsible for protecting the Capitol. We must improve this information sharing and make sure those responsible are brought to justice. However, these facts highlight the reason why both Republicans and Democrats must stop pointing fingers at each other and start working together.

On Jan. 20, President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in as our nation’s 46th president. As I’ve said all along, I will be there for the inauguration because I represent every constituent in the Eighth District, and because I believe it is a critical cornerstone of America’s tradition of a peaceful transfer of power.

Moving forward, I remain committed to working across the aisle on priorities like rebuilding our economy and restoring our way of life following COVID-19. We have plenty of work cut out for us, but there is some good news.

Last week, Honeywell, Atrium Health, Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Panthers and the State of North Carolina announced a publicprivate partnership to reach a goal of delivering 1 million vaccines for our community by July 4. This partnership will save lives and is a great example for our entire state and country. It also follows $68 billion Congress authorized for increased vaccine distribution in the latest COVID-19 relief legislation. I’ve been closely monitoring vaccine distribution in our region, and last week, I had a virtual meeting with leaders of the Cabarrus Health Alliance to understand their needs. I will continue to make sure every health care provider in our community has the resources they need.

Also as part of our latest relief bill, last week the U.S. Small Business Administration announced that the Paycheck Protection Program loan portal was reopened. PPP has been a critical program to support small businesses and workers, saving more than 50 million jobs last year.

You can find out more about this program and other COVID-19 relief measures at Hudson.house.gov/coronavirus.

We do have our work cut out for us. But I am confident we can meet the challenges of our time. I look forward to getting back to work, “with malice towards none, charity for all.”

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

4

SPORTS SIDELINE REPORT MLB

Mets fire new GM for past explicit texts to female reporter New York Mets general manager Jared Porter was fired Tuesday after sending graphic, uninvited text messages and images to a female reporter in 2016 when he was working for the Chicago Cubs in their front office. ESPN reported late Monday night that Porter sent dozens of unanswered texts to the woman, including a picture of “an erect, naked penis.”

ESPN said it obtained a copy of the text history, and many of the messages and photos he sent were displayed in the report online. About nine hours later, new Mets owner Steve Cohen posted on Twitter that Porter had been fired.

SOCCER

Mewis scores hat trick to lead U.S. women past Colombia Orlando, Fla. Samantha Mewis scored three goals to lead the United States a 4-0 exhibition victory over short-handed Colombia on Monday. Kristie Mewis, who came in as a sub in the second half, joined her sister in scoring when she got her third international goal in the 86th minute.

The U.S. extended its unbeaten streak to 33 matches. The defending World Cup champions have a 49-game undefeated streak on home soil. The teams were set to play at Exploria Stadium again on Friday. It was the first home game for the Americans since the SheBelieves Cup last March. Colombia did not play a match last year.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Ohio State’s Fields declares for NFL Draft Columbus, Ohio Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields is forgoing his senior season to enter the NFL Draft. The 21-year-old Fields, who is expected to be a first-round pick, was a Heisman Trophy finalist and went 20-2 as a twoyear starter at Ohio State.

He led the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff twice, losing to Clemson last season in the semifinals and falling to Alabama in this season’s title game.

With Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence all but certain to go to the Jacksonville Jaguars as the No. 1 overall pick, the New York Jets could make Fields the second selection.

Saints’ Brees exits playoffs, perhaps career, on sour note The Panthers’ longtime NFC South nemesis may be considering retirement

Drew Brees, Saints quarterback

By Brett Martel The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS — Nearly two hours after the New Orleans Saints’ season had ended, Drew Brees stood on the Superdome field in street clothes, throwing passes to his children while his wife, Brittany, captured images of those moments with her cell phone.

Brees routinely throws the ball around with his kids after home games, but after a 30-20 playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night, he lingered longer than usual — and there was no telling whether that familiar postgame scene would play out again.

Two days after Brees’ 42nd birthday, his 20th NFL season ended with statistically his worst playoff performance.

Brees threw three interceptions, his most in 18 postseason appearances. His 134 yards passing were a career-playoff low.

And because of COVID-19 restrictions, there were fewer than 4,000 fans in the 73,000-seat Su-

“I’m going to give myself an opportunity to think about the season, think about a lot of things just like I did last year and make a decision.”

BUTCH DILL | AP PHTO

New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees leaves the field after Saints were eliminated from the NFL playoffs following a 30-20 loss Sunday to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. perdome to bid him farewell — if indeed it was his final game in a Saints uniform.

For now, Brees won’t say. But he’s also said nothing that would lead one to believe he’s prepared to play next season, his last under contract.

“I’ll answer this question one time and that is that. I’m going to give myself an opportunity to think about the season, think

about a lot of things just like I did last year and make a decision,” Brees said.

That decision for the NFL’s alltime leader in yards passing will come after a fourth straight season that saw the Saints (13-5) win 11 or more games and go to the playoffs, only to come up short of the Super Bowl.

This season, Brees missed four games with multiple broken ribs

and a punctured lung but came back in time to see New Orleans through to its fourth straight NFC South crown and a convincing playoff victory over Chicago in the wild card round.

“I would never regret it. Never.

No complaints, no regrets,” Brees said. “I’ve always tried to play this game with a great respect and a great reverence for it, and I appreciate all that this game has given to me.

Brees said the way this season ended “won’t have anything to do” with his decision on whether to retire.

As for what will go into the decision, Brees said, “I’ll keep that to myself right now.”

Saints coach Sean Payton seemed to be taking his cue from Brees when he, too, sidestepped a question about what his decade-and-a-half relationship with Brees has meant to him.

“That’s probably for another press conference,” Payton said.

“Obviously, he’s been tremendous for this team, this city. I could go on and on, but let’s wait and answer that at the right time.”

Stewart bitter his Ohio dirt track not part of Cup plans The retired driver has wielded his power as a team and track owner

By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press CHARLOTTE — Tony Stewart is angry — what else is new? — and wants the record set straight regarding recent business decisions.

It was him, he insists, not NASCAR, who didn’t renew the Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway. And he tried to sign Kyle Larson to Stewart-Haas Racing but couldn’t get partner approval on the NASCAR driver suspended for most of 2020 for using a racial slur.

Publicly, fans left disgruntled comments on his social media posts. Privately, his beloved sprint car community whispered and wondered how Stewart blew two deals.

Stewart understands being re-

buffed on signing Larson, even though that slammed the brakes on Stewart’s attempt to help a friend resurrect his career while adding a top NASCAR talent to SHR’s four-car organization.

Companies make tough business decisions and Larson, since signed

by Hendrick Motorsports, still has to redeem himself to corporations that pay the racing bills.

But the Truck Series debacle is one Stewart can’t let go. He’s heard too many people say it was NASCAR that left Eldora, the Ohio dirt track Stewart owns, after an eight-year partnership. It was Stewart’s group that got a dirt track placed on the NASCAR national schedule, invested in capital improvements at the facility and built one of the most popular events on the Truck Series schedule.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Stewart said his goal had always been to use the Truck Series event as proof that Xfinity and Cup can race on dirt and

“I felt like I’d been mulekicked in the gut.”

Tony Stewart on finding out Bristol would host a Cup Series race on dirt should race at Eldora. But two days before NASCAR released the Cup schedule in September, Stewart received a tip that Bristol Motor Speedway was going to transform its facility into a dirt track for its first 2021 Cup race.

“I felt like I’d been mule-kicked in the gut,” Stewart told the AP. Incensed that not a single NASCAR executive had given him a heads-up, he immediately told his staff to tear up the sanctioning agreement he’d yet to sign for the 2021 Truck Series race.

A short dialogue with NASCAR finally began, and Stewart took the weekend to calm down.

His staff looked at the numbers and, even though the trucks were profitable for the track, the race ranked only fourth on Eldora’s events — while requiring double the effort and sweat equity.

When he reconvened with NASCAR after a few days to think, Stewart said he was direct.

“I asked if Eldora was under consideration for an Xfinity or Cup race in the future, and I was told not at this time,” Stewart said.

“So I said we were done.”

Some believe NASCAR pulled the race from Eldora or that NASCAR moved the Truck Race to Knoxville Raceway to spite Stewart, but he’s adamant neither is true.

“This was entirely our decision and people need to understand. I am extremely frustrated as a track owner that there was zero communication from NASCAR,” he said.

“Nobody ever had any conversation with me about Eldora or Cup on dirt until the deal with Bristol was about to be announced.”

NFL

Former Rams, USC RB Arnett dies at 85 Los Angeles Jon Arnett, one of Southern California’s greatest running backs who went on to become a five-time Pro Bowl player for the Los Angeles Rams, has died. He was 85. USC said Monday that Arnett died Saturday of heart failure in Lake Oswego, Oregon. After Arnett lettered at USC from 1954-56, he was the second pick by the Rams in the 1957 NFL Draft and played with the team until 1963.

He was a Pro Bowl selection in his first five years and later played for the Chicago Bears from 1964-66.

MIKE MCCARN | AP PHTO

Tony Stewart, pictured in early 2020 during his NASCAR Hall of Fame induction in Charlotte, insists he dropped NASCAR from his track after he felt slighted that Bristol Motor Speedway was given a Cup race on dirt.

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021 HOMETOWN HARDWOOD

ALBEMARLE (1-1, 0-1 YVC) Jan. 7

at Covenant Classical

W, 78-41

Jan. 15

at Uwharrie Charter

L, 72-62

Jan. 19

South Davidson

After Press

Jan. 22

at South Stanly

8 p.m.

Jan. 26

North Stanly

7:30 p.m.

GRAY STONE DAY (0-0, 0-0 YVC) Jan. 21

at North Moore

7:30 p.m.

Jan. 22

Chatham Central

8 p.m.

Jan. 26 at

Uwharrie Charter

8 p.m.

NORTH STANLY (1-2, 1-0 YVC) Jan. 12 at

North Rowan

W, 59-42

Jan. 22

South Davidson

7:30 p.m.

Jan. 26 at

Albemarle

7:30 p.m.

Jan. 15

Chatham Central

L, 68-28

Jan. 19

at Uwharrie Charter

After Press

Jan. 22

Albemarle

8 p.m.

Jan. 26

North Rowan

8 p.m.

Jan. 13

Forest Hills

W, 59-54

Jan. 15

at CATA

W, 71-41

Jan. 19

Montgomery Central

After Press

Jan. 22

Anson

7:30 p.m.

Jan. 29

at Mount Pleasant

7:30 p.m.

SOUTH STANLY (0-3, 0-1 YVC)

WEST STANLY (4-0, 2-0 RRC)

5

West Stanly volleyball coach reflects on season and playoff run The Colts’ undefeated season ended in the third round of the state 2A playoffs

By Jesse Deal The Associated Press ALBEMARLE — Even though her team’s undefeated season and hopes of winning the state championship came to a close Saturday night, West Stanly volleyball coach Steffi Dutton says she couldn’t be any prouder of the way her roster performed in the third round of state 2A playoffs.

“They played to the very end, didn’t give up, and it was probably the best blocking I’ve seen from each player in the front row — it was more than what I could have asked for,” Dutton told SCJ on Monday. “Everybody behind the block was stepping up, chasing down balls and literally laying it all out on the floor trying to get whatever they could.”

In a battle between two undefeated squads — the second-seeded Colts (13-1, 9-0 Rocky River 2A) and third-seeded West Wilkes (17-0, 14-0 Mountain Valley 1A/2A) — West Stanly suffered a three-set loss to the Blackhawks with scores of 25-18, 26-24 and 25-15.

The Colts had advanced to the third round of playoffs for the first time in school history, taking down Central Davidson (96, 7-2 Central Carolina 2A) in the first round and South Rowan

(15-2, 9-0 Central Carolina 2A) in the second round.

Those two playoff wins came on the heels of winning the Rocky River 2A conference regular season championship as well as its tournament championship in a 3-1 victory over Mount Pleasant (9-6, 8-2 Rocky River 2A).

Reflecting on past playoff losses, Dutton says she hasn’t always been pleased with the way her team’s postseasons have ended over the last three years, but Saturday’s loss had a different feeling.

“This was the game that I told them, ‘I’m not mad or disappointed with how anybody played; you gave it your all and stepped up as much as you possibly could,” Dutton said. “(West Wilkes) took advantage of our height, but it wasn’t easy for them to just blow past us. You could even see the looks on our girls’ faces — they were smiling and happy that they left it all out on the floor.”

Dutton, praising the leadership provided by seniors Addie Barbee, Riley Barbee and Madison Kee, said the key to the Colts’ success this season was they didn’t dwell on mistakes and always focused on the next play.

“You face all these different challenges this year: you didn’t have as many games, you have to wear a mask while you’re playing, you have a lot of different lineups,” she said. “Our team did everything that could have been asked of them this season.”

KOJI SASAHARA | AP PHOTO

With just over six months until the start of the Summer Games, Tokyo and other parts of Japan are under an emergency order because of surging coronavirus cases.

Japan’s PM vows Olympics will be proof of victory over virus Skepticism remains over whether the Tokyo Games will be able to be held

By Mari Yamaguchi The Associated Press TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga vowed Monday to get the pandemic under control and hold the already postponed Olympics this summer with ample coronavirus protection.

In a speech opening a new Parliament session, Suga said his government would revise laws to make anti-virus measures enforceable with penalties and compensation.

Early in the pandemic, Japan was able to keep its virus caseload manageable with nonbinding requests for businesses to close or operate with social distancing and for people to stay home. But recent weeks have seen several highs in new cases per day, in part blamed on eased attitudes toward the anti-virus measures, and doubts are growing as more contagious variants spread while people wait for vaccines and the Olympics draw closer.

Suga said his government aims to start vaccinations as early as late February.

“In order to restore sense of safety, I will get the coronavirus pandemic, which has raged worldwide and is now severely affecting

Japan, under control as soon as possible,” Suga said. “I will stand at the frontline of the battle while I get the people’s cooperation.”

Suga pledged to achieve the Olympics as “a proof of human victory against the coronavirus.”

“We will have full anti-infection measures in place and proceed with preparation with a determination to achieve the Games that can deliver hope and courage throughout the world,” he said.

Recent media polls show about 80% of the Japanese public think the Olympics will not or should not happen.

Suga said the vaccine is the “clincher” of the pandemic and hopes to start vaccination when Japan’s Health Ministry is expect-

ed to approve the vaccine developed by Pfizer, one of three foreign suppliers to Japan, as early as late February. But the pace of inoculation could be slow, as surveys have shown many people have safety concerns.

Suga said in his speech, just two days ahead of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, that he hoped to meet the new American leader soon to further strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance and to cooperate on the pandemic, climate change and other key issues.

Japan has confirmed more than 330,000 infections and 4,500 deaths from COVID-19, numbers that have surged recently though they are still far smaller than many other countries of its size.

Suga on Jan. 7 issued a state of emergency for the Tokyo area and expanded the step last Wednesday as the surge in infections strained medical systems.

The state of emergency — covering more than half of Japan’s 127 million people — asks bars and restaurants to close by 8 p.m., employees to have 70% of their staff work from home and residents to avoid leaving home for nonessential purposes. It’s set to end Feb. 7 but could be extended.

One of the proposed changes to anti-virus measures would legalize compensation for business owners who cooperate with such measures and allow fines or imprisonment for those who defy them.

For Nutbush residents He also cited a widespread fear the threat of overburdened of being unnecessarily exposed to fear of contracting the v itals, states across the country matched with the worry th the virus. onverting convention centers, could lose stores that are “All around, people are scared,” ts facilities and performance Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021 the neighborhood. Offici he said. es into backup treatment sites Their fears are not unfounded. ven’t said if stores would oronavirus patients.

In this majority-black city along the Gateway facility was hat some Memphis, Tensigned a waiver of the legislative “I will be committed If they did, shopping wo the always Mississippi River, to lawmakers e, residents don’t get is why in stopping the endless wars,” he said, prohibition, stipulating that the come more difficult and community leaders have been city, a shopping center in the referring to U.S. wars that have drawdown was important to U.S. for re especially for those who ar sounding the alarm over theysecurity dle of a predominantly black, national interests. dragged on in Afghanistan sincewhat no means of transpo asIraq a disturbing trend vi- saidhave Miller the Pentagon is plan2001 see and in for much of the pe- of the income residential neighborningat foraadditional trooplocated reductions riod since 2003. African Americans to stores farther aw rus killing d has been chosen. adding that “any Although people who don’t highersenior rate.military officials to zero by May,“For ty and state officials are conhad cautioned against speedy troop such future drawdowns remain Nutbush resident Patricia Har- car, what do they do?” ask ed that an influx of patients reductions in Afghanistan, Miller conditions based.” ris,dictates who spoke to The Ass ris wondered city officials Memphis, as well as nearby “Convention that reducannounced on Nov. 17aloud that heifwas

By Lolita C. Baldor Press while lugging were “trying contaminate” the levels, associated equip- a bottl issippi, The Arkansas ing troop implementing Trump’sto order.

Associatedand Pressrural ment and adjusting associated force of bott As a result, military commanders tergent, a package neighborhood.

Tennessee, will strain hospiprotection requirements across a from t scrambled to pull more than 1,500 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Activist Earle Fisher, an Afri- ter and other items Their fears are echoed across ADRIAN SAINZ | AP PHOTO country-wide combat zone is not troops out of the country in the last U.S. military has met its goal of recan American Memphis pastor, A Lot to her car. She note country: Governors, mayors few weeks. At Trump’s order, com- something that can be paused overducing the number of troops in Afgrocery store clos understands “This health experts in numerous This Friday, April 3, 2020 photo, shows Gateway Shopping Center without increasing risk recently to the manders also cut U.S.the troopanxiety. levels night ghanistan to about 2,500, a drawher house and she already is an honest and reasonable cons are also researching and in Memphis, Tenn. in Iraq to 2,500 from about 3,000 force and core mission goals,” Lodedown that may have violated a cern and skepticism,” Fisher said. tructinglast-minute makeshift medical prohibiwick said. travel farther to get to Gate in the same period.

Miller concongressional The concern firmed tion.

“Whenfor we do things “I Friday thinkthat it’s the parIraq for drawthe course formain reason ities. about a too-quick troop withdrawal downblack had been completed. reduction complicate got to consider the people people to be righteously Lee has disclosed a few: the Mu- a Chinese restaurant and other New YorkThe City, they’recould turnUnder the National Defense Au- is what the Pentagon sees as continmatters for the incoming Biden adneighborhood,” she said. “W skeptical of governmental interbusinesses. sic City Center in Nashville, the o the Javits Center convention thorization Act passed by Congress ued high levels of Taliban violence ministration, which must deterneed to make the vention that did not consult with Locating a treatment center for Chattanooga Convention Center, in Chicago, the McCormick two weeks ago, the Pentagon was against the Afghan government. neighb mine how to handle a Trump adworsehave thanquestioned it already is.” people on thetoground first.”Some U.S. officials e Convention Center; and in tothe explicitly forbidden use money ministration commitment theKnoxville Expo Center — all coronavirus patients there posthechief wisdom of fully from thisDoug year’s or last year’s budget U.S.withdrawing, Rep. SteveinCohen, to remove Amerall U.S. military, McGowen, the city’s residents say: sites away from residential neigh- es two problems, dy, Utah,Taliban the Mountain RAHMAT GUL | AP PHOTO February 2020 on reducing the number troopstheaccordance intelligence and contractor personphistheDemocrat, said the d operating officer,of said Gate- with It could potentially expose them borhoods. xpo Center. the Taliban, if viobelowway 4,000 — was or below theconsidered num- agreement nel fromCorps Afghanistan

by May asThe a InGateway this Dec. 19, 2020, fileCenphoto, an security official stands that doesn’t make sense. site being be- with toAfghan the virus amid concerns Shopping he U.S. Army of Engiber that was in the country the day lence remains high. move to spur peace negotiations. near a vehicle in which rockets were placed, in Bagram, north of “I’m sure there are othe cause could potentially blacks are contracting COVID-19 ter in the Nutbush neighborhood s has been scouting The U.S. invasion of Afghanithe bill was it finalized, which was accomThose talks are locations in an early stage.

Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, after five rockets that would work, modate hundreds of beds.

He said at higher rates; and it could force of Memphis is different.

The cenennessee, Senior and officials here Jan. 1. Trump vetoed the measure, stan in October 2001 was aimed atand they U.S. commanders are were fired at a major U.S. base in Afghanistan. have used those if itthe were converted tovota treatment ter features a Save A Lot grocery some of the stores they rely on to compiled a list ofof the 35 Taliban’s possi- stated overthrowing the Taliban regime,rather t but both House and Senate skeptical running of the coun-neighbo ed to site, override veto. hold only mildly commitment to peace, into aoutresidential it his would ill al-Qaida store, a Rent-A-Center, a Fami- close. backup sites.

They haven’t re-although try and the groundwork for a Thecoronavirus defense legislation providPresident-elect Joe Biden, who Donald Trump, who they have can accomplish Cohen said. patients who could belaying Nutbush resident and commuly Dollar,President a beauty supply shop, d the whole list,said butthey Gov. Bill

6

Pentagon says US has dropped to 2,500 troops in Afghanistan

their mission in Afghanistan with 2,500 troops.

Christopher Miller, in his final days as the acting secretary of defense, announced the 2,500-troop level, saying it brings the United States “closer than ever to ending nearly two decades of war.” He said the U.S. remains in position to “ensure that Afghanistan is never again used to harbor those who seek to bring harm to the United States of America.”

ordered the reduction in November, when there were about 4,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, said Thursday that troop levels in Afghanistan had reached a 19-year low, although he did not mention a troop number. Last February his administration struck a deal with the Taliban to reduce American troop levels in phases and to go to zero by May 2021. It is unclear how the incoming Biden administration will proceed.

PEC, oil nations agree o nearly 10M barrel cut

has advocated keeping a small counterterrorism force in Afghanistan as a way to ensure that extremist groups like al-Qaida are unable to launch attacks on the United States, faces a number of questions on Afghanistan. One is how and whether to proceed with fledgling peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

Trump in his brief statement alluded to his longstanding desire to get out of Afghanistan entirely.

ed two conditions under which the Pentagon could get around the prohibition — a presidential waiver or a report to Congress assessing the effect of a further drawdown on the U.S. counterterrorism mission in Afghanistan and the risk to U.S. troops there.

In his statement Friday, Miller made no mention of this statutory prohibition.

However, a spokesman, Maj. Robert Lodewick, said Trump

global “war on terrorism.” It turned into something more ambitious but less well-defined and became far more costly in blood and treasure.

During Biden’s time as vice president, the U.S. pushed U.S. troop totals in Afghanistan to 100,000 in a failed bid to compel the Taliban to come to the negotiating table.

When Trump took office four years ago there were about 8,500 troops in the country, and he raised it to about 13,000 that summer.

bin Salman, a son of King Salman, assented to the deal.

“I go with the consent, so I UBAI, United Arab Emir— OPEC, Russia and other agree,” the prince said, chuckling, roducing nations on Sunday drawing a round of applause from ized an unprecedented pro- those on the video call.

But it had not been smiles and ion cut By of Michael nearly Tarm 10 million Johnson’s name “Cory,” but his lawyers say he spells it “Corey.”

Associated els, or a The 10th of globalPress supply, laughs for weeks after the soRichard Benedict, who was opes of boosting crashing pric- called OPEC+ group of OPEC Johnson’s special education teachTERRE HAUTE, Ind. —members The and other nations failed mid the coronavirus pandemic er at a New York school for emoU.S. government executed a in March to reach an agreement a price war, tionally troubled kids, said Johndrugofficials traffickersaid.

Thursday for slayonviproduction cuts, sending prichis could thepeople largest son was hyperactive, anxious and ing be seven in a reburst of es tumbling.

Saudi Arabia sharply ion in production OPEC reading and writing at a secondolence in from Virginia’s capital in or third-grade level when he was with some witnesses the Russia days earlier over erhaps a1992, decade, maybe lon- incriticized 16 and 17. death-chamber building applaudwhat it described as comments said U.S. Energy Secretary Prosecutors, however, said ing as the 52-year-old was proBrouillette, who credited critical of the kingdom, which Johnson had not shown that he nounced dead. ident Donald Trump’s execution per- finds was mentally disabled.

Corey Johnson’s went itself trying to appease Trump, a longtime OPEC critic. l involvement in getting duel“While rejecting that he has inahead after his lawyers scramEven U.S. senators had warned tellectual disabilities that preparties to thetotable bled stop and it onhelpgrounds that clude his death sentences, courts lethalwar injection of pentobarbiSaudi Arabia to find a way to to end atheprice between have repeatedly and correctly contal would cause him excruciating boost prices as American shale di Arabia and Russia. cluded that Johnson’s seven murpain due to lung damage from his il prices coronavirus have collapsed as the firms face far-higher production ders were planned to advance his infection last month. costs. American troops had been navirus and thetheCOVID-19 drug trafficking and were not imHe was 12th inmate executSAUDI ENERGY deployed to the kingdom for the ss it causes largelyinhaltpulsive acts by someone incapable ed athave the prison Terre Haute, of making Indiana, the down Trump adminfirst time since the Sept. 11, 2001, In this photo released by Saudi Energy Ministry, Prince Abdulaziz lobal travel and since slowed bincalculated Salman judgments, Al-Saud, Minist areGroup therefore for the istration restarted federal attacks exeover concerns of Irani- Energy of Saudi Arabia, third right, chairs a virtual summit and r energy-chugging sectors of the ofeligible 20 energy minister death penalty,” prosecutors cutions following a 17-year hiaas manufacturing. It has an retaliation amid regional ten- his office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Friday, April 10, 2020, to coordinate a response toarplummet gued in court documents. tus and will be the last during the stated presidency the oil industry in sions. prices due to an oversupply in the market and a downturn in global demand duelead to the pandemi C.T. Woody Jr., the homiof Donald Trump.

“They’ve spent over the last U.S., whichJohnson, now pumps more cide detective on the case, said who his lawyers said MICHAEL CONROY | AP PHOTO month waging war on American e than any country. that during his interrogations of wasother severely mentally disabled, Johnson, hepraise. denied any involvepronounced 11:34 This Aug. 28, 2020, photo shows theKuwait, federal prison complex in Terre Ind. but its president, Andrés the deal that Saudi Arabia and Haute, producers while we arefile defendut some was producers have dead beenat oil ment in the killings p.m.

“The and puresaid sizepoof the cu Manuel López Obrador, had said the United Arab Emirates would tant to ease supply. The car- ing theirs. This is not how friends lice were trying to frame him beWhen asked if he had any last nd other nations on Sunday treat friends,” said Sen. Kevin cut another 2 million barrels of Friday that he had agreed with precedented, but, then ag words, Johnson appeared dis- his mouth fell agape. He moved ing sensations akin to drown- towne gang were sentenced to cause of lies people were telling the day new between them atop Cramer, a Republican ed to allow Mexico to cut about him. is the impact the corona deathTrump under a that federal lawU.S. thatwill tar- compening.a The claim was that flu- the slightly after from that. North It took a oil tracted, focusing on only a room to his only having onme demand,” sate whatdrug Mexico cannot add to not countries Dakota, before OPEC+ deal. for OPEC+ 000 barrels a month,for a members stick- of “It did seem to that he said M gets large-scale traffickers. id woulddeal. rushThe into three the inmates’ morethe than 20 minutes left designated his little of mental problems In the a statement, med Ghulam, an energy an COVID-damaged lungs immeproposedJohnson’s cuts. law- had any kind to die.

Still glancing around, he not immediately acknowledge U.S. him producers have already did point forfamily. an accord initially all except his viciousness and yers, Donald Ronald diately they werethough still con-ZanReporters couldThe not Amersee into the responded, I’m OK.” Raymond James.

“TheSalzman big Oiland Deal with atOPEC cut while themselves, been reducing output. hed Friday after a“No. marathon no respect for human life — none Tabak, said the government exescious. the witness rooms reserved for his Seconds later, he said softBut Ghulam and others w o conference between 23 na- ican Petroleum Institute laud- ganeh attended the video confer- Plus is done. This will save hunBut during the execution, there cuted a person “with an intellec- whatsoever,” Woody said. ly while gazing intently at same family and for relatives of his vicit may enough. dreds of thousands of energy jobs ence. ed Sunday’s global pact, saying it s. The nations together agreed Former Assistantnot U.S.be Attorney room, “Love you.” As the lethal tims. But it was clear the clapping weren’t outward signs Johnson tual disability, in stark violation of “This is at least in the United States,” Trump said Officials said other planned cuts will help get other nations’ stateut 9.7 million barrels a day drug began flowing through IVs came from the latter as an official ever experienced pain — though the Constitution and federal law” Howard Vick Jr., one of the pros-a tempo liefcase, for the industry in a tweet.

“I would thankin the the deal, owned pronounced oil production to follow the would ughout May andarms June. saidenergy the viodenied he hadlike the toecutors some stand medicalinexperts say meaning pen- and vehemently Johnson dead. Someinto his strapped to a crosslencePucommitted

by Johnson and This i mental capacity to be a so-called tobarbital can have a paralyzing cut could be heard whistling. gurney, Johnson his of one the global economy. and congratulate President 8-million-barrel-per-day lead U.S.also producers that are try- an he groupshaped reached the deal justlifted his fellow members waslet undrug tin kingpin. effectJuly that through masks pain Johnson’s execution is the last from and waved to someone theto adjust is too big to be to fail and of Russia and King Salman of gang the inmates end of the ing to plunging demand. s beforewrist Asian markets re- in matched at the time.

One of the “We wish also to say that the might be feeling as they die.

Govbefore the inauguration of Presiroom for his family.

A low murmur liance showed responsibili Brouillette said the U.S. did not year and a 6-million-barrel cut for Saudi Arabia.” ed Monday and as internafact Corey Johnson should never gang’s victims was stabbed 85 emanated from the room in which dent-elect Joe Biden, who opposes ernment experts dispute that. agreement,” said Per M The Kremlin said President 16 months beginning in 2021. make commitments of its own al benchmark Brent crude another was shot 16 Johnson was implicated with have been executed cannot dimin- times and this someone seemed to be praying the federal death penalty and has Nysveen, the head Vladimir held a joint callJohnson “This awill production cuts, was ed at just $31 a barrel times. was convicted of of ana pain and Putin loss experienced playing role enable in one ofthe therebalancworst ish the signaled he’llbut end its use.able to andover offering words of reassurance Rystad “Even tho with Trump and SaudiinKing Salof the oil markets and the exobvioushave — that plunging being the shooter in Energy. a triple slayAmerican shale producers show the Lawyers by the families of the victims bursts of gang violence Richmond previously argued ing to Johnson. in four other this case,” “We ing, had ever seen, with 11 people pentobarbital injections cause pected For two minutes, Johnsondemand con- thebecause production cuts are small manthe tostatement expresssaid. support of and theparticipating rebound of prices by $15 of the pandemggle. capital shootwish deal. them peace and healing.” killed in a 45-day He andsaid flash pulmonary edema, where per tinued to try to speak. But suddenwhatincluding the market needed a It also said Putin spoke sep-murders, barrel in the period. short term,” ic is expected to slash U.S. oil prodeo aired by the Saudi-owned filings spelled ing a rival drug dealer 15 times. ly, his eyelids drew down hard and fluid rapidly fills the lungs, spark- two other members of the Newarately with Trump about the oil postpone the stock buildi a statement from Nigeria’s oil Government lite channel Al-Arabiya duction. straints problem, the wors market and other issues.

Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zan- ministry. wed the moment that Saudi Analysts offered cautious now avoided.”

Mexico had initially blocked gy Minister Prince Abdulaziz ganeh also told state television

Associated Press

US executes Virginia gang killer despite COVID-19 infection

& CREMATORY 522 North 2nd St. P.O. Box 7 Albemarle, NC 28002 Phone 704-983-1188

460 Branchview Dr. NE P.O. Box 367 Concord, NC 28026 Phone 704-786-1161

13575 Broadway Ave. P.O. Box 100 Midland, NC 28107 Phone 704-888-5571

www.hartsellfh.com

12115 University City Blvd.

P.O. Box 219 Harrisburg, NC 28075 Phone 704-247-1722

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021 Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, April 15, 2020

7

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obituaries obituaries

Jason Efird Claude Hinson ASON EUGENE “GENE”

J

EFIRD, 94, went homeHINSON, to be with CLAUDE JACKSON his Lord Tuesday, April 7, 2020, 87, of Stanfield, passed away onat his home in Stanfield.

January 12, 2021 at his residence in Gene was born October 9, 1925, in Stanfield, NC. Cabarrus toFebruary the late Simeon He wasCounty born on Jason Efird the and late Sarah Ella 24, 1933 to and Claude Berline Burris Efird.

In addition to his (Watkins) Hinson in Stanfield, NC. parents,worked he was preceded in death by Claude as a Technician for his wife, Jewell Little Efird; Celanese of Charlotte for 26sisters, years Mary Lambert, Almond, and later retiredFannie in 1993.

Minnie Furr, Wilma On February 21st Burleson 1955 he and Aileen Huskey; brothers, Homer married the loveand of his life, Frances Efird, Getus Efird and and Wayne Efird, Jeanette Thomas from this Sr. union came 3 beautiful children.

A private funeral service willlived be Claude and Frances Jeanette heldtheir on Saturday, April 11, 2020 out days in Stanfield. at Love’ s Grove Unitedby Methodist Claude is survived his loving Church Cemetery in Stanfield children, son, Joe Hinson of officiated by Rev. JimCathy White.Hinson Burial Stanfield; daughter, will follow at the Love’ s Grove Clontz of Monroe; son-in-law,United Alan Methodist Church Cemetery, Clontz; three grandkids and 4360 four Polk Ford Road, Stanfield. great-grandkids.

Survivors include son Gerald He was preceded in death by Wayne EfirdJeanette of Albemarle; his wife,(Gail) Frances Hinson, daughterBerline Lisa Efird (Mark) Hartsell mother, Hinson, father, of Stanfield; granddaughters, Claude Jackson Hinson, Sr., Kelly EfirdDebbie BarbeeAnn and Lauren daughter, Clontz, and Hartsell (Justin) Crump; and greatsister Laythene Hinson Howard. grandsons, Ian Patrick Simmons and Private Funeral services will be Ellioton Jacob held at a Simmons. later date.

Memorials may beHome madeof to Love’s Hartsell Funeral Grove United Methodist Church, PO Midland is serving the Hinson Box 276, Stanfield, NC 28163-0276. family.

Online condolences can be given at www.hartsellfh.com.

P

Pauline Tucker

AULINE ELIZABETH ALMOND TUCKER, 98, passed away peacefully at Trinity Place, Albemarle, NC on April 11, 2020.

Pauline was born on(Julie) Marchwas 22, Jeweline Holt Pate 1922 in Cabarrus County, NC to the born March 23, 1933 in Albemarle, late John Richard Almond and NC. She was the daughter of Alice Adalate AnnWilliam Lambert Almond. the Mack Holt and She is survived by her three Novella Louise Whitely.

She daughters, Gay (Jack),High graduated fromMichel Albemarle Oak Island, Pamela Rushing School.

She NC; married Nathan Pate (Foreman), Oakboro, Kathy (Nate) of Cheraw, SCNC; on June 12, HuntThey (Marc), Albemarle, her 1951. spent 65 yearsNC; together. son,was Chris (Chris Lear), She a Tucker full time loving devoted Washington, DC. She willAir be Force greatly wife and mother.

Nate’s missed by her five grandchildren, career took Julie and family on Heatherthrough RushingEurope Chaneyand (Shannon), travels around Michael Rushing, the United States.Elizabeth Julie andMichel Nate Hartzogback (Craig), Jack Michel, retired to Albemarle in Jr. the (Jenn), and Woody as to well as mid 1970s.

She wasHunt happy settle seven great-grandchildren.

She also back in her home town and be near leaves behindfamily, cherished and her parents, andnieces friends. nephews.

She was a lifelong member of Grace The family expresses its sincere Baptist Church.

Julie spent her final gratitude to the staff and caregivers years as a resident of Cuthbertson at Trinity Place for the care they Village Aldersgate in Charlotte. provided Pauline.

Julie is preceded in death by her A private graveside will be husband Nathan Pate.service Survivors held on Monday, April 13, 2020.

A include: sister, Montague Shank; celebration of Pauline’ s life and legacy daughters: Sharon Pate (Paul) will be heldStiller; this summer. and Susan grandchildren: In lieu of flowers, theand family Mifflin O’Neill ( Sean) Summer requests donationsDavid be made to the Hayes(Jonathan) Stiller; BrightFocus Foundation www. grandchildren: Emersonatand brightfocus.org.

Callahan O’Neill, and Sara Hayes.

Jeweline Pate

Tony Smith Douglas Burleson ONY MONROE SMITH, 72, of

T

Rockwell, NC, went toB” be with DOUGLAS “DADDY his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ MCCIVER BURLESON, 78, of on Wednesday, Aprilaway 8, 2020 at Albemarle, passed Sunday, his home10, surrounded January 2021. by family. A private family service Douglas was born will Julybe 1, held.

1942 in OnlineCarolina condolences canlate be made at North to the Garrite stanlyfuneralhome.com Burleson and Vergie Crowell Tony was born August 11, 1947 Barbee. in Stanly County to the lateservice Pearlie A graveside memorial Asbury Smith and Emmer Lee will be held on Saturday, January Smith.

He2:00pm was the son in law of Pat 23, 2021, at Mt. Tabor and Mick Cagle where he worked at United Methodist Church the fish house for many years until Cemetery, 40237 Millingport Rd, he opened NC Anchor House Seafood Richfield, 28137, officiated by in Rockwell.

He and his wife Becky Beau Linker. owned and operated Survivors includeAnchor his wife,House Della for 25Burleson, years before retiring in his 2009.

Hall of the home, Mr. Smith a charter member sister, Juliawas Ann Ridenhour, his and deacon at Open Door Baptist son, Tevis Burleson, daughter, Terri Church Stallings, in Richfield.

He lovedTracy the (Craig) daughter, Lord and his familygrandchildren, abundantly. Tony (Joel) McPherson, was a Kacie, wonderful husband, father, Josh, Katlyn, Melissa, andand grandfather and could fix anything Lauren, great-grandchildren, Cali, he put hisKilyn, handsand on. Sadie.

Kaiden, Mr. Smith is pastime survived was by his wife His favorite Becky Cagle Smith of the home, spending quality time with his sons Walter Smith and Robbie family.

Smith; daughter Kayla Henderson (Brandon); grandchildren Danielle, Dustin, and Steele Smith, Keaton and Ella Henderson; brother David Smith; sisters Kay Kriechbaum, Karen Stevenson, Ruby Eudy, and Dorothy Smith (Nick).

He is preceded in death by brothers Joe Smith, Wayne Smith, Claude Smith, Wade Smith, Robert Smith, and sister Mary Morris.

Memorial contributions can be made to Open Door Baptist Church at 44563 Hwy 52, Richfield, NC 28137 or to Hospice & Palliative Care of Cabarrus County at 5003 Hospice Lane, Kannapolis, NC 28081.

Merle Helms Sarah Burleson ERLE LORRAINE AUSTIN

M

HELMS, 72, of Marshville, SARAH MOORE HATLEY passed away Wednesday, April 8, BURLESON, 87, of Albemarle, 2020 ataway McWhorter Hospice House passed Thursday, January in Monroe.

14, 2021 at First Health Moore Lorraine was born 28, 1947 Regional Hospital in April Pinehurst. in Monroe to the late Homer David Sarah was born June 5, 1933 in Austin and Jewell Delphia-Jane Stanly County to the late Claude Austin. She was and also Ruth preceded in Wilford Hatley Coggin death byShe brothers, A.D. and Teddy Hatley. was also preceded in Austin;byand Joyhusband Austin. of 56 death hersister, beloved TheMax family will receive friends years, Newell Burleson; and from 6:00 pm 8:00 pm, Friday, brother, Blythe Hatley.

April 2020graveside at Hartsellservice Funeral The10, family to Home of Albemarle. funeral celebrate her life willThe be at 2:00 service will be atJanuary 11:00 am17,on2021 at pm on Sunday, SaturdayBaptist at Pleasant Hill officiated Baptist Canton Church, Church in Marshville, officiated by Rev. Richard Carlisle.

She will by in Rev. John Miller andpm Rev.- 5:00 Leon lie state from 12:00 Whitley.

She will at lieHartsell in state for 30 pm on Saturday Funeral minutes prior to the service.

She Home of Albemarle for friends will bepay laidtheir to restrespects in the church cemetery. to without the She is survived by her beloved family present. husband 47 years, Helms She is of survived byPaul her daughters, of the home; son, Alex (Deanna) Renee (Eddie) Funderburk of Helms of Pageland; daughter, Norwood, Sherry Dennis of Paula (Cristin Brandt) of Mint Hill; Albemarle; fourHelms grandchildren, grandchildren, Mason, Grant, Carli Butler, Abby Mullis, Dr. and Raegan Helms; brothers, Boyce, Jarrod (Susan) Dennis, Ryan Royce, Tim Austin; andgreatsisters, (Nicole) Dennis; nine Patricia Mullis, and Angel Tarleton. grandchildren, Laney Butler, Lily Memorials may be made the Mullis, Eli Dye, Renee Dye,toAmelia Alzheimer’ s Association, 4600 Park Dennis, Ava Dennis, Lucas Dennis, Rd., Suite Charlotte, NC 28209.

Ellie Kate250, Dennis, and Jones Dennis.

Sarah will be remembered for her sweet and gentle nature. She loved to cook and have her family over for Sunday lunch. She was a member of Poplin Grove Baptist Church.

Memorials may be made to Poplin Grove Baptist Church, 220 Poplins Grove Church Rd., Albemarle, NC 28001.

Teresa Williams TERESA RUSSELL WILLIAMS, 71, of Albemarle, passed away Friday, January 15, 2021 at Tucker Hospice House in Kannapolis.

Teresa was born May 3, 1949 in Albemarle to the late Hubert Newton Russell and Edith Ramelle Russell.

She was also preceded in death by her brothers, Danny Russell and Johnny Russell .

The family will receive friends from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm, Wednesday, 20, 2021 HIRLEY January MAE HAIRE, 73, at Hartsell Funeral Home ofon of Albemarle passed away Albemarle.

The April 11, 2020 at funeral Atrium service Health will be The on Thursday, 21, Stanly. family willJanuary hold a private 2021 at 1:00 pm in Hartsell graveside service forthe Mrs. Haire.

Funeral Home Albemarle12,Chapel Shirley was bornofDecember officiated

by Les Lanier Scott 1946 in Washington, DCand to the Vanderburg.

Burial will followand at late Charles Richard Bateman Stanly Gardens of Memory at 2001 Elizabeth Mae Mulligan Bateman.

East MainisSt., Albemarle.

Shirley survived by her husband Survivors includeSmith husband, of 30 years Vaughn of Jimmy Williams of Albemarle, Albemarle; sister Sandra Painter NC, daughter, VA; Shonda Ross of of Gainesville, half-brother Albemarle, NC, son, Mark (Sarah) Robert Bateman of Stevensville, Troublefield, brothers, TerrySmith MD; step-children Heather (Crystal) Russell of Jacksonville, FLand andMichael David (Linda) grandchildren, Smith ofRussell, New London, NC; 4 Ashley (Cole) Watson, Samantha step-grandchildren; nieces Cyndi (Ryan) Ross, Christopher Hentschel of Leesburg, VA and (Peighton) Troublefield, Makayla Cheryl Hardy of Aylett, VA; 16 grandTroublefield, Kimberly nieces and nephews; andTroublefield, Gus the great-grandchildren, Joshua and dog. Stanly Funeral and Cremation Justin Care ofWatson.

Albemarle is serving the Teresa is remembered for Haire family. her love of her family and her church. She also loved to bake, especially Chocolate and SunDrop poundcake.

S

Shirley Haire

Linda Hatley

Danny Luther Jimmy ANNY PAUL Ellison LUTHER,

D

65, of Norwood, passed away JIMMY (JIM) ROGER unexpectedly Thursday, Aprilresident 9, ELLISON, a Stanly County 2020originally at AtriumofHealth Stanly in and York, Nebraska, Albemarle. passed away on 10 January 2021 Mr.battling Luther awas born March 27, after myriad of health 1955 tointhe late Robert Fulton and issues 2020.

Helen JimTucker movedLuther. to Montgomery Danny survived byand his wife, County inwas his early teens Denise Burleson of Norwood; graduated from Luther West Montgomery sons, Jeremy High School.(Karen) He wasLuther an avidand Jody Luther; step-sons, Bryan outdoorsman and classic rock Whitley and Gregg (Anita) enthusiast, and was a self-Whitley; Grandchildren, Daniel Luther and employed land surveyor for nearly Hunter Zado,able as well as his brother, two decades to obtain a Bob Luther Jrland (Lorena), unclelicense Jack professional surveying Luther and loved nieces, without anyseveral formalother education. nephews cousins.

Jim is and survived by his son John Danny recently retired from (Laura), dear family Wade, Donna Charlotte Pipe and Foundry after and Sam Jones of Albemarle a dedicated years and worked who kept an37eye on him for many there with his sons and several other years, cousins Donna and Flynn friends and family members.

Richardson of Porter, sister Linda loved spending timeof at CeeDanny and brother Bob Ellison his lake house with his family and Lincoln, Nebraska. friends as well as vacationing Hartsell Funeral Home ofwith his family.

Danny and Denise enjoyed Albemarle is serving the Ellison listening to beach music and loved to family. shag dance every chance they could get. He was an amazing father, loving grandfather and great friend to many. He will never be forgotten.

A celebration of life will be announced once the current COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

Hartsell Funeral Home of Albemarle is serving the Luther family.

J

this life on 3, 2020 at 8:05 JERRY C. April GILES of Albemarle pm.

He was surrounded by his went home to be with his Lordfamily and and holding the hand of the love of Savior on Sunday morning January his life. is preceded in death 10th at Jerry the age of 80 years old.

by Jerry three siblings, two brothers, Billy was predeceased by his Gilbert Fincher, and Larry Richard parents, ten siblings, his father Fincher, and Joyce & mother in one law,sister, and aBarbra sister & Moore. in law. brother He is survived by his wife, Eleanor Jerry was a devoted husband, Kate Fincher of the home, daughter, loving father, and caring Cindy FincherHe Jacobs of Wingate grandfather. is survived by his NC., son and daughter in law, Giles.

Tommy loyal wife of 38 years, Linda (Tiffany) Fincher of New London He is also survived by his two sons, NC., StepAlmond Children, Jimmy (Lisa) Michael (Crystal) and Jeff Lanier of Locust NC, (Bob) Almond (Debra). “PaWanda Jerry” was Krimminger Locust Eric blessed with of and proudNC., of his 6 (Sharon) LanierGabriel, of Charlotte NC., grandchildren Madison, Grandchildren-Trey Whitson Christian, Brandon,(Gera) Jermey, and of Midland, Step-grandchildren, Tanner.

Jerry is also survived by his Zach (Brittney) Washington, Aaron sister-in-law, Susan Smith (Kevin), (Kinsey) Washington, Caleb (Nayeli) and two nephews, Jordan Smith Washington, Beth (Robbie) Setzer, (Morgan), and Kenny Underwood Matthew ( April ) Wallace, Step (Katie). Also surviving are many great-grandchildren, Britlyn-Eve special nieces, nephews, and Washington, Setzer, cousins in theRobert Radford, VAGeorge area as (Sara)asSetzer, TracyMD. (Rob) Setzer well Baltimore, Bumgardener, Katie Jerry was born inUnderwood, 1940 and grew Andrew Underwood, Stepmoving great to up in Parrott, VA. Before greatJerry grandchild, George NC, served Waylon in the Navy as an Setzer andMechanic brother Donald Lewis Airplane Assistant for 6 Fincher of Albemarle, NC.period of years including the tense Fincher will be laid to rest on theJerry Cuban Blockade.

After moving Wednesday 8,2020 at 11:00 to NC, JerryApril worked for 35 years am as Canton Baptist Church.

Anyone aatField Inspector for Underwriter’s interested in attending, please RSVP Laboratories.

Upon “retiring” at 704-796-2412.

Dr. Phil Jerry enjoyed his job andMcCray many and Pastor Tommy Fincher willJerry friendships at Stanly Salvage. officiate. had and avid love of sports, beach camping, working in the yard, fixing things, spending time with all his family, and taking good care of his Maltese dog, Missy.

Barbara Jones,

BARBARA ANNETTE MILLER JONES, 72, of New London passed away Monday, INDA TUCKER HATLEY, 69, of January 18, 2021 in Atrium Health Albemarle, passed away Monday, Stanly. A visitation will be held on April 13, 2020.

Tuesday evening from 6 until 8 PM Linda was born September 18, at Stanly Funeral and Cremation 1950 in Concord to the late Jacob and Care of Albemarle. Burial will Claris Tucker. She was also preceded follow later in DeFuniak Springs, in death by her brother, Terry Lee FL. Tucker, and her twin sister, Brenda Born December 18, 1948 Tucker Strickland. We know Brenda in Valparaiso, FL, she was the and Linda are in Heaven watching daughter of the late Emmitt over us and laughing.

Jackson Miller and Louana Weeks Linda was a loving mother, sister, Miller. She was a member of Mt. and “Nana.” She was a very giving View Baptist Church and was a and loving person. Linda would homemaker. always do anything she could72, for of STEVE LEE WHITLEY, Mrs. Jones is survived by her others, especially family.

She Albemarle passedher away on Friday, husband Douglas A. Jones of the enjoyed working January 15, 2021at inFastShop his home.#5, A home, 3 children: Laura “Amy” Locust.family Linda service will be forever private will beloved held.

Jones of Albemarle, Kathy Phillips and greatly missed.

Born June 22, 1948 in and husband Nelson of New SurvivorsNC include herthe son,on of the London, NC, and Kevin Jones Albemarle, he was AlanPrice Hatley and wife, of late Whitley andAngela, Rosa Barbee and wife Ashley of Camden, SC, Albemarle; Ronnieof Tucker Whitley.

Hebrother, was a veteran the US 3 sisters: Wanda Wilkerson of and wife, Linda, of Midland; Army having served in Vietnam.

DeFuniak Springs, FL, Mary Jane granddaughter, Hatley; Mr. Whitley wasLeslie a member of1West Miller of DeFuniak Springs, FL, niece; and 2Baptist nephews.

Albemarle Church and and Sandra Melton of Wetumpka, family receiveoffriends theThe owner andwill operator Price AL, 4 grandchildren: Kirk from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm, Thursday, Whitley Nursery.

Schofield and wife Hailey, Nikki April 2020 atisHartsell Mr.16, Whitley survivedFuneral by Jones, Joshua Phillips, and Kelsey Homecousins in Albemarle. will many and hisLinda cat, Clyde.

Phillips and 2 great-grandchildren: be laid to rest during private their The family wishes toaexpress Addie and Mylee Schofield. committal service at Bethel United thanks to the members of West Methodist Church, Midland.

Albemarle Baptist Church who In lieu of flowers, please consider a lovingly cared for Mr. Whitley, memorial donation tofriends Bethel UMC, especially his special Jim 12700 Idlebrook and Ginger Vick.Rd, Midland, NC 28107.

L

Jerry Fincher Jerry Giles ERRY FINCHER passed from

Steve Whitley

Herman Bost HERMAN LATHER BOST, 92, of Badin, passed away Sunday, January 17, 2021 at NC State Veterans Home in Salisbury.

Herman was born May 17, 1928 in Stanly County to Prince Alton Bost and Vetress Idell Frick Bost.

He was also preceded in death by his wife, Ruby Maxine Greene Bost; grandchild, Joseph Eugene Lemmons; great-grandchild, Ty David Harwood; brothers, William, Hoy and John Bost; sisters, Genoel Blalock, Carrie Gallimore and Peggy Hedrick.

He is survived by his daughters, Deborah Bassett and husband Robert of Norwood and Bonnie Bost of Concord; grandchildren, Braden Clay (Leslie) Harwood, Stacey Almond (Joey) Donahue, Dustin Mark Almond and John Edgar Lemmons; greatgrandchilden, Avery Kenneth and Ashlyn Marcella Coffey and Judah Clay Harwood; brothers, Newman A., Loy Lee and Harry W. (Lorene) Bost; and sister, Hazel (Smokey) Dorsey.

Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in SCJ at obits@stanlyjournal.com

Simple, Affordable, Convenient Available 24 Hours a Day

Southern Piedmont Cremation Services provides a basic cremation service for families who have experienced the loss of a loved one and do not desire a traditional funeral or farewell ceremony.

When your loved one passes simply call our office and our professional team will come as quickly as possible and bring your loved one into our care.

Phone: 704-985-4851

Fax: 704-550-5508

Email: care@spcremation.com

8

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

STATE & NATION

JULIO CORTEZ | AP PHOTO

In this Oct. 22, 2020, file photo first lady Melania Trump, left, and President Donald Trump, center, remain on stage as Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, right, walk away at the conclusion of the second and final presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.

‘Rooting hard for you’: Will departure notes end with Trump?

By Will Weissert The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — Presidential traditions are usually known for their solemnity and carry the weight of future historical significance. This one began with cartoon turkeys and a reference to lunch.

As he was preparing to leave the White House in January 1989, President Ronald Reagan wanted to leave a note for his successor, George H.W. Bush, and reached for a pad emblazoned with a cartoon by humorist Sandra Boynton under the phrase, “Don’t Let the Turkeys Get You Down.” It featured a collection of turkeys scaling a prone elephant, the symbol of both men’s Republican Party.

“Dear George, You’ll have moments when you’ll want to use this particular stationery. Well, go to it,” Reagan scrawled. He noted treasuring “the memories we share” and said he’d be praying for the new president before concluding, “I’ll miss our Thursday lunch-

es. Ron.” Thus was born the tradition of departing presidents leaving a handwritten note in the Oval Office for their successors. The missives’ contents start off as confidential, but are often eventually made public by archivists, references in presidential memoirs or via social media after journalists and others filed requests to obtain them.

The 32-year tradition is in peril this year. President Donald Trump has refused to accept the results of November’s election and vowed not to attend Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday. That makes it doubtful Trump will leave behind any handwritten, friendly advice for Biden.

Presidents often write reflectively at the end of their time in office, including George Washington, who stated that he was “tired of public life” in recording why he wasn’t seeking a third presidential term. But historians say Reagan’s is likely the first instance of a personal letter being passed between

presidents as they left and entered office.

“It was a sort of a revelation that a note like this was left,” said Jim Bendat, author of “Democracy’s Big Day: The Inauguration of Our President.” “We’ve come to expect them. It’s a great tradition. It’s one of those new traditions. And the traditions for Inauguration Day are like that — they often evolve through the years.”

The notes are striking in their simplicity given just how big the job of the presidency is. But they are also notable in their camaraderie and common purpose — especially since the handoff of power is often an unhappy one: Reagan to Bush was the last time the country had one president from the same party succeed another.

Despite losing to Bill Clinton in the bitter 1992 election, Bush followed Reagan’s lead, this time on more stately, White House stationery. “I leave a note on the desk for Bill Clinton. It looks a little lonely sitting there,” Bush recalled in his book “All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings.”

“When I walked into this office just now I felt the same sense of wonder and respect that I felt four years ago. I know you will feel that, too,” Bush wrote in the note, adding, “I wish you great happiness here. I never felt the loneliness some presidents have described.”

He continued, “I’m not a very

good one to give advice; but just don’t let the critics discourage you or push you off course,” before concluding, “Your success now is our country’s success. I am rooting hard for you. Good luck — George.”

Those words were so touching that the new president’s wife, Hillary, later recalled they made her cry.

“It speaks not only to his grace, but ultimately what the presidency should be all about, which is thinking about your country first,” said Mark K. Updegrove, a historian and CEO of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation, who has written about the Bush family. “Though he had been soundly defeated by Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, as a good American, was wishing the new president well.”

Writing to that president’s son, incoming President George W. Bush in 2000, Clinton noted that the “burdens you now shoulder are great but often exaggerated” and that the “sheer joy of doing what you believe is right is inexpressible.”

In his own letter to President Barack Obama eight years later, the younger Bush advised that “critics will rage. Your ‘friends’ will disappoint you,” but ”no matter what comes, you will be inspired by the character and compassion of the people you now lead.”

Bush’s twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, were 27 at the time.

Carl Icahn nixes charity bid to blow up ex-Trump casino

By Wayne Parry The Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — An auction house trying to raise money for a youth charity by soliciting bids to blow up a former casino once owned by President Donald Trump called off the effort Monday after receiving a ceaseand-desist letter from conservative billionaire Carl Icahn.

Icahn told The Associated Press his philanthropic arm will donate $175,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Atlantic City to replace money that would have been raised by a charity auction of the right to press the button to demolish the former Trump Plaza casino.

He owns the former casino, which has been in the process of demolition for months.

Icahn’s decision came shortly after Bodnar’s Auction canceled its solicitation of bids, citing a letter from Icahn’s company instructing it not to proceed with the auction because it considered the public “spectacle” to be a safety risk.

“From the beginning, we thought the auction and any other related spectacle presented a safe-

This Sept.

10, 2014 photo shows a partially burned-out sign on the exterior of the Trump Plaza casino in Atlantic City, N.J.

WAYNE PARRY | AP PHOTO

ty risk, and we were always clear that we would not participate in any way,” a spokesman for Icahn said in a statement.

Last month, Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small announced the auction as a fundraising mechanism he hoped would raise in excess of $1 million for the organiza-

tion.

Opened in 1984, Trump’s former casino was closed in 2014 and has fallen into such a state of disrepair that demolition work began last year. The remainder of the structure was to have been dynamited on Jan. 29, but that date has been pushed back.

Small said he will announce the new demolition date on Thursday.

The auction house said Monday it had no choice but to cancel the auction after hearing from Icahn’s company.

“After exhausting every avenue to bring the parties together to make this exciting event happen,

They wrote a sort of kids’ guide to the White House for Malia and Sasha Obama, then 10 and 7. It included such advice as “slide down the banister of the solarium” and “when your dad throws out the first pitch for the Yankees, go to the game.”

In his letter to Trump in 2017, Obama wrote, “This is a unique office, without a clear blueprint for success, so I don’t know that any advice from me will be particularly helpful.”

But Obama did offer some words that now appear prophetic given Trump’s impeachment for inciting the deadly mob violence at the U.S. Capitol. “We are just temporary occupants of this office,” he wrote. “That makes us guardians of those democratic institutions and traditions — like rule of law, separation of powers, equal protection and civil liberties — that our forebears fought and bled for.”

“It’s up to us to leave those instruments of our democracy at least as strong as we found them,” Obama continued.

Updegrove said even if the note tradition stops with Trump, it could easily start again when Biden leaves office. He has already been vice president and spent 36 years in the Senate, where tradition and bipartisan congeniality are strong.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that he would do it graciously,” Updegrove said.

we received the final decision from (Icahn) that we must cease and desist,” Bodnar Auctions wrote in a post on its website.

Company owner Joseph Bodnar told The Associated Press Monday he is working with Small to come up with a future auction “if possible.”

Small acknowledged the auction’s cancellation and praised Icahn for replacing the money it would have raised.

“We agree with Mr. Icahn that public safety is paramount,” he said. “It is very important that we maintain a positive relationship with Mr. Icahn because the next conversation we need to have is what should be developed there.”

Trump, then a real-estate developer, opened the casino in a prime spot at the center of Atlantic City’s Boardwalk where the Atlantic City Expressway deposited cars entering the resort. It was the site of many high-profile boxing matches, which Trump would regularly attend.

Trump cut most ties with Atlantic City in 2009 aside from a 10% fee for the use of his name on what were then three casinos in the city.

That stake was extinguished when Icahn took ownership of the company out of bankruptcy court in February 2016.

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 18 | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2021

Twin City Herald

GERRY BROOME | AP PHOTO

A Marine color guard marches into the Senate chamber during the opening session of the North Carolina General Assembly in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021.

WHAT’S HAPPENING Police say they continue to probe officer’s tackling of teen Forsyth County Winston-Salem police are still investigating a monthsold incident in which a white police officer is seen tackling a Black teenage girl. The department’s Professional Standards Division is conducting an internal investigation. Cellphone video shows officer Zacharie K. Jones tackling and detaining Shakayla Davis-Sides in early November. She was 15 at the time and among a group of teens stopped by police as they investigated a break-in.

Police Chief Catrina Thompson held a news conference in mid November and asked people to be patient while police conduct an internal investigation.

AP

Police: 9-year-old girl shot through window Forsyth County A 9-year-old girl was wounded in her Winston-Salem home when someone fired shots through a bedroom window, police said. According to investigators, four people were inside the house when someone fired several rounds at the home. Police said the round that hit the girl in the foot went through a bedroom window. According to police, no one inside the home was hurt. Authorities said the child was taken to a local hospital and is expected to recover. The investigation into the incident is continuing.

AP

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20177 52016 $0.50

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Dorothy Schmidt Cole, oldest living Marine, dies at 107

These photos provided by Beth Kluttz show Dorothy Schmidt Cole.

The Associated Press KANNAPOLIS — Dorothy Schmidt Cole, recognized last year as the oldest living U.S. Marine, has died at age 107.

Beth Kluttz, Cole’s only child, confirmed Friday that her mother died of a heart attack at Kluttz’s home in Kannapolis, North Carolina, on Jan. 7.

Cole enlisted as one of the earliest female Marine reservists following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. She had left her Ohio home to head to Pittsburgh, where she hoped to volunteer for the Navy, but because she was only 4 feet, 11 inches tall, she was deemed too short to meet Navy standards.

Undaunted by her rejection, Cole decided to learn how to fly an airplane and persuade the Marine Corps to let her be a pilot.

In July 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve into law, giving women the chance to fill

PHOTOS COURTESY OF COURTESY OF BETH KLUTTZ VIA AP

positions left open by men headed to combat. The Corps delayed formation of the branch until February 1943, and Cole enlisted five months later at age 29, becoming one of the earliest volunteers for the branch.

Despite putting in 200 hours in the cockpit of a Piper Cub, Cole completed six weeks of boot camp at Camp Lejeune with the Wom-

en’s Reserve’s First Battalion and wound up “behind a typewriter instead of an airplane.”

Cole’s husband, Wiley, was in the Navy and served on the aircraft carrier USS Hornet, which sailed in both the Pacific Theater and the Solomon Islands campaign during World War II before it was torpedoed and sunk in October 1942.

Cole moved to San Fran-

cisco after the war to be with Wiley. They married and had their only child in 1953. The couple were both hired by the Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley in California before Wiley Cole died of a heart attack in 1955.

Kluttz moved from California to North Carolina in 1976 and Cole followed her to the area around 1979.

NC to vaccinate those 65+; College students not prioritized

By Bryan Anderson The Associated Press RALEIGH — North Carolina public health officials on Thursday unveiled an updated coronavirus vaccine distribution plan that prioritizes adults 65 years or older, while removing college students as a priority over the general public.

The new, more simplified guidance from the state Department of Health and Human Services comes in response to growing concerns that its previous plan was too complicated, slowed down vaccine distribution and administration and didn’t give enough consideration to older adults who are far more likely to die from the virus than college students and other groups.

DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen on Twitter posted a link to the updated distribution plan, which shows elderly residents who are at least 65 years old now able to get vaccinated. Previously, residents had to be at least 75 years old to be prioritized in the current group.

The adjustment aligns with new guidance put forward by President Donald Trump’s administration.

“We are trying for simplicity and to really focus on the additional guidance we got from the federal government just a couple of days ago,” Cohen said in a Thursday news conference. “We are prioritizing those who are at highest risk of severe illness, those who are at highest risk from an exposure perspective and really try to get some

simplicity there.”

Asked if college students are no longer prioritized over the general public, she replied, “Yes, that’s right.

We’ve simplified.”

North Carolina ranks as the 10th slowest state in the nation per capita in vaccine doses administered, according to data the public health department shared with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday.

North Carolina’s slow pace is not unusual, given many states have vaccinated around 2% to 3% of their populations. As distribution ramps up due to a shifting federal strategy of not holding back as many doses in reserve, vaccines will be more widely available in the coming months.

Once elderly residents have gotten vaccinated, frontline essential workers will be prioritized in the third phase of distribution. The fourth phase includes anyone 1664 years old with high-risk medical conditions, all prison inmates or others living in close group living settings who are not already vaccinated and essential workers not yet vaccinated.

Based on CDC guidance, these workers include those in transportation and logistics, water and wastewater, food service, construction, finance, information technology and communications, energy, law, media, public safety and public health.

The fifth phase makes a vaccine available to anyone who wants it.

Twin City Herald for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

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♦ Banos Parral, Jorge Luis (M/32) Arrest on chrg of 1) Vand-real Property (M) and 2) Trespass (M), at 7478 Olin Rd, Pfafftown, NC, on 1/16/2021 15:30. ♦ BARR, KAWAYN RAYSHAWN was arrested on a charge of LARCENYFELONY at WAUGHTOWN on 1/17/2021 ♦ BENNETT, CURTIS WAHEIM was arrested on a charge of FALSE IMPRISONMENT at 801 N MARTIN LUTHER KING JR DR on 1/15/2021 ♦ BRADFORD, DAVID DEVAR was arrested on a charge of POSS HEROIN at 7910 NORTH POINT BV on 1/13/2021 ♦ CONRAD, WAYNE KIPLAND was arrested on a charge of IMPAIRED DRIVING DWI at 999 N CAMERON AV/E TENTH ST on 1/16/2021 ♦ COOKE, WESLEY BRIAN was arrested on a charge of DRUGSPOSS SCHED II at 3333 SILAS CREEK PW on 1/16/2021 ♦ COOKE, WESLEY BRIAN was arrested on a charge of DRUGSPOSS SCHED IV at 201 N CHURCH ST on 1/17/2021 ♦ Davis, Jimmie Robert (M/32) Arrest on chrg of 1) Assault On Female (M) and 2) Resisting Arrest (M), at 4917 Talphin Dr, Walkertown, NC, on 1/15/2021 21:32. ♦ DEJESUS, VICTOR JESUS was arrested on a charge of RESISTING ARREST at 2343 MONTROSE AV on 1/17/2021 ♦ DRAKE, THOMAS JAMES was arrested on a charge of ASSAULTPOINT GUN at 4745 MURRAY RD on 1/15/2021 ♦ Eller, Thomas Matthew (M/29) Arrest on chrg of 1) P/w/i/s/d Sched I (F) and 2) Poss Heroin (F), at 4400 Greenfield Way Dr, Winston-salem, NC, on 1/14/2021 00:58. ♦ FRANCE, MEGAN SHAWN was arrested on a charge of ASSLT ON OFF/ST EMP at 2701 REYNOLDS PARK RD on 1/18/2021 ♦ Groce, Krista Michelle (F/37) Arrest on chrg of 1) Assault-simple (M), 2) Breaking/enter-misd (M), 3) Mv Theft

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OPINION | NEWT GINGRICH

There will be no GOP civil war VARIOUS LEFT-WING WRITERS (some of them nominally Republican) have been salivating over the prospects of a GOP civil war.

Nothing would make them happier than the Republicans tearing themselves apart in a fight over President Donald Trump and the future of the GOP. However, it will not happen.

It is a sign of how self-delusional the anti-Trump forces are that they could look at the House of Representatives vote on impeaching President Trump (the second one) and convince themselves this is the harbinger of a civil war.

House Republicans split 197-10 against Pelosi’s second impeachment effort.

Only in the delusional world of the left could a vote in which 197 people were on one side and only 10 people were on the other side be described as the beginning of a civil war.

A headline “Overwhelming House Republican vote against impeachment with tiny faction in favor” would be more accurate than the left’s efforts to fan the embers of a GOP civil war into a flame.

The gap between Washington’s left-wing delusional view of the world and reality was further emphasized in John McLaughlin’s poll of voters in 17 swing states. McLaughlin discovered that in these battleground states 80 percent of the Trump voters and 76 percent of all Republicans were less likely to vote for a congressional member who voted to impeach President Trump.

Almost three-quarters of Americans felt that Democratic efforts to try to impeach President Trump after he left office would be politically motivated to try to keep Trump from running again.

The left is using the attack on the Capitol (which I have consistently condemned and called for the perpetrators to be put in jail) as an excuse to try to destroy the conservative movement in America.

They are about to discover how powerful more than 74 million Americans can be.

The dramatic drop in stock prices for Twitter and Facebook — the companies have lost a combined $51 billion in market value after banning Trump — are early warnings that arrogant companies that think they can bully the American people may be running big financial risks.

For the 74 million-plus Americans who voted for President Trump – despite four years of vilification and hatred from the left – it is more likely that they will learn to adopt the cultural-social tools which the left has been using rather than surrender and submit to a tyranny of left-wing bullies.

Any doubt conservative Americans had about the radicalism of the Democrats is being rapidly erased by the aggressiveness of their Washington behavior.

When Speaker Pelosi eliminated the House Republicans’ right to offer an amendment in the vote on House Rules – on the first day of the new Congress – every Republican understood it as a declaration of war on Kevin McCarthy and the leadership team that gained seats in 2020 when it was supposed to lose them. Pelosi and her leftwing allies know full well their power is tied to seven shaky seats. They also know that it is likely the Republicans will win the House in 2022. Their radical actions are in part a desperate effort to impose their ideology before they lose control.

When the House Democrats in their first vote on the House Rules eliminate mother, father, brother, sister and more than two dozen gender-specific words from the House Rules document, it is a sign of their commitment to a cultural radical left which does not represent most Americans.

Any tension within the Republican Party will rapidly be replaced by anger at left-wing Democratic efforts to bully, ostracize, intimidate, and – if necessary – jail those Americans who refuse to go along with their ideologically-driven reinterpretation of America.

(Consider efforts in California and New York to lockup people who attend religious services in violation of selectively enforced COVID-19 restrictions).

Any thought of a Republican civil war will rapidly be replaced by a conservative and moderate revulsion against the Democratic Party’s drive to the left – and desperate efforts to rig the game so they can’t lose future elections (I’m referring to the Democrats’ H.R. 1 and the drive to make Washington DC a state to gain two Democratic senators).

The supposed GOP civil war is wishful thinking by liberal elites in DC and the media – nothing more.

To read, hear, and watch more of Newt’s commentary, visit Gingrich360.com.

DEATH NOTICES

WEEKLY CRIME LOG ♦ Arnold, Maria Alaina (F/35) Arrest on chrg of 1) P/w/i/s/d Sched Ii (F), 2) P/w/i/s/d Sched Ii (F), 3) P/w/i/s/d Sched Ii (F), 4) P/w/i/s/d Sched Ii (F), 5) Drugs School Property (F), 6) Drugs School Property (F), and 7) Attempt & Conspiracy (F), at 201 N Church St, Winston-salem, NC, on 1/13/2021 22:20.

47° 24° 5%

MONDAY

SUNDAY

(F), 4) Tampering With Auto (M), and 5) Resisting Arrest (M), at 4700 Mount Pleasant Dr, Winston-salem, NC, on 1/14/2021 22:57. ♦ Hill, Markus Adrian (M/29) Arrest on chrg of 1) Drug Trafficking (F), 2) Misd Poss Controlled Substance (M), 3) Drugs-maintain (F), 4) Misd Poss Controlled Substance (M), 5) Misd Poss Controlled Substance (M), 6) Misd Poss Controlled Substance (M), 7) Drug Paraphernalia (M), 8) Weap-poss By Felon (F), 9) Weapposs By Felon (F), and 10) Weap-poss

By Felon (F), at 7154 Bonanza Dr, Kernersville, NC, on 1/15/2021 14:30 ♦ JONES, TODD NOEL was arrested on a charge of STALKING at 4900 WILKES DR on 1/16/2021 ♦ KIRK, JOHN LONELL was arrested on a charge of ADW - INFLICT INJURY at 3324 THOMASVILLE RD on 1/17/2021 ♦ KIRK, JOHN LONELL was arrested on a charge of VAND-PERSONAL PROP at 201 N CHURCH ST on 1/17/2021 ♦ Laws, Lindsey Elizabeth (F/32) Arrest on chrg of Affray, M (M), at 3230 Wide Country Rd, Pfafftown, NC, on 1/14/2021 23:53. ♦ LAWSON, AARON DENEENE was arrested on a charge of OFA-FTA-DWI at 201 N CHURCH ST on 1/15/2021 ♦ Meadows, James William (M/49) Arrest on chrg of 1) B&e-vehicle (F), 2) Poss Heroin (F), 3) Drugs-poss Sched Iv (M), 4) Drugs-poss Sched Iv (M), and 5) Resisting Arrest (M), at 5959 Holder Rd, Clemmons, NC, on 1/15/2021 12:41. ♦ MIDDLETON, TERRANCE JAVVAR was arrested on a charge of IMPAIRED DRIVING DWI at NB 52/GERMANTON RD_NB 52 RA on 1/16/2021 ♦ MINOR, CHARLES HENRY was arrested on a charge of DRUG TRAFFICKING at 810 MORAVIA ST on 1/14/2021 ♦ MONTGOMERY, MARCUS DAIQUN was arrested on a charge of IMPAIRED DRIVING DWI at NB 421/S PEACE HAVEN RD on 1/15/2021 ♦ Nance, Bria Danielle (F/34) Arrest on chrg of 1) Trafficking In Methamphetamine Or Amphetamine (F), 2) Poss Cocaine Fel (F), 3) Poss Heroin (F), and 4) Fail To Appear/ compl (M), at 4400 Greenfield Way Dr, Winston-salem, NC, on 1/14/2021 00:58. ♦ Payne, Robert Michael (M/37) Arrest on chrg of Impaired Driving

Dwi (M), at Lewisville-clemmons Rd/ eb 40_lewisville-clemmons Rd Ra, Clemmons, NC, on 1/13/2021 21:42. ♦ PENN, JONATHAN ALEXANDER was arrested on a charge of FELON ADW/SER INJURY at 301 N CHURCH ST on 1/14/2021

♦ Arthur June Adams, 94, of Bermuda Commons, died January 15, 2021. ♦ Thomas “Tom” Ray Allen, 88, of Winston-Salem, died January 17, 2021.

♦ PINKNEY, KENNETH LAMONT was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT ON FEMALE at 201 N CHURCH ST on 1/16/2021

♦ Denise Kelly Anderson, 58, of Winston-Salem, died January 13, 2021.

♦ REID, CHRISTOPHER DESHAWN was arrested on a charge of P/W/I/ S/D MARIJUANA at 735 ANSON ST on 1/17/2021

♦ Carl Blackmon, 83, of Winston-Salem, died January 14, 2021.

♦ RICHARDSON, SHERIN DENEICE WALL was arrested on a charge of WEAP-POSS BY FELON at 100 N STRATFORD RD on 1/17/2021

♦ Hal Erskine Blakely, Sr., 93, of Henderson County, died January 15, 2021.

♦ SALAZAR, JUAN SABES was arrested on a charge of 2ND DEGREE TRESPASS at 612 ANSON ST on 1/18/2021

♦ Nellie Jane Mickey “Nell” Boles, 106, of WinstonSalem, died January 16, 2021.

♦ SHANNON , JOYCE PEARMAN was arrested on a charge of IMPAIRED DRIVING DWI at US 421/ on 1/16/2021 ♦ SHAW, GWENDOLYN DIANNE was arrested on a charge of AFFRAY at 732 W TWENTY-SIXTH ST on 1/14/2021 ♦ SIMS, ALJERONE MIQUEL was arrested on a charge of AWIK/ SERIOUS INJURY at 729 N CHERRY ST on 1/15/2021 ♦ SMITH, MARK ALLEN was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT-SIMPLE at 732 CRANFORD ST on 1/15/2021 ♦ SPRINKLE, CHARLES ERIC was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT ON FEMALE at 4610 DUFFER CT on 1/13/2021 ♦ WEITAL, CHESTER was arrested on a charge of PROBATION VIOLATION at 4500 BLK OVERDALE RD on 1/18/2021 ♦ WILDS, REGINALD JERROD was arrested on a charge of VIO. PROTECTIVE ORDER BY COURTS ANOTHER STATE/ INDIAN TRIBE at 1499 WAUGHTOWN ST/PLEASANT ST on 1/14/2021

♦ Thelma Thompson Boyd, 96, of Clemmons, died January 17, 2021. ♦ Patricia Annette Pegg Caviness, 73, of Greensboro, died January 17, 2021. ♦ George “Pete” R. Clary, 71, died January 13, 2021. ♦ James Donald “Don” Cline, 83, of WinstonSalem, died January 14, 2021. ♦ Gloria Cutsail Durham, 92, of Lexington, died January 16, 2021. ♦ Michael Raye Easter, 54, of Forsyth County, died January 13, 2021. ♦ Peggy Jean Isaacs Essick, 91, of Winston-Salem, died January 13, 2021.

♦ WILLIAMS, JANNECA RAY was arrested on a charge of ASSLT ON OFF/ST EMP at 1042 E SEVENTEENTH ST on 1/15/2021

♦ Janice H. Fishler, 67, of Winston-Salem, died January 13, 2021.

♦ WILLIAMS, RANDALL LONORRIS was arrested on a charge of 2ND DEGREE TRESPASS at 717 OAK ST on 1/16/2021

♦ Frederic Jorge Fusté, 73, of Lewisville, died January 16, 2021. ♦ Ethel Guyer Holtzapple, 107, of Winston-Salem, died

January 16, 2021. ♦ Shirley Kiziah Lingafelt, 85, of Winston-Salem, died January 15, 2021. ♦ Norma June Martin Mason, 82, died January 16, 2021. ♦ Daniel McKinley Matthews, 81, of Stokesdale, died January 15, 2021. ♦ Annie Stuart McDonald, 101, of Winston Salem, died January 14, 2021. ♦ Claude “Cecil” McMahan, Sr., 95, of Winston-Salem, died January 14, 2021. ♦ Judith Sides Middleton, 79, of Winston-Salem, died January 17, 2021. ♦ Kenneth Allen Moser “Ken”, 78, of WinstonSalem, died January 13, 2021. ♦ Hulda May Thompson Nelson, 94, died January 16, 2021. ♦ Jeremiah Francis O’Brien, 83, died January 16, 2021. ♦ Julia A. Richardson, 87, of Clemmons, died, January 14, 2021. ♦ Rev. Robert McCoy “Bob” Rierson, 83, of WinstonSalem, died January 15, 2021. ♦ Juadane Elsie Smith, 88, of Forsyth County, died January 14, 2021. ♦ Arthur Graves “AG” Stokes, 88, of Forsyth County, died January 14, 2021. ♦ Carolyn Dalton Stuart, 86, of Winston-Salem, died January 17, 2021. ♦ Jamie Rosanna Wheeler, 43, of Whitsett, died January 16, 2021.

Twin City Herald for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

3

SPORTS SIDELINE REPORT MLB

Mets fire new GM for past explicit texts to female reporter New York Mets general manager Jared Porter was fired Tuesday after sending graphic, uninvited text messages and images to a female reporter in 2016 when he was working for the Chicago Cubs in their front office. ESPN reported late Monday night that Porter sent dozens of unanswered texts to the woman, including a picture of “an erect, naked penis.” ESPN said it obtained a copy of the text history, and many of the messages and photos he sent were displayed in the report online. About nine hours later, new Mets owner Steve Cohen posted on Twitter that Porter had been fired.

SOCCER

Mewis scores hat trick to lead U.S. women past Colombia Orlando, Fla. Samantha Mewis scored three goals to lead the United States a 4-0 exhibition victory over short-handed Colombia on Monday. Kristie Mewis, who came in as a sub in the second half, joined her sister in scoring when she got her third international goal in the 86th minute. The U.S. extended its unbeaten streak to 33 matches. The defending World Cup champions have a 49-game undefeated streak on home soil. The teams were set to play at Exploria Stadium again on Friday.

It was the first home game for the Americans since the SheBelieves Cup last March.

Colombia did not play a match last year.

SPONSORED BY

Saints’ Brees exits playoffs, perhaps career, on sour note The Panthers’ longtime NFC South nemesis may be considering retirement

Drew Brees, Saints quarterback

By Brett Martel The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS — Nearly two hours after the New Orleans Saints’ season had ended, Drew Brees stood on the Superdome field in street clothes, throwing passes to his children while his wife, Brittany, captured images of those moments with her cell phone.

Brees routinely throws the ball around with his kids after home games, but after a 30-20 playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night, he lingered longer than usual — and there was no telling whether that familiar postgame scene would play out again.

Two days after Brees’ 42nd birthday, his 20th NFL season ended with statistically his worst playoff performance.

Brees threw three interceptions, his most in 18 postseason appearances. His 134 yards passing were a career-playoff low.

And because of COVID-19 restrictions, there were fewer than 4,000 fans in the 73,000-seat Su-

“I’m going to give myself an opportunity to think about the season, think about a lot of things just like I did last year and make a decision.”

BUTCH DILL | AP PHTO

New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees leaves the field after Saints were eliminated from the NFL playoffs following a 30-20 loss Sunday to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. perdome to bid him farewell — if indeed it was his final game in a Saints uniform.

For now, Brees won’t say. But he’s also said nothing that would lead one to believe he’s prepared to play next season, his last under contract.

“I’ll answer this question one time and that is that. I’m going to give myself an opportunity to think about the season, think

about a lot of things just like I did last year and make a decision,” Brees said.

That decision for the NFL’s alltime leader in yards passing will come after a fourth straight season that saw the Saints (13-5) win 11 or more games and go to the playoffs, only to come up short of the Super Bowl.

This season, Brees missed four games with multiple broken ribs

and a punctured lung but came back in time to see New Orleans through to its fourth straight NFC South crown and a convincing playoff victory over Chicago in the wild card round.

“I would never regret it. Never.

No complaints, no regrets,” Brees said. “I’ve always tried to play this game with a great respect and a great reverence for it, and I appreciate all that this game has given to me.

Brees said the way this season ended “won’t have anything to do” with his decision on whether to retire.

As for what will go into the decision, Brees said, “I’ll keep that to myself right now.”

Saints coach Sean Payton seemed to be taking his cue from Brees when he, too, sidestepped a question about what his decade-and-a-half relationship with Brees has meant to him.

“That’s probably for another press conference,” Payton said.

“Obviously, he’s been tremendous for this team, this city. I could go on and on, but let’s wait and answer that at the right time.”

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Ohio State’s Fields declares for NFL Draft Columbus, Ohio Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields is forgoing his senior season to enter the NFL Draft. The 21-year-old Fields, who is expected to be a firstround pick, was a Heisman Trophy finalist and went 20-2 as a two-year starter at Ohio State. He led the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff twice, losing to Clemson last season in the semifinals and falling to Alabama in this season’s title game. With Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence all but certain to go to the Jacksonville Jaguars as the No. 1 overall pick, the New York Jets could make Fields the second selection.

NFL

Former Rams, USC RB Arnett dies at 85 Los Angeles Jon Arnett, one of Southern California’s greatest running backs who went on to become a five-time Pro Bowl player for the Los Angeles Rams, has died. He was 85. USC said Monday that Arnett died Saturday of heart failure in Lake Oswego, Oregon. After Arnett lettered at USC from 1954-56, he was the second pick by the Rams in the 1957 NFL Draft and played with the team until 1963. He was a Pro Bowl selection in his first five years and later played for the Chicago Bears from 196466.

MIKE MCCARN | AP PHTO

Tony Stewart, pictured in early 2020 during his NASCAR Hall of Fame induction in Charlotte, insists he dropped NASCAR from his track after he felt slighted that Bristol Motor Speedway was given a Cup race on dirt.

Stewart bitter his Ohio dirt track not part of Cup plans The retired driver has wielded his power as a team and track owner

By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press CHARLOTTE — Tony Stewart is angry — what else is new? — and wants the record set straight regarding recent business decisions.

It was him, he insists, not NASCAR, who didn’t renew the Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway. And he tried to sign Kyle Larson to Stewart-Haas Racing but couldn’t get partner approval on the NASCAR driver suspended for most of 2020 for using a racial slur.

Publicly, fans left disgruntled comments on his social media posts. Privately, his beloved sprint car community whispered and wondered how Stewart blew two deals.

Stewart understands being re-

buffed on signing Larson, even though that slammed the brakes on Stewart’s attempt to help a friend resurrect his career while adding a top NASCAR talent to SHR’s four-car organization.

Companies make tough business decisions and Larson, since signed

by Hendrick Motorsports, still has to redeem himself to corporations that pay the racing bills.

But the Truck Series debacle is one Stewart can’t let go. He’s heard too many people say it was NASCAR that left Eldora, the Ohio dirt track Stewart owns, after an eight-year partnership. It was Stewart’s group that got a dirt track placed on the NASCAR national schedule, invested in capital improvements at the facility and built one of the most popular events on the Truck Series schedule.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Stewart said his goal had always been to use the Truck Series event as proof that Xfinity and Cup can race on dirt and

“I felt like I’d been mulekicked in the gut.”

Tony Stewart on finding out Bristol would host a Cup Series race on dirt should race at Eldora. But two days before NASCAR released the Cup schedule in September, Stewart received a tip that Bristol Motor Speedway was going to transform its facility into a dirt track for its first 2021 Cup race.

“I felt like I’d been mule-kicked in the gut,” Stewart told the AP. Incensed that not a single NASCAR executive had given him a heads-up, he immediately told his staff to tear up the sanctioning agreement he’d yet to sign for the 2021 Truck Series race.

A short dialogue with NASCAR finally began, and Stewart took the weekend to calm down.

His staff looked at the numbers and, even though the trucks were profitable for the track, the race ranked only fourth on Eldora’s events — while requiring double the effort and sweat equity.

When he reconvened with NASCAR after a few days to think, Stewart said he was direct.

“I asked if Eldora was under consideration for an Xfinity or Cup race in the future, and I was told not at this time,” Stewart said.

“So I said we were done.”

Some believe NASCAR pulled the race from Eldora or that NASCAR moved the Truck Race to Knoxville Raceway to spite Stewart, but he’s adamant neither is true.

“This was entirely our decision and people need to understand. I am extremely frustrated as a track owner that there was zero communication from NASCAR,” he said.

“Nobody ever had any conversation with me about Eldora or Cup on dirt until the deal with Bristol was about to be announced.”

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Twin City Herald for Wednesday, January 20, 2021

STATE & NATION

‘Rooting hard for you’: Will departure notes end with Trump?

By Will Weissert The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — Presidential traditions are usually known for their solemnity and carry the weight of future historical significance. This one began with cartoon turkeys and a reference to lunch.

As he was preparing to leave the White House in January 1989, President Ronald Reagan wanted to leave a note for his successor, George H.W. Bush, and reached for a pad emblazoned with a cartoon by humorist Sandra Boynton under the phrase, “Don’t Let the Turkeys Get You Down.” It featured a collection of turkeys scaling a prone elephant, the symbol of both men’s Republican Party.

“Dear George, You’ll have moments when you’ll want to use this particular stationery. Well, go to it,” Reagan scrawled. He noted treasuring “the memories we share” and said he’d be praying for the new president before concluding, “I’ll miss our Thursday lunches. Ron.” Thus was born the tradition of departing presidents leaving a handwritten note in the Oval Office for their successors. The missives’ contents start off as confidential, but are often eventually made public by archivists, references in presidential memoirs or via social media after journalists and others filed requests to obtain them.

The 32-year tradition is in peril this year. President Donald Trump

has refused to accept the results of November’s election and vowed not to attend Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday. That makes it doubtful Trump will leave behind any handwritten, friendly advice for Biden.

Presidents often write reflectively at the end of their time in office, including George Washington, who stated that he was “tired of public life” in recording why he wasn’t seeking a third presidential term. But historians say Reagan’s is likely the first instance of a personal letter being passed between presidents as they left and entered office.

“It was a sort of a revelation that a note like this was left,” said Jim Bendat, author of “Democracy’s Big Day: The Inauguration of Our President.” “We’ve come to expect them. It’s a great tradition.

It’s one of those new traditions.

And the traditions for Inauguration Day are like that — they often evolve through the years.”

The notes are striking in their simplicity given just how big the job of the presidency is. But they are also notable in their camaraderie and common purpose — especially since the handoff of power is often an unhappy one: Reagan to Bush was the last time the country had one president from the same party succeed another.

Despite losing to Bill Clinton in the bitter 1992 election, Bush followed Reagan’s lead, this time on more stately, White House stationery. “I leave a note on the desk for Bill Clinton. It looks a little lone-

JULIO CORTEZ | AP PHOTO

In this Oct. 22, 2020, file photo first lady Melania Trump, left, and President Donald Trump, center, remain on stage as Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, right, walk away at the conclusion of the second and final presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. ly sitting there,” Bush recalled in his book “All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings.”

“When I walked into this office just now I felt the same sense of wonder and respect that I felt four years ago. I know you will feel that, too,” Bush wrote in the note, adding, “I wish you great happiness here. I never felt the loneliness some presidents have described.”

He continued, “I’m not a very good one to give advice; but just don’t let the critics discourage you or push you off course,” before concluding, “Your success now is our country’s success. I am rooting hard for you. Good luck — George.”

Those words were so touching

that the new president’s wife, Hillary, later recalled they made her cry.

“It speaks not only to his grace, but ultimately what the presidency should be all about, which is thinking about your country first,” said Mark K. Updegrove, a historian and CEO of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation, who has written about the Bush family. “Though he had been soundly defeated by Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, as a good American, was wishing the new president well.”

Writing to that president’s son, incoming President George W. Bush in 2000, Clinton noted that the “burdens you now shoulder are great but often exaggerated” and that the “sheer joy of doing

Carl Icahn nixes charity bid to blow up ex-Trump casino

By Wayne Parry The Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — An auction house trying to raise money for a youth charity by soliciting bids to blow up a former casino once owned by President Donald Trump called off the effort Monday after receiving a ceaseand-desist letter from conservative billionaire Carl Icahn.

Icahn told The Associated Press his philanthropic arm will donate $175,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Atlantic City to replace money that would have been raised by a charity auction of the right to press the button to demolish the former Trump Plaza casino.

He owns the former casino, which has been in the process of demolition for months.

Icahn’s decision came shortly after Bodnar’s Auction canceled its solicitation of bids, citing a letter from Icahn’s company instructing it not to proceed with the auction because it considered the public “spectacle” to be a safety risk.

“From the beginning, we thought the auction and any other related spectacle presented a safe-

This Sept.

10, 2014 photo shows a partially burned-out sign on the exterior of the Trump Plaza casino in Atlantic City, N.J.

WAYNE PARRY | AP PHOTO

ty risk, and we were always clear that we would not participate in any way,” a spokesman for Icahn said in a statement.

Last month, Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small announced the auction as a fundraising mechanism he hoped would raise in excess of $1 million for the organiza-

tion.

Opened in 1984, Trump’s former casino was closed in 2014 and has fallen into such a state of disrepair that demolition work began last year. The remainder of the structure was to have been dynamited on Jan. 29, but that date has been pushed back.

Small said he will announce the new demolition date on Thursday.

The auction house said Monday it had no choice but to cancel the auction after hearing from Icahn’s company.

“After exhausting every avenue to bring the parties together to make this exciting event happen,

what you believe is right is inexpressible.”

In his own letter to President Barack Obama eight years later, the younger Bush advised that “critics will rage. Your ‘friends’ will disappoint you,” but ”no matter what comes, you will be inspired by the character and compassion of the people you now lead.”

Bush’s twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, were 27 at the time.

They wrote a sort of kids’ guide to the White House for Malia and Sasha Obama, then 10 and 7. It included such advice as “slide down the banister of the solarium” and “when your dad throws out the first pitch for the Yankees, go to the game.”

In his letter to Trump in 2017, Obama wrote, “This is a unique office, without a clear blueprint for success, so I don’t know that any advice from me will be particularly helpful.”

But Obama did offer some words that now appear prophetic given Trump’s impeachment for inciting the deadly mob violence at the U.S. Capitol. “We are just temporary occupants of this office,” he wrote. “That makes us guardians of those democratic institutions and traditions — like rule of law, separation of powers, equal protection and civil liberties — that our forebears fought and bled for.”

“It’s up to us to leave those instruments of our democracy at least as strong as we found them,” Obama continued.

Updegrove said even if the note tradition stops with Trump, it could easily start again when Biden leaves office. He has already been vice president and spent 36 years in the Senate, where tradition and bipartisan congeniality are strong.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that he would do it graciously,” Updegrove said.

we received the final decision from (Icahn) that we must cease and desist,” Bodnar Auctions wrote in a post on its website.

Company owner Joseph Bodnar told The Associated Press Monday he is working with Small to come up with a future auction “if possible.”

Small acknowledged the auction’s cancellation and praised Icahn for replacing the money it would have raised.

“We agree with Mr. Icahn that public safety is paramount,” he said. “It is very important that we maintain a positive relationship with Mr. Icahn because the next conversation we need to have is what should be developed there.”

Trump, then a real-estate developer, opened the casino in a prime spot at the center of Atlantic City’s Boardwalk where the Atlantic City Expressway deposited cars entering the resort. It was the site of many high-profile boxing matches, which Trump would regularly attend.

Trump cut most ties with Atlantic City in 2009 aside from a 10% fee for the use of his name on what were then three casinos in the city.

That stake was extinguished when Icahn took ownership of the company out of bankruptcy court in February 2016.