Henry James, 12 , of Huntersville snaps a sel e with Vice President JD Vance during a visit to Concord on Wednesday. Vance spoke on public safety as the General Assembly passed criminal justice bills this week, including “Iryna’s Law.” For more on that bill, turn to page A6.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
U.S. economy expanded at 3.8% pace through June
The U.S. economy expanded at a surprising 3.8% from April through June in a dramatic upgrade of the government’s previous estimate of second- quarter growth.
The Commerce Department said Thursday that U.S. gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — rebounded in the spring from a 0.6% rst- quarter drop caused by fallout from President Donald Trump’s trade wars. The department previously estimated second-quarter growth at 3.3%.
Amazon to pay $2.5B to settle allegations it duped customers into joining Prime
Amazon has reached a historic $2.5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, which said the online giant tricked customers into signing up for its Prime memberships and made it di cult to cancel after they did so. The Seattle company will pay $1 billion in civil penalties — the largest ne in FTC history, and $1.5 billion will be paid to consumers who were unintentionally enrolled in Prime or were deterred from canceling their subscriptions.
Average mortgage rate edges higher after declining for month
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage ticked up, ending a four-week decline. The rate rose to 6.3% from 6.26% last week. A year ago, it was 6.08%.
Pfei er announces Dowd Foundation Endowed Scholarship
The scholarship fund is worth $1 million
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
MISENHEIMER — Pfei er
University has announced the creation of a new $1 million student scholarship fund.
In a Wednesday media release, the university revealed the creation of the Dowd Foundation Endowed Scholarship that will support dependents of Charlotte Pipe and Foundry employees and students from Stanly and Union counties.
“This scholarship represents a powerful investment in the future of our region,” Pfei er University President Scott Bullard said. “We are deeply grateful to the Dowd Foundation for their generosity and vision. The Dowd Foundation En-
dowed Scholarship will open doors for talented students who might otherwise be unable to pursue a Pfei er education.” The scholarship will provide annual awards rang-
Stanly County reports rst rabies case of 2025
A positive test result was found in a bat
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
ALBEMARLE — The Stan-
ly County Health Department has con rmed the county’s rst case of rabies in 2025.
Dolly Clayton, the county’s Health and Human Services director, sent out a press release Wednesday notifying the public that a bat from the Oakboro area had tested positive for rabies. The North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health con rmed the positive result of the deadly disease Tuesday. State law requires that all animal bites be reported to the local health department.
“If you have potentially been exposed to a bat, please contact Stanly County Health Department immediately at 704-982-9171,” Clayton said in the Stanly Health Department’s notice. “If you see an animal that is behaving abnormally, call Stanly County Animal Protective Services at 704-986-3881.”
Rabies, most often spread through the bite or saliva of a rabid animal, can also be transmitted if infected saliva comes into contact with a person’s eyes, nose, mouth or an open wound. Per state public health guidelines, a bat exposure is a known bite or scratch from a bat, direct contact with a bat when you can’t determine a
“If you have potentially been exposed to a bat, please contact Stanly County Health Department immediately at 704-9829171.”
Dolly Clayton, Stanly County Health and Human Services director
“This scholarship represents a powerful investment in the future of our region.”
Scott Bullard, Pfei er University president
ing from $1,000 to $5,000, based on nancial need. Eligible applicants must have at least a 3.0 GPA, with applications due by Dec. 1 and the rst awards distributed for the fall 2026 semester.
The university said the scholarship demonstrates “Pfei er’s commitment to serving the local community and aligns with the university’s mission to prepare servant leaders through a
See FUND, page A5
THE STANLY COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
COURTESY PFEIFFER UNIVERSITY
Pfei er students walk through the university’s campus located in Miseheimer.
PJ WARD-BROWN / STANLY NEWS JOURNAL
Some 800 one-star general and higher o cers will meet at Quantico
By Konstantin Toropin, Emma Burrows and Ben Finley The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned the military’s top o cers — hundreds of generals and admirals — to a base in northern Virginia for a sudden meeting next week, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The directive did not o er a reason for the gathering Tuesday of senior commanders of the one-star rank or higher and their top advisers at the Marine Corps base in Quantico. The people, who described the move as unusual, were not
“The secretary will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week.”
Sean Parnell, Pentagon spokesman
authorized to publicly discuss the sensitive plans and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Pentagon’s top spokesman, Sean Parnell, con rmed that Hegseth “will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week.”
Across the military, there are 800 generals and admirals of all ranks. Many command thousands of service members and are stationed across the world in more than a dozen countries and time zones.
The meeting, rst reported by The Washington Post,
comes on the heels of several unusual and unexplained actions that Hegseth has taken involving military leaders.
In May, Hegseth ordered that the military cut 20% of its four-star general o cers, directed an additional 10% cut from all general and ag ocers across the force, and told the National Guard to shed 20% of its top positions.
In February, Hegseth red Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s top o cer, and Gen. James Slife, the Air Force’s second highest o cer, without explanation. He also relieved the military’s top lawyers.
Since then, Hegseth has red other military leaders without saying why. Most recently it was a general who led a military intelligence agency whose initial assessment of U.S. damage to Iranian nuclear sites in American strikes angered President Donald Trump.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, left, and Army Chief of Sta Gen. Randy George
troops during the POW/MIA National Recognition Day Ceremony at the Pentagon last week.
THE CONVERSATION
Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
COLUMN | IAN HAWORTH
If TikTok lives, China wins
The algorithm that churns out Chinese propaganda to your children — will be copied and leased to the supposedly divested TikTok.
TIKTOK IS AN ADDICTIVE app that, for years, has provided the Chinese Communist Party with direct access to millions of Americans. Owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, TikTok is used to provide a monsoon of CCP-approved propaganda while handing the Chinese government access to the data of TikTok’s international users, including location and biometric information such as “faceprints and voiceprints.”
In the spring of 2024 — what feels like a lifetime ago — the United States House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), targeting TikTok. Signed into law by Joe Biden that April and upheld by the Supreme Court, the legislation requires a ban of TikTok in the United States on Jan. 19, 2025, unless ByteDance gives up control of the app. According to my calendar, it seems that Jan. 19, 2025, has long since passed, and yet TikTok — with data still ooding back into the clutches of the CCP — continues to churn out communist propaganda across the country to millions of young Americans.
Why? Well, the fact that the White House recently unveiled its own TikTok pro le tells you all you need to know
COLUMN | STEVE MILLOY
about their view of the bipartisan PAFACA.
Indeed, since the deadline, the Trump administration has announced unconstitutional delay after unconstitutional delay with absolutely no regard for the legislature, while Congress has fecklessly cowered in the shadows while the executive branch ignores its fundamental purpose. Now — months after TikTok should have been lawfully banned — we’re hearing Trump-esque announcements of a deal looming just behind the nearest tree.
President Donald Trump is now expected to sign an agreement — an agreement that has yet to be completed or con rmed, by the way — that would give U.S. investors majority control over TikTok, while tasking Oracle with securig its users’ data. ByteDance would maintain a minority stake in the company and have one representative on a new board of directors. Meanwhile, the existing algorithm — the algorithm that churns out Chinese propaganda to your children — will be copied and leased to the supposedly divested TikTok, with the promise that China will not have any access to American user data.
Sorry, this is a joke.
Yes, Trump is correct in saying that TikTok helped him win the 2024 election,
and that the platform has “tremendous value,” but that doesn’t give him the right to ignore the democratic decision of the American people — through their representatives in Congress — by continuously disregarding the law in pursuit of his latest golden deal.
Sure, such a deal — if it even materializes — will be vastly nancially bene cial to many of his closest allies who just so happen to be waiting to assume partial control of TikTok. But may I remind the White House that the role of the president of the United States is to enforce the laws put forth by Congress, and not treat our national security and our greatest adversary — China — as players in his global version of “The Apprentice.”
At this point, I’ve lost hope that TikTok will actually be banned, and I have little faith that the billions of lines of code that control TikTok will be su ciently audited to ensure that the CCP does not maintain a window into the lives of millions of Americans. But even if our data is closed o to the Chinese government, let’s not forget: The algorithm responsible for indoctrinating the next generation of American citizens will stay exactly the same, no matter what ag is hastily pasted onto the company letterhead. If the algorithm lives on, so does China’s grip on your children.
Rigged report by national academies aims to thwart Trump energy agenda
The charter states that the government calls on the Academies to conduct studies, not the other way around.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF Sciences just released its so-called review of the Trump EPA’s proposal to rescind the endangerment nding for greenhouse gases. It is every bit the rigged and predetermined outcome predicted.
Not only does the report conclude that the EPA’s 2009 endangerment nding was correct, it claims that the evidence now for greenhouse gas emissions causing harm is greater than it was in 2009. But what was the process by which the NAS committee reached this conclusion?
The Trump EPA formally proposed to rescind the endangerment nding Aug. 1. The NAS announced that it would launch its own review six days later on Aug. 7. This was a surprise since the NAS generally only o ers scienti c advice to the federal government upon request of the federal government. But don’t take my word for it. Here’s what NAS president Marcia McNutt had to say about that in April 2020 when people urged the NAS to tackle the COVID crisis: “Y’all have it backwards. The charter states that the government calls on the Academies to conduct studies, not the other way around.”
In its Aug. 7 announcement, the NAS set a deadline of Aug. 27 for the public to submit information to the committee and, perplexingly, a Sept. 11 deadline for comments on the composition of the proposed committee.
Yet in a stunningly disingenuous move, the NAS committee began meeting secretly weeks before the public comment deadline to ag any problems with the committee’s composition. Its rst meeting occurred on Aug. 20. There were more meetings Aug. 25-26, a third set of meetings Sept.1-5 and a fourth set on Sept. 8-9. Again, all these secret meetings occurred before the Sept. 11 deadline. The committee met for a nal time on Sept. 12.
So while the climate science watchdog group, the CO2 Coalition, agged that all 15 of the committee’s members subscribed to climate alarmism — and submitted their objections before the Sept.11 deadline — the committee was already secretly o and running.
Although the CO2 Coalition’s membership includes several NAS members, their comments and other public objections to the committee composition were apparently ignored. A mere six days after the comment deadline, the nal report by the originally proposed committee was issued. And what a report it is.
The committee met secretly for a total of 10 days from Aug. 20 to Sept. 12. Per committee chairman Shirley Tilghman, the committee reviewed all the science published since the 2009 endangerment nding was made. This claim is astoundingly false. There have been tens of thousands of climate studies published since 2009. But the 137-page report cites only 573 of them. On the one hand, the 573 studies represent just a sliver of the climate science literature. On the other hand, 573 studies is an immense number of studies for a committee of 15 — none of whom are atmospheric scientists — to review in only 10 working days.
The overall nature and quality of the report can be assessed from the rst few sentences in the report’s preface: “As the committee undertook this project, it was hard not to think about recent climate-related disasters: the heavy rainfall of Hurricane Helene that destroyed homes and roads in the mountains of North Carolina, the fast-moving wild res that displaced thousands in Los Angeles and a ected air quality for miles around, and the rapid ooding of the Guadalupe River
in central Texas that led to at least 135 fatalities.”
But none of those weather events are attributable to emissions or to “global warming.” The heavy rains that hit and ooded Asheville in 2024 had happened twice, before in 1916 and 1940. The exact conditions that led to the recent Los Angeles wild res were fretted about by local media in 1875. The tragic Guadalupe River ooding that struck on July 4 had occurred before in 1869 and 1987.
There is not enough room in this column for a comprehensive critique of the NAS report, but here is just one other egregious example. Citing an EPA graph, the report asserts that heat waves have increased since the 1960s. But the report studiously avoids another more complete EPA graph showing that heatwaves have dramatically decreased since the 1930s.
From process to substance, the NAS report is a travesty. Its purpose is to thwart the Trump energy agenda. While this particular report only applies to the fossil fuel part of the Trump energy agenda, you can bet that the NAS will be equally disingenuous when it comes to the Trump nuclear power agenda. It has a history of this.
Two-thirds of the NAS funding comes from the federal government. The president should terminate that funding and make the NAS decide between sound science and junk science.
Steve Milloy is a biostatistician and lawyer. This column was rst published by Daily Caller News Foundation.
IN MEMORY
NANCY ELIZABETH ABERNATHY
JUNE 9, 1959 – SEPT. 23, 2025
Nancy Elizabeth Abernathy, 66, of New London, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at Atrium Health Cabarrus surrounded by her loving family.
A celebration of Nancy’s life will be held on Sunday, September 28, 2025, at Kendall Baptist Church. The family will receive friends from 2:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m., with the funeral service beginning at 3:00 p.m., o ciated by Pastor Kent Little. A private burial, with family only, o ciated by Paster Dusty Laney will follow after the service.
Barbara Jean (Taylor) Drye
April 17, 1936 ~ January 14, 2023
Barbara Jean Taylor Drye, 86, of Oakboro, passed away Saturday, January 14, 2023 at her home.
Barbara was born April 17, 1936 in North Carolina to the late Robert Lee Taylor and the late Eva Belle Watts Taylor. She was also preceded in death by husband of 61 years, Keith Furr Drye, and brothers, Robert Lee Taylor, Jr. and George Kenneth Taylor.
Dwight Farmer
Bobby Cain, member of Clinton 12 who helped integrate Tenn. high schools in 1956, dead at 85
The civil rights pioneer died Monday in Nashville
James Roseboro
June 23, 1967 ~ January 10, 2023
January 24, 1939 ~ January 15, 2023
Dwight Britten Farmer Sr., 83, of Norwood died Sunday morning, January 15, 2023 at Forrest Oakes.
Born on June 9, 1959, in Iredell County, Nancy was the daughter of the late Daniel Abernathy Sr. and Peggy Abernathy, who survives her. She was a woman of quiet strength and deep faith, known for her humility, artistic spirit, and boundless compassion. She found joy in the simple things; her Savior Jesus Christ, caring for others, and the companionship of her beloved dogs.
By Travis Loller
The Associated Press
James Arthur Roseboro, 55, of Albemarle, passed away Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at Anson Health and Rehab.
Nancy is lovingly survived by her mother, Peggy Abernathy; her siblings, Rebecca Laney, Daniel Abernathy Jr. (Mary Ann), John Abernathy (Janis), and Philip Abernathy (Tina); her sister-in-law, Meg Bowers (David); as well as many cherished nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, and dear friends who will miss her deeply.
Survivors include children, Debbie (Mike) Williams of Albemarle, Teresa (Tom) Curry of Oakboro, Douglas (Tammy) Drye of Oakboro; grandchildren, Melissa (Don) Parrish of Albemarle, Samantha (Destiny) Smith of Oakboro, Bradley Smith of Oakboro, Jonathan Stover of Peachland, and Jessie Stover of Lylesville; sisterin-law, Beatrice Goodman; many nieces and nephews; and her beloved cats, Bo and Gar eld.
In addition to her father, she was preceded in death by her brother, Harold Abernathy, and brother-in-law, Rick Laney.
Nancy touched the lives of many with her thoughtfulness, creativity, and the quiet strength of her faith. She always placed others before herself, and her memory will continue to inspire kindness and love in those who knew her.
Dwight was born January 24, 1939 in Stanly County to the late Walter Virgil and Martha Adkins Farmer. He was a 1957 graduate of Norwood High School and was a United States Army Veteran. He was a member of Cedar Grove United Methodist Church where he had served as church treasurer and choir member. He began his career with the Stanly County Sheri ’s Department moving to the Norwood Police Department and retiring as Chief of Police with the Town of Norwood after many years of service.
Dwight was an avid gardener, bird watcher and Carolina fan.
In lieu of owers, memorial contributions may be made to Kendall Baptist Church, 32157 Kendalls Church Rd, New London, NC 28127, or to the American Cancer Society at donate.cancer. org.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Bobby Cain, who helped integrate one of the rst high schools in the South in 1956 as one of the so-called Clinton 12, died Monday in Nashville at the age of 85, according to his nephew J. Kelvin Cain.
Mr. Roseboro was born on June 23, 1967 to the late Robert and Delena Shipp Roseboro. He graduated from South Stanly High School and was employed by Triangle Brick. He enjoyed watching football and basketball, especially the Carolina TarHeels and Miami.
In addition to his parents he is preceded in death by his brothers and sisters: Barbara Lee Roseboro, Dorothy Brown, Verna Roseboro, Henrietta Ingram, and Harold Roseboro.
Bobby Cain was a senior when he entered the formerly all-white Clinton High School in Tennessee on a court order. He had previously attended a black high school about 20 miles away in Knoxville and was not happy about leaving his friends to spend his senior year at a new school in a hostile environment.
community where he drove a school bus and worked at the local gas station during his High School years. He graduated from Millingport High in 1954 and entered into service with the US Airforce immediately afterward. Upon return from the service, he and his high school sweetheart Julie were married in 1956. He graduated from Nashville Auto Diesel College later in 1959 and began his career as a diesel mechanic at Mitchell Distributing Company, moving his growing family to Charlotte where they lived until their retirement.
Doris Jones Coleman
October 11, 1944 - January 10, 2023
Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Albemarle is serving the Abernathy family.
Barbara was a member of Oakboro Baptist Church for over 60 years. She worked over 30 years at Stanly Knitting Mills. After just two years of retirement, she began managing the Oakboro Senior Center and did that for 18 years until this past week. Barbara was known for her good cooking and always taking care of others. She also loved going on day long shopping trips - she could out walk and out shop people half her age. She kept her mind and body active through gardening, word searches, and various other hobbies.
JAMES LUTHER MENADUE
He is survived by his wife Hilda Whitley Farmer; one son D. Britten Farmer Jr. (Mary) of McLeansville, NC; one daughter Sharon Farmer Lowe (David) of Norwood; one sister Geraldine Dennis of Troy; two grandchildren, Dwight Britten “Dee” Farmer III and Whitley Rose Hui Lowe.
SEPT. 19, 1969 – SEPT. 22, 2025
James Luther Menadue, 56, of Albemarle, passed away peacefully at his home on Monday, September 22, 2025.
He was preceded in death by his son Alex, brothers, Tommy and Jimmy, sisters, Nancy, Cornelia Annabell, Glennie Mae, and Betty. Memorials may be made to Cedar Grove United Methodist Church, Cemetery or Choir Fund c/o Pam Smith 36071 Rocky River Springs Road, Norwood, NC 28128.
Born on September 19, 1969, in Richmond, Virginia, James was a man of many talents and a heart full of love. He was a gifted tattoo artist and a skilled motorcycle mechanic, known for his creativity, precision, and dedication to his craft. But beyond his work, James was best known for the role he cherished most: being a devoted father and loyal companion.
James is lovingly survived by his long-time companion, Jenny Whitley; his sons, James Menadue Jr. and Zeb Menadue; and his brother, John Menadue of Florida. He also leaves behind several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother, Keith Menadue, and his parents.
To his sons, James was more than just a dad; he was a role model and a mentor. He taught them respect, honesty, and how to face life’s challenges with integrity. His wisdom and unwavering support helped shape them into the young men they are becoming, and his in uence will forever remain in their lives.
James was the kind of man who was always there when you needed him; dependable, kind, and ercely devoted to his family. His love of motorcycles, his artistic talent, and his generous spirit left a lasting mark on everyone who knew him.
A memorial service to celebrate James’s life will be held at a later date.
Memorial contributions in his honor may be made to Parker Memorial Baptist Church, 49403 Parker Memorial Rd, Rich eld, NC 28137.
He is survived by his sisters: Helen (James) Roseboro Edwards of Albemarle, Mary Roseboro of Washington DC, and Marion Morrison of Albemarle; brothers: Thomas D. Roseboro of Charlotte, Robert Roseboro (Patricia) of Norwood, and Van Horne; a special friend of over 40 years, Michelle McLendon of the home; special nieces: Nybrea Montague, Knya Little, and Laquanza Crump; special nephews: Robert Jr., Desmond Roseboro, and Marcus Lilly; and God daughter, Daphne Johnson; and special friends, Vetrella Johnson and Ben McLendon.
“He had no interest in doing it because, you know, he’d gotten to rise up through the ranks at Austin High School as the senior and was nally big sh in the pond. And to have to go to this all-white high school — it was tough,” said Adam Velk, executive director of the Green McAdoo Cultural Center, which promotes the legacy of the Clinton 12. Velk added that the 16-year-old had to do it “with the entire world watching him.”
This was a couple of years after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v Board of Education that separating public school children on the basis of race was unconstitutional and a year before Little Rock Central High School was desegregated by force. Unlike the Little Rock Nine, the Clinton 12 students were not hand-picked and trained for the job of desegregation. They just happed to live within the Anderson County school district at the time, Velk said.
Darrick Baldwin
January 7, 1973 ~ January 8, 2023
Although the court-ordered desegregation in Clinton was accepted by state and local authorities, many in the local white community were against it. They were soon joined by Ku Klux Klan members and other segregationists
Darrick Vashon Baldwin, age 50, entered eternal rest, Sunday, January 8, 2023, Albemarle, North Carolina. Born January 7, 1973, in Stanly County, North Carolina, Darrick was the son of Eddie James Baldwin Sr. and the late Phyllis Blue Baldwin. Darrick enjoyed life, always kept things lively and enjoyed making others smile. His presence is no longer in our midst, but his memory will forever live in our hearts.
He was educated in the Stanly County public schools and attended Albemarle Senior High School, Albemarle.
Model A Ford at the age of 17, he said that he took the car to the community mechanic when he had a small problem.The mechanic told him that if he was going to keep the car, he needed to learn to work on it. This is when John’s passion for Model A Fords began and how he spent his happiest days with his best friends from around the globe for the rest of his life!
from outside the community in a series of protests that led to the National Guard being called in to restore order.
At age 50, after years as a Detroit Diesel Mechanic he and Julie decided to take the plunge and open a full Model A Restoration Shop. They thrived at their shop in Cornelius, NC until their retirement in 1998 when they moved back to Cabarrus County. John once again set up shop in his back yard garage where he attracted a loyal group of friends who visited almost daily. While on the farm in Gold Hill, John also began a lifelong love with Alis Chalmers tractors after he restored his Dad’s tractor and began amassing his collection of tractors as well.
Cain managed to stick out the year, becoming the rst black student in Tennessee to graduate from an integrated state-run school. What should have been a triumphant moment was marred by violence. After receiving his diploma, Cain was jumped and beaten up by a group of white students. In the end, only one other member of the Clinton 12 made it to graduation. Gail Ann Epps graduated the following year, according to the Tennessee State Museum.
Army Reserve. He never joined in the sit-in protests of the era, quipping to The Tennessee Magazine in a 2017 interview that it was because “you had to agree to be nonviolent.”
Cain told the magazine that he had no white friends at Clinton High School.
obits@stanlyjournal.com
He was a great conversationalist and loved meeting people. Darrick never met a stranger and always showed love and compassion for his fellowman. He also loved his dog, Rocky.
He is survived by his father, Eddie J. Baldwin Sr.; sisters: Crystal (Eric) Jackson, LaFondra (Stoney) Medley, and Morgan Baldwin; brothers: Eddie Baldwin Jr., Anton Baldwin, and Lamont Baldwin; a host of other relatives and friends. A limb has fallen from our family tree. We will not grieve Darrick’s death; we will celebrate his life. We give thanksgiving for the many shared memories.
John restored many cars of his own and had the crowning achievement of winning the most prestigious award from MARC, The Henry for a restoration that garnered top points. He was also presented with the Ken Brady Service Awardthe highest award given to members at the national level.
Cain had a lot of anger around his experience at the school and didn’t talk about it for many years.
“He didn’t want to remember it,” his nephew said. He received a scholarship to attend Tennessee State University in Nashville, where he met his wife. After graduation, he worked for the Tennessee Department of Human Services and was a member of the U.S.
This is what John’s Model A Community had to say upon learning of his death: He was an active member of Wesley Chapel Methodist Church where he loved serving as greeter on Sunday mornings. He also belonged to the United Methodist Men. John is survived by his wife Julie Ussery Kluttz, for 66 years of the home. He is also survived by a son John David Kluttz (Kim) of Oakboro, NC; two daughters, Sally Simerson of Denver, CO and Betsy Tusa (John) of Lafayette, CO; three grandchildren, Bonnie Kluttz Sammons (Ben) of Rich eld, NC John Alexander McKinnon (Sarah) of Asheville, NC and Seth William McKinnon (Amanda) of Germany; ve great-grandchildren, Charlotte, Meredith, Grant, Victoria and Ronan. John is also preceded in death by his parents, J.S. Kluttz and Mary Wyatt Clayton Kluttz; a large and loving group of brothers and sisters, Jack Methias Kluttz, Annie Lou Kluttz Honeycutt, Jake Nelson Kluttz, Julius Kluttz, Mary Patricia Phillips and a grandson, Kevin Fowler Kluttz.
Doris Elaine Jones Coleman, 78, went home into God’s presence on January 10 after a sudden illness and a valiant week-long ght in ICU. Doris was born on October 11, 1944, in the mountains of Marion, NC while her father was away ghting in the US Navy during World War II. Raymond Jones was so proud to return after the war and meet his little girl! Doris grew up in Durham, NC and graduated from Durham High School. She furthered her studies at Watts Hospital School of Nursing in Durham and graduated as a Registered Nurse in Doris married Rev. Dr. Ted Coleman in 1966 and had two daughters Amy and Laura. Doris raised Amy and Laura in North Doris was an incredible neonatal intensive care nurse for most of her career, and this was her passion. The Augusta Chronicle did a feature on her in 1985. She was a clinical nurse manager in Augusta, Georgia at University Hospital NICU and worked there for 20 years. During this time, Doris mentored young nurses and assisted in saving the lives of so many babies. She also worked for Pediatrician Dr. William A. Wilkes in Augusta for several years prior to her NICU career. Doris retired from the mother/baby area at Atrium Stanly in 2007 after over 40 years of nursing.
“You have to realize that if any white students had gone out of their way to be nice to us, they would have been jumped on,” he said.
He also had to stop playing sports because “the coaches at Clinton told me that none of the other high schools would play against us if I was on the eld at the game.”
Velk calls Cain a reluctant hero.
“This is a normal, everyday human being who found themselves in extraordinary circumstances and acted above those circumstances,” Velk said. “This is a person who dealt with this tremendous di culty and rose to the occasion.”
Cain is survived by a daughter, Yvette Cain-Frank, and grandson Tobias Cain-Frank.
Doris was a gentle and sweet spirit and loved her Lord. She never met a stranger, and she always left you feeling uplifted after talking with her. She would often claim that she had “adopted” friends into her immediate family, and honestly, she never made a distinction between the two. Positivity radiated from her like sunlight. She was sel ess, funny, smart, and sentimental. During her lifetime she was an active member of First Baptist Church of Durham, First Baptist Church of Augusta, Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Augusta, and Palestine United Methodist Church in Albemarle. She especially loved helping at church with older adults, youth, and children.
She was especially talented at sewing from a young age and made gifts for friends, Christmas ornaments, Halloween Costumes, doll clothes, pageant dresses, prom dresses, coats, tote bags, scarves, out ts for Amy and Laura, and Christening gowns for each of her grandchildren.
Doris was preceded in death by her father Arthur Raymond Jones, her mother Mary Ellen Cameron Jones, and her sister Maryanne Jones Brantley. Survivors include her two precious daughters: Amy Cameron Coleman (partner Dr. Edward Neal Chernault) of Albemarle, NC, and Laura Lindahl Coleman Oliverio (husband David) of Cincinnati, Ohio; seven grandchildren: Cameron David Oliverio, Stephanie Jae Dejak, Luca Beatty Oliverio, Coleman John Dejak, Carson Joseph Oliverio, Ryan Nicholas Dejak, and Jadon Richard Oliverio; and numerous in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, and loved ones.
Bobby Cain sits in the Civil Rights Room of the Nashville Public Library in October 2017.
ROBIN CONOVER / THE TENNESSEE MAGAZINE VIA AP
Greenspan,
President Donald Trump red her earlier this month over mortgage fraud allegations
By Mark Sherman The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. —
Alan Greenspan, Ben Bernanke, Janet Yellen and other former top economic o cials appointed by presidents of both parties urged the Supreme Court on Thursday to preserve the Federal Reserve’s political independence and allow Lisa Cook to remain as a central bank governor for now.
The justices are weighing an emergency appeal from the administration to remove Cook while her lawsuit challenging her ring by Republican President Donald Trump proceeds through the courts.
The White House campaign to unseat Cook marks an unprecedented bid to reshape the Fed board, which was designed to be largely independent from day-to-day politics. No president has red a sitting Fed governor in the agency’s 112-year history.
Earlier in September, a judge determined that Trump’s move to re Cook probably was illegal. An appeals court rejected an emergency plea to oust Cook before the Fed’s meeting last week when Cook joined in a vote to cut a key interest rate by one-quarter of a percentage point.
FUND from page A1
strong educational foundation and real-world experiences.”
Quali ed applicants may submit an application by clicking on the Dowd Scholarship tab in the Pfei er Admissions Portal at go.pfei er.edu/inquiryform. Additional information about the scholarship can be found by contacting Pfei er’s O ce of Admissions at 704-463-3060 or admissions@pfei er.edu.
Pfei er University, a United Methodist-a liated school with campuses in Misenheimer and Albemarle and an online presence, o ers more than 30 academic programs and maintains a 12-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio; around 95% of its students receive nancial aid.
The new scholarship also highlights the partnership between Pfei er University and Charlotte Pipe and Foundry, which opened a $460 mil-
A day after that meeting, the administration turned to the Supreme Court and again asked for her prompt removal.
In their ling, lawyers for the former economic o cials wrote that immediately ousting Cook “would expose the Federal Reserve to political inuences, thereby eroding public con dence in the Fed’s independence and jeopardizing the credibility and e cacy of U.S. monetary policy.”
lion facility in Oakboro in 2023.
The 800-acre foundry in Oakboro employs more than 550 workers, many from Union and Stanly counties, and features advanced environmental controls and electric melt technology that cut carbon emissions by about 40,000 tons each year.
Charlotte Pipe, founded in 1901, is one of the largest U.S.made producers of both cast iron and plastic pipe and ttings. The company o ers a full product line designed for plumbing and industrial applications.
Established in 1951, the Dowd Foundation is a corporate, family-funded philanthropic organization that operates as the charitable arm of Charlotte Pipe. The foundation makes grants to a wide range of local causes, including education, culture, a ordable housing, human services and community development.
The list of signatories includes other treasury secretaries, heads of the Council of Economic Advisers and former Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Texas), a former chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban A airs Committee.
Trump sought to re Cook on Aug. 25, but a judge ruled that she could remain in her job. Trump has accused Cook of mortgage fraud because she appeared to claim two properties, in Michigan and Georgia, as “primary residences” in June and July 2021, before she joined the board. Such claims can lead to a lower mortgage rate and a smaller down payment than if one of them was declared as a rental property or second home.
Cook has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime. According to documents obtained by The Associated Press, Cook did specify that her Atlanta condo would be a “vacation home,” according to a loan estimate she obtained in May 2021. In a form seeking a security clearance, she described it as a “2nd home.” Both documents appear to undercut the administration’s claims of fraud.
The attempt to re Cook di ers from Trump’s dismissal of board members of other independent agencies. Those rings, including at the National Labor Relations Board, Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Product Safety Commission, have been done at will.
In allowing those rings to proceed for now, the Supreme Court cautioned that it viewed the Fed di erently. Trump has invoked the provision of the law that set up the Federal Reserve and allowed for governors to be dismissed “for cause.”
Greenspan, Bernanke and Yellen served as successive chairs of the Fed’s seven-member board of governors, spanning six presidential administrations back to 1987. Greenspan and Bernanke were initially appointed by Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, respectively. President Barack Obama, a Democrat, nominated Yellen to the Fed, and she was Democratic President Joe Biden’s treasury secretary.
Share with your community! Send us your births, deaths, marriages, graduations and other announcements: community@stanlynewsjournal.com
Weekly deadline is Monday at Noon
Mem ber FDIC
MANUEL BALCE CENETA / AP PHOTO
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve member Lisa Cook speaks at an event in Washington, D.C., in 2022.
The bill eliminates cashless bail for many crimes and discretion on pretrial release
By Gary D. Robertson
The Associated Press
RALEIGH — In response to the stabbing death of a Ukrainian refugee on Charlotte’s light rail system, the North Carolina legislature gave nal approval Tuesday to a criminal justice package that limits bail and seeks to ensure more defendants undergo mental health evaluations.
The Republican-penned bill also could help restart executions in the state.
The House voted 81-31 to accept the omnibus measure passed by the Senate on Monday, sending it next to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein. Stein, a former attorney general, has said he supports some pretrial reforms following the fatal Aug. 22 attack upon 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Stein would sign the bill into law or veto it. A Stein spokesperson said he was reviewing the measure.
The attack suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., had been arrested more than a dozen times and was released earlier this year by a magistrate on a misdemeanor count without any bond. Brown is charged with rst-degree murder in state court and a federal count in connection with Zarutska’s death. Both crimes can be punishable by the death penalty.
Brown “should have never been allowed out of the jail. The catch-and-release practices for
violent o enders will end today with your support,” Charlotte-area Republican state Rep. Tricia Cotham told colleagues during two hours of House debate. “This heinous act was preventable.”
Public outrage over Zarutska’s death intensi ed with the release of security video showing the attack on the commuter train, leading President Donald Trump and GOP allies to accuse Charlotte and statewide elected Democrats of promoting soft-on-crime policies.
“Iryan’s Law” addresses bail, magistrates, behavioral health
Much of the bill entitled “Iryna’s Law” focuses on eliminating cashless bail for many crimes, limiting the discretion that magistrates and judges have in making pretrial release decisions, and
laying out when o enders should be examined for possible involuntary commitment.
Brown’s mother told media outlets that her son has been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Several House Democrats took issue with the soft-on-crime label, pointing out that Republicans have controlled the General Assembly for over a decade. They said the bill falls well short in providing mental health services that advocates say could stop crimes before they occur, as well as funds to hire additional police o cers and crisis responders and to house defendants being held for behavioral problems.
“Tough on crime doesn’t only mean let’s pay attention to punishment after the fact,” said Democratic Rep. Marcia Morey of Durham, a former judge. “We grieve the murder. It was senseless, it was horrible. But what you
are voting on today does nothing to take it back or would have prevented it. Let’s get smart on crime.”
Unlike Monday’s party-line Senate vote, over one-third of House Democrats present joined all Republicans in voting for the bill Tuesday. The margins signal a Stein veto could be overridden.
Bill aims to end nearly 20 -year halt of executions
The bill initially contained language that would require certain appeals for death-row inmates be heard and reviewed by courts by the end of 2027. More than 120 people are on death row in North Carolina, but an execution hasn’t been carried out since 2006.
But an amendment from Senate leader Phil Berger would direct the state Adult Correction Department secretary to nd another form of execution if lethal injection — currently the state’s sole method — is declared unconstitutional or is “not available,” potentially if the drugs can’t be accessed.
The secretary would have to select another method that’s been adopted by another state. That could include the use of a ring squad, a method used to execute South Carolina inmates twice this year, or perhaps electrocution.
Capital punishment has been put on hold in North Carolina in part over legal challenges on the use of the injection drugs. Inmate challenges also have occurred under a now-repealed law that has allowed some prisoners to receive life without parole if they could show racial bias was the
reason for their death sentence.
“For nearly two decades, judicial and administrative roadblocks have stopped true justice for victims, and it’s time for that to end,” Berger said in a news release Monday.
Democrats blasted Berger’s addition, saying it’s wrong and cynical to use the measure to push what one lawmaker called “barbaric” punishments to take someone else’s life.
“No matter what you think about the death penalty more generally, there’s just no question that these methods are risky and have the potential to be extremely gruesome,” said Democratic Rep. Vernetta Alston, an attorney who previously represented death-row inmates in appeals. Still no deals on Medicaid spending, budget
The bill was approved while lawmakers returned this week to continued fallout from not having passed a budget for the ninth-largest U.S. state.
The new scal year began July 1. State law and a stopgap spending measure have kept North Carolina government operating.
But the state Department of Health and Human Services said $600 million in additional Medicaid funds included in the stopgap measure still left a $319 million shortfall. The agency said it would have to cut Medicaid provider reimbursement rates on Oct. 1 unless lawmakers provided more.
House and Senate Republicans approved competing measures that located more Medicaid money, but they couldn’t agree. The Senate plan includes funding it contends was previously agreed upon for building a standalone children’s hospital near Raleigh and rural health care. The legislature now doesn’t plan to return to Raleigh until Oct. 20.
The pictures will show shifts in land and ice over time
By Marcia Dunn
The Associated Press
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.
— NASA’s rst radar images from a new Earth-mapping satellite show the Maine coast and North Dakota farmland in incredible detail.
The pictures, released Thursday, are from a spacecraft that rocketed into orbit from India two months ago.
The joint U.S.-Indian mission, worth $1.3 billion, will
survey virtually all of the world’s land and ice masses multiple times. By tracking even the slightest shifts in land and ice, the satellite will give forecasters and rst responders a leg up in dealing with oods, landslides, volcanic eruptions and other disasters.
NASA said these rst pictures are a preview of what’s to come once science operations begin in November.
The satellite, ying 464 miles high in a near polar orbit, is called NISAR, short for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar. ISRO is the Indian Space Research Organization.
NISAR imaged land adjacent to northeastern North Dakota’s Forest River, light-colored wetlands and forests line the river’s banks, while circular and rectangular plots throughout the image appear in shades that indicate the land may be pasture or cropland with corn or soy.
CHRIS SEWARD / AP PHOTO
Rep. Tricia Cotham (R-Mecklenburg) holds a “Justice for Iryna” notebook before she introduces a bill in response to the murder of Ukrainian Iryna Zarutska on Tuesday in Raleigh.
Greensboro man found guilty of trying to assassinate Trump at Florida golf course
The jury took two hours to convict before a chaotic courtroom scene
The Associated Press
FORT PIERCE, Fla. — After a two-week trial, a jury took just two hours Tuesday to convict Ryan Routh of trying to assassinate Donald Trump on a Florida golf course last year, a plot that was undone when a Secret Service agent spotted Routh and red a shot that sent him running.
Chaos ensued in the courtroom shortly after Routh was found guilty on all counts by a federal jury of seven women and ve men. Routh tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen and o cers quickly dragged him out.
As he was removed, Routh’s daughter, Sara Routh, screamed: “Dad, I love you, don’t do anything. I’ll get you out. He didn’t hurt anybody.” She was escorted from the courtroom and later waited outside with her brother, Adam Routh.
The pen Routh used was exible, a design to prevent people in custody from using it as a weapon, according to a person familiar with the matter who could not publicly disclose details and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. Routh did not puncture his skin or otherwise hurt himself, the person said.
After order was restored, Routh was brought before U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon. He was shackled and no longer in the jacket and tie he wore while representing himself at the trial.
Cannon announced Routh will be sentenced on Dec. 18 at 9:30 a.m. He faces life in prison. Routh’s standby defense attorneys did not comment after the verdict.
Following the verdict, Trump told reporters in New York that the case was “really well-handled.”
“It’s very important. You can’t let things like that happen. Nothing to do with me, but a president -- or even a person, you can’t allow that to happen,” Trump said. “And so justice was served. But I very much appreciate the judge and jury and everybody on that.”
Assassination attempt was planned
Prosecutors said Routh, 59, spent weeks plotting to kill Trump before aiming a rie through shrubbery as the then-Republican presidential candidate played golf on Sept. 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach country club.
Just nine weeks earlier, Trump had survived an attempt on his life while campaigning in Butler, Pennsylvania. That gunman had red eight shots, with one bullet grazing Trump’s ear. The gunman was then fatally
“It’s hard for me to believe that a crime occurred if the trigger was never pulled.”
Ryan Routh
shot by a Secret Service counter sniper.
At Routh’s trial, Robert Fercano, who was a Secret Service agent helping protect Trump on the golf course, testi ed that he spotted Routh before Trump came into view. Routh aimed his ri e at the agent, who opened re, causing Routh to drop his weapon and run away without ring a shot.
Law enforcement obtained help from a witness who testied that he saw a person eeing the area after hearing gunshots. The witness was then own in a police helicopter to a nearby interstate where Routh was arrested, and the witness con rmed it was the person he had seen.
Routh was charged with attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, possessing a rearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal o cer, possessing a rearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, and possessing a rearm with an obliterated serial number.
Routh told jurors in his closing argument that he didn’t
intend to kill anyone that day.
“It’s hard for me to believe that a crime occurred if the trigger was never pulled,” Routh said. He pointed out that he could see Trump as he was on the path toward the 6th-hole green and noted that he also could have shot a Secret Service agent if he had intended to harm anyone.
Routh elected to represent himself
Cannon signed o on Routh’s request to represent himself following two hearings in July.
The U.S. Supreme Court has held that criminal defendants have a right to represent themselves in court proceedings, as long as they can show a judge they are competent to waive their right to be defended by an attorney.
Routh’s former defense attorneys served as standby counsel since he took over his own defense and were present during trial.
Routh exercised his constitutional right not to testify in his own defense. He rested his case Monday morning after questioning just three witnesses — a rearms expert and two characters witnesses — for a total of about three hours. In contrast, prosecutors spent seven days questioning 38 witnesses.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that the guilty verdict “illustrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to
punishing those who engage in political violence.”
“This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our President, but an a ront to our very nation,” Bondi said. What’s known of Routh’s background
Routh was a North Carolina construction worker who in recent years had moved to Hawaii. A self-styled mercenary leader, Routh spoke out to anyone who would listen about his dangerous and sometimes violent plans to insert himself into con icts around the world.
In the early days of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Routh tried to recruit soldiers from Afghanistan, Moldova and Taiwan to ght the Russians. In his native Greensboro, North Carolina, he was arrested in 2002 for eluding a tra c stop and barricading himself from o cers with a fully automatic machine gun and a “weapon of mass destruction,” which turned out to be an explosive with a 10-inch fuse, police said.
In 2010, police searched a warehouse Routh owned and found more than 100 stolen items, from power tools and building supplies to kayaks and spa tubs. In both felony cases, judges gave Routh either probation or a suspended sentence.
Routh still faces state charges of terrorism and attempted murder for the plot against Trump.
White House budget o ce tells agencies to draft mass ring plans ahead of potential shutdown
The reduction in force memo would lay o employees and eliminate their positions
By Seung Min Kim The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The White House is telling agencies to prepare large-scale rings of federal workers if the government shuts down next week.
In a memo released Wednesday night, the O ce of Management and Budget said agencies should consider a reduction in force for federal programs whose funding would lapse next week, is not otherwise funded and is “not consistent with the President’s priorities.” That would be a much more aggressive step than in previous shutdowns, when federal workers not deemed essential were furloughed but returned to their jobs once Congress approved government spending.
A reduction in force would not only lay o employees but eliminate their positions, which would trigger yet another massive upheaval in a federal workforce that has already faced major rounds of cuts this year due to e orts from the Department of Government E ciency and elsewhere in the Trump administration.
Once any potential government shutdown ends, agencies are asked to revise their reduction in force plans “as needed to retain the minimal number of
employees necessary to carry out statutory functions,” according to the memo, which was rst reported by Politico. This move from OMB signi cantly increases the consequences of a potential government shutdown next week and escalates pressure on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Je ries. The two leaders have kept nearly all of their Democratic lawmakers
united against a clean funding bill pushed by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans that would keep the federal government operating for seven more weeks, demanding immediate improvements to health care in exchange for their votes.
In statements issued shortly after the memo was released, the two Democrats showed no signs of budging. “We will not be intimidated
by your threat to engage in mass rings,” Je ries wrote in a post on X. “Get lost.” Je ries called Russ Vought, the head of OMB, a “malignant political hack.” Schumer said in a statement that the OMB memo is an “attempt at intimidation” and predicted the “unnecessary rings will either be overturned in court or the administration will end up hiring the workers back.” OMB noted that it held its
rst planning call with other federal agencies earlier this week to plan for a shutdown. The budget o ce plays point in managing federal government shutdowns, particularly planning for them ahead of time. Past budget o ces have also posted shutdown contingency plans — which would outline which agency workers would stay on the job during a government shutdown and which would be furloughed — on its website, but this one has not.
The memo noted that congressional Democrats are refusing to support a clean government funding bill “due to their partisan demands,” which include an extension of enhanced health insurance subsidies set to expire at the end of the year, plus a reversal of Medicaid cuts that were included in Republicans’ big tax and spending cuts law.
“As such, it has never been more important for the Administration to be prepared for a shutdown if the Democrats choose to pursue one,” the memo reads, which also notes that the GOP’s signature law, a major tax and border spending package, gives “ample resources to ensure that many core Trump Administration priorities will continue uninterrupted.”
OMB noted that it had asked all agencies to submit their plans in case of a government shutdown by Aug. 1.
“OMB has received many, but not all, of your submissions,” it added. “Please send us your updated lapse plans ASAP.”
SKETCHES BY LOTHAR SPEER VIA AP
Left, a courtroom sketch shows U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon listening to Ryan Routh defend himself during his trial on Tuesday in Fort Pierce, Florida. Center, Cannon listens as prosecutor Christopher Browne speaks while Routh looks on. Right, Routh tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen after being found guilty.
J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE / AP PHOTO
Capitol Police o cers adjust security barriers around the East Plaza in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
from page A1
bite or scratch, a bat found in the room of a person sleeping, or a bat found in a room with an unattended child or impaired person.
Bat exposures should be considered carefully, as some individuals may not recognize they have been exposed to rabies.
Health experts state the best way to prevent rabies is
to prevent exposure, warning against approaching or touching wildlife alive or dead. Signs of rabies in animals include aggression, excessive drooling and staggering. The animals most commonly associated with rabies exposure in North Carolina are raccoons, foxes, skunks and bats; animals in the state are only tested for rabies if they have potentially exposed a person or domestic animal.
All positive rabies tests are added to a publicly available state database on the N.C. Health and Human Services website showing the type of infected animal and the county where it was found.
No rabies cases were reported for Stanly County in 2024. Additional information on how to prevent a rabies exposure is available at cdc.gov/rabies/prevention/index.
County’s
con rmed case of rabies in 2025 was found in a bat from the Oakboro
What is hospice care?
Hospice
What is palliative care?
Palliative
RABIES
Stanly
rst
area.
STANLY SPORTS
Pfei er men’s soccer continues winning ways
The Falcons have won all six of their games so far
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
MISENHEIMER
— The undefeated Pfei er men’s soccer team is o to its best start since going 25-0 and capturing the NCAA national championship in 2015.
While USA South Athletic Conference play hasn’t yet started, the Falcons (6-0) are the only league team with a perfect record nearly one month into the 2025 campaign.
They have posted three straight shutout wins at LefkoMills Field in Misenheimer, topping Shaw 1-0 on Sept. 12, Randolph 2-0 on Sept. 17 and Carolina Christian 7-0 on Sept. 20.
Pfei er junior defender Alex Michael was recently named the USA South Men’s Soccer Defender of the Week for his efforts.
“We always talk about how upsetting it is to give up goals and how we should feel that pride of never pulling the ball out of the back of our net,” Michael said of his team’s mindset. “It just starts up front. We keep the ball, we get goals, and it takes pressure o of us. Then our mid eld does really well to backtrack.”
“I’m just there taking advantage of opportunities.”
Alex Michael, Pfei er junior defender
The New Orleans native has anchored a Falcons defense that recorded shutouts against Randolph and Carolina Christian in a 2-0 week. O ensively, he added three goals and an assist, including a hat trick in the win over Carolina Christian.
“Scoring the rst goal takes the pressure o of it,” Michael added. “It’s a little bit of a mental thing, to take a second, relax and score the rst goal. On those set pieces, our o ense is doing really well to get the ball in those situations. Caleb (Yopp) is putting great crosses in. And then on the penalty, Aiden (Dualan) did really well to get in front of his guy to draw the penalty. I’m just there taking advantage of opportunities.”
Pfei er’s USA South slate of games will begin in Rocky Mount on Saturday night against conference preseason favorite N.C. Wesleyan.
The Falcons are looking to defy expectations after being picked to nish sixth in the
USA South preseason coaches poll.
Ninth-year head coach Tony Faticoni is still chasing the program’s rst USA South title, having come up short in seven
previous attempts. Last season, the Falcons struggled, nishing 4-8-3 overall — their lowest winning percentage (.333) since 2012 — and 1-5-1 in league play, placing them seventh in the
conference.
This fall, Pfei er is hoping to turn the page and mount a stronger challenge in the USA South standings as the Falcons vie for a conference title.
West Stanly volleyball remains undefeated in conference play
The Colts have a 14-3 overall record
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
OAKBORO — Attempting to win its seventh straight Rocky River Conference title, West Stanly’s volleyball team is continuing its pattern of dominance against conference opponents.
The program hasn’t lost an RRC matchup since it surrendered two during the 2018 season.
Sitting at 14-3 overall, the Colts — under rst-year coach Alyssa Goforth — have won all eight of their league games this fall, holding an edge in the RRC standings over second-place Anson (14-2, 7-2 RRC) and third-place Parkwood (13-4, 6-2 RRC).
Last season, the Colts went 25-3 overall and 12-0 in RRC play before falling to McMichael 3-2 in the fourth round of the state playo s. This year’s West group has proven to be one of Stanly County’s top squads once again. Rounding out the local teams are North Stanly (10-9, 5-1 Yadkin Valley), Gray Stone Day (6-9, 2-5 YVC), South Stanly (6-9, 4-2 YVC) and Albemarle (5-5, 1-5 YVC).
West topped Gray Stone Day 3-1 in Misenheimer on Monday, giving the Colts back-toback wins after a 3-0 nonconference home loss to Cox Mill on Sept. 17. Before that loss, the Colts had reeled o four consecutive wins, including RRC victories over Forest Hills, Mount Pleasant and Anson. The team’s only losses this season have been to
Cox Mill, Southwestern Randolph and Carson.
With a deep lineup that includes 10 players who have logged at least 20 sets, the Colts are paced by seniors Saylor Edwards and Scarlet Gri n, along with junior Georgia Mo tt.
In the state’s 4A ranks, Edwards is fourth in kills with 206, Gri n is seventh in aces with 48 and second in assists with 464, and Mo tt is fth in digs with 262.
For the Colts, senior Payton Watson is second on the team with 113 kills, junior Layla Little is second with 118 digs, and sophomore Laney Tucker is third with 15 blocks.
West hosted Parkwood on Thursday and will visit Piedmont on Monday and Monroe on Tuesday before closing the regular season at home against Forest Hills on Oct. 6 and at Mount Pleasant on Oct. 8.
Pfei er’s Drew Garro (10) and Wesley Hooker, right, battle for the ball in a recent win over Virginia State.
COURTESY PFEIFFER
COURTESY PFEIFFER
Pfei er’s Alex Michael goes up for a header in the Falcons’ 7-0 home win over Carolina Christian on Sept. 20.
COURTESY NFHS NETWORK
West Stanly’s Payton Watson jumps up for an overhead hit during the rst set of the Colts’ 3-1 victory at Gray Stone on Sept. 22.
NBC’s ‘Sunday Night Football’ celebrates 20 years of prime-time television
The broadcast has been the top-rated show for 14 straight years
By Joe Reedy The Associated Press
DICK EBERSOL HELPED change comedy and late-night television when he teamed up with Lorne Michaels to create “Saturday Night Live” in 1975.
When it comes to sports television, Ebersol’s creation of “Sunday Night Football” on NBC in 2006 also has had a signi cant impact.
It is tting then that both are celebrating milestones this year.
“Saturday Night Live” celebrated its 50th season in February, while “Sunday Night Football” is in its 20th season.
“We were really aware that we weren’t just doing a football game, we were doing an important football game, that we would have all the bells and whistles,” Ebersol said about “Sunday Night Football”.
“Sunday Night Football” has been the highest-rated prime-time show for 14 consecutive seasons. The next closest was “American Idol”, which had a six-year streak from 2005-06 through the 2010-11 television season.
NBC’s rst three games this season — including the Sept. 4 NFL Kicko game — are averaging 24.9 million viewers for its best start since 2015.
The Sunday night package put NBC back in the NFL. NBC was without pro football for eight seasons, from 1998 to 2005, after CBS took over the AFC package.
“I think it’s exceeded everyone’s even very high expectations going in, and they’ve gone through the roof,” said Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president of media distribution. “They’ve really never stopped innovating and focused on how to make Sunday night feel like a huge event and a great
Former
“I think ‘Sunday Night Football’ has become everything ‘Monday Night Football’ was and more.”
Mike Tirico
way to end the day.” Mike Tirico called “Monday Night Football” on ESPN from 2006 through ’15 before joining NBC in 2016. He was the host of “Football Night in America” until taking over as the playby-play announcer from Al Michaels in 2022. Cris Collinsworth, who got his start at NBC after retiring as a player, returned to the network in 2006. He was on the studio show for three years before moving into the booth in 2009 after
John Madden’s retirement.
Even though MNF had a 35-plus-year head start as the NFL’s seminal prime-time package, Tirico said it didn’t take long for SNF to supplant it because of the matchups and feel of the broadcast.
“I think ‘Sunday Night Football’ has become everything ‘Monday Night Football’ was and more now in a much more saturated TV environment,” Tirico said. “So I think without Monday night, you don’t have what Sunday night has, but it took a special group of people, great planning and purpose to get Sunday night to where it is now. This run of being the No. 1 show in prime-time television for almost a decade and a half now, that’s extraordinary.”
Fred Gaudelli, who produced “Sunday Night Football” from 2006 through 2022 after working on “Monday Night
Football” for ve years, said the success of Sunday night’s package at the start was due to Ebersol’s constant attention to the game schedule.
“There’s never been a network president, I’m very condent in saying this, that made the schedule a bigger priority than Dick Ebersol did,” said Gaudelli, the executive producer for the past three seasons. “If you check our schedules like the rst ve or six years, I think we had (Tom) Brady versus (Peyton) Manning four of the ve times, and we had all the big Cowboys games. So all of a sudden, every Sunday night is a big game. Monday night was ingrained in the American culture, but literally within two or three years, we had reversed it.”
Something that Gaudelli sold Ebersol on, though, was having a musical open to the show, especially when Gaudelli mentioned
how much NBC could earn from having a sponsor. Gaudelli went to his iPod, heard Joan Jett’s “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” and started to come up with lyrics that have been a staple of the show. Pink performed “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” before it switched to Faith Hill and now Carrie Underwood.
“I’ve had a front-row seat as the team created a sports presentation that went far beyond sports, with the integration of storytelling, pop culture and a musical show open that has become iconic,” NBC Sports President Rick Cordella said.
NBC has aired Sunday night games from 40 stadiums, with Dallas playing in the most games in the series at 61. The most-viewed game was the 2012 season nale between the Cowboys and Washington, which averaged 30.3 million.
Duke star Jones’ fast start in Indianapolis has people wondering if he can sustain play
By Michael Marot
The Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — Daniel Jones looks like a di erent quarterback in Indianapolis.
He’s been accurate, e cient and is unbeaten through three games. His teammates and coaches rave about his work ethic, and Jones seems unfazed by his seemingly sudden success.
Yes, Jones appears to be blossoming into the franchise player the New York Giants expected after drafting him No. 6 overall in 2019 and again when they signed him to a four-year, $160 million contract extension in 2023. But it took three NFL stops in less than 12 months for Jones to nd the right t.
“Every single time I call him I’m like, ‘Hey bro’ — because we do dinner on Thursdays,” receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said. “And every single time, he’s like, ‘Yeah, I’m on the way. I just had to break down these last couple looks.’ I’m like, ‘Bro, take a break.’ But that’s just who he is, and I think his hard work is showing up on Sundays.”
Something certainly has changed for the 28-year-old former Duke star.
Last fall, his career was at a crossroads. He was throwing nearly as many interceptions as touchdown passes, was being sacked nearly three times per game and had won just three of his previous 16 starts before getting benched by the Giants and asking for his release.
Jones wound up with Minnesota but never took a snap for the playo -bound Vikings. Then in March, the rst-time free agent took a one-year, $14 million deal from Indy in part because he knew he had a legitimate chance to beat out Anthony
Richardson for the starting job and revive his career.
Three games into the season, it looks as if Jones made the right move.
His completion rate, 71.6%, is easily on pace to be a career high, his 816 yards passing rank third in the NFL, and he’s the rst quarterback in the Super Bowl era to throw and run for three scores without committing a turnover in the rst three games of a season. He’s played so well, the “Indiana Jones” nickname has been tossed around, too.
Sure, Jones has been around long enough to know he and the Colts (3-0) are far from perfect. But around the Colts headquarters almost nobody is surprised.
“You can usually nd him in the building. If he’s not in the building, you can get a hold of him pretty quick,” o ensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. “All week, we’re practicing plays. We’re walking through plays, we’re watching the tape. There’s a lot of opportunities to take a play and make it a little bit better or re ne it, or change a detail here or there, and Daniel has a great perspective on that.”
Jones believes the time he spent working with quarterback Sam Darnold and coach Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota last season helped him ne-tune that component of his game.
And while Jones has been making good reads, quick decisions, on-time throws and
spreading the ball around, his supporting cast is doing its part, too. Five receivers have at least eight receptions with Pittman catching a team-high 16 after recovering from a back injury that plagued him most of last season. Rookie tight end Tyler Warren had emerged as another key target for Jones, and Jonathan Taylor leads the league in rushing with 338 yards. The combination means Jones doesn’t have to do so much heavy lifting. Jones’ solid play combined with an Indy defense that has forced ve turnovers has the Colts leading the league with a plus- ve turnover di erential, and the rebuilt o ensive line has
Indianapolis Colts
quarterback Daniel Jones (17) runs against the Tennessee Titans in last Sunday’s game in Nashville, Tennessee.
allowed a league-low two sacks.
It’s a combination that has Indy o to its best start since going 14-0 in 2009 and atop the AFC South for the second straight week. Their next test comes Sunday at the Los Angeles Rams (2-1), and the only real question is whether Jones can continue to play the best ball of his career for another 14 games.
But Jones refuses to look that far ahead or even at his impressive early season stats. Instead, he’s focused on the one number that truly matters to him.
“It’s the wins,” he said. “We’ve won three games, I think that’s the goal always at all positions and quarterback especially, so just that we’ve won.”
JAE C. HONG / AP PHOTO
NBC Sports play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico, left, sits next to color commentator Cris Collinsworth before an Sunday night game.
GEORGE WALKER IV / AP PHOTO
Racere Bruton
North Stanly, football
Racere Bruton is a running back and defensive back for the North Stanly football team. He’s also run track for the Comets.
In North Stanly’s 51-21 win over Mountain Island Charter, Bruton scored three touchdowns on returns.
He returned three kicks in the game for a total of 227 yards, including a 99-yard touchdown. He also returned a pair of punts 96 yards, with a long of 66, and had two receptions for 21 yards.
Bruton currently leads the nation in kick return average and is second in punt return average and total return yards.
Stanly vs. Stanly sports standings
A look at the rivalry games between county teams in volleyball, soccer and football
Stanly News Journal sta
THIS FALL, we’re tracking Stanly County’s rivalry games. Here’s a look at how Stanly County’s four teams have fared against each other so far this fall.
South Stanly volleyball got a 3-2 home win over county rival Albemarle.
The Bulldogs remain winless in Stanly-on-Stanly games with one chance remaining to break
RYDER CUP ’25
through. The Rowdy Rebel Bulls also have one chance left to reach .500 in rivalry contests. While West has wrapped up the best volleyball record against other county teams, North can still match the Colts with four wins. Here’s how the area teams are doing in games against each other.
West Stanly 4-0
North Stanly 2-2
South Stanly 2-3
Albemarle 0-3
Next intracounty show-
For Young, New York homecoming in works for years
The former Wake Forest golfer will represent the U.S. on a familiar course
By Doug Ferguson
The Associated Press
NAPA, Calif. — Bethpage
Black is a big ballpark on Long Island that made the boy feel even smaller. He was holding his father’s hand on Father’s Day in 2002 as they watched the U.S. Open won by Tiger Woods. It was Cameron Young’s rst glimpse of golf at the highest level.
“That golf course is where our state Open was every year. That was the big tournament for me at that point,” Young said, who in 2017 became the rst amateur to win the New York State Open with a course-record 64 at the Black. “I knew that golf course was a major championship golf course, and that was my route to play it.”
But a Ryder Cup?
“At the time it was like, ‘That’s where I’d like to be,’” he said, pausing to smile. “So it’s been a long time coming.” New York homecoming
Young is every bit of New York. He is the son of Sleepy Hollow’s longtime professional. He took the train to school at Fordham Prep in the Bronx. He was all about the Yankees, Rangers and Giants as a kid who played hockey and baseball when he wasn’t pounding golf balls.
“This Ryder Cup in particular — in New York, at Bethpage — is so special to me.” Cameron Young
“We’re very proud to have a New Yorker on our team and represent his country at Bethpage Black,” Keegan Bradley said when he announced Young as one of his captain’s pick.
It might have been years in the making, but this really transpired over three months.
Young was at No. 67 in the world at the start of May, not even eligible for the nal two majors of the year. He was nowhere near the conversation to be in the Ryder Cup, yet no less determined for his one shot at a Ryder Cup in his native New York.
Big pressure required small steps.
“Break par for a couple of days in a row, hit some good shots, put together a week,” Young said. “We started doing those little things better and better and built some belief.”
He had his rst top 10 in four months in May at the Truist Championship. A month later as a U.S. Open quali er, he birdied three of his last four holes to get into a 5-for-1 playo and then made a 12-foot birdie to earn his way to Oakmont, where he tied for fourth.
down: South Stanly at North Stanly, Sept. 30
Remaining games Oct. 7 Albemarle at North Stanly
In boys’ soccer, Albemarle got a 6-3 win over North Stanly to move to the top of the county standings.
Things are about to heat up, with three rivalry games over a four-day span, which will double the number of Stanly-vs.-Stanly games we’ve seen this season.
Here are the rivalry game soccer standings.
Albemarle 2-0
North Stanly 1-1
West Stanly 0-0
South Stanly 0-2
Next intracounty showdown: South Stanly at West Stanly, Sept. 29
Other upcoming games
Albemarle at South Stanly, Oct. 1
West Stanly at North Stanly, Oct. 2
In football, the county teams all played “outsiders” last week. With three games to go, here are the rivalry football standings.
North Stanly 1-0
South Stanly
Remaining games North Stanly at South Stanly, Oct. 10 South Stanly at Albemarle, Oct. 31
He also tied for fourth in Canada to earn a spot in the British Open. And then came his rst PGA Tour title at the Wyndham Championship in August when he won by six shots.
“I had to win something just to put myself in the question,” Young said.
The answer became increasingly obvious when Young followed that win with three strong performances in the postseason. Then came that call from Bradley with the best
news of his career, better in his mind than winning for the rst time on tour.
“This Ryder Cup in particular — in New York, at Bethpage — is so special to me,” Young said the day he was chosen. “I’ve been picturing the moment that I can possibly get a call to play on the team for a very, very long time.”
Young is 28, an old soul who doesn’t say much but always gets to the point. He is living in south Florida with his wife
and three children, ages 3, 2 and 1. He isn’t on social media and doesn’t bother with it. His phone is primarily used to check his tee times and text his wife.
“I prefer things to be simple,” he said. “My attention is either on my children or on my job.” Now the attention is on winning Ryder Cup points at Bethpage Black, a course an hour away from where he grew up, a course he rst saw at age 5 and has loved ever since.
COURTESY
BARBARA YOUNG / AP PHOTO
Cameron Young, 5, holds his father’s hand at Bethpage Black during the nal round of the U.S. Open in 2002.
Let’s Work Together
We are eager to welcome individuals who are dedicated to our mission and committed to enhancing our community. Interested candidates are invited to browse our open full and part time positions via the website below to nd out how to apply for one of our job openings at SCC.
NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE STANLY COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK 19SP000064-830
In The Matter Of MARK T. LOWDER, Public Administrator of the Estate of, BETTY TURNER, Deceased, Petitioner, vs. MARY HELEN WRIGHT WILLIAMS; EUNICE WRIGHT KENDALL; BONNIE WRIGHT HINSON; Heirs of James Wright Heirs of Diane Brown Wright; JAMES SWARINGEN Heirs of Bobby Ray Wright: JOWANNA FISHER; AUSTRALIA WRIGHT; Heirs of William Earl Wright: EARL JUNIOR WRIGHT; Heirs of William Emanuel Wright: WILLIAM JAMIA WRIGHT; TYSEAN WRIGHT; WILHEMINA W. GREEN; DENISE W. HARRIS; RACHEL W. THREADGILL; Heirs of Clark Oliver Wright, Sr.: MARY TYSON WRIGHT (wife of Clark Oliver Wright, Sr.CLARK WRIGHT, JR.; AARON WRIGHT; EARL O. WRIGHT; LADEBORAH W. BRUTON; BERNICE W. WANCHIA; ANGEL W. JOHNSON;
Heirs of MARTHA ELLEN WRIGHT; Heirs of Mae Esther Wright Martin: TORRENCE LOUIE FUNDERBURK; TORRENA FUNDERBURK SMITH; Heirs of Connie Wright Rushing:
BOBBY RUSHING, JR.; Heirs of Timothy Boyd Rushing: TIMOTHY RUSHING, JR.; MIRANDA RUSHING; ERNEST B. RUSHING; TRAVIS L. RUSHING; MARY R. STEWART; Heirs of Elijah Wright; Heirs of Lois Wright Bennett: JAMES W. BENNETT, JR; KAREN RENA BENNETT; DAREN BENNETT; CHRISTOPHER S. BENNETT; and those persons born, unborn, and/or minors of BETTY TURNER, interested in the premises hereinafter described whose names are unknown to and cannot, after due diligence, be ascertained by the Petitioner, Respondents.
NOTICE OF SALE
Under and by virtue of an Order of the Clerk of Court of Stanly County, North Carolina, entered on the 10th day of September, 2025, made in the above captioned Estate, the undersigned, was by said Order appointed Commissioner to sell the land described in the Petition, and will on the 2nd day of October, 2025 at 12:00 P.M at the Stanly County Courthouse, Albemarle, North Carolina, o er for sale to the highest bidder for cash, that certain tract or parcel of land lying and being in Albemarle Township, Stanly County, North Carolina, and more particularly described as follows: BEGINNING at a stake at the Southwest intersection of Pearl Street with Ruby Street in the Village of Kingville,
NOTICE
Anyone wishing to speak may do so that night. Wanda Yow Town Clerk Town of Stan eld
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The undersigned has quali ed as Executrix of the Estate of KENNETH W. MORGAN a/k/a KENNETH W. MORGAN, SR., deceased, late of Stanly County, North Carolina (Stanly County File Number 25E000525-830). This is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said decedent or his estate to present the same duly itemized and veri ed to the undersigned Executrix or her Attorney on or before the 29th day of December 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to the decedent or to his estate are hereby requested to pay the said indebtedness to the undersigned Executrix or her attorney.
This the 28th day of September 2025.
ANITA M. WILSON Executrix ESTATE OF KENNETH W. MORGAN a/k/a KENNETH W. MORGAN, SR. 21485 McNeil Road Albemarle, NC 28001 CHARLES P. BROWN BROWN & SENTER, P.L.L.C. PO Box 400 Albemarle, North Carolina 28002-0400
Telephone: 704 982-2141 Facsimile: 704 982-0902
PUBLISH: September 28, 2025; October 5, 12, 19, 2025
The City of Locust will hold a public hearing on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at 7:00 pm in the Joel Huneycutt Community Room to hear citizens comments for or against the conditional rezoning request submitted by, Ray Ray’s Chicken Shack, parcel pin# 556504604676, 124 James Ave, Locust NC
The City of Locust will hold a public hearing on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at 7:00 pm in the Joel Huneycutt Community Room to hear citizens comments for or against the conditional rezoning request submitted by, Locust Mower, parcel pin# 557503436358, 202 N Central Ave, Locust NC
The City of Locust will hold a public hearing on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at 7:00 pm in the Joel Huneycutt Community Room to hear citizens comments for or against the conditional rezoning request submitted by, Two Buck Saloon, parcel pin#’s 557503106854 and 557503107828, 805 W Main St, Locust NC
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 25E000486-830
Having quali ed as Executor of the estate of James Martin Talbert, deceased, of Stanly County, North Carolina, This is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said James Martin Talbert to present them to the undersigned on or before December 7, 2025, or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment. This 7th day of September, 2025 James Martin Talbert, Jr. 2416 Brookmead Dr Albemarle, NC 28001
Run
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY In the General Court of Justice Superior Court Clerk Before the Clerk 25E000520-830
Having quali ed as Administrator CTA of the Estate of
In rivers and streams, cleanup of Helene’s fury seems never-ending
The hurricane’s damage extended well beyond residences and roads
By Allen G. Breed and Brittany Peterson The Associated Press
WOODFIN — Bracing himself against the current in waist-deep water, Clancy Loorham wrestles a broken length of PVC pipe from the rocky bottom of the French Broad River and peers inside.
“I got a cat sh in the pipe,” the 27-year-old with wispy beard and mustache shouted to fellow cleanup workers oating nearby in rafts, canoes and kayaks piled with plastic pipe and other human-made detritus. “He’s right here. I’m looking him in the eyes!”
It’s been just a year since oodwaters from the remnants of Hurricane Helene washed these pipes out of a nearby factory with such force that some pieces ended up in Douglas Lake, about 90 miles away in Tennessee. But they’re already slick with algae and lled with river silt — and creatures.
Helene killed more than 250 people and caused nearly $80 billion in damage from Florida to the Carolinas. In the North Carolina mountains, rains of up to 30 inches turned gentle streams into torrents that swept away trees, boulders, homes and vehicles, shattered century-old ood records, and in some places carved out new channels.
In the haste to rescue people and restore their lives to some semblance of normalcy, some fear the recovery e orts compounded Helene’s impact on the ecosystem. Contractors hired to remove vehicles, shipping containers, shattered houses and other large debris from waterways sometimes damaged sensitive habitat.
“They were using the river almost as a highway in some situations,” said Peter Raabe, Southeast regional director for the conservation group American Rivers.
Conservationists found instances of contractors cutting down healthy trees and removing live root balls, said Jon Stamper, river cleanup coordinator for MountainTrue, the North Carolina-based nonpro t conducting the French Broad work.
“Those trees kind of create sh habitats,” he said. “They slow the ow of water down. They’re an important part of a river system, and we’ve seen kind of a disregard for that.”
The Army Corps of Engineers said in a statement that debris removal missions “are often challenging” due to the large volume storms can leave behind across a wide area. The Corps said it
NOTICES
trains its contractors to minimize disturbances to waterways and to prevent harm to wildlife. North Carolina Emergency Management said debris removal after Helene took into account safety and the environment, and that projects reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency met that agency’s standards for minimizing impact.
Battered rst by Helene, then by cleanup
Hannah Woodburn, who tracks the headwaters and tributaries of the New River as MountainTrue’s Upper New Riverkeeper, said waters are much muddier since Helene, both from storm-related vegetation loss and from heavy machinery used during cleanup.
She said it’s been bad for the eastern hellbender, a “species of special concern” in North Carolina. It’s one of only three giant salamanders found in the world, growing up to 2 feet long and weighing more than 3 pounds.
“After the storm, we had so many reports and pictures of dead hellbenders, some nearly a mile from the stream once the waters receded,” said Woodburn.
Of even greater concern is the Appalachian elktoe, a federally endangered mussel found only in the mountains of North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Helene hurt the Appalachian elktoe, but it also su ered from human-caused damage, said Mike Perkins, a state biologist. Perkins said some contractors coordinated with conservation teams ahead of river cleanups and took precautions. Others were not so careful.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The undersigned has quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of PHILLIPPIE A. JAMES, deceased, late of Stanly County, North Carolina (Stanly County File Number 25E000357-830). This is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said decedent or his estate to present the same duly itemized and veri ed to the undersigned Administrator or his Attorney on or before the 8th day of December 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to the decedent or to his estate are hereby requested to pay the said indebtedness to the undersigned Administrator or his attorney.
This the 3rd day of September 2025.
DAVID S. BRIGGS Administrator ESTATE OF PHILLIPPIE A. JAMES 26425 Scaleybark Albemarle, NC 28001
CHARLES P. BROWN BROWN & SENTER, P.L.L.C. PO Box 400 Albemarle, North Carolina 28002-0400
Telephone: 704 982-2141 Facsimile: 704 982-0902
PUBLISH: September 7, 14, 21, and 28, 2025 NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF STANLY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE #25E000429-830
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Having quali ed as Executor of the estate of Scott Randall Witmore, deceased, late of Stanly County, North Carolina, this
He described snorkeling in the cold waters of the Little River and “ nding crushed individuals, some of them still barely alive, some with their insides hanging out.” On that river, workers moved 60 Appalachian elktoe to a refuge site upstream. On the South Toe River, home to one of the most important populations, biologists collected a dozen and took them to a hatchery to store in tanks until it’s safe to return them to the wild.
“It was shocking and unprecedented in my professional line of work in 15 years,” Perkins said of the incident. “There’s all of these processes in place to prevent this secondary tragedy from happening, and none of it happened.”
Andrea Leslie, mountain habitat conservation coordinator with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, said she hopes the experience can inform future recovery e orts.
“To a certain degree, you can’t do this perfectly,” she said. “They’re in emergency mode. They’re working to make sure that people are safe and that infrastructure is safe. And it’s a big, complicated process. And there are multiple places in my observation where we could shift things to be more careful.”
Humans along river also still recovering
Like the hellbender and the Appalachian elktoe, humans cling to the river, too.
Vickie and Paul Revis’ home sat beside old U.S. 70 in a bend of the Swannanoa River. As Helene swept through, the Swannanoa took their home and scraped away a big chunk of their half-acre lot.
With the land paid for and no ood insurance payment to move away, they decided to stay put.
them to the undersigned on or before December 28, 2025, or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment.
This 28th day of September, 2025 Ricky Daniel Furr Sr. PO Box 846 Albemarle, NC 28002 Jerry Dale Furr PO Box 2211 Albemarle, NC 28002
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 25E000511-830
Having quali ed as Administrator of the estate of Roy James Huntley, deceased, of Stanly County, North Carolina, This is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said Roy James Huntley to present them to the undersigned on or before December 21, 2025, or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery.
All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment.
This 20th day of September, 2025
Patrick M. Johnson 71 Suncrest Terr. NW Concord, NC 28027 Administrator
“They’re in emergency mode. They’re working to make sure that people are safe and that infrastructure is safe. And it’s a big, complicated process.”
Andrea Leslie, conservation coordinator, NCWRC
“When you own it and you’re not rich, you know, you can’t,” Vickie Revis said, staring across the river at a row of condemned commercial buildings.
After a year in a donated camper, they’ll soon move into their new house — a double-wide modular home, also donated by a local Christian charity. It sits atop a 6-foot mound that Paul Revis piled up near the front of the property, farther from the river.
Using rock, ll dirt and broken concrete dumped on his property by friendly debris-removal contractors, Paul has reclaimed the frontage the Swannanoa took. His wife planted it with marigolds for beauty and a weeping willow for stability. And they’ve purchased ood insurance.
“I hope I never see another one in my lifetime, and I’m hoping that if I do, it does hold up,” Vickie said. “I mean, that’s all we can (do). Mother Nature does whatever she wants to do, and you just have to roll with it.”
Tons of debris pulled out, tons still to go
Back on the French Broad, the tedious cleanup work continues. Many on the crew are rafting guides knocked out of work by the storm.
MountainTrue got a $10 million, 18-month grant from the state for the painstaking work of pulling small debris from the rivers and streams. Since July, teams have removed more than 75 tons from about a dozen rivers across ve watersheds.
Red-tailed hawks and osprey circle high overhead as the otilla glides past banks lined with willow, sourwood and sycamore, ablaze with goldenrod and jewelweed. That peacefulness belies its fury of a year ago that upended so many lives.
“There are so many people who are living in western North Carolina right now that feel very afraid of our rivers,” said Liz McGuirl, a crew member who managed a hair salon before Helene put her out of work. “They feel hurt. They feel betrayed.”
Downstream, as McGuirl hauled up a length of pipe, another cat sh swam out.
“We’re creating a habitat, but it’s just the wrong habitat,” crew leader Leslie Beninato said ruefully. “I’d like to give them a tree as a home, maybe, instead of a pipe.”
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA ROWAN COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION 25 CVD 1133
LARRY
CHRIS CARLSON / AP PHOTO
Members of the MountainTrue cleanup crew remove PVC pipes from the French Broad River earlier this month in Asheville.
CHRIS CARLSON / AP PHOTO
Michael Perkins, an aquatic wildlife biologist holds a brook oater mussel earlier this month near Marion.
famous birthdays this week
Johnny Mathis is 90, Julie Andrews turns 90, Angie Dickinson is 94, Chubby Checker turns 84
The Associated Press
SEPT. 28
Actor Brigitte Bardot is 91. Filmmaker John Sayles is 75. Football Hall of Famer Steve Largent is 71. Zydeco musician
C.J. Chenier is 68. Actor Mira Sorvino is 58. Actor Naomi Watts is 57.
SEPT. 29
Former NASA administrator and ex-Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) is 83. Actor Ian McShane is 83. Jazz musician Jean-Luc Ponty is 83. Retired TV journalist and sportscaster Bryant Gumbel is 77. Rock musician Les Claypool is 62.
SEPT. 30
Actor Angie Dickinson is 94. Singer Johnny Mathis is 90. Actor Len Cariou is 86. Actor Barry Williams is 71. Country musician Marty Stuart is 67. Actor Eric Stoltz is 64. Rock singer Trey Anastasio (Phish) is 61. Actor Tony Hale is 55. Actor Kieran Culkin is 43.
OCT. 1
Actor-singer Julie Andrews is 90. Film director Jean-Jacques Annaud is 82. Baseball Hall of Famer Rod Carew is 80. Actor Randy Quaid is 75. Retired MLB All-Star Mark McGwire is 62. Actor Zach Gali anakis is 56.
OCT. 2
Film critic Rex Reed is 87. Singer-songwriter Don McLean (“American Pie”) is 80. Fashion designer Donna Karan is 77. Photographer Annie Leibovitz is 76. Singer-actor Sting is 74. Actor Lorraine Bracco is 71. Singer-songwriter Gillian Welch is 58. Actor-talk show host Kelly Ripa is 55.
OCT. 3
Composer Steve Reich is 89. Rock ’n’ roll star Chubby Checker is 84. Musician Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac) is 76. Blues musician Keb’ Mo’ is 74. Golf Hall of Famer Fred Couples is 66. Rock drummer Tommy Lee is 63. Singer-TV
PAUL A. HEBERT / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Johnny Mathis performs at the 2015 Clive Davis PreGrammy Gala show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The singer turns 90 on Tuesday.
ANDY KROPA / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Annie Leibovitz attends a special screening of “The Chosen: Last Supper” at New York’s Crosby Street Hotel in 2025. The award-winning photographer turns 76 on Thursday.
JORDAN STRAUSS / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Zach Gali anakis arrives at the premiere of “Only Murders in the Building” at Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles in 2024. The actor-comedian and Wilkesboro native turns 56 on Wednesday.
personality Gwen Stefani is 56.
OCT. 4
Baseball Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa is 81. Actor Susan Sarandon is 79. Actor Armand Assante is 76. Actor Christoph Waltz is 69. Singer Jon Secada is 64. Actor Alicia Silverstone is 49.
Theater award honoring Philip Seymour Ho man, Adam Schlesinger turns 10
The American Playwriting Foundation gives out the prize
By Mark Kennedy The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Many times in his life, playwright David Bar Katz didn’t know how he was going to pay the bills. These days, he’s helping the next generation of artists facing that same dilemma.
Katz oversees The Relentless Award, the largest annual cash prize in American theater to a playwright in recognition of a new play. It’s celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and, as always, seeking submissions that “exhibit fearlessness.” The award also honors musical theater.
“Being able to create under nancial stress is so di cult, and so anything we can do to give artists a little breathing room is what we want,” says Katz.
The award was inspired by Katz’s friend and collaborator Philip Seymour Ho man, the late actor who was described as relentless in his pursuit of truth in his art. A musical theater honor was added after the 2020 death of another of Katz’s friends, Fountains of Wayne co-founder Adam Schlesinger.
“To me, a big aspect of the award — the musical and the straight play — is not merely honoring Phil and Adam, but the idea of expanding their artistic legacies,” says Katz.
Some of the plays that have been recognized have gone on to great success, like Aleshea Harris’ 2016 winner “Is God Is,” which has been made into a movie starring Janelle Monáe, Vivica A. Fox, Sterling K. Brown and Kara Young.
“Aleshea typi es the whole point of the award,” says Katz. “I think at a moment in her life where she, like so many of us other artists, had kind of had it, she won the award and that was incredibly meaningful in her career.”
Other successes include Sarah DeLappe’s “The Wolves” and Clare Barron’s “Dance Nation” — joint winners in 2015 — who have gone on to become Pulitzer Prize nalists. “The
“To me, a big aspect of the award — the musical and the straight play — is not merely honoring Phil and Adam, but the idea of expanding their artistic legacies.”
David Bar Katz
impact, especially of those three plays, has been profound in theater,” Katz says. The musical and the playwriting honors alternate each year. The winner this year is Jack D. Coen, who created the musical comedy “Jo Jenkins Before the Galactic High Court of Consciousness.”
Coen will receive $65,000, and his musical — as well as the works of the nalists — will be honored at a ceremony and performance Oct. 12 at Building for the Arts’ multitheater complex, Theatre Row. Chris Collingwood, of Fountains of Wayne, will be performing as well. The Relentless Award seeks full-length works by American applicants who haven’t previously been produced. All submissions are judged anonymously.
The Relentless Award’s selection committee this year consisted of Katz, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” co-creator Rachel Bloom, Tony Award-winner Jason Robert Brown, Emmy Award-winner David Javerbaum, songwriter and producer Sam Hollander, composer and arranger Laura Grill Jaye, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage, musician and writer Brontez Purnell and Obie-winning playwright Lucy Thurber.
“The rst step was getting this money to artists that need it and giving them a launching place and some notoriety. But the dream was also then to be able to put it up because that is the hardest thing to get done now,” Katz says. “Everybody has readings, and no one has a production.”
The new album drops Oct. 3
LOS ANGELES — Taylor Swift is heading back to the big screen next month, and fans are already lining up for tickets.
AMC Theatres announced on Friday that it will host a release party for Swift’s 12th studio album, “ The Life of a Showgirl,” which is set to debut Oct. 3.
The nearly-90-minute show, aptly titled “The O cial Release Party of a Showgirl,” will play at all 540 AMC theaters in the U.S. from Oct. 3-5, the company said. AMC will also air the show that weekend in Mexico, Canada and across Europe.
“Looks like it’s time to brush o that Eras Tour out t or orange cardigan,” Swift wrote in an Instagram post, later adding: “Dancing is optional but very much encouraged.”
“The Life of a Showgirl “ follows last year’s “ The Tortured Poets Department” and Swift’s record-breaking tour, which raked in more than $2.2 billion across two years and ve continents, making it the highest-grossing tour of all time.
Following the tour, Swift partnered with AMC and released a concert movie, which had the biggest opening for a concert lm to date. By working directly with AMC Theatres, she circumvented Hollywood studios.
This time around, AMC will be releasing a music video for one of her new album tracks, “The Fate of Ophelia.”
Moviegoers will also get to see behind-the-scenes footage of Swift, who is known for creating intricate music videos. Other lyric videos and “Taylor’s never-before-seen personal re ections on songs” will
also be aired, according to AMC.
Tickets are
Swift performs at Wembley Stadium in London on June 21, 2024, as part of her Eras Tour. Her new album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” debuts Oct. 3, and AMC Theatres will host watch parties leading up to the release.
VICTORIA WILL / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Actor Philip Seymour Ho man, who died in 2014 at 46, inspired playwright David Bar Katz to create The Relentless Award for his uncompromising pursuit of truth in art.
The Associated Press
this week in history
Penicillin discovered, Ali defeats Frazer, Space Age begins, Janis Joplin dies at 27
The Associated Press
SEPT. 28
1781: American forces in the Revolutionary War, backed by a French eet, began their successful siege of Yorktown, Virginia.
1924: Three U.S. Army planes landed in Seattle, completing the rst round-theworld trip by air in 175 days.
1928: Scottish medical researcher Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, the rst broadly e ective antibiotic.
SEPT. 29
1789: Congress o cially established a regular army under the U.S. Constitution.
1938: British, French, German and Italian leaders concluded the Munich Agreement, allowing Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland.
1965: President Lyndon Johnson signed an act creating the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts.
SEPT. 30
1777: The Continental Congress — forced to ee advancing British forces — moved to York, Pennsylvania, after briefly meeting in Lancaster.
1791: Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute” premiered in Vienna, Austria.
1947: The World Series was broadcast on television for the rst time, as the New York Yankees defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers 5-3 in Game 1.
1949: The Berlin Airlift came to an end after delivering more than 2.3 million tons of cargo to blockaded residents of West Berlin over the prior 15 months.
1955: Actor James Dean was killed at age 24 in a two - car collision.
OCT. 1
1890: Yosemite National Park was established by the U.S. Congress.
1908: Henry Ford introduced his mass-produced Model T automobile to the market.
Between 1908 and 1927, Ford would build more than 15 million Model T cars.
1949: Mao Zedong, leader of the communist People’s Liberation Army, proclaimed the People’s Republic of China during a ceremony in Beijing.
1971: Walt Disney World opened near Orlando, Florida.
1975: Muhammad Ali defeated Joe Frazier in the “Thrilla in Manila,” the last of their three boxing bouts for the heavyweight championship.
OCT. 2
1919: President Woodrow Wilson su ered a serious stroke at the White House that left him paralyzed on his left side.
1942: The RMS Queen Mary, carrying U.S. troops, accidentally rammed and sank the escort ship HMS Curacoa in the North Atlantic, killing more than 300 crew members.
1944: German troops crushed the two-month Warsaw Uprising, during which 250,000 people were killed.
1967: Thurgood Marshall joined the U.S. Supreme Court as its rst African American justice.
OCT. 3
1944: During World War II, U.S. Army troops cracked the Siegfried Line north of Aachen, Germany.
1951: Bobby Thomson’s three-run homer o Ralph Branca gave the New York Giants the pennant, the “Shot Heard ’Round the World.”
1990: West Germany and East Germany ended 45 years of postwar division, declaring a reuni ed country.
1995: A jury in Los Angeles found O.J. Simpson not guilty in the 1994 killings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
OCT. 4
1777: Gen. George Washington’s troops attacked the British at Germantown, Pennsylvania, but su ered heavy losses and were forced to retreat.
1957: The Space Age began as the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the rst arti cial satellite.
1970: Rock singer Janis Joplin was found dead in her Hollywood hotel room at age 27.
WARNER BROS. VIA WIKIPEDIA
Actor James Dean, pictured in a promotional still for “Rebel Without a Cause,” died in a car crash on Sept. 30, 1955. He was 24.
AP PHOTO
On Oct. 1, 1908, Henry Ford introduced the mass-produced Model T, which went on to sell more than 15 million cars by 1927.
