Whiskey drips into jars at Southern Grace Distilleries in Mount Pleasant, where bourbon ages inside a former correctional facility that’s become one of North Carolina’s most distinctive craft-spirits operations. For more, turn to page A7.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Trump appears to suggest U.S. will resume testing nuclear weapons for rst time in 30 years
Busan, South Korea
President Donald Trump has appeared to suggest on social media that the U.S. resume testing nuclear weapons for the rst time in three decades. There was no indication that the U.S. would start detonating warheads, but the president o ered few details about what seemed to be a signi cant shift in U.S. policy. He made the announcement minutes before meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday in South Korea. The U.S. military already regularly tests its missiles that are capable of delivering a warhead, but it has not detonated the weapons since 1992 because of a test ban.
U.S. will share tech to let South Korea build a nuclear-powered submarine, Trump says Gyeongju, South Korea
The United States will share closely held technology to allow South Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung stressed to U.S. President Donald Trump that the goal was to modernize countries’ alliance, noting plans to increase military spending to reduce the nancial burden on America. Lee said there might have been a misunderstanding when they last spoke about nuclear-powered submarines, saying his government was looking for nuclear fuel rather than weapons.
Norwood to pursue federal grant for proposed lakefront park
The land acquisition would cost $610,000
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
NORWOOD — The town of Norwood is moving forward with a grant application to assist with funding a property acquisition on Lake Tillery for a lakefront public park. The Norwood Town Council held a public meeting Tuesday night at Norwood Town Hall to receive community input regarding an opportunity to apply for the Land and Water Conservation Fund grant worth $305,000. At the conclusion of the meeting, the council unanimously voted in favor of applying for the federal grant that
would pay for half of a 9.6 -acre lakefront parcel — priced at $610,000 — at the corner of Indian Mound Road and Bowers Road.
The town plans to pair together an $100,000 lump sum payment from Union County for the Yadkin Regional Water Supply Project with the real es-
Downtown Cantina opens on Main St. in Albemarle
The restaurant had a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
ALBEMARLE — The newest restaurant in downtown Albemarle has opened its doors to the public. Following a soft launch earlier this month, Downtown Cantina is o cially up and running after a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday morning hosted by the Stanly County Chamber of Commerce.
The Mexican restaurant at 114 W. Main St. is open 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday
through Saturday; the menu specializes in build-your-own burritos, bowls, nachos and salads, as well as quesadillas, authentic dishes, desserts and cocktails.
Owner Luis Luna, who also owns Jalapenos in Albemarle (located at 1416 U.S. Highway 52 N), said that he wanted to try a di erent concept with Downtown Cantina.
“It’s a quick service, so you can come in and out in literally about ve minutes,” Luna said. “You come in and you build your bowls and burritos, so it’s kind of like a Chipotle where you can pick your meat, pick rice, beans and whatever toppings you want to put in.”
“It’s a quick service so you can come in and out in literally about ve minutes.”
Luis Luna, Downtown Cantina owner
“For a long time, the town has hoped and wished that it could acquire some lakefront property for a public park.”
Ray Allen, town administrator
tate sale of two surplus properties in Norwood to fund the remaining half.
Per grant terms, Norwood would have up to three years to make the park accessible to the public.
“For a long time, the town has hoped and wished that it
THE STANLY COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
JESSE DEAL / STANLY NEWS JOURNAL
The Norwood Town Council voted to pursue a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant worth $305,000 on Tuesday night.
Ellen Mabry was honored for more than four decades of service to the state’s sheep industry
Stanly News Journal sta
ELLEN MABRY of Stanly County was inducted into the N.C. State Fair Livestock Hall of Fame on Sunday at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh.
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler inducted Mabry and three other honorees into the hall of fame, which has recognized outstanding supporters of the fair’s livestock shows since 1980.
“Generations before and generations to come have bene ted from the dedication and experience of these four individuals, and we are proud to add them to this hall of fame,” Troxler said.
Mabry was inducted into the sheep category after more than four decades of involvement in the North Carolina sheep industry and at the N.C. State Fair.
A native of Stanly County, Mabry grew up on her fami-
“Her dedication has inspired countless youth exhibitors and fairgoers, and her e orts continue to strengthen North Carolina’s sheep industry and the N.C. State Fair.”
North Carolina State Fair announcement
ly’s century-old farm where her love of sheep began. She started raising her own ock in college in the 1970s, a passion that continues today.
Her deeper involvement with the State Fair began when her daughter, Lauren, started showing sheep in 1991. Soon after, Mabry was asked to serve as the Junior Ewe Meat Breeds Show secretary, a role she held for nearly 25 years.
She worked closely with fair sta and the N.C. Sheep Producers Association to grow the shows and create
BETHEL METHODIST CHURCH
44118 Highway 740 New London
Annual Thanksgiving Meal
$10 per plate for turkey, dressing, all the trimmings and dessert
Dine in or take-out Nov. 8 – 4 p.m. All proceeds go to missions
new opportunities, including helping start the North Carolina Born and Bred Class, which later became the Got to Be NC Award.
In 2013, Mabry faced a major life change after losing her leg following that year’s fair. But she refused to let that stop her, and by the 2017 fair, she was back in the show ring, showing sheep once again.
“Her story is one of perseverance, community and love for agriculture,” according to the State Fair announcement.
“Her dedication has inspired countless youth exhibitors and fairgoers, and her e orts continue to strengthen North Carolina’s sheep industry and the N.C. State Fair.”
The other 2025 inductees were Kimberly Eudy of Cabarrus County (beef cattle category), Russell “Rusty” Isley of Alamance County (dairy cattle category) and William Johnson of Wake County (general supporters category).
Including this year’s honorees, 189 individuals have been inducted into the N.C. State Fair Livestock Hall of Fame.
CHAPEL METHODIST CHURCH Albemarle
Community Breakfast Saturday, Nov. 1 6:30-10:30 a.m.
Union Chapel, Methodist Church
Price: Donations All welcome
Nov. 6
Nov. 8-9
Nov. 9
Nov. 13
Nov. 20
THE CONVERSATION
Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill,
senior
opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
| JORGE MARTINEZ
When su ering becomes a Democratic campaign tactic
Trump and Vice President JD Vance are doing what real leaders do, putting Americans rst.
WHEN A TOP Democrat says that “families are going to su er” because it gives their party “leverage,” it should make every American pause.
This kind of statement, o ered as a strategy, shows what is wrong with today’s radical left. Instead of governing for the people, they are using hardship to hold onto power.
As Americans cut back and federal workers worry about their next paycheck, Democrat leaders in Washington call it “leverage” while smiling for the cameras. That is not leadership; it is cruelty disguised as politics. Once again, President Donald J. Trump and his administration are standing between the American people and the chaos the left is willing to create.
Trump has been here before. In 2019, he faced a similar moment and stood rm for border security, national sovereignty and fairness for American workers. Then, as now, Democrats tried to weaponize pain. But Trump never once celebrated Americans’ hardship; he fought to end it. He fought for policies that reopened our economy, restored jobs and rebuilt a nation that works for every citizen, not just the political elite.
Today, as radical left politicians cheer su ering for leverage, Trump is once again the adult in the room, focused on reopening the government, paying our troops, protecting our borders and restoring scal sanity. His administration is ready to clean house, cut waste and make Washington work for the forgotten men and women of this country.
The contrast could not be clearer. On one side is a president who measures success by the prosperity of the American family. On the other side are party bosses who measure success by how much pain they can in ict before the other side blinks. The left no longer hides its contempt for working Americans. They brag about it.
COLUMN | STEPHEN MOORE
To declare that “families will su er” and that this is “one of the few leverage times we have” isn’t just cold; it’s immoral. This is not negotiation. It’s hostage-taking of the American people for partisan gain. They’ve turned the basic duties of government — funding our military, supporting small businesses, feeding hungry children — into political ransom notes.
And while they play games, Trump and Vice President JD Vance are doing what real leaders do, putting Americans rst. They’ve proposed serious spending reforms that protect essential workers, keep our commitments to veterans and safeguard taxpayers’ money from waste and abuse. They are advancing an America First budget that cuts the fat, secures our borders, and rebuilds American prosperity without ever celebrating the su ering of a single citizen.
The radical left calls this shutdown a “strategy.” But the truth is simpler. It’s sabotage. They are sabotaging our economy, our institutions and our people’s faith in government, all to score political points and protect their own power. They want chaos because they thrive on it. They believe that if things get bad enough, Americans will give up and turn to government dependency.
But Trump believes in something stronger, the American spirit. He believes that our people, given freedom and opportunity, can rise higher than any crisis. That’s why his administration has prioritized reopening critical operations, ensuring pay for our service members and securing the border to keep our communities safe. He doesn’t want leverage; he wants results.
And let’s be honest, the Democrats’ behavior isn’t just disgraceful; it’s revealing. They would rather see a single mother lose her paycheck than give Trump a legislative victory. They would rather keep airports jammed, small
Deposit insurance for billionaires?
POLITICIANS IN WASHINGTON have the shortest memories.
Maybe that’s why they so seldom learn from their sometimes catastrophic mistakes. It was less than 20 years ago that the U.S. economy was attened by the mortgage and banking crisis. Anyone remember?
The experts said that the odds were tiny that the housing market could crash — that the federal housing agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would never need a bailout, that mortgage-backed securities were as good as gold.
Then they crashed overnight spectacularly and devastatingly. Banks made riskier and riskier housing loans to subprime borrowers — and the government covered the bets with essentially 100% loan guarantees. The book “The Big Short” famously tells the story of strippers in Las Vegas playing the market and ipping houses by taking out three or four mortgages.
One reason depositors and investors were paying no attention to the big banks’ high-risk lending strategy is that everything was guaranteed. By you and me.
Americans are still rightly infuriated by the taxpayer bailouts in the trillions of dollars. The media has swept it all under the rug as an example of the excesses of greed and get-rich-quick capitalism. These factors
played a role in the meltdown, for sure, but their partner in crime was the government itself, which insured all the nancial Hail Mary passes.
One contributing factor to this moral hazard is deposit insurance. Right now, accounts are insured up to $250,000, so most Americans don’t have to worry about the soundness of the bank where they store their hard-earned savings. We don’t want 1929-style bank runs, for sure. So this safety net, there for shock-absorbing systemic risks, makes sense for mom-and-pop savers and investors.
But now there is a proposal to raise that taxpayer-insured limit to — drum roll, please — $10 million.
Huh? How many Americans have $10 million to deposit in the bank? Well, let’s see: There’s Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Taylor Swift, to name a few in the billionaire class. I’m the last person on Earth to join Bernie Sanders in tearing down “the rich” when they earn it. Supporters in both parties claim this will allow smaller community banks to more easily raise capital for lending and compete with the “Big Five” banks. That’s a good goal.
But we really should call this latest proposal “the Billionaire Insurance Act.”
A recent study from the Cato Institute found that fewer than 1% of deposit accounts
businesses paralyzed and kids hungry than see an America First agenda succeed. Their priorities are political, not patriotic.
The America First movement stands in sharp contrast. It’s about restoring dignity to the worker, rebuilding faith in government and ensuring that Washington never again uses Americans as pawns in its partisan wars. Trump’s leadership has reminded the world that government exists to serve its people, not to use them.
The radical left should be ashamed of itself. No moral society, and no legitimate party, should ever take pride in the su ering of its citizens. Yet here we are, hearing Democrats celebrate misery as a means to an end. It’s an outrage, and it’s time every decent American said “enough.”
Trump’s leadership is a reminder that compassion and strength are not opposites, but partners. While the left cheers pain, he delivers hope. While they stall progress, he rebuilds America.
When the history of this moment is written, it will show a clear dividing line: those who exploited American hardship, and those who fought to end it. Trump stands rmly on the right side of that line. The radical left may treat su ering as a campaign tactic, but the America First movement will always treat the American people as sacred.
Jorge Martínez is senior adviser and national director of Hispanic Outreach for America First Works. This column was rst published by Daily Caller News Foundation.
exceed $250,000, the level at which Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation coverage currently ends. So to increase that amount to $10 million will mean taxpayer-supported insurance for the deposits of not the top 1% but the top 0.01% of Americans. But who will be watching over the banks? It’s one thing to have the proverbial fox watching the henhouse, but with these kinds of limits, no one is watching except the federal regulators who were asleep at the switch in 2006, ’07 and ’08. Think of how much larger the taxpayer losses would have been if this policy were in place 20 years ago. There is another reason why lifting the deposit insurance limits is foolhardy. We don’t want to encourage investors to seek safe harbor in risk-free investments. The millionaires and the billionaires are the people we do want to take risks with their fortunes. We want them to discover and seed-invest in the next Microsoft or Google or Walmart. Risk-taking is a virtue — it’s what built this country. But we want investors to make the big bets with their own money, not yours and mine.
Stephen Moore is a former Trump senior economic adviser and the cofounder of Unleash Prosperity.
COLUMN
Barbara Jean (Taylor) Drye
Daniel (Dan) Addison Newton
April 17, 1936 ~ January 14, 2023
Nov. 26, 1958 –Oct. 24, 2025
Barbara Jean Taylor Drye, 86, of Oakboro, passed away Saturday, January 14, 2023 at her home.
Barbara was born April 17, 1936 in North Carolina to the late Robert Lee Taylor and the late Eva Belle Watts Taylor.
Daniel “Dan” Addison Newton, 66, of Locust, North Carolina, passed away peacefully on Friday, October 24, 2025, at Atrium Health Cabarrus in Concord, NC.
She was also preceded in death by husband of 61 years, Keith Furr Drye, and brothers, Robert Lee Taylor, Jr. and George Kenneth Taylor.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, November 1, 2025, from 2:00–4:00 p.m. at the SFCC Facility, 1540 Hwy 24-27 in Albemarle (at Burleson Square), o ciated by Ron Lo in.
creativity and love of life. He enjoyed day trips in his Jeep and could often be found in his workshop, woodworking, repurposing, or bringing one of his wife’s ideas to life. He had a gift for coaching and mentoring, beginning in high school when he volunteered giving swim lessons to disabled children. He later coached the “Green Machine,” a roller hockey team for children as young as four.
Dwight Farmer
IN MEMORY
DANIEL “DAN” ADDISON NEWTON NOV. 26, 1958 – OCT. 24, 2025
Daniel “Dan” Addison Newton, 66, of Locust, North Carolina, passed away peacefully on Friday, October 24, 2025, at Atrium Health Cabarrus in Concord, NC.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, November 1, 2025, from 2–4 p.m. at the SFCC Facility, 1540 Hwy 2427, Albemarle (at Burleson Square), o ciated by Ron Lo in.
Survivors include children, Debbie (Mike) Williams of Albemarle, Teresa (Tom) Curry of Oakboro, Douglas (Tammy) Drye of Oakboro; grandchildren, Melissa (Don) Parrish of Albemarle, Samantha (Destiny) Smith of Oakboro, Bradley Smith of Oakboro, Jonathan Stover of Peachland, and Jessie Stover of Lylesville; sisterin-law, Beatrice Goodman; many nieces and nephews; and her beloved cats, Bo and Gar eld.
Born on November 26, 1958, in Detroit, Michigan, Dan was the son of the late Lendon Grandville Newton and Elizabeth Jean Lord Newton. He grew up in Livonia, Michigan, graduating from Bentley High School in 1976. He later earned an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration from Fullerton College in Fullerton, California.
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.
Dan began his career in retail in Michigan and later transferred with American Eagle to Southern California, where fate placed his future wife next door. Among his proudest professional achievements was helping to open and manage the retail operations of Wayne Gretzky’s Roller Hockey Center, where he had the unique opportunity to work directly with Mr. Gretzky for several years. He went on to enjoy a long career with Verizon before moving to North Carolina, where he worked at Lowe’s Home Improvement in Locust. Dan retired on December 31, 2024, grateful for the many friendships formed with both coworkers and customers; many of whom stopped by just to chat.
Dan’s hobbies re ected his
January 24, 1939 ~ January 15, 2023
Dwight Britten Farmer Sr., 83, of Norwood died Sunday morning, January 15, 2023 at Forrest Oakes.
Dan’s heart for others was evident throughout his life. He sponsored John Byamukama from Uganda and worked with Cedar Sinai Hospital to help John receive medical treatment. He volunteered for many years with Olive Crest Foster Care in Santa Ana, California, mentoring and supporting children in group homes; especially “our Liz” and “our Wheeler boys,” whom he continued to care for long after moving away. After relocating to North Carolina in 2017, Dan served with his father-in-law, Douglas Snow, at American Legion Post 529 in Knightdale, where he received a Citation of Meritorious Service for his contributions.
Dan was preceded in death by his parents, Lendon and Betty Newton of Livonia, Michigan, and his brother, David Newton of White Lake, Michigan.
Dwight was born January 24, 1939 in Stanly County to the late Walter Virgil and Martha Adkins Farmer. He was a 1957 graduate of Norwood High School and was a United States Army Veteran. He was a member of Cedar Grove United Methodist Church where he had served as church treasurer and choir member. He began his career with the Stanly County Sheri ’s Department moving to the Norwood Police Department and retiring as Chief of Police with the Town of Norwood after many years of service.
Dwight was an avid gardener, bird watcher and Carolina fan.
He is survived by his devoted wife of 33 years, Karen Snow Newton; stepsons Eric Bramlett (Harrisburg, NC) and Kyle Bramlett (Concord, NC); sisters Susan Cadwell (Livonia, MI), Lorraine Gallison (Canton, MI), and Barbara Hendrick (Livonia, MI); as well as ten nieces and nephews, eleven great-nieces and nephews, and an extended family who loved him dearly.
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.
The family extends heartfelt thanks to the many friends and loved ones who supported Dan throughout his journey, and to the compassionate teams at Atrium Health Stanly (4th Floor), Atrium Health Cabarrus, Levine Cancer Institute, Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute, and especially Dr. Trigonis and the ICU sta at Atrium Health Cabarrus for their kindness, care, and encouragement.
In lieu of owers, memorial contributions may be made in Dan’s name to the American Cancer Society or the American Heart Association.
Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in Stanly News Journal at obits@northstatejournal.com
Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in SCJ at obits@stanlyjournal.com
James Roseboro
June 23, 1967 ~ January 10, 2023
Carolyn “Flossy” Carpenter
James Arthur Roseboro, 55, of Albemarle, passed away Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at Anson Health and Rehab.
June 1, 1943 –Oct. 28, 2025
Carolyn “Flossy” Carpenter, 82, of Norwood, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at Atrium Health Stanly, surrounded by her loving family.
Mr. Roseboro was born on June 23, 1967 to the late Robert and Delena Shipp Roseboro. He graduated from South Stanly High School and was employed by Triangle Brick. He enjoyed watching football and basketball, especially the Carolina TarHeels and Miami.
John B. Kluttz
Born on November 26, 1958, in Detroit, Michigan, Dan was the son of the late Lendon Grandville Newton and Elizabeth Jean Lord Newton. He grew up in Livonia, Michigan, graduating from Bentley High School in 1976. He later earned an associate’s degree in business administration from Fullerton College in Fullerton, California.
Doris Jones Coleman
March 23, 1935 - January 9, 2023
October 11, 1944 - January 10, 2023
The family will receive friends on Sunday, November 2, 2025, from 2:30 until 3:00 pm at Silver Springs Baptist Church Cemetery. A graveside service will follow at 3:00 pm, o ciated by Rev. Bradley Williams and Rev. Dr. Kinney Wallace.
In addition to his parents he is preceded in death by his brothers and sisters: Barbara Lee Roseboro, Dorothy Brown, Verna Roseboro, Henrietta Ingram, and Harold Roseboro.
John grew up in the Millingport community where he drove a school bus and worked at the local gas station during his High School years. He graduated from Millingport High in 1954 and entered into service with the US Airforce immediately afterward. Upon return from the service, he and his high school sweetheart Julie were married in 1956. He graduated from Nashville Auto Diesel College later in 1959 and began his career as a diesel mechanic at Mitchell Distributing Company, moving his growing family to Charlotte where they lived until their retirement.
Dan began his career in retail in Michigan and later transferred with American Eagle to Southern California, where fate placed his future wife next door. Among his proudest professional achievements was helping to open and manage the retail operations of Wayne Gretzky’s Roller Hockey Center, where he had the unique opportunity to work directly with Mr. Gretzky for several years. He went on to enjoy a long career with Verizon before moving to North Carolina, where he worked at Lowe’s Home Improvement in Locust. Dan retired on December 31, 2024, grateful for the many friendships formed with both coworkers and customers, many of whom stopped by just to chat.
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.
Born June 1, 1943, in Stanly County, she was the daughter of the late Claude and Margaret Burgess. Carolyn was lovingly devoted to her husband of 65 years, James “Jim” Carpenter, who survives her. Also left to cherish her memory are her daughters Janie Carpenter and Susan Lorenz (Je ); sisters Jean Little and Judy Hinson; brother John Burgess (Pam); and many nieces, nephews, and close friends. Among her special friends were Betty Cooper, Donald and Brenda Lowery, and Jaitlyn. She also leaves behind her beloved feline companions, Shambi and Daisey.
She was preceded in death by her brother, Darrell Burgess, and nieces Debra Burgess and Mary Burgess Farris. Carolyn will be remembered for her love of family, her strength, and her dependability. A devoted wife and mother, she always made sure things were handled and that her home was lled with warmth and care. She enjoyed cooking, gardening, watching cooking shows, and traveling to both the beach and the mountains. Family gatherings were among her greatest joys, and her meals and laughter will be fondly remembered by all who knew her.
Darrick Baldwin
January 7, 1973 ~ January 8, 2023
The family extends their heartfelt thanks to Judy, Jean, Scotty, and Bayada Nursing for the compassionate care and support shown to Carolyn during her declining health.
In lieu of owers, memorials may be made to the Stanly County Humane Society, 2049 Badin Road, Albemarle, NC 28001, or to a charity of your choice.
Dan’s hobbies re ected his creativity and love of life. He enjoyed day trips in his Jeep and could often be found in his workshop, woodworking, repurposing or bringing one of his wife’s ideas to life. He had a gift for coaching and mentoring, beginning in high school when he volunteered to give swim lessons to disabled children. He later coached the “Green Machine,” a roller hockey team for children as young as four.
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!
At age 50, after years as a Detroit Diesel Mechanic he and Julie decided to take the plunge and open a full Model A Restoration Shop. They thrived at their shop in Cornelius, NC until their retirement in 1998 when they moved back to Cabarrus County. John once again set up shop in his back yard garage where he attracted a loyal group of friends who visited almost daily. While on the farm in Gold Hill, John also began a lifelong love with Alis Chalmers tractors after he restored his Dad’s tractor and began amassing his collection of tractors as well.
Doris Elaine Jones Coleman, 78, went home into God’s presence on January 10 after a sudden illness and a valiant week-long ght in ICU. Doris was born on October 11, 1944, in the mountains of Marion, NC while her father was away ghting in the US Navy during World War II. Raymond Jones was so proud to return after the war and meet his little girl! Doris grew up in Durham, NC and graduated from Durham High School. She furthered her studies at Watts Hospital School of Nursing in Durham and graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1966.
Dan’s heart for others was evident throughout his life. He sponsored John Byamukama from Uganda and worked with Cedar Sinai Hospital to help John receive medical treatment. He volunteered for many years with Olive Crest Foster Care in Santa Ana, California, mentoring and supporting children in group homes; especially “our Liz” and “our Wheeler boys,” whom he continued to care for long after moving away. After relocating to North Carolina in 2017, Dan served with his father-in-law, Douglas Snow, at American Legion Post 529 in Knightdale, where he received a Citation of Meritorious Service for his contributions. Dan was preceded in death by his parents, Lendon and Betty Newton of Livonia, Michigan, and his brother, David Newton of White Lake, Michigan. He is survived by his devoted wife of 33 years, Karen Snow Newton; stepsons Eric Bramlett (Harrisburg, NC) and Kyle Bramlett (Concord, NC); sisters Susan Cadwell (Livonia, MI), Lorraine Gallison (Canton, MI), and Barbara Hendrick (Livonia, MI); as well as ten nieces and nephews, eleven great-nieces and nephews and an extended family who loved him dearly.
Doris married Rev. Dr. Ted Coleman in 1966 and had two daughters Amy and Laura. Doris raised Amy and Laura in North Augusta, SC.
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.
The family extends heartfelt thanks to the many friends and loved ones who supported Dan throughout his journey, and to the compassionate teams at Atrium Health Stanly (fourth oor), Atrium Health Cabarrus, Levine Cancer Institute, Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute and especially Dr. Trigonis and the ICU sta at Atrium Health Cabarrus for their kindness, care and encouragement.
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.
In lieu of owers, memorial contributions may be made in Dan’s name to the American Cancer Society or the American Heart Association.
DERRICK SAMIR BALDWIN
OCT. 13, 1970 – OCT. 25, 2025
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.
Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Albemarle is serving the Carpenter family.
Darrick Vashon Baldwin, age 50, entered eternal rest, Sunday, January 8, 2023, Albemarle, North Carolina. Born January 7, 1973, in Stanly County, North Carolina, Darrick was the son of Eddie James Baldwin Sr. and the late Phyllis Blue Baldwin. Darrick enjoyed life, always kept things lively and enjoyed making others smile. His presence is no longer in our midst, but his memory will forever live in our hearts.
He was educated in the Stanly County public schools and attended Albemarle Senior High School, Albemarle.
He was a great conversationalist and loved meeting people. Darrick never met a stranger and always showed love and compassion for his fellowman. He also loved his dog, Rocky.
He is survived by his father, Eddie J. Baldwin Sr.; sisters: Crystal (Eric) Jackson, LaFondra (Stoney) Medley, and Morgan Baldwin; brothers: Eddie Baldwin Jr., Anton Baldwin, and Lamont Baldwin; a host of other relatives and friends. A limb has fallen from our family tree. We will not grieve Darrick’s death; we will celebrate his life. We give thanksgiving for the many shared memories.
John 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.
Our beloved, Derrick Samir Baldwin, entered into eternal rest on October 25, 2025. He was born on October 13, 1970, in Albemarle, NC, to Doretha Pegues Baldwin and the late Lee Edward Baldwin Sr. Growing up, Derrick was known to have the heart of an Angel but the strength of a lion, always being available as a safeguard to his family. As a 1989 graduate of West Haven High School in West Haven, CT, he was a ectionately known as “D-Nice” and maintained lifelong friendships with those who knew him best. Always having a warm smile, Derrick exhibited a spirit of sel essness and was the ultimate people person. He also had a great attachment and love for animals, which brought a sense of well-being to his life. Lifting weights, arm wrestling and teaching karate to his nieces and nephews were just a few of the fondest memories to bring fun to the household. With his knowledge of xing cars, Derrick could be found helping his father outside and being a helpful hand to those who needed him. He could also be heard singing the songs of his favorite R&B group, New Edition, especially the songs “Cool It Now” and “Candy Girl.” He e ortlessly brought laughter to an empty room and could tell jokes that would have his friends and family remember him for a lifetime.
Doris was a gentle and sweet spirit and loved her Lord. She never met a stranger, and she always left you feeling uplifted after talking with her. She would often claim that she had “adopted” friends into her immediate family, and honestly, she never made a distinction between the two. Positivity radiated from her like sunlight. She was sel ess, funny, smart, and sentimental. During her lifetime she was an active member of First Baptist Church of Durham, First Baptist Church of Augusta, Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Augusta, and Palestine United Methodist Church in Albemarle. She especially loved helping at church with older adults, youth, and children.
She was especially talented at sewing from a young age and made gifts for friends, Christmas ornaments, Halloween Costumes, doll clothes, pageant dresses, prom dresses, coats, tote bags, scarves, out ts for Amy and Laura, and Christening gowns for each of her grandchildren.
He was predeceased by his father, Lee Edward Baldwin Sr. In honor of his memory, he leaves his mother, Doretha Pegues Baldwin, brothers, Edward Baldwin, Phillip Baldwin (Doris), Phillip Cunningham and Ron Blanding (Cynthia), as well as his sister, Valorie Baldwin. He also had special connections to all of his loved ones, including his nieces, nephews, cousins, friends and those who were near and dear to him.
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.
TONY EFIRD
AUG. 20, 1941 – OCT. 25, 2025
Tony Martwain E rd, 84, born in Albemarle, passed away on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at Cabarrus Medical Center in Concord, N.C. A Celebration of Life will be held at Barbees Grove Church in Oakboro, NC, on Saturday, November 1, 2025, at 11 a.m.
Mr. E rd was born on August 20, 1941, in Stanly County to the late Winfred Carl E rd and Zora Huneycutt E rd. He was a retired truck driver for Culp Lumber Company in New London, NC. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers Carl, Wayne and Ondrie E rd; and sisters: Dolena Scott and Vergie May Cooper. He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Ruth Lowder E rd, of the home : daughters: Sherri, Sandra and Donna; sons Je and Mark: and grandchildren Amanda, Mark Jr., Emily, Erin, Josh, Brooke, Brantley, Jared, Leanna, Daniel, Brittany and Brandi: 12 greatgrandchildren; and a sister, Rozene Tucker, of Albemarle, NC.
Thomas Blane Hathcock
March 6, 1937 – Oct. 26, 2025
Thomas Blane Hathcock, 88, of Albemarle, passed away Sunday, October 26, 2025, at Trinity Place in Albemarle, NC. Blane was born on March 6, 1937, in Stan eld, NC, to the late Thomas Burton Hathcock and the late Bertha Helms Hathcock.
He was also preceded in death by his beloved wife of 66 years, Margaret Almond Hathcock; sisters, Hazel Hartsell and Polly Little; and brothers, Lloyd Hathcock, Ralph Hathcock, Wade Hathcock and Joe Hathcock.
Survivors include son, Tony (Lisa) Hathcock of Oakboro, NC; grandchildren, Matt (Emily) Hathcock of Oakboro, NC; Denea (Joe) Harwood of Locust, NC; step-grandchildren, Alyssa (Daniel) Munyer of Concord, NC, Amber Harkey of Oakboro, NC, and Alex (Ali) Harkey of Midland, NC; seven great-grandchildren; and sisters, Rachel Hudson of Albemarle, NC, and Margaret (Tommy) Almond of Charlotte, NC.
The family will receive friends from 10-10:45 a.m., Saturday, November 1, 2025, at Prospect Baptist Church, Albemarle. The memorial service will follow at 11 a.m. at the church, o ciated by Pastor Stoney Ben eld. In lieu of owers, memorial donations may be made to Trinity Place or Prospect Baptist Church.
BESSIE MOSS STARNES
APRIL 28, 1934 – OCT. 27, 2025
Bessie Moss Starnes, 91, of Albemarle, passed away on October 27, 2025, at Tucker Hospice House in Kannapolis. She was born on April 28, 1934, in Catawba County, North Carolina, to Henry D. Moss and Eva Anne Sherrill.
Bessie was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Elbert Starnes, and her daughter, Lorraine Lambert. She is lovingly remembered by her sons, Todd Starnes (Chuck), Eddie Starnes (Patsy), Rocky Starnes (Annette); and grandchildren Tim Lambert, Gena Lambert-Cox (Brian), Morgan Perez (Roberto), Gretta Starnes (Steve), Dana Starnes, Perry Furr, Sheila Shankle (David), and Marsha Starnes; and six greatgrandchildren. Bessie worked at the Stanly Regional Hospital in the cafeteria, retiring after 30 years.
Bessie was a kind-hearted and spirited woman who found joy in life’s simple pleasures. She cherished trips to the mountains of North Carolina, where she found peace and beauty in nature. Bessie was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, greatgrandmother and friend; her warmth and friendliness touched everyone she met. She was especially known and remembered for her delicious home-cooked meals, her adoration for her kitties, her love for a variety of plants, her absolute loyalty and commitment to her family and her always happy demeanor.
Bessie will be deeply missed by her family and all who knew her.
The family will receive friends on Friday, October 31, 2025, from noon until 1:45 p.m. at Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Albemarle. The funeral service, o ciated by Rev. Clint Lewey, will follow at 2 p.m. Burial will be at Stanly Gardens of Memory.
LACETA FAYE MORTON SMITH
FEB. 19, 1951 – OCT. 28, 2025
Laceta Faye Morton Smith, 74, of Albemarle, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at Tucker Hospice House, surrounded by her loving family.
The family will receive friends on Friday, October 31, 2025, from 9:30-10:45 a.m. at Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care. A funeral service, o ciated by Rev. David Howard, will follow at 11 a.m. in the Stanly Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will be in Fairview Memorial Park.
Born February 19, 1951, in Stanly County, she was the daughter of the late Howard and Alleain Morton.
Those left to cherish her memory include her sons, Je Smith (Janie) and Jason Smith (Christa); grandchildren, Ethan Smith, Savannah Avendano (Justin), Brandy Smith, Jessica Pearson, Jasmine Perry (Zach), Austin Lambert, Hailey Neal (Kyle), and Hannah Moody; great-grandchildren, Cole, Olivia, Brooklyn, Bentley, Brynleigh, River, Brayden, Harper, and Reagan; and one great-great-grandchild. She is also survived by her sister, Vanessa Lambert (Lynn).
Laceta was known for her loving and caring nature; she always had an open door for anyone in need. She was the heart of her family: compassionate, dependable and deeply devoted to those she loved. A faithful member of Fellowship Baptist Church, she joyfully played the piano there for many years, sharing her gift of music for as long as her health allowed.
could acquire some lakefront property for a public park,” Town Administrator Ray Allen said. “If you’re lucky enough to own property and live on the lake, then you have access to the lake, but the overwhelming majority of residents of Norwood do not have access to the lake. The town brands itself as the gateway to Lake Tillery, but some folks have always said, ‘How can you be a gateway if there’s no public access?’”
The proposed handicap-accessible park would include parking, restrooms, a playground, walking trails, multiple shing piers, and canoe and kayak launches.
Public comments from Town Hall attendees were overwhelmingly in support of the land acquisition and the lakefront park project.
“When you can acquire property through grant funds and
the city is only having to put in half the cost, that’s kind of a no -brainer,” Toby Thorpe said.
“We should make sure that there’s a pier available for people in wheelchairs to come out and sh,” Beverly Johnson added. “It’s a great area, and it would be wonderful if we could get all that done.”
“I think this is probably one of the best ideas I’ve seen since I moved here,” Rick DeRhodes said. “I would encourage everyone to get behind it and push as far as they can go to get it done.”
When asked if the town had a backup plan for the land acquisition in case it doesn’t receive the LWCF grant, Allen said there isn’t one at this time. However, he noted that he’s optimistic about the town’s chances and expects a decision on the grant by August.
The Norwood Town Council is set to hold its next meeting on Monday night at 6 pm at Norwood Town Hall.
Mem ber FDIC
PARK from page A1
First Ever Stanly Summit Huge Success
Summit, Stanly County’s economic development event in partnership with the Stanly Chamber, on Friday, October 24, 2025, from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM at Uwharrie Vineyards.
and regional partners to explore the future of growth and opportunities in Stanly County.
Attendees heard key updates from Stanly County, the Charlotte Region, and the State of North Carolina, followed by a keynote address from Ted Abernathy, nationally rec ognized economist. With networking opportunities and strategic insights, the Stanly Summit was designed to spark collaboration and drive investment in our region.
Sponsors for the event included: Union Power Cooperative, Brown and Senter, Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company, Terracon, Uwharrie Bank, and Stanly Community College (SCC).
“There is something really special happening here in Stanly County — and this Summit proved it. Thank you to everyone who attended, contributed, and helped shape a stronger future for our community. Here’s to the partnerships, innovation, and prog ress ahead!” said Elizabeth Underwood Kazmir, Director, Stanly County Economic Development Commission.
The Stanly Summit was held at Uwharrie Vineyards and Winery on
Glass to grain at Whiskey Prison
Sprits of both kinds dwell inside Southern Grace Distilleries
By Dan Reeves Stanly News Journal
MOUNT PLEASANT — In-
side the old Cabarrus Correctional Center, bourbon breathes where inmates once served time. Southern Grace Distilleries at Whiskey Prison has transformed the 1930s-era compound into one of North Carolina’s most distinctive craft-spirits operations — a place where the smell of aging whiskey replaces the sting of disinfectant and each bottle carries a little history in the glass.
Thomas Thacker, the distillery’s director of operations, leads tastings through the chapel-turned-barroom with the precision of a jeweler and the ease of a bartender.
“First thing you do is check the color,” he said, holding a glass to the light. “That tells you the barrel has done its work.”
His guided tastings follow the same evaluation process used in the trade: look, nose, taste, nish — then connect every note back to the grain, the proof and the wood.
He moves the glass beside a jar of clear moonshine for comparison.
“Whereas that moonshine looks like this, bourbon should look like this,” he said, shifting from crystal to amber.
The darker hue, he explained, signals proper barrel contact.
“We cut to 105 when we go in the barrel. Lower proof slows color extraction; higher proof speeds it up. Some compounds are water soluble, some alcohol soluble. Change the balance, change the extraction.”
Thacker’s philosophy begins not in the rickhouse but at the bar.
“People talk about grainto-glass, and we do that,” he said. “But our company’s really glass-to-grain. We start with the person who orders a neat pour of bourbon. That’s our constituency. Everything else backs up from there.”
A longtime bartender, Thacker understands the quiet calculus of the second pour.
“You have to pass that minimum bar of entry,” he said. “If you’re not good, people quit drinking you after the rst time.”
Southern Grace’s small scale — “just about too small to be in the bourbon business,” he joked — means babysitting every drop, trusting the wood, and letting each barrel sing di erently.
“We don’t cut it and we don’t mingle it,” he said. “The next barrel will be a little di erent. We’ll guarantee it’s good — you decide if you like it.”
At the tasting table, Thacker pours from what he calls the “hot box,” a barrel aged in the distillery’s warmest room. The whiskey runs around 101 proof, light in color but loaded with baking-spice sweetness.
“We use so much corn,” he said. “Those fatty acids give that buttery coating — a creaminess that hits right around 100 proof.”
Then comes a sample of the ve-year Conviction Double Oak, a blend of four barrels nished in new charred oak.
“Aging is dilutive,” Thacker said. “Year one’s bigger than year four. With double oak, you get year one and two, then start over.”
The result is darker and smokier, with a dry, red wine -like nish.
Conviction has earned its share of medals — Best Bourbon Under Four Years Old at the 2019
New Orleans Bourbon Festival and more recent golds for both single-barrel and double-oak releases — but Thacker values the feedback over the hardware.
“You get a couple dozen smart palates sending you evaluative notes,” he said. “That’s worth the entry fee.”
Much of Southern Grace’s reach now comes from the online “bourbon sphere” — YouTube reviewers, podcasters and social-media tasters who bring national attention to small distillers.
“When somebody you’ve followed for ve years says our Double Oak is one of their favorites, people show up,” Thacker said. “We’ve seen orders from all over the country because of it.”
While production and tastings drive the business, tourism keeps
the place humming. The site’s prison bones and shadowy corridors have become as famous as the bourbon itself. The distillery’s “Convicted Spirits” ghost tours are a word-of-mouth phenomenon, often running until 3 or 4 in the morning. Paranormal groups return again and again, cameras and thermal sensors in tow.
“People think they want that until it happens,” Thacker said with a grin. He’s witnessed enough to respect the stories.
“There’s a line in one of the barrel houses that dogs won’t cross,” he said. “Even with food on the other side, they stop and bark.”
Guests have reported tugged shirts, cold air pockets, and the unsettling sense of eyes on them.
“It’s a weird, creepy place when the lights go out,” Thacker
The former Cabarrus Correctional Center, now home to Southern Grace Distilleries in Mount Pleasant, has been transformed from a prison into a oneof-a-kind bourbon destination.
said. “But it’s good for business. You wouldn’t believe how many people come for the ghosts and stay for the bourbon.”
Mount Pleasant has embraced the distillery, and the community connection runs deep. Local restaurants like 73 & Main send diners for tours, and concertgoers stop in for tastings. Future plans include more live music, food trucks and outdoor events on the old prison grounds.
“We could double production and boost tourism 50% without leaving this campus,” Thacker said. “What we need is more space to age barrels.”
He laughs at the practicality of it all.
“I need a barrel house that’ll hold a thousand barrels,” he said. “In this business, that four, ve, six years you have to sit on stu — that’s gravity. You can plan all you want, but if you don’t have the space, you don’t have it.”
The editor in him — years spent in newspapers and politics — still shows in the way he measures words.
“Get the data right, then make it beautiful,” he said. “It’s the same with bourbon.”
And as the sun slants through the old cellblock windows, he raises a nal glass, amber and steady.
“We’re not a threat to Jack Daniels,” he said, swirling the whiskey. “But when a serious drinker says our bottle holds its own — that’s all the conviction we need.”
Young T. rex or new
He explained that he envisions a spot where local customers, downtown Albemarle workers and visitors can come and order their food on the go in an expedited process that won’t cost them much time.
Luna had a restaurant in Kentucky where he re ned the ideas that made their way to the menu at Downtown Cantina.
“I wanted to see the things that work out, the things that don’t and the special equipment,” he said. “It’s a whole di erent concept with the way you prep food as far as amounts. I didn’t want to come here not knowing exactly what to expect. Of course, it’s not going to be the same because the crowd is going to be di erent,
but it helped with the basics.”
Beyond the customized orders, Luna said that customers will be able to try out different creations that vary from items o ered at typical Mexican restaurants.
“Our menu has a good variety,” he said. “We have a few traditional plates, but then we have stu like fajitas, southwest egg rolls, burritos with steak and french fries, and loaded french fries. We’ll also have a lot of avored margaritas, with blackberry, pineapple, strawberry, peach, mango and more.”
Downtown Cantina is located at the historic Heath Building, where the construction rm Hemco did a comprehensive renovation of the facilities over the past year, aiming to
restore the structure while upgrading it for modern commercial use.
With reinforcements, new electrical and HVAC systems, and a refurbished lobby, the building was transformed into the restaurant with added upstairs o ce space.
“The food is outstanding, and it’s great to see Luis and his team doing what they do best,” Hemco said in a statement. “We’re incredibly proud to have served as the general contractor on this restoration and up t project — another beautiful example of preserving history while bringing new life to downtown.”
According to the Stanly County Chamber, several ofce suites are now available for rent upstairs.
Palliative
CANTINA from page A1
COURTESY STANLY COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Downtown Cantina sta stand next to Stanly County Chamber of Commerce representatives during the restaurant’s grand opening event on Tuesday.
STANLY SPORTS
West Stanly, North Stanly eliminated in volleyball state playo s
The Colts and Comets both advanced past the rst two rounds
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
ALBEMARLE — The postseason has come to a close for Stanly County’s two remaining high school volleyball teams in the NCHSAA state playo s.
The West Stanly Colts (234), coming o their seventh con-
secutive Rocky River Conference championship, made it the furthest of the county’s programs, advancing to the fourth round of the 4A state bracket.
As the No. 2 seed, the Colts were riding an 11-game winning streak when they were defeated at home 3-2 by No. 6 South Rowan (22-7) last Saturday. The back-and-forth match was one of the most competitive of the postseason, with the Raiders taking the rst set 25-23, the Colts responding 25-19 in the second, South
“I am so grateful for the opportunity to help them grow in their games.”
Alyssa Goforth, West Stanly coach
Rowan edging the third 25-20 and West Stanly forcing a decisive fth with a 25-21 win in the fourth.
The Raiders then held on for a 15-13 victory in the nal set.
“My rst year at West Stanly has come to an end,” West Stanly coach Alyssa Goforth said in a statement. “I am so grateful for the opportunity to help them grow in their game. Although it is incredibly hard to see the season end, I cannot say enough good things about this season.”
Before that loss, West Stanly had not dropped a set since a 3-1 road win at Gray Stone Day on Sept. 22. Following a rst-round bye, the Colts swept No. 15 Bandys 3-0 on Oct. 21 and defeated No. 7 North Surry 3-0 on Oct. 23, both at home.
Senior Saylor Edwards ranked 11th among all 4A players in kills this season with 264, while senior Scarlet Grifn nished sixth statewide in assists with 627.
The North Stanly Comets (18-11) also capped a strong campaign, entering the 3A state bracket as the No. 8 seed on a seven-game winning
streak. The Comets advanced to the third round before falling 3-0 on the road to top-seeded Pine Lake Prep (20-4) in Mooresville on Oct. 23.
Before its exit, North Stanly had defeated No. 9 West Davidson 3-0 at home in the second round after receiving a rst-round bye. The Comets won their third consecutive Yadkin Valley Conference title this fall.
Sophomore Emmy Talbert nished the season ranked rst among all 3A players in kills with 523. Junior Arlee Stevens ranked fth in aces with 85, and sophomore Landon Kimrey was eighth in digs with 439.
Earlier in the state playo s, the No. 17 South Stanly Rowdy Rebel Bulls (9-15) and No. 14 Gray Stone Day Knights (13 -13) were eliminated in the second round of the 2A bracket, while the No. 21 Albemarle Bulldogs (7-10) fell in the rst round.
Pfei er men’s soccer wins rst USA South title
The Falcons are 5-0-2 in USA South play
By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal
MISENHEIMER — The
Pfei er University men’s soccer team has capped o a historic campaign by claiming its rst USA South Athletic Conference title, nishing the regular season without a single loss in conference or nonconference play.
The undefeated Falcons (13- 0-3, 5-0-2 USA South) are wrapping up their best season in a decade, marking their strongest e ort since 2015 when
they went 25-0 and won the NCAA national championship.
Pfei er joined the USA South three years later.
On Wednesday night, the Falcons extended their unbeaten streak to 16 matches with a 1-0 home victory over Brevard (5-6-4, 2-4-1 USA South). The win kept Pfei er well ahead of second-place N.C Wesleyan (7-8-2, 4-1-2) atop the conference standings. Picked to nish sixth in the USA South preseason coaches poll, Pfei er has de ed expectations while more than tripling its win total from last season’s 4-8-3 nish. The 13 victories mark the highest single-season
total in coach Tony Faticoni’s nine years leading the program.
Faticoni’s previous best came in 2018, when the Falcons went 9-8.
The Falcons have found success on both ends of the eld. Sophomore forward Wesley Hooker leads the conference in shots (60) and shots on goal (26), while junior defender Alex Michael ranks rst in goals (11). Sophomore goalkeeper Seth Limbert also tops the USA South in goals-against average (.847) and save percentage (.780).
Senior goalkeeper Tommaso Cantini was recently named USA South Men’s Soccer De-
“Everyone’s just pushing each other.”
Pfei er junior defender Alex Michael
fender of the Week for his performance in a 3-0 win over Southern Virginia, where he recorded his third shutout of the season.
Pfei er will enter postseason play as the top seed in the USA South Tournament, which begins Saturday. The semi nals are set for Wednesday, followed
by the championship match the following Saturday. Seeding for the tournament is determined by a point system, where each conference win is equal to three points and each conference tie is equal to one point.
With Pfei er (17 points) and N.C. Wesleyan (14 points) being the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the tournament, No. 3 William Peace (12 points), No. 4 Greensboro (10 points), No. 5 Methodist (nine points) and No. 6 Southern Virginia (seven points) round out the rest of the eld. The Falcons will receive a rst-round bye and host the winner of Greensboro and Methodist on Wednesday.
Pfei er’s Wesley
celebrates with his Falcons teammates during another victory.
COURTESY WEST STANLY ATHLETICS
West Stanly’s Cami Pittman prepares to make a play on the ball.
Hooker (12)
What Americans think about legal sports betting, according to recent polls
Skepticism over the harm from betting has increased
By Amelia Thomson-Deveaux
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As legalized sports betting expands, recent polling suggests that Americans have become increasingly critical of its role in U.S. society and sports — although they’re more tolerant of it for professional sports.
Betting scandals have multiplied since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in May 2018 struck down a federal law that barred sports betting in most states. That includes a wave of incidents involving athletes and o cials. Most recently, dozens of people, including Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, were arrested in connection with a federal investigation into sports betting and illegal gambling, authorities said Thursday. In the years since the Supreme Court’s ruling, sports betting has brought revenue to state gov-
Velocity
4 in 10
Americans who think legal sports betting is “a bad thing,” up from 33% in 2022
ernments, but it’s also prompted concerns about the potential for wrongdoing, as well as the impact on athletes. Here’s what Americans think about the impact of legal sports betting, according to recent polling.
More think legal sports betting has a negative impact on sports and society than in 2022
ANGELINA KATSANIS / AP PHOTO FBI assistant director Christopher Raia speaks at a press conference announcing the arrests of Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier in connection with a federal investigation into sports betting and illegal gambling.
Most say betting should be legal for professional sports but not college
Many Americans distinguish between betting on professional and college sports, according to an AP-NORC poll from February. That survey shows that about 6 in 10 Americans think gambling on pro sports should be legal in their state, but only about 4 in 10 say the same thing about wagering on college sports.
A Quinnipiac poll from June found 60% of U.S. adults think legal betting on college sports is a bad thing, while 47% say this about legal betting on professional sports.
Who’s betting on sports?
Younger adults are more likely than older adults to have bet money on sports in the past year, according to the Pew poll, with about 3 in 10 adults under age 30 saying this, compared with only 12% of adults age 65 or older.
rules
The record for 100-mph pitches in the postseason has been shattered
By Ronald Blum
The Associated Press
TORONTO — Velocity rules in October.
There have been a record 255 pitches of 100 mph or faster this postseason, up from 105 last year and the previous high of 169 in 2022.
Right-handed relievers averaged 96.2 mph with their fourseam fastballs through the World Series opener, an increase from 95.8 mph last postseason and 93.3 mph when Major League Baseball started tracking in 2008.
“That’s crazy. That’s insane,” Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott said. “You see kids in college throwing 100 (mph) and a couple of years ago they were throwing what, 94, 95?”
Pitchers averaged a record 94.5 mph with four-seam fastballs during the 2025 regular season, a speedup from 91.9 mph in 2008. Among righties, this year’s average was 95 mph, including 95.6 mph by relievers.
Toronto closer Je Ho man
Americans are more skeptical of legal sports betting than they were a few years ago, according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted over the summer. The survey found that about 4 in 10 U.S. adults say the fact that sports betting is now legal in much of the country is “a bad thing” for society and sports, up from about one -third in July 2022.
Many Americans continue to say sports betting is “neither a good nor bad” thing for sports and society, while few say it’s “a good thing” for either.
Young men are particularly likely to have soured on sports betting’s social impact. About half of men under age 30 now say legal sports betting is a bad thing for society, up from 22% in 2022.
At the same time, young men are more likely than older adults to say they’ve bet money on sports in the past year. But 34% of people who have placed a sports bet in the past year still say legal sports betting is bad for society, up from 23% three years ago.
when playo pressure
pushes players to throw their hardest
is averaging 96.4 mph with his four-seamer in October, up from 95.6 mph during the season.
“A lot of it is adrenaline and knowing that this is it. You’ve got to empty your tank every single night,” he said. “Velocity is king. I know there are a lot of kind of con icting opinions on that, but it’s harder to hit faster pitches, so it’s important to have your best stu .”
While pitches are getting faster, o speed use is increasing.
Pitchers have thrown four-seam-
ers 32.8% of the time during the postseason, down from a high of 40.9% in 2014. Overall use includes 17.2% sliders, 15.2% two-seamers, 9% curveballs, 8% changeups, 6.5% splitters, 5.9% cutters, 4.6% sweepers and 0.7% slurves.
A study released by MLB last o season concluded rising velocities, pitch shaping and emphasis on maximum e ort are the likely causes of the vast increase in pitcher injuries.
MLB decided last month to
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Je Ho man celebrates the nal out of Game 7 of the ALCS.
The AP-NORC poll found that while about 14% of U.S. adults say they “frequently” or “occasionally” place bets online using betting or fantasy sports websites or apps, it’s more common in casinos. About one-quarter of U.S. adults say they have bet on sports in person at casinos at least “occasionally.”
mph during the regular season, and Blue Jays pitchers 95.1 mph, an increase from 94 mph. Among righty relievers, Los Angeles is averaging 97.6 mph in October and Toronto 96.8 mph.
“These are the most signi cant pitches that anybody’s thrown all year,” Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior said. “A lot of it just happens to do with the pressure of these situations, and I think you see it across baseball in the playo s. Everybody’s stu ticks up, for the most part. It seems like their stu is at a di erent level.” Milwaukee rookie Jacob Misiorowski reached 100 mph with 58 pitches — more than the entire postseason total as recently as 2018. He was followed by Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene (28), Philadelphia’s Jhoan Duran (25), the Chicago Cubs’ Daniel Palencia (23) and Detroit’s Tarik Skubal (22).
prohibit scouting of many high school prospects for three months during the o season and of college prospects for two months in an e ort to mandate recovery time.
“Starting at the bottom is the best way,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said Saturday. “That’s part of a larger program that we’re going to continue to roll out in an e ort to address this issue.”
Dodgers pitchers have averaged 96.2 mph with four-seamers in the postseason, up from 94.7
San Diego’s Mason Miller threw a 104.5 mph called third strike to the Chicago Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki in Game 2 of their NL Wild Card Series, the fastest postseason pitch in the Statcast era. Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen said particular playo environments can lead to faster pitches.
“When you go to places like the Padres last year, you just feel the hate, so you’re trying to counter with an ability to keep quiet,” he said. “The more you get deeper into the playo s, the more you are just competing with — it’s energy. At this point in the World Series you are trying to empty the tank.”
FRANK GUNN/THE CANADIAN PRESS VIA AP
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
salute to seniors
Local athletes see their seasons and high school careers come to a close
The nal two Stanly County volleyball teams were eliminated from the NCHSAA playo s last week, ending the high school volleyball careers for their respective senior classes. Here’s a look at the West Stanly seniors who got a fond farewell. Rosters and class designations from MaxPreps
West Stanly
Saylor Edwards (led team in kills, blocks)
Payton Watson (second in kills)
Scarlet Gri n (led team in aces, assists)
Brynli Huneycutt (second in digs)
Allison Armstrong
Taylor Price
Nevaeh Alexander
North Stanly had a young lineup with no seniors listed on the roster. That means the entire team has the opportunity to return next year from a squad that went 18-11 and nished tied for rst in the Yadkin Valley. We listed the seniors for South Stanly, Albemarle and Gray Stone Day in last weekend’s edition.
College-to-pro transition for coaches has mixed history
NCAA champion coach Tony Vitello will try to nd MLB success
By Josh Dubow
The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO — Tony Vitello’s ascension from college coach to manager in the pros is a journey that is unprecedented in the modern majors.
After leading Tennessee to the 2024 College World Series title, Vitello will try to have similar success in the majors after being hired by the San Francisco Giants.
While several managers in the majors previously served as college coaches, including current Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy, none made the jump directly without any experience playing or coaching in the pros.
The college to professional path has been taken several times in other major sports leagues, with various levels of success and failures in the NFL, NBA and NHL.
Here’s a look at some of the noteworthy coaches who did it.
Lou Holtz
Holtz had a four-year run as head coach at NC State when the New York Jets tapped him to take over a three-win team in 1976. Holtz didn’t even make it through one full season. He resigned with a 3-10 record and one game remaining in the season, saying, “God did not put Lou Holtz on this earth to coach in the pros.”
Holtz spent nearly four decades back in college, winning a national championship with Notre Dame in 1988.
Jimmy Johnson
Perhaps the most successful college-to-pro coach in any sport, Johnson was the controversial choice to take over for Tom Landry after Jerry Jones bought the Dallas Cowboys in 1989. Johnson had won a national title
at Miami in 1987 but started o poorly with a 1-15 record in 1989. Johnson proved to be extremely adept at roster management and quickly built a dynasty in Dallas.
He won back-to-back Super Bowl titles and became a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Chip Kelly
Kelly was viewed as one of the most innovative coaches in college while at Oregon.
He had some early success when he was hired by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013, leading the team to the playo s in his rst season. Kelly won 10 games again in 2014, but he was red the next season with a 6-9 record before going to San Francisco in 2016, where he went 2-14 and was red after one season.
Jerry Tarkanian
Tark the Shark was one of the most successful college coaches, winning a national championship at UNLV before he nally made the jump to the NBA.
Tarkanian left in 1992 to take over the San Antonio Spurs after growing tired of repeated run-ins with the NCAA.
Tarkanian was red after only
20 games before returning to college, where he nished his career at Fresno State.
P.J. Carlesimo
Carlesimo elevated Seton Hall from the bottom of the Big East Conference to reach the national title game in 1989 before jumping to the pros in 1994. Carlesimo led the Trail Blazers to three straight appearances in the playo s before getting red. He was hired by Golden State, where the hard-driving style that was successful in college didn’t work. Carlesimo is best remembered for Latrell Sprewell choking him at a practice in 1997. That led to Sprewell’s suspension, but Carlesimo never had success with the Warriors and was red in 1999. He had short, unsuccessful runs as coach in Seattle, Oklahoma City and Brooklyn.
Brad Stevens
Stevens led Butler to ve NCAA Tournaments and two improbable trips to the title game. He jumped to the NBA’s Boston Celtics.
Stevens helped rebuild the team behind Jalen Brown and Jayson Tatum and guided Boston to three trips to the conferencenal in four years before moving to the front o ce, where he helped build the roster that won the title in 2024.
Herb Brooks
Brooks was a longtime college coach at Minnesota who became a star by coaching the 1980 Olympic hockey “Miracle on Ice.”
Brooks had a brief stint as a coach in Switzerland before being hired by the New York Rangers in 1981. He led New York to three straight playo berths but couldn’t get past the second round of before getting red during his fourth season. He later had stints as coach for Minnesota New Jersey and Pittsburgh but could never duplicate his amateur success.
Carter Callicutt
South Stanly, football
Carter Callicutt is a senior running back and linebacker for the South Stanly football team. He also plays basketball and baseball for the Rowdy Rebel Bulls and won Athlete of the Week in the spring for his play at catcher.
South Stanly won its third straight, rallying from down 14 points to beat Mountain Island 15-14.
Quarterback Kaleb Richardson found Wyatt Crawford for a touchdown with 24 seconds left to bring South within a point. Rather than kick the extra point to tie the score, the Rowdy Rebel Bulls put the ball in Callicutt’s hands to win or lose the game in regulation. He powered in from the 1-yard line to give South the two-point conversion and the win. For the game, Callicutt had 78 yards on 16 carries. It was the rst game in the last seven that he didn’t get a touchdown, although his points were critical in this game. He also had eight tackles, six solo, and two tackles for loss on defense.
Share with your community! Send us your births, deaths, marriages, graduations and other announcements: community@ stanlynewsjournal.com
Weekly deadline is Monday at noon
JUNJI KUROKAWA / AP PHOTO
Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz addresses his team players before a 2009 game. Before nding success at Notre Dame, Holtz left NC State for a brief trip to the NFL.
Let’s Work Together
Become part of something great... We are eager to welcome individuals who are dedicated to our mission and committed to enhancing our community. Interested candidates are invited to browse our open full and part time positions via the website below to nd out how to apply for one of our job openings at SCC. NOTICES
NOTICE
NOTICE
NOTICE TO CREDITORS ALL PERSONS, rms and corporations having claims against John Marshall Hervey, deceased, of Stanly County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before the 2nd
PUBLIC NOTICE
October
Randy Shank Stanly County Airport Authority 43222 Lowder Aviation Parkway New London, NC 28127 704-982-9013
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY In the General Court of Justice Superior Court Clerk Before the Clerk 25E000557-830
Dated: 8/29/25
Mistake- lled legal briefs show the limits of relying on AI tools at work
AI can massively increase productivity, but it also comes with risks of shoddy work
By Cathy Bussewitz
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Judges around the world are dealing with a growing problem: legal briefs that were generated with the help of arti cial intelligence and submitted with errors such as citations to cases that don’t exist, according to attorneys and court documents.
The trend serves as a cautionary tale for people who are learning to use AI tools at work. Many employers want to hire workers who can use the technology to help with tasks such as conducting research and drafting reports. As teachers, accountants and marketing professionals begin engaging with AI chatbots and assistants to generate ideas and improve productivity, they’re also discovering the programs can make mistakes.
Damien Charlotin, a French data scientist and lawyer, has catalogued at least 490 court lings in the past six months that contained “hallucinations,” which are AI responses that contain false or misleading information. The pace is accelerating as more people use AI, he said.
“Even the more sophisticated player can have an issue with this,” Charlotin said. “AI can be a boon. It’s wonderful, but also there are these pitfalls.”
Charlotin, a senior research fellow at HEC Paris, a business school located just outside France’s capital city, created a database to track cases in which a judge ruled that generative AI produced hallucinated content such as fabricated case law and false quotes. The majority of rulings are from U.S. cases in which plainti s represented themselves without an attorney, he said. While most judges issued warnings about the errors, some levied nes.
But even high-pro le companies have submitted problematic legal documents. A federal judge in Colorado ruled that a lawyer for MyPillow Inc., led a brief containing nearly 30 defective citations as part of a defamation case against the company and founder Michael Lindell.
The legal profession isn’t the only one wrestling with AI’s foibles. The AI overviews that appear at the top of web search result pages frequently contain errors. And AI tools also raise privacy concerns. Workers in all industries need to be cautious about the details they upload or put into prompts to ensure they’re safeguarding the con dential information of employers and clients.
Legal and workplace experts share their experiences with AI’s mistakes and describe perils to avoid.
Think of AI as an assistant
Don’t trust AI to make big decisions for you. Some AI users treat the tool as an intern to whom you assign tasks and whose completed work you expect to check.
“Think about AI as augmenting your work ow,” said Maria Flynn, CEO of Jobs for the Future, a nonpro t focused on workforce development. It can act as an assistant for tasks such as drafting an email or researching a travel itinerary, but don’t think of it as a substitute that can do all of the work, she said.
When preparing for a meeting, Flynn experimented with an in-house AI tool, asking it to suggest discussion questions based on an article she shared with the team.
“Some of the questions it proposed weren’t the right context really for our organization, so I was able to give it some of that feedback ... and it came back with ve very thoughtful questions,” she said.
Check for accuracy
Flynn also has found problems in the output of the AI tool, which still is in a pilot stage. She once asked it to compile information on work her organization had done in various states. But the AI tool was treating completed work and funding proposals as the same thing.
“In that case, our AI tool was not able to identify the di erence between something that had been proposed and something that had been completed,” Flynn said.
Luckily, she had the institutional knowledge to recognize the errors.
“If you’re new in an organization, ask coworkers if the results look accurate to them,” Flynn suggested.
While AI can help with brainstorming, relying on it to provide factual information is risky. Take the time to check the accuracy of what AI generates, even if it’s tempting to skip that step.
“People are making an assumption because it sounds so plausible that it’s right, and it’s convenient,” Justin Daniels, an Atlanta-based attorney and shareholder with the law rm Baker Donelson, said. “Having to go back and check all the cites, or when I look at a contract that AI has summarized, I have to go back and read what the contract says, that’s a little inconvenient and time-consuming, but that’s what you have to do. As much as you think the AI can substitute for that, it can’t.”
Be careful with notetakers
It can be tempting to use AI to record and take notes during meetings. Some tools generate useful summaries and outline action steps based on what was said.
But many jurisdictions require the consent of participants prior to recording conversations. Before using AI to take notes, pause and consider whether the conversation should be kept privileged and con dential, said Danielle Kays, a Chicago-based partner at law rm Fisher Phillips.
Consult with colleagues in the legal or human resources departments before deploying a notetaker in high-risk situations such as investigations, performance reviews or legal strategy discussions, she suggested.
“People are claiming that with use of AI there should be various levels of consent, and that is something that is working its way through the courts,” Kays said. “That is an issue that I would say
companies should continue to watch as it is litigated.”
Protecting con dential information
If you’re using free AI tools to draft a memo or marketing campaign, don’t tell it identifying information or corporate secrets. Once you’ve uploaded that information, it’s possible others using the same tool might nd it.
That’s because when other people ask an AI tool questions, it will search available information, including details you revealed, as it builds its answer, Flynn said. “It doesn’t discern whether something is public or private,” she added.
Seek schooling
If your employer doesn’t o er AI training, try experimenting with free tools such as ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot. Some universities and tech companies offer classes to help you develop your understanding of how AI works and ways it can be useful.
243 at Page 619, Stanly County Registry. There is also conveyed herewith a perpetual, non-exclusive right-of-way and easement of ingress, egress and regress over and across the lands described in Deed Book 243 at Page 619, Stanly County Registry (Billy Ray Tucker and wife, Juanita H. Tucker) and Deed Book 371 at Page 511, Stanly County Registry (Jason Ray Tucker and wife, Priscilla C. Tucker), said right-of-way and easement being appurtenant to and running with the aforedescribed 2.42
Court lings in the past six months that contained “hallucinations,” or AI responses that contain false or misleading information
A course that teaches people how to construct the best AI prompts or hands-on courses that provide opportunities to practice are valuable, Flynn said.
Despite potential problems with the tools, learning how they work can be bene cial at a time when they’re ubiquitous.
“The largest potential pitfall in learning to use AI is not learning to use it at at all,” Flynn said. “We’re all going to need to become uent in AI, and taking the early steps of building your familiarity, your literacy, your comfort with the tool is going to be critically important.”
PETER HAMLIN / AP ILLUSTRATION
Using AI can increase productivity, but keep an eye out for shoddy work.
DON FERIA / AP CONTENT SERVICES FOR ANTHROPIC
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei unveils Claude 4 during the Code with Claude conference in May.
famous birthdays this week
Art Garfunkel turns 84, Bonnie Raitt is 76, Joni Mitchell turns 82, Johnny Rivers turns 83
The Associated Press
NOV. 2
Tennis Hall of Famer Ken Rosewall is 91. Political commentator Pat Buchanan is 87. Olympic gold medal wrestler Bruce Baumgartner is 65. Singer-songwriter k.d. lang is 64. Playwright Lynn Nottage is 61. Actor David Schwimmer is 59.
NOV. 3
Former Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis is 92. Economist and Nobel Prize laureate Amartya Sen is 92. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) is 78. Boxing Hall of Famer Larry Holmes is 76. Comedian-actor Roseanne Barr is 73. Actor Kate Capshaw is 72. Comedian Dennis Miller is 72.
NOV. 4
Blues musician Delbert McClinton is 86. Former rst lady Laura Bush is 79. Author Charles Frazier is 75. Actor Ralph Macchio is 64. “Survivor” host Je Probst is 64. Actor Matthew McConaughey is 56.
NOV. 5
Singer Art Garfunkel is 84. Singer Peter Noone (Herman’s Hermits) is 78. TV personality Kris Jenner is 70. Singer Bryan Adams is 66. Actor Tilda Swinton is 65. Actor Tatum O’Neal is 62. Actor Sam Rockwell is 57.
NOV. 6
Actor Sally Field is 79. Jazz musician Arturo Sandoval is 76. Author Michael Cunningham is 73. Journalist-author Maria Shriver is 70. Author Colson Whitehead is 56. Actor Ethan Hawke is 55. Model-actor Rebecca Romijn is 53.
NOV. 7
Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Kaat is 87. Former Singer Johnny Rivers is 83. Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell is 82. Retired Army general and former CIA Director David Petraeus is 73.
NOV. 8
Racing Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero Jr. is 83. Singer Bonnie Raitt is 76. TV personality Mary Hart is 75. Actor Al-
SCOTT A GARFITT / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Actor Matthew McConaughey, pictured upon arrival at the London screening of the lm “The Lost Bus” in 2025, turns 56 on Tuesday.
LM OTERO / AP PHOTO
Laura Bush attends a baseball game between the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers in 2025 in Arlington, Texas. The former rst lady and wife of President George W. Bush turns 79 on Tuesday.
Arturo Sandoval performs at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 2022. The Cuban jazz trumpeter and musician turns 76 on Thursday.
fre Woodard is 73. Singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones is 71. Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro is 71. Filmmaker Richard Curtis is 69. Chef and TV personality Gordon Ramsay is 59. Actor Parker Posey is 57.
New Children’s Booker Prize to reward quality ction for kids
The original literary award was established in 1969
The Associated Press
LONDON — Britain’s most prestigious literary prize is getting a younger sibling.
The Booker Prize Foundation announced Friday that it is setting up the Children’s Booker Prize alongside its existing awards for English-language and translated ction.
Like its sister prizes, the children’s award comes with a 50,000-pound ($67,000) purse.
The prize will open for submissions early next year, and the inaugural award — picked by a jury of children and adults led by writer Frank
MUSIC REVIEW
Cottrell-Boyce, Britain’s current children’s laureate — will be handed out in 2027.
Cottrell-Boyce, whose books include the Carnegie Medal-winning “Millions,” said he was “buzzing” about the prospect.
“It’s going to be — as they say — absolute scenes in there. Let the yelling commence,” he said.
Funded by the arts, environment and education charity AKO Foundation, the new award will be open to ction from any country aimed at children aged 8 to 12, either written in English or translated, and published in the U.K. or Ireland.
Booker Prize Foundation Chief Executive Gaby Wood said the prize aimed to inspire more young people to read and
be “a seed from which we hope future generations of lifelong readers will grow.”
The original Booker Prize was founded in 1969 and has established a reputation for transforming writers’ careers. Its winners have included Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood, Ian McEwan, Arundhati Roy and Hilary Mantel.
This year’s winner will be announced Nov. 10.
The International Booker Prize was established in 2005 as a lifetime achievement award. Since 2016, it has gone to a single work of translated ction, with the prize money split between author and translator. Past winners include Nobel literature laureates Olga Tokarczuk of Poland and Han Kang of South Korea.
Brandi Carlile looks inward on great ‘Returning to Myself’
For Joni Mitchell fans, “Folklore” and journaling by candlelight
By Elise Ryan The Associated Press
IT’S BEEN 20 years since Brandi Carlile released her self-titled debut album. After two decades of extensive collaborations and accolades for her music that blends folk, alt-country, rock and Americana, she’s stripped back again for the great “Returning to Myself.” What the title means for Carlile varies across the project. Just months after her buzzy collaborative album with Elton John and years after the debut of her Americana supergroup The Highwomen, Carlile’s vocals stand alone again — save the occasional backing vocal from Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. That pensive performance takes on many forms: re ective, on “You Without Me,” about watching her children grow and become independent, and soulful, on “A Woman Oversees,” her rich tone heard above the electric notes
of a Rhodes piano. But the project also serves as a celebration of her collaborators and the in uences that have shaped her. Carlile is aware of that dichotomy. “Why is it heroic to untether? / How is alone some holy grail?” she asks on the title track, her voice crisp over strummed acoustic guitar. Later she realizes: “Returning to myself is just returning me to you.” Andrew Watt, Aaron Dessner and Vernon produce the album, which was written with Carlile’s longtime collaborators Phil and Tim Hanseroth. The full group comes together for “Human,” an anthemic, electric guitar-set ballad. Dessner’s more intimate approach, most frequently recognized as the production style he contributed to Taylor Swift’s “folklore,” gives “A War with Time” a melancholic in ection. Watt takes on the bolder tracks: “No One Knows Us” is backed by a full band, while the standout “Church & State,” a roaring ballad about renewed tensions, feels the closest in sound to Carlile’s collaboration with John.
On “Joni,” a sentimental highlight, Carlile honors the great Joni Mitchell. Carlile was key in orchestrating the “Joni Jams” that brought Mitchell back into public performance after her 2015 brain aneurysm, including a surprise performance at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival. “I knew a wild woman / She threw a party on her grave,” Carlile recounts over a chorus of guitars. Her lyrics are revealing, depicting Mitchell, now 81, as both a grounded and mythic gure. For example: “She spoke in sacred language / Every soul could understand.” Energy builds toward the song’s end, when the acoustic guitar, played in a way that emulates Mitchell’s own folk style, is joined by beckoning drums and a surprising saxophone ri . An ode of this sort may seem out of place on such an introspective album. But its inclusion, and lyrics, say as much about Carlile as they do about her muse.
Carlile can’t “untether” to nd herself because she, like Mitchell, is a connector. And that’s a story she’s been telling since her debut.
Auction house to sell Gene Hackman’s Golden Globes
The items include artwork the actor both collected and created
By Morgan Lee
The Associated Press
SANTA FE, N.M. — An auction house plans to sell o a variety of actor Gene Hackman’s possessions in November, including Golden Globe statues, a wristwatch and paintings he collected and created himself.
Hackman died at age 95 at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, after transitioning from an Oscar-winning career in lm to a life in retirement of painting, writing novels and collecting.
Auction items include a still-life painting of a Japanese vase by Hackman and Golden Globe awards from roles in “Unforgiven” and “The Royal Tenenbaums.” There are annotated books from Hackman’s library, scripts, posters, movie memorabilia — and high-brow art including a bronze statue by Auguste Rodin and a 1957 oil painting from modernist Milton Avery.
Anna Hicks of Bonhams international auction house said the sales “o er an intimate portrait of Hackman’s private world.”
Listings start as low as $100 for Hackman’s everyman Winmau
or $600
“The sales o er an intimate portrait of Hackman’s private world.” Anna Hicks, Bonhams
and authors seeking to escape the spotlight. Authorities determined that Hackman died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s disease about a week after Arakawa, 65, died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by the droppings of infected rodents.
Hackman made his lm debut in 1961’s “Mad Dog Coll” and went on to appear in a range of movie roles, including as “Superman” villain Lex Luthor and as a basketball coach nding redemption in the sentimental favorite “Hoosiers.” He was a vetime Oscar nominee who won best actor in a leading role for “The French Connection” in 1972 and best actor in a supporting role for “Unforgiven” two decades later. Hackman also earned Oscar nominations for his roles as Buck Barrow in the 1967 crime drama “Bonnie and Clyde,” a college professor in 1970’s “I Never Sang for My Father,” and an FBI agent in the 1988 historical drama “Mississippi Burning.” He retired from acting in the early 2000s.
AMY HARRIS / INVISION/ AP PHOTO
dart board
for a shot at his Seiko diver’s wristwatch. The catalog includes a likeness of Hackman from portrait
artist Everett Raymond Kinstler, who painted U.S. presidents and drew for comic books. Hackman and his wife, Betsy
Arakawa, were found dead inside their home on Feb. 26, sending shock waves through a high-desert city refuge for famous actors
AP PHOTO
Gene Hackman accepts his Oscar for best actor at the 44th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on April 10, 1972.
this week in history
Guy Fawkes’ seized in failed “Gunpowder Plot,” Bolsheviks revolt, FDR wins third term
NOV. 2
1783: Gen. George Washington issued his Farewell Address to the Army.
1947: Howard Hughes piloted his H-4 Hercules, nicknamed the “Spruce Goose,” on its only ight. The massive wooden seaplane, with a wingspan longer than a football eld, remained airborne for 26 seconds.
1959: Charles Van Doren testi ed before a congressional committee that he had conspired with television producers to cheat on the quiz show “Twenty-One.”
NOV. 3
1908: Republican William Howard Taft was elected president, defeating Democrat William Jennings Bryan.
1911: The Chevrolet Motor Car Co. was founded in Detroit by Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant.
1957: The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2, carrying the rst animal into orbit — a dog named Laika.
1964: Lyndon B. Johnson, who became president after John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, won election to a full term, defeating Republican Sen. Barry Goldwater.
NOV. 4
1922: The entrance to King Tutankhamen’s tomb was discovered in Egypt.
1979: The Iran hostage crisis began as militant students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, seizing its occupants. Fifty-two hostages were held for 444 days and released on Jan. 20, 1981.
1980: Republican Ronald Reagan won election to the White House, defeating Democratic President Jimmy Carter.
2008: Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois was elected the rst black president of the United States, defeating
Women’s rights advocate Jeannette Rankin, a Republican, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 7, 1916, becoming the rst woman to be elected to Congress.
Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
NOV. 5
1605: The “Gunpowder Plot” failed as Guy Fawkes was seized before he could blow up the English Parliament.
1872: Su ragist Susan B. Anthony was arrested for illegally voting in the presidential election and ned $100, which she refused to pay.
1930: Novelist Sinclair Lewis became the rst American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
1940: Democratic incumbent Franklin D. Roosevelt won an unprecedented third term as president.
NOV. 6
1860: Former Illinois congressman Abraham Lincoln of the Republican Party was elected president of the United States.
1861: An unopposed Jefferson Davis was elected to a six-year term as president of the Confederate States of America after serving much of the year as its provisional president.
1888: Republican presidential candidate Benjamin Harrison won the electoral vote over incumbent Democrat Grover Cleveland despite Cleveland gaining 90,000 more total votes.
1947: “Meet the Press,” the longest-running television show in America, made its debut on NBC.
NOV. 7
1916: Jeannette Rankin of Montana won election to the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the rst woman elected to either chamber of Congress.
1917: Russia’s Bolshevik Revolution took place as forces led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin overthrew the provisional government of Alexander Kerensky.
1940: Washington state’s original Tacoma Narrows Bridge nicknamed “Galloping Gertie,” collapsed into Puget Sound during a windstorm just four months after opening to tra c.
1944: President Franklin D. Roosevelt won an unprecedented fourth term in o ce.
1991: Basketball star Magic Johnson announced that he had tested positive for HIV and was retiring.
NOV. 8
1889: Montana was admitted to the Union as the 41st state.
1923: Adolf Hitler launched his rst attempt at seizing power in Germany with a failed coup in Munich that came to be known as the “Beer Hall Putsch.”
1942: The Allies launched Operation Torch in World War II as U.S. and British forces landed in French North Africa.
1960: John F. Kennedy won the U.S. presidential election over Vice President Richard M. Nixon.
AP PHOTO
The entrance to Egypt’s King Tutankhamen’s tomb near Cairo was discovered on Nov. 4, 1922.
