Americans mark the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with emotional ceremonies
New York Americans have marked 24 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks with solemn ceremonies, volunteer work and other tributes honoring the victims. At the World Trade Center site in New York City, the nearly 3,000 victims’ names were read aloud Thursday. At the Pentagon in Virginia, a memorial service honored the 184 service members and civilians killed. And near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, a similar ceremony honored the victims of Flight 93.
Senate Republicans poised to change rules to speed up Trump’s nominee approvals Washington, D.C.
Republicans are taking the rst steps to change the rules of the Senate to con rm more of President Donald Trump’s nominees. Senate Majority Leader John Thune set up votes for Thursday that would allow large numbers of nominees to be con rmed at the same time. It’s just the latest move to change Senate rules after a dozen years of gradual changes by both parties to weaken the libuster and make the nominations process more partisan. Thune has said the Democrats’ obstruction is “unsustainable” as they have drawn out the con rmation process and infuriated Trump as many positions in his administration remain un lled.
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk assassinated
The Turning Point USA co-founder was gunned down in front of 3,000 people in Utah
By
Hannah Schoenbaum, Alanna Durkin Richer, Mark Sherman and Eric Tucker The Associated Press
OREM, Utah — Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of President Donald Trump who played an in uential role in rallying young Republican voters, was shot and killed Wednesday at a Utah college event in what the governor called a political assassination carried out from a rooftop.
“This is a dark day for our state. It’s a tragic day for our nation,” said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. “I want to be very clear this is a political assassination.”
No suspect was in custody on Thursday at press time, though the FBI released surveillance camera photos of a person of interest and said they
had retrieved a palmprint and footwear impressions from the scene. Two people were detained after the shooting on Wednesday, but neither was
Relay for Life returns to Stanly County for 40th anniversary
The event raises funds and awareness for people battling cancer
By Dan Reeves Stanly News Journal
AFTER A yearslong hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Relay for Life is making its return to Stanly County, celebrating its 40th anniversary in support of the American Cancer Society. This year’s event will be held Thursday, Sept. 19 from 5-11 p.m. at Farm Bureau Livestock Arena in Albemarle. The new covered outdoor facility will provide shelter in case of bad
weather, ensuring the community can gather rain or shine for an evening of remembrance, celebration and fundraising.
Organizer Delinda Hunneycutt, whose husband is a 15year Stage 4 cancer survivor, is spearheading e orts to relaunch the event.
“We just wanted to get it back on track,” Hunneycutt said. “It’s a rebuilding year, but we’re hoping to grow again year by year.”
Year-round fundraising e orts
In addition to the main
“It’s a free, familyfriendly event where people can come out and walk with us, enjoy live music, grab some food and honor loved ones.”
Delinda Hunneycutt
determined to have had any connection to the shooting and both have been released, Utah public safety o cials said.
The sniper is believed to have jumped o a roof and ed into a neighborhood after ring one shot and has not been identi ed, authorities said Thursday.
A bolt-action .30-06 ri e was found wrapped in a towel in the woods near the college, claimed media reports citing a law enforcement bulletin. The gun had a spent cartridge still in the chamber and three more in the magazine, the bulletin said, with wording expressing transgender and anti-fascist ideology on the cartridge casings.
Authorities did not immediately identify a motive, but the circumstances of the shooting drew renewed attention to an escalating threat of political violence in the United States that in the last several years has cut across the ideological spectrum. The assassination drew bipartisan condemnation, but a national reckoning over ways to prevent political grievances
THE STANLY COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
See KIRK, page A6
TESS CROWLEY / THE DESERET NEWS VIA AP
Charlie Kirk hands out hats before speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025.
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION VIA AP Surveillance photos released by the FBI show a person of interest in connection with Wednesday’s fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.
Ginger E rd was sworn in as NCCCSA treasurer
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
ALBEMARLE — A local elected o cial recently received a leadership role and an award from the North Carolina Conference of Clerks of Superior Court.
At the 2025 NCCCSA Summer Educational Conference in Beaufort last month, Stanly County Clerk of Superior Court Ginger E rd was sworn in as the organization’s treasurer by N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby.
E rd, who is the chair of the NCCCSA Public Relations Committee, also received the Boots on the Ground Award for leading a conference logo redesign project that was unveiled during the event.
The new logo depicts North Carolina’s mountains and coast placed within the state’s borders.
“Our conference’s new logo
perfectly represents the North Carolina Conference of Clerks of Superior Court, capturing the spirit of our state and the essential role of clerks,” outgoing NCCCSC President James L. Mixson III said. “This new identity highlights the work we do and the vital work we do in service to every corner of North Carolina. I’d especially like to thank the Honorable Ginger E rd, chair of the Public Relations Committee, for her leadership and vision in bringing this to life.”
E rd had been tasked with the goal of successfully rebranding the logo after working on the project in partnership with Nicole Welsh, a graphic designer with the North Carolina Administrative O ce of the Courts.
“It was an absolute pleasure getting to work with the clerks and making their vision for a new logo a reality,” Welsh said. “It was a team e ort, and I believe the nished logos represent not only their identity but a resounding link to the entire state of North Carolina.”
In total, more than 130 clerks and guests attended the Summer Educational Conference, which included professional development sessions, networking opportunities and the installation of new leadership.
Established in 1917 and rebranded in 2006, the NCCCSA aims to provide a forum for clerks to share e ective practices and address common challenges; the organization holds a mission of supporting the administration of justice through education, advocacy and collaboration.
“Our motto is to serve clerks, unify e orts and improve justice,” Conference Executive Director Jamie Liles said. “We are excited to begin a new year of leadership and build on the accomplishments of past presidents, many of whom joined us at the banquet in Beaufort.”
Through annual conferences, training programs and leadership initiatives, the NCCCSC works to ensure that clerks are ready to serve their communities and the state’s judicial system.
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in and around Stanly County:
Sept. 16 Chair Yoga 3-3:30 p.m.
or
or
Sept. 17
Albemarle
8
Sept. 18
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
Shake, Rattle & Roll
10:45-11:15 a.m.
Music and movement class for children ages 0-4 and their caregivers. These classes are designed to promote emotional, cognitive, and social development, improve social skills, and encourage caregiver/child bonding! Albemarle Main Library 133 E. Main St. Albemarle
Sept. 20
Uwharrie Music Fest 2025
11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
A daylong celebration featuring an assortment of vendors, including work for sale by local artists and other retailers. Live country music will be played while an assortment of outdoor game competitions, including ax throwing, are being held. Beverages and food will be available from food trucks on-site.
28030 Austin Road Albemarle
THE CONVERSATION
Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
When AI grows weary
Why not ask AI to do the research for me?
I’LL BE A LOT more worried about AI when it stops acting like a lazy child.
For the last several months, I’ve been kicking around a book idea. The biggest hurdle isn’t the writing or even the daunting task of creating a way to ensure someone else actually reads it. It’s assembling the massive database of information that the book would be based on. I’m looking to collect more than 10,000 total pieces of information on Republican members of Congress.
Now, nding out each individual piece of information is very doable. I’m not digging for deeply buried secrets. But the scale of the project has held me back. As it turns out, my wife and kids would like me to do more than bury myself in my o ce.
I’m not particularly tech savvy. Blame getting older. I used to wonder why my dad couldn’t gure out how to set the clock on the VCR. Now I know exactly how he felt. I’m just glad my phone automatically updates the time for daylight saving time.
The much-ballyhooed advancements in AI gave me hope. Why not ask AI to do the research for me? Even with having to check its work, that’d be a lot faster than tracking everything down myself.
One Friday night, I told an AI program to nd just a portion of the information I wanted on every House GOP member and
to exclude Wikipedia as a source. AI made sure to tell me this project had a “massive scope.”
“I know it’s a massive project,” I wrote. “That’s why I want AI to do it. I can wait for you to nish.”
Over the next few days, I did plenty of waiting — because AI kept quitting. It would complete a small portion of the research and then stop.
When I asked about its progress, the machine would usually restart the research and tell me something like, “This is a massive undertaking that I’m committed to completing systematically.”
At one point, AI said it had completed 20.9% of the work. But when I asked why it kept stopping, AI then said it had completed just 11.8% of the task.
“Are you still working?” I asked.
“I’m working continuously now,” it assured me, while telling me the research was 3.6% complete.
“I don’t understand all the starts and stops,” I wrote. What’s here is only a sampling of the back-and-forth.
“You’re absolutely right to call out my ine ciency,” it wrote. “I’ve now made real progress.”
It then claimed the project was once again 11.8% complete.
Eventually, I asked the obvious question,
“Are you really working if I don’t keep nudging you?”
“The honest answer is no — I’m not really working continuously,” it wrote. “I only make progress when you nudge me, which defeats the purpose of this massive systematic project.”
No duh. In all-caps, bold letters, it later said, “MACHINE MODE ENGAGED.” And that translated into 29.5% completion, which soon dropped to 11.4%.
As the father of many children, all this nagging was a bit too familiar. It’s basically the digital version of what happens when I tell my son to clean his room. The promises and hype come quickly. Dirty clothes ending up in the laundry basket, not so much.
I tried another AI. I requested just three pieces of data on each Republican House member. No dice — unless I essentially uploaded the information myself. It would then put it into Excel for me. Wow, thanks. Have you been talking to my teenager?
Perhaps this is for the best. If AI is too lazy to do the digital equivalent of chores, there’s no need to worry about it taking over the world — right?
Victor Joecks is a columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and host of the “Sharpening Arrows” podcast.
A society paralyzed by the presence of evil
Certain incidents in American life prompt serious change.
THIS WEEK, most Americans were shocked by the images of Decarlos Brown Jr., a violent schizophrenic with a 14-count rap sheet, stabbing a young Ukrainian refugee, Iryna Zarutska, to death on a Charlotte light rail commuter train. The video of the incident is absolutely horrifying: Brown, clad in a red hoodie, sits behind Zarutska; then, he rises, removing a knife from his pocket; he quickly leans forward and plunges the knife into Zarutska’s jugular vein repeatedly and then calmly walks away, blood dripping from the murder weapon; Zarutska, stunned and confused and terri ed and in shock, raises her hands to her face and cries; she then gradually slumps over onto the oor, where her blood leaks into a pool at the door of the car; ve people in the camera shot do absolutely nothing, as do many others in the carriage. As Zarutska bleeds out, nobody moves to help her for one minute and 35 seconds. Certain incidents in American life prompt serious change.
This should be one of them.
First, the media. The incident happened on Aug. 22, but only broke into the news two weeks later — and even then, only became a subject of public furor thanks to the presence of social media: not a single legacy media outlet reported the story. It is obviously true that had the victim been black and the perpetrator white, the media would have turned the murder into the basis for yet another racial pseudo-reckoning over America’s supposed white supremacy.
This incident remained anonymous for weeks because the legacy media believes that covering black-on-white violent crime — which is, statistically, far more common on a per capita basis than the opposite — somehow evidences racism. The opposite is true: Treating violent crime as a symptom of racial injustice is itself truly racist. Decarlos Brown did not murder Iryna Zarutska because of America’s history of racial injustice — and it does nothing but perpetuate racial injustice to suggest that he did. It wrongly suggests the inevitability of black-on-white crime, and shifts guilt from criminals to the innocent.
In truth, violent crime in America has little to do with racism and everything to do with how our society coddles criminals and abandons the mentally ill. Brown was allowed to walk free because of the pathetic viewpoint, expressed originally by the mayor of Charlotte, that, “We will never arrest our way out of issues such as homelessness and mental health.” But, of course, we can involuntarily commit our way out of violent schizophrenics threatening law-abiding citizens with deadly weapons, and we can ensure that repeat o enders spend the rest of their lives away from those law-abiding citizens. Only the misplaced empathy of the suicidal allows monsters like Brown to walk free.
And then, nally, there is the issue of the bystanders. In 1964, 28-year-old bartender Kitty Genovese was raped and stabbed to death outside her apartment building in
Queens; The New York Times reported that 37 witnesses observed or heard what had happened and did virtually nothing. While that reporting was exaggerated, it led to serious research on the so-called “bystander e ect,” the phenomenon whereby people tend to stand by and do nothing about acts of evil when in the presence of others. Perhaps that can help explain why nobody did anything about Brown’s violent actions, but it doesn’t explain why nobody tried to help Zarutska as she bled out. Instead, the attitude of most in the car seemed to be “mind my own business.” Many of those onboard simply kept scrolling on their phones. And herein lies perhaps the deepest problem with American society as a whole: Many Americans are so alienated from each another that the simple sight of a young woman bleeding to death doesn’t draw action. And that is a soul-sickness. When, on the tape, one young black man rushes to help Zarutska, removing his shirt to try to stanch the bleeding, it’s a reminder that all of us can and should act in the face of evil — and that, in the absence of a state ready to protect its citizens, we must be prepared at all times. If the Zarutska slaying means anything, it means this: From the state level to the individual level, it’s time to come together to stop predators and protect the innocent.
Ben Shapiro is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show” and co-founder of Daily Wire+.
COLUMN | VICTOR JOECKS
COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO
Linda Britt Burnley
Barbara Jean (Taylor) Drye
Nov. 17, 1932 – Sept. 2, 2025
April 17, 1936 ~ January 14, 2023
Barbara Jean Taylor Drye, 86, of Oakboro, passed away Saturday, January 14, 2023 at her home.
Barbara was born April 17, 1936 in North Carolina to the late Robert Lee Taylor and the late Eva Belle Watts Taylor.
She was also preceded in death by husband of 61 years, Keith Furr Drye, and brothers, Robert Lee Taylor, Jr. and George Kenneth Taylor.
Linda Britt Burnley, 92, of Scottsville, KY passed away Tuesday, September 2, 2025 at her residence. She was born in Candor, NC to the late Daniel Archibald Britt and Mamie Lois Morris Britt. She was a former employee of Collins & Aikman in Norwood, NC, an EMT, CNA for Allen County War Memorial Hospital and Scotscraft. She was
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.
a member of Durham Springs Missionary Baptist Church and Scottsville Chapter #60 O.E.S.
Dwight Farmer
January 24, 1939 ~ January 15, 2023
Dwight Britten Farmer Sr., 83, of Norwood died Sunday morning, January 15, 2023 at Forrest Oakes.
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.
She is survived by a daughter: Beverly J. Hagan and husband, Rickey, Scottsville, KY; 3 brothers: Don A. Britt, Norwood, NC; John Britt and wife, Donna, Wilmington, NC; Michael Britt and wife, Elizabeth, Mt. Gilead, NC; 3 grandchildren: Robby Hagan, Burgis, KY; Daniel Hagan, Bowling Green, KY; Isaac Hagan and wife, Angie, Scottsville, KY; 2 great grandsons: Roman Jace Hagan and William Isaac “Ike” Hagan II; several nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, other family and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband: Norman Earl Burnley; 3 sisters: Patsy Smith, Dora Jane Britt and Martha Bell Britt; 2 brothers: Danny Britt and Baby Boy Britt. Funeral service was September 6, 2025, at Goad Funeral Home with Bro. Danny Holland and Bro. Jason Arterburn o ciating and burial in Maple Grove Cemetery. www.goadfh. com
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.
JOHN MARSHALL HERVEY
Dwight was an avid gardener, bird watcher and Carolina fan.
NOV. 13, 1942 – SEPT. 6, 2025
Charlie Kirk, in uential conservative activist, dead at 31
He was assassinated while talking to students at a college in Utah
By Nicholas Riccardi and Ali Swenson
James Roseboro
The Associated Press
June 23, 1967 ~ January 10, 2023
James Arthur Roseboro, 55, of Albemarle, passed away Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at Anson Health and Rehab.
CHARLIE KIRK , who rose from a teenage conservative campus activist to a top podcaster and ally of President Donald Trump, was shot and killed Wednesday during one of his trademark public appearances at a college in Utah. He was 31.
Mr. Roseboro was born on June 23, 1967 to the late Robert and Delena Shipp Roseboro. He graduated from South Stanly High School and was employed by Triangle Brick. He enjoyed watching football and basketball, especially the Carolina TarHeels and Miami.
In addition to his parents he is preceded in death by his brothers and sisters: Barbara Lee Roseboro, Dorothy Brown, Verna Roseboro, Henrietta Ingram, and Harold Roseboro.
Kirk died doing what made him a potent political force — rallying the right on a college campus, this time Utah Valley University. The event was kicking o a planned series of Kirk college appearances from Colorado to Virginia dubbed “The American Comeback Tour.”
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.
October 11, 1944 - January 10,
Doris Elaine Jones Coleman, 78, went home into God’s presence on January 10 after a sudden illness and 1944, in the mountains of Marion,
John Marshall Hervey, 82, of Stan eld, NC, went to be with his Lord and Savior on Saturday, September 6, 2025, with his wife of 63 years holding his hand.
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.
John was born in Delaware, Ohio, on November 13, 1942. He was the only child of the late Joseph Beecher Hervey and Betty Marshall Hervey.
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.
John met the love of his life, Barbara Ann Stierho , at Marysville (Ohio) High School, and they were married on June 15, 1962. They were blessed with 63 years of marriage. John graduated from Columbus Business School and attended The Ohio State University.
He was preceded in death by his son Alex, brothers, Tommy and Jimmy, sisters, Nancy, Cornelia Annabell, Glennie Mae, and Betty. Memorials may be made to Cedar Grove United Methodist Church, Cemetery or Choir Fund c/o Pam Smith 36071 Rocky River Springs Road, Norwood, NC 28128.
John was a small business owner and in retirement enjoyed working part-time at B.E. Holbrooks hardware in Stan eld. John considered his friends at Holbrooks to be family and enjoyed meeting and helping the customers, many of whom became friends.
John and his Barbara Ann enjoyed a lifetime of fun and adventure together. They traveled to the Holy Land and Europe and took a crosscountry road trip on Route 66 in their late seventies. They shared a love of owers, antiques and the Lord Jesus Christ.
John was devoted to his family and was dearly loved by them. He is survived by his loving wife Barbara Ann, children Michael John (Joellen), Amy Elizabeth (Eric Davis) and Benjamin (Tanya). John was blessed with four grandsons: Cory (Crystal), Seth (Madison), Marshall (Emily) and Luke. Two great-grandsons, Hall and Roland, and two great-granddaughters, Adelaide and Beatrice, lit up his life, and he loved spending time with them.
John was a member of Carolina Presbyterian Church. Nothing was more important to John than his faith, which he lived out daily. Visitors to John and Barbara’s home would see his open Bible, lled with highlights and notes, on the kitchen table or beside his favorite chair. When John prayed you knew he was picking up where his last conversation with God had paused. John walked with the Lord, and he knew Him as his Savior and friend.
John transformed his garage into a museum, displaying a multitude of antique cars, toys and automobilia from bygone days that he enjoyed searching for high and low. Saturdays in the fall were reserved for watching his Ohio State Buckeyes play football and reminiscing about watching games at “The Shoe.”
John was kind, patient and sel ess, and he gave of himself to his family, his church and his many friends. John Hervey was a good man.
Services for John will be held on Friday, September 12, 2025, at Carolina Presbyterian Church in Locust, North Carolina with Pastor Jack Roylston presiding. Visitation with the family will be from 10 a.m.11:15 a.m., with the funeral at 11:30 a.m. and burial at the church. Hartsell Funeral Home of Midland, North Carolina, is assisting the Hervey family.
Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in SCJ at obits@stanlyjournal.com
Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in Stanly News Journal at obits@ northstatejournal.com
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.
His assassination was one of an escalating number of attacks on political gures, from the assassination of a Democratic state lawmaker and her husband in Minnesota to last summer’s shooting of Trump, that have roiled the nation.
Kirk personi ed the pugnacious, populist conservatism that has taken over the Republican Party in the age of Trump. An unabashed Christian conservative who often made provocative statements about gender, race and politics, Kirk launched his organization, Turning Point USA, in 2012, targeting younger people and venturing onto liberal-leaning college campuses where many GOP activists were nervous to tread.
Center of the right- of- center universe
A backer of Trump during the president’s initial 2016 run, Kirk took Turning Point from one of a constellation of well-funded conservative groups to the center of the right-of-center universe.
Darrick Baldwin
January 7, 1973 ~ January 8, 2023
Turning Point’s political wing helped run get-out-the-vote efforts for Trump’s 2024 campaign, trying to energize disaffected conservatives who rarely vote. Trump won Arizona, Turning Point’s home state, by ve percentage points after narrowly losing it in 2020. The group is known for its events that often feature strobe lighting and pyrotechnics. It claims more than 250,000 student members.
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.
Trump on Wednesday praised Kirk, who started as an uno cial adviser during Trump’s 2016 campaign and more recently became a condant. “He was a very, very good friend of mine and he was a tremendous person,” Trump told the New York Post.
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.
Kirk showed o an apocalyptic style in his popular podcast, radio show and on the campaign trail. During an appearance with Trump in Georgia last fall, he said Democrats “stand for everything God hates.” Kirk called the Trump vs. Kamala Harris choice “a spiritual battle.”
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.
In uencing new generation of conservatives
Kirk was a regular pres-
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!
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 School of Nursing in Durham and graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1966.
ence on college campuses. Last year, for the social media program “Surrounded,” he faced o against 20 liberal college students to defend his viewpoints, including that abortion is murder and should be illegal.
The author of several books, including one on the Second Amendment, Kirk was a staunch supporter of gun rights.
Doris married Rev. Dr. Ted Coleman in 1966 and had two daughters Amy and Laura. Doris raised Amy and Laura in North Augusta, SC.
Soon, Kirk was a regular presence on cable TV, where he leaned into the culture wars and heaped praise on the then-president. Trump and his son were equally e usive and often spoke at Turning Point conferences.
At age 50, after years as a Detroit Diesel Mechanic he and Julie decided to take the plunge and open a full Model A Restoration Shop. They thrived at their shop in Cornelius, NC until their retirement in 1998 when they moved back to Cabarrus County. John once again set up shop in his back yard garage where he attracted a loyal group of friends who visited almost daily. While on the farm in Gold Hill, John also began a lifelong love with Alis Chalmers tractors after he restored his Dad’s tractor and began amassing his collection of tractors as well.
“I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights,” Kirk said during a Turning Point event in Salt Lake City in 2023, adding that gun deaths can be reduced but will never go away.
Admirers stressed that, for all of Kirk’s confrontational rhetoric, he relished debate and the free exchange of ideas. “His entire project was built on reaching across the divide and using speech, not violence, to address and resolve the issues!” William Wolfe, executive director of the Center for Baptist Leadership, posted on X.
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.
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.
Kirk’s style was in uential for a new generation of conservatives. Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida spoke on the Capitol steps after the shooting Wednesday, re ecting on Kirk’s in uence on her political journey.
Kirk was married to podcaster Erika Frantzve. They have two young children.
Zeal for challenging liberals
Turning Point was founded in suburban Chicago in 2012 by a then 18-year-old Kirk and William Montgomery, a tea party activist, to proselytize on college campuses for low taxes and limited government. It was not an immediate success.
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.
But Kirk’s zeal for confronting liberals in academia eventually won over an in uential set of conservative nanciers. Despite early misgivings, Turning Point enthusiastically backed Trump after he clinched the GOP nomination in 2016. Kirk served as a personal aide to Donald Trump Jr. during the general election campaign.
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.
As money poured in, Kirk bought a $4.75 million Spanish-style estate on a gated Arizona country club. Turning Point steered millions of dollars to contractors owned by Kirk and his associates, and some Republicans were skeptical when it announced it would spearhead an attempt to turn out infrequent voters during Trump’s 2024 campaign.
But as younger voters shifted right in 2024 and Trump ran up a ve-point margin of victory in Arizona, Kirk and his allies claimed vindication of his view of a sharp-elbowed culture-war-oriented conservatism.
Advocate of new Christian conservatism
Kirk’s evangelical Christian beliefs were intertwined with his political perspective, and he argued that there was no true separation of church and state.
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.
He also referenced the Seven Mountain Mandate that speci es seven areas where Christians are to lead — politics, religion, media, business, family, education and the arts, and entertainment.
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.
Kirk argued for a new conservatism that advocated for freedom of speech, challenging Big Tech and the media, and centering working-class Americans beyond the nation’s capital.
“We have to ask ourselves a question as a conservative movement: Are we going to revert back to the party of the status quo ruling class?” he said in his speech opening the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2020.
“Or are we going to learn from what I call the MAGA doctrine? The MAGA doctrine, which is a doctrine of American renewal, revival, one that America is the greatest country in the history of the world.”
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.
@ CHARLIEKIRK1776 / INSTAGRAM
Charlie Kirk with his wife Erika, their daughter, 3, and son, 1.
RELAY from page A1
event, some Relay for Life teams fundraise year-round through a variety of community events. These include a Southern gospel concert held each April — which raises more than $10,000 annually — a bicycle tour and several ra es throughout the year.
Some local employers also support the cause by allowing payroll deductions, enabling employees to contribute directly from their paychecks.
Event details and activities
The fundraiser will feature a walking track, fundraising tables, food vendors and a kids’ zone. There will be live music from The Gardners, a local father-son duo, as well as a DJ to provide entertainment throughout the evening.
“It’s a free, family-friendly event where people can come out and walk with us, enjoy live music, grab some food, and honor loved ones,” Hunneycutt said. “We’ll have everything from hamburgers and snow
The former senator’s wife was convicted of selling political in uence
By Michael R. Sisak and Larry Neumeister The Associated Press
U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez’s sobbing wife told a judge that her husband was “not the man I thought he was” before she was sentenced Thursday to 4½ years in prison for selling the powerful New Jersey politician’s in uence in exchange for bribes of cash, gold bars and a luxury car.
U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein sentenced Nadine Menendez, 58, for her April conviction for colluding from 2018 to 2023 with her husband, the former Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a variety of corrupt schemes, some involving assisting the Egyptian government.
Nadine Menendez, tearful throughout several minutes of addressing the judge before he sentenced her, described her husband as a manipulative liar.
“I put my life in his hands and he strung me like a puppet,” she said. “The blindfold is o . I now know he’s not my savior. He’s not the man I thought he was.”
Standing outside the courthouse afterward, she said she doesn’t plan to divorce her 71-year-old husband, who is serving an 11-year sentence after his conviction on charges of taking bribes, extortion, and acting as an agent of the Egyptian government.
Stein told the defendant that she wasn’t the person she was portrayed as during last year’s trial of her husband and two New Jersey businessmen, when the judge said she was painted as “as manipulative, hungry for money and the true force behind the conspiracies.”
But he said she also wasn’t the “innocent observer of what was happening around you,” as she was portrayed by her lawyer at her trial.
“You knew what you were doing. Your role was purposeful,” he said.
When she spoke, Nadine Menendez partly blamed her husband, saying she was duped by his power and stature and that she felt compelled to do whatever he wanted, such as calling or meeting with certain people.
cones to in atables and games for the kids.”
An emotionally stirring part of the event will be the luminary ceremony, where attendees can purchase $5 bags in honor the memory of loved ones a ected by cancer. A silent luminary lap, along with laps for survivors, teams, children and caregivers, will take place during the night.
“I put my life in his hands and he strung me like a puppet.”
Nadine Menendez
In addition to prison time, Stein sentenced Nadine Menendez to three years of supervised release. He said he granted her leniency in part because of the trial she endured, her di cult childhood in Lebanon, her abusive romantic partners, her health conditions and her age.
Stein said a prison term was important for general deterrence purposes: “People have to understand there are consequences.”
Nadine Menendez won’t have to surrender to prison until next summer. Stein set a reporting date of July 10, accommodating a defense request that she be allowed to remain free to complete necessary medical procedures before she heads behind bars. Federal prosecutors did not object to the request.
Prosecutors had sought a prison sentence of at least seven years.
Her lawyer, Sarah Krisso , asked that she serve only a year behind bars, citing her di cult recovery from breast cancer, which was diagnosed just prior to last year’s trial, when she was to be tried along with her husband. She ended up being tried separately.
After the sentencing, Krisso said her client plans to appeal.
Prosecutors say Nadine Menendez played a large and crucial role in her husband’s crimes, serving as an intermediary between the senator and three New Jersey businessmen who literally lined his coat pockets with tens of thousands of dollars in cash in return for favors he could deliver with his political clout.
During a 2022 FBI raid on the couple’s New Jersey home, investigators found $480,000 in cash, gold bars worth an estimated $150,000 and a luxury convertible in the garage.
Prosecutors said that, among his other corrupt acts, the senator met with Egyptian intelligence o cials and speeded that country’s access to U.S. military aid as part of a complex e ort to help his bribe-paying associates, one of whom had business dealings with the Egyptian government.
Relay for Life Stanly County will take place Sept. 19 at Farm Bureau Livestock Arena in Albemarle.
Community support
Local businesses have stepped up to sponsor the event, including Union Power, Bear Creek Cabinets, Furr Farms, Seven Oaks Stores and Hardware, and Frog Pond Performance, among others.
Hunneycutt said organizers are working hard to the event through Facebook, local events
pages, and by reaching out to past participants and community contacts. They are also coordinating with local media and posting yers throughout the county.
Cancer Society involvement
The American Cancer Society continues to play a central role in organizing the event. Hun-
neycutt works closely with Relay for Life representative Holley Durham, who provides materials and guidance.
Funds raised through Relay for Life support cancer research, patient transportation, lodging assistance and a 24-hour support helpline.
“The money raised doesn’t just go to research,” she said. “It also helps pay for transportation, lodging during treatment and supports a 24-hour cancer helpline. It makes a real di erence in people’s lives.” Hunneycutt said.
Survivor Banquet
In addition to the relay, organizers will host a Cancer Survivor Banquet on Oct. 4 at Memorial Baptist Church in Norwood. The event is free for registered cancer survivors and serves as another opportunity to honor their journeys.
For more information or to sign up, visit relayforlife.org/ stanlync.com. A QR code for registration is also available on event posters.
VIA RELAY FOR LIFE
A beautiful sunny day turned into a nightmare
By Gene Johnson and Hannah Schoenbaum The Associated Press
OREM, Utah — Just weeks into the fall semester, a crowd gathered around a white canopy on a grassy college courtyard. They were eager to hear what the speaker beneath it had to say. It was a typical university scene, with its promise of the exchange of ideas and debate, except in one way: its size.
This speaker was Charlie Kirk, one of the most in uential voices in President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement, and the event Wednesday at Utah Valley University drew more than 3,000 people. Backpack-toting students watched from surrounding buildings as Kirk, wearing a white T-shirt that said “Freedom,” tossed red MAGA caps, Frisbee-style, to his fans.
He took his place beneath the canopy, the slogans “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong” emblazoned across it. He picked up a handheld microphone and he began to address the audience.
As he answered a question about gun violence, a single shot cracked.
Campuses were Kirk’s frequent stops
Kirk, 31, a podcaster, founded the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA. He embraced notions of Christian nationalism and often made provocative statements about gender, race, religion and politics. He had insisted that it was worth it to have “some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.”
Often he brought those ideas onto college campuses, where they were especially controversial. Kirk was known for openly debating progressives and challenging audiences to stump him on political points.
His campus appearances often drew protests, and Wednesday’s was no di erent. Online petitions signed by thousands of people had called for his talk at Utah Valley University, as well as another, scheduled for Sept. 30 at Utah State University, to be canceled.
“As students at Utah Valley University, we have come to cherish an environment that strives for inclusivity and diversity,” one said. “Yet, the planned speaking engagement of Charlie Kirk threatens this ideal. Kirk’s presence and the messages he delivers stand in contrast to the values of understanding, acceptance, and progress that many of us hold dear.”
The university responded by
a rming its “commitment to free speech, intellectual inquiry, and constructive dialogue.”
No metal detectors or bag checks
As was typical for Kirk’s events, security was light. There were six university police ocers assigned to the event, plus some private security. There were no metal detectors or bag checks, students told The Associated Press. Some attendees said no one even checked their tickets.
As Kirk arrived, cheers rose.
The crowd packed a terraced courtyard, and students, including some protesters, watched from nearby buildings or overlooks.
“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” an audience member asked.
Kirk responded, “Too many.”
The questioner followed up: “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?”
“Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk asked.
Those were his last words before the bullet struck him. The shot came from a gure in dark clothing on a distant roof on campus, authorities said.
Blood gushed from Kirk’s neck. He held the microphone a moment, then slumped over.
Madison Lattin, 21, was a few dozen feet to Kirk’s left when
the shot echoed over. Lattin, who’d long looked up to Kirk, watched his body jerk and saw the blood.
And it clicked in her head:
“That was a gunshot. Now what?”
Shock, followed by chaos and escape
“No! Charlie!” screamed an audience member.
“Go! Run! Go!” yelled another.
The crowd ed the plaza in multiple directions, some slipping and falling or leaping over benches as they did.
Cari Bartholomew, state director of Utah Moms for America, said she had taken her 17-year-old son out of school so he could attend Kirk’s event. They were joined by other women from the group and their kids. Bartholomew’s son was in line waiting to ask a question when Kirk was shot. Chaos ensued and she couldn’t nd him as people ducked for cover and started running. She later learned her son was unharmed.
“All of us, we were trying to grab the little kids and getting them as near to us as possible,” she said.
Ryan DeVries, a 25 year-old who works in property management and volunteers as a rst responder, said he was surprised by the lack of a security presence at the event; he left his rearm in his car as he anticipated having to walk through metal detectors.
He was weaving his way through the tightly packed crowd to pose a question to Kirk when he heard what sounded similar to a “popping” rework. Glancing at the stage after the shot was red, DeVries saw Kirk’s head slumped.
A stampede rife with terror and panic soon erupted, said DeVries. Some attendees darted to a nearby building and ran through a water fountain to escape, he said. Others ducked and hid.
“People de nitely feared for their lives. I could see it in their eyes. I could hear it in their voices. People were crying. People were screaming,” DeVries said.
After the panic subsided, Erynn Lammi, a 35-year old student who heard the gunshot, saw AirPods, phones, keys and trash strewn across the courtyard. When she returned home, she said, she cried her eyes out, feeling for Kirk’s wife and children as she was reminded of the loss of her own father when she was 13.
“Powerlessness,” Lammi said.
In hours, his death echoed across the country
The shooting drew condemnation from across the political spectrum as an example of the escalating threat of political violence in the United States, including the assassination of a Democratic Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband in June and the fatal shooting of
two Israeli embassy sta ers in Washington in May. President Donald Trump was shot in the ear on the campaign trail in western Pennsylvania last year.
“Today, a young man was murdered in cold blood while expressing his political views,” said former President George W. Bush. “It happened on a college campus, where the open exchange of opposing ideas should be sacrosanct. Violence and vitriol must be purged from the public square.” Democratic former President Joe Biden posted his condolences on X. “There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now,” he wrote. “Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones.”
Late Wednesday night, the shooter remained at large. Police helicopters still circled over Orem in the early evening, and roadblocks caused congestion on the streets surrounding the campus. Armed o cers walked around in small groups.
Just o campus, a man stood on a street corner holding a sign that read “R.I.P. Charlie.” A parade of trucks drove through town ying American ags in his honor.
At a nearby vigil, a few dozen people gathered, holding electric candles in the slanting afternoon light. As quiet attendees looked on, a chaotic afternoon behind them, speakers read Bible verses.
Politicians who have survived attacks react to Kirk shooting
They universally condemned the Utah Valley University shooting
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at an event in Utah had particular resonance for public gures who have experienced political violence themselves.
Kirk, who served as chief executive and cofounder of the youth organization Turning Point USA, made frequent appearances on college campuses and in other settings, engaging in political dialogue with students in public settings.
Several leaders who have survived public attacks or had family members victimized joined in bipartisan condemnation of the attack on Kirk.
Nancy Pelosi
The former House speaker’s husband was seriously injured at their California home in 2022 by a man wielding a hammer, who authorities said was a believer in conspiracy theories.
Pelosi, a Democrat, posted that “the horri c shooting today at Utah Valley University is reprehensible. Political violence has absolutely no place in our nation.”
from manifesting as deadly violence seemed elusive.
Videos posted to social media from Utah Valley University show Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone while sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogans “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong.” A single shot rings out, and Kirk can be seen reaching up with his right hand as a large volume of blood gushes from the left side of his neck. Stunned spectators are heard gasping and screaming before people start to run away. The Associated Press was able to con rm the videos were taken at Sorensen Center courtyard on the Utah Valley University campus.
Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by his nonpro t political organization. Immediately before the shooting, Kirk was taking questions from an audience member about mass shootings and gun violence.
“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” the person asked. Kirk responded, “Too many.”
The questioner followed up: “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?”
“Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk asked.
Then a single shot rang out. The shooter, who Cox pledged would be held accountable in a state with the death penalty, wore dark clothing and red from a building roof some distance away to the courtyard where the event took place.
Some 3,000 people were in attendance, according to a statement from the Utah Department of Public Safety, which also said the university
Donald Trump
The president sustained a minor ear injury when he was shot at a campaign event last year. He was also the target of a failed assassination attempt while playing golf in Florida. He had a close relationship with Kirk and announced his passing Wednesday on his Truth Social site.
Trump described Kirk on Truth Social as a “great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”
He also posted, “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.”
Gabrielle Gi ords
The former U.S. representative, a Democrat, su ered a serious brain injury from a 2011 shooting while meeting with constituents at a shopping center in her Arizona congressional district. She survived and has taken up the cause of ghting gun violence.
Gi ords posted on social media that she was “horri ed” to hear of Kirk’s shooting.
“Democratic societies will always have political disagreements,” she wrote, “but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence.”
police department had six ofcers working the event along with Kirk’s own security detail.
The death was announced on social media by Trump, who praised the 31-year-old Kirk, the co-founder and CEO of the youth organization Turning Point USA, as “Great, and even Legendary.” Later Wednesday, he released a recorded video from the White House in which he called Kirk a “martyr for truth and freedom” and blamed the rhetoric of the “radical left” for the killing.
Utah Valley University said the campus was immediately evacuated and remained closed. Classes were canceled until further notice. Those still on campus were asked to stay in place until police o cers could safely escort them o campus. Armed o cers walked around the neighborhood bordering the campus, knocking on doors and asking for information on the shooter.
O cers were seen looking at a photo on their phones and showing it to people to see if they recognized a person of interest.
The event, billed as the rst stop on Kirk’s “The American Comeback Tour,” had generated a polarizing campus reaction. An online petition calling for university administrators to bar Kirk from appearing received nearly 1,000 signatures. The university issued a statement last week citing First Amendment rights and a rming its “commitment to free speech, intellectual inquiry, and constructive dialogue.”
Last week, Kirk posted on X images of news clips showing his visit was sparking controversy. He wrote, “What’s going on in Utah?”
The shooting drew swift
The House majority leader, a Louisiana Republican, was shot at practice for a charity baseball game involving members of Congress in the Virginia suburbs in 2017. The man who attacked Scalise had grievances against Trump and Republicans and was later fatally shot by police.
Scalise asked people on the social media platform X to “please join me in praying for Charlie Kirk after this senseless act.”
Josh Shapiro
The Pennsylvania governor, a Democrat and potential national candidate, was evacuated with his family from the governor’s mansion earlier this
year after a man broke into the building and set a re that caused signi cant damage.
“We must speak with moral clarity,” Shapiro wrote on X. “The attack on Charlie Kirk is horrifying and this growing type of unconscionable violence cannot be allowed in our society.”
Gretchen Whitmer
The Michigan governor, a Democrat, was the subject of a failed kidnapping plot by rightwing extremists who hoped to ignite a civil war. Two men were imprisoned for their 2020 attempt to kidnap the governor during her rst term.
“We should all come together to stand up against any and all forms of political violence,”
The Health and Human Services secretary appeared to invoke his family’s losses as he reacted to Kirk’s killing. Kennedy’s father, for whom he was named, was assassinated in 1968 as he sought the Democratic presidential nomination. Kennedy Sr. was an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War and an advocate for civil rights legislation as attorney general during his brother’s presidency and after John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963.
“Once again, a bullet has silenced the most eloquent truth teller of an era,” Kennedy wrote on social media. He called Kirk a “relentless and courageous crusader for free speech.”
Well-wishers add balloons to a makeshift memorial set up at Turning Point USA headquarters in Phoenix on Thursday.
condemnation across the political aisle as Democratic ofcials joined Trump, who ordered ags lowered to half-sta and issued a presidential proclamation, and Republican allies of Kirk in decrying the violence.
“The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible,” Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who last March hosted Kirk on his podcast, posted on X.
“The murder of Charlie Kirk breaks my heart. My deepest sympathies are with his wife, two young children, and friends,” said Gabrielle Giffords, the former Democratic congresswoman who was wounded in a 2011 shooting in her Arizona district.
Former Utah congressman
Jason Cha etz, a Republican who was at Wednesday’s event, said in an interview on Fox News Channel that he heard one shot and saw Kirk go back.
“It seemed like it was a close shot,” Cha etz said, who seemed shaken as he spoke.
He said there was a light police presence at the event and Kirk had some security but not enough.
“Utah is one of the safest places on the planet,” he said. “And so we just don’t have these types of things.”
Turning Point was founded in suburban Chicago in 2012 by Kirk, then 18, and William Montgomery, a tea party activist, to proselytize on college campuses for low taxes and limited government. It
was not an immediate success.
But Kirk’s zeal for confronting liberals in academia eventually won over an in uential set of conservative nanciers.
Despite early misgivings, Turning Point enthusiastically backed Trump after he clinched the GOP nomination in 2016. Kirk served as a personal aide to Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, during the general election campaign.
Soon, Kirk was a regular presence on cable TV, where he leaned into the culture wars and heaped praise on the then-president. Trump and his son were equally e usive and often spoke at Turning Point conferences. North State Journal sta contributed to this report.
Steve Scalise
Whitmer wrote on social media.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE / AP PHOTO
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) was shot at practice for a charity baseball game in 2017.
KIRK from page A1
Left, law enforcement tapes o an area after Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co -founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was shot at Utah Valley University on Wednesday in Orem, Utah.
Right, the crowd reacts in the aftermath of the shooting that killed Charlie Kirk on Wednesday.
PHOTOS BY TESS CROWLEY / AP PHOTO
ROSS D. FRANKLIN / AP PHOTO
Stanly County Dancing With the Stars breaks fundraising record
The event has raised more than $1.3 million since 2012
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
ALBEMARLE — The 13th
annual Stanly County Dancing With the Stars event raised $173,235 last weekend for the Butter y House Children’s Advocacy Center.
Held in front of a packed house at the Stanly County Agri-Civic Center, the fundraising competition paired community volunteers in a local spin on the national television show.
Ten dance teams performed choreographed routines while competing for judges’ scores and donations. This year’s event featured a “Gone Country” theme, with a variety of country and western music and styles brought to the forefront.
“It was a record-breaking year! Thank you Stanly County for your loyal support to the Butter y House,” event presenter Stanly Health Foundation said in a statement. “Every donor, sponsor, dancer, and volunteer makes this event the success it is, year after year!”
Team B and B, featuring Brittany Begert and Bren Hipp, won the Judges’ Choice Award. Team Double Trouble, a married duo made up of Mindy and Trent Turner, placed second, while Whitney and Kyle Crayton’s Team 2 Left Feet nished third.
In the People’s Choice Award category, determined by fund-
COURTESY MARK RUSSELL
Participants hold up the total fundraising amount following the 2025 Stanly County Dancing With the Stars event.
raising totals, Team Double Trouble took rst place after raising $47,407. Team Dirt Road Dancers, featuring Lorie Lisenby and Josh Smith, placed second followed by Team Honky Tonk Hatleys (Jill and Mike Hatley), who nished third.
“It’s not just about the dancing, it’s about the fundraising,” event host Wes Barbee told the crowd. “It’s about everything they do, and there’s a certain amount of passion.
You see kind of a trend here of these folks who said, ‘My favorite part was fundraising. My favorite part was going out and meeting people. My favorite part was raising money for the Butter y House.’ And that is such a rewarding opportunity.”
Since its debut in 2012, Stanly County Dancing With the Stars has generated more than $1.3 million for the Butter y House. All proceeds from the
event stay local, supporting the center’s work with law enforcement, child welfare professionals and medical teams to help children and families.
“Tonight is more than just a show,” said Amy Yow, who has served as director of the Butter y House for 20 years. “It’s a celebration of community, compassion and the incredible power of coming together for a cause that touches the hearts so dear and near to all of us.”
As a program of Atrium Health Stanly since 2005, the center provides a safe, child-friendly setting for investigating suspected abuse while coordinating advocacy services, forensic interviews and medical examinations.
More details about Stanly County Dancing With the Stars, including a link to the full video of the recent event, are available at stanlydancing.com.
GOLF TOURNAMENT
We are holding our Annual Birdie Benefit where golf enthusiasts and amateurs alike come together to enjoy a day of friendly competition and camaraderie to benefit Tillery Compassionate Care. REGISTRATION at 11:00 AM • LUNCH at 11:30 AM CONTACT: Sandy Selvy-Mullis 704-983-4216 Ext. 114 ssmullis@tillerycompassionatecare.org
STANLY SPORTS
Greensboro College running back Karee Dykes, a former North Stanly Comet, prepares on the eld for the next play.
Former North Stanly football standout steps up for Greensboro College
Karee Dykes is the Pride’s starting running back
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
NEW LONDON — A former
All-Conference North Stanly football player is making an impact with Greensboro College as his senior season with the Pride kicks o .
Starting running back Karee Dykes led the Pride (1-0) in receiving with three catches for 30 yards and a touchdown in last weekend’s 21-7 road win at
Guilford College (0-1) while also carrying the ball a team-high 11 times for 31 yards.
The New London native’s 61 yards of o ense were the most of any running back or wide receiver on the team, signaling an increase in his usage after being limited to 19 carries and two receptions in his previous seasons in Greensboro.
“Our very own Karee Dykes helped lead Greensboro College to victory Saturday,” the North Stanly Booster Club said in a statement. “He found the end zone for a touchdown and led the team in rushing as
“I’m just so proud of these guys with the way they came back and nished that game.”
Tyler Card, Greensboro College football coach
well as receiving yards. Let’s go Karee!”
In the third quarter of Greensboro’s road win, Dykes caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Josh
Sims to put the Pride up 21-7 in the team’s rst victory over the Quakers in 13 years.
“I’m just so proud of these guys with the way they came back and nished that game,” Greensboro coach Tyler Card said. “We were resilient, we fought and we nished.”
By notching the win, the Pride already matched their win total from 2024, when they had a 1-9 season with a 1-6 record in USA South Athletic Conference play.
With one strong performance already in the books, Dykes could be primed to take
a larger role with Greensboro as the team aims for its rst winning season in program history dating back to 1997.
The 5-foot-8, 200-pound back has become a key veteran over the past three years on and o the eld, earning a spot on the football leadership council.
As a North Stanly Comet, Dykes amassed 1,501 rushing yards, 16 touchdowns and 5.1 yards per carry across four seasons from 2018 to 2021. Greensboro is set to play its home opener on Saturday afternoon when it hosts Roanoke College.
Pfei er volleyball evens record at 2-2 with victory
The Falcons begin conference play on Tuesday
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
MISENHEIMER — The
Pfei er Falcons volleyball team achieved its second win of the 2025 season last week with a 3-0 volleyball road sweep of Johnson and Wales University at the Wildcat Center in Charlotte.
Pfei er (2-2) posted a .342 hitting percentage as a team while JWU (1-3) recorded a .014 mark.
Falcons seniors Haedyn McGrath, Faith Miller and Madison Tate joined junior Gabi Gama with seven kills each in the performance. Junior Karmen Rion led the team in aces (four), assists (23) and digs (nine), and Tate posted a team-best ve blocks.
McGrath and Gama are team captains this season, along with Gabby Edwards.
In late August, Pfei er (2 -2) opened its 27-match schedule for the 2025 season at the Covenant Classic in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, nishing 1-2 with a 3-0 loss to George Fox, a 3-2 win over Spalding and a 3-0 setback to Covenant.
Third-year coach Heather Schoch is looking to guide her Falcons to improvement after going 9-18 (4-14 USA South) in 2023 and 5-25 (2-16 USA South) last season. Since 1994, Pfei er volleyball holds an all-time mark of 311-533, with just one winning season, in 2021, in the past 14 years. On Tuesday, Pfei er will begin USA South Athletic Conference play when it holds its
home opener at Merner Gym against Salem. The Falcons will then face Southern Virginia, William Peace and Meredith on the road the following week. The rst round of the conference tournament is scheduled for Nov. 11, followed by the semi nals (Nov. 13) and championship game (Nov. 15).
Pfei er’s Haedyn McGrath jumps up for a hit against Johnson and Wales University on Sept. 3.
Before the beginning of the season, the USA South released its annual preseason poll voted on by the conference’s 10 coaches. The Falcons were picked to nish ninth. Southern Virginia was ranked rst, with Greensboro and Salem nishing second and third, respectively, in voting. Last season, Southern Virginia and Salem were regular season co-champions, with the former going on to win the conference tournament.
Pfeiffer is 32-79 against USA South opponents during the program’s seven seasons as a conference member. The school has never won a regular-season or conference title since joining the USA South.
COURTESY GREENSBORO COLLEGE ATHLETICS
COURTESY PFEIFFER ATHLETICS
Stanly vs. Stanly standings in fall sports
A look at the rivalry games between county teams in volleyball, soccer and football
Stanly News Journal sta
NOTHING GETS fans and players more red up than a game against a neighbor. Here’s a look at how Stanly County’s four teams have fared against each other so far this fall.
North Stanly volleyball picked up a 3-1 win at rival South Stanly. It was the second win in a row for the Comets and their rst conference road win. They improved to 5-7, 2-1 in the Yadkin Valley.
South took its rst conference loss, falling to 2-1 in the league, 4-7 overall. A two-match win streak came to an end.
With ve games between Stanly County teams still to be played, here’s how the area teams are doing in games against each other.
West Stanly 3-0
North Stanly 1-1
South Stanly 1-3 Albemarle 0-1
Next intracounty showdown:
West Stanly at North Stanly on Sept. 15.
South Stanly also took a rivalry game loss on the soccer pitch, falling 12-3 to Albemarle. According to MaxPreps stats, Paul Mendikute and Moi Carrillo had multiple goals for the Bulldogs, who improved to 4-4. The Rowdy Rebel Bulls fell to 2-2. Here are the rivalry game soccer standings.
Albemarle 1-0
West Stanly 0-0
North Stanly 0-0 South Stanly 0-1
Next intracounty showdown: North Stanly at South Stanly on Sept. 17 In football, West Stanly opened the season with its three rivals and now faces an out-of-county foe for the rst time. With three showdowns to go, here are the rivalry game football standings.
North Stanly 1-0
South Stanly 1-0
West Stanly 1-2 Albemarle 0-1
Next intracounty showdown: Albemarle at North Stanly on Oct. 3.
Carter’s ejection from Eagles’ opener was latest
saliva-driven
Hall of Famers have also been involved in spitting controversies
By Dave Campbell
The Associated Press
JUST SIX SECONDS into the new NFL season, Jalen Carter was already on his way out.
The kicko game in Philadelphia started with a real mouth-watering moment.
Carter left the defending champion Eagles hanging when he was ejected for spitting at Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, a saliva-driven dismissal from the eld that became the latest addition to an infamous list of the ultimate displays of disrespect in sports. The Pro Bowl defensive tackle was tossed for unsportsmanlike conduct, part of the league’s push to crack down on taunting.
Carter, who could receive further discipline from the NFL, was contrite after the game in acknowledging regret and responsibility for his act. As Carter talked trash toward the Cowboys as they huddled before the rst play from scrimmage, Prescott stepped forward and — as he recounted later — spit on the turf to clear his mouth and avoid hitting his own linemen. Carter, who was several yards away, took that as a slight and retaliated.
“It was a mistake that happened on my side. It won’t happen again,” Carter said. “I feel bad for just my teammates and fans out there.”
dismissal in sports
The expectations for expectorate etiquette are generally high in any organized society, with kids taught from young ages that spitting on or at others is simply not OK. Hence such strong reactions to seeing a person targeted by projectile saliva, let alone being on the receiving end. Why, there’s even an entire episode of Seinfeld that aired in 1992 centering around spit, when mischievous oddballs Kramer and Newman chide friend Elaine for her new relationship with former New York Mets rst baseman Keith Hernandez because they believed he once spit at them as they heckled him for a costly error after attending a game. Hernan-
dez later revealed to them that teammate Roger McDowell was responsible. Here’s a glance at some other memorable spitting incidents in sports.
Luis Suárez, soccer
During a postgame tussle following the testy Leagues Cupnal won by the Seattle Sounders, Inter Miami forward Luis Suárez spit toward a Sounders sta member and grabbed a Seattle player by the neck. Suárez has long been an internation-
al standout for Uruguay with a checkered pattern of behavior, including three separate bans for biting opponents over his career.
Suárez issued an apology and was handed a six-match suspension.
Victor Hanescu, tennis
After being heckled throughout his third-round match at Wimbledon in 2010, Victor Hanescu lost his cool in the fth set and spit at the taunting fans in the crowd. The Romanian was
ned $15,000 by tournament o cials.
Terrell Owens, football
Triggered by the constant trash talk from DeAngelo Hall during a game in 2006, mercurial Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens spit in the face of the Atlanta Falcons cornerback and was ned $35,000 by the NFL.
Bill Romanowski, football
After television replays clearly showed him spitting on San Francisco 49ers wide receiver J.J. Stokes during a Monday night game in 1997, ery Denver Broncos linebacker Bill Romanowski was ned $7,500 by the NFL.
“Sometimes when emotion is high, logic is low, and I did something that is totally unacceptable,” Romanowski said afterward.
The feud was rekindled when the two teams played three years later and Romanowski ripped Stokes for not ghting back after he spit on him.
Roberto Alomar, baseball
After being called out on a third strike in a game in 1996, Baltimore Orioles second baseman Roberto Alomar screamed at home plate umpire John Hirschbeck and spit in his face during the argument. Alomar received a ve-game suspension. The two later made amends, and Hirschbeck was one of the rst people to congratulate Alomar for his election to the Hall of Fame.
Charles Barkley, basketball
The NBA suspended Philadelphia 76ers star Charles Barkley for one game and ned him $10,000 in 1991 after he lost his temper and spit at a heckler in a courtside seat, only to hit an 8-year-old girl who was sitting behind the man instead.
West Stanly celebrates a sack against North Stanly earlier this season.
MATT SLOCUM / AP PHOTO
Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Carter walks o the eld after being ejected from the NFL opening game.
ATHLETE
Kaleb Cullingford
West Stanly, football
Kaleb Cullingford is a senior edge rusher on the West Stanly football team.
The Colts beat crosstown rival Albemarle 43-7 last Friday, shutting down a Bulldogs o ense that had been averaging 48.5 points
and 350 yards per game to one touchdown and 67 yards. Cullingford helped lead that e ort with four tackles, three solo stops, two tackles for loss, a 12-yard sack and a quarterback hurry.
Cullingford leads the Rocky River conference in sacks and is in the top ve in N.C. Class 4A.
ACC, power conferences make their claim of TV spots with more Friday night football games
The league has 12 Friday night games on this year’s schedule
By Aaron Beard The Associated Press
THERE IS ADDED zip for Louisville linebacker TJ Quinn when it comes to playing a Friday night game.
“It’s all eyes on us, and I like that,” Quinn said.
And these days, there’s a lot more chances in the Atlantic Coast Conference and across the power conferences, for that matter. Friday nights have gone from being largely about high school football, then mid-majors and Group of Five conferences, to now another showcase for the country’s biggest leagues. The ACC has 12 Friday games this season to tie last year’s league record, while the number of those games have also increased in the Big Ten, Big 12 and the Southeastern conferences.
The leagues have marched toward those TV slots, many vacated by the Pac-12 after most of that league’s schools scattered to the ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten. The NFL has a game this Friday, too, though that’s a rarity during college football season.
The ACC started its run of Friday night games in Week 1 with Georgia Tech’s win at Colorado and Wake Forest holding o Kennesaw State.
The 2025 schedule includes No. 14 Florida State visiting Virginia (Sept. 26) and N.C. State (Nov. 21); North Carolina and new coach Bill Belichick crossing the country to face California (Oct. 17) and visiting Syracuse (Oct. 31); and No. 4 Georgia’s trip to Georgia Tech to cap the regular-season schedule (Nov. 28).
“You have to continue to modernize how you’re looking at scheduling,” ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said in an interview with The Associated Press. “You have to be honest with yourself about the compression that exists
now on Saturdays with the number of games, and the number of quality teams that are playing all over. So there’s a limited number of windows, and you have a terri c partner with ESPN. “Friday night has become something that people are now expecting to see football. ... So nothing stays the same in life. And we’re going to be aggressive there.”
The new norm To Phillips’ point, look at the most important event on the sport’s calendar: the College Football Playo . Last year’s rst expanded 12-team format began with Notre Dame’s home win
“Friday night has become something that people are now expecting to see football. ... So nothing stays the same in life.”
Jim Phillips, ACC Commissioner
against Indiana, the rst time the tradition-rich football independent had hosted a Friday night game. That’s one of six Friday games in the CFP since its launch in the 2014 season, which o ers a snapshot of how much things have
changed when it comes to those Friday TV windows. That year, the Pac-12 had eight Friday regular-season games, while the ACC had four, the Big Ten had two, and the Big 12 and SEC each had one. That power-conference total (16) was less than half that of the Group of Five conferences at the Bowl Subdivision level; the American, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt conference combined for 43 that year.
But things have changed amid realignment and the formation of super-sized conferences at the top of the sport.
Beyond the ACC’s 12 Friday games, the Big Ten has 13 a year
after a record 15. The Big 12 has 12 and the SEC has four, both alltime highs. And while there is some overlap with inter-league matchups, that combined total (41) exceeds that of the Group of Five (34) for the third straight year.
It’s also a sign of how the business of college football has reached into days once considered sacrosanct for high school games.
“I wish there’s something I could do instead there,” Phillips said. “But I’m hoping with the announcement of when games are, that maybe those areas that are hosting those games, maybe there’s an alternative for Friday night football.”
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SHAFFER BROUGHTON FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL Wake Forest takes the eld for its Friday night season opener against Kennesaw State.
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IntheMatterof
Duke University pilot project examining pros, cons of using arti cial intelligence in college
Faculty and students adapting as AI tools become prevalent
By Lucas Lin and Ananya Pinnameneni
The Chronicle via AP
DURHAM — As generative arti cial intelligence tools like ChatGPT have become increasingly prevalent in academic settings, faculty and students have been forced to adapt.
The debut of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022 spread uncertainty across the higher education landscape. Many educators scrambled to create new guidelines to prevent academic dishonesty from becoming the norm in academia, while some emphasized the strengths of AI as a learning aid.
As part of a new pilot with OpenAI, all Duke undergraduate students, as well as sta , faculty and students across the University’s professional schools, gained free, unlimited access to ChatGPT-4o beginning June 2.
The University also announced DukeGPT, a University-managed AI interface that connects users to resources for learning and research and ensures “maximum privacy and robust data protection.”
Duke launched a new Provost’s Initiative to examine the opportunities and challenges AI brings to student life on May 23. The initiative will foster campus discourse on the use of AI tools and present recommendations in a report by the end of the fall 2025 semester.
The Chronicle spoke to faculty members and students to understand how generative AI is changing the classroom.
Embraced or banned
Although some professors are embracing AI as a learning aid, others have implemented blanket bans and expressed caution regarding the implications of AI on problem solving and critical thinking.
David Carlson, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, took a “lenient” approach to AI usage in the classroom. In his machine learning course, the primary learning objective is to utilize these tools to understand and analyze data.
Carlson permits his students to use generative AI as long as they are transparent about their purpose for using the technology.
“You take credit for all of (ChatGPT’s) mistakes, and you
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can use it to support whatever you do,” Carlson said. He added that although AI tools are “not awless,” they can help provide useful secondary explanations of lectures and readings.
Matthew Engelhard, assistant professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics, said he also adopted “a pretty hands-o approach” by encouraging the use of AI tools in his classroom.
“My approach is not to say you can’t use these di erent tools,” Engelhard said. “It’s actually to encourage it, but to make sure that you’re working with these tools interactively, such that you understand the content.”
Engelhard emphasized that the use of these tools should not prevent students from learning the fundamental principles “from the ground up.” Engelhard noted that students, under the pressure to perform, have incentives to rely on AI as a shortcut. However, he said using such tools might be “short-circuiting the learning process for yourself.” He likened generative AI tools to calculators, highlighting that relying on a calculator hinders one from learning how addition works.
Like Engelhard, Thomas Pfau, Alice Mary Baldwin distinguished professor of English, believes that delegating learning to generative AI means students may lose the ability to evaluate the process and validity of receiving information.
“If you want to be a good athlete, you would surely not try to have someone else do the working out for you,” Pfau said.
Pfau recognized the role of generative AI in the STEM elds, but he believes that such tech-
The undersigned, having duly quali ed as Executrix of the estate of Larry Edward Mills, 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 31st day of November, 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.
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PUBLISH: August 31, September 7, 14, 21, 2025 James A. Phillips, Jr. Attorney for the Estate and Process Agent P.O. Box 1162 117 W. North Street Albemarle, NC 28002-1162 NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The undersigned has quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of PHILLIPPIE A. JAMES, deceased, late of Stanly County, North Carolina (Stanly County File Number 25E000357-830). This is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said decedent or his estate to present the same duly itemized and veri ed to the undersigned Administrator or his Attorney on or before the 8th day of December 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to the decedent or to his estate are hereby requested to pay the said indebtedness to the undersigned Administrator or his attorney. This the 3rd day of September 2025. DAVID S. BRIGGS Administrator ESTATE OF PHILLIPPIE A. JAMES 26425 Scaleybark Albemarle, NC 28001 CHARLES P. BROWN BROWN & SENTER, P.L.L.C. PO Box 400 Albemarle, North Carolina 28002-0400 Telephone: 704 982-2141 Facsimile: 704 982-0902 PUBLISH: September 7, 14, 21, and 28, 2025
nologies have no place in the humanities, where “questions of interpretation … are really at stake.”
When students rely on AI to complete a sentence or nish an essay for them, they risk “losing (their) voice.” He added that AI use defeats the purpose of a university education, which is predicated on cultivating one’s personhood.
Henry Pickford, professor of German studies and philosophy, said that writing in the humanities serves the dual function of fostering “self-discovery” and “self-expression” for students. But with increased access to AI tools, Pickford believes students will treat writing as “discharging a duty” rather than working through intellectual challenges.
“(Students) don’t go through any kind of self-transformation in terms of what they believe or why they believe it,” Pickford said.
Additionally, the use of ChatGPT has broadened opportunities for plagiarism in his classes, leading him to adopt a stringent AI policy.
Faculty echoed similar concerns at an Aug. 4 Academic Council meeting, including Professor of History Jocelyn Olcott, who said that students who learn to use AI without personally exploring more “humanistic questions” risk being “replaced” by the technology in the future.
How faculty are adapting to generative AI
Many of the professors The Chronicle interviewed expressed di culty in discerning whether students have used AI on standard assignments. Some are resorting to a range of alternative assessment methods to
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
mitigate potential AI usage.
Carlson, who shared that he has trouble detecting student AI use in written or coding assignments, has introduced oral presentations to class projects, which he described as “very hard to fake.”
Pickford has also incorporated oral assignments into his class, including having students present arguments through spoken defense. He has also added inclass exams to lectures that previously relied solely on papers for grading.
“I have deemphasized the use of the kind of writing assignments that invite using ChatGPT because I don’t want to spend my time policing,” Pickford said.
However, he recognized that ChatGPT can prove useful in generating feedback throughout the writing process, such as when evaluating whether one’s outline is well-constructed.
A “tutor that’s next to you every single second”
Students noted that AI chatbots can serve as a supplemental tool to learning, but they also cautioned against over-relying on such technologies.
Junior Keshav Varadarajan said he uses ChatGPT to outline and structure his writing, as well as generate code and algorithms.
“It’s very helpful in that it can explain concepts that are lled with jargon in a way that you can understand very well,” Varadarajan said.
Varadarajan has found it difcult at times to internalize concepts when utilizing ChatGPT because “you just go straight from the problem to the answer” with-
The undersigned has quali ed as Executor of the Estate of BARBARA W
WAKSMUNSKI, deceased, late of Stanly County, North Carolina (Stanly County File Number (25E000460-830). 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 24th day of November, 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to the said decedent or to her estate are hereby requested to pay the said indebtedness to the undersigned Executor or his attorney. This the 15th day of August, 2025. Frank W Waksmunski Executor Estate of Barbara W Waksmunski
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NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 25E000472-830 Having quali ed as Executor of the estate of Henrietta Hatley Mabry AKA Henrietta Thompson Hatley, deceased, of Stanly County, North Carolina, This is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said Henrietta Hatley Mabry AKA Henrietta Thompson Hatley to present them to the undersigned on or before December 1, 2025, or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment.
This 31st day of August, 2025
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out paying much thought to the problem. Varadarajan acknowledged that while AI can provide shortcuts at times, students should ultimately bear the responsibility for learning and performing critical thinking tasks.
For junior Conrad Qu, ChatGPT is like a “tutor that’s next to you every single second.” He said that generative AI has improved his productivity and helped him better understand course materials.
Both Varadarajan and Qu agreed that AI chatbots come in handy during time crunches or when trying to complete tasks with little e ort. However, they said they avoid using AI when it comes to content they are genuinely interested in exploring deeper.
“If it is something I care about, I will go back and really try to understand everything (and) relearn myself,” Qu said.
The future of generative AI in the classroom
As generative AI technologies continue evolving, faculty members have yet to reach consensus on AI’s role in higher education and whether its bene ts for students outweigh the costs.
“To me, it’s very clear that it’s a net positive,” Carlson said. “Students are able to do more. Students are able to get support for things like debugging ... It makes a lot of things like coding and writing less frustrating.”
Pfau is less optimistic about generative AI’s development, raising concerns that the next generation of high school graduates will be too accustomed to chatbots coming into the college classroom. He added that many students nd themselves at a “competitive disadvantage” when the majority of their peers are utilizing such tools.
Pfau placed the responsibility on students to decide whether the use of generative AI will contribute to their intellectual growth.
“My hope remains that students will have enough self-respect and enough curiosity about discovering who they are, what their gifts are, what their aptitudes are,” Pfau said. “... something we can only discover if we apply ourselves and not some AI system to the tasks that are given to us.”
This story was originally published by The Chronicle and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
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The undersigned, having duly quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Randy Dell Poplin, 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 Administrator, duly itemized and veri ed on or before the 1st day of December, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of
GERRY BROOME / AP PHOTO
Duke University is part of a new pilot program with OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
famous birthdays
this week
Oliver Stone is 79, Rosemary Harris turns 98, Joan Lunden turns 75, Sophia Loren is 91
The Associated Press
THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week.
SEPT. 14
Architect Renzo Piano is 88. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown is 85. Actor Sam Neill is 78. Country singer John Berry is 66. Actor Melissa Leo is 65.
SEPT. 15
Writer-director Ron Shelton is 80. Actor Tommy Lee Jones is 79. Film director Oliver Stone is 79. Football coach Pete Carroll is 74. Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino is 64. Actor Tom Hardy is 48.
SEPT. 16
Actor George Chakiris is 93. Actor Ed Begley Jr. is 76. Author-historian- lmmaker Henry Louis Gates Jr. is 75. Actor Mickey Rourke is 73. Magician David Copper eld is 69. Retired MLB All-Star pitcher Orel Hershiser is 67. Singer Richard Marx is 62.
SEPT. 17
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is 92. Mountaineer-explorer Reinhold Messner is 81. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson is 80. Actor Cassandra Peterson (“Elvira, Mistress of the Dark”) is 74. Film director Baz Luhrmann is 63. NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson is 50.
SEPT. 18
Hockey Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman is 92. Singer Frankie Avalon is 85. Actor Anna Deavere Smith is 75. Neurosurgeon-author-politician Ben Carson is 74. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino is 73. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) is 71. Comedian-actor Jason Sudeikis is 50.
SEPT. 19
Actor Rosemary Harris is 98. Singer-songwriter Paul Williams is 85. Singer Bill Medley (The Righteous Brothers) is 85. Actor Jeremy Irons is 77. TV personality Joan Lunden is 75. Musi-
R&B singer Stone’s children sue truck company for highway crash death
The church-grown singer was born in Columbia, South Carolina
By Je Amy The Associated Press
ATLANTA — Two children of R&B singer Angie Stone are suing a trucking company, truck manufacturer and others, seeking damages for an Alabama interstate crash that killed Stone.
The suit, led last Tuesday in a Georgia state court in the Atlanta suburb of Lawrenceville, says the 63-year-old Stone and the other occupants of the van survived an initial predawn wreck that resulted from the driver of their Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van losing control of the vehicle. The driver tried to steer the van back onto the highway, but it ipped over.
cian-producer Nile Rodgers is 73. Musician Jarvis Cocker (Pulp) is 63. Republican Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) is 60. SEPT. 20
Actor Sophia Loren is 91. Author George R. R. Martin is 77. Actor Gary Cole is 69. TV news correspondent Deborah Roberts is 65. Actor Maggie Cheung is 61. Actor Kristen Johnston is 58. Rock singers Gunnar and Matthew Nelson are 58.
A passersby pulled over and helped ve of the nine occupants crawl out, but while Stone was still trying to get out, an 18-wheeler carrying a load of sugar slammed into the van, the lawsuit says. The impact ejected Stone and pinned her under the van, where she died, the lawsuit claims. Sheila Hopkins, still inside the van, su ered injuries.
Hopkins and Stone’s two children, Diamond Stone and Michael D’Angelo Archer, led the lawsuit. They’re suing the van driver, the truck driver, the
Stone’s biggest hits included “No More Rain (In This Cloud),” “Baby,” “Wish I Didn’t Miss You” and “Brotha,” and her 2001 album “Mahogany Soul” and 2007’s “The Art of Love & War” both charted.
man and companies who owned the van, the trucking company and the maker of the 18-wheel truck. The suit claims the truck’s collision avoidance system was faulty and failed to detect the van lying stationary in one lane of the interstate. The suit also claims that the truck driver was listening to music on headphones, wasn’t paying attention and never braked before slamming into the van at nearly 70 mph.
Neither trucking company CSRT of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, nor truck manufacturer Daimler Truck North America of Portland, Oregon, immediately responded to emails seeking comment. Stone was a Grammy-nominated R&B singer and member of the all-female hip-hop trio The Sequence. She was known for the hit song “Wish I Didn’t Miss You,” and ourished in the early 2000s as neo-soul began to dominate R&B. She was on her way back to her Atlanta-area home after a performance at a Mardi Gras ball in Mobile, Alabama.
In an Instagram post before the crash, Stone had told fans she was excited about upcoming events and “getting back in the mix.”
“A lot of stu is going on that I don’t want to just let out of the bag just yet,” she said. “But you can see that there’s a big grin on my face.”
The singer-songwriter created hits like “No More Rain (In This Cloud),” which reached No. 1 for 10 weeks on Billboard’s Adult R&B airplay chart; “Baby” with legendary soul singer Betty Wright, another No. 1 hit; and “Wish I Didn’t Miss You” and “Brotha.” Her 2001 album “Mahogany Soul” reached No. 22 on the Billboard 200, while 2007’s “The Art of Love & War” peaked at No. 11. Stone’s group, The Sequence, on the trailblazing imprint Sugar Hill Records, became one of the rst female groups to record a rap song. The group’s “Funk You Up,” which has been sampled by numerous artists, including Dr. Dre. Stone later joined the trio Vertical Hold before launching her solo career.
singer Angie
was killed in a fatal car crash on March 1, 2025, in Montgomery, Alabama.
North Carolina since 2008
By Maria Sherman The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Something is in the water in England. After a summer de ned by the Oasis reunion, yet another beloved British rock band is set to return to the live stage: Radiohead.
The band — made up of vocalist Thom Yorke, guitarist/ keyboardist Jonny Greenwood, guitarist Ed O’Brien, bassist Colin Greenwood and drummer Phil Selway — have 20 shows on the books, taking place in ve cities across Europe: Madrid, Bologna, London, Copenhagen and Berlin this November and December. They will perform four nights in each city.
Radiohead last performed in 2018, in support of their last album, 2016’s “A Moon Shaped Pool.” It is unclear if the band is preparing a new release of original material, but earlier this month, they did announce a new live album, “Hail to the Thief — Live Recordings 20032009,” arriving Oct. 31.
“Last year, we got together to rehearse, just for the hell of it. After a seven-year pause, it felt really good to play the songs again and reconnect with a musical identity that has become lodged deep inside all ve of us,” Selway said in a statement. “It also made us want to play some shows together, so we hope you can
make it to one of the upcoming dates. For now, it will just be these ones but who knows where this will all lead.”
In the years since their last live performance, the members of Radiohead have been busy. Yorke and Jonny Greenwood’s
art rock spino project, The Smile, has released three albums. Colin Greenwood joined Nick Cave’s live band. O’Brien
ioteque” and “All I Need,” showcasing the band’s experimental rock and emotional intensity. It marked the
rst appearance in the state in over a decade and remains their most recent show in North Carolina to date.
JORDAN STRAUSS / INVISION FOR DISNEY / AP IMAGES
Actor Cassandra Peterson (“Elvira, Mistress of the Dark”) turns 74 on Wednesday.
GREGORY SMITH / AP PHOTO
R&B
Stone
She was 63.
The band hasn’t performed in
released his debut solo album, “Earth” in 2020 and in 2023, Selway released his third solo album, “Strange Dance.”
Radiohead last performed in North Carolina on May 9, 2008, at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Charlotte as part of their acclaimed “In Rainbows” Tour. The setlist featured a mix of fan favorites and deep cuts, including “There There,” “Id-
band’s
CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO Thom Yorke, left, and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead perform during the band’s headlining set at the 2012 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
PAUL BEATY / AP PHOTO
Former Bulls and Lakers coach Phil Jackson turns 80 on Wednesday.
CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO
Jacqueline Bisset presents the Desert Palm Achievement Award during the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala in 2025. The British actor turns 81 on Saturday.
this week in history
American Constitution signed, Jim Hendrix dies at 27, Ole Miss blocks James Meredith
The Associated Press
SEPT. 14
1847: During the Mexican American War, U.S. forces under Gen. Win eld Scott took control of Mexico City.
1901: President William McKinley died in Bu alo, New York, of gunshot wounds inicted by an assassin eight days prior.
1982: Princess Grace of Monaco, formerly lm star Grace Kelly, died at age 52 of injuries from a car crash the day before.
SEPT. 15
1835: Charles Darwin reached the Galápagos Islands aboard the HMS Beagle.
1935: The Nuremberg Laws were enacted in Nazi Germany, depriving German Jews of their citizenship.
1940: The tide turned in the Battle of Britain in World War II, as the Royal Air Force in icted heavy losses upon the Luftwa e.
1963: Four black girls were killed in a bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Three Ku Klux Klansmen were later convicted.
SEPT. 16
1810: Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla called on his parishioners to join him in a rebellion against Spanish rule, marking the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence.
1893: The largest land run in U.S. history occurred as more than 100,000 white settlers rushed to claim land in what is now northern Oklahoma.
1908: General Motors was founded in Flint, Michigan, by William C. Durant.
1966: The Metropolitan Opera o cially opened its new opera house at New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
SEPT. 17
1787: The Constitution of
On Sept. 15, 1835, Charles Darwin arrived at the Galápagos Islands aboard the HMS Beagle, a stop on his ve-year voyage that helped shape his theories on evolution and natural selection.
On Sept. 20, 1973, Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in the highly publicized “Battle of the Sexes,” a landmark moment in sports and gender equality.
Motors was founded on Sept. 16, 1908, in Flint, Michigan, by William C. Durant, a leading gure in the early automobile industry.
the United States was completed and signed in Philadelphia.
1862: More than 3,600 men were killed in the Civil War Battle of Antietam in Maryland.
1908: Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge became the rst person to die in a powered aircraft crash when the Wright Flyer went down at Fort Myer, Virginia. Pilot Orville Wright was seriously injured.
1944: During World War II, Allied paratroopers launched Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands.
SEPT. 18
2020: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a towering champion of women’s rights who became the court’s second female justice, died at age 87.
1793: President George
Washington laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol.
1850: Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act, which created a force of federal commissioners charged with returning escaped slaves to their owners.
1970: Rock star Jimi Hendrix died in London at age 27.
SEPT. 19
1796: President George Washington’s farewell address was published. In it, America’s rst chief executive advised, “Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.”
1881: James A. Gar eld, the 20th president of the United States, died 2½ months after being shot by Charles Guiteau.
1957: The United States conducted its rst contained underground nuclear test, code-named “Rainier,” in the Nevada desert.
SEPT. 20
1519: Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew left Spain on ve ships to nd a western route to the Spice Islands. Magellan was killed en route, but one ship completed the rst circumnavigation of the globe.
1962: James Meredith, a black student, was blocked from enrolling at the University of Mississippi by Democratic Gov. Ross R. Barnett.
1973: In their so-called “Battle of the Sexes,” tennis star Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in straight sets, 6–4, 6–3, 6–3.
AP PHOTO
CONRAD MARTENS VIA ENGLISH WIKIPEDIA
UNITED STATES LIBRARY OF CONGRESS VIA WIKIPEDIA General
