FBI seeks interviews with Democrats who urged U.S. troops to defy illegal orders
Democratic lawmakers who appeared in a social media video urging U.S. troops to defy “illegal orders” say the FBI has contacted them to begin scheduling interviews. It comes a day after the Pentagon announced it is investigating Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) over potential violations of military law. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) told reporters Tuesday that Trump “is attempting to use the FBI to scare us.” The inquiries mark an extraordinary escalation for federal law enforcement and military institutions that traditionally steer clear of partisan clashes.
National Parks to raise fees for millions of international tourists to popular U.S. parks
The National Park Service says it is going to start charging international tourists an extra $100 to enter 11 of the most popular U.S. parks as of Jan 1. They will be left out of fee-free days that will be reserved for American residents. The announcement declaring “America- rst entry fee policies” comes as national parks deal with sta reductions and budget cuts. They’re also recovering from lost revenue during the recent government shutdown. Foreign tourists will also see their annual parks pass price jump to $250, while U.S. residents will continue to be charged $80.
Albemarle Fire Department responds to house re on Sunset Avenue
No injuries were reported in the incident
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
ALBEMARLE — A re at a home in the 1500 block of Sunset Avenue prompted a swift response from the Albemarle Fire Department and several assisting agencies on Nov. 23. No injuries were reported, and a pet dog was rescued from the home.
AFD re ghters were called to Sunset Avenue at about 9:17 p.m. for a report of a residential structure re. When crews arrived, they found smoke and ames coming from the kitchen. Fire ghters quickly launched an interior attack, searching the home while working to contain the blaze.
The re was brought under control, but the structure sustained signi cant damage in the kitchen and smoke damage throughout other rooms. A 22-year-old man who
lived in the home had already escaped after calling 911.
“As per standard protocol, the Albemarle Fire Department Fire Marshal responded to the scene to investigate the cause of the re,” the department said in a press release. “The re originated in the kitchen area, and the cause remains undetermined at this time. No working smoke detectors were found in the home. The Albemarle Fire Department reminds all residents of the importance of having working smoke alarms in every home. ‘Smoke detectors save lives. Get out, stay out.’”
During their search, reghters found a dog inside and safely removed it. Medics provided oxygen, and the
The local group opened the production last weekend
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
ALBEMARLE — With the Christmas season returning, the West Stanly Players are bringing a new twist to a long-running tradition.
After an opening run last weekend, the troupe will present its “Cutthroat Christmas” interactive murder mystery dinner theater performance on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6 in the Magnolia Room at Atrium Stanly.
The show, which blends holiday cheer with a whodunit experience, includes a three- course meal. Tickets are $25 and must be purchased in advance.
There was an early preview performance Nov. 20 at West Stanly High School, followed by shows Nov. 21 and Nov. 22. Now, the Players are preparing to take the dinner production o campus and invite the community to join in the show.
Doors will open at 6:15 p.m. both nights, with the performance beginning at 7 p.m.
“The show is guaranteed to provide the audience with a hilarious and exciting evening of entertainment from start to nish.”
Wes Tucker, West Stanly Players director
THE STANLY COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Melania Trump join North Carolina turkey farmer Travis Pittman, left, next to national Thanksgiving
Gobble during a pardoning ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House on Tuesday. Read more on page A6.
COURTESY ALBEMARLE FIRE DEPARTMENT
Albemarle Fire Department crews and assisting agencies respond to a house re in the 1500 block of Sunset Avenue on Nov. 23.
Revolutionary War soldiers receive recognition for service
By Melinda Burris Stanly News Journal
ALBEMARLE — The Stanly County Genealogy Society dedicated two grave markers Nov. 15, one for Edward Almond and another for his brother Nathan, in recognition of their service in the Revolutionary War.
The research to gain approval for the markers was done in large part by Donna Huneycutt, a descendant of the Almond brothers’ younger brother, Martin. She gave a short talk at the dedication explaining the purpose of the ceremony and the placement of the grave markers as an acknowledgment of the patriotism exhibited by the Almond brothers and their contributions to their community, region and country.
Approximately 50 people attended the dedication ceremony, many of them descendants of the Almond family.
Wanda Gantt, president of the Stanly County Genealogy Society, said soldiers are eligible for government-provided grave markers.
“A soldier from any of the wars, or anybody who served in the military at any time, is eligible for a government tombstone if they do not already have one,” Gantt said.
The markers, provided at
stalled the markers at the cemetery of Pine Grove Methodist Church in Albemarle, which was deemed the appropriate site since a number of Almonds are buried there.
Stanly Funeral Home lent the society a sound system for the ceremony, which included the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by Daphne Morris and remarks by Huneycutt and Gantt.
Wanda Gantt, Stanly County Genealogy Society
no cost by the Department of Veterans A airs, were ordered by society member Elaine Almond Frick, a descendant of Edward Almond. Gordon Burleson transported and in-
Scouts Elijah and Noah She eld, sons of Scoutmaster Matt She eld of Troop 202 in Locust, performed a color guard service. For more information about the Stanly County Genealogy Society, contact Wanda Gantt at wgantt@dnet.net.
Dec.
Dec.
The Almond brothers’ tombstones, received in recognition of their service in the Revolutionary War.
THE CONVERSATION
Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
Give thanks for the fossil fuel industry
When the Pilgrims got cold, they had to chop wood and burn it.
JUST BY LIVING in 21st-century America, you have a lot to be thankful for.
You live in the richest country in the history of the world — and one of the freest. Despite what the left claims, the bene ts of wealth aren’t limited to the 1%. The amenities most people take for granted — a vehicle, washing machine, hot water on demand — would have been unimaginable luxuries for most of human history. Among poor families in America, signi cant majorities have air-conditioning systems, televisions, microwaves and smartphones.
We’ve come a long way from what the Pilgrims had to celebrate at the rst Thanksgiving. Over half of the settlers had died during the previous winter. The remaining settlers were grateful for a harvest that would help them survive the upcoming winter.
Today, most people are concerned with how many servings of turkey they can eat while still having enough room for pumpkin pie.
It’d be impossible to list all the changes
over the last four centuries that have turned scarcity into opulence. The bravery and sacri ce of members of the military are near the top of the list.
So is the fossil fuel industry.
You didn’t have to hunt your turkey, kill it and clean it. A farmer did that on a farm powered primarily by fossil fuels. A truck powered by fossil fuels drove it to your supermarket. Your supermarket used fossil fuels to keep its lights on, its freezer cold and its credit card readers humming. You used fossil fuels to drive there and buy it. That’s true even if you have an electric car because electric cars plug into an electric grid mostly powered by coal and natural gas. Fossil fuels will also heat the oven used to cook your turkey. The lights you turn on during Thanksgiving dinner, the TV you use to watch football and the dishwasher you use to clean up all run primarily on fossil fuels.
Renewable energy gets all the publicity, but wind and solar power generated only about 14% of the nation’s electricity in 2023. Fossil fuels generated 60%, with
Thanksgiving a time to thank struggling American farmers
The price of nearly every production cost has climbed.
AS WE HEAD to the local grocery store to prepare that Thanksgiving meal, take a moment to re ect on how all the items we will enjoy made it to the shelves. Every Thanksgiving feast starts with the hard work of America’s farmers. The turkey, the potatoes, the corn, the cranberries and the sugar-sweetened pies — all of it traces back to a network of family farms across the country. Because of them, we bene t from a food supply that is both plentiful and among the safest and most a ordable in the world.
Behind this bounty is real sacri ce and growing strain. Even in good times, farmers and ranchers earn only roughly 15 cents of every dollar Americans spend on food. But in this economic climate, they’re taking on more risks, and in many cases, facing negative net returns. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins put it plainly: “The farm economy is in a signi cant challenge right now.”
The numbers bear that out. Since the 2018 Farm Bill, the price of nearly every production cost has climbed. Just since 2020, seed costs are up 18%, fuel and oil up 32%, fertilizer up 37%, and interest costs have surged 73%. Meanwhile, commodity prices have continued to fall. This creates signi cant pressure on farmers’ bottom lines from season to season, and, ultimately, their ability to stay in operation.
To make up for lost revenue and try to stay a oat, America’s farmers continue to innovate, invest and work harder. They have increased their productivity and made themselves more e cient. But e ciency alone cannot shield them from global forces. And in some instances, farmers have
dug into their equity in an attempt to keep their farms a oat. Others have been less successful, with multigenerational farms selling out, and regular land and equipment auctions becoming an unfortunate new norm across rural America.
Homegrown sugar — an American staple — shows those challenges in stark relief. In the past two years, sugar beet and sugarcane growers have seen prices drop by 42% and 24%, respectively. Operating margins on many farms, and the factories farmers and families own, are being squeezed so hard that in some regions, growers are staring down negative net returns. Sugar processing facilities often represent the economic backbone of their communities, yet several facilities, such as the last remaining beet sugar factory in California, have closed in recent years.
While America’s farmers compete on hard work and adhere to the highest labor and environmental standards, their foreign competitors do not. Countries like Brazil and India pour billions of their governments’ funds into subsidizing their industries, driving production costs down arti cially and ooding the world market with surplus, underpriced commodities.
All that chips away at the pillars of our farm economy, and with it, our food security. A nation that cannot feed itself is neither strong nor sovereign. The more we surrender the ability to grow our own food, the more we become dependent on foreign governments and global markets. If we continue to o shore production of essential commodities, we will lose control over our food supply. Make no mistake, food security is national security.
nuclear and hydropower generating more than 24%.
When the Pilgrims got cold, they had to chop wood and burn it. Today, you push a button on your thermostat. Going to see family? Airplanes use fossil fuels. The iPhone you use to FaceTime Grandma wouldn’t exist without the power provided by fossil fuels.
This doesn’t mean fossil fuel companies are perfect. It doesn’t mean that there aren’t externalities to fossil fuel production, although it’s hard to take environmental alarmists seriously after decades of failed predictions. It doesn’t mean that someday a di erent fuel source, like nuclear power, won’t replace fossil fuels. But without fossil fuels, Thanksgiving dinner and everything else in American life would look entirely di erent — and not in a good way.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Victor Joecks is a columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and host of the “Sharpening Arrows” podcast.
Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, Congress strengthened and modernized the nation’s farm safety net in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act earlier this year. The bill included critical reforms and investments to help farmers and ranchers — including expanded crop insurance and updated loan rates, which for decades had not kept pace with rising costs of fuel, fertilizer and equipment.
Congress must ercely defend these investments at all costs. Natural disasters, volatile markets and foreign competition will relentlessly widen the pressure on America’s farmers.
America First starts with American agriculture: homegrown production, family ownership. Exactly 95% of U.S. farms are family-owned and operated — and industries that strengthen communities rather than hollow them out. A secure nation requires a secure food supply, which means policies that give American farmers a fair shot.
The food security we enjoy as we gather around Thanksgiving tables with our families is not a given. We know from recent history that fully stocked shelves are not guaranteed. It all rests on farmers who are barely hanging on, and policies that will either sustain them or watch them disappear.
Thanksgiving is a celebration of American abundance and ingenuity. Let’s make sure it stays that way. Our farmers have stood with us. Now it’s our turn to stand with them.
Leif Larson is a noted strategist with 20 years of experience in PR, public a airs and politics. This column was rst published by Daily Caller News Foundation.
COLUMN | VICTOR JOECKS
COLUMN | LEIF LARSON
IN MEMORY
CRYSTAL DAWN COCHRAN
JUNE 11, 1986 – NOV. 21, 2025
Crystal Dawn Cochran, 39, of Locust, North Carolina, passed away unexpectedly on November 21, 2025. She was born on June 11, 1986, to David and Debbie Cochran of Locust. Crystal is also lovingly remembered by her brother, Rev. David Cochran, and his wife, Jamie; her nephews, Cameron and Cole Cochran; and her niece, Caroline Cochran. She is also survived by several dear cousins.
Barbara Jean (Taylor) Drye
April 17, 1936 ~ January 14, 2023
Barbara Jean Taylor Drye, 86, of Oakboro, passed away Saturday, January 14, 2023 at her home.
Crystal was a devoted friend, known for the compassion she carried into every relationship. She was straightforward and always herself, full of energy and honesty in a way that made her unforgettable. She was a carefree spirit who loved life and cherished her friends, bringing laughter, warmth, and joy wherever she went. She found joy in helping those in need and in being surrounded by the people she loved.
Barbara was born April 17, 1936 in North Carolina to the late Robert Lee Taylor and the late Eva Belle Watts Taylor.
Dwight Farmer
January 24, 1939 ~ January 15, 2023
Dwight Britten Farmer Sr., 83, of Norwood died Sunday morning, January 15, 2023 at Forrest Oakes.
The family and friends will gather for a private Celebration of Life. In lieu of owers, memorials may be made to Will’s Place or Stanly Community Christian Ministry.
She was also preceded in death by husband of 61 years, Keith Furr Drye, and brothers, Robert Lee Taylor, Jr. and George Kenneth Taylor.
Dwight 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.
REBECCA LOUISE LEONARD GADDY
MARCH 30, 1938 – NOV. 22, 2025
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.
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.
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.
June 23, 1967 ~ January 10, 2023
Albemarle, passed away Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at Anson Health and Rehab.
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.
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,
Rebecca Louise Leonard Gaddy, 87, of New London, NC, passed away on November 22, 2025, at Atrium Health Stanly. Rebecca, known by her family as Becky, was born in Thomasville, NC, on March 30, 1938, to Everette Edward and Ila Mae Hunt Leonard. She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers, Jerry Vernon Leonard and Roy Edward Leonard, her paternal grandparents, Edward Wilson and Lula Bell Beck Leonard, and maternal grandparents. George Elijah and Laura Elizabeth Kearns Hunt. Surviving are her husband, William Calvin Gaddy; sister-in-law, Frances Harrington, of Albemarle; brother, Robert Dale (Delores) Leonard, Thomasville, NC; and sister Margaret Ellen Leonard Lowe of Lexington. She had a large family of nieces and nephews, Kim, Jerry, Wendy, Debra, Natasha, Alexandra, Courtney, Edward, Crystal, Ashley, Lisa, Amy, Denise, Charles, Joy, and Godson, Mitchell Cohen, as well as many great nieces and nephews.
preceded in death by his brothers and sisters: Barbara Lee Roseboro, Dorothy Brown, Verna Roseboro, Henrietta Ingram, and Harold Roseboro.
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.
Dwight was an avid gardener, bird watcher and Carolina fan.
He is survived by his wife Hilda Whitley Farmer; one son D. Britten Farmer Jr. (Mary) of McLeansville, NC; one daughter Sharon Farmer Lowe (David) of Norwood; one sister Geraldine Dennis of Troy; two grandchildren, Dwight Britten “Dee” Farmer III and Whitley Rose Hui Lowe.
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.
Rebecca loved her family and cats that just seem to show up at her house, someone said they knew where the restaurant was. She enjoyed her career with the NC Cooperative Service as a Home Economics Agent in Anson and Stanly County. The career o ered her many opportunities working with people. She was president of NC Association of Extension Home Economists, Epsilon Sigma Phi Fraternity, Albemarle Rotary Club, and Friends of the Stanly County Senior Center. She helped organize the Keep Beautiful Committee, Friends of the Senior Center and the Stanly County Historical Society. During her lifetime, she was on many committees in her work and volunteer organizations. A graduate of Pilot High School, Thomasville, NC, Women’s College (UNC-G) with a degree in Home Economics Education and advanced studies at NC State and UNC-G. She even worked eight years part-time at Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church in Misenheimer, NC as a church secretary. She received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Extension Home Economists, Epsilon Sigma Phi, Albemarle Rotary Club and Clarence D. Hinson Volunteer Award.
A member of First Lutheran Church in Albemarle and a volunteer for First Lutheran Church Blanket Makers, New London Area Historical Museum and Albemarle Rotary Club.
A memorial service will be held at First Lutheran Church in Albemarle, NC, on Saturday, November 29, 2025, at 2 p.m. A reception will follow the service in the Parish Hall at the church. Interment will be held at a later date in the New London Cemetery.
She requested that you wear colorful clothing, because God made beautifully colored owers, and you are the owers. She did not like black!
In Lieu of owers, memorials or donations may be made to the First Lutheran Church Blanket Makers or the First Lutheran Church Transportation Committee (230 S. Second St., Albemarle, NC 28001), Stanly County Humane Society (2049 Badin Rd. Albemarle, NC 28001) or Stanly County Historical Society (157 N. Second St. Albemarle, NC 28001).
Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in SCJ at obits@stanlyjournal.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.
By Kathy McCormack
The Associated Press
IT’S THE ULTIMATE
homecoming photo — a smiling family rushing to reunite with a U.S. Air Force o cer in 1973 who spent years as a POW in North Vietnam, his oldest daughter sprinting ahead with her arms outstretched, both feet o the ground.
Darrick Baldwin
January 7, 1973 ~ January 8, 2023
“Burst of Joy,” the iconic black-and-white image capturing the Stirm family at Travis Air Force Base in California, was published in newspapers throughout the nation. Taken by Associated Press photographer Sal Veder, it won a Pulitzer Prize and has continued to resonate through the years, a symbol of the end of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
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 her studies at Watts Hospital School of Nursing in Durham and graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1966.
Doris married Rev. Dr. Ted Coleman in 1966 and had two daughters Amy and Laura. Doris raised Amy and Laura in North Augusta, SC.
Vietnam War POW Robert Stirm, seen in iconic ‘Burst of Joy’ photo with family, dead at 92
At age 50, after years as a Detroit Diesel Mechanic he and Julie
Cornelius, NC until their retirement
John also began a lifelong love with restored his Dad’s tractor and began amassing his collection of tractors as well.
John restored many cars of his own and had the crowning achievement of winning the most prestigious award from MARC, The Henry for a restoration that garnered top points. He was also presented with the Ken Brady Service Awardthe highest award given to members at the national level.
ful I am that my father was one of the lucky ones and returned home,” she added. “That was really a gift.”
joke. First time Dad laughed in jail,” Kitching said. “I just wish I knew what that joke was,” she said. “I’m sure it was something very ribald.”
Photo represented heartbreak for Stirm
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.
Stirm, who was 39 when the photo was taken, told the AP 20 years later that he had several copies of it but didn’t display it in his house. He had been handed a “Dear John” letter from his wife, Loretta, by a chaplain upon his release.
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.
Stirm was shot down over North Vietnam
On Veterans Day, retired Col. Robert Stirm, seen in the photo in uniform with his back to the camera, died at an assisted living facility in Fair eld, California, his daughter, Lorrie Stirm Kitching, con rmed Thursday. He was 92.
He was educated in the Stanly County public schools and attended Albemarle Senior High School, Albemarle.
“It’s right in my front foyer,” Kitching, 68, of Mountain View, said of the photo. She was 15 when that moment of her running to hug her father was forever preserved.
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.
“Just the feelings of that and the intensity of the feeling will never leave me,” Kitching told the AP in an interview. “It is so deep in my heart, and the joy and the relief that we had our dad back again. It was just truly a very moving reunion for our family, and that feeling has never left me. It’s the same feeling every time I see that picture.
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.
Stirm, a decorated pilot, was serving with the 333rd Tactical Fighter Squadron based in Thailand in 1967. During a bombing mission over North Vietnam that Oct. 27, his F-105 Thunderchief was hit, and he was shot three times while parachuting. He was captured immediately upon landing.
“I have changed drastically — forced into a situation where I nally had to grow up,” the letter read in part. “Bob, I feel sure that in your heart you know we can’t make it together — and it doesn’t make sense to be unhappy when you can do something about it. Life is too short.”
Stirm said the photo “brought a lot of notoriety and publicity to me and, unfortunately, the legal situation that I was going to be faced with, and it was kind of unwelcomed.”
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 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.
“And every day, how grate -
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.
He was held captive for 1,966 days in ve di erent POW camps in Hanoi and North Vietnam, including the notorious “Hanoi Hilton,” known for torturing and starving its captives, primarily American pilots shot down during bombing raids. Its most famous prisoner was the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, who also was shot down in 1967.
McCain and Stirm had known each other. They shared a wall in solitary con nement and communicated through a tapping code.
“John McCain tapped in this
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.
The couple divorced a year after Stirm returned from Vietnam and both remarried within six months.
They came together for weddings and other family events. Loretta Adams died in 2010, of cancer. She was 74.
“It hurt really deeply,” Kitching said. “She told him she wanted to make the marriage work. But she was being up front and honest. So every story has two sides, and I know very well just how di cult it is to understand the two sides.”
Stirm retired from the Air Force in 1977 after 25 years of service. He joined Ferry Steel Products, a business his grandfather started in San Francisco. He also had worked as a corporate pilot.
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.
SAL VEDER / AP PHOTO
Released prisoner of war Lt. Col. Robert L. Stirm is greeted by his family at Travis Air Force Base in Fair eld, California, as he returns home from the Vietnam War on March 17, 1973.
The picture won a Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography
RICHARD G. LUBMAN VIA AP
Former U.S. Air Force Col.
Robert Stirm poses while wearing his dress uniform in September 2019.
Former Black Panther leader H.
Rap Brown dies
He was serving a life sentence for killing a Georgia sheri ’s deputy
The Associated Press
DINNER from page A1
Seating is limited. To reserve a table and purchase tickets, attendees may email West Stanly Players director Wes Tucker at wes.tucker@stanlycountyschools.org or call April Tucker at 704-791-3200.
“We try to rotate each year between Christmas plays and dinner theatre, so this year we just decided to combine the two styles into one,” Wes Tucker said in a statement. “The show is guaranteed to provide the audience with a hilarious and exciting evening of entertainment from start to nish.”
The Players have more than two decades of experience producing interactive dinner theatre, a format that has become one of the group’s most requested o erings.
“I have often thought about doing a dinner show in the theatre, so this year we decided to do something di erent and perform at home,” Tucker said. “I am also very excit-
BUTNER — H. Rap Brown, one of the most vocal leaders of the Black Power movement, has died in a prison hospital while serving a life sentence for the killing of a Georgia sheri ’s deputy. He was 82. Brown — who later in life changed his name to Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin — died Sunday at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina, his widow, Karima AlAmin, said Monday. A cause of death was not immediately available, but Karima Al-Amin told The Associated Press that her husband had been su ering from cancer and had been transferred to the medical facility in 2014 from a federal prison in Colorado.
Like other more militant black leaders and organizers during the racial upheaval of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Brown decried heavy-handed policing in black communities. He once stated that violence was “as American as cherry pie.”
“Violence is a part of America’s culture,” he said during a 1967 news conference. “... America taught the black people to be violent. We will use that violence to rid ourselves of oppression, if necessary. We will be free by any means necessary.” Brown was chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a powerful civil rights group, and in 1968 was named minister of justice for the Black Panther Party.
Three years later, he was arrested for a robbery that ended in a shootout with New York police.
While serving a ve-year prison sentence for the robbery, Brown converted to the Dar-ul Islam movement and changed his name. Upon his release, he moved to Atlanta in 1976, opened a grocery and health food store, and became an Imam, a spiritual leader for local Muslims.
ed about bringing our
at Atrium Stanly for the rst time as well.” “Cutthroat Christmas,” writ-
“I’m not dissatis ed with what I did,” he told an audience in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1998. “But Islam has allowed things to be clearer. ... We have to be concerned about the welfare of ourselves and those around us, and that comes through submission to God and the raising of one’s consciousness.”
On March 16, 2000, Fulton County Deputy Sheri Ricky Kinchen and deputy Aldranon English were shot after encountering the former Black Panther leader outside his Atlanta home. The deputies were there to serve a warrant for failure to appear in court on charges of driving a stolen car and impersonating a police ofcer during a tra c stop the previous year.
English testi ed at trial that Brown red a high-powered assault ri e when the deputies tried to arrest him. Then, prosecutors said, he used a handgun to re three shots into Kinchen’s groin as the wounded deputy lay in the street. Kinchen would die from his wounds.
Prosecutors portrayed Brown as a deliberate killer, while his lawyers painted him as a peaceful community and religious leader who helped revitalize poverty-stricken areas. They suggested he was framed as part of a government conspiracy dating from his militant days.
Brown maintained his innocence but was convicted in 2002 and sentenced to life.
He argued that his constitutional rights were violated at trial and in 2019 challenged his imprisonment before a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take the case.
“For decades, questions have surrounded the fairness of his trial,” his family said Monday in a statement. “Newly uncovered evidence — including previously unseen FBI surveillance les, inconsistencies in eyewitness accounts, and third-party confessions — raised serious concerns that Imam Al-Amin did not receive the fair trial guaranteed under the Constitution.”
at a company Christmas party.”
When guests enter the Magnolia Room, they will be welcomed not as spectators but as employees attending the ctional Kringle Company’s annual holiday gathering.
Audience members are not only treated to a full meal and performance, but they also become part of the story as suspects, interrogators and amateur detectives attempting to crack the case before the night ends.
The evening will feature two Christmas-themed mysteries. The rst unfolds during the appetizer course: “The Knife Before Christmas,” a comedic short designed to help the audience sharpen their detective skills.
Guests are encouraged to wear their best ugly Christmas sweater for a contest held during the event and to bring canned goods to support the West Stanly Players and National Honor Society food drive.
Abdullah Al-Amin
Mem ber FDIC
Jamil
watches during the sentencing portion of his trial in Atlanta in 2002.
RIC FELD / AP PHOTO
show to Albemarle
ten by Kari Williamson and Stefanie R. Austin, is described as “a twisted tale of lies, deceit, backstabbing and murder
COURTESY WEST STANLY PLAYERS
The West Stanly Players will present “Cutthroat Christmas” on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6 in Albemarle.
The turkeys were raised in Wayne County and will retire at NC State
By Chris Megerian The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. —
President Donald Trump didn’t bring much holiday cheer Tuesday when bestowing ceremonial pardons on two Thanksgiving turkeys, dispensing more insults than goodwill at the traditional White House ritual.
He joked about sending the turkeys to an infamous prison in El Salvador that has been used to house migrants deported from the United States. He said the birds should be named Chuck and Nancy — after Democratic stalwarts Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi — but “I would never pardon those people.”
Trump claimed that last year’s turkey pardons, issued by President Joe Biden, were invalid because he used an autopen.
“Where’s Hunter?” he said, suggesting that his predecessor’s son could once again face legal jeopardy.
And all of that was before Trump turned his attention to Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat who has resisted the White House’s plans to deploy the National Guard in Chicago.
Trump said he had a joke prepared about Pritzker, but “I refuse to talk about the fact that he’s a fat slob. I don’t mention it.”
Scattered laughter rippled through the audience, which sat under cloudy skies and an intermittent drizzle on the Rose Garden patio.
Trump eventually got around to the business at hand, which was pardoning the turkeys Gobble and Waddle. Both were spared the dinner table, but only one got the spotlight.
“Gobble, I just want to tell you this — very important — you are hereby unconditionally pardoned,” Trump said. He reached over to run his hand over the feathers, saying, “Who would want to harm this beautiful bird?”
Waddle had previously been spotted in the White House brie ng room.
“Waddle, want to give us a gobble?” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt asked.
The turkey obliged.
“Very on message!” Leavitt said.
The two birds were raised in Wayne County by Travis and Amanda Pittman, contract growers for Butterball. The two, as well as their son Carter, ensured the turkeys were comfortable with crowds and cameras for their big moment.
Gobble and Waddle will retire to the care of NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the second time CALS has welcomed pardoned Thanksgiving turkeys. They also host Chocolate and Chip, pardoned in 2022.
North Carolina is the country’s top producer of turkey by weight and second by headcount, accounting for almost 15% of all turkey produced in the United States.
Trump used part of his ceremonial remarks to insist that the price of Thanksgiving meals
was dropping under his leadership, although his numbers are misleading. Some research indicates that holiday dinners could cost more this year, a reminder of persistent frustration with in ation.
The president spent Thanksgiving at his Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida.
Trump is struggling to advance a plan to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine after an earlier version faced swift criticism from European allies and even some Republicans. The U.S. military is also
President Donald Trump
poised to target Venezuela with military strikes, part of an anti-drug operation that could ultimately destabilize the country’s leadership.
The White House plans to be open for holiday tours. However, despite the arrival of a Christmas tree via horse - drawn carriage on Monday, the presidential residence will be much di erent this year.
Trump’s decision to demolish the building’s East Wing to make room for a new ballroom has turned part of the White House grounds into a construction site.
Stanly News Journal sta contributed to this story.
o cial 2025 White House Christmas Tree, a white r from Korson’s Tree Farms in Michigan, arrives on the North Portico of the White House on Monday in Washington, D.C.
JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON / AP PHOTO Left, turkeys Waddle and Gobble, who
White House ahead of Thanksgiving, enjoy their hotel room at the Willard InterContinental Hotel, in
D.C. on Monday. Right, President Donald Trump and rst lady Melania Trump stand next to national Thanksgiving turkey Gobble during a pardoning ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House on Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
JACQUELYN MARTIN / AP PHOTO
Scientists capture crackling sounds on Mars, believe
It could be discharges of static electricity near the Perseverance rover
By Marcia Dunn The Associated Press
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. —
Scientists have detected what they believe to be lightning on Mars by eavesdropping on the whirling wind recorded by NASA’s Perseverance rover.
The crackling of electrical discharges was captured by a microphone on the rover, a Frenchled team reported Wednesday.
The researchers documented 55 instances of what they call “mini lightning” over two Martian years, primarily during dust storms and dust devils. Almost all occurred on the windiest Martian sols, or days, during dust storms and dust devils.
Just inches in size, the electrical arcs occurred within 6 feet of the microphone perched atop the rover’s tall mast, part of a system for examining Martian rocks via camera and lasers. Sparks from the electrical discharges — akin to static electricity here on Earth — are clearly audible amid the noisy wind gusts and dust particles smacking the microphone.
Scientists have been looking for electrical activity and lightning at Mars for half a century, said the study’s lead author Baptiste Chide, of the Institute for Research in Astrophysics and Planetology in Toulouse.
“It opens a completely new eld of investigation for Mars science,” Chide said, citing the possible chemical e ects from electrical discharges. “It’s like nding a missing piece of the puzzle.”
it’s
evidence of lightning
The evidence is strong and persuasive, but it’s based on a single instrument that was meant to record the rover zapping rocks with lasers, not lightning blasts, said Cardi University’s Daniel Mitchard, who was not involved in the study. What’s more, he noted in an article accompanying the study in the journal Nature, the electrical discharges were heard — not seen.
“It really is a chance discovery to hear something else go-
ing on nearby, and everything points to this being Martian lightning,” Mitchard said in an email. But until new instruments are sent to verify the ndings, “I think there will still be a debate from some scientists as to whether this really was lightning.” Lightning has already been con rmed on Jupiter and Saturn, and Mars has long been suspected of having it too.
To nd it, Chide and his team analyzed 28 hours of
Perseverance recordings, documenting episodes of “mini lightning” based on acoustic and electric signals.
Electrical discharges generated by the fast-moving dust devils lasted just a few seconds, while those spawned by dust storms lingered as long as 30 minutes.
“It’s like a thunderstorm on Earth, but barely visible with a naked eye and with plenty of faint zaps,” Chide said in an email. He noted that the thin, carbon dioxide-rich Martian at-
Frustrated by missing mail, American woman took Postal Service to court
The Supreme Court is about to decide the case
By Susan Haigh
The Associated Press
HARTFORD, Conn. — As a general rule, it’s di cult to sue the U.S. Postal Service for lost, delayed or mishandled mail.
But a case before the U.S. Supreme Court involving a Texas landlord who alleges her mail was deliberately withheld for two years is looking to challenge that, in a proceeding the cash-strapped Postal Service says could prompt a deluge of lawsuits over the very common, if frustrating, phenomenon of missing mail. That concern takes on particular resonance during the holiday season, when the volume of mail — billions of sentimental items from Christmas cards to Black Friday purchases — ramps up.
The case focuses on whether the special postal exemption to the Federal Tort Claims Act applies when postal employees intentionally fail to deliver letters and packages.
“We’re going to be faced with, I think, a ton of suits about mail,” Frederick Liu, assistant to the Solicitor General for the Department of Justice, warned the justices during oral arguments last month. He predicted that if the landlord wins the case, people will infer their mail didn’t arrive “because of a rude comment that they heard, or what have you.”
The federal tort law allows a private individual to sue the federal government for monetary damages if a federal employee hurts them or damages their property by acting negligently.
But Congress created multiple exceptions to the law, including one for the Postal Service, shielding it from lawsuits over missing or late mail. The exception says the post o ce can’t be sued for “loss, miscarriage or negligent transmission of letters or postal matter.”
De nitions of those words have become the crux of the case before the Supreme Court. Last month, some justices appeared to question the government’s claim that USPS is shielded from such lawsuits. But concern was expressed about opening the doors to frivolous litigation. Justice Samuel Alito suggested people might believe carriers intentionally didn’t deliver mail because they didn’t receive a tip at Christmas or they were scared by a “big dog that ran up to the door.”
“What will the consequences be if all these suits are led and they have to be litigated?” Alito asked. “Is the cost of a rst-class letter going to be $3 now?”
A two-year battle over missing mail
Easha Anand, a lawyer for the landlord, has accused the government of “fearmongering about endless litigation.” She argued it’s unusual for someone to
experience the level of mistreatment Lebene Konan did and contends the USPS would still retain immunity for most postal matter-related harms even if the court rules in the landlord’s favor.
“These sorts of allegations, I think, will be rare,” she said in court.
Konan, a landlord, real estate agent and insurance agent, claims two employees at a post o ce in Euless, Texas, part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, deliberately didn’t deliver mail belonging to her and her tenants because she alleges they didn’t like that she is Black and owns multiple properties.
According to court documents, the dispute began when Konan discovered the mailbox key for one of her rental properties had been changed without her knowledge, preventing her from collecting and distributing tenants’ mail from the box. When she contacted the local post o ce, she was told
“It really is a chance discovery to hear something else going on nearby, and everything points to this being Martian lightning.”
Daniel Mitchard, Cardi University
mosphere absorbs much of the sound, making some of the zaps barely perceptible.
Mars’ atmosphere is more prone than Earth’s to electrical discharging and sparking through contact among grains of dust and sand, according to Chide.
“The current evidence suggests it is extremely unlikely that the rst person to walk on Mars could, as they plant a ag on the surface, be struck down by a bolt of lightning,” Mitchard wrote in Nature. But the “small and frequent static-like discharges could prove problematic for sensitive equipment.”
These aren’t the rst Mars sounds transmitted by Perseverance. Earthlings have listened in to the rover’s wheels crunching over the Martian surface and the whirring blades of its no-longer- ying helicopter sidekick, Ingenuity.
Perseverance has been scouring a dry river delta at Mars since 2021, collecting samples of rock for possible signs of ancient microscopic life. NASA plans to return these core samples to Earth for laboratory analysis, but the delivery is on inde nite hold as the space agency pursues cheaper options.
After ling dozens of complaints with postal o cials, Konan nally led a lawsuit under the 1946 Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), which has now made its way to the nation’s highest court. A decision in the case is expected to be issued next year.
Konan, reached by email, declined to comment while the case was still pending, on advice of her lawyer.
Does the postal exemption apply or not?
While a federal district court in Texas dismissed Konan’s FTCA claims, arguing they fell under the postal exemption, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed part of that decision last year.
The judges disagreed with the lower court’s determination that Konan’s claims were precluded because they arose out of a “loss” or a “miscarriage.” Rather, the judges said Konan’s case doesn’t fall into one of those “limited situations” because it involved the intentional act of not delivering the mail.
“Because the conduct alleged in this case does not fall squarely within the exceptions for ‘loss, miscarriage, or negligent transmission,’ sovereign immunity does not bar Konan’s FTCA claims,” the judges wrote.
“We’re going to be faced with, I think, a ton of suits about mail.”
Frederick Liu, assistant to the Solicitor General
she wouldn’t receive a new key or regular delivery until she proved she owned the property. She did so, the documents say, but the mail problems continued, despite the USPS Inspector General instructing the mail to be delivered. Konan alleges the employees marked some of the mail as undeliverable or return to sender. Konan and her tenants failed to receive important mail such as bills, medications and car titles, according to the lawsuit. Konan also claims she lost rental income because some tenants moved out due to the situation.
The appellate court sided with the lower court’s decision to dismiss Konan’s separate claim against the individual postal workers.
The USPS, which declined to comment, appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Kevin Kosar, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a public policy think tank, who studies postal matters, said he believes it’s incorrect for the government to argue the postal exemption covers the intentional failure to deliver mail.
Kosar said he also doubts there will be a deluge of lawsuits if the court rules narrowly in the case, questioning whether aggrieved postal customers could even nd an attorney willing to sue the USPS. He asked: “What lawyer, for example, wants to le a suit and spends years in the courts because someone spent 78 cents on a rst-class stamp and their letter got lost?”
A sel e of their Perseverance Mars rover from July 2024. The image is made up of 62 individual images that were stitched together.
DAVID ZALUBOWSKI / AP PHOTO
Delivery vans from the United States Post O ce sit side-by-side at a stoplight in Denver earlier this month.
New prosecutor won’t pursue charges against Trump, others in Georgia election interference case
Fifteen defendants faced charges, but all were dismissed
By Kate Brumback
The Associated Press
ATLANTA — The prosecutor who recently took over the Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump and others said in a court ling Wednesday that he has decided not to pursue the case further.
Pete Skandalakis, the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, took over the case last month from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who was removed over an “appearance of impropriety” created by a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she chose to lead the case.
After Skandalakis’ ling, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee issued a one-paragraph order dismissing the case in its entirety.
It was unlikely that legal action against Trump could have moved forward while he is president. But 14 other defendants still faced charges, including former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of sta Mark Meadows.
Steve Sadow, Trump’s lead attorney in Georgia, applauded the case’s dismissal: “The political persecution of President Trump by disquali ed DA Fani Willis is nally over. This case should never have been brought. A fair and impartial prosecutor has put an end to this lawfare.”
After the Georgia Supreme Court in September declined to hear Willis’ appeal of her disquali cation, it fell to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council to nd a new prosecutor. Skandalakis said last month that he reached out to several prosecutors, but they all declined to take on the case. McAfee set a Nov. 14 deadline for the appointment of a new prosector,
FIRE from page A1
animal was later reunited with its owners.
The American Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents with temporary housing and other support services.
The AFD also received automatic aid from o -duty Albemarle re ghters, while East Side, Endy and Bethany volunteer re departments responded to the city to provide standby coverage for additional calls.
In its release, the department thanked all who helped:
“The department extends its appreciation to all assisting agencies and commends the swift and coordinated ef-
Fani Willis, district attorney of Fulton County, takes part in an interview in October 2024 in Atlanta.
so Skandalakis chose to appoint himself rather than allow the case to be dismissed right away. He said Willis’ o ce had only recently delivered the case le — 101 boxes and an eight-terabyte hard drive — and he hadn’t had a chance to review everything yet. Citing the public’s “legitimate interest in the outcome of this case,” he said he wanted to assess the evidence and decide on the appropriate next steps.
Skandalakis, who has led the small, nonpartisan council since 2018, said in a court ling last month that he will get no extra pay for the case but that Fulton County will reimburse expenses. He previously spent about 25 years as the elected Republican district attorney for the Coweta Judicial Circuit, southwest of Atlanta.
Willis announced the sprawling indictment against Trump and 18 others in August 2023, using the state’s anti-racketeering law to allege a wide-ranging conspiracy to illegally overturn Trump’s narrow loss to Democrat Joe Biden in Georgia.
“The re originated in the kitchen area, and the cause remains undetermined at this time.”
Albemarle Fire Department
forts of all personnel involved.”
The AFD is sta ed by 42 full-time and two part-time personnel. Fire Chief Kenny Kendall oversees the department’s daily operations, manages its $3.6 million budget and plans for future needs.
Defense attorneys sought Willis’ removal after one revealed in January 2024 that Willis had a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she hired to lead the case. The defense attorneys alleged a con ict of interest and said Willis pro ted from the case when Wade used his earnings to pay for vacations the pair took.
During an extraordinary hearing the following month, Willis and Wade testi ed about the intimate details of their relationship. They said the romance didn’t begin until after Wade was hired and that they split the costs for vacations and other outings.
The judge rebuked Willis for a “tremendous lapse in judgment” but found no disqualifying con ict of interest, ruling she could stay on the case if Wade resigned, which he did hours later.
Defense attorneys appealed, and the Georgia Court of Appeals removed Willis from the case in December 2024, citing an “appearance of impropriety.” The state Supreme Court declined to hear Willis’ appeal.
The department’s Fire Suppression Division includes 39 members who work in three 24-hour shifts, each followed by 48 hours o . Fire ghters average 56 hours per week and operate from three stations across the city. The Fire Prevention Division consists of one full-time and two part-time sta members under the supervision of the re marshal to oversee re code enforcement, public education and emergency management.
Residents can sign up for local emergency alerts from the AFD through the city’s website at albemarlenc.gov.
BRYNN ANDERSON / AP PHOTO
STANLY SPORTS
Pfei er men’s cross-country runners compete at NCAA Championship
The Falcons had three individual runners at the event
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
MISENHEIMER — Three Pfei er University men’s cross-country runners capped o their 2025 season with performances at the NCAA Division III Cross-Country Championship on Nov. 22 in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The Falcons, who sent athletes to the national meet for the second straight year, were led by freshman Jorge Clemente-Garcia. He clocked a time of 25:28.9 in the 8K at the Roger Milliken Center course, placing 119th
overall in a eld of more than 280 runners. His nish also ranked eighth among all freshmen competitors, giving Pfei er its top result of the day.
“Making it to Nationals is a pretty big deal as you’re competing with some of the best schools in the nation,” Clemente-Garcia said. “With me being a freshman and being able to compete there in the DIII Nationals, it’s a pretty big nerve-wracking deal for me.”
“It’s just really exciting to go and compete with all the schools and to see all the fans that are at the national championship.”
Sawyer Helms
Helms said. “It’s just really exciting to go and compete with all the schools and to see all the fans that are at the national championship.”
showing in 24:49.4, followed by Powell in 13th at 25:05.0 and Clemente-Garcia in 14th at 25:07.1.
Their collective e ort helped Pfei er place third among 24 teams with 79 points and an average time of 25:12.
Helms said returning to the NCAA stage underscored the program’s continued growth.
“Pfei er’s a really small school, so it’s really exciting to go and compete against some of these Division III schools that are much larger, have tracks and more assets than we do here,”
Junior Cannon Powell, appearing at nationals for the second consecutive season, crossed in 25:54.5 to take 186th. His time marked a signi cant improvement over his 2024 nationals performance, when he nished in 26:47.0. Senior Sawyer Helms rounded out Pfei er’s entries, placing 252nd in 26:32.7.
North Stanly girls race past Anson in Comet Tip-o Classic win
The Comets jumped to a 51-12 halftime lead
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
NEW LONDON — Anchored by an 18-point performance from senior Lexie Brown, the North Stanly girls’ basketball team rolled past Anson 65-35 on Monday night in the Comet Tip-o Classic. The Comets (2-0), coming o a 13-13 season that snapped a run of three straight 20 -win seasons, have won their rst two games of the 2025-26 campaign.
North Stanly stormed to a 30-6 lead in the rst quarter, pushing the tempo early and overwhelming the Bearcats (0 -3) on both ends of the oor. The Comets kept their foot down in the second quarter, stretching the margin to 51-12 at halftime.
While Anson outscored North Stanly 33-14 after the break, the Bearcats were unable to recover from the early de cit.
Freshman Lainey Bowers contributed 11 points as fellow freshman Emma Palmer added eight. Junior Reese Coble and freshman Hope Quesenberry chipped in six apiece as North Stanly’s depth, despite a young roster, showed promise. Anson senior Alaysia Caraway nished with a game-high 19 points. North Stanly wrapped up its early-season home slate in the Tip-o Classic with matchups against Union Academy and Montgomery Central. The Comets now prepare for their rst road tests of the season, traveling to Bradford Prep on Wednesday and Maiden on Friday.
West Stanly 53, Gray Stone 27
The West Stanly Colts (1-2) logged their rst win of the season Monday as they crushed the Gray Stone Knights (0-3) by 26 points in Misenheimer.
Bouncing back from opening-season losses to Albe -
The championship eld featured several of Division III’s top programs, with Wisconsin-La Crosse winning the men’s team title behind a fast 24:14 average. Johns Hopkins senior Emmanuel Leblond captured the individual national championship in 23:35.0.
Pfei er’s trio advanced to nationals after clutch performances at the NCAA Division III South Region Championship on Nov. 15 in Salem, Virginia. All three runners secured All-Region honors with top-15 nishes at Green Hill Park. Helms led the Falcons with a 10th-place
This year’s NCAA appearance continued an upward trajectory for the program. In 2024, Powell and Helms became the rst runners in school history to earn at-large selections to the national championship meet.
The 2025 season built on that breakthrough, highlighted by Pfei er’s second straight USA South Athletic Conference title and coach Bob Marchinko being named as the conference’s Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.
Stanly’s
marle and Charlotte Latin, the Colts used a 20-point third quarter to pad their lead after an eight-point lead at halftime. Seniors Kennedy Foxx and Scarlet Gri n were the Colts’ top scorers with 14 points and 13 points, respectively.
Albemarle 59, Anson 21
Hosting Anson on Nov. 21, Albemarle had its highest-scoring output so far as it defeated the Bearcats by 38 points. It was
an improvement for the Bulldogs (2-1) after their 53-21 loss to Forest Hills three days earlier. Last season, the Bulldogs had their third consecutive season with at least 22 wins as they put together a 25-5 record, carrying them all the way to the fourth round of the NCHSAA 1A state playo s.
Piedmont 67, South Stanly 31
The South Stanly Rowdy Reb-
el Bulls (0-1) opened their 2025 campaign Monday with a tough road loss at Piedmont — one where the Panthers (3-0) were up 26-4 through one quarter. Coming o back-to-back one-win seasons, South Stanly is hoping to change the narrative as it gets through nonconference play and eases into Yadkin Valley Conference play in January. The Bulls are set for a full week with home games scheduled against CATA, Anson and West Stanly.
COURTESY PFEIFFER ATHLETICS
Pfei er’s Jorge Clemente-Garcia hustles past his competition at the NCAA Division III Cross-Country Championship on Nov. 22.
COURTESY NFHS NETWORK North
Emma Palmer prepares to take a free throw in the rst quarter of the Comets’ home game versus Anson.
Teams in NBA Cup this year running it up; rules make it good idea for them to do so
Point di erential is a tie-breaker in the group stage of the tournament
By Tim Reynolds
The Associated Press
THE GAME WASN’T over, though the outcome was decided. Milwaukee’s Myles Turner took a pass from Giannis Antetokounmpo and let y with a 3-pointer from the corner with about six seconds remaining. It connected — for a 17-point lead.
In 78 of 82 games on the Bucks’ schedule this season, they would have just dribbled out the clock, ipped the ball to the referee and headed to the locker room.
But this is NBA Cup time, and one of the quirks in the four-game group stage portion of the tournament is a point-differential tiebreaker. Every point might make a di erence and cash is on the line for teams that advance. That’s why teams are running it up in Cup group stage games just in case the tiebreaker comes into play.
“Points di erential might matter,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said earlier this month after his team beat Utah by 40 in a Cup game and was still shooting 3s up by 44 in the nal minutes. “If you get a chance to put 40 points in the bank, you should do it.”
Consider this scenario from an Orlando-Boston game in Cup play: Magic guard Jalen Suggs rebounded his own missed 3-pointer and made a layup for Orlando with 2.4
seconds left in the game. The Celtics then threw a full-court pass and Payton Pritchard tried a layup, only to have it blocked by Franz Wagner with a half-second remaining. The Magic bench roared in celebration, as if the game was on the line. Orlando was winning by 13 points.
“It’s something you think about, absolutely,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. Spoelstra and the Heat lost
in New York in a Cup game last week, and the Knicks’ Landry Shamet passed up what probably would have been an easy layup in the nal seconds. His teammate, Josh Hart, wasn’t happy.
“Josh was cussing (me) out because I didn’t shoot the layup there at the end,” Shamet said in the on-court interview after New York’s 140-130 win. “I should’ve. He’s right. It’s important. This is important to
all of us. It’s fun. It’s a fun new element to our league, and we want to be in the hunt for it.”
Golden State coach Steve Kerr has long wondered why teams just don’t keep playing until the end. He has no problem with teams trying to keep scoring in Cup games. He also wouldn’t have a problem if teams did it all the time.
Kerr remembers a game in 2016 where Jimmer Fredette — then of the Knicks —
“If you get a chance to put 40 points in the bank, you should do it.”
got fouled by Portland’s Meyers Leonard on a shot attempt with 0.8 seconds left in a game that the Trail Blazers were leading by 21 points.
Leonard apologized not long afterward.
“Apparently, it’s also o ensive if your lead is cut from 20 to 18 or 17 late in the game,” Kerr said. “It’s just one of those dumb things that there’s no rule. I think it was kind of always understood that when the shot clock ran out, the other team kind of puts up their hands, you just dribble it out, and you don’t go and dunk it. That’s always kind of been understood, but it’s extended to beyond the shot clock now. So now, you’re supposed to take a turnover, and I’m not a believer in that.”
Knicks coach Mike Brown, a former Golden State assistant under Kerr, is fully aware of his former boss’ thoughts on why games should just be played out.
“I feel like I’m competitive — maybe not as much as Steve,” Brown said. “I feel that I’m trying to run up the score, but in the Cup situation it’s natural because of the point di erential. And I think at the end of games it should be the way that Steve says. You know, just freaking play.”
Fight songs still ring true as college football tradition in face of ever-changing changes in sport
Stadiums use more recorded pop songs, but tradition still has an important place
By Larry Lage
The Associated Press
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The sounds of college football have changed over the years, with pop culture songs becoming part of the show at stadiums across the country.
Fight songs, though, have withstood the test of time and still ring true.
From “Rocky Top” at Tennessee to “Fight On” at USC, school bands cranking up the familiar notes and rhythm and thousands of alumni joining the student body in belting out the long-familiar lyrics are a touchstone of the nostalgia surrounding the game itself. It’s a chance to cheer in common or at least try to shake o a disappointment.
Like the teams themselves, ght songs tend to spark much discussion on the topic of which one is the best of the bunch or at least the most familiar.
To Georgia Southern sport management professor Chris Hanna, “The Victors” at Michigan and “Notre Dame Victory March” are in the conversation for the mythical national championship of music.
“Those two have separated themselves,” said Hanna, who has studied and written about college ght songs. “Those are the two most popular and well known.”
Michigan’s familiar ght song dates to 1898 when a music student at the school, Louis Elbel, wrote it following the Wolverines’ 12-11 win over the University of Chicago for their rst Western Conference football title.
“Hail! Hail! to Michigan, the champions of the West!” Elbel wrote back when the Midwest was still more of a notion than the commonly known region it is now.
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Chad Smith, who grew up in suburban Detroit rooting for Michigan, used the ght song as
part of his act when the Red Hot Chili Peppers made a tour stop near Ohio State’s campus just for laughs.
“At the end of the concert, I came out, I said, `Hey, I think we got time for one more song. You guys want to hear one more song?’ And they’re like, ‘Yay,’” Smith recalled. “I’m like, ‘It’s a really good song. I think you’re really going to like this one.’”
Then, Smith started signing “The Victors,” and heard a chorus of boos before dropping the microphone and walking o stage.
“They screamed louder than they screamed all night,” said Smith. “It was great.”
“Notre Dame Victory March,” written by Notre Dame
“Fight songs ramp up your emotions because of the value you place on the connections to your school.”
Professor Chris Hanna
graduates and brothers, Michael and John Shea, was copyrighted in 1908.
“If you’ve ever seen ”Rudy,” they have it humming in the background at practice,” said Detroit Lions tight end Brock Wright, a former Fighting Irish star. “It’s just kind of lled with rich tradition.”
USC’s “Fight On,” was born in 1922 after students Milo Sweet and Glen Grant teamed up to create the iconic song kicked o by trumpets. It makes Hanna’s list of top ght songs along with Oklahoma’s “Boomer Sooner,” and “On Wisconsin!”
Hanna was part of research on 130 Division I college football ght songs that found more than 90% of the songs had themes that included the name of the university, an exclamation and togetherness.
“Fight songs ramp up your emotions because of the value you place on the connections to your school,” Hanna said.
“These songs are passed down by generations, and you learn them as kids.”
In recent decades, pipedin music has become the norm while marching bands take a break whether they want one or not.
House of Pain’s “Jump Around” at Wisconsin is now in its third decade of inspiring Badgers fans. “Mr. Brightside” at Michigan, “Callin’ Baton Rouge” at LSU and “Shout” at Oregon” are just a few that have become part of the gameday experience.
“Those are cool, obviously, but we don’t sing ‘Mr. Brightside’ after we win,” Davis said. “We sing ‘The Victors’ after we win. Even in the era of sound effects and music, having the band right there playing ght songs, I think, is a really cool tradition in college football.”
ERIC GAY / AP PHOTO
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during an NBA Cup game.
Chris Finch, Minnesota coach
DOUG MCSCHOOLER / AP PHOTO
Members of Notre Dame’s marching band perform during a Fighting Irish home game.
salute to seniors Football season ends in Stanly County
The nal two high school football teams in the county fell in the NCHSAA playo s, o cially ending the season for the area.
Here’s a look at the South Stanly seniors who are moving on. (Rosters and class designations from MaxPreps)
South Stanly
Leading receiver Jasiah Holt
Interceptions leader Jayden
Woods
Sacks leader Tripp Edwards
Wyatt Crawford
Leading rusher Carter
Callicutt
Ikey Holt
Mick Tucker
Kamari Wright
Passing leader Kaleb
Richardson
Carter Mccormick
Jordan Watkins
Mason Wilson
Zach Laton
Jose Garcia
Jaxon Kimrey
Austin Medlin
Tyler Harrison
Ian Hawkins
Here are the North Stanly seniors
North Stanly
Leading tackler Lorquis Lilly
Touchdown leader Zay Dockery
Solomon Hudson
Bret Curlee
Cam Brown
Justice Gramling
Caleb Terhune
Mark Taylor
Share with your community! Send us your births, deaths, marriages, graduations and other announcements: community@stanlynewsjournal.com
Weekly deadline is Monday at noon
Jamie Hathcock
Stanly County, Special Olympics
Jamie Hathcock is a Stanly County resident and multiple Special Olympics medalist.
This summer, Hathcock competed in track and eld at the annual Special Olympics NC Summer Games in Raleigh, winning gold medals in standing long jump, softball throw and 50-meter dash.
Last week, he competed in Special Olympics North Carolina Fall Tournament at the Charles T. Myers Golf Course in Charlotte. Teaming with David Holland (not pictured) the duo shot a 58 to win gold in golf level 2 alternate-shot team play.
Hathcock will represent the state at 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis.
Olympic gold-medalist has tips for older swimmers
Rowdy Gaines helps you safely return to the pool
By Stephen Wade The Associated Press
OLYMPIC gold-medalist
Rowdy Gaines has swimming tips if you’re an older swimmer, or returning to the pool after years away.
Gaines won three Olympic gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Games and is widely known as the “voice of swimming” for his coverage of the Olympics with American network NBC.
Swimming is an all-around exercise with water providing mild resistance. It’s low-impact, o ers a complete workout and is suitable for all ages.
“Of course I’m biased, but I will stack swimming against any other exercise out there, especially as we age,” Gaines said. “And swimming is one of the few sports you can do forever.”
Gaines missed out on a shot at winning a handful of medals at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, which the United States boycotted. Gaines set 10 world records between 1978 and 1984 and was the heir in American sprinting to Mark Spitz and a predecessor to Michael Phelps.
Gaines is 66 and said his 90-year-old father, Buddy, is back training for a meet for older swimmers early next year. He said his father has not swum
seriously in, perhaps, 70 years. Gaines stayed away from advice around strokes, detailed workout plans and speci c training suggestions. His tips are geared for older swimmers and those retuning after a long layo — perhaps decades. Defog your goggles, slip into the pool, grab your kickboard and let’s get motivated.
Get your technique down
Take time to work on your technique. Most recreational swimmers use the freestyle stroke, also known as the front crawl. But his advice also applies to breaststroke, backstroke and butter y. With freestyle, Gaines preach-
es taking long, smooth strokes — not short, choppy ones. And for freestyle swimmers, keep your head in the water and aligned with your body.
“Water rewards e ciency,” said Gaines, who won his three gold medals in the 100 free and two relays. “It has nothing to do with power. I think a lot of rst-timers feel like they have to power their way through the water, and that is not true.”
Be patient
Build distance and endurance slowly. Maybe a few decades ago you could swim nonstop for 30 minutes. You won’t be able to after a long time away. Start with a 200-yard work-
out. Swim 25 yards and rest until your heart rate slows. Do this eight to 10 times “and then get the heck out of the pool,” Gaines said.
“You don’t want to overdo it to start with and then get frustrated and think you can’t do it,” he said. “You need to increase your total distance little by little.”
Gaines suggested the goal is a 20-30 minute workout, three times per week. Swimming relies on getting a feel for the water, which requires steadfastness.
“Three days a week is the sweet spot,” he said. “If you are doing less than three days a week, it’s really tough to develop the consistency you need.”
Injury prevention
This is common sense, but take time to warm up. Do this on dry land, perhaps, before hitting the water. Do stretches, work your shoulders, and work on some strength training.
It’s no secret that some swimmers experience lots of shoulder pain.
“You have to listen to any pain,” Gaines said. “Pain is a lot di erent than fatigue or strain. Pain is real. If you are feeling fatigue and strain, that’s good. If you are feeling pain, that’s bad.” Mind set — the mental game
Gaines emphasized keeping it fun and getting comfortable
in the water. Not ghting it.
“Learn to feel the water,” he said. “The small goal of just feeling the water is much more important than many other things. Swimming is not easy. You are not always going to feel good swimming. But you are going to feel great when you’re done.”
He also emphasized varying your workout — meaning time, distance and strokes to keep in fun and interesting.
Hydration and training aids
Swimmers need to stay hydrated. It’s not generally a problem for recreational swimmers, but swimmers perspire while swimming. The warmer the pool, the more this might be a problem.
Gaines reminded that pool temperatures vary, but 80 degrees F is about right. Warmer temperatures can lead to more dehydration.
He also suggested training aids such a swim ns, paddles or pull-buoys, which are also another part of adding variety.
“I really don’t like to swim, but I love the feeling of being done,” Gaines said. (Remember, this revelation is from a decorated Olympic athlete.) “I crave that feeling when I get out of the water. It’s the endorphins. It’s de nitely mental for me.”
“You want to have variety for that recreational swimmer because swimming can be boring,” Gaines said. “However, swimming can almost be meditation, even for that three-day a week, recreational swimmer.”
TYLER TATE / AP PHOTO
Former Olympic swimmer Rowdy Gaines swims at a pool in Salt Lake City earlier this month.
PHOTO COURTESY SPECIAL OLYMPICS STANLY COUNTY
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you are hereby noti ed of the following: (a) An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to Section 45-21.29 of the North Carolina General Statutes in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold; and (b) Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement upon 10 days’ written notice to the landlord. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the e ective date of the termination. The 30th day of October, 2025. /s/ Je Williams-Tracy______________________________________ Je Williams-Tracy (NCBS No. 21296), as Attorney For John W. Fletcher, III, Substitute Trustee (NCSB No. 15503) Fletcher, Tydings, Williams-Tracy & Gott, PLLC 100 Queens Road, Suite 250, Charlotte, North Carolina 28204 704-334-3400 / j etcher@ etchertydings.com
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Trustee: Philip A. Glass
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MrBeast, Rockefeller Foundation teaming up to spark youth interest in philanthropy
The YouTube star has made numerous videos on his charitable e orts
By James Pollard
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — One of the most storied American philanthropies is teaming up with the internet’s biggest creator to instill young people with a concern for what they call the world’s “most vulnerable” populations.
Beast Philanthropy, the charitable organization started by MrBeast founder and North Carolina native Jimmy Donaldson, and the Rockefeller Foundation announced a strategic partnership Monday. The idea is to pair Donaldson’s unique ability to capture youth attention spans with the foundation’s 112-year history of using its resources and technology to tackle global problems.
Speaking together ahead of a Nov. 21 video shoot at MrBeast’s Greenville studio, the partners complimented the respective strengths they hope to exchange with each other.
“I’ve spent my entire life making YouTube videos. They’ve spent their entire lives helping people,” Donaldson told The Associated Press. “Obviously, they have a team who’s way more experienced than me in helping people, but being able to pull on their knowledge and wisdom is amazing.”
“I just want to download their brains into our team’s brains,” he added.
Dr. Rajiv Shah, the president of the Rockefeller Foundation, said the philanthropic sector has long failed to capture “the hearts and minds of hundreds of millions of young people.” He said MrBeast can help them engage young people, inspire hope and communicate their work more accessibly.
Most people have a natural desire to help others, according to Shah, but we teach ourselves that world problems are “too big and too complicated” to solve. He pointed to MrBeast’s video in Zambia, where they provided a village with solar-powered electricity and clean water wells.
“What Jimmy’s already done is show that you can change that dramatically,” Shah said. “If we can get people believing that they can make a di erence through this collaboration, we will have achieved something really unique and really special.”
The move signals Donaldson’s continued attempts to evolve an organization with sprawling interests that include an entertainment studio, food brands, his own James Patterson book deal and, most recent-
ly, a limited time theme park in Saudi Arabia. He brought on venture capitalist Je Housenbold as CEO last year and then hired more new executives as a series of controversies threatened his ambitions ahead of his Amazon Prime reality game show ‘s release.
It’s an unlikely marriage to some. The Rockefeller Foundation is a pillar of civil society established with wealth amassed by the 19th-century oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller during the Gilded Age whereas the 27-year-old Donaldson represents the 21st-century “in uencer” economy where entire media empires can emerge from content creators’ viral stunts and the online buzz they generate.
“It’s encouraging to see an inuencer like MrBeast embrace
the expertise of established philanthropy — of the Rockefeller Foundation, in particular — to hone the work of his platform,” said Phila Engaged Giving founder Stephanie Ellis-Smith. “Honestly, to me, it shows a sense of humility in his approach that I personally haven’t seen before.”
Ellis-Smith, who helps wealthy donors make a bigger impact, said di cult world problems require a “thoughtful approach,” as well as “numbers” and “eyeballs.” She said it’s exciting to consider the possibilities of combining MrBeast’s reach and “real expertise.”
Shah acknowledged that the Rockefeller Foundation rarely does partnerships of this kind. But he said that spending time with Donaldson and his mother,
as well as watching his philanthropically minded videos, communicated the YouTube megastar’s “personal commitment to philanthropy.”
Shah also found a natural synergy between the MrBeast team’s focus on data and Rockefeller desire to make philanthropy “results-oriented and science-based.” Donaldson’s obsession with viewership metrics is well documented and the YouTube page is known for its meticulous editing to ensure fans not only click thumbnails but watch videos all the way through.
“We bring innovation, a sense of purpose and a deep commitment to measuring results to those e orts. And, over time, it’s literally helped hundreds of millions of people escape poverty, hunger and disease,” Shah said.
“I just think Jimmy, and the enterprise he’s built and the perspective that he brings, is totally consistent with that.”
The exact issues they plan to tackle together are still being hammered out and there is no shared grantmaking to announce yet. But Shah mentioned that the Rockefeller Foundation has a long history of combatting child hunger and noted Beast Philanthropy’s video on a school meal program.
Already, though, they have started working to combat child labor in the cocoa industry.
Through his snack company, Feastables, Donaldson says he wants to prove that chocolate can be pro table without using child labor on cacao farms. He hopes to provide farmers with living incomes, create stable
economic conditions so children can go to school instead of farms and use his YouTube channel to rally consumers around fair-trade practices.
The Rockefeller Foundation has consulted MrBeast on “how they should go about the case study,” according to Donaldson. To that end, the two organizations say they will visit Ghana early next year to “learn from one another’s work in development, community-led change, and global storytelling.”
Donaldson said he wants to use his in uence to inspire youth to “do good and volunteer and donate and care about these projects.” But he hopes the Rockefeller Foundation can help him be more e cient and make “real, lasting change.” He said it doesn’t make sense for him to “go make the same mistakes they’ve made a bajillion times.”
The philanthropic sector often gets “stuck in their way of doing things,” according to Giving Compass Director of Development and Philanthropic Partnerships Milan Ball, who said Monday’s announcement represents a welcome change. Ball, 28, found it especially powerful given Donaldson’s track record of raising millions in a single day. She suggested his videos don’t just reach children — an important audience for Rockefeller given Gen Z’s declining trust in institutions — but also their parents.
“We need more bridge building between generations, between the institutions that exist and then this new infrastructure that’s emerging,” she said.
on or March 2nd, 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment. This the 26th day of November, 2025. MARK T. LOWDER PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE ESTATE OF EMILY MAY KEENE
NOTICE
MARY ALTAFFER / AP PHOTO
Dr. Rajiv Shah, president of the Rockefeller Foundation, said the philanthropic sector has long failed to capture “the hearts and minds of hundreds of millions of young people.”
@MRBEAST / X
MrBeast stands atop what he says is the largest video oor in the world, part of the set for Season 2 of his Amazon Prime show “Beast Games.”
famous birthdays this week
Howie Mandel turns 70, Woody Allen hits 90, Don Cheadle is 61, Julianne Moore turns 65
The Associated Press
THESE celebrities have birthdays this week.
NOV. 30
Filmmaker Woody Allen is 90. Filmmaker Ridley Scott is 88. Historian and screenwriter Geo rey C. Ward is 85. Filmmaker Terrence Malick is 82. Playwright David Mamet is 78. Actor Mandy Patinkin is 73. Singer Billy Idol is 70. Actor- lmmaker Ben Stiller is 60. Singer Clay Aiken is 47.
DEC. 1
World Golf Hall of Famer Lee Trevino is 86. Rock musician John Densmore (The Doors) is 81. Actor-singer Bette Midler is 80. Model-actor Carol Alt is 65. Actor Jeremy Northam is 64. Baseball Hall of Famer Larry Walker is 59.
DEC. 2
Actor Cathy Lee Crosby is 81. Film director Penelope Spheeris is 80. Actor Lucy Liu is 57. Tennis Hall of Famer Monica Seles is 52. Pop singer Britney Spears is 44.
DEC. 3
Singer Jaye P. Morgan is 94. Rock singer Mickey Thomas is 76. Actor Daryl Hannah is 65. Actor Julianne Moore is 65. Olympic gure skating gold medalist Katarina Witt is 60. Actor Brendan Fraser is 57.
DEC. 4
Actor-producer Max Baer Jr. is 88. Actor Gemma Jones is 83. Actor Je Bridges is 76. Actor Patricia Wettig is 74. Jazz singer Cassandra Wilson is 70. Basketball Hall of Famer Bernard King is 69. Actor Marisa Tomei is 61. Actor-comedian Fred Armisen is 59. Rapper Jay-Z is 56.
DEC. 5
Author Calvin Trillin is 90. Opera singer Jose Carreras is 79. Musician Jim Messina is 78. Golf Hall of Famer Lanny Wadkins is 76. Football Hall of Famer Art Monk is 68. Comedian-actor Margaret Cho is 57.
RICHARD SHOTWELL / INVISION /
Actor Ben Stiller turns 60 on Sunday.
CHIANG YING-YING / AP
Singer Britney Spears turns 44 on Tuesday.
FRANK FRANKLIN II / AP PHOTO Rapper Jay-Z turns 56 on Thursday.
DEC. 6
Actor JoBeth Williams is 77. Craigslist founder Craig Newmark is 73. Actor Tom Hulce is 72. Comedian Steven Wright is 70. Rock musician Peter Buck (R.E.M.) is 69. Animator Nick Park is 67. Actor Janine Turner is 63. Writer-director Judd Apatow is 58.
New coin honors Freddie Mercury, Queen singer’s 4-octave range
front
1991 of HIV at age 45
By Hilary Fox
The Associated Press
LONDON — Britain’s Royal Mint is celebrating Freddie Mercury with a new coin design that marks 40 years since Queen’s iconic Live Aid concert performance.
The coin features an image of the iconic front man, head thrown back and holding the microphone stand mid-performance. A musical stave that runs around the edge of the coin represents his four-octave vocal range.
The first coin was struck by Mercury’s sister Kashmira Bulsara at the Royal Mint in Wales last week.
“As Freddie died young, he didn’t get the chance of being awarded a royal medal for his talents in the music world. So to have a royal coin this way is wonderful and very fitting,” she said.
“The coin perfectly captures his passion and the joy he brought to millions through his music,” she added. “I think the design is very impressive and they managed to catch the most iconic pose of Freddie, which is so recogniz -
Sony, Warner, Universal sign AI music licensing deals with startup Klay
Arti cial intelligence is transforming the music industry’s entire business model
By Kelvin Chan
The Associated Press
LONDON — The world’s biggest music labels have struck AI licensing deals with a little-known startup named Klay Vision, the companies said last Thursday, the latest in a series of deals that underlines how the technology is shaking up the music industry’s business model.
Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, and their publishing arms, all signed separate agreements with Klay, according to an announcement posted on Warner’s website.
It comes a day after Warner inked two other deals involving arti cial intelligence, with startups Udio and Stability AI.
There were few details released about the agreements or about Klay, which is based in Los Angeles, and what it does.
The deal terms will help Klay “further evolve music experiences for fans, leveraging the potential of AI, while ful-
ly respecting the rights of artists, songwriters, and rightsholders,” the announcement said. Klay has been working with the music industry on a licensing “framework for an AI-driven music experience” and has built a “large music model” trained only on licensed music.
AI-generated music has been ooding streaming services amid the rise of chatbot-like song generators that instantly spit out new tunes based on prompts typed by users without any musical knowledge. The synthetic music boom has also resulted in a wave of AI singers and bands that have climbed the charts after racking up millions of streams even though they don’t exist in real life.
Warner, Universal and Sony had last year sued Suno and Udio, makers of two popular AI song generation tools, accusing them of exploiting the recorded works of artists without compensating them. But there are signs that the disputes are being resolved through negotiation.
Warner, which represents artists including Ed Sheeran and Dua Lipa, said last Wednesday that it resolved its copyright infringement liti-
“(The deal) will create new revenue streams for artists and songwriters, while ensuring their work remains protected.”
Warner Music Group
gation against Udio. The two companies said they’re teaming up to develop Udio’s licensed AI music creation service set to launch in 2026 that will allow users to remix tunes by established artists. They provided no nancial details on their agreement, which includes Warner’s recording and publishing businesses, but it will create “new revenue streams for artists and songwriters, while ensuring their work remains protected.”
It’s similar to an agreement that Universal Music Group signed last month with Udio, which triggered a backlash because Udio stopped users from downloading the songs they created.
Udio said it will remain a “closed system” as it prepares to launch the new service next year. If artists and songwriters choose to let their works be used, they’ll be credited and paid when users remix or cover their songs or make new tunes with their voices and compositions, the companies said.
Warner said last week that it was working with Stability AI on developing “professional-grade tools” for musicians, songwriters and producers.
Ed Sheeran, whose label Warner Music Group settled a copyright dispute with Udio over unauthorized use of its catalogue, performs during “Ed Sheeran’s Play:
“The coin perfectly captures his passion and the joy he brought to millions through his music.”
Kashmira
Bulsara, sister of Freddy Mercury
able worldwide.”
The Royal Mint’s director of commemorative coin, Rebecca Morgan, said the timing was perfect for Mercury to be celebrated with his own coin. She said fans had been “calling out” for it and “this felt like the year to do it” because it’s 40 years since he captivated audiences at the 1985 Live Aid concert, hailed by many as the greatest live gig of all time.
This year also marks the 40th anniversary of Mercury’s solo studio album, “Mr. Bad Guy.” Mercury died at age 45 in 1991, just one day after he publicly announced he was HIV positive.
The Royal Mint has issued special coins to celebrate other music legends including David Bowie, George Michael, Shirley Bassey and Paul Mc -
The
man died in
ROYAL MINT VIA AP
celebrate
of the greatest showmen of all time, Freddie
Live from New York” this year.
ANDY KROPA / INVISION / AP PHOTO
this week in history
Grand Ole Opry debuts, George Harrison dies at 58, Napoleon crowns himself emperor
The Associated Press
NOV. 30
1782: The United States and Britain signed preliminary peace articles in Paris to end the Revolutionary War; the Treaty of Paris was completed in September 1783.
1936: London’s Crystal Palace exhibition hall was destroyed by a massive re.
1993: President Bill Clinton signed the Brady Bill, requiring a ve-day waiting period for handgun purchases and background checks for prospective buyers.
DEC. 1
1824: The presidential election was thrown to the U.S. House of Representatives after no candidate won more than 50% of the electoral vote.
1955: Rosa Parks, a black seamstress, was arrested after refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama.
1969: The U.S. government conducted its rst draft lottery for military service since World War II.
DEC. 2
1804: Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France in a ceremony at Notre-Dame de Paris.
1823: President James Monroe issued the Monroe Doctrine, warning European nations against further colonial expansion in the Western Hemisphere and asserting separate spheres of in uence.
1859: Militant abolitionist John Brown was hanged for his raid on Harpers Ferry, an event that further in amed tensions leading up to the Civil War.
1942: Scientists led by Enrico Fermi achieved the rst arti cially created self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction at the University of Chicago.
DEC. 3
1947: Tennessee Williams’
Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s rst black president, died on Dec. 5, 2013, at age 95 and is remembered for his enduring legacy in the ght against apartheid.
Jessica Tandy, shown combing her hair beneath a Chinese- covered light bulb alongside Kim Hunter and Marlon Brando, appears in Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire,” which debuted on Broadway on Dec. 3, 1947.
play “A Streetcar Named Desire” opened on Broadway.
1967: A surgical team led by Dr. Christiaan Barnard in Cape Town, South Africa, performed the rst human heart transplant on Louis Washkansky.
1979: Eleven people were killed in a crush of fans at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Coliseum ahead of a concert by The Who.
DEC. 4
1783: Gen. George Washington bade farewell to his Continental Army o cers at Fraunces Tavern in New York.
1956: Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins — later dubbed the “Million Dollar Quartet” — gathered for their rst and only jam session at Sun Records in Memphis.
1991: Associated Press correspondent Terry Anderson was freed after nearly seven years as a hostage of Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
DEC. 5
1848: President James K. Polk, in an address to Congress, con rmed gold had been discovered in California,
igniting the Gold Rush of ’49.
1933: Prohibition ended as Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment, repealing the 18th.
1952: The Great Smog of London settled over the city for ve days, a toxic haze blamed for thousands of deaths.
2013: Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa’s rst black president, died at age 95.
DEC. 6
1865: The 13th Amendment abolishing slavery was rati ed when Georgia became the 27th state to approve it.
1907: A coal mine explosion in Monongah, West Virginia, killed at least 361 men and boys, the deadliest mining disaster in U.S. history.
1923: A presidential address was broadcast nationally on radio for the rst time as Calvin Coolidge spoke to a joint session of Congress.
1969: A free Rolling Stones concert at Altamont Speedway in California turned deadly when four people died, including one man fatally stabbed by a Hells Angels member working event security.
