Unemployment among young college graduates outpaces overall U.S. joblessness rate
Washington, D.C.
Young people graduating from college this spring and summer are facing one of the toughest job markets in more than a decade. The unemployment rate for degree holders ages 22 to 27 has reached its highest level in a dozen years, excluding the coronavirus pandemic. Joblessness among that group is higher than the overall unemployment rate, and the gap is larger than it’s been in more than three decades. Higher unemployment for younger graduates has also renewed concerns about the value of a college degree. More workers than ever have a fouryear degree, which makes it less of a distinguishing factor in job applications. Murat Tasci, an economist at JPMorgan, calculates that 45% of workers have a four-year degree, up from 26% in 1992.
Majority of U.S. adults support religious chaplains in public schools, new poll shows
Washington, D.C.
A new poll nds a majority of Americans favor allowing religious chaplains to provide support services for public school students. About 6 in 10 U.S. adults say that religious chaplains should be allowed to provide support services for students in public schools, but most do not think teacher-led prayer or a mandatory period during school hours for private prayer should be allowed in public schools. Americans’ attitudes toward religious expression in schools vary depending on the kind of expression and sometimes crosses partisan lines.
N.C. Senate takes on transgender issues
Raleigh The state Senate advanced two bills that deal with transgender issues as lawmakers prepare for their anticipated summer recess by this week’s end. The rst bill passed by the Senate on Monday bars parents from being cited for abuse or neglect for raising their child consistent with their sex assigned at birth. That bill now heads to Gov. Josh Stein’s desk. The second bill has several provisions, including restrictions on using state money to fund gendera rming care for prisoners and a resolution a rming there are only two sexes. The state House must approve of the second bill.
Stanly Adult Care Center preps for August opening
The new facility can care for up to 40 adults per day
By Charles Curcio Stanly News Journal
ALBEMARLE — Stanly will soon have a new facility open which plans to help working professionals who are senior caregivers to help ease the daily e orts involved with their care.
The Stanly Adult Care Center on 205 Anderson Road in Albemarle has announced an open house for Aug. 16 as sta continues to put the nishing touches on the facility.
Oakboro
to celebrate 4th of July festivities for 67th year
The annual celebration holds a full week’s worth of events
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
OAKBORO — One of Stanly County’s most anticipated yearly traditions is back.
In an annual set of festivities that routinely brings in attendees from all across the state, the Oakboro 4th of July Celebration is returning this coming week for its 67th year of Independence Day events.
The full slate of parades, rides, pageants, talent shows, live bands and reworks begins Tuesday night
Final accreditation and licensing, along with some last nishing touches inside the center, are what is left before the center can open. Renovated from the building’s previous use as a child care center, the Adult Care Center will provide weekday relief for those taking care of aging or disabled family members.
The new facility has art on the walls from Roger Thomas depicting scenes of the past from Stanly, like Hink’s Grill, Central Lunch and more. The art, director Sandy Carelock said, could help spark conversations with participants to feel more comfortable being in the center.
Stanly Adult Care Center has an activity center, a dining room with a full industrial kitchen and several sitting areas with new televisions. Participants can walk safely in an out-
at 6 p.m. and runs through the end of Saturday around midnight.
“Lots of planning has gone into making this a memorable July Fourth,” event organizers from Oakboro Fire and Rescue stated in a social media post. “We cannot wait to see you there. God Bless America!”
The annual weeklong celebration has been hosted by Oakboro Fire and Rescue since 1958.
The re department has estimated that on certain occasions in the past, up to 40,000 people have traveled to Oakboro to partake in the Independence Day events.
“The annual Oakboro 4th
THE STANLY COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
SCUSA
Stanly County Arts Council prepares for summer camp
The camps are at West Stanly High and Albemarle High
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
ALBEMARLE — Now just weeks away, the Stanly County Arts Council’s 2025 Summer Arts Camp will soon arrive with its annual activities for rising rst through sixth grade campers.
The rst week of camp will be from July 7-10 at West Stanly High School, while the second week is from July 14 -17 at Albemarle High School, each highlighting this year’s theme of “How the Grinch Stole the Arts.”
Registration spots for both weeks have already been lled
Miles
for
passport
up, and the submission deadline has already passed, although the arts council is holding a waitlist to account for possible cancellations.
Each day, campers will explore classes in theater, dance,
music and visual art — each taught by licensed professionals — from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Camp details will be emailed to registered campers the week prior to the start of camp.
Museums summer
program
encourages study of local history
By Melinda Burris Stanly County Journal
COUNTY
—
STANLY
Three historical sites in Stan-
ly County are participating in the ongoing Miles for Museums Summer Passport Program that is being sponsored once again by the Eastern Cabarrus Historical Society Museum (ECHS) in Mt. Pleasant. The initiative began in 2023 and is in full swing for 2025.
Those who take part in the free program, which runs through Labor Day, will receive a newly redesigned passport, an interactive map and
access to a website dedicated to the initiative created by the Matthews Heritage Museum. This project is designed as a fun, family-friendly opportunity for members of the community to learn more about local and regional history by visiting historic sites across the Piedmont, collecting passport stamps as they go for a chance to win prizes.
“This program is designed to encourage everyone to learn more about history,” said Megan Sullivan, Director of the Stanly County History Center.
Participating sites in Stanly County include the Oakboro Museum of History &
Oakboro Railroad Museum, the Badin History Museum and the Stanly County History Center. Museums in Cabarrus and Mecklenburg counties offer a wide selection, and sites in Mt. Holly and Kings Mountain are also included.
You can start your journey through history by visiting the ECHS Museum, where you can pick up your passport and ll it with collectible stamps from each historic site you visit.
When you have visited all 13 museums, take a photo of your completely stamped passport and email it to info@milesformuseums.org for entry into a grand prize drawing.
June 29 -
July 5
June 30 Color
a little creative. Supplies are provided, or feel free to bring your own.
Main Library
133 E. Main St. Albemarle
July 2
Storytime (upstairs) 10-10:30 a.m.
Social group for children 3-plus for story, singing and dancing time. Children must be accompanied by parents at all times.
Main Library 133 E. Main St. Albemarle Locust Farmers Market
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This producers-only market o ers fresh produce, homemade foods and crafts by local creators. Conveniently located across the street from Locust Elementary School. Open May through September.
Corner of 24/27 and Vella Drive Locust
THE CONVERSATION
Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
Sanctuary policies killed my daughter. It’s time to end this nightmare
Our country needs a new direction. I support President Trump’s call for a complete overhaul of our immigration system.
MY DAUGHTER Katie was just 20 years old. A junior at Ohio University. Bright, beautiful and full of life. She had a spark you cannot teach and a heart that loved deeply. She was the kind of person who made others feel seen. And now she is gone forever — because of a broken immigration system and the cowardice of politicians who chose politics over public safety.
Katie was killed by an illegal immigrant, Julio Cucul Bol, who had already been deported once and reentered the United States in 2022, completely undetected, according to local law enforcement and the State’s Attorney.
On Jan.19, 2025, Bol got behind the wheel — allegedly after drinking — and drove nearly 80 mph, plowing into the car my daughter was riding in. The state’s attorney has said they are con dent, based on video evidence, witness statements and other details that he had been drinking earlier in the night. Katie died at the scene, and her friend passed away the following day.
Bol did not stay. He did not help. He ed the scene on foot — carrying fake documents and living under a fake name, according to Urbana police and prosecutors. He was arrested in Texas just days later, attempting to ee to Mexico.
This is the kind of person Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s sanctuary policies protected.
Illinois is a sanctuary state. That means the state actively refuses to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement until an illegal alien commits a serious crime. It prohibits law
enforcement from coordinating with ICE. It allows people who are in this country illegally, even those with criminal records, to live here without consequence. The man who killed my daughter should never have been in the country or Illinois in the rst place. Pritzker and others like him do not protect immigrant families. They enabled criminals and sacri ced innocent Americans and other immigrants.
This was not a random accident. This was not a freak occurrence. This was preventable. And it happened because political leaders in sanctuary states put ideology before common sense. My daughter was killed because elected o cials made the deliberate choice to shield repeat o enders from the law. Now my family is left to pick up the pieces while they continue pretending they have done nothing wrong.
There will be no real justice in this case. The maximum sentence Bol could receive is 43 years, according to the Champaign County state’s attorney. Some charges require serving 85% of the sentence, others only 50%, meaning he could serve much less, possibly as little as 20 to 28 years. Katie and her friend lost a combined 100 years of life, and this man could walk free in one or two decades. That is not justice. That is failure.
Our country needs a new direction. I support President Trump’s call for a complete overhaul of our immigration system. We, as a country, need to invest heavily in border security, close asylum loopholes and prioritize deportation of repeat o enders. We also need to add funding to hire thousands of
additional Border Patrol agents, modernize our border infrastructure and deploy advanced surveillance technology to stop criminals before they cross. This is not about politics. It is about safety. It is about ensuring that what happened to Katie does not happen to anyone else. For too long, some of our leaders — like Pritzker, who just last week defended these dangerous sanctuary policies before Congress, and like those in California who actively obstructed ICE raids — have put illegal immigrants, even violent ones, ahead of American citizens. That must end now. My daughter did not get a second chance. She did not get a trial. She did not get mercy. Katie was disappeared and separated from us forever — she got death. So no, I will not sit quietly. I will not pretend everything is ne. And I will not stop speaking out until the policies that killed Katie are o the books forever.
If you support sanctuary policies, you need to understand what they really mean. They are not compassionate. They are dangerous. And they are getting people killed. My daughter deserved better. So do the American people.
Joe Abraham is a contributor to the Daily Caller News Foundation. The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not re ect the o cial position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
What AOC is ignoring when she calls Iran strikes ‘unconstitutional’
As a matter of policy, a president should not be required to show his hand before ordering a surprise military attack.
EVEN AS A TENUOUS cease re between Iran and Israel appears to hold, Democrats in the U.S. Congress are falling over themselves to condemn President Donald Trump for the strikes that made this chance at peace possible.
Trump’s Iran attack is “unauthorized and unconstitutional,” said the No. 2 Democrat in the House, Katherine Clark.
“Donald Trump’s decision to launch direct military action against Iran without congressional approval is a clear violation of the Constitution,” added Jim Himes, the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio - Cortez went further, claiming Trump’s action “is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.”
That’s absurd.
The framers of the Constitution understood the di erence between Congress o cially declaring war, on the one hand, and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces taking military action in defense of our nation, in the other hand.
The original draft of Article 1 allocated to Congress the power to “make war.” But James Madison, the father of our Constitution, demanded that it be amended so that the president would have broader authority to take actions in defense of our country.
During the subsequent two and a quarter centuries, various presidents and members of Congress have interpreted this division of authority di erently, and many presidents have taken military action without
declarations of war or even congressional authorization.
In recent years, Democratic Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama authorized signi cant military actions without any complaints by Democratic members of Congress, including several who have now whined about Trump having acted unconstitutionally.
This is hypocrisy on stilts and re ects the extreme partisan weaponization of the Constitution, even over foreign and military policies.
What Trump did is not di erent in kind or degree from what previous presidents — both Democrats and Republicans — have done without congressional authorization.
The last time Congress declared war was shortly after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. There were no declarations of war over Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Granada or Panama. In fact, it is unlikely we will ever again see another declaration of war.
Perhaps Congress will now do what it has done since the end of World War II: pass resolutions authorizing limited military action by the president. Though, these hybrid resolutions are not authorized by the Constitution either, and it is unlikely that they carry any legal weight.
Indeed, all this handwringing on the left will come to nothing.
The courts, especially the Supreme Court, are reluctant to interfere with executive decisions involving military actions, even those that involve boots on the ground for considerable periods of time.
So, by all means, let’s continue to debate the wisdom of Trump’s decision as a matter of policy, but let’s not improperly weaponize a constitutional provision that was never intended to prevent presidents from taking actions deemed necessary to defend our nation, such as the surgical, one-o bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities.
As a matter of policy, a president should not be required to show his hand before ordering a surprise military attack.
The consequences, both short and long term, of Trump’s bold decision remain to be seen, but he surely had the power to make that decision if he deemed it in the best interests of the country.
Congress can now hold hearings, both open and closed, to assess the president’s actions, but only hypocritical Democrats and hard-left radicals a icted with Trump Derangement Syndrome will argue that what Trump did was unconstitutional or unlawful. It was not.
Alan M. Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Emeritus at Harvard Law School, and the author of The Price of Principle: Why Integrity Is Worth The Consequences. He is the Jack Roth Charitable Foundation Fellow at Gatestone Institute, and is also the host of “The Dershow” podcast.
COLUMN | JOE ABRAHAM
COLUMN | ALAN M. DERSHOWITZ
Barbara Jean (Taylor) Drye
obituaries
obituaries
JD PERRY
APRIL 22, 1939 – JUNE 22, 2025
Dwight Farmer
James Roseboro
PAUL RICHARD CURRIE SR. AUG. 25, 1946 – JUNE 24, 2025
Paul Richard Currie Sr., age 78, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
Born August 25, 1946, in Concord, North Carolina, he was the son of the late Paul Deaton Currie and Lillian Gray Rhinehardt Currie. He is survived by his beloved wife of 35 years, Betty Jo, whom he a ectionately called “Blue.”
John B. Kluttz
Tab Dwain Little
January 24, 1939 ~ January 15, 2023
April 17, 1936 ~ January 14, 2023
April 13, 1971 –June 25, 2025
Barbara Jean Taylor Drye, 86, of Oakboro, passed away Saturday, January 14, 2023 at her home.
Dwight Britten Farmer Sr., 83, of Norwood died Sunday morning, January 15, 2023 at Forrest Oakes.
JD Perry passed away on Sunday, June 22, 2025, at the age of 86 in his longtime home of Stanly County, N.C. Born on April 22, 1939, in Valliant, Okla., to Willie Cranford Perry and Laura Lee (Harrington) Perry, JD was preceded in death by both his parents and seven of his siblings, Qunnie Perry Russell, Nana Lou Perry, David Perry, Betty Perry Reich, Bertha Perry Gain, Larry Joe Perry and John Clifton Perry. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Vann Lowder Perry, and a number of other family members, including ve siblings: Willie Edward Perry, Dorothy Perry Meek, Leatha Perry, Harold Perry, and Doris Perry Thompson.
June 23, 1967 ~ January 10, 2023
James Arthur Roseboro, 55, of Albemarle, passed away Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at Anson Health and Rehab.
During his life, JD served in the U.S. Army and was a Veteran of the Korean War. He was also a longtime member of the West Albemarle Baptist Church, having served in numerous positions with the church during his more than 50 years there.
Tab Dwain Little, 54, of Locust, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at Atrium Health Main in Charlotte surrounded by his family. A devoted son, father, grandfather, and friend, Tab’s life was marked by kindness, hard work, and a heart that never hesitated to give.
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. 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.
Born in Stanly County to Ted Little and Judy Moore, Tab was a lifelong resident who stayed true to his roots. He worked alongside his father in the poultry farming industry, where his dedication, integrity, and strong work ethic de ned him as a man you could count on, day in and day out.
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.
Tab was the kind of person who never met a stranger. He was giving to a fault, always ready with a laugh, a story, or a helping hand. A true country boy at heart, he loved fast cars, his Harley, and spending time with those he loved most.
He is lovingly survived by his parents, Ted Little and Judy Moore; his children, Brittney Little (Pierce), Mackenzie Ward (John), and Taken Little; his grandchildren, Saylor, Scott, SJ, and Simon; his sister, Tammy Hathcock (Je ); his brother, Todd Little (Rocio); and his nieces, Jessica Arthur (Don), Jennifer Bober (Mike), Emma and Camille Little and special friends Chris and Kim Eudy.
A visitation will be held on Saturday, June 28, 2025, from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. at Stanly Funeral & Cremation Care in Locust. A funeral service will follow at 10:30 a.m. in the chapel, o ciated by Pastor Wesley Barbee. Burial will take place at Oakboro Cemetery.
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.
A private burial is scheduled for Friday, June 27, 2025, followed by a funeral service at 10:30 a.m., open to all at the Stanley Funeral Home Chapel, o ciated by Pastor Adam Hatley and Pastor Brent Pope. Visitation will follow the service.
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 lieu of owers, the family requests donations be made to the West Albemarle Baptist Church in JD’s name.
AMY GAYLE HONEYCUTT
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.
APRIL 18, 1975 – JUNE 23, 2025
Dwight was an avid gardener, bird watcher and Carolina fan.
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.
Amy Gayle Honeycutt, 50, of Albemarle, passed away on Monday, June 23, 2025, at Atrium Health Cabarrus in Concord.
A funeral service will be held on Sunday, June 29, 2025, at 2 p.m. at Sweet Home Baptist Church in Albemarle. Rev. Preston Young will o ciate. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends in the fellowship hall following the burial.
He was preceded in death by his son Alex, brothers, Tommy and Jimmy, sisters, Nancy, Cornelia Annabell, Glennie Mae, and Betty.
Amy was born on April 18, 1975, in Stanly County to Amelia Jane Lee and the late Darrell Evans Honeycutt. Amy never met a stranger and always wore a smile. She was a resident of over 20 years at Forever Young Retreat in Albemarle, where she met numerous friends.
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.
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.
In addition to her father, she is preceded in death by her grandparents, Bill and Clara Lee, DC and Vera Huneycutt, her uncle Randy Lee, and her aunt Nellie Morton.
In addition to her mother, she is survived by her brothers: Brad Honeycutt (Christie), and Michael Honeycutt, her uncle Gerald Lee (Bonnie), nephew Ben Honeycutt, nieces Eva Joy Honeycutt, and Serenity Honeycutt, a host of cousins, special friend Mae Brooks, and her extended family at Forever Young Retreat, Buck and Jeanne Moore.
The family would like to extend their thanks and gratitude to all the many medical professionals who have helped care for Amy these past 50 years, as well as her teachers and caregivers.
ARTHUR WINSTON SELLS JR.
Darrick Baldwin
MAY 14, 1944 – JUNE 24, 2025
January 7, 1973 ~ January 8, 2023
Arthur Winston Sells Jr., 81, of Albemarle, passed away peacefully on June 24, 2025. A private family celebration of his life will be held at a later date.
Born on May 14, 1944, in Stanly County, NC, Arthur was the son of the late Arthur Winston Sells Sr. and Charlie Morgan Sells. He was a longtime resident of Albemarle and a man of quiet faith serving God as a member of First Street United Methodist Church and later attending Main Street Methodist Church.
Arthur dedicated many years of service as an accountant with the Lutheran Home in Albemarle, now known as Trinity Place. He was known for his kind and compassionate heart, particularly his deep love for animals. Over the years, he rescued and cared for many, giving each a loving home.
Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in SCJ at obits@stanlyjournal.com
Tab’s legacy of love, laughter, and loyalty will live on in all who had the blessing to know him.
Stanly Funeral & Cremation Care of Locust is honored to serve the Little family.
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.
Arthur will be remembered by his family as sweet, humble, and caring. He is survived by his sister, Pamela Sells McIntyre and her husband Derrill of Jamestown, NC; nieces Michele Henrie and Nicole Apple; and great-nieces and nephews Frances, Julia, Charlotte, Alex, Seth, and Jameson.
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.
Paul is also survived by his sons, Paul Richard “Ric” Currie Jr. and Chris Currie; and stepdaughters, Rhonda Smith and Wyannette Caudle.
March 23, 1935 - January 9, 2023
Doris Jones Coleman
He was a proud grandfather to Deklan Currie, Maevis Currie, and Matthew Currie; and step-grandfather to Cody Caudle, Hannah McComb, Brandy Eppenauer, and Kirstie Earl. His step-great-grandchildren include James “JP” Porter, Brianna Watson, Josiah Watson, Ryan Watson, Alynn Caudle, Cohen Caudle, and Miley Kate McComb. He was also blessed with a step-great-great-granddaughter, Kynlee Porter.
October 11, 1944 - January 10, 2023
Paul was a member of Fairview Baptist Church and attended Stony Hill United Methodist Church until his health no longer permitted. He served honorably in the United States Air Force and was a licensed pilot. Paul was an auxiliary member of the VFW. He graduated from Albemarle High School and continued his education at Central Piedmont and Stanly Community Colleges.
John grew up in the Millingport 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.
Professionally, Paul dedicated 35 years to Federal Paci c Electric and American Circuit Breaker. In his younger years, he enjoyed boating and spending time at the lake with his beloved “Blue.” He also loved traveling, dancing, cooking out, and gathering with a close circle of friends. Paul especially cherished visiting his grandchildren Deklan and Maevis.
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 1966.
Doris married Rev. Dr. Ted Coleman in 1966 and had two daughters Amy and Laura. Doris raised Amy and Laura in North Augusta, SC.
He will be remembered for his gentle spirit, humble heart, and unwavering devotion to his wife and family. Paul was kind, compassionate, and above all, a child of God.
A private service will be held. The family will gather at Paul and Betty Jo’s home.
When John purchased his rst 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!
The family wishes to express their sincere thanks to Dr. Leonard Saltzman and sta , as well as the sta of Tillery Compassionate Care. In lieu of owers, memorial donations may be made to Tillery Compassionate Care.
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.
LYNETTE (THOMAS) HUNTLEY
FEB. 23, 1953 – JUNE 15, 2025
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.
Full of grace, loving, compassionate, quiet demeanor, are just a few words that embodied Lynette Thomas Huntley who entered Our Father’s Kingdom, June 15, 2025. Lynette was born February 23, 1953, in Stanly County, North Carolina to the parentage of Betty Ruth Thomas and Willie H. Davis. We are comforted in knowing that she is in Our Father’s care.
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.
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.
Lynette received her early education in the Stanly County public schools where she graduated in the class of 1971 from South Stanly High School, Norwood, North Carolina. Upon graduation she attended Stanly Community College where she received an associate degree in business management. Lynette was employed with the Stanly County Department of Social Services and retired after a stellar career.
Her spiritual journey began at an early age when she joined and was a life-long member of Barringer Chapel Baptist Church, Norwood. Lynette was dedicated, serving as church secretary, church choir member, Missionary Board, Trustee Board, Usher Board, Culinary, and Pastor’s Aide committee member. In her leisure time, she enjoyed crocheting, traveling, and helping others.
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.
Lynette’s civic and community a liations included: Past Worthy Matron of 122, Past District Grand Lecturer of District 34 Order of the Eastern Star, Prince Hall A liated, Secretary of Ivey Chapter 126, Most Ancienet Matron of Simmons White Kendall Court # 20,Heroine of Jericho, Judge of East Center Precinct, member of the Stanly County NAACP, and Kingville Alumni Association.
We are saddened of Lynette’s loss, but heaven has gained an angel. She has joined her beloved son, Dietruis L. Thomas, and her parents in a place of paradise.
Lynette leaves to cherish her memory, devoted husband, Roy J. Huntley; sons: Philip A. Thomas, Marcus E. Lilly and Patrick Johnson; daughters: Tia Huntley, Dawn (James) JohnsonSmith, and Tina (Maurice) Caple; grandchildren: Ayesha, Axeris (Kym), Chuck, Jaden, Brianna, Issa, I’myah, Makala, Maliyah, and Maurice; nine great grandchildren; brothers-in-law: Nathan (Rita) Huntley and William (Stella) Huntley; sisters-in-law: Mildred Martin, Mattie Burns, and Sarah (Thomas) Rivers; a host of other relatives and friends.
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 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.
JAMES LARRY BOLES
MAY 23, 1940 –JUNE 23, 2025
James Larry Boles, 85, of Norwood, died peacefully Monday June 23, 2025, at the Greens Nursing and Rehabilitation in Pinehurst. Larry was born in Norwood on May 23, 1940, to the late James A. and Carrie Clontz Boles. He graduated from Norwood High School, Class of 1958, and was the Drum Major of the high school band.
Larry and his family moved to Aberdeen in September of 1970, after they bought the Western Auto Store from Mrs. Gross. They ran the business until it was sold in 1982. Larry was very instrumental in the revitalization of downtown Aberdeen. He was involved with the Aberdeen Jaycees and was instrumental in starting little league baseball for the community at the Colonial Heights ball eld. He is a member of the Southern Pines Elks Lodge #1692 for over 50 years, and served as a past Exalted Ruler. He has over 56 years with the Roman Eagle Masonic Lodge #550 in Aberdeen, a 32° Scottish Rite Mason, an Oasis Shriner, and a member of the Moore County Shriner’s Club. He was a North Carolina Realtor for over 50 years. He was also a North Carolina Licensed Funeral Director for over 25 years. He was a member of Bethesda Presbyterian Church and enjoyed playing on their softball team.
Larry was a true entrepreneur, he loved Aberdeen, and Aberdeen was good to him.
In his later years, his interest turned to collecting toy cap guns, where he became known nationally as the “Cap Gun King”. He was once featured in Our State magazine and other NC media for his cap gun collection. He enjoyed repairing and restoring them. He was also known for his knowledge and passion of gold and silver.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by twin sons, Jimmy and Timmy, and his sister Gaybrielle Boles Morgan.
He is survived by his two sons: James L. “Jamie” Boles Jr., of Whispering Pines, and Richard L. (Sharon Robson) Boles of Laurinburg; six grandchildren: Erin Nance, Emily (Gabe) Nickle, Palmer (Nicole Furr) Boles, Glenn (Carrie Christopher) Boles, Kelsie Lea (Raven) Lucas, and Richard “Richie” Boles; seven great- grandchildren: Jackson, Kinsie, Sampson, Swayze, Ella, Waylon and Arlo; two brothers: Speedy (Sherry) Boles of Norwood and Truett Boles of Kannapolis; and a sister: Genevieve Boles Sumner of Norwood.
The family will receive friends from 5-7pm on Friday, June 27, 2025, at Boles Funeral Home in Southern Pines. The family will also receive friends at Edwards Funeral Home in Norwood, on Saturday, June 28, 2025, from 12-2pm, followed by a graveside service in the Norwood Cemetery.
Memorials may be made in Larry’s name to the Masonic Home for Children, 600 College Rd., Oxford, NC 27565 or Shriners Hospital for Children, 950 West Faris Rd., Greenville, SC 29605.
Boles Funeral Home of Southern Pines and Richard Boles Funeral Home of Laurinburg are in charge of arrangements.
Fortnite players ‘tricked’ into unwanted purchases receiving refunds
The FTC is sending millions in payments to a ected gamers
By Wyatte Grantham-Philips
The Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA — The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is sending out the latest round of refunds to consumers it says were “tricked” into purchases they didn’t want from Fortnite maker Epic Games — and eligible players who haven’t been compensated yet still have time to apply.
In an announcement this week, the FTC said it was distributing more than 969,000 refunds totaling over $126 million to consumers on Wednesday and Thursday. That follows the regulator’s rst round of payments amounting to more than $72 million, which went out in December 2024.
The refunds are part of a $520 million settlement that Cary-based Epic agreed to pay back in 2022 to address complaints revolving around children’s privacy and payment methods on its popular Fortnite video game. At the time, the FTC had alleged that the gaming giant used deceptive online design tactics to trick Fortnite players, including children, into making unintended purchases “based on the press of a single button.”
Consumers could be charged while doing something as simple as attempting the wake the game from sleep mode, for example,
OAKBORO from page A1
The FTC had alleged that the gaming giant used deceptive online design tactics to trick Fortnite players into purchases.
or by pressing a nearby button when trying to preview an item, the agency said. The FTC also accused Epic of blocking some users who disputed the charges from accessing the content they purchased.
Beyond a $275 million ne related to collecting personal information for players under the age of 13, the settlement, which was nalized in 2023, included $245 million in customer refunds. Between December’s payments and the refunds sent out this week, about $198 million of that has been sent out — leaving roughly $47 million left to be distributed.
The latest refunds are being doled out to consumers who led a valid claim before Feb. 14 — meaning that any claims led after that date are still under review, according to the FTC.
And the FTC also says it’s reopening the claims process. Eligible consumers who have not been compensated yet now have until July 9 to le a claim.
If accepted, the refunds come in the form of checks or PayPal payments. To apply and learn more about the settlement, impacted consumers should visit the FTC’s website.
of July Fair is just around the corner — a smalltown tradition packed with magic, memories, and all the fried food you can dream of,” Living Locust community promoter Liz Peele said in an event advertisement. “From fair rides and live music to reworks and funnel cakes, it’s a weeklong celebration locals look forward to all year.”
The week’s lineup of events will o cially begin with a community worship service at First Baptist Church of Oakboro on Sunday night, followed by the opening of the rides — each provided by the B&K Carnival Company — and the Little Miss 4th of July Pageant on Tuesday night at 6 p.m.
Talent show registration is o ered on both Tuesday and Wednesday leading up to the 6 p.m. show Thursday night.
The annual Oakboro 4th of July parade is set for Friday morning at 9 a.m. and will be followed by patriotic ceremonies, a speech by Oakboro Mayor Rodney Eury and the Miss Stanly County Fire Queen Pageant at 11 a.m.
Fireworks shows are scheduled for 11:30 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday.
Each night will feature free live music acts performing at 8:30 p.m. on the Union Power Stage: Jim Quick and Coastline (Tuesday), Chris Taylor and the Rumor (Wednesday), Taylor Richardson (Thursday), The Tonez (Friday) and Blackwater (Saturday).
The Oakboro festivities will return again next summer for their 68th incarnation as July 4 lands on a Saturday in 2026. Information regarding the annual celebration can be found at oakboro4th.com.
scholarships
Stanly Health Foundation awards $21,500 in scholarships
Eight students pursuing health care degrees received funding
Stanly News Journal sta
THE STANLY HEALTH Foundation recently awarded $21,500 in scholarships to eight students pursuing health care degrees through two annual programs.
Jake Dennis, of Albemarle, received the Roy and Lou Hinson Scholarship. After graduating from UNC Chapel Hill, Dennis worked with Stanly
County EMS before enrolling in the physician assistant master’s program at Pfei er University. Seven students received Crook Family Scholarships: Temitope Bamidele, Addie Barbee, Katelyn Flowers, Caleb Lemons, Kelly Nolasco-Orellana, Anastasiya Saprankova and Eli Toole.
The recipients are studying elds including nursing, radiography, physical therapy and physician assistant programs at institutions including Pfei er University, Stanly Community College, East Carolina University and Cabar-
rus College of Health Sciences. To qualify, students must maintain at least a 3.2 GPA and be accepted into a health care program. Residents of Stanly and Montgomery counties are eligible, as are Atrium Health Stanly employees and their dependents. The Hinson Scholarship honors Roy Hinson, who worked at Atrium Stanly for 41 years, and his wife Lou, a longtime cancer center volunteer. The Crook Family Scholarship was named for C.B. Crook, founder of Crook Motor Company, recognizing his local philanthropic e orts.
Stanly Extension and Community Association awards scholarships
The Stanly County Extension and Community Association recently announced the winners of the 2025 Betty Watson Scholarships, named for Watson who worked for the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service from 1953 to 1976.
Recipients:
• Kayleigh Faircloth, of Albemarle, $1,000 — Daughter of Anna and Arthur Faircloth, graduated from Stanly STEM Early College, will major in nursing at Pfei er University.
• Jessica Jaimes, of Norwood, $500 — Daughter of Cleotilde Jaimes, graduated from South Stanly High School, plans to study veterinary assistance at Stanly Community College.
• Eli Thompson, of Norwood, $500 — Son of
Aaron and Jesse Thompson, graduated from South Stanly, plans to major in nutrition or nursing at UNC Chapel Hill.
• Eli Toole, of Stan eld, $500 — Son of Chris and Lindsey Toole, graduated as valedictorian from Wingate, pursuing doctorate in physical therapy at East Carolina University.
• Kinsley Tyson, $500 — Daughter of Kurt and Hailey Tyson, graduated from South Stanly, plans to major in animal science at NC State University.
Spectators enjoy the reworks show at the 2023 Oakboro 4th of July Celebration.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to the general public that the City of Albemarle City Council will conduct public hearing(s) concerning the item(s) listed below at the dates, times, and location provided herein:
ZMA 25-01- a public hearing will be held to consider a request to rezone a 0 48 acre +/parcel at 936 N 5th St ., tax record 13381 from R10 General Residential to HMD Hospital Medical District
The hearing(s) will be conducted in the City Council Chambers of City Hall , located at 144 N Second St , Albemarle, N C 28001 at the following time(s): Monday, July 7th, 2025, at 6:30 p m
All interested parties are invited to attend the hearing Anyone wishing to speak for or against this action shall adhere to applicable City policies and statutes regarding open meetings The City Council approved agenda can be found on the city s website www albemarlenc gov
Publish: Wednesday June 25, 2025, Saturday June 28, 2025
COURTESY OAKBORO FIRE AND RESCUE
SCC oC Ne ws & Events Mission: to cultivate and catalyze a vibrant Stanly C ounty business community
SCC oC Ne ws & Events Mission: to cultivate and catalyze a vibrant Stanly C ounty business community
Leadership Stanly Class of 2026 Application Deadline in July!
NCDOL Safety Awards Luncheon
Location: Atrium Health Stanly Wed., June 11, 2025, NOON Register online at stanlychamber.org
Leadership Stanly Class of 2025 Graduation Date Applications Now Open!
Leadership Stanly Class of 2025 Graduation Date
Applications Now Open!
The Stanly County Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the graduates of the 2024-2025
The Stanly County Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the graduates of the 2024-2025
Applications are open for the Leadership Stanly Class of 2025-2026. The deadline to apply is Friday, July 25, 2025 and applications are available online at stanlychamber.org.
Leadership Stanly Class. Twenty-three participants have completed all requirements to graduate and will be recognized at a graduation ceremony held at The Badin Inn on Thursday, May 29 at 6:00 pm.
Leadership Stanly is a nine-month program designed to cultivate the next generation of leaders in Stanly County. Through a series of engaging sessions and hands-on experiences, participants gain a deeper understanding of the community, its challenges, and its opportunities.
Existing leaders and budding community volunteers are encouraged to apply. Participants meet once a month (September – May) to study the qualities that make an effective leader, understand their own leadership styles, explore community involvement opportunities and develop new skills that will help them in the workplace.
The Leadership Stanly Steering Committee will select the class at the end of July. This year, one full tuition scholarship will be awarded to a small business owner (25
Graduates of the 2024-2025 Leadership Stanly Class are: Razan Brown (Proximity International), Lindsey Almond (City of Albemarle), Greta Baucom (Atrium Health Stanly), James Baucom (Tarheel Auto Sales of Locust), Bradley Eudy (Uwharrie Bank), Tammy Helms (Uwharrie Bank), Nicolle Hopkins (Stanly County Public Library), Jenn Hudson (Hudson Property Services), Emily Jones (City of Locust), Lisa Kiser (City of Albemarle –Parks and Recreation Department), Taler Miranda (Stanly County Partnership for Children), Araceli Mondragon (GHA Autism Supports), Devonna Morgan (Stanly Community Christian Ministry), Renee Morton (Tillery Compassionate Care), Tom Nunalee (AGRx Recruiters LLC), Hailey Pope (Stanly County), Angie Pugh (Hartsell Funeral Home), Ally Schueneman (Preformed Line Products), Adrian Shepherd (First Bank), Taylor Smith (Fiberon Decking), Misty Thronburg (Uwharrie Bank), Elizabeth Underwood (Stanly County EDC), Amber Wilson (Atrium Health Stanly).
Leadership Stanly Class. Twenty-three participants have completed all requirements to graduate and will be recognized at a graduation ceremony held at The Badin Inn on Thursday, May 29 at 6:00 pm. Graduates of the 2024-2025 Leadership Stanly Class are: Razan Brown (Proximity International), Lindsey Almond (City of Albemarle), Greta Baucom (Atrium Health Stanly), James Baucom (Tarheel Auto Sales of Locust), Bradley Eudy (Uwharrie Bank), Tammy Helms (Uwharrie Bank), Nicolle Hopkins (Stanly County Public Library), Jenn Hudson (Hudson Property Services), Emily Jones (City of Locust), Lisa Kiser (City of Albemarle –Parks and Recreation Department), Taler Miranda (Stanly County Partnership for Children) Araceli Mondragon (GHA Autism Supports), Devonna Morgan (Stanly Community Christian Ministry), Renee Morton (Tillery Compassionate Care), Tom Nunalee (AGRx Recruiters LLC), Hailey Pope (Stanly County), Angie Pugh (Hartsell Funeral Home), Ally Schueneman (Preformed Line Products), Adrian Shepherd (First Bank), Taylor Smith (Fiberon Decking), Misty Thronburg (Uwharrie Bank), Elizabeth Underwood (Stanly County EDC), Amber Wilson (Atrium Health Stanly).
For more information on the Leadership Stanly program, please contact Erica Church at the Stanly Chamber at (704) 982-8116 or erica@stanlychamber.org.
SPECIAL EVENTS!
https://www.stanlychamber.org/ https://w t ly h
https://www.stanlychamber.org/
Existing leaders and budding community volunteers are encouraged to apply for the nine-month program. Participants meet once a month (September – May) to study the qualities that make an e ective leader, understand their own leadership styles, explore community involvement opportunities and develop new skills that will help them in the workplace Applications are now open for the Leadership Stanly Class of 2025-2026. The deadline to apply is Friday, July 25, 2025 and applications are available online at stanlychamber.org. The Leadership Stanly Steering Committee will select the class. This year one scholarship will be awarded to a small business owner (25 employees or less) that applies to the program and demonstrates nancial need
Existing leaders and budding community volunteers are encouraged to apply for the nine-month program. Participants meet once a month (September – May) to study the qualities that make an e ective leader, understand their own leadership styles, explore community involvement opportunities and develop new skills that will help them in the workplace Applications are now open for the Leadership Stanly Class of 2025-2026. The deadline to apply is Friday, July 25, 2025 and applications are available online at stanlychamber.org. The Leadership Stanly Steering Committee will select the class. This year one scholarship will be awarded to a small business owner (25 employees or less) that applies to the program and demonstrates nancial need For more information on the Leadership Stanly program, please contact Erica Church at the Stanly Chamber at (704) 982-8116 or erica@stanlychamber.org.
Uwharrie Vineyards & Winery hosted the May Women in Business “Wine Down” event on Thurs., May 22.
For dership Stanly program, please contact Erica Church at the Stanly Cham erica@stanlychamber.org.
Leadership Stanly Class of 2025 Graduation was held at 1913 Badin Inn on Thurs., May 29.
Stanly Adult Care Center hosted the April Women in Business event in Locust on Thurs., April 24.
Stanly Adult Care Center hosted the April Women in Business event in Locust on Thurs., April 24.
The National Apprenticeship Day Breakfast was held at the Farm Bureau Livestock Arena on Wed., April 30.
Business Roundtable with Commissioner of Labor Luke Farley was held on Wed., June 11
The National Apprenticeship Day Breakfast was held at the Farm Bureau Livestock Arena on Wed., April 30.
The 2025 State Legislative Breakfast was held on Fri., May 2 at Pfei er University – Center for Health Sciences and featured speakers Sen. Carl Ford and Rep. Cody Huneycutt.
The NCDOL Safety Awards Luncheon was held at Atrium Health Stanly on Wed., June 11
The 2025 State Legislative Breakfast was held on Fri., May 2 at Pfei er University – Center for Health Sciences and featured speakers Sen. Carl Ford and Rep. Cody Huneycutt.
Ribbon Cutting for Monica & Co Hemp was held on Thurs., June 12 at the new location in downtown Albemarle
Kinetic held a groundbreaking ceremony at The Thomas Family Corn Maze on Fri., May 9.
Kinetic held a groundbreaking ceremony at The Thomas Family Corn Maze on Fri., May 9.
Ribbon Cutting for StoryWalk at City Lake Park was held on Wed., June 18
T.R. Lawing Realty, Inc. hosted the May Business After Hours on Thurs., May 15 at 132 S. 2nd Street in downtown Albemarle
T.R. Lawing Realty, Inc. hosted the May Business After Hours on Thurs., May 15 at 132 S. 2nd Street in downtown Albemarle
Tee Up for the Annual Chamber Golf Tournament
Montgomery Park REGISTER ONLINE
Business After Hours at the Wampus Cats Baseball Thurs., June 26, 2025, 6:30 p.m. Don Montgomery Park REGISTER ONLINE
Wed., August 20th
*NO Women in Business and June or July Will resume in August!
Women in Business and June or July Will resume in August!
Swing into action at the Stanly Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Golf Tournament! This is your chance to network, enjoy a fantastic day of golf, and directly support your local business community through the Stanly Chamber. The tournament takes place on Wed., August 20th, at Piney Point Golf Club in Norwood, NC. Whether you’re coming solo or with a team, it’s the perfect setting to enjoy the game and make valuable connections.
June 12, 2025 – Ribbon Cutting at Monica & Co. Hemp Location: Suite Albemarle, Prism Properties and Development
Location: 301 West Main Street, Locust, NC Time: 4:30 p.m.
Business After Hours at Food Truck Fridays at City Lake Park
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!
Clefnote Music Group, LLC
Branding Solutions, LLC
Thurs., July 11, 2025, 5:30 p.m. 815 Concord Road in Albemarle, NC REGISTER ONLINE
Megan Edwards
Homes of Hope
Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company KellBell+Co
door area protected by 6-foot fences, with many shaded areas to sit in.
The only bed the center has is in the medical services room, which was required by the state, so the facility is not meant to keep people overnight.
Once open, the center will be open from 6:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and have 15 to 20 employees.
E orts for the center started in 2021, when Carelock left her full-time position working in occupational therapy to begin the process which has led to the not-for-pro t facility.
Her occupational therapy background, she said, will make the center have a di erent approach to adult care.
“That’s what is going to set us apart from everybody else,” Carelock said.
“We don’t have anything that is consistent with a nursing component that allows people to stay at home and age in their place, using the resources we have.”
While places like the Care Cafe can keep adults four hours a day for four days a week, or other facilities can treat adults with more acute problems, the new center, Carelock said, can help families with adults in the general aging population.
Medicare Part C and Medicaid can help o set the costs of the adult care center, along with private insurance, but many participants of the facility will be private pay. The rates are expected to be $75 per day,
with a slightly increased rate of $5 to $10 more for participants who need specialized care.
Currently, 25 names are on a waiting list for the facility, which will have a maximum of 40 participants per day. Carelock said many adults will not be there ve days a week, and she expects the overall number of adults the center will serve per week could be closer to 80.
Adults 18 years or older who receive an order from their doctor may be taken care of at the center.
“It’s not just for the elderly,” Carelock said. “It is geared toward chronic disease, toward just general aging diagnoses like diabetes, heart disease, strokes.”
Adults who are served by home health care agencies can also receive those services while at the Stanly Adult Care Center.
Carelock said a big component of the new facility will be connecting with the community for volunteers, like church or civic groups, to do activities with the participants.
The facility has 10 bathrooms, including one with a walk-in shower and walk-in whirlpool tub, should some adults need help in that area.
She added she plans to reach out to Stanly Community College and beyond for cosmetology students to come work in the center’s built-in hair salon.
The center will also offer caregiver support groups, training and resources for those taking care of adults.
“The programs we will have are not just to keep somebody busy.,” Carelock said. “There will be a purpose and a reason behind it. We’re not here to just passively supervise.”
Every area of the center will have a sta member, allowing participants to come and go around the center as they wish.
One common misconception of adult care centers, Carelock said, is people assuming the facility is just for adults with dementia. Stanly Adult Care Center will take people with some mild cognitive delays, adults who can be redirected “as long as they’re not a safety risk or have behaviors that put them at risk.”
As long as adults can do 50% of the Barthel Index for Activities of Daily Living, they will be eligible.
The Stanly Adult Care Center has a wishlist of items for those wanting to make donations of needed items. The list includes general items like paper products, blankets, small hand weights and exercise items to craft supplies, tool and garden supplies, and wellness items like automatic blood pressure cu s, ice packs, digital thermometers and more. The center also needs administrative and o ce supplies.
Those wishing to put their loved ones on the waiting list can do so at the group’s website, stanlyadultcarecenter.com.
The center’s open house will have a ribbon cutting Aug. 16 at 10 a.m. then feature the open house until noon.
What is hospice care?
Hospice care aims to ease pain in patients who are not expected to recover from their condition; life expectancy is 6 months or less and treatment is no longer being pursued.
What is palliative care?
Palliative care aims to ease pain and help with symptoms caused by a chronic or serious illness but is not considered to be life-limiting at this time. This service adds an extra layer of support working in conjunction with an individual’s medical team and life-prolonging medications or treatments.
STANLY SPORTS
Local dog retrieves nearly 1K wayward ying discs from pond
Piper is a regular at the Goose Landing Disc Golf Course
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
RICHFIELD — For nearly six years, New London resident and dog trainer Jamie Pope has watched in awe as his dog Piper has used her swimming abilities to rescue hundreds of discs from the Goose Landing Disc Golf Course pond at Rich eld Park.
Many of the 955 discs over the years have been returned to their owners, especially the ones
that had any identifying information on them.
As the 61⁄2-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever now approaches the milestone of 1,000 discs gathered from the murky shadows of the pond, Pope is re ecting on the incoming achievement of what his dog has accomplished.
“It’s incredible — I say, ‘You want to go get a frisbee?’ and it doesn’t matter what she’s doing.
She’s going to whip around and look at me like, ‘Let’s go!’” Pope said. “Sometimes I even have to make her get out of the water.” Pope, 66, added that while he has trained hundreds of dogs since he was 7 years old, none of
“I can bring her up here and turn her over because she knows where to go to nd them.”
Dog trainer Jamie Pope on his dog, Piper
them have been able to retrieve in a water environment the way Piper can, most notably at the Goose Landing pond, where she has found “around 90%” of her disc total.
It all started on an October morning in 2019 when Pope saw
a disc golfer accidentally toss a disc into the water.
On a whim, Pope o ered to send Piper in the pond to fetch the item that had sunk out of sight.
“I sent her in there, and she came out with it,” he said. “It’s been on since then.”
It’s a skill that Piper has honed and developed nearly all her life. Remarkably, the dog has even managed to retrieve each disc without leaving any damaging bite marks.
“It’s crazy because she just got better and better and better as we went on,” Pope said. “The rst couple times, we’d get the discs out of the water and I had
to literally take them and hide them up in a tree because she was so obsessed with getting them. She couldn’t get her mind o the one she just got. But now she goes in, gets it, brings it to me, and I send her right back on the next one. She doesn’t worry anymore about the last one she got.”
With a daily record of 18 discs found, Pope estimates that Piper averages around ve every time she goes out to Rich eld Park. There hasn’t been a single trip where the dog hasn’t discovered at least one disc, using her ability to dive down multiple feet into the water and even dig them out from under piles of submerged mud. Pope said that his dog’s keen nose is the key to her special talent.
“After the discs have been in the water for 24 to 48 hours, they give o some kind of smell, whether it’s that plastic or
See PIPER, page B3
Russell, former South Stanly football coach, dies
Jerry Russell worked for Stanly County Schools for nearly three decades
By Charles Curcio Stanly News Journal
NORWOOD — The former head football coach of South Stanly in the late 1990s died Sunday.
Jerry Russell coached South football from 1996 to 1999. He spent 28 years working with Stanly County Schools, teaching eighth grade at South when it was a 7-12 school.
The former South coach graduated high school from Forest Hills in 1972 and earned a teaching degree from Western Carolina in 1976.
Russell was a longtime assistant coach for South football after joining the school in 1976, along with coaching, at di erent times, wrestling and softball. Around 1988, Russell transferred to Albemarle High School but came back to South Stanly in the early 1990s.
He was an assistant coach for former South head coach and athletic director Charlie Phil-
lips, who described Russell as being very enthusiastic.
“He was well liked by the students and the players. He had a good football mind,” Phillips said.
Phillips said Russell, as an assistant coach, was very well-rounded, coaching lineman, backs and “a bit of everything.”
The former South AD said Russell “had a good football
mind. He knew the game. He knew how to teach it and how to relate to the kids in that they understood what he wanted them to do. … That was his biggest attribute.”
Another former South Stanly athletic director, Doug Eury, said he and Russell worked together in di erent capacities, including teaching and coaching together.
“If we didn’t coach the same sport, I was helping or supporting him,” Eury said.
Russell, according to Eury, was a standout men’s softball player for Silver Spring Baptist Church, and the two of them umpired many games together.
“I found Jerry to be very intelligent, very loyal and very compassionate,” Eury said. “He was a people person. The world needs more people like him that has that special ability and the desire to be kind and help people.”
Eury added Russell “understood kids and understood how they felt, what they were striving to do. He had a way of motivating them; he was a good speaker.”
“He was well liked by the students and the players. He had a good football mind.”
Charlie Phillips, former South Stanly head football coach and athletic director
Stanly County Commissioner Brandon King played football for Russell and echoed the sentiments of Phillips and Eury.
“Mr. Russell was one of the most passionate men I have ever encountered. It made no difference if on the eld or in the classroom, he demanded your best,” King said.
“The most lasting impression he made on me was when we always had a moment of silence and prayer before every game. He was one of the most godly men I had been around and at a young age.
“I will never forget all the life lessons he taught us as young men.”
Jerry Russell from the 1999 Stanly County Football Preview.
Stanly County Chamber opens registration for annual golf tournament
Participants can sign up for the Aug. 20 event
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
ALBEMARLE — The Stanly County Chamber of Commerce revealed last week that its annual golf event is returning this summer for another round of action at Piney Point Golf Club in Norwood.
With a scheduled date of Aug. 20, the 2025 Stanly County Chamber Classic Golf Tournament combines a networking opportunity with a way to support the local business community by participating in a day of golf.
The tournament will be held at Piney Point’s course location at 48688 Piney Point Road.
“Get ready for an absolutely fun day of golf, fantastic connections and awesome perks,” the Stanly County Chamber announced on June 19. “This isn’t just a tournament; it’s a prime opportunity to network with local leaders, enjoy some friendly competition, and connect directly with the Chamber community. Whether you’re coming solo or with a team, it’s the perfect setting to enjoy the game and make valuable connections.”
Registration is now open at
stanlychamber.org/events — every sign-up package includes a golf cart, lunch, giveaways and drawings for door prizes.
The price for individual golfers is $150, while the price for a foursome team is $500.
On the day of the event, in-person registration is at 10:30 a.m., followed by lunch at 11 a.m. and a shotgun start at noon.
“Want to make a big splash and get your business seen?
We’re looking for enthusiastic sponsors to help make this the best tournament yet,” the
Stanly Chamber added. “Secure your sponsorship today and ensure your brand stands out at this can’t-miss event.”
Those interested in becoming a sponsor can email Stanly Chamber President and CEO Erica Church at erica@stanlychamber.org.
The Stanly Chamber was established in 1936 as an independent, nonpro t agency devoted to the growth of the county through its businesses; its golf tournament is one of many events and programs that it schedules each year.
from page B1
petroleum or whatever. While she doesn’t have the ability to go down real deep to get one, she always knows right o the bat whether she can get it.”
As for what happens when Piper nds a new disc — some of which have been worth up to $85 in resale value after being cleaned — Pope has worked out a system with his friend and frequent disc rescue collaborator Peter Asciutto.
“I go out there with him and he gives me all the discs, and then I call the people if they have their name on it,” Asciutto said. “If they want them back, I give them back, and if they don’t, I sell them. Then we split the money because I give him the money in snacks for the dog.” With the weather warming up, Pope o ered a reminder that he has to stay extra careful with Piper’s pond time because of the expanding algae in the
The Stanly Wrecking Crew
The Stanly Wrecking Crew is the team of Zach Ryan Lowder and Bryce Ray Neal. The duo was part of the Stanly County contingent that traveled to Raleigh for the 2025 North Carolina Special Olympics Summer Games. The Wrecking Crew competed in the bowling doubles event, and Lowder and Neal won the silver medal in their age/experience/gender division, part of the more than three dozen medals won by Stanly athletes at the games.
water, often waiting for a rain shower before sending her back in.
Now just 45 discs away from the big 1,000-disc milestone that he estimates will happen in July or August, Pope said he’s proud of his dog and the skills he’s helped instill in her over the years.
“We’ve had her work up to 20 minutes to get them,” he said. “I can bring her up here and turn her over because she knows where to go to nd them.”
Share with your community! Send us your births, deaths, marriages, graduations and other announcements: community@ stanlynewsjournal.com
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COURTESY JAMIE POPE AND PETER ASCIUTTO
PIPER
Piper poses with some of the discs she’s retrieved over her career.
COURTESY STANLY COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Olympic president Coventry starts work with strong IOC, challenges for Los Angeles Summer Games
An in-person meeting with President Donald Trump is a priority for the rst female IOC president
By Graham Dunbar
The Associated Press
GENEVA — The world
Kirsty Coventry walks into as the International Olympic Committee’s rst female and rst African president is already very di erent to the one she was elected in three months ago.
Take Los Angeles, host of the next Summer Games that is the public face and nancial foundation of most Olympic sports.
The city described last week as a “trash heap” by U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing to welcome teams from more than 200 nations in July 2028.
Most of the 11,000 athletes and thousands more coaches and o cials who will take part in the LA Olympics will have seen images of military being deployed against the wishes of city and state leaders.
A growing number of those athletes’ home countries face being on a Trump-directed travel ban list — including Coventry’s home Zimbabwe — though Olympic participants are promised exemptions to come to the U.S. Several players from Senegal’s women’s basket-
ball team were denied visas for a training trip to the U.S., the country’s prime minister said.
A rst face-to-face meeting with Trump is a priority for the new IOC president, perhaps at a sports event.
Welcome to Olympic diplomacy, the outgoing IOC president Thomas Bach could reasonably comment to his political protégé Coventry.
The six Olympic Games of Bach’s 12 years were rocked by Russian doping scandals and military aggression, Korean nuclear tensions, a global health
crisis and corruption-fueled Brazilian chaos.
Still, Coventry inherits an IOC with a solid reputation and nances after a widely praised 2024 Paris Olympics, plus a slate of summer and winter hosts for the next decade. Risks and challenges ahead are clear to see.
For the two-time Olympic champion swimmer’s rst full day as president Tuesday she has invited the 109-strong IOC membership to closed-doors meetings about its future under the banner “Pause and Re ect.”
“The way in which I like to
Kirsty Coventry reacts after she was announced as the new IOC President at the International Olympic Committee 144th session in March.
lead is with collaboration,” said Coventry, who was sports minister in Zimbabwe for the past seven years, told reporters.
Many, if not most, members want more say in how the IOC makes decisions after nearly 12 years of Bach’s tight executive control. It was a theme in manifestos by the other election candidates, and the runner-up in March, IOC vice president Juan Antonio Samaranch, will lead one of the sessions.
In an in-house IOC interview, Coventry also described how she wanted to be perceived: “She never changed. Always humble, always approachable.”
That could mean more member input, if not an open and contested vote, to decide the 2036 Olympics host.
At some point in Coventry’s presidency, Russia could possibly return fully to the Olympic family. It is unclear exactly when less than eight months before the 2026 Winter Games opening ceremony in Milan.
Russian athletes have faced a wider blanket ban in winter sports than summer ones during the military invasion of Ukraine. Even neutral status for individual Russians to compete looks elusive.
Vladimir Putin o ered “sincere congratulations” on Coventry’s election win, with the Kremlin praising her “high authority in the sporting world.”
However, there seems little scope for the IOC to lift its formal suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee imposed in 2023 because of a territorial grab in sports administration. Four regional sports bodies in eastern Ukraine were taken under Russian control.
Coventry said she will ask a task force to review IOC policy relating to athletes from countries involved in wars and con icts.
“I like people to say: ‘Yes, I had a say and this was the direction that we went,’” Coventry said. “That way, you get really authentic buy-in.”
Smith looks like Rule 5 hit for rebuilding Chicago White Sox
The former Wake Forest pitcher is nally getting an opportunity in MLB
By Jay Cohen The Associated Press
CHICAGO — Shane Smith pitched a total of 101⁄3 innings during his college career at Wake Forest. He had a shoulder operation as a freshman, and his sophomore year was shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Then he had elbow surgery.
At that point, even Smith began to wonder if baseball was going to work out for him.
“My dream of playing professional baseball, to say it didn’t waver would probably be lying,” he said. “But I knew there was an avenue somehow.”
There sure was.
Smith has turned into a pleasant surprise for the last-place Chicago White Sox after he was selected by the team in the Rule 5 draft.
The Rule 5 draft provides an opportunity for players left o a big league team’s 40-man rosters after several minor league seasons. Teams pay $100,000 to select a player in the major league portion. The players must stay on the active 26-man major league roster all season or else clear waivers and be o ered back to their original organization for $50,000.
Between 10 and 20 players are selected in the big league Rule 5 draft most seasons, but most don’t actually stick with their new clubs. Even fewer develop into All-Star-worthy contributors. Hall of Fame out elder Roberto Clemente and two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana are two of the most famous Rule 5 success stories.
So far, it looks as if Smith is going to stick with the rebuilding White Sox. Smith has a 2.37 ERA in 681⁄3 innings over 13 starts.
Smith very well could represent the last-place White Sox at next month’s All-Star Game
DAVID J. PHILLIP / AP PHOTO
Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Shane Smith throws against the Houston Astros during a game earlier this month.
in Atlanta. Dan Uggla with the Florida Marlins in 2006 is the only player to be named an All-Star in the season after he was selected in the Rule 5 draft. Smith went right into Chica-
NOTICE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF STANLY Having quali ed on the 30th day of May 2025, as Executors of the Estate of Merle William Britt deceased, late of Stanly County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the decedent to exhibit the same to the undersigned Executors on or before the 12th day of September 2025 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to the estate should make immediate payment. This the 2nd day of June 2025. Monica Huneycutt J. Suzanne Britt Ehmann 806 Mountain Creek Road 319 53rd Avenue North Albemarle, NC 28001 North Myrtle Beach, SC 29852 Sonya L. Williamson Garner & Williamson, PA 111 Courthouse Square Troy, NC 27371
NOTICE
The City of Locust will hold a public hearing on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at 7:00 pm in the Joel Huneycutt Community Room to hear citizens comments for or against the conditional rezoning request submitted by Rock Therapy, parcel pin# 556503409044, 124 Laurin Ct, Locust NC
NOTICE
Notice of Meeting Change The New London Town Board Meeting has been changed from Tuesday, July 1st to Tuesday, July 8th at 7:00 pm at the Community Center located at 114 West Gold Street in New London.
go’s rotation during spring training — an unusual spot for a Rule 5 player. Since 2016, Luis Perdomo, Brad Keller and Mitch Spence are the only pitchers who made at least 20 starts in the majors in the season after they were selected in the big league phase of the Rule 5 draft.
Keller began the 2018 season in Kansas City’s bullpen before moving into the rotation in late May. He nished his rookie year with a 9-6 record and a 3.08 ERA in 20 starts and 21 relief appearances.
“I think you de nitely pull for all the Rule 5 guys because I feel like, not to say this in a bad way, but Rule 5 guys kind of get a bad rap, right?” said Keller, a key reliever for the Chicago Cubs. “It’s like they’re like nobody’s got a chance. That’s not true. Some organizations are in di erent situations where they can’t protect guys that they want to.”
Smith had been in Milwaukee’s organization since he signed with the Brewers as an
undrafted free agent in 2021, just weeks after he had Tommy John surgery. He had a 3.05 ERA in 32 appearances over two minor league stops last season, nishing the year with Triple-A Nashville. Smith has a big four-seam fastball that gets into the high 90s to go along with a good slider and curveball. But the biggest key to his success this year has been the development of a nasty changeup that really came together in the o season after years of work.
Fortunate timing for Smith and the White Sox.
“For a guy that hasn’t really pitched above Double-A, he had some innings in Triple-A, but to come here and pitch the way that he does, it just speaks to his ability and his con dence and also speaks to the group of players and sta here to support him,” general manager Chris Getz said. “Shane is doing really well and we expect him to have a really productive, healthy season for us.”
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE STANLY COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 25E000319-830
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having quali ed as executor of the estate of Richard Marshall Wells, deceased, of Stanly County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said Richard Marshall Wells to present them to the undersigned on or before September 15th, 2025, or the same will be pleaded in bar of this recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment.
This 11th day of June, 2025.
Rena Page 24270 Mini Airport Rd. Albemarle, NC 28001
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The undersigned has quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Janice H Burris, deceased, late of Stanly County, North Carolina (Stanly County File Number 25E000353-830). This is to notify all persons, rms or corporations having claims against said decedent or her estate to present the same duly itemized and veri ed to the undersigned Executor or his Attorney on or before the 15th day of September, 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All
THANASSIS STAVRAKIS / AP PHOTO
NORTH CAROLINA, IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE STANLY COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK
25E000299-830 NOTICE TO CREDITORS The undersigned, having duly quali ed as Executrix of the estate of George T. Walters, deceased, late of Stanly County, North Carolina, is hereby notifying all persons, rms, or corporations having claims against said decedent, or his estate, to present the same to the undersigned Executrix, duly itemized and veri ed on or before the 15th day of September, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the said decedent are hereby requested to pay the said indebtedness to the undersigned Executrix. This the 9th day of June, 2025.
Dianne Walters Executrix of the Estate of George T. Walters 24484 Rogers Road Rich eld, NC 28137
PUBLISH: June 15, 22, 29, July 6, 2025
James A. Phillips, Jr. Attorney for the Estate P.O. Box 1162 117 W. North Street Albemarle, NC 28002-1162
NOTICE
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IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT – JUVENILE DIVISION FILES 25JT 27-30 NORTH CAROLINA – STANLY COUNTY TO CHRISTOPHER CARPENTER, Father of three children: a female child
A.M.C. born 7/24/2017; a female child E.M.C. born 7/16/2018; and a male child
A.A.C. born August 23, 2019 to mother Anna Nicole Gainey. And TO the UNKNOWN Father of a female child M.L.G. born 5/23/2022 to mother Anna Nicole Gainey. Take notice that a Petition to TERMINATE PARENTAL RIGHTS of you has been led in the above-entitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is to terminate the parental rights of each and every parent to the minor children named herein. You are required to answer the petition within 30 days after the date of the rst publication of this notice, exclusive of such date, and upon your failure to do so, Petitioner will apply to the Court for the relief sought, and your parental rights to the juvenile will be terminated. This the 15th day of June, 2025. Valeree Adams, Attorney for Stanly County DSS, 1000 N. First St, Suite 2, Albemarle NC 28001 – 704-9826100
Republican tax bill would ease regulations on suppressors, short-barreled ri es, shotguns
It would drop the $200 NFA tax stamp for silencers and SBRs
By Mary Clare Jalonick
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The massive tax and spending cuts package — the “Big Beautiful Bill” — that President Donald Trump wants on his desk by July 4 would loosen regulations on gun silencers and certain types of ri es and shotguns, advancing a longtime priority of the gun industry as Republican leaders in the House and Senate try to win enough votes to pass the bill.
The guns provision was rst requested in the House by Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde, a Republican gun store owner who had initially opposed the larger tax package. The House bill would remove silencers — more accurately called “suppressors” — from a 1930s National Firearms Act or NFA law that regulates certain types of rearms, eliminating a $200 tax and considerable paperwork.
The Senate kept the provision on silencers in its version of the bill and expanded upon it, adding short-barreled ri es and shotguns.
Republicans who have long supported the changes, along with the gun industry, say the tax infringes on Second Amendment rights. They say silencers are mostly used by hunters and target shooters for sport.
“Burdensome regulations and unconstitutional taxes shouldn’t stand in the way of protecting American gun owners’ hearing,” said Clyde, who owns two gun stores in Georgia and often wears a pin shaped like an assault ri e on his suit lapel.
Democrats are ghting to stop the provision, which was unveiled days after two Minnesota state legislators were shot in their homes, as the bill speeds through the Senate. They argue
that loosening regulations on silencers could make it easier for criminals and active shooters to conceal their weapons.
“Parents don’t want silencers on their streets, police don’t want silencers on their streets,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
Many European countries, even those with strong gun control laws, require silencers to be used when hunting to cut down on noise pollution.
The gun language has broad support among Republicans and has received little attention as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) work to settle di erences within the party on cuts to Medicaid and energy tax credits, among other issues. But it is just one of hundreds of policy and spending items included to entice members to vote for the legislation that could have broad implications if the bill is enacted within weeks, as Trump wants.
Inclusion of the provision is also a sharp turn from the climate in Washington just three years ago when Democrats, like Republicans now, controlled Congress and the White House
“Burdensome
regulations and unconstitutional taxes shouldn’t stand in the way of protecting American gun owners’ hearing.”
Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.)
and pushed through bipartisan gun legislation. The bill increased background checks for some buyers under the age of 21, made it easier to take rearms from potentially dangerous people and sent millions of dollars to mental health services in schools. Passed in the summer of 2022, just weeks after the shooting of 19 children and two adults at a school in Uvalde, Texas, it was the most signi cant legislative response to gun violence in decades.
Three years later, as they try to take advantage of their consolidated power in Washington, Republicans are packing as many of their longtime
Gun silencers on display at the Sig Sauer booth at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show in Las Vegas in 2016.
priorities as possible, including the gun legislation, into the massive, wide-ranging bill that Trump has called “beautiful.”
“I’m glad the Senate is joining the House to stand up for the Second Amendment and our Constitution, and I will continue to ght for these priorities as the Senate works to pass President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill,” said Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who was one of the lead negotiators on the bipartisan gun bill in 2022 but is now facing a primary challenge from the right in his bid for reelection next year.
If the gun provisions remain in the larger legislation and it is passed, silencers and the short-barrel ri es and shotguns would lose an extra layer of regulation that they are subject to under the National Firearms Act, passed in the 1930s in response to concerns about maa violence. They would still be subject to the same regulations that apply to most other gun purchases and transfers.
Larry Keane of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, who supports the legislation, says changes are aimed at helping target shooters and hunters protect their hearing. He argues
Telescope with largest digital camera ever built releases rst shots of universe
The observatory is built on a mountaintop in Chile
By Adithi Ramakrishnan
The Associated Press
THE LARGEST digital camera ever built released its rst shots of the universe on Monday — including colorful nebulas, stars and galaxies.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, located on a mountaintop in Chile, was built to take a deeper look at the night sky, covering hidden corners. Funded by the U.S. National Science Founda-
that the use of silencers in violent crimes is rare. “All it’s ever intended to do is to reduce the report of the rearm to hearing safe levels,” Keane says.
Speaking on the oor before the bill passed the House, Rep. Clyde said the bill restores Second Amendment rights from “over 90 years of draconian taxes.” Clyde said Johnson included his legislation in the larger bill “with the purest of motive.”
“Who asked for it? I asked,” said Clyde, who ultimately voted for the bill after the gun silencer provision was added.
Clyde was responding to Rep. Maxwell Frost, a 28-year-old Florida Democrat, who went to the oor and demanded to know who was responsible for the gun provision. Frost, who was a gun-control activist before being elected to Congress, called himself a member of the “mass shooting generation” and said the bill would help “gun manufacturers make more money o the death of children and our people.”
Among other concerns, control advocates say less regulation for silencers could make it harder for law enforcement to stop an active shooter.
“There’s a reason silencers have been regulated for nearly a century: They make it much harder for law enforcement and bystanders to react quickly to gunshots,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. Schumer and other Democrats are trying to convince the Senate parliamentarian to drop the language as she reviews the bill for policy provisions that aren’t budget-related.
“Senate Democrats will ght this provision at the parliamentary level and every other level with everything we’ve got,” Schumer said earlier this month. However, as the primary mechanism of the law is a $200 tax stamp, it’s likely that the language will pass parliamentarian muster.
tion and U.S. Department of Energy, it will survey the southern sky for the next 10 years.
The observatory’s rst look features the vibrant Tri d and Lagoon nebulas located thousands of light-years from Earth. A light-year is nearly 6 trillion miles. A gaggle of galaxies known as the Virgo Cluster were also captured, including two bright blue spirals.
The observatory hopes to image 20 billion galaxies and discover new asteroids and other celestial objects.
The e ort is named after astronomer Vera Rubin, who offered the rst tantalizing evidence that a mysterious force called dark matter might be lurking in the universe. Researchers hope the observatory’s discerning camera may yield clues about this elusive entity along with another called dark energy.
JOHN LOCHER / AP PHOTO
An image shows a small section of the observatory’s total view of the Virgo cluster.
PHOTOS BY NSF-DOE VERA C. RUBIN OBSERVATORY VIA AP Left, 678 separate images taken by the observatory in just over seven hours of observing time
way that reveals otherwise faint or invisible details, such as the clouds of gas and dust
nebula (top right) and the Lagoon nebula, which are several thousand light-years away from Earth. Right, a small section of the observatory’s total view of the Virgo cluster.
this week in history
Globe Theatre burns, iPhone debuts, Jim Morrison dies at 27, America declares independence
JUNE 29
1613: London’s original Globe Theatre, where many of Shakespeare’s plays were performed, was destroyed by a re sparked by a cannon shot during a performance of Henry VIII.
1767: Britain approved the Townshend Revenue Act, which imposed import duties on glass, paint, oil, lead, paper and tea shipped to the American colonies.
1776: The Virginia state constitution was adopted, and Patrick Henry was made governor.
2007: The rst version of the iPhone went on sale to the public; more than 2.3 billion iPhones have been sold since.
JUNE 30
1918: Labor activist and socialist Eugene V. Debs was arrested in Cleveland, charged under the Espionage Act of 1917 for a speech he’d made two weeks earlier denouncing U.S. involvement in World War I.
1934: Adolf Hitler launched his “blood purge” of political and military rivals in Germany in what came to be known as the “Night of the Long Knives.”
1936: Margaret Mitchell’s novel “Gone With the Wind” was released.
JULY 1
1863: The pivotal, three-day Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, resulting in a Union victory, began in Pennsylvania.
1867: Canada became a self-governing dominion of Great Britain as the British North America Act took effect. The national holiday is now known as Canada Day.
1903: The rst Tour de France began.
Margaret Mitchell’s novel “Gone With the Wind” was published on June 30, 1934. The 1939 lm adaptation would go on to become the highest-grossing movie of all time when adjusted for in ation.
JULY 2
1776: The Continental Congress passed a resolution saying that “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States.”
1881: President James A. Gar eld was shot by Charles J. Guiteau.
1964: President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the civil rights bill passed by Congress, prohibiting discrimination and segregation based on race, color, sex, religion or national origin.
JULY 3
1863: The pivotal three-day Civil War Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania ended in a major victory for the North as Confederate troops failed to breach Union positions during an assault known as Pickett’s Charge.
1775: Gen. George Washington took command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts.
1944: Soviet forces recaptured Minsk from the Germans during World War II.
1971: Singer Jim Morrison of The Doors died in Paris at age 27.
JULY 4
1776: The Declaration of Independence was adopted by del-
egates to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia.
1802: The United States Military Academy o cially opened at West Point, New York.
1817: Construction of the Erie Canal began in Rome, New York.
1826: Former presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
1855: The rst edition of Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” was published.
JULY 5
1687: Isaac Newton rst published his “Principia Mathematica,” outlining his mathematical principles of natural philosophy.
1811: Venezuela became the rst South American country to declare independence from Spain.
1852: Frederick Douglass delivered his speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” in Rochester, New York.
1975: Arthur Ashe became the rst black man to win a Wimbledon singles title, defeating Jimmy Connors.
1996: Dolly the sheep, the rst mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell, was born in Scotland.
MACMILLAN PUBLISHERS VIA WIKIPEDIA
AP PHOTO
Arthur Ashe, right, shakes hands with Jimmy Connors after defeating him in the nal match of the men’s singles championship at Wimbledon in England on July 5, 1975.
