New Bern’s McMahon tapped as Trump’s Education secretary Washington, D.C. Linda McMahon, a billionaire professional wrestling mogul, is poised to make a return appearance in a second Trump administration, this time as the president-elect’s Cabinet pick to be Education secretary. The New Bern native and East Carolina graduate led the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019 during Trump’s first term and twice ran unsuccessfully in Connecticut as a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University. She has expressed support for charter schools and school choice. While at ECU, McMahon earned a degree in French and received her teaching certificate. She is the wife of Pinehurstborn Vince McMahon, the former wrestling promoter who resigned as executive chairman TKO Group Holdings — the company formed when Ultimate Fighting Championship merged with World Wrestling Entertainment — in January following allegations of sex trafficking and sexual assault.
Endangered whale spotted off Outer Banks
Republicans pick House leadership for 2025 the BRIEF this week
Cape Lookout
A 19-year-old North Atlantic right whale was spotted off the coast of North Carolina while migrating south for the winter. The whale, known by researchers as Black Heart, is one of fewer than 400 North Atlantic right whales. The whale, a female who is known to have given birth to at least one calf in her life, is the first spotted off the coast of the Southeast as the breeding season begins. North Atlantic right whale numbers have dwindled due to vessel strikes and net entanglements.
Several NC races headed to recounts
Three House races, two Senate races and the Supreme Court race are still undecided
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
RALEIGH — Multiple General Assembly races and a state Supreme Court race have come in with under a 1% margin separating candidates and are headed to a recount.
“Recounts are a regular part of the elections process when
contests are close, and they help ensure that the results are accurate and that the public can have confidence that the candidate who received the most votes wins the election,” Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said in a statement.
“Recounts are conducted by bipartisan teams and are open to the public whenever and wherever they occur.”
Most of the state’s 100 counties will begin recounts on
See RECOUNTS, page A3
NCGA passes 3rd round of Helene relief
The General Assembly has surpassed $1 billion in commitments, but Democrats attack additional bill provisions as a “blatant power grab”
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
RALEIGH — The General Assembly has passed a third round of Hurricane Helene relief funding totaling $252 million.
The first two rounds of relief funding by the legislature totaled around $922 million, and the addition of the latest round puts the total relief funding at $1.1 billion.
The House passed the bill 63-46 after several hours of floor debate on Nov. 19. The vote was mainly down party lines, with three Republicans from the affected areas voting against passage: Reps. Mike Clampitt (Swain), Karl Gillespie (Macon) and Mark Pless (Haywood).
The following day, the Senate passed the bill 30-19 down party lines after a brief recess due to protesters needing to be cleared from the gallery. “As families in Western North Caroli-
See FUNDS, page A3
Rep. Destin Hall was selected as the next speaker
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
RALEIGH — Elections were held to choose House leadership spots on Nov. 19. The leadership positions were announced at a press conference following the Republican caucus voting. Key positions announced included: Rep. Brendan Jones was named majority leader, replacing Rep. John Bell (R-Wayne), who will become chair of the House Rules, Calendar, and Operations Committee in 2025.
Rep. Steve Tyson (R-Craven) will be deputy majority lead-
er, the position that Jones currently holds.
Rep. Mitchell Setzer (R-Catawba) will serve as speaker pro tem. He replaces Rep. Sarah Stevens (R-Surry), who has held that spot since 2017.
Rep. Carl Gillespie (R-Macon) was reelected as the House whip.
Reps. Matthew Winslow (R-Franklin) and Jeff Zenger (R-Forsyth) were elected co-chairs of the Conference Committee. Reps. Jarrod Lowery (R-Robeson) and Erin Paré (R-Wake) currently hold those positions.
Rep. Harry Warren (R-Rowan) will continue to serve as caucus joint liaison with the Senate.
Rep. Heather Rhyne (R-Lincoln) will be the freshman
See HALL, page A8
“I’m glad to report that the caucus has elected me by acclamation to be their speaker designate in the next biennium.”
Rep. Destin Hall (R-Caldwell)
IZZY LAVALETTE FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL
A car and other debris rest in Asheville’s River Arts District on Oct. 10 following Hurricane Helene.
“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.”
More than three centuries ago, the Pilgrims, after a year of hardship and peril, humbly and reverently set aside a special day upon which to give thanks to God for their preservation and for the good harvest from the virgin soil upon which they had labored. Grave and unknown dangers remained. Yet by their faith and by their toil they had survived the rigors of the harsh New England winter. Hence they paused in their labors to give thanks for the blessings that had been bestowed upon them by Divine Providence.
This year, as the harvest draws near its close and the year approaches its end, awesome perils again remain to be faced. Yet we have, as in the past, ample reason to be thankful for the abundance of our blessings. We are grateful for the blessings of faith and health and strength and for the imperishable spiritual gifts of love and hope. We give thanks, too, for our freedom as a nation; for the strength of our arms and the faith of our friends; for the beliefs and confidence we share; for our determination to stand firmly for what we believe to be right and to resist mightily what we believe to be base; and for the heritage of liberty bequeathed by our ancestors which we are privileged to preserve for our children and our children’s children.
It is right that we should be grateful for the plenty amidst which we live; the productivity of our farms, the output of our factories, the skill of our artisans, and the ingenuity of our inventors. [See APP Note.]
But in the midst of our thanksgiving, let us not be unmindful of the plight of those in many parts of the world to whom hunger is no stranger and the plight of those millions more who live without the blessings of liberty and freedom. With some we are able to share our material abundance through our Food-for-Peace Program and through our support of the United Nations Freedomfrom-Hunger Campaign. To all we can offer the sustenance of hope that we shall not fail in our unceasing efforts to make this a peaceful and prosperous world for all mankind.
Now, Therefore, I, John F. Kennedy,
President of the United States of America, in consonance with the joint resolution of Congress approved December 26, 1941, which designates the fourth Thursday in November of each year as Thanksgiving Day, do hereby proclaim Thursday, the twentythird day of November of this year, as a day of national thanksgiving.
I urge all citizens to make this Thanksgiving not merely a holiday from their labors, but rather a day of contemplation. I ask the head of each family to recount to his children the story of the first New England Thanksgiving, thus to impress upon future generations the heritage of this nation born in toil, in danger, in purpose, and in the conviction that right and justice and freedom can through man’s efforts persevere and come to fruition with the blessing of God.
Let us observe this day with reverence and with prayer that will rekindle in us the will and show us the way not only to
preserve our blessings, but also to extend them to the four corners of the earth. Let us by our example, as well as by our material aid, assist all peoples of all nations who are striving to achieve a better life in freedom. In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington this twenty-seventh day of October in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and sixtyone, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and eighty-sixth.
House and Senate votes were mostly along party lines
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
RALEIGH — Lawmakers in the North Carolina legislature overrode Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of House Bill 10 last week.
The House overrode the veto on Nov. 19 by a vote of 72-44. Three Democrats crossed the aisle to override the governor’s veto: Reps. Carla Cunningham (Mecklenburg), Shelly Willingham (Edgecombe) and Michael Wray (Northampton).
The following day, the Senate completed the override with a vote of 30-19.
Cooper has issued 103 vetoes during his eight years in office — 75% of the 138 total vetoes since governors were given that power in the late 1990s. Including House Bill 10, the legislature has overridden 51 of Cooper’s vetoes.
The law directs state law enforcement to cooperate with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regarding detainers placed on illegal migrants who have committed crimes and are in police custody. Jail or facility administrators are directed to determine whether an inmate is legally in the country by asking the individual or reviewing relevant documents. If citizenship can-
not be determined, ICE must be contacted.
The new law also clears the more than 56,000 Opportunity Scholarship program (OSP) waitlist backlog with a $463.5 million appropriation in two parts.
Nonrecurring funds of $248 million will come from the Education Reserve, which is established by the bill as a part of the state’s General Fund. The bill transfers the funds from the Education Reserve to the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina to be distributed as necessary through the N.C.
State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA), which oversees the OSP.
Recurring funds of $215.5 million are also included for scholarship awards for the 202526 fiscal year. That money will be transferred from the General Fund to the OSP Reserve fund.
The backlog funding is retroactive by directing private schools to reimburse families who have already paid their tuition within 60 days of receiving funds from the NCEAA.
The new law directs $825 million from the General Fund to the OSP Reserve Fund be-
ginning with the 2032-33 fiscal year and each fiscal year after that. The annual budget amount for the OSP Reserve Fund will also be updated to keep up with the expected demand for the program, with more than $1.862 billion in increases spread across the next seven years.
More than 72,000 new students applied for OSP funds this year after Republicans expanded the program in 2023 to allow any student in the state to apply.
ESA+ waitlists that cover children with disabilities will also get $24.7 million in recurring funds.
Since the legislature expanded the OSP for all students, Cooper has repeatedly called for a moratorium on the program. He has ignored or stripped funding from the program in every budget proposal during his eight years as governor.
Cooper continued his criticism of the OSP by attacking lawmakers in the days before the override, claiming the funding for clearing the OSP backlog should be used for Hurricane Helene relief instead.
“Western NC legislators should demand immediate state funding for Helene recovery - including small business and local gov grants - instead of billions of dollars for private school vouchers for the wealthy that hurt rural public schools and fund mostly urban counties,” Cooper wrote in a Nov. 13 post on X that
was signed “-RC,” meaning he issued the post personally.
Leadership at the General Assembly has said there will be successive rounds of targeted Helene Funding as needed. Not including the third installment of Helene relief passed last week, the legislature has appropriated over $944 million. More than $644 million was in the second round of funding that focused on small businesses and local government needs.
During discussion on the House floor, Rep. Tricia Cotham (R-Mecklenburg) chastised Cooper and Democrats for trying to tie hurricane relief to OSP funds, calling it a “false choice.”
“It is shameful for our governor to try and set up a fight between hurricane victim relief and children,” Cotham said. “They are not the same.
“It is extremely unfortunate and disingenuous that we keep hearing the same political rhetoric over and over and over about the Opportunity Scholarship program. This program is about children. It’s about families being able to pick what is best for their child.”
NCSEAA data shows 37,143 students are currently utilizing the OSP across North Carolina as of Nov. 4. Most current enrollees are in Tier 1, with students typically in households of four with an income up to $57,720. Awards for Tier 1 are the highest, maxing out at $7,468.
“The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth” by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe (1914) is a painting in the collection of the Pilgrim Hall Museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
CHRIS CARLSON / AP PHOTO
Gov. Roy Cooper, pictured Oct. 3 in Boone, has had 51 of his vetoes overridden by the Republican-led General Assembly.
NC hurricane agency chief out after being grilled by state lawmakers
The NCORR budget gap, first reported at $175 million in September, is now more than $221 million
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
RALEIGH — North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency’s Director Laura Hogshead is no longer with the agency, according to an announcement by Department of Public Safety Communications Director Jody Donaldson on Nov. 20.
The announcement is apparently tied to a memo issued by Eddie Buffaloe Jr., secretary of the Department of Public Safety.
Her departure follows a legislative oversight hearing on Nov. 18, where lawmakers grilled Hogshead about the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR). It was revealed during the hearing that the agency has a much larger budget deficit than previously reported.
Also testifying before the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations’ subcommittee was Pryor Gibson, Gov. Roy Cooper’s legislative counsel, who Cooper sent in to keep tabs on the agency. Per Buffaloe’s memo, Gibson will be taking over for Hogshead.
Last month, lawmakers were surprised to learn NCORR had a budget gap of $175 million when
Nov. 20. All recounts were expected to be completed no later than Nov. 27, per the N.C. State Board of Elections.
The House seat recounts could have big stakes: Should any of those races land back on the Republican side of the aisle, the party will retain its supermajority in that chamber.
House District 32
Incumbent Frank Sossamon, a Republican, has requested a recount. His opponent, Democrat Bryan Cohn, leads Sossamon with just 233 votes.
House District 25
Democrat Lorenza Wilkins requested a recount after incumbent Republican Rep. Allen Chesser won the race by 461 votes.
House District 105
Democrat challenger Nicole Sidman has requested a recount in the Mecklenburg County House seat race that was retained by Republican Tricia Cotham in the unofficial results. With the final canvas for that seat complete, Cotham
na head into the winter season, there remains a long list of housing, infrastructure, and relief needs.” Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell) said in a Senate press release outlining the bill’s various spending items. “The bill we passed today frees up an additional $252 million for the western region. Every dollar counts and this marks another positive step in our long road to recovery.”
Senate Bill 382’s $252 million in spending includes $220 million to be transferred from the state’s Savings Reserve to the Helene relief fund. There is also around $100 million for local government loans in areas, and $100 million in loans for water and wastewater repair projects.
“There’s a lot of work still that needs to be done, and still, quite frankly, a lot of money that’s going to have to be spent,” Rep. Donny Lambeth (R-Forsyth) said during floor discussions on the bill.
The Helene-related spending includes several items, including compensation for education employees for in-
Cooper released his hurricane relief proposal. Testimony given during the hearing by both Pryor and Hogshead now puts the total at $221 million. NCORR has a budget of more than $1 billion.
“Mr. Chairman, right now NCORR’s too far over its skis. It does not have enough money to finish the projects in its queue or the affordable housing,” Gibson told Sen. Brent Jackson (R-Sampson), who was chairing the hearing. “I mean, that is pretty straightforward. That’s the reason we went to you and your staff before the last session and said we need $175 million.”
Gibson explained that an operational accounting showed $175 million should be able to finish
leads Sidman by 216 votes, 27,303 to 27,087. Sidman released a statement on her campaign’s Facebook page saying she had requested a recount, stating in part that the “process is designed to maintain faith in our democratic system of government.”
Cotham made waves in 2023 when she left the Democratic Party and joined the Republicans, giving the GOP a one-vote supermajority. It has been estimated that Democrats spent more than $1 million trying to flip the seat.
Senate District 18
Republican Ashlee Adams has requested a recount against Democrat Terrence Everitt, who wound up 134 votes ahead after canvas.
Senate District 42
Republican Stacie McGinn has requested a recount in the race against Democrat Woodson Bradley. Following canvas, Bradley leads McGinn by 204 votes.
Supreme Court race
The nearly 10,000-vote lead held by Republican Court of Ap-
all the homes, but the actual accounting review showed it was “clear that it’s going to be about $221” million to get Matthew and Florence hurricane victims back in their homes.
Around $50 million for immediate needs in NCORR’s budget gap are included in Senate Bill 382, which includes the third round of legislative-issued Hurricane Helene aid. The funds will be monitored by both the N.C. Office of State Budget and Management and the Office of the State Auditor.
NCORR, created by Cooper in his first term, has struggled with disaster recovery efforts following Hurricanes Matthew and Florence. As of now, 1,400 homes
peals Judge Jefferson Griffin has evaporated. Democrat Associate Justice Allison Riggs, an appointee of Gov. Roy Cooper, had a 623-ballot lead on Griffin as of the morning of Nov. 19.
Unlike in past Supreme Court races, where provisional ballot totals hovered around 8,200, both candidates have seen the number of ballots surpass the 10,000 mark.
Griffin has officially requested a recount of the race but has not yet responded to a request for comment. He has also filed 300 election protests regarding around 60,000 of the ballots cast in the state’s counties.
The current Supreme Court makeup stands at five Republicans and two Democrats, including Riggs. If a recount goes to Griffin, the court will shift to a 6-1 majority.
The recount is not the only action in the Supreme Court race.
The North Carolina Republican Party (NCGOP) and Griffin and his campaign filed a lawsuit against the N.C. State Board of Elections (NCSBE).
The lawsuit claims the NCSBE has failed to produce documents and data related to the Supreme Court contest that were requested starting Nov. 5. The lawsuit says some information has been received but that data supplied
structional days missed during the Hurricane, and extension of various waivers on licensing, housing, care facilities and also pauses the adoption of the 2024 Building Code for six months to stop regulatory changes from hampering recovery efforts.
The bill moves $50 million from the Office of State Budget and Management’s (OSBM) Di-
NC Office of Recovery and Resilience Director Laura
Hogshead is questioned by the legislative hurricane relief committee on Nov. 18, 2024.
are still pending construction and 766 families are in the rebuilding process.
Hogshead’s presentation to the subcommittee shows that 4,323 families are in some stage of the process. Of those, 2,869 are in the “close out” stage of getting back into a home, 635 are still in the contract bid stage, and 771 are in the construction phase.
At a hearing in March 2023, Hogshead told lawmakers that 1,067 projects had been completed out of 4,466 families seeking assistance. This was an increase from the 889 completed projects she reported during a December 2022 hearing.
Hogshead had previously indicated that before the COVID-19
from county boards of elections shows the NCSBE record production is incomplete.
“The State Board of Elections has not earned any benefit of the doubt regarding their actions and their slow walking of critical information against increasingly tighter time frames illustrates why this lawsuit was filed,” NCGOP Chairman Jason Simmons said in a statement. “We will keep all options available as needed to ensure their compliance with state law.”
The lawsuit says there are four outstanding requests:
• Suspected cases where voters have cast both absentee ballots and inperson ballots
• Voters who used curbside voting on Election Day
• Full lists of felony convictions, along with the datasets and guidance given to local county boards of election on the treatment of votes cast by convicted felons
• Full lists of deceased voters, as well as the datasets and guidance sent to local county boards of election
pandemic hit, the monthly average completion rate was 31 homes. During 2020, that average fell to 23. By 2021, the average completion rate dropped to just eight a month, and the first six months of 2020 only saw an average of five homes completed.
During her testimony, Hogshead acknowledged financial mismanagement.
When Rep. Sarah Stevens (R-Surry) asked about how NCORR had overspent its funding on encumbrances, Hogshead said they were “not watching it carefully enough.”
“We were going fast and not watching carefully enough on the encumbrances,” Hogshead said. “But we do have money that we can move within our own envelope. What we’re saying to you all is that we can move money, but we’d have to break commitments.”
Hogshead also indicated NCORR is currently spending $2.1 million monthly on temporary relocation assistance and owes $37.6 million in outstanding contractor invoices.
Several legislators expressed deep distrust in the agency and doubt in its ability to handle Hurricane Helene efforts as well as criticizing its prolonged application process and slow recovery efforts.
During one tense exchange, Jackson pressed Hogshead on taking responsibility for the budget gaps and lengthy delays. Hogshead accepted blame for the issues but told Jackson she would not resign.
Hogshead also told lawmakers she was instructed to keep its application window open much longer than typical disaster recovery programs, with an additional 700 applications submitted in the last two months.
on how to handle ballots of deceased persons
The lawsuit asks for the courts to compel the NCSBE to produce the requested information as well as asking for attorney costs and court fees. In addition to the lawsuit, the NCGOP has filed for a temporary restraining order asking the courts to expedite the review of the case to compel the NCSBE to produce the records.
North State Journal reached out to the NCSBE for comment on the lawsuit and is awaiting a response.
On Nov. 19, Griffin announced via an NCGOP press release that he was filing election protests “challenging the validity of more than 60,000 ballots across the state.”
“As North Carolinians, we cherish our democratic process. Protecting election integrity is not just an option — it’s our duty,” Griffin said in the press release. “These protests are about one fundamental principle: ensuring every legal vote is counted.”
Per the press release, the protests “highlight specific irregularities and discrepancies in the handling and counting of ballots, raising concerns about adherence to established election laws.”
Some of the key spending items include:
• $25 million for debris removal uses
• $33.75 million for child care stabilization grant extensions
• $125 million for repair and reconstruction of transportation infrastructure in the affected areas
• $574,578 in recurring funds to adjust funds provided state university institutions to adapt to changes in resident student credit hours
• $7,837,646 for UNC enrollment loss mitigation
saster Relief Reserve to the Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR) to cover that agency’s recently announced budget gap. Per the bill, OSBM will be required to monitor NCORR’s spending and operations. Additionally, the state auditor will conduct financial and performance audits of NCORR by July 1, 2025, and report back to the legislature.
The 131-page bill also has several changes unrelated to hurricane relief that will impact elections, court appointments and education, as well as changes to Council of State and gubernatorial powers, which has drawn criticism from Democrats calling it a “power grab.”
“SB 382 is nothing more than
a blatant power grab by Republicans who are punishing North Carolinians for voting them out of power in key offices,” Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue (D-Wake) said in a statement.
“This isn’t governance; it’s retaliation.”
“North Carolinians deserve better than politicians trying to lock in their power at the expense of democracy and disaster recovery,” said House Minority Leader Roberts Reives (D-Chatham). He also accused Republicans of “manipulating disaster relief efforts and slowing down much-needed recovery.”
Both Gov. Roy Cooper and Gov.-elect Josh Stein also attacked the bill.
“Shortchanging disaster recovery right now will have serious consequences for years to come,” C ooper said on X. “Legislators have put forward a bill that fails to provide real support to communities hit hard by Hurricane Helene and instead prioritizes more power grabs in Raleigh.”
“Instead of stepping up, the Republicans in the General Assembly are grabbing power and exacting political retribution,” Stein wrote in a post on X.
NCGA YOUTUBE
KARL B. DEBLAKER / AP PHOTO
North Carolina Senate minority leader Dan Blue (D-Wake), pictured in July, was one of several prominent Democrats who accused Republicans in the General Assembly of using a Hurricane Helene relief bill to strip powers from positions won by Democrats in this month’s election.
Christmas Tree Farm on Nov. 13 in Newland.
NATION & WORLD
White House’s Christmas tree symbolizes resilience of NC farms
By Makiya Seminera The Associated Press
NEWLAND — The Cartner family had known since last year that one of their farm’s Christmas trees would be headed to the White House this winter.
But then Hurricane Helene struck, unleashing a deadly deluge across western North Carolina, including Avery County, where Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm has stood for decades. Though the farm lost thousands of trees to a mudslide, many more survived, including a 20foot conical tree that dwarfs most of the others on the sprawling farm.
That one will soon be cut down, lifted by a crane and put on a truck bound for the nation’s capital.
“We wanted to really be an uplifting symbol for the other farmers and other people in western North Carolina that have experienced so many losses,” said Sam Cartner Jr., one of three brothers who owns the farm.
From the back of the farm property, where the White House tree is located, it’s hard to see the extent of Helene’s damage. Countless rows of dark green trees stand in formation, contrasting against the lighter, mossy green shade of the rolling hills. It’s mostly quiet, aside from chirping birds and rustling leaves.
As Cartner ventures back to the front of the property in his SUV, the damage from Helene comes into view. A section
from page A1
House leader and Rep. Blair Eddins (R-Wilkes) will be the freshman House whip.
Finally, 37-year-old Rep. Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) was elected North Carolina’s next speaker of the House.
“I’m glad to report that the caucus has elected me by acclamation to be their speaker designate in the next biennium,” Hall said during the press conference. “I want to thank my caucus members for the tremendous support that they’ve given me over the past couple of years and then again today. And so I think the message that we have coming out of our caucus today is one of unity.”
Hall will replace House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain), who is headed to Congress to represent the state’s 14th District. Moore has been a speaker since 2015, making him the longest-serv-
of one of the grassy hills looks like it was clawed out to expose the brown earth beneath it — the aftermath of a mudslide that took out between 5,000 to 6,000 trees, Cartner said. Luckily, those trees were smaller and not market-size, meaning it wasn’t an immediate problem for this harvest season, he said.
Culverts and gullies on the property were also washed out from the storm, making immediate access to certain parts of the farm treacherous. It took a few weeks to fill in the dirt roads twisting through the farm, Cartner said, but it could have been much worse.
“We’re looking forward to a relatively normal harvest,” Cartner said. “Others will have a much harder time.”
The biggest challenge for Christmas tree farmers across western North Carolina has been fixing infrastructure on their property, including roads, said Jennifer Greene, North Carolina Christmas Tree Association executive director. Despite tree losses on some farms, Greene said farmers across the region — who harvest between 4-5 million Christmas trees annually — are persevering. She doesn’t anticipate Helene’s damage drastically affecting this harvest season, but it’s still uncertain how the devastation will affect future seasons.
“They’re resourceful, and you know, so they’re going to find a way, you know, to make it happen,” Greene said of the area’s Christmas tree farmers. “I mean, they have to.”
Cartner’s parents, Sam and Margaret Cartner, founded the farm in 1959, where they grew Fraser firs, a tree species indigenous to the Appalachians. They later passed the farm on to Cartner Jr. and his two brothers.
ing speaker in state history. Hall, an attorney, was first elected to the General Assembly in 2016. In August 2020, he was co-chair of the House Rules, Calendar and Operations Committee. Hall would quickly become chair of that committee the following year at age 33, the first millennial to hold one of the three most powerful positions in the House. At the time Hall was tapped to chair the Rules Committee, Moore said he had “quickly distinguished himself as a young House lawmaker who can address a broad range of complex issues and forge bipartisan policy solutions to matters before the legislature, and we are fortunate to add his legal acumen to this important leadership position.” Hall grew up in Caldwell County and was raised by both sets of grandparents when he was very young. “I began living with them
The farm started off small, raising cows, cabbage and beans alongside the Fraser firs, Cartner said. The family initially planted their trees on the steepest field because they didn’t want to use up their best land for them, Cartner said.
Now, Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm has grown to about 500 planted acres of land. Most of the farm’s business is selling wholesale to independent garden centers and stores around the country.
Their staffing operation is also much larger, as the farm employs temporary workers from Mexico to continue the year-round duties of maintaining the land, such as trimming trees. The task in recent days has been loading trees of various sizes into trailers ready to ship.
“We say we’ve touched a tree over 100 times by the time it gets to the consumer, and that’s all manual labor,” Cartner said.
All of that work led to Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm being named the 2024 grand champion at the National Christmas Tree Association’s contest. Winning the competition traditionally means the champion will supply the White House’s official Christmas tree that year.
The visit to Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm by White House staff was initially delayed because of damaged roads, Greene said. When the staff made their selection in late October, they adorned their tree of choice with a red, white and blue ribbon that was larger than a basketball, Cartner said.
The selected tree is about 25 years old and weighs between 400 to 500 pounds (180 to 230 kilograms) — so heavy that a crane will be brought in to bring the tree to its transport truck ahead of its travels to Wash-
ington, D.C. Its “wonderful verdant color” and short limbs were just a few reasons Cartner listed off that may have drawn White House staff to the tree, in addition to meeting certain size requirements for display.
Cartner and his family will present the tree to first lady Jill Biden in front of the White House. Then, Cartner said they plan to return in December to see it decorated in the White House’s Blue Room.
While the buzz about the White House Christmas tree has been exciting, Cartner said he will be “glad to have all this behind us.” It’s been a tough year because of Helene, and harvest season is already difficult enough as is, he said.
“You’ve got to cut and ship that number of trees in two to three weeks, you put a hurricane on top of that, White House tree and all the activities, it gets almost overwhelming,” he said.
And work has already begun for next year. The farm has some obstacles to overcome, including finding places to buy seedlings after Helene devastated some greenhouses. There’s also paperwork to fill out for workers to return to the farm next season, as well as several orders to make for fertilizer and insecticide.
It’s a large-scale operation that has come a long way from when Cartner’s parents started it. While his parents wouldn’t have liked all the attention the farm has received, Cartner said they would be proud that they were representing western North Carolina during a time of hardship for many after Helene.
“They would want this tree to represent the faith, and hope, and love, and joy and family and generosity, all those good things of mankind that we need to stop and recognize,” he said.
COURTESY HOUSE REPUBLICANS
when I was about 7 or 8. I was blessed with wonderful grandparents on each side,” Hall told North State Journal in a 2021 interview. He added that he holds “no ill will” against his parents because “they were just not at a place in their lives where they could be parents.” Hall graduated from Appalachian State University with a double major in risk man-
Texas offers Trump land for potential mass deportations
McAllen, Texas
Texas is offering a parcel of rural ranchland along the U.S.-Mexico border to use as a staging area for potential mass deportations under President-elect Donald Trump. The property is located in rural Starr County in the Rio Grande Valley but has no paved roads and sits in a county with one public hospital and limited local resources. Republican Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham sent a letter on Thursday to Trump extending the offer. The offer is the latest illustration of a sharp divide between states and local governments on whether to support or resist Trump’s plans for mass deportations.
Trump chooses Bondi for attorney general Washington, D.C. President-elect Donald Trump said he will nominate former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead the Justice Department, turning to a longtime ally after his first choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration amid scrutiny over sex trafficking allegations. Bondi has been an outspoken defender of Trump. She was one of his lawyers during his first impeachment trial when he was accused — but not convicted — of abusing his power as he tried to condition U.S. military assistance to Ukraine on that country investigating then-former Vice President Joe Biden. She was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his New York hush money criminal trial.
Palestinian officials say Gaza death toll over 44,000
Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip Palestinian health officials say the death toll in the Gaza Strip from the 13-month-old war between Israel and Hamas has surpassed 44,000. The Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but it has said that more than half of the fatalities are women and children.
Gang symbol ban arrests begin in New Zealand
Rep. Destin Hall, newly elected as speaker of the House, announces Republican House leadership positions at a Nov. 19 press conference at the General Assembly.
agement and insurance, and finance. He received his law degree from Wake Forest and then practiced law in Charlotte before returning to Caldwell County when his grandparents began having health issues. Hall and his wife, Madison, live in Granite Falls, a small town between Lenoir and Hickory with a population of just under 5,000.
Wellington, New Zealand
A ban on New Zealanders wearing or displaying symbols of gang affiliation in public has taken effect, with police officers arresting a man for breaking the law three minutes later. The prohibition on displaying gang insignia anywhere outside private homes, including on clothing or in vehicles, is among a suite of new measures intended to bolster police powers to disrupt the groups.
New Zealand’s centerright government says the measures will reduce the membership of gangs responsible for violence and drug crimes, but opponents say the law breaches civil liberties, disproportionately targets Indigenous Māori and won’t reduce group numbers.
Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm in Newland was chosen to supply a Fraser fir
ERIK VERDUZCO / AP PHOTO
The official White House Christmas tree, a 20 -foot Fraser fir, is seen at the Cartner’s
HALL
THE CONVERSATION
Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL
Remember when Lt. Gov. Jim Gardner was
stripped of all powers?
The Democraticdominated General Assembly voted to remove all functional powers from the office of lieutenant governor.
THERE WAS MUCH hand-wringing, pearlclutching and fingernail-gnawing among liberal activists last week when the Republican-led General Assembly “reassigned” (“took away,” say the critics) some duties of statewide elected officials who were elected on Nov. 5 and who “just happened” to be Democrats.
There must be a lot of newcomers to North Carolina or else North Carolina history is no longer taught in public or private schools. If they knew the history of near-absolute Democratic control in North Carolina for over a century before 2010, they would not have been so incensed.
The lessons learned when the Democraticcontrolled NCGA stripped powers from incoming Republican Lt. Gov. Jim Gardner in 1989 should be edifying then to many.
Gardner hailed from Rocky Mount, where he helped start the Hardee’s hamburger chain in 1961. In 1964, he came close to defeating Democrat Congressman Harold Cooley even though Republicans were getting demolished nationwide, getting caught in the Barry Goldwater riptide as he lost to Lyndon Baines Johnson.
In the next election, 1966, then-NCGOP party chairman Gardner somehow defeated Cooley by 13 points in rural eastern North Carolina even though Cooley was chairman of the powerful House Agriculture Committee.
Gardner ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1968 and 1972, but he returned to elective politics in 1988 when he defeated Democratic state Sen. Tony Rand to become the first GOP lieutenant governor in North Carolina in close to a century.
And then the fun began.
Gardner thought he was running for the most
powerful elected office in North Carolina, which was lieutenant governor at the time. The North Carolina governor had no veto power ― and wouldn’t until 1996 ― and the North Carolina legislature had packed the lieutenant governor’s office with tons of political power.
It wasn’t until Gardner was sworn in as lieutenant governor in January 1989 that everyone fully realized that since the November election, the only thing the Democratic General Assembly left him with was a state-owned vehicle and a state trooper to drive it.
“All I did for four years was drive around the state and meet a lot of nice folks!” he would say at various political gatherings afterward. It might sound funny now ― but it was the truth. After the election, the Democraticdominated General Assembly voted to remove all functional powers from the lieutenant governor’s office and rendered the office the political equivalent of a flightless bird.
Most lieutenant governors throughout American history have not held a lot of executive power. Their role was to be a “heartbeat” away from being governor, in the same vein as being vice president of the United States is relative to the president.
In 1972, against all odds, GOP state party chairman James Holshouser somehow won the governor’s race against Skipper Bowles of Greensboro, the father of Erskine Bowles, who was chief of staff to President Bill Clinton and later president of the UNC University system.
In order to provide a counterbalance to the first Republican governor elected since Reconstruction, Democrats in the legislature gave then-Lt. Gov. Jim Hunt more powers and more money to build out his staff.
In 1980, both then-Gov. Jim Hunt and Lt.
Giving thanks at Thanksgiving
We have much to be thankful for in the Matthews household.
GIVING THANKS should be something we do on a daily basis, but understandably, that oftentimes get lost in the hustle and bustle of daily life.
This year has gone by like a blur for Mom and me. We just had so much going on that the seasons flew by to the point that we had to force ourselves at times to stop, take a breath, and smell the roses and, later, enjoy the changing colors.
In late spring/early summer, there was the extensive crawlspace renovation project I wrote about in a previous column, which not only cost a small fortune but also caused me to pull just about all of my hair out. I’m only half kidding when I say that!
Even once the project was over there was the worry over a failed county inspection, which had nothing to do with the workmanship but due to one of the permits being overlooked in the permitting process. Though that is now thankfully behind us, it dragged on for several months, with me waking up just about every morning thinking about the fact that our home had a failed inspection and allowing it to cloud my days.
For about four weeks starting in early July, Mom had a foot/leg issue that required daily attention. About two weeks after that was over, I caught COVID for the second time since 2020 and, unfortunately, gave it to my sister,
who was staying with us at the time to help out with some things around the house.
That took roughly two weeks from which to recover. And then there were the other oddsand-ends issues that cropped up afterward, most of which thankfully resolved themselves by the end of October.
Though a good chunk of our 2024 has been hectic, we have much to be thankful for in the Matthews household as we sit down to make our Thanksgiving meal checklist.
First and foremost, we’re feeling extremely thankful and blessed for the continued good reports for Mom on the health front, especially the ones from her medical oncologist, who is encouraged by the fact that her CEA number remains low and that her other numbers from lab work he’s had done are normal/in range.
Plus, instead of seeing him every three months, she’s seeing him every four months now. At the beginning of the year, she had a good follow-up colonoscopy, which found no evidence of recurrence. Further, the CT scans she had in the summer showed no changes from her last one, which was also encouraging.
And though it took some time, she recovered from her July foot issue, and we learned some important things in the process that we could do to hopefully lessen the possibility of it happening again.
Gov. Jimmy Green were given the right to run for a second term by the Democratic General Assembly. The Democratic-led NCGA threw a ton of power at Green, thereby making the lieutenant governor the most powerful office in the state.
According to Ran Coble, the lieutenant governor was deeply involved in crafting the budget for the state and controlled 195 appointments to 87 boards in the executive branch of state government. The lieutenant governor had the power to assign committees in the Senate and appoint chairmen, plus decide which bills would go to which committee. There were 11 important constitutional and legislative powers assigned to the lieutenant governor’s office, although few voters knew the Democratic majority could just as easily snatch them away at a moment’s notice.
Which they did ― in full ― before Republican Lt. Gov. Jim Gardner finished saying his oath on a cold January morning in 1989.
History repeated itself last week when the now Republican-led NCGA “reassigned” various powers from the governor and his cabinet. One of the most prominent was shifting the right to appoint people to boards of elections from the (Democratic) governor to the (Republican) state auditor.
“What goes around in politics, comes around” is about as true of a statement as possible.
We’re also so grateful for her entire medical team, from her primary care physician to her oncologist and gastroenterologist, as well as her dermatologist and dentist and their respective staffs. They’ve all been so great with her and so patient as she and I have navigated the choppy, uncharted waters since her colon cancer diagnosis in October 2022.
Last but not least, we are immensely thankful for our family, friends, neighbors and my work colleagues and editors, all of whom have been so supportive and understanding as we continue on our journey forward in this world.
Needless to say, we’re praying for continued good health and well-being in the new year for us both. You never know what’s in store, of course, but knowing God — who we thank every day — is in control is a mighty comforting thought.
Have a happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
North Carolina native Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah and is a media analyst and regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.
Meditation on the Divine Will
God wills this contest, and wills that it shall not end yet.
Washington, D.C.
September 1862
The will of God prevails. In great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God.
Both may be, and one must be, wrong. God cannot be for and against the same thing at the same time. In the present civil war, it is quite possible that God’s purpose is something different from the purpose of either party — and yet the human instrumentalities, working just as they do, are of the best adaptation to effect His purpose.
I am almost ready to say that this is probably true — that God wills this contest, and wills that it shall not end yet. By his mere great power, on the minds of the now contestants, He could have either saved or destroyed the Union without a human contest.
Yet the contest began.
And, having begun He could give the final victory to either side any day. Yet the contest proceeds.
| JORDAN GOLSON
(This fragment was found and preserved by John Hay, one of President Lincoln’s White House secretaries, who said it was “not written to be seen of men.” Some of the thoughts expressed here, written after discouraging days of personal sorrow and military defeats, also appear in Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address of 1865. Hay said that in this writing “Mr. Lincoln admits us into the most secret recesses of his soul .... Perplexed and afflicted beyond the power of human help, by the disasters of war, the wrangling of parties, and the inexorable and constraining logic of his own mind, he shut out the world one day, and tried to put into form his double sense of responsibility to human duty and Divine Power; and this was the result. It shows — as has been said in another place — the awful sincerity of a perfectly honest soul, trying to bring itself into closer communion with its Maker.”)
From “The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln” edited by Roy P. Basler et.al.
Democrats need their Tea Party moment
The Tea Party taught Republicans to embrace chaos. The Democrats still think they can control it.
IN 2009, A GRASSROOTS rebellion lit off upheaval so ferocious that the Grand Old Party was forced from cigar-smoking backrooms to Madison Square Garden MAGA rallies.
It saw Eric Cantor, then House Majority Leader and the establishment’s golden boy, get primaried by an unknown economics professor. Marco Rubio forced Charlie Crist, the very embodiment of country club Republicanism, out of the party entirely. Less than a decade later, the unruly base would gleefully nominate Donald J. Trump for president — despite all establishment efforts to stop him.
The Tea Party wasn’t a controlled burn — it was a wildfire. John Boehner didn’t just lose his speakership; his entire worldview collapsed. Mitch McConnell survived only by adapting completely, culminating in the political gamble of keeping Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat open for Trump. And now he’s gone too.
The Democrats, on the other hand, are still led by the same faces that graced cable news in the Bush years. Nancy Pelosi handed the speaker’s gavel to Hakeem Jeffries, but the power structure remains unchanged. Chuck Schumer runs the Senate with the same playbook he used against George W. Bush. It’s like they’re running a political cover band, playing the greatest hits of 2006 to an increasingly dwindling crowd.
Just look at how they handled their own insurgents. The Squad arrived in Congress promising to be the left’s Tea Party. Instead, they got domesticated by the Democratic establishment. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez went from storming Pelosi’s office to voting “present” on key votes. The radical rhetoric remained, but the genuine threat to power was contained. (Turns out it’s easier to get spots on magazine covers when you play nice with leadership.)
When Bernie Sanders emerged as their version of the Tea Party, the DNC suffocated him. Twice. They deployed every weapon, from superdelegate rules to strategic dropouts, ensuring the preferred candidate would prevail. The Democratic elite protected their power structure from the unruly mob, but at what cost?
The irony is almost too perfect: The party that prides itself on diversity and inclusion couldn’t tolerate diverse thoughts about its own future. They chose Kamala Harris, a candidate who checked all the right boxes on their diversity scorecard but failed to connect with the very voters those boxes were supposed to represent. (It turns out voters care more about their bank accounts than your DEI initiatives. Who knew?
James Carville, for one.)
The Tea Party succeeded because it channeled genuine grassroots anger into political power. It was messy and embarrassing — but it worked, culminating in President Donald Trump. The Democratic leadership, by contrast, treats
their base like a disruptive child: something to be managed and controlled, not heard and empowered.
The puzzle for Democratic reformation seems impossible. Their base is split between collegeeducated white progressives who dominate party machinery and working-class voters who feel increasingly alienated. The donor class demands fealty to corporate interests, while activists demand socialist revolution and to free Palestine. The DNC needs change but fears the chaos it requires.
What would a viable Democratic reformation look like? It would start by letting actual workingclass candidates — not just ivory tower activists claiming to speak for them — primary incumbent Democrats without DNC interference. It would champion economic populism that speaks to union workers in Michigan as fluently as it does to tech workers in California. It would mean letting local (or national!) candidates break with party orthodoxy on issues like boys playing in girls’ sports or illegal migrants.
With Trump, the GOP establishment’s failure to stop him allowed for genuine transformation. When Bernie emerged, the Democratic establishment’s success in stopping him became their greatest failure. They maintained control but lost their soul (and a whole lot of voters, including Joe Rogan).
Now that Trump has won again, Democrats face an existential choice: enjoy the upheaval or continue with managed decline. They could learn from the Tea Party’s success — but that would require admitting that their opponents got something right, and we can’t have that, can we?
It took 15 years to transform the GOP from Boehner and Bush to Trump’s 2024 sweep. The last time the Democratic Party was this far behind was after Reagan vanquished Jimmy Carter in 1980, leaving Democrats wandering in the political wilderness until Bill Clinton emerged to save them 12 years later. This time, it’s not even clear that the Dems are aware of how lost they are.
The Tea Party taught Republicans to embrace chaos. The Democrats still think they can control it. Until that changes, they’ll keep losing to the very forces they refuse to understand — all while wondering why their perfect plans keep failing.
Barack Obama promised hope and change but delivered more of the same. Trump promised to burn it all down and actually did it. Maybe that’s the lesson Democrats need to learn: Sometimes you have to break your party to save it. Too bad they already neutered the guy who was trying to do just that.
Jordan Golson is a writer and commentator living outside Boston. He pens a car review column for North State Journal and oversees the paper’s local editions.
Don’t trash the Constitution to dunk on the liberals
“ALL THE RIGHT people are angry.”
This is what MAGA will tell you when you point out that Presidentelect Donald Trump’s pick to run the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is an unhinged authoritarian crank. If you point out that Kennedy is a chemtrail truther who believes the water supply is turning children gay, MAGA will ask you if he’s any worse than “Rachel Levine” or Anthony Fauci.
Probably not, no.
And when you mention that Kennedy has neither the credentials nor expertise to offer anyone advice on their health, much less make national policy, people like Elon Musk will point out that Democrats believe men could be pregnant.
That’s also true.
But none of those contentions are arguments for Kennedy. A man who celebrates the notion of climate lockdowns doesn’t become a stronger candidate because Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is also an extremist.
Even if we found out Fauci was the devil himself, it wouldn’t erase Kennedy’s lifetime of crackpottery. It’s not merely that Kennedy possesses no experience for the job. It’s that most of the things he believes are dangerously untethered from reality.
Anyway, you may disagree. And Trump has the right to pick anyone he likes.
But the Senate has the duty to vote down any irresponsible and ridiculous nominees. It’s why advice and consent exist.
In a normal year, Kennedy would have to answer a slew of awkward questions in a Senate confirmation hearing, which is probably why Trump has reportedly cooked up a scheme to bypass the Senate and recess-appoint his Cabinet.
Recess appointments, which, the late Justice Antonin Scalia noted, are an “anachronism,” were intended to let the executive branch make appointments when Congress was out of session. In the 18th century, elected officials were compelled to travel hundreds of miles by carriage to go home or escape Washington, D.C., during smallpox outbreaks — which, to be fair, may well make a comeback under Kennedy. This isn’t some esoteric debate over the spirit of the law. Trump wants to force fake recess with the help of Speaker Mike Johnson in the House so his nominees can circumvent senatorial scrutiny. It is an open attack on the separation of powers. It is the kind of executive abuse Republicans would rightly be howling in indignation over if the other party was doing it. Recess appointments still exist. No president has ever tried to abuse them in this way.
Whenever MAGA is itching to blow up some norm, it will argue that Democrats would surely do the same if they had the chance. Why should the GOP unilaterally disarm, they ask? Even if this were true, the GOP claims it is a defender of the constitutional order. But maybe ask yourself if it’s worth destroying 250 years of tradition for the likes of Kennedy. Because “making all the right people angry” isn’t any great accomplishment.
Virtually everything makes leftists angry. What would really bring a reckoning to corrupt government are ruthlessly competent administrators who will dismantle the stultified culture in these agencies and reinvent them. There are plenty of people available who can do it and get through a confirmation hearing. Too bad, MAGA tells me, Trump has a “mandate” from the people. But, of course, mandates aren’t a real thing, either. Every incoming administration imagines it’s been given a magical ability to implement an agenda unilaterally. We don’t have oligarchs with time limits, even if they have captured overwhelming wins, which Trump has not. We have three branches of government. And one of them is empowered to reject the president’s Cabinet picks no matter how people voted for the president.
Sen. John Thune, the incoming majority leader, has already extended deference by promising Trump his nominees will get timely votes. That’s a completely normal thing to do. And that’s all he needs to do.
David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner.
COLUMN
SETH WENIG / AP PHOTO
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton gestures as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) approaches his podium during a 2016 Democratic presidential primary debate.
catastrophe
questions about when normal
shelter-in-place or stay-at-home
majority of Americans “new normal.” end of this month.
China lied about the origin of the tried to tell the world there were only worldwide panic, economic collapse and being thrown out of work.
taxpayer at least $2.4 trillion in added Federal Reserve backup liquidity to the the U.S. dollar were not the reserve to fund any of these emergency fear of rampant in ation and currency aberrant ways and decisions through Diplomacy has obviously not worked world of 21st century health, hygiene communist regimes never take the blame remorse, because that is not what They take advantage of every weakness pushing until they win or the event happens such as the Chernobyl believe that event, not the Star Wars to the dissolution of the Soviet Union Chernobyl. already talking about the possibility debt we owe them as one way to get they have caused the US. Don’t hold your “Jubilee” to happen but ask your elected accountable in tangible nancial ways for expected to operate as responsible citizens of nation.
Cooper stated during don’t know yet” if the asked as to the vague ones like “we of this state who undetermined thousands of cases asked and then had questions about get asked, there is people to treat those can start getting back or are people who sick. levels become a bad society were supposed course, is my family. I’m worried I will. After the 2009 pandemic, all of this brings up prefer not to repeat. most everyone has
WALTER E. WILLIAMS
we begin to get back to normal
The 3 big questions
The comfort
How China will pay for this COVID-19 catastrophe
WITH MOST STATES under either shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders thanks to local or state governments, a majority of Americans are having to adjust to what is being called the “new normal.”
ONE THING IS CERTAIN; after this COVID-19 virus dissipates around the globe and in the United States, China will pay for this catastrophe one way or another.
fallen into place. I understand the seriousness of the virus and the need to take precautions, but I’m uneasy with how people who simply ask questions about the data, and when things can start getting back to normal are treated in some circles with contempt.
They’re treated as though we as a society simply must accept without question what the government tells us about when it’s safe to begin the process of returning back to normalcy.
Fixing college corruption
Perhaps COVID-19 is China’s Chernobyl.
No. The government works for us, and we have the right to ask those questions. And the longer stay-at-home orders are in place all over the country, and the stricter some of them get in states, such as Michigan, the more people, sitting at home feeling isolated and/or anxious about when they can get back to providing for their families, will demand answers.
AMERICA’S COLLEGES are rife with corruption. The nancial squeeze resulting from COVID-19 o ers opportunities for a bit of remediation. Let’s rst examine what might be the root of academic corruption, suggested by the title of a recent study, “Academic Grievance Studies and the Corruption of Scholarship.” The study was done by Areo, an opinion and analysis digital magazine. By the way, Areo is short for Areopagitica, a speech delivered by John Milton in defense of free speech.
Leaders at the local and state levels should be as forthcoming as they can be with those answers — and again, not vague answers, but answer with details that give their statements believability.
Truist makes $650M in loans available to those affected by Helene
In order to put the crisis caused by China in perspective, zero worldwide pandemics can trace their source to the United States over our 231-year history. At least four in the 20th century alone can be directly traced to China: 1957 “Asian u,” 1968 “Hong Kong u,” 1977 “Russian u” and the 2002 SARS outbreak. There is evidence that the massive 1918 “Spanish u” pandemic also had its origins in China.
Virginia’s stay-at-home orders go into June.
business & economy gobble this
We should all continue to do what we can to keep our families, ourselves, and our communities safe. But we should also still continue to ask questions about the data, because while reasonable stay-at-home measures are understandable, they should also have an expiration date.
Not one little bit.
Authors Helen Pluckrose, James A. Lindsay and Peter Boghossian say that something has gone drastically wrong in academia, especially within certain elds within the humanities. They call these elds “grievance studies,” where scholarship is not so much based upon nding truth but upon attending to social grievances. Grievance scholars bully students, administrators and other departments into adhering to their worldview. The worldview they promote is neither scienti c nor rigorous. Grievance studies consist of disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, gender studies, queer studies, sexuality and critical race studies.
CHARLOTTE — Truist Financial Corporation has announced that it is making hundreds of millions of dollars in loans available to residents, businesses and local governments affected by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.
The Charlotte-based bank said in a news release that it will lend more than $650 million and offer more in grants and investments over three years.
the seriousness of the virus and the need uneasy with how people who simply ask when things can start getting back to circles with contempt. as a society simply must accept without tells us about when it’s safe to begin the normalcy. us, and we have the right to ask those stay-at-home orders are in place all over the them get in states, such as Michigan, feeling isolated and/or anxious about providing for their families, will demand levels should be as forthcoming as they and again, not vague answers, but answer statements believability. what we can to keep our families, safe. But we should also still continue because while reasonable stay-at-home they should also have an expiration date. and it is not normal. Not in any way, should remain vigilant and stay safe, at comfortable with this so-called “new
Since when did questioning government at all levels become a bad thing? That is what free citizens living in a free society were supposed to do, last I checked.
This is all new to Americans, and it is not normal. Not in any way, shape, or form. So while we should remain vigilant and stay safe, at the same time we shouldn’t get comfortable with this so-called “new normal.”
Reports of which president started pardoning turkeys run the gamut
By Hadley Creekmuir For North State Journal
In 2017 and 2018, authors Pluckrose, Lindsay and Boghossian started submitting bogus academic papers to academic journals in cultural, queer, race, gender, fat and sexuality studies to determine if they would pass peer review and be accepted for publication. Acceptance of dubious research that journal editors found sympathetic to their intersectional or postmodern leftist vision of the world would prove the problem of low academic standards.
Meanwhile, state legislators have approved more than $1 billion in aid for Helene relief and recovery, while the governor’s office says more is needed. Disaster recovery can take years, as evidenced by ongoing needs from hurricanes that affected the eastern part of the state years ago.
NORTH CAROLINA turkeys have been a staple of Thanksgiving dinners around the country for decades. A few, however, have been lucky enough to receive the presidential “pardon,” a tradition celebrated on the White House lawn for more than 70 years.
Several of the fake research papers were accepted for publication. The Fat Studies journal published a hoax paper that argued the term bodybuilding was exclusionary and should be replaced with “fat bodybuilding, as a fat-inclusive politicized performance.” One reviewer said, “I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article and believe it has an important contribution to make to the eld and this journal.”
written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah RedState and Legal Insurrection.
The Truist initiative includes $340 million in lending for small businesses, home mortgages and commercial real estate. It will offer another $310 million in lowcost, tax-exempt loans to municipalities for infrastructure.
Meanwhile, another $50 million in loans or investments will come from its Truist Community Capital subsidiary and $25 million in charitable grants will come from the Truist Foundation.
The resources will be made available starting in December.
Reports of which president started pardoning turkeys run the gamut. Some say it was Abraham Lincoln. Others say it was John F. Kennedy, who in 1963 said, “Let’s keep him going,” and began “unofficially” sparing a fortunate tom or a hen (male and female turkeys). The White House Association states that it wasn’t until President George H.W. Bush pardoned a lucky tom in the Rose Garden in 1989 that the ceremony became official.
“Our Struggle Is My Struggle: Solidarity Feminism as an Intersectional Reply to Neoliberal and Choice Feminism,” was accepted for publication by A lia, a feminist journal for social workers. The paper consisted in part of a rewritten passage from Mein Kampf. Two other hoax papers were published, including “Rape Culture and Queer Performativity at Urban Dog Parks.” This paper’s subject was dog-on-dog rape. But the dog rape paper eventually forced Boghossian, Pluckrose and Lindsay to prematurely out themselves. A Wall Street Journal writer had gured out what they were doing.
The cavalier manner virus, covered up its spread 3,341 related deaths has millions of Americans needlessly
Some of these orders extend at least through the end of this month.
THIS WEEK, according to members and state and local governments, Americans the curve in the novel coronavirus outbreak. muted — after all, trends can easily reverse have abided by recommendations and orders. to stay at home; they’ve practiced social they’ve donned masks.
There is 100% agreement, outside of China, that COVID-19 originated in Wuhan Province probably from the completely unregulated and unsanitary wet markets. Some believe it came out of a biowarfare lab run by the communist Chinese army.
Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah and is a regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.
Here in North Carolina, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper stated during a recent coronavirus press brie ng that “we just don’t know yet” if state’s stay-at-home orders will extend into May.
Until China adopts rigorous veri able policing and regulation of their food safety and health protocols, American business has no other choice than to build redundant manufacturing plants elsewhere purely for national security and safety reasons as well as supply and delivery reliability concerns.
“Through this new initiative, Truist will address areas of critical need in Western North Carolina, including a focus on small businesses as well as housing and infrastructure projects,” Truist Chairman and CEO Bill Rogers said in a news release.
Helene brought widespread devastation to western North Carolina, damaging roads and water systems while temporarily knocking our electricity and cellular service to a wide swath of counties. It also disrupted transportation networks across the region by damaging at least 6,000 miles of roads and more than 1,000 bridges and culverts, the state budget office has said. More than 100 people were killed in North Carolina.
We need transparency and honesty from our scienti c experts — we need to know what they know, what they don’t and when they hope to know what they don’t.
The crisis has cost the debt plus trillions more markets and nancial outlets. currency, we would not measures without immediate depreciation.
Several of these lucky birds have hailed from North Carolina. In 1992, Bruce Cuddy, longtime North Carolina turkey farmer and former president of the National Turkey Federation, traveled to Washington, D.C., from Marshville with one of his turkeys for Bush to pardon.
Some papers accepted for publication in academic journals advocated training men like dogs and punishing white male college students for historical slavery by asking them to sit in silence on the oor in chains during class and to be expected to learn from the discomfort. Other papers celebrated morbid obesity as a healthy life choice and advocated treating privately conducted masturbation as a form of sexual violence against women. Typically, academic journal editors send submitted papers out to referees for review. In recommending acceptance for publication, many reviewers gave these papers glowing praise.
Since when did questioning government at all levels become a bad thing? That is what free citizens living in a free society were supposed to do, last I checked.
“I remember traveling through the Charlotte airport carrying a live, big turkey, and people staring at us like we were crazy,” his son Brent recalled.
We caught up with Bruce Cuddy, owner and operator of Cuddy Farms, to learn more about the big business of turkey farming. Today, Cuddy Farms sits on a beautiful, rolling piece of land in Albemarle and is responsible for the production of about 13 million turkey-hatching eggs annually. But in its heyday in the 1980s and ’90s, Cuddy Farms, formerly located in Marshville, was not only North Carolina’s top turkey breeding company, but it was the largest turkey breeding company in the country.
Political scientist Zach Goldberg ran certain grievance studies concepts through the Lexis/Nexis database, to see how often they appeared in our press over the years. He found huge increases in the usages of “white privilege,” “unconscious bias,” “critical race theory” and “whiteness.” All of this is being taught to college students, many of whom become primary and secondary school teachers who then indoctrinate our young people.
I doubt whether the coronaviruscaused nancial crunch will give college and university administrators, who are a crossbreed between a parrot and jelly sh, the guts and backbone to restore academic respectability. Far too often, they get much of their political support from campus grievance people who are members of the faculty and diversity and multicultural administrative o ces.
The origin of Cuddy Farms actually began in Ontario, Canada. Mac Cuddy, Bruce’s father, founded the company in 1950 after serving his country in World War II.
“My dad came out of the war, went to work selling land to war veterans, ended up buying a farm with pigs and turkeys and row crop, and liked the turkey part of the business,” said Bruce Cuddy. By the 1970s, the Cuddys recognized the importance of a U.S.-based operation and selected Marshville as home. The small town in Union County, known to most as the town where country music star Randy Travis was born, provid-
The best hope lies with boards of trustees, though many serve as yes-men for the university president. I think that a good start would be to nd 1950s or 1960s catalogs. Look at the course o erings at a time when college graduates knew how to read, write and compute, and make them today’s curricula. Another helpful tool would be to give careful consideration to eliminating all classes/majors/minors containing the word “studies,” such as women, Asian, black or queer studies. I’d bet that by restoring the traditional academic mission to colleges, they would put a serious dent into the COVID-19 budget shortfall.
Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University.
If he does decide to extend it, questions should be asked as to the justi cation for it. And the answers should not be vague ones like must do this out of an abundance of caution.”
The result: a reduction in expected hospitalization According to the University of Washington Metrics and Evaluation model most oft Trump administration, the expected need peak outbreak was revised down by over ventilators by nearly 13,000 and the number August by nearly 12,000.
The most direct way to make China “pay” for this disaster is to o er U.S. tax credits to companies who will source at least half of their production back in the United States. There is approximately $120 billion worth of American direct investment in plants and equipment in China. Chinese direct investment in the U.S. is about $65 billion by comparison.
It will need to be explained in detail to the people of this state are being told to remain jobless and at home for an undetermined amount of time why models predicting hundreds of thousands of are reliable.
To date, I’ve gone along with what the state has asked and then mandated that we do, but along the way I’ve also had questions about the data. State Republican leaders have, too.
Here’s the problem: We still don’t know questions that will allow the economy to
Unfortunately, when certain types of questions get asked, there sometimes a disturbing tendency among some people to treat those simply questioning the data and asking when we can start getting to normal as though they are conspiracy theorists or are people who otherwise don’t care if they get themselves or others sick.
An investment tax credit of 30% on half of U.S. investment in China today, or $60 billion, applied to repatriated American manufacturing investment to the U.S. would cost the U.S. Treasury $18 billion in tax revenue spread over a few years. $18 billion in lost revenue is decimal dust compared to the $6 trillion+ Marshall Plan we are now undertaking to save our own economy, not of defeated enemies as in the past.
China has to pay for their economic and nancial to bring China into the and fair trade. Totalitarian or express sincere regret totalitarian governments they nd in adversaries adversaries push back. That is, unless an exogenous meltdown in 1986. Some program of Reagan, led in 1989.
First, what is the true coronavirus fatality important because it determines whether be open or closed, whether we ought to pursue more liberalized society that presumes wide ought to lock down further.
Lenten and Easter seasons provide a message of hope that we will once again enjoy sporting events, concerts, family gatherings, church services and many more after our own temporary sacri ces are over.
“THIS IS in it” (Psalm I know that working from be glad” as and dad, the have to be pandemic. For me, making. As Corinthians a iction, so a iction, with God.” If you are re ect on this God’s example this di cult con dent we In this same neighbors In Concord, money to buy health care
north STA
North State Journa l for Wednesday, April 15,
Since when did questioning government at all levels become a thing? That is what free citizens living in a free society were supposed to do, last I checked.
My rst concern as we go along in all this, of course, is my family. worried about them catching the virus, and I’m worried I will. After su ering from the H1N1 virus (swine u) during the 2009 pandemic, I’ve been trying to take extra precautions, because all of this brings way too many memories of a painful experience I’d prefer not to repeat.
NC No. 2 in nation for turkey production
We’ve seen case fatality rates — the number the number of identi ed COVID-19 cases and the denominator are likely wrong. We people have actually died of coronavirus. number has been overestimated, given that of death, particularly among elderly patients, sources suggest the number is dramatically many people are dying at home.
China has been cheating, stealing, pirating and pillaging American business now for the past 30 years. They have made no secret that they intend to replace the U.S. as the premier superpower in the world and
Perhaps COVID-19 is Senators in Washington of China forgiving $1.2 China to “pay” for the damage breath waiting for a Chinese representatives to hold this disaster. It is about time they are the world like any other
Even more importantly, we have no clue actually have coronavirus. Some scientists of identi ed cases could be an order of magnitude number of people who have had coronavirus
But what also makes me lose sleep is how easily most everyone
| REP. RICHARD HUDSON
It’s okay to ask questions about when we begin to get back to normal
The comfort and hope
“THIS IS THE DAY the lord has made,
must do this out of an abundance of caution.”
message of hope that we will once again enjoy
It will need to be explained in detail to the people of this state who are being told to remain jobless and at home for an undetermined amount of time why models predicting hundreds of thousands of cases
fallen into place. I understand to take precautions, but questions about the data, normal are treated in some They’re treated as though question what the government process of returning back No. The government questions. And the longer country, and the stricter the more people, sitting when they can get back answers.
I know that during this challenging time working from home or losing a job, it may be glad” as the Bible tells us to do. However, and dad, the Easter holiday has reminded have to be thankful and hopeful for, even
For me, my faith is an important part making. As I celebrated Easter with my Corinthians 1:4, which reminds us our Lord a iction, so that we may be able to comfort a iction, with the comfort which we ourselves God.”
To date, I’ve gone along with what the state has asked and then mandated that we do, but along the way I’ve also had questions about
Leaders at the local and can be with those answers with details that give their
If you are celebrating the Easter season, re ect on this message and be comforted, God’s example and comfort all those in this di cult time. Through faith and by con dent we will emerge out of this pandemic
Unfortunately, when certain types of questions get asked, there is sometimes a disturbing tendency among some people to treat those simply questioning the data and asking when we can start getting back to normal as though they are conspiracy theorists or are people who
We should all continue ourselves, and our communities to ask questions about the measures are understandable,
In this same spirit, I continue to be inspired neighbors helping neighbors.
In Concord, a high school senior named money to buy a 3-D printer and plastic health care workers out of his own home.
Since when did questioning government at all levels become a bad thing? That is what free citizens living in a free society were supposed
My rst concern as we go along in all this, of course, is my family. I’m worried about them catching the virus, and I’m worried I will. After su ering from the H1N1 virus (swine u) during the 2009 pandemic, I’ve been trying to take extra precautions, because all of this brings up way too many memories of a painful experience I’d prefer not to repeat. But what also makes me lose sleep is how easily most everyone has
“In the ’80s and ’90s, we processed turkeys and also supplied whole birds, specializing in deli meats at one point. We had about 2,500 employees in the early ’90s and were hatching about 800,000 poults — or one-day-old turkeys — a week.”
Bruce Cuddy
ed a more temperate climate for hatching turkeys, a closer proximity to consumers, and affordable land and labor.
Other major players had operations in the state, but Cuddy Farms continued to pioneer and lead the way.
“In the ’80s and ’90s, we processed turkeys and also supplied whole birds, specializing in deli meats at one point,” Cuddy said. “We had about 2,500 employees in the early ’90s and were hatching about 800,000 poults — or one-day-old turkeys — a week.”
Between North Carolina and Minnesota, which leads the nation today in turkey production, more than 70 million turkeys are produced annually — and that’s just in those two states.
“Turkey is one of the healthiest meats besides fish,” according to Cuddy. “It’s more expensive to grow than a chicken. Plus, a turkey takes at least double the amount of time to grow to a market weight than a chicken.” Healthy or not, Americans have a voracious appetite for the bird.
This is all new to Americans, shape, or form. So while the same time we shouldn’t normal.”
Not one little bit.
Stacey Matthews has also and is a regular contributor
Sponsored by Sponsored by
Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senio
RON EDMONDS / AP PHOTO
President George H.W. Bush — pictured with, from left, Chuck Helms, Bruce Cuddy and Stuart Proctor — pardoned a Thanksgiving turkey presented by the National Turkey Federation on Nov. 24, 1992.
Cuddy Farms was the largest breeder of turkeys in the United States in the 1980s and ’90s.
Target struggles in third quarter despite price cuts, offers a tempered holiday outlook
The retailer is fell short of Wall Street expectations and lags behind Walmart
By Anne D’Innocenzio
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Target etched out a slim sales increase in the third quarter and profits slumped as inflation-weary customers pulled back on spending and costs related to a dockworker strike in October dragged on results.
The Minneapolis retailer fell short of Wall Street expectations for the quarter, and its outlook for the final three months of the year also disappointed industry analysts in an environment in which Americans are still spending but being more selective.
The weak quarterly performance is concerning, particularly because Target has cut prices on holiday goods, including a Thanksgiving deal that put the cost of the holiday meal below last year’s total.
The most recent quarter at Target stands in stark contrast to rival Walmart, which reported another quarter of stellar sales last Tuesday and released optimistic projections for the holiday season. And last month, Amazon reported a boost in its quarterly profits. Quarterly sales jumped 11% at Amazon, exceeding expectations.
“We encountered some unique challenges and cost pressures that impacted our bottom-line performance,” said Chairman and CEO Brian Cornell.
Target posted net income of $854 million, or $1.85 per share, in the quarter ended Nov. 2, far short of the $2.30 analysts were looking for, according to FactSet, and down from $971
million, or $2.10 per share, in the year-ago period.
Sales rose to $25.67 billion, up from $25.4 billion last year, but fell shy of Wall Street expectations.
Target said it expects its earnings per share to be in the range of $1.85 to $2.45 for its fiscal fourth quarter. That’s below the $2.65 per share expected by analysts polled by FactSet.
The retailer reported that its comparable sales — those from stores and digital channels operating for at least 12 months — rose 0.3% during the third quarter. That’s below the 2% gain posted in the second quarter. The increase in the April-
June period reversed months of declines, including a 3.7% drop in the first quarter and a 4.4% decline during the company’s final quarter of 2023. Comparable sales of cosmetic products rose more than 6%, while food and beverages, as well as essentials like shampoo, increased in the low single digits compared with last year. There were some bright spots. Target said quarterly customer traffic increased 2.4%. Target executives said that translates to 10 million more sales transactions from a year ago. Digital comparable sales also increased 10.8%, reflecting a 20% increase in same-
day delivery powered by its Target Circle loyalty program and a double-digit increase in its drive-up service. Still, Target faced several challenges. For one, less than a quarter of Target’s sales come from food and beverages, so the company is more reliant on discretionary items like clothing and accessories.
Target executives also noted that the company, like other retailers, had to reroute some merchandise when 45,000 dockworkers went on strike for the first time since 1977. That increased operating costs and ate into profit margins as inventory built up in warehouses.
Target and other companies are also grappling with President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge that he will slap sweeping tariffs on goods from other countries. Trump is proposing a 60% tariff on goods from China — and a tariff of up to 20% on everything else. Cornell said the company has been focusing on diversifying its supply chain but will be watching the developments carefully.
“Right now, there’s a lot of uncertainty as to what will happen, and we’ll use our agility to adjust accordingly,” he said during the call.
The uncertainty comes as shoppers remain cautious as prices, while still abating, are still higher than they were a few years ago.
“They’re being very patient, shopping for promos, looking for great value on those essential items that they need for their pantry,” Cornell said on a call with reporters. “And they’re shopping very conservatively and have been in discretionary categories throughout the year.”
For example, Target executives said shoppers are pulling back from buying TVs but are looking to spruce up their homes with candles, frames and vases.
To boost sales, Target has been lowering prices. Last spring, it cut prices on thousands of necessities ranging from diapers to milk. This holiday, it’s featuring thousands of toys, more than half of which are priced under $20. Target is also offering a $20 Thanksgiving meal bundle for four people, $5 less than the company’s 2023 Thanksgiving meal.
The retailer also has rolled out programs to make shopping easier as it competes with Walmart and Amazon.
October home sales rose, notching first annual gain in 3 years
The U.S. housing market has been in a sales slump since 2022
By Alex Veiga The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes rose in October, the first annual gain in more than three years, with home shoppers encouraged by easing rates and a pickup in properties on the market.
Existing home sales rose 3.4% last month, from September, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.96 million, the National Association of Realtors said. That matches the annual pace set in July. Sales rose 2.9% compared with October last year, representing the first year-over-year gain since July 2021. The latest home sales topped the 3.93 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet.
Home prices increased on an annual basis for the 16th consecutive month. The national median sales price rose 4% from a year earlier to $407,200.
“The worst of the downturn in home sales could be over, with increasing inventory leading to more transactions,” said Lawrence Yun, the NAR’s chief economist.
Still, with just two more months left to go this year, existing home sales are on track for the lowest annual home sales since 1995, Yun said.
The U.S. housing market has been in a sales slump dating back to 2022 when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Existing home sales sank to a nearly 30-year low last year as the average rate on a 30-year mortgage surged to a 23-year high of nearly 8%, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac.
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage fell to a two-year low of 6.08% in September when likely many of the purchase contracts on homes that officially sold in October were signed. But it’s been mostly rising since then, reaching 6.78% last week.
Economists predict that mortgage rates will remain vola-
tile this year but generally forecast them to hover around 6% in 2025. That may not be attractive enough to entice current homeowners who bought or refinanced to rock-bottom rates to sell. More than 4 in 5 homeowners with a mortgage have an existing rate below 6%, according to Realtor. com . A wider selection of properties on the market as sales slowed this year has been a bright spot for home shoppers. There were 1.37 million unsold homes at the end of October, up 0.7% from September and 19.1% from October last year, NAR said. That translates to a 4.2-month supply at the current sales pace, which is down from 4.3 months
in September but up from a 3.6-month pace at the end of October last year. Traditionally, a five- to six-month supply is considered a balanced market between buyers and sellers.
Another factor helping lift the inventory of homes on the market: Properties are taking longer to sell than a year ago.
Homes typically stayed on the market for 29 days last month before they were sold, up from 28 days in September and 23 days in October 2023.
While the number of homes for sale has been increasing this year, the housing market inventory remains well below its pre-pandemic levels. There were about 1.8 million unsold homes on the market in October 2019.
“We still need another 30% growth in inventory to get us back to pre-COVID conditions,” Yun said. Limited inventory, especially in the more affordable price range of a given market, helps drive prices higher. That’s one reason first-time homebuyers, who don’t have any home equity to put toward their down payment, continue to struggle to afford a home. They accounted for just 27% of all homes sold last month. That’s up from 26% in September but down from 28% in October last year. First-time buyers have accounted for 40% of sales historically.
Homebuyers who can afford to
all cash for a home accounted for 27% of sales last month, down from 29% a year earlier. While existing homeowners have overcome rising mortgage rates and home prices by using their strong home equity gains, first-time buyers have had to save longer for a down payment, often delaying when they buy their first home by several years. It’s why Americans who can afford to buy a home are skewing older. The median age of homebuyers between July 2023 and last June climbed to 56, the highest on records going back to 1981, according to NAR. First-time buyers’ median age rose to 38 in the same period. Historically, the median age of U.S. homebuyers overall has averaged about 44.
TED SHAFFREY / AP PHOTO Target’s shares plummeted nearly 21% following last week’s quarterly earnings report.
GENE J. PUSKAR / AP PHOTO
Fox seeks to dismiss shareholder lawsuit over 2020 vote rigging reporting allegations
Defense attorneys argue that the case should be dismissed
By Randall Chase The Associated Press
WILMINGTON, Del. — Attorneys for Fox Corp. asked a Delaware judge Friday to dismiss a shareholder lawsuit seeking to hold current and former company officials personally liable for the financial fallout stemming from Fox News reports regarding alleged vote rigging in the 2020 election.
Five New York City public employee pension funds, along with Oregon’s public employee retirement fund, allege that former chairman Rupert Murdoch and other Fox Corp. leaders deliberately turned a blind eye to liability risks posed by reporting false claims of vote rigging by election technology companies Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic USA.
Smartmatic is suing Fox News for defamation in New York, alleging damages of $2.7 billion. It recently settled a lawsuit in the District of Columbia against One America News Network, another conservative outlet, over reports of vote fraud.
Dominion also filed several defamation lawsuits against those who spread conspiracy theories blaming its election equipment for Donald Trump’s loss in 2020. Last year, Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion in Delaware for $787 million.
The shareholder plaintiffs also allege that Fox corporate leaders ignored “red flags” about liability arising from a 2017 report suggesting that Seth Rich, a Democratic National Committee staffer, may have been killed because he had leaked Democratic party emails to Wikileaks during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Rich, 27, was shot in 2016 in Washington, D.C., in what authorities have said was an attempted robbery.
Fox News retracted the Seth Rich story a week after its initial broadcast, but Rich’s parents sued the network for falsely portraying their son as a criminal and traitor. Fox News settled the lawsuit in 2020 for “millions of dollars,” shortly before program hosts Lou Dobbs and Sean Hannity were to be deposed, according to the shareholder lawsuit.
Joel Friedlander, an attorney for the institutional shareholders, argued that Fox officials waited until the company’s reporting about Rich became a national scandal before addressing the issue. Similarly, according to the shareholders, corporate officials — including Rupert Murdoch and his son, CEO Lachlan Murdoch — allowed Fox News to continue broadcasting false narratives about the 2020 election, despite internal communications suggesting that they knew there was no
evidence to support the conspiracy theories.
“The Murdochs could have minimized future monetary exposure, but they chose not to,” Friedlander said. Instead, he argued, they engaged in “bad-faith decision making” with other defendants in a profit-driven effort to retain viewers and remain in Trump’s good graces.
“Decisions were made at the highest level to promote pro-Trump conspiracy theories without editorial control,” Friedlander said.
Defense attorneys argue that the case should be dismissed because the plaintiffs filed their lawsuit without first demanding that the Fox Corp. board take action, as required under Delaware law. They say the plaintiffs also failed to demonstrate that a pre-suit demand on the Fox board would have been futile because at least half of the directors face a substantial likelihood of liability or are not independent of someone who does.
Beyond the “demand futil-
ity” issue, defense attorneys also argue that allegations that Fox officials breached their fiduciary duties fail to meet the pleading standards under Delaware and, therefore, should be dismissed.
Defense attorney William Savitt argued, for example, that neither the Rich settlement, which he described as “immaterial,” nor the allegedly defamatory statements about Dominion and Smartmatic constitute red flags putting directors on notice about the risk of defamation liability. Nor do they demonstrate that directors acted in bad faith or that Fox “utterly failed” to implement and monitor a system to report and mitigate legal risks, including defamation liability risk, according to the defendants.
Savitt noted that the Rich article was promptly retracted and that the settlement included no admission of liability. The Dominion and Smartmatic statements, meanwhile, gave rise to the current liability issues and, therefore, cannot serve as red flags about future liability risks, according to the defendants.
“A ‘red flag’ must be what the term commonly implies — warning of a risk of a liability-causing event that allows the directors to take action to avert the event, not notice that a liability-causing event has already occurred,” defense attorneys wrote in their motion to dismiss.
Defense attorneys also say there are no factual allegations to support claims that Fox officials condoned illegal conduct in pursuit of corporate profits or that they deliberately ignored their oversight responsibilities. They note that a “bad outcome” is not sufficient to demonstrate “bad faith.”
Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster is expected to rule within 90 days.
SEC chair Gensler to step down in January
Gary Gensler led the country’s crackdown on cryptocurrencies
By Michelle Chapman and Stan Choe The Associated Press
SECURITIES AND Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler, who was aggressive in his oversight of cryptocurrencies and other financial markets, will step down from his post on Jan. 20.
Gensler pushed changes that he said protected investors, but the industry and many Republicans bristled at what they saw as overreach.
President-elect Donald Trump had promised during his campaign that he would remove Gensler, but Gensler on Thursday announced that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated.
Bitcoin has jumped 40% since Trump’s victory. It hit new highs Thursday and was nearing $100,000. Bitcoin moved notably higher still after Gensler’s resignation was announced.
Gensler’s stance on the rise of cryptocurrencies was captured during a speech he gave during the first year of his chairmanship in 2021 when he described the market as “the Wild West.”
“This asset class is rife with fraud, scams and abuse in certain applications,” he said in a speech at the Aspen Security Forum. “There’s a great deal of hype and spin about how crypto assets work. In many cases, investors aren’t able to get rigorous, balanced and complete information.”
Under Gensler, the SEC brought actions against players in the crypto industry for fraud, wash trading and other violations, including as recently as last month when the commission brought fraud charges against three companies purporting to be market makers, along with nine individuals for
trying to manipulate various crypto markets.
Yet access to cryptocurrencies became more widespread under Gensler. In January, the SEC approved exchange-traded funds that track the spot price of bitcoin. With such ETFs, investors could get easier access to bitcoin without the huge overlays required to buy it directly.
Gensler, however, acknowledged the SEC had denied earlier similar applications for such ETFs, including Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, among the first to eventually be approved by the SEC.
“Circumstances, however, have changed,” Gensler said, pointing to a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia that said the SEC failed to adequately explain its reasoning in rejecting Grayscale’s proposal.
Even there, Gensler made sure not to endorse the merits of bitcoin. He pointed to how ETFs that hold precious metals are tracking prices of things that have “consumer and industrial users, while in contrast, bitcoin is primarily a speculative, volatile asset that’s also used for illicit activity, including ransomware, money laun-
dering, sanction evasion and terrorist financing.”
Gensler was tested early in his tenure with the rise of the meme stock phenomenon that shocked the financial system in early 2021. Earlier this year, the SEC under Gensler pushed Wall Street to speed up how long it takes for trades of stocks to settle, one of the areas where the commission’s staff recommended changes following the reckoning created by GameStop, one of the first meme stocks.
In the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, hordes of smaller-pocketed and novice investors suddenly piled into the stock of the struggling video game retailer. During the height of the frenzy, several brokerages barred customers from buying GameStop after the clearinghouse that settles their trades demanded more cash to cover the increased risk created by its highly volatile price.
In May 2024, new rules meant broker-dealers have to fully settle their trades within one business day of the trade date, down from the previous two. Critics of the SEC under Gensler have called many of the agency’s proposals overly burdensome.
Jersey Mike’s acquired by Blackstone for $8B
New York
Jersey Mike’s, the quickly expanding sandwich chain, is being acquired by the private equity firm Blackstone in a deal valued at $8 billion. The transaction is “intended to help enable Jersey Mike’s to accelerate its expansion across and beyond the U.S. market,” the companies said Tuesday, as well as aid ongoing technological investments. Under terms of the agreement, Jersey Mike’s founder and CEO Peter Cancro will continue to lead the business and maintains a “significant equity stake” in the chain.
Campbell’s shareholders approve new, soupless name
New York
Campbell’s is ditching the soup — at least in name — and the change has now received shareholders’ greenlight. Campbell Soup Co. announced its intention to change its name just over two months ago, saying it wanted to be instead known as the (slightly shorter) Campbell’s Co. to reflect the 155-yearold company’s full portfolio. Shareholders overwhelmingly approved the change on Tuesday. The new name will officially be effective following an amendment filing to the company’s certificate of incorporation. According to New Jersey-based Campbell’s, its iconic red and white packaging will not be affected.
Delta CEO: Trump will reverse Biden’s “overreach”
Atlanta The chief executive of Delta Air Lines says the incoming Trump administration will be a “breath of fresh air” for airlines after what he called government “overreach” under President Joe Biden. Delta CEO Ed Bastian made the comments before the airline held an investor day with Wall Street analysts last week. He says there has been a “level of overreach” against airlines by the federal government during the last four years. Airlines have objected to some consumer-protection rules, and they are suing to block one that requires more prominent disclosure of extra fees. Delta is facing a federal investigation into its slow recovery from a global outage this summer.
Reuters hires former Post, AP exec Buzbee
New York
The investment industry, for example, is pushing against a proposal to force some advisers and companies to disclose more about their environmental, social and governance practices, otherwise known as ESG. Critics say the proposal is overly complex and increases the risk of investor confusion while imposing unnecessary burdens and costs on funds.
On Thursday, Gensler stood by the SEC’s track record under his direction.
“The staff and the Commission are deeply mission-driven, focused on protecting investors, facilitating capital formation and ensuring that the markets work for investors and issuers alike,” Gensler said in prepared remarks.
“The staff comprises true public servants.”
Gensler previously served as chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, leading the Obama administration’s reform of the $400 trillion swaps market. He also was senior adviser to Sen. Paul Sarbanes in writing the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (2002) and was undersecretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance and assistant secretary of the Treasury from 1997-2001.
Reuters has hired Sally Buzbee, former executive editor of The Washington Post and The Associated Press, to be its top news editor in the United States and Canada. She will replace Kieran Murray, who will run the news agency’s live events business. Buzbee left the Post in June rather than carry out a new publisher’s reorganization plan that would have effectively demoted her. She led the AP’s news operation before leaving for the Post in 2021. A longtime AP editor, she had run the outlet’s Washington bureau before becoming senior vice president and executive editor in 2017.
Five New York City public employee pension funds and Oregon’s public employee retirement fund have sued Fox Corp. to hold company officials personally liable for the financial fallout stemming from Fox News reports regarding alleged vote rigging in the 2020 election.
JACQUELYN MARTIN / AP PHOTO
the great electric road trip
By Jordan Golson North State Journal
A FEW WEEKS AGO, I joined a unique cross-country race: 10 cars driving from Seattle to Boston, including nine electric vehicles and one gas car. The most telling participant? A 2013 Tesla Model S that showed just how far electric vehicles have come in a decade — and how outdated most people’s perceptions of EVs remain.
Here’s the thing about electric cars: Most people’s understanding of them is stuck in 2013 with that old Model S. While that vintage Tesla needed more than 30 lengthy charging stops to get across the country, modern EVs tell a different story. Most completed the journey with just 1516 stops across some 48 hours of travel time, each typically lasting 15-20 minutes — barely enough time to grab coffee and use the restroom.
The results challenged conventional wisdom about electric vehicles. The Tesla Model 3, the most affordable EV in our group at less than $40,000, finished second among the electric entries while besting competitors costing two or three times as much. While the new Porsche Taycan easily beat the rest of the electrics thanks to its astonishing charging capabilities, it was still only a few hours ahead after a 3,000-mile journey despite being the most expensive.
The gas-powered car, an Acura TLX, did win overall, but even that comes with a caveat: Its team spent the first half of the trip taking it easy until they realized how quickly the Porsche was moving. Only then did they get serious about maintaining their lead.
Different cars took different approaches to the challenge. I
might be a little biased because I was on Team Mercedes, but the EQS seems to have been designed with “normal” drivers in mind rather than range-optimizing nerds like us, maintaining largely consistent charging speeds regardless of battery level. Other cars have much more significant “charging curves” where charging slows dramatically as the battery fills up. It’s the difference between a car designed by engineers seeking maximum performance and one designed for how people actually drive. What made the journey particularly fascinating was how the cars naturally grouped together despite different charging strategies and capabilities. Even over thousands of miles, we kept running into each other at charging
stations, creating an impromptu social atmosphere that made the long journey more enjoyable and more competitive.
The charging infrastructure along America’s longest interstate proved remarkably robust.
Tesla’s Supercharger network was the clear standout — while other networks like Electrify America are technically capable of faster charging for certain vehicles (like the Lucid, Porsche and Hyundai), Tesla’s chargers are more plentiful and more reliable. It’s no wonder most automakers are in the process of adopting Tesla’s charging standard, with Tesla planning charger upgrades to support even faster speeds.
Tesla’s Superchargers were also consistently located right off
the highway with good amenities nearby, while other networks often required short detours to places like Walmart parking lots. In more than 3,000 miles, none of us encountered a completely failed or blocked charger — a milestone that would have been unthinkable just a few years (or months!) ago. And modern navigation systems have made long-distance EV travel nearly foolproof. While most cars have smart systems for planning charging stops, the Tesla and Mercedes stood out by requiring virtually no thought beyond following the nav’s instructions about where to stop
and how long to charge. Range anxiety? That turned out to be a nonissue. Our EVs could easily travel 200 miles between charges, and while that’s less than many gas cars, it aligns well with how people actually road trip — and with 15-minute charge stops, the car will likely be ready before you are. Most drivers — especially those traveling with families — prefer to stop every few hours anyway.
The longest theoretical range doesn’t win races, either; smart charging strategies and convenient charger locations do. The Lucid had the longest range by far, but the uber-fast charging of the Porsche and the Model 3’s efficiency and Tesla Supercharger network were enough to best it.
What’s most striking is how normal it all felt. This real-world test proved that it really doesn’t matter which modern EV you buy, as long as it’s the latest generation and not an older or slower-charging model like a Chevy Bolt EV or Ford Mustang Mach-E. They all completed the journey successfully, though some certainly proved more capable than others.
Gas cars still hold advantages for cross-country travel, but the gap is surprisingly narrow, and for the kind of road trips most Americans actually take (not many folks are driving coast-tocoast!), modern EVs are more than capable.
The 2013 Tesla that joined our race was revolutionary for its time. But using it as a benchmark for modern EVs is like judging today’s smartphones by the original iPhone. The technology has evolved — it’s time for our perceptions to catch up.
Watch the four-part series on the “I-90 Surge” road trip at youtube.com/@outofspecmotoring
PHOTOS BY JORDAN GOLSON / NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Charlotte FB coaching search, B4
Before gorging on Thanksgiving food, many people like to start the holiday by getting a
Turkey Trot, a 4-mile run and walk with more than 9,000 participants. Turkey
the Thursday SIDELINE REPORT
NFL
Kuechly, Smith, Holt among Hall of Fame semifinalists
Canton, Oh.
Former Carolina Panthers
linebacker Luke Kuechly and wide receiver Steve Smith are among the 25 modern-era candidates for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. NC State receiver Torry Holt and pass rusher Jared Allen, a Panther for the final season of his career, are also up for consideration. The selection committee will next reduce the list to 15 finalists who will be voted on at the annual meeting before the Super Bowl that will produce the new class.
WNBA
Local products join new 3-on-3 women’s league
Unrivaled, the new 3-on-3 women’s basketball league, set its rosters. Former Duke player Chelsea Gray is on Team Rose, as is Cary’s Azura Stevens, who began her college career at Duke. Allisha Gray, who started at UNC, is on the Lunar Owls. Wake Forest’s Dearica Hamby is on Team Vinyl. Former NC State men’s player Adam Harrington is coaching the Phantom Basketball Club, which features Brittney Griner. Games begin on Jan. 17, with twice-weekly games on TNT.
MLB Stallings agrees to $2.5M, 1-year deal with Colorado Rockies
Denver Catcher Jacob Stallings and the Colorado Rockies have agreed to a $2.5 million, one-year contract. The deal carries a $2 million salary for next season, along with a $2 million mutual option for 2026. The 34-year-old Stallings, who went to the College World Series twice in his four years playing for UNC, set full-season career highs with Colorado last season when he hit .263 with nine homers and a slugging percentage of .453.
Why do they flock to Turkey Trots? Runners count the reasons
Before eating Thanksgiving dinner, many people go for a run
By Kaitlyn Huamani The Associated Press
THANKSGIVING morning is often a blur of last-minute meal preparation and frenzied chores. But for Beth Thomas, who typically hosts her family at her Boston-area home, most of the work in the kitchen is already done.
Instead, she laces up her sneakers and warms up for a 5K Turkey Trot run with her two sons.
“It’s just a fun thing for us to do, knowing probably seven hours later, everyone’s going to be passed out on the couch after having overindulged appropriately. It’s a high point for us to be out there,” said Thomas. “Why not start the day doing something that we really love and then eat a lot of good food later?”
Turkey Trots have become an enduring tradition for many people on and around Thanksgiving. There are thousands of races, ranging from about 1 mile to a full marathon.
Run Signup, a platform where runners can register and fundraise for races, calls Thanksgiving “the biggest US running day of the year.” More and more people are joining in, it said; 2023 saw the highest number of turkey trotters ever registered on the site with almost 1 million runners across the country.
Some do it for fitness, others for family and community, and many are also raising money for charities. The races attract both novices and serious runners.
There are also Turkey Trots that go by other names: Gobble Wobbles, Drumstick Dashes and Huffing for Stuffings. While most races are held on Thanksgiving Day, some take place the weekend before or after.
What we’re thankful for in sports
Memories and moments that the people of NSJ treasure
North State Journal staff
ON THIS Thanksgiving Day, we have plenty on our sports plates of which we can be thankful. Living in North Carolina, we have a cornucopia of sports choices as widely diverse as the sides and desserts that are hopefully on your table this holiday.
Each person’s choice of what to give thanks for this November is deeply personal, reflecting memories, allegiances and family bonds that go back to our earliest days. Here’s what some of the North State Journal’s staff members are thankful for this Thanksgiving.
Asheebo Rojas, Sports reporter
“I’m thankful for UNC basketball’s heartbreaking loss in the 2016 men’s national championship game. That was one of
the first times I wanted a team from North Carolina to win something, and my satisfaction was ripped away with the last shot. That feeling might’ve changed me. In fact, it was preparation. Less than a year later, I watched my Atlanta Falcons do the worst thing imaginable, and I was unfazed.”
Jordan Golson, Locals editor
This is the 20th anniversary of the Red Sox winning the World Series. So I’m thankful that I got to experience that and, as a result, my sports life is complete forever.
Carol Winsor, Advertising associate
“This question has me torn. Easy answer: my sophomore year in college when Fred Brown threw the ball to James Worthy and we won the national championship and spent a good part of the night on Franklin Street. Real answer: watching my kids
“Why not start the day doing something that we really love and then eat a lot of good food later?”
Turkey trotter Beth Thomas
Thomas and her sons have run in Thanksgiving races for several years. Sometimes other relatives join them. Still others cheer them on from the sidelines.
Part of the appeal is community
Thanksgiving exercise events are by no means a novel idea.
Just ask the 14,000 participants in the upcoming Turkey Trot in Buffalo, New York, which will be the local YMCA’s 129th annual race. Mike Baggerman, the communications director at the YMCA Buffalo Niagara, said
Buffalo’s race — officially a year older than the Boston Marathon — has become a hallmark for the community.
While some runners show up for the 8K race with a competitive spirit and achieve record-setting times, the overwhelming majority are “people like you and me who just want to have something fun to do on Thanksgiving Day.”
Children and people who use wheelchairs are frequent participants, Baggerman said.
“It’s one of the most memorable races,” he said. “It’s a fun run.”
Another part is fitness and health
Many beginning runners train in the weeks and months leading up to Thanksgiving to compete in a Turkey Trot. Even for those who don’t run regularly, the jolt of activity — perhaps a mix of walking
See TROTS , page B3
play sports. Sometimes they had success and sometimes they didn’t. We spent a lot of good, together, family time on and around ball fields and gyms.”
Neal Robbins, publisher
“I am thankful for banners in Raleigh. The newly branded rafters in the Lenovo Center received new decorations with the addition of an ACC Men’s Basketball Championship and NCAA Final Four banner for my alma mater, the NC State Wolfpack.
The Wolfpack women’s basketball team also added to the legendary rafters of Reynolds Coliseum with the first Final Four in women’s basketball for the Wolfpack since Hall of Fame coach Kay Yow led NC State to the Final Four in 1998.”
Shawn Krest, Sports editor
“I’m thankful for all the late nights, in the bowels of a stadium, long after the traffic jams
SHAWN KREST / NORTH STATE JOURNAL
The team entrance tunnel at Glendale’s State Farm Stadium after the Final Four games were over and the arena had emptied.
DAVID ZALUBOWSKI / AP PHOTO
run in. Here, runners take part in the 49th annual Mile High United Way
trots like this one take place all over the state.
TRENDING
Roger Penske:
The owner of Team Penske has added the most prestigious street race in North America to his portfolio with the purchase of the Grand Prix of Long Beach. He bought the race from Gerry Forsythe, who owned half the event before buying out the late Kevin Kalkhoven earlier this year amid reports both Formula 1 and NASCAR were interested in the race.
Antwione Williams:
The former Carolina Panthers practice squad linebacker was charged with several crimes, including assaulting and impeding to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Williams faces at least two felony charges and several misdemeanors after authorities released images of him, saying he was one of the the building’s perimeter.
Stephen Vogt
The former Durham Bull won American League Manager of the Year after leading the Cleveland Guardians to a division title and 92-win season as a manager at any level. The 40-year-old Vogt, a Bull in 2012, beat out Kansas City’s Matt Quatraro and Detroit’s A.J. Hinch. Vogt received 27 of votes.
Beyond the box score
POTENT QUOTABLES
“We have this thing where we’re close at halftime, and then the third quarter is terrifying.”
Charlotte football last week after four straight
losses.
in Davis
and my last one. So we close the circle.”
Rafael Nadal, who retired after Spain’s to the Netherlands.
PRIME NUMBER
89.38%
Field goal accuracy rate for Carolina Panthers’ kicker Eddy Pineiro (101 of 113). Baltimore’s Justin Tucker missed weekend and fell to 89.15%, making Pineiro the most accurate kicker in NFL history.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
to Oregon for their third straight loss. Longo arrived in Wisconsin after a stint as Maye. Wisconsin went 7-6 la st year and compiled 23.5 points per game for its lowest scoring average since 2004. The Badgers have scored 23.9 points per game this year.
Vince Carter is part of a group being considered by the NFL to purchase Carter, fellow NBA Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady and MLS player Jozy Altidore have joined Gridiron Capital managing partner Tom Burger in a consortium seeking to buy a 10.6% share of the Bills.
Backup quarterback Nick Arbuckle led the Toronto Argonauts to their 19th Grey Cup title, throwing two secondhalf touchdowns in a 41-24 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Forced into action after starter Chad Kelly broke his ankle in Toronto’s previous game, Arbuckle completed 26 of 37 passes for 252 yards.
The New York Giants are benching struggling quarterback Daniel Jones, a former Duke standout, and will start fan favorite Tommy DeVito this week in an attempt to break a -game losing streak. Coach Brian Daboll had hinted there might be a change after the Giants headed into their bye week following an overtime loss to the Panthers on Nov. 10.
JESSICA
NICK WASS / AP
SAMANTHA MADAR / WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL VIA AP
LENNART PREISS /
Duke wrapping itself in the Flagg
The Blue Devils will go as far as their freshman star takes them
By Shawn Krest North State Journal
WITH 26.5 SECONDS remaining in regulation and Duke tied with Kentucky, the Blue Devils put the ball in the hands of Cooper Flagg and got out of the way.
The freshman took the inbounds pass and, at the 12-second mark, drove toward the basket against Kentucky big man Andrew Carr. As he got close to the hoop, he turned his back to the basket, looking to make a post move. Instead, he lost control of the ball for a split second and had to dribble high in order to control the ball.
That was all the opening Kentucky’s Otega Oweh needed. Coming over to double team Flagg, Oweh was able to reach in and snatch the ball from Flagg, leading to a fast break foul that put the Wildcats up two.
The inbounds pass again went to Flagg, with 10.3 seconds remaining. He dribbled up court, ending up in the corner, where he fumbled a between-the-legs dribble and lost the ball out of bounds.
On the floor at the time were two of Duke’s other five-star freshmen — including Flagg, the six-man class has 40 feet, 5 inches of height and 28 of a possible 30 recruiting stars, and half the class was on the court. Joining them were Caleb Foster and Maliq Brown, two veterans who averaged just under 10 points per game each last season. Brown hit 73% of his 2-point attempts. Foster hit 40.6% of his 3s.
However, in the final half minute of a marquee early-season game, Flagg was the only Blue Devil to touch the ball with the clock running, and the result was two backbreaking turnovers leading to a Kentucky win. It was a decision Duke coach Jon Scheyer didn’t question, even after seeing the results.
“He’s got to touch it and trust that good things are going to happen.”
Duke coach Jon Scheyer on Cooper Flagg
It’s worth noting that, up until that point in the game, Flagg had scored 26 of Duke’s 72 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and drawn nine fouls from Kentucky defenders. The rest of the players that saw action for Duke combined to draw nine Kentucky fouls.
Freshman sharpshooter Kon Knueppel was the trendy pick as Duke’s top scorer this season, but Flagg has the edge, 16.3 points per game to 14.8. Fellow freshman Khaman Maluach is 7-foot-2 with an unnatural wing span, but Flagg is outrebounding him, 9.5 per game to 7.2. Flagg is also blocking more shots, 1.8 per game to 1.5.
Tyrese Proctor was one of the top point guard prospects in the 2022 recruiting class. Foster was near the top of last year’s class at the position. Duke’s assists leader so far, however, is Flagg, at 4.0 per game. He also leads in steals, to boot, with 2.0 per game.
He’s also done the things that don’t show up on the stat sheet, diving for loose balls and making hustle plays. It’s an attitude that has been contagious on the Blue Devils’ team.
“We talk about ‘the 98%’ a lot,” Scheyer said. “The 98% is everything on the court when you don’t have the ball. When you really think about it, 2% of the time you have the ball. We always talk about focusing on the 98%, because that’s what impacts winning. It’s sprinting back on defense. Screening. Making the extra pass. It’s pick-and-roll defense, it’s offball defense, it’s running the floor both ways.
Flagg was also on board for getting the rock at crunch time.
“Coach trusted me to go and make a play,” he said. “Like he said, it didn’t work out. I’m glad he had that trust in me to put the ball in my hands. I’m looking for it in that moment. It didn’t work out, but I’m still going to look for it no matter what.”
“Well, the ball’s in his hands,” he said. “They knew that was happening too, and I’m OK with that. We’re going to be in these moments a lot together, and I trust his instincts. I probably could have put him in a better position, to be honest. But he’s got to touch it and trust that good things are going to happen. I wish you could say that every time it’s going to work out, and that’s not reality. … Again, I want him to touch it down the stretch.”
The end of the Kentucky game has been one blemish on Flagg’s resume so far this young season. He also struggled with cramps during a pair of early games. For the most part, however, the top-rated prospect in the 2024 high school recruiting class and likely top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft has lived up to his billing.
Heading into a showdown at Arizona, Flagg led Duke in every statistical category. All of them.
From contenders to pretenders: NC State on verge of bowl ineligibility
Despite starting the year ranked No. 24 in the nation, the Wolfpack have had one of the worst seasons of the Dave Doeren era
By Ryan Henkel North State Journal
SOMEHOW, SOMEWAY, the NC State football team, in a season full of promise and potential, is staring face-to-face with an overall record of 5-6 and is on the verge of cashing in one of the most disappointing seasons under coach Dave Doeren
Coming into the year, the Wolfpack were ranked No. 24 in the nation, considered one of the top contenders for the ACC and a dark horse for the College Football Playoffs.
They retained a good portion of their top talent and revamped the entire offense with promising transfers. The team looked poised to finally get over the hump in a breakout year.
Fast-forward to four months later and, with just one game remaining on the schedule, the Wolfpack is now fighting just to be bowl eligible. Last week’s 30-29 loss to Georgia Tech, yet another backbreaking setback, was NC State’s third one-score defeat.
“It hurts,” Doeren said. “Losses like that hurt more than a blowout.”
But NC State should be used to that pain by now because that
TROTS from page B1 and running — can feel good. Prioritizing exercise and movement during a week when many have long to-do lists and multiple stressors is often difficult, said dietician and Michigan-based fitness instructor Casey Young. To her, Thanksgiving races can not only help people reach their physical activity goals but also help stabilize their mood and reduce stress.
loss was just like so many others for the Pack: A poor start followed by a feverish rally that puts themselves in a position to win followed ultimately by the collapse. It’s a script that has become all too familiar for the Wolfpack faithful. It didn’t take long for the facade of hope to begin to crumble after NC State immediately found itself in a dogfight against FCS opponent Western Carolina in its season opener, but the coffin nails came slowly, one after the other.
It’s two matchups against
“Holidays tend to be such a stressful time for a lot of people, and sometimes people are traveling, and that can add some additional stress and get you out of your typical routine,” Young said. “So, anytime we have an opportunity to move our body is a positive thing.” Exercise may prompt people to be “more mindful and intentional” when plating up later, Young said, but she warns against the mentality that the
ranked opponents — No. 14 Tennessee and No. 21 Clemson — resulted in blowout losses with both foes putting up more than 50 points apiece.
The promising transfer quarterback Grayson McCall? Forced into an early retirement after just four appearances due to a devastating hit.
Late collapses against Wake Forest and Georgia Tech, failed comebacks against Syracuse and Duke, all leading to today.
And there are many reasons one can point to why this season has gone the way it has.
For one, NC State is not start-
purpose of the exertion is to earn a decadent Thanksgiving meal or to burn it off afterward. That could foster an “unhealthy relationship with food.” Turkey trotters should instead emphasize the physical activity and its health benefits, she said.
And then there’s running for fundraising
Beyond the physical and men-
ing games on time. In 10 of their 11 matchups, they’ve either trailed or been tied with their opponents going into the half.
Another big issue is the team has been brutal with ball management, boasting the fifth-worst turnover margin in the conference (minus 3).
With a true freshman — CJ Bailey, who overall has shown tremendous promise — at quarterback, there are going to be growing pains with the offense, but it hasn’t just been him.
“We’ve been trying to move on from that all year,” Doeren said. “It’s been a tenant of this program for 12 years, and it’s something we’ve done really well. When you’re playing with a young quarterback some of that’s going to happen, but some of the fumbles we’ve had throughout the year are just things you can’t do.”
Offensive struggles have been a recurring theme for the Wolfpack, and there are many problem points you can point to: a struggling O-line, some untimely drops/tips, a hot-and-cold rush offense.
Whatever the case, it has led to the conference’s 13th-ranked passing and rushing offenses, and NC State is 11th in red zone offense with just a 55.55% touchdown rate.
“I think for young players, for all six of our (freshmen), I would say, for the most part, they valued themselves a lot on scoring in high school. It’s a big adjustment, from a role perspective, because they’re all in different roles. It’s also an adjustment for what the game requires you to do to win at this level. They’ve taken it, they’ve learned, and we’re going to continue to do the 98% even better going forward.”
All the more reason to make sure Cooper Flagg has the ball when it’s time for the game to be won. It’s just playing the percentages.
Even the defense, which more often than not been the only thing the Wolfpack has been able to hang its hat on, hasn’t been up to snuff this season.
The Wolfpack’s defense is second to last in the conference for red zone defense with just a 77.8% success rate, and NC State is 12th in sacks, 10th in third-down stops and has forced just 16 turnovers in 11 games.
So where did it all go wrong? Why was a team that held so much promise so quickly become an afterthought?
Games go beyond just the players on the field, and one can’t help but think of how much blame may lay at the feet of the coaching staff in all of this.
Doeren, in 12 years as the head of the program, has a 3-5 bowl record, zero 10-win seasons, zero conference championship appearances, a 7-27 record against ranked opponents, a 46-51 record against ACC opponents and an 86-64 record overall.
Offensive coordinator Robert Anae was brought in to revolutionize the Wolfpack’s attack, but he’s produced back-to-back years of a disappointing product.
One regular season game remains in this woeful season for NC State, the annual showdown with its bitter rival, the UNC Tar Heels.
If the Wolfpack win, they’re at least bowl eligible and get could celebrate a fourth-straight win over UNC, certainly a small consolation.
But if they lose, it will be an unceremonious end to a season that may have further implications down the road. In the era of NIL and the transfer portal, a disastrous year like this could really affect recruitment and retention.
Perhaps part of those struggles too is that KC Concepcion, last year’s ACC Rookie of the Year, has been a shadow of himself. The Wolfpack were leaning on him for a big year, but he’s currently sitting with half as many receiving yards and touchdowns as the prior season.
tal benefits, many turkey trotters lean into the holiday’s spirit of thankfulness and giving back. Some of the races are organized as fundraisers in partnership with local organizations. Registration fees for participants and donations on their behalf often benefit causes like food banks, homeless shelters and community programs.
Baggerman said the Buffalo Niagara YMCA’s turkey trot is the organization’s largest fund-
raiser of the year, raising money for affordable childcare, community classes, health and wellness programs, and efforts to combat food insecurity.
“It’s more than just a fun 5-mile run on Thanksgiving Day. It’s something that helps the YMCA achieve its mission, which is to strengthen the western New York community,” he said. “For Buffalo people to step up every single year and sell this race out at 14,000, it’s a miracle.”
BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO
Duke’s Cooper Flagg holds his jersey in frustration as he walks off the court during a timeout in a game against Army.
BRYNN ANDERSON / AP PHOTO
NC State quarterback CJ Bailey (16) throws a pass off the hands of wide receiver Kevin Concepcion (10). It was eventually intercepted by Georgia Tech during State’s road loss to the Yellow Jackets last week.
Rucker fits in with the UNC greats as he moves up on all-time sack list
The UNC edge rusher passed Lawrence Taylor for the sixth-most sacks in Tar Heels history
By Asheebo Rojas North State Journal
AS NORTH CAROLINA’S graduate edge rusher Kaimon Rucker, otherwise known as “The Butcher,” chops away at offensive linemen in his path to the quarterback, he’s also carving his name above the etched legacies of Tar Heel legends.
In North Carolina’s 31-24 win over Wake Forest on Nov. 16, Rucker passed UNC great and Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor (21 sacks at UNC) to move into sixth place on UNC’s all-time sack list. Rucker picked up his 22nd career sack on a second-quarter play in which he read Wake Forest’s slow mesh and brought down quarterback Hank Bachmeier for a loss of six yards.
“It’s a blessing,” Rucker said about passing Taylor. “There’s been a lot of time and hard work and dedication put into the pass rush game. Passing somebody with the likes of LT, a lot of people can’t say that.”
Rucker joins Quinton Coples, Marcus Jones, Tomon Fox, Hall of Famer Julius Peppers and Greg Ellis as the only Tar Heels who can say that.
UNC coach Mack Brown, who has coached some of the great pass rushers in that aforementioned group and other talented defensive players, said what makes Rucker similar to them is his deep passion and preparedness for the game.
“All of those guys love football,” Brown said. “He fits right in that mold.”
However, it’s Rucker’s approach to the art of sacking the quarterback that sets him
apart and has turned his career into one that will be remembered for years to come.
“I just don’t quit,” Rucker said. “That’s the only thing I can separate it to. I feel like a lot of guys go for a one-two move and just be done with it, but for me, I think what separates me is I just won’t quit. Even though my first move doesn’t work or my second move doesn’t work, it doesn’t matter. I’m going to still get back there.”
From Brown’s perspective, and likely that of opposing offensive tackles, he sees the separation in Rucker’s power despite his smaller frame as a pass rusher.
“I think what separates me is I just won’t quit.” Kaimon Rucker
Standing at 6-foot-2, Rucker didn’t have the attention-grabbing size of a Power Five defensive end, and he was only a three-star prospect without many Power Five offers in high school. Yet, when he arrived in camp the summer before his freshman year at UNC, Brown thought Rucker was “one of the best pass rushers he’d ever seen.”
“The question was his height, and we had a lot of really good offensive linemen in that camp, and he beat every one of them,” Brown said. “This guy comes in with a chip on his shoulder, and I’m not surprised that he is where he is.”
As the numbers already confirm his impact in a UNC jersey over the years, the way Rucker’s been writing his last dance in college is just extra reassurance.
After the season-opening win over Minnesota, Rucker underwent surgery and missed four games due to a lower body injury that occurred in the weight room prior to the home-opener
against Charlotte. During the stretch he missed, UNC went 2-2, including an embarrassing 70-50 home loss to James Madison and a second-half collapse against Duke.
“It’s a disappointing feeling when you lose all of these games, but as a spectator, as a watcher, as somebody that’s hurt and wishes they could be out there, it definitely left a soft spot in my heart for my dogs,” Rucker said.
Rucker returned and played just nine snaps in the Tar Heels’ third straight loss to Pitt, and he had a rather quiet game in the following loss to Georgia Tech. However, Rucker looked like his usual self in UNC’s dominant win over Virginia on Oct. 26, notching a teamhigh three sacks in the team’s 10 -sack performance. He then extended his sack streak to three games after recording one each in the wins over Florida State and Wake Forest.
“Just a force that can’t be reckoned with,” senior linebacker Power Echols said.
“When you have a guy like that on the field, you always just look at him doing some great things and just some destructive things to the offensive line and the opposing offenses. As a defensive player, you can always count on him to do his job.”
Prior to Saturday’s meeting with Boston College, Rucker reached six sacks in six games this season, coming just 2.5 sacks shy of the single-season career-high 8.5 sacks he achieved in 13 games last year. He’s knocking on the door of moving into fourth place on UNC’s all-time sack list, needing 24 total sacks to tie Coples and Jones (tied for fourth) and 25 to hold the fourth spot for himself.
Although it’s very achievable, Rucker couldn’t care less about moving up in the record books.
“We’ll take it one game at a time,” Rucker said. “If I break the record, I break the record, and if I don’t, I don’t. At the end of the day, I just want to contribute to what we got on defense, and at the end of the day, I just want to get the W.”
Charlotte moves on from Biff Poggi, looks ahead to future
Associate head coach
Tim Brewster is the 49ers interim coach
By Jesse Deal North State Journal
CHARLOTTE — After 22 games, the Charlotte 49ers’ Biff Poggi experience has come to an unceremonious close as the program begins a national search for its next head football coach.
Mike Hill, the university’s athletic director, announced on Nov. 18 that Poggi had been relieved of his duties “after an extensive review of the Charlotte football program,” and that associate coach Tim Brewster will serve as the team’s interim coach for the remaining two games of the 2024 season.
“I am thankful to Biff Poggi for his leadership and mentorship of our student-athletes over these past two seasons,” Hill said in a press release.
Poggi’s time in the Queen City ended with a 6-16 record; Charlotte will owe Poggi a $1.31-million buyout.
“No one can question Biff’s passion for helping young people succeed in life, both personally and professionally, but our on-field results have unfortunately fallen short of everyone’s expectations,” Hill continued. “As we move forward
THANKFUL from page B1 have cleared, when the security guards are heading home and TV crews are tearing down cables. Our ears are still ringing from the long-departed crowd. The interviews are done. The press conferences are over. Now, the work begins. Some of us look around the media room. A few veterans make eye contact. We know. We remember the great ledes and the strong closing paragraphs we read as children, often more
into the next chapter of Charlotte 49er football, we will be looking for a leader to take our program to the next level as a consistent bowl and championship contender.”
The Niners (3-7, 2-4 AAC) now hope to avoid a third consecutive three-win campaign. Charlotte traveled to Florida Atlantic (2-8, 0-6 AAC) this past weekend and will wrap up the season with a senior day finale against UAB (2-8, 1-5
than we remember seeing the games that inspired them. And we know what’s at stake. All of us in this room watched the same game. We talked to the same guys (or women). We heard the same quotes. Now it’s a question of who can put all of that onto the blank page the best and tell the truest story. It’s game time. I’m also thankful for Chad Morton. He’s a wide receiver you probably don’t remember. He caught one touchdown pass in the NFL.
AAC) on Nov. 30 at 3:30 p.m. in Jerry Richardson Stadium.
The firing arrived just two days after the team fell to a 3-7 record following a 59-24 home loss to South Florida where Charlotte allowed the Bulls to rack up 31 third-quarter points. After the 35-point loss, Poggi was asked by a reporter to self-assign a grade for his coaching performance for the season.
“Terrible,” the 65-year-old
The first game I ever covered, the Buffalo Bills made a furious last minute comeback to tie the game at home. The stadium was rocking as 72,000 fans were ready to will their team to victory in overtime. The visiting Jets won the coin toss and elected to receive. Buffalo kicked off and Morton returned it 95 yards for a game-winning touchdown. Overtime took all of 7 seconds, and just like that, the game was over. The crowd sat
former hedge fund manager said in a single word.
“It all starts with me. The entire organization looks like it looks because it’s the way I chose it to look, so all the blame squarely needs to go on me.
These are the kind of games that when you have as a coach, your team is 3-7. Things don’t end well sometimes like that.
I’m fully aware of that, and I would say that my grade has not been good.”
In an ironic twist of fate, the 49ers managed to follow up their most monumental win in program history — a 55-24 win over East Carolina on Oct. 5 — with four straight losses that not only removed the team from bowl eligibility but convinced Hill to make an immediate coaching change.
On Nov. 19, Charlotte’s AD told media members that he was not seeing the progress that he was hoping for in Poggi’s second season in town, which is also the team’s second year as a member of the American Athletic Conference.
“That’s why we made the decision that we did,” said Hill, who recently signed his own four-year contract extension.
“I believe that this institution and program deserves a championship-level, bowl-contending program on a regular basis.
I know we have a ton of work to do there.”
in stunned silence. Players, who had just been fist pumping as they left the field, sat on the bench, mouths agape. In the press box, we also sat, in disbelief of what we just saw. Then a veteran writer stood up, gathered his recorder and said, “OK. Let’s go talk to them about it.” That was in 2002. For the last 22 years, I’ve talked to them about it after the biggest triumphs and after unimaginable heartbreak. I’ve had players hold their knees
This marks the third time in the past six years that Charlotte has fired its coach, capping off a dismal 12-year period where the team has amassed only a single winning season.
In his press conference, Hill noted that he wanted a new coach who already specialized and had valuable experience on one side of the ball, potentially opening the door for an offensive or defensive coordinator from a larger school. That criteria could also pertain to an existing head coach from a smaller school.
Early reports surfaced that the 49ers were interested in Pep Hamilton, a Charlotte native and graduate of West Charlotte High, who has more than a half dozen seasons of experience as an offensive coordinator, for Stanford and the NFL’s Colts, Browns and Texans.
South Carolina defensive coordinator Clayton White, Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell, ETSU head coach Tre Lamb and Duke running backs coach Willie Simmons, who has head coaching experience at the FCS level, are also believed to be possible candidates.
One way or another, the next era for the Charlotte 49ers will soon arrive as the team hopes to avoid another batch of fool’s gold and finally get back on the right track.
and rock back and forth in grief in front of me. I’ve had champagne dumped on my head.
And in 2016, when Marcus Paige hit an impossible 3-pointer to tie the national championship game with 4.7 seconds left, only to have Villanova’s Kris Jenkins hit an even more impossible 3-pointer seconds later, I was the grizzled veteran on press row that stood up, picked up my iPhone and said, “OK. Let’s go talk to them.”
CHRIS SEWARD / AP PHOTO
Virginia quarterback Tony Muskett (11) is pressured by North Carolina linebacker Kaimon Rucker.
CAROLYN KASTER / AP PHOTO
Tim Brewster, shown here during his four-year stint as head coach at Minnesota, will coach the Charlotte 49ers for the rest of this season.
CUMBERLAND
Executor’s Notice IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION ESTATE FILE 24E002827 State of North Carolina Cumberland County NOTICE TO CREDITORS The undersigned, having qualified as the Executor of the Estate of Mary Ann Bissette, late of Cumberland County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms or corporations having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned at 205 Fairfield Road, Fayetteville, North Carolina 28303, on or before February 28, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 28th day of November, 2024. Constance Bissette Greene Executor of the Estate of Mary Ann Bissette, Deceased c/o Gilliam Law Firm, PLLC J. Duane Gilliam, Jr., Attorney PO Box 53555 Fayetteville, NC 28305 11/28/2024,12/5/2024, 12/12/2024 and 12/19/2024
NOTICE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND NOTICE TO CREDITORS Having qualified as the Administrator of the Estate of Stephanie A. Boghosian, decedent, late of Cumberland County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, firms, and corporations having claims against the decedent to present them to the Administrator named below on or before February 28, 2025, or this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms, and corporations indebted to the estate, please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 21st day of November, 2024. Giles Clark Jones PO Box 8201 Greenville, NC 27835 Published on November 21st, 28th, December 5th and 12th, 2024.
NOTICE Notice to Creditors
and
Jacqueline
of
are
W. Puryear,
to
to
Grimsley,
County, North
at 4317
Fayetteville, NC 28311, on or
the 22nd
of February, 2025 (which date is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of the Decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the Administrator named above.
This the 13th day of November, 2024. Davis W. Puryear Administrator of the Estate of Jacqueline Ruth Grimsley Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm Attorneys for the Estate 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28311 Run dates: November 21, November 28, December 5 and December 12, 2024
Notice to Creditors
NOTICE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION ESTATE FILE 23e1352 IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF: JAMES EARL HORTON ADMINISTRATOR’S NOTICE The undersigned, having qualified as Administrator of the estate of James Earl Horton, deceased, late of Cumberland County, this is to notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the 22nd day of February, 2025, (which date is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 13th day of November, 2024. Shameka H. Deese 4980 Winding Ridge Dr. Greensboro, NC 27406 Administrator of the estate of James Earl Horton, deceased Publication Dates
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
ESTATE OF ELIZABETH MACRAE HALSEY CUMBERLAND County Estate File No. 24E001515-250 All persons, firms and corporations having claims against Elizabeth MacRae Halsey, deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are notified to present their claims to Davis W. Puryear, Administrator, at 4317 Ramsey St., Fayetteville, NC 28311, on or before the 1st day of March, 2025 (which date is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of the Decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the Administrator named above. This the 21st day of November, 2024. Davis W. Puryear Administrator of the Estate of Elizabeth MacRae Halsey Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm Attorneys for the Estate 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28311
Run dates: November 28, December 5, December 12 and December 19, 2024
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
ESTATE OF Yvonne Decarla Phillips Cumberland County Estate File No. 24E002767-250
All persons, firms and corporations having claims against Yvonne Decarla Phillips, deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are notified to present their claims to Lorraine Bailey, Administrator, at 738 Bronco Lane, Fayetteville, NC 28303, on or before the 8th day of February, 2025 (which date is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of the Decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the Administrator named above.
This the 30th day of October, 2024. Lorraine Bailey Administrator of the Estate of Yvonne Decarla Phillips
Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm Attorneys for the Estate 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28311 Run dates: November 7, November 14, November 21 and November 28, 2024
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
ESTATE OF WANDA PICKETT CUMBERLAND County Estate File No. 24E001615-250
All persons, firms and corporations having claims against Wanda Pickett, deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are notified to present their claims to Davis W. Puryear, Administrator, at 4317 Ramsey St., Fayetteville, NC 28311, on or before the 22nd day of February, 2025 (which date is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of the Decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the Administrator named above.
This the 15th day of November, 2024. Davis W. Puryear Administrator of the Estate of Wanda Pickett Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm Attorneys for the Estate 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28311 Run dates: November 21, November 28, December 5 and December 12, 2024
NOTICE
The undersigned having qualified as executor Larry D Piner of the estate of Terry A Piner deceased late of Cumberland county this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the 7th day of February 2025 which date is three months after the day of first publication of this notice or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 7th day of November 2024
Larry D Piner 4683 Swamp Rose Rd Parkton NC 28371 Administrator of the estate
having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 21st day of February, 2025, (which is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All Debtors of the decedent are requested to make Immediate payment to the undersigned.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
ESTATE OF CLYDE SAMUELS CUMBERLAND County Estate File No. 24E1103 All persons, firms and corporations having claims against Clyde Samuels, deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are notified to present their claims to Davis W. Puryear, Administrator, at 4317 Ramsey St., Fayetteville, NC 28311, on or before the 22nd day of February, 2025 (which date is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of the Decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the Administrator named above. This the 18th day of November, 2024. Davis W. Puryear Administrator of the Estate of Clyde Samuels Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm Attorneys for the Estate 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28311 Run dates: November 21, November 24, December 5 and December 12, 2024
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA. In the General Court Of Justice. County of Cumberland. Superior Court Division Estate File # 24E002823250. The undersigned having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Bennie Ray Williams, deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby notifies all persons, firms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 21st day of February 2025 ( which is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All Debtors of decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned on this 21st day of November 2024. Jacqueline Louise Williams. Administrator/Executor. 6483 Summerchase Dr. Fayetteville NC 28311 Of the Estate of Bennie Ray Williams, deceased
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA In The General Court of Justice County of Cumberland Superior Court Division Estate File: 24E002793-250 Administrator’s/Executor’s Notice
The undersigned, having qualified Roy Dean Taylor of the Estate of Jessica Patricia Taylor, deceased, late of Cumberland County, herby notifies all persons, firms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 22 day February, 2025 (which date is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All Debtors of the decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 14 day of November, 2024.
Roy Dean Taylor Administrator/Executor 2010 Yarborough Road Address Saint Pauls, NC 28384 City, State, Zip Of the Estate of Jessica Patricia Taylor Deceased
NOTICE
The undersigned, having qualifies as Administrator/Executor of the Estate of Samantha Sharp, deceased, late of Cumberland County, herby notifies all persons, firms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 14th day of February, 2025,(which date is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All Debtors of the decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 14th day of November 2024. Carlene Sharp Administrator/Executor 7827 Klondyke Drive Address Fayetteville, North Carolina 28307 City, State, Zip Of the Estate of Samantha Sharp, Deceased.
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE
SUPERIOR COURT DISIVISON CUMBERLAND COUNTY
ESTATE FILE: 24E002750-250
IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF:
LUCILLE CAMPBELL WILLIAMS
EXECUTOR’S NOTICE TO CREDITORS Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Lucille Campbell Williams, late of 3306 Teakwood Drive, Hope Mills, NC 28348, Cumberland County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at 1159 Blankshire Road, Fayetteville, NC 28314, on or before the 14th day of February 2025. Or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 5th day of November 2024. BARRY ANTHONY HILL Executor of the Estate of Lucille Campbell Williams 1159 Blankshire Road Fayetteville, NC 28314
DURHAM
NOTICE TO CREDITORS Probate #_24E002341-310_____________ All persons, firm and corporations having claims against Marjorie Rosalind Kraus, late of Durham County, North Carolina are hereby notified to present them to Justice H. Kraus, as Executor of
The
ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of ANTHONY STEVEN HARRIS Deceased, hereby notifies all persons, firms or corporations having claims against the Decedent to exhibit same to the said JOSHUA BURT at the address set out below, on or before February 5, 2025, or this notice may be pleaded in bar of any payment or recovery of same. All persons indebted to said Decedent will please make immediate payment to the undersigned at the address set out below.
This the 7th day of November, 2024.
JOSHUA BURT ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ESTATE OF ANTHONY STEVEN. HARRIS c/o ROBERT H. HOCHULI, JR. 219 RACINE DR., SUITE #A6 Wilmington, NC 28405
NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS
Having qualified as Personal Representative of the Estate of Peggy M. Wright, deceased, late of New Hanover County, North Carolina, the undersigned hereby notifies all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to present them, duly verified, to the undersigned, care of their attorney, on or before February 10, 2025 (which date is at least three (3) months from the first publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to said Estate will please make immediate settlement with the undersigned, care of their attorney.
This the 7th day of November, 2024.
Barbara Gray Clark, Executor of the Estate of Peggy M. Wright, Deceased c/o Randall S. Hoose, Jr. Hoose Law, PLLC 705 Princess Street Wilmington, NC 28401-4146
Please publish 11/07, 11/14, 11/21, 11/28
NOTICE OF CREDITORS
The undersigned, having qualifies as Administrator/ Executor of the Estate of Marilyn Rodriguez, deceased, late of New Hanover County, herby notifies all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 21st day of February (which date is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleased in bar of their recovery. All Debtors of the decedent are requested to make immediate payments to the undersigned
This 21st day of November 2024
Julia Johnston 330. N Pebble Creek Terr. 304, Mustang, OK 73064 Administrator/ Executor of the Estate of Marilyn Rodriguez, deceased
WAKE
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of FAYE DENT EDWARDS (24E003995910), late of Wake County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 17th day of February 2025 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This the 14th day of November 2024.
James Michael Edwards Executor of the Estate of Faye Dent Edwards c/o Lisa M. Schreiner Attorney at Law P.O. Box 446 114 Raleigh Street Fuquay Varina, NC 27526
(For publication: 11/14, 11/21, 11/28, 12/5/2024)
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of JEFFERY ALAN REED, late of Wake County, North Carolina (24E004226910), the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 2nd day of March 2025 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This the 28th day of November 2024.
Epifania D. Reed Administrator of the Estate of Jeffery Alan Reed c/o Lisa M. Schreiner Attorney at Law P.O. Box 446 114 Raleigh Street Fuquay Varina, NC 27526
(For publication: 11/28, 12/5, 12/12, 12/19/2024)
NEW HANOVER
Administrator of the Estate of Richard Stephen Todd, at 221 Red Cross St. Apt. B Wilmington, NC 28401, on or before the 28th day of February, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of Richard Stephen Todd are requested to make immediate payment
NOTICE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 23SP001805-910
NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF Wake
NOTICE OF ASSOCIATION’S SALE OF REAL ESTATE
Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions of Braxton Village Homeowners Association, Inc. recorded at Book 8097, Page 263, as amended Wake County Registry;
the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on December 2, 2024 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Fayetteville in the County of Cumberland, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: The following described property, situate, lying and being in Cumberland, NC, more particularly described as: BEING all of Lot Number 1, in a subdivision known as BLUESPRINGS WOODS, according to a plat of the same duly recorded in Book of Plats 42, Page 37, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina. Together with improvements locate thereon; said property being located at 1601 Blue Springs Road, Fayetteville, , **FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY** The improvements thereon being known as 1601 Blue Springs Road, Fayetteville, NC 28304 Tax ID No: 9496-73-9386 Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. 45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. 7A-308(a)(1). The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws.
Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 607 Sullivan Street, Thomasville, NC 27360. A Certified Check ONLY (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the sale, for purposes of inspection and/or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are Corey A. White. An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1,
24SP001912-310
NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE
NORTH CAROLINA, DURHAM COUNTY
Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Edward E Cooke to Trste, Inc, Trustee(s), which was dated August 17, 2006 and recorded on September 13, 2006 in Book 5354 at Page 389, Durham County Registry, North Carolina. Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on December 12, 2024 at 11:30 AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Durham County, North Carolina, to wit: ALL THAT REAL PROPERTY SITUATED IN THE COUNTY OF DURHAM, STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA: BEING THE SAME PROPERTY CONVEYED TO THE GRANTOR BY DEED RECORDED IN BOOK 400, PAGE 96 DURHAM COUNTY REGISTRY, TO WHICH DEED REFERENCE IS HEREBY MADE FOR A MORE PARTICULAR DESCRIPTION OF THIS PROPERTY.
IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION DURHAM COUNTY 24SP001803-310 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY KYESKAT SMITH, LLC DATED FEBRUARY 4, 2022 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 9609 AT PAGE 28 IN THE DURHAM COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA
and,
And being more particularly described by metes and bounds on said Deed as follows: TRACT NO. 2: Beginning at an iron stake in the eastern property line of Roxboro Road, which said stake is 500 feet north of the intersection of the east side of Roxboro Road with the north side of Smith Road, as shown on the map hereinafter referred to, and running thence from said beginning point along and with the property line on the east side of Roxboro Road along a curve having a radius of 2293.19 feet, a distance of 260.9 feet to a point; thence continuing along and with the property line on the east side of Roxboro Road North 18 degrees 23 minutes East 39.1 feet to an iron stake; thence South 85 degrees 49 minutes East 268 feet to a stake; thence South 4 degrees 11
to demand of the holder of the secured debt, the undersigned will expose for sale at public auction at the usual place of sale at the Durham County courthouse at 11:00AM on December 4, 2024, the following described real estate and any improvements situated thereon, in Durham County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Kyeskat Smith, LLC, dated February 4, 2022 to secure the original principal amount of $363,000.00, and recorded in Book 9609 at Page 28 of the Durham County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended. Address of property: 208 South Guthrie Avenue, Durham, NC 27703 Tax Parcel ID: 112407 Present Record Owners: Kyeskat Smith, LLC
minutes West 431.8 feet to the iron stake at the point and place of beginning, containing 2.8 acres, more or less, and being “Part of the J. E. Cole Estate”, Lebanon Township, Durham County, North Carolina, as per plat and survey thereof by J. Watts Copley, L.S., dated July 25, 1960, on file in the office of the Register of Deeds of Durham County in Plat Book 41, at page 31, to which plat reference is hereby made for more particular description of same. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 5824 N Roxboro Rd, Durham, NC 27712. A Certified Check ONLY (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer
The record owner(s) of the property, according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Kyeskat Smith, LLC. The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance AS IS, WHERE IS. Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is subject to all prior liens and encumbrances and unpaid taxes and assessments including any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00),
DATED OCTOBER 14, 2022 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 9803 AT PAGE 57 IN THE DURHAM COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in payment of the secured debt and failure to perform the agreements contained therein and, pursuant to demand of the holder of the secured debt, the undersigned will expose for sale at public auction at the usual place of sale at the Durham County courthouse at 11:00AM on December 12, 2024, the following described real estate and any improvements situated thereon, in Durham County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Roberta F. Jones, dated October 14, 2022 to secure the original principal amount of $450,000.00, and recorded in Book 9803 at Page 57 of the Durham County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended. Address of property: 815 Corona St, Durham, NC 27707 Tax Parcel ID: 132682 Present Record Owners: The Heirs of Roberta F. Jones The record owner(s) of the property, according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are The Heirs of Roberta F. Jones. The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance AS IS, WHERE IS. Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is subject to all prior liens and encumbrances and unpaid taxes and assessments including any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required from the highest bidder and must be tendered in the
and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the sale, for purposes of inspection and/or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are EDWARD E. COOKE. An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the
whichever is greater, is required from the highest bidder and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. Cash will not be accepted. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. After the expiration of the upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit
form of certified funds at the time of the sale. Cash will not be accepted. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. After the expiration of the upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE
at Page 234 in Durham County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Durham County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Durham, Durham County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 3:00 PM on December 3, 2024 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate
situated in Raleigh in the County of Durham, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: The land hereinafter referred to is situated in the City of Raleigh, County of Durham, State of NC, and is described as follows: All that certain lot, parcel of land or condominium unit situated in the City of Raleigh, and more particularly described as follows: Being all of Lot 191 as shown on map entitled “Phase one. Mulberry Park Townhome Community Recombination Map. Raleigh. Durham County, North Carolina” recorded in Plat Book 178. Pages 259 through 271, inclusive. Durham County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 7228 Aquinas Avenue, Raleigh, North Carolina. Being all that certain property conveyed from SPH One, LLLP. a Delaware limited liability limited partnership to Saima Ali Jafri a.k.a. Saima Jafri by the deed dated January 13, 2020 and recorded January 14. 2020 in Book 8848. Page 368 of official records. APN: 208719 Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1). The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the
DURHAM DAVIDSON
23 SP 517
AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE
NORTH CAROLINA, FORSYTH COUNTY
Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Alphonzo Witherspoon and Annie M. Witherspoon to Trste, Inc., Trustee(s), which was dated August 26, 2002 and recorded on September 12, 2002 in Book 2279 at Page 1963, Forsyth County Registry, North Carolina. Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on December 12, 2024 at 10:00 AM, and will sell to the highest bidder
AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE FILE NUMBER: 24 SP 340 Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust executed by ANNA H. HORTON payable to RBC CENTURA BANK, lender, to C B SERVICES CORPORATION, Trustee, dated January 23, 2004, and recorded in Book 2440, Page 3032 of the Forsyth County Public Registry by Anthony Maselli or Genevieve Johnson, either of whom may act, Substitute Trustee, default having been made in the terms of agreement set forth by the loan agreement secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Anthony Maselli or Genevieve Johnson, either of whom may act, having been substituted as Successor Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Official Records of Forsyth County, North Carolina, in Book RE 3792, Page 757, and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Forsyth County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, on Wednesday, December 4, 2024 at 11:00AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the
Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Durham, Durham County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 3:00 PM on December 3, 2024 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Durham in the County of Durham, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: LYING on the eastern side of Oak Drive, containing 20,000.34 square feet, more or less, and being all of Lot 3 of the PROPERTY SUBDIVISION FOR JERRY S. CHESSON, as per plat and survey thereof now on file in Plat Book 75 at Page 67, in the Office of the Register of Deeds of Durham County, to which plat reference is hereby expressly made for a more particular description of same. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 1214 East Oak Drive, Durham, North Carolina. Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as
conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty
for cash the following described property situated in Forsyth County, North Carolina, to wit: ALL THAT PARCEL OF LAND IN TOWNSHIP OF WINSTON, FORSYTH COUNTY, STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, AS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED IN DEED BOOK 1161, PAGE 1161, ID# 2536- 013. BEING KNOWN AND DESIGNATED AS LOT 13, BLOCK A, SECTION 2, MORNINGSIDE MANOR, FILED IN PLAT BOOK 18, PAGE 172. BY FEE SIMPLE DEED FROM LEON WITHERSPOON AND BERNESE D. WITHERSPOON, HUSBAND AND WIFE AS SET FORTH IN BOOK 1161, PAGE 1161 DATED 11/28/1975 AND RECORDED 12/05/1975, FORSYTH COUNTY RECORDS, STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 1260 Peachtree St, Winston Salem, NC 27107. A certified check only (no personal checks)
following real estate situated in the County of Forsyth, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: PARCEL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER(S): 682830-3237.000 ADDRESS: 5116 BRITT DRIVE, WINSTON SALEM, NC 27105 PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): UNKNOWN HEIRS OF ANNA H. HORTON, DECEASED THE LAND DESCRIBED HEREIN IS SITUATED IN THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, COUNTY OF FORSYTH, AND IS DESCRIBED IN DEED BOOK 2440, PAGE 3032 AS FOLLOWS: BEING KNOWN AND DESIGNATED AS LOT NO. 61, AS SHOWN ON THE MAP OF CHERRYVIEW SECTION IV, RECORDED IN PLAT BOOK 24, AT PAGE 117 IN THE OFFICE OF THE REGISTER OF DEEDS OF FORSYTH COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, REFERENCE TO WHICH IS HEREBY MADE FOR A MORE PARTICULAR DESCRIPTION. Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1).
of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the sale, for purposes of inspection and/or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief
The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit.
of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are TONY LEMONT WILLIAMS. An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b)(2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. Pursuant to NCGS §45-21.25A, this sale may be subject to remote bids placed by bidders not physically present at the place of sale, which
Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including SingleFamily Residential Real Property: An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any
IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION FORSYTH COUNTY 17SP1209 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY JENNIFER L. BODINE DATED JANUARY 17, 2006 AND RECORDED IN BOOK RE2637 AT PAGE 335 AND MODIFIED BY AGREEMENT IN THE FORSYTH COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in payment of the secured debt and failure to perform the agreements contained therein and, pursuant to demand of the holder of the secured debt, the undersigned will expose for sale at public auction at the usual place of sale at the Forsyth County courthouse at 11:00AM on December 12, 2024, the following described real estate and any improvements situated thereon, in Forsyth County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Jennifer L. Bodine, dated January 17, 2006 to secure the original principal amount of $84,150.00, and recorded in Book RE2637 at Page 335 of the Forsyth County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended. Address of property: 2704 Windy Xing, Winston Salem, NC 27127 Tax Parcel ID: 6813-98-7760.00 Present Record Owners: Jennifer L. Bodine The record owner(s) of the property, according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Jennifer L. Bodine. The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance AS IS, WHERE IS. Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is subject to all prior liens and encumbrances and unpaid taxes and assessments including any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required from the highest bidder and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. Cash will not be accepted. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. After the expiration of the upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a
at the Forsyth County courthouse at 11:00AM on December 12, 2024, the following described real estate and any improvements situated thereon, in Forsyth County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Sonja L. Greer and Leonard K. Greer, dated December 30, 2005 to secure the original principal amount of $108,444.00, and recorded in Book 2629 at Page 162 of the Forsyth County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended. Address of property: 6940 Rangecrest Rd, Belews Creek, NC 27009 Tax Parcel ID: 6879-20-1648 Present Record Owners:
Leonard K. Greer and Sonja L. Greer
The record owner(s) of the property, according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Leonard K. Greer and Sonja L. Greer. The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance AS IS, WHERE IS. Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is subject to all prior liens and encumbrances and unpaid taxes and assessments including any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required from the highest bidder and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. Cash will not be accepted. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. After the expiration of the upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration
PURPOSES AND IS NOT INTENDED AS AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT A DEBT OR AS AN ACT TO COLLECT, ASSESS, OR RECOVER ALL OR ANY PORTION OF THE DEBT FROM YOU PERSONALLY. Samantha J. Kelley ROBERTSON, ANSCHUTZ, SCHNEID, CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC Attorneys for the Substitute Trustee P.O. Box 160 Jacksonville, NC 28541-0160 Telephone: (470) 321-7112
WAKE
IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION WAKE COUNTY 24SP001915-910
IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY THRU THE DOOR HOLDINGS, LLC DATED SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 18701 AT PAGE 1421 AND MODIFIED BY AGREEMENT RECORDED OCTOBER 19, 2022 IN BOOK 19177, PAGE 1150; AND FURTHER MODIFIED BY AGREEMENT RECORDED MARCH 4, 2024 IN BOOK 19553, PAGE 939 IN THE WAKE COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in payment of the secured debt and failure to perform the agreements contained therein and, pursuant to demand of the holder of the secured debt, the undersigned will expose for sale at public auction at the usual place of sale at the Wake County courthouse at 11:00AM on December 5, 2024, the following described real estate and any improvements situated thereon, in Wake County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Thru the Door Holdings, LLC, dated September 17, 2021 to secure the original principal amount of $111,337.98, and recorded in Book 18701 at Page 1421 of the Wake County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended.
of
N.
(PRESENT RECORD
Michelle N. Coleman) to Jennifer Grant, Trustee(s), dated June 16, 2015, and recorded in Book No. 016053, at Page 01352 in Wake County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Wake County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the Wake County Courthouse door, the Salisbury Street entrance in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, or the customary location
designated for foreclosure sales, at 1:30 PM on December 2, 2024 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Knightdale in the County of Wake, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: BEING all of Lot 748, Mingo Creek Subdivision, Phase III, Section 8 as shown on the plat recorded in Book of Maps 2007, Page 2908, Wake County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 1306 Plexor Lane, Knightdale, North Carolina. PIN ID #: 1743475360 1306 Plexor Lane Knightdale, NC 27545 Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1). The property to be offered
sudoku solutions
LAST WEEK
Address of property: 1011 Cross Link Road, Raleigh, NC 27610 Tax Parcel ID: 0012724 Present Record Owners: Thru The Door Holdings, LLC The record owner(s) of the property, according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Thru The Door Holdings, LLC. The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance AS IS, WHERE IS. Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is subject
pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of
to all prior liens and encumbrances and unpaid taxes and assessments including any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required from the highest bidder and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. Cash will not be accepted. This sale will be
and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any
certified funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the
November, 2023, and recorded in Book 19481, Page 531, in Wake County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds of Wake County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the Wake County Courthouse door, the Salisbury Street entrance in the City of Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, or the customary
location designated for foreclosure sales, at 1:30 p.m. on December 9, 2024 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in the Township of Raleigh, in the City of Raleigh, in the County of Wake, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: All that certain lot or parcel of land situated in the City of Raleigh, Raleigh Township, Wake County, North Carolina, and more particularly described as follows: BEING all of Lot 6, Block A, North Trail Subdivision, according to a map of same, recorded in Book of Maps 1971, Volume 1, page 120, Wake County Registry. Together with improvements thereon, said property located at 20 Lynn Road, Raleigh, NC 27609-3829 Property Address: 20 Lynn Road, Raleigh, NC 27609-3829 Parcel ID: 1706795991 Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in NCGS §45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must
pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by NCGS §7A-308(a)(1). The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws.
A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if
Wintry wonderland
Appalachian State student Berkley Coon slides down a snow-covered hill at Kidd Brewer Stadium before the App State and James Madison football game on Saturday in Boone.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Statewide holiday
‘Click It or Ticket’ campaign kicks off Last year in North Carolina, 495 people died in unbuckled crashes and Thanksgiving marks the launch of a statewide Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign. From Nov. 25Dec. 1, law enforcement officers across all 100 counties will increase patrols to keep everyone safe during the holiday travel period. Choosing not to buckle up is dangerous and can be expensive. Drivers in North Carolina can face up to $187 in fines and fees if anyone in their vehicle is not wearing a seat belt. Half of those killed in crashes in North Carolina were not wearing their seat belt.
CNN wants Lt. Gov’s defamation lawsuit thrown out
Raleigh
Stanly commissioners appoint replacement trustee to SCC board
Matthew Barringer will fill Cody Huneycutt’s unexpired seat
By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal
ALBEMARLE — At last week’s Stanly County Board of Commissioners meeting, Matthew Barringer was appointed to fill a term on the Stanly Community College Board of Trustees.
As a result of Cody Huneycutt’s election to N.C. House District 67 on Nov. 5 and his subsequent resignation from the college’s board of trustees four days later, a replacement was needed to fill his term that is set to expire in 2027. Last year, Huneycutt was ap-
pointed to a four-year term by the county commissioners.
County Manager Andy Lucas presented a letter from SCC Board of Trustees Chair Joe Brooks and opened up the floor for nominations.
“The chairman of the board of trustees wrote us a letter earlier this month letting us know that Mr. Huneycutt has resigned his unexpired term on the Stanly Community College Board of Trustees, effective on Nov. 9,” Lucas said. “The community college is letting us know that it is seeking an appointment to fill Mr. Huneycutt’s unexpired term, which will expire on June 30, 2027. There are multiple applications in your packet for consideration by the board to fill this unexpired term.”
The listed applicants in the
item’s agenda packet included Barringer, Donald Adkins, Gerald Efird, Shawanna Long, Melvin Poole and Renee Rogers.
Vice Chairman Mike Barbee nominated Poole, while Commissioner Scott Efird nominated Barringer. Once the time to vote arrived, a rough split gave Barringer four votes compared to Poole’s three votes.
Chairman Bill Lawhon joined Commissioners Peter Asciutto, Trent Hatley and Efird in voting for Barringer; Barbee joined Commissioners Patty Crump and Brandon King in voting for Poole.
The SCC Board of Trustees meets on the second Thursday of every other month at 5 p.m. Elsewhere, committee meetings — scheduled on the second and fourth Thursdays at 9 a.m.
Albemarle City Council approves park lighting renovations
The new project will cost the city more than $700K
By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal
ALBEMARLE — Two of Albemarle’s most popular parks will soon have new lighting at their ballfields. At the Albemarle City Council meeting on Nov. 18, the council discussed and unanimously approved a contract with Musco Sports Lighting that will authorize a light replacement project at both Don Montgomery Park and Rock Creek Park.
The park renovations, with an estimated completion time of early March 2025, add up to a $743,565 cost to the city.
ed to bring the contract to you,” said Lisa Kiser, director of Albemarle Parks and Recreation. “It’s an eight-to-12week manufacturing time, so we’re looking at hopefully early March.”
Mayor Pro-Tem Martha Sue Hall asked Kiser who would be the first to use the ballfields and their updated lighting, with the parks and rec director confirming that it would be high schools within the county.
“I’m just thrilled with this. Thank you,” Hall said.
— are held on the month the full board does not meet.
Of the 12 positions on the board, seven have been appointed by the county commissioners, while three have been picked by the state governor and two have been named by the N.C. General Assembly. With the addition of Barringer, the board now includes James Cecil Curlee Jr., Eddie F. Wall Jr., Joe Brooks, William “Clif” Robinson, Gerald W. Poplin, Courtney Lisk, Nancy Joines, Daisy Washington, Lisa Burris, Courtney Brown and Kelly Lowder.
The Stanly County Board of Commissioners is set to hold its next regular meeting on Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. inside the Gene McIntyre Meeting Room at Stanly County Commons.
ming pool, tennis and pickleball courts, a softball field, playground, one-mile walking trail and picnic shelter.
CNN wants a defamation lawsuit against it filed by North Carolina’s lieutenant governor dismissed. Mark Robinson filed the suit against the network for its report saying he once made explicit posts on a pornography website’s message board. The September report nearly led to the collapse of the Republican’s campaign for governor. Robinson ended up losing that race earlier this month. He sued in October and said, in part, the network failed to verify the posts. CNN’s filing on Thursday in federal court said that Robinson presented no evidence that the network believed its story was false or aired it recklessly. The report also detailed how they connected Robinson to a username on the website. $2.00
“I know you guys approved the project budget on the consent agenda, so I just want-
Hall then made a motion to approve the proposed contracts from Musco — a member of the cooperative purchasing organization Sourcewell — that received a second from Councilmember Benton Drye prior to a 7-0 vote. Within the contract, roughly 60% of the fund-
ing ($456,387) will go to the lighting replacements at Don Montgomery Park, located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 52 and Efird Street. As of 2023, the park is the home of the Uwharrie Wampus Cats wood-bat collegiate baseball team that will have its third season next summer, as well as Albemarle Dixie Youth baseball, Albemarle Babe Ruth baseball and Albemarle High School baseball.
Don Montgomery Park is connected to the Roger F. Snyder Greenway and hosts a playground and picnic shelter, along with its variety of ballfields.
The other 40% of the contract funding ($287,178) is designated for Rock Creek Park, located at 114 Rock Creek Drive.
Built in the 1930s as a Works Progress Administration project, the park contains a swim-
Musco Sports Lighting is slated to install its Light-Structure System with Total Light Control, complete with a Control-Link control and monitoring setup that will provide remote on/off and dimming control and performance monitoring. According to the approved contracts, the project will use precast concrete bases, galvanized steel poles, remote electrical component enclosures, wire harnesses and assembled luminaires.
The Albemarle City Council is set to meet again on Dec. 2 at 6:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers.
THE STANLY COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
North State Journal
(USPS 20451) (ISSN 2471-1365)
Neal Robbins, Publisher
Jim Sills, VP of Local Newspapers
Cory Lavalette, Senior Editor
Jordan Golson, Local News Editor
Shawn Krest, Sports Editor
Dan Reeves, Features Editor
Jesse Deal, Reporter
P.J. Ward-Brown, Photographer
BUSINESS
David Guy, Advertising Manager Published
1201
Pat Bramlett named grand marshal for Albemarle Christmas Parade
The parade is scheduled for Dec. 14 at 4 p.m.
By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal
ALBEMARLE — Following nominations from community members and an evaluation by a parade committee, the 2024 Albemarle Christmas Parade grand marshal has been officially named.
On Nov. 22, the city announced in a press release that Pat Bramlett will be this year’s grand marshal for the event scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 14, at 4 p.m. in downtown Albemarle.
“Pat Bramlett has devoted
her life to education and community service, making a lasting, positive impact on countless lives,” the City of Albemarle wrote in a message to city residents. “The parade committee received numerous thoughtful and deserving nominations, highlighting the remarkable individuals who make Albemarle a wonderful place to live and work.”
Bramlett’s career in education directly made an impact on the city. She served as one of the first computer lab instructors in Albemarle schools as well as the organizer for the inaugural Summer Computer Camp for elementary students.
She also held leadership positions as the director of Pro-
grams for Exceptional Children for both Albemarle City Schools and Stanly County Schools. Bramlett has involvement with the Daughters of the American Revolution – Yadkin River Patriots Chapter and volunteered for several community organizations, including the Stanly County Sports Hall of Fame, Keep Stanly Beautiful, the Stanly County Historical Society, Pfriends of the Pfeiffer Center for Health Services, and the Stanly County History Center. With a parade entry deadline of Dec. 3, members of the public are invited to participate in the Albemarle Christmas Parade by entering a float at albemarlenc. gov/christmas.
Bear cub returned to the wild after being harassed in Asheville
The bear bounded into the woods after being released
November 19
• Alfonsa Junior Bryant, 39, was arrested for injury to personal property.
November 20
• James Everette Foster, 41, was arrested for assault on a female, misdemeanor domestic violence, and felony probation violation.
• Trevor Allen Goode, 33, was arrested for firstdegree statutory rape.
November 21
• Brianna Brooke Talbert, 30, was arrested for felony probation violation, felony larceny, obtaining property by false pretenses, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
• Jeffery Sheldon Springer, 28, was arrested for felony possession of Schedule II controlled substance, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, felony larceny of a motor vehicle, larceny from a person, injury to personal property, and interfering with emergency communication.
November 23
• Kristen Elizabeth Turner, 27, was arrested for possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver Schedule II controlled substance, maintaining a vehicle/ dwelling/place for controlled substances, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The Associated Press ASHEVILLE — A bear cub, one of two pulled from a tree as a person posed for a photo, has been returned to the wild, according to North Carolina wildlife officials. The bear was released last month in an undisclosed, remote mountain area in western North Carolina, the state’s Wildlife Resources Commission announced Wednesday. A brief video of the release shows the cub bounding out of a carrier toward the camera on a small road, before spinning around and racing into the woods. The staffer who released her then fired a noise-maker meant to maintain a fear of humans.
Commission staff in April responded to a report of people harassing bear cubs at an Asheville apartment complex.
Officials were told the two cubs escaped after one bit a person, according to a commission news release. Video the commission posted online showed people pulling cubs from a tree. One person could also be seen posing for a photo while
holding one of the wild animals. After a loud screech, the person dropped the cub, who ran for a nearby fence. One cub was found later in a retention pond, wet and shivering, officials said. Ashley Hobbs, the commission’s co -
State elections chief wants Berger to take back vote manipulation comment
The state Senate leader suggested it was “count until somebody you want to win wins”
By Gary D. Robertson The Associated Press
RALEIGH — The N.C. State Board of Elections’ top administrator asked a powerful legislator on Thursday to retract a comment that he made suggesting this month’s results were being manipulated, saying it could lead to threats against local election workers.
“You are a top leader of our state government. What you say matters,” Karen Brinson Bell, the board’s executive director, wrote to state Senate leader Phil Berger in response to his words from Wednesday.
“When you tell your fellow citizens that an election is being conducted fraudulently, they listen.”
Berger, a Republican, was speaking to reporters following the final passage of a bill that
in part would shift next year the authority to appoint the State Board of Elections from the governor to the state auditor. The new governor in 2025 will remain a Democrat in Josh Stein, while the next auditor will be a Republican. Changes also would likely filter down to county elections boards.
Republicans have expressed frustration about a state Supreme Court race where GOP candidate Jefferson Griffin was leading on election night. But a 10,000-vote deficit for Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs was eliminated as county boards added qualifying provisional and absentee ballots to the totals. Griffin, now trailing, asked for a recount now underway and has filed protests.
Without mentioning the court race by name or specifics of electoral influence, Berger told reporters that “we’re seeing played out at this point another episode of ‘Count Until Somebody You Want to Win Wins.’”
In the letter, first reported
by North Carolina Public Radio, Brinson Bell wrote that Berger’s accusation “has absolutely no basis in fact,” and that county boards, where hundreds of Democrats and Republicans serve, “were duty-bound to count eligible provisional and absentee ballots” before last Friday’s canvass. Some did not finish their work until this week.
The legislation also would move up the deadlines so that election officials finish counting outstanding ballots more quickly.
Berger’s office didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Brinson Bell’s letter — an unusual communication by an agency head to one of the state’s most influential politicians.
Brinson Bell told Berger that “baseless accusations of wrongdoing” over the 2020 elections led election administrators to leave their profession and bring emotional stress, too.
“I fear for the people running elections in this state, including in your own communi-
its upcoming Christmas parade.
ordinator for BearWise, a program aimed at helping people “live responsibly with black bears,” captured the cub and described her as “lethargic and frightened” and favoring one of her paws. That cub was taken to a rehabilitation facility, but the second cub was never found, officials said.
The commission investigated the incident, but no charges were filed.
Once staff determined the cub was healthy and could survive in the wild, she was fitted with a tracking collar and given identifying tags and marks before being released last month, officials said in a news release on Wednesday.
Data from the bear’s collar showed she was adjusting well to life in the wild, Hobbs said in the release.
“Like most rehabilitated black bear cubs, we expect this cub to follow its instincts this winter and identify an appropriate location to den,” Hobbs said. “Bear cubs are resilient animals, and it looks like this cub won’t be an exception.” Commission wildlife biologists say when cubs are seen alone, mother bears are often foraging nearby. They warn that trying to catch a cub could inadvertently separate it from its mother or injure the cub.
ty, that some misguided people will conclude from your statements that actions must be taken, perhaps through the use of threats or violence,” Brinson Bell said.
The state board and county boards, while bipartisan, are controlled by Democrats. A Democratic state board first hired Brinson Bell for the job in 2019. Her future at the post may be jeopardized should the bill moving state board appointing power to Republican Auditor Dave Boliek be enacted and avoids being struck down by courts. Republican legislators have previously expressed displeasure at some of Brinson Bell’s actions.
Berger said Wednesday that he wants a board that “functionally operates in a way that is just counting the votes, not pulling for one side or the other.” Logistically, elections went relatively well in the battleground state won by Republican Donald Trump, despite disruptions caused by Hurricane Helene’s historic flooding. The General Assembly passed legislation providing flexibility to 25 western counties affected most by the storm, leading to altered early-vote sites and schedules. A handful of Election Day precincts set up shop in tents.
COURTESY CITY OF ALBEMARLE
Pat Bramlett will be Albemarle’s grand marshal at
COURTESY NCWRC
This still from a video posted by the WRC shows the bear running into the woods after being released.
THE CONVERSATION
Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
COLUMN | STEPHEN MOORE
Breaking up Google will be a great American catastrophe
Few, if any, companies spend more money on product innovation and refinement than Google does.
EARLIER THIS YEAR, in one of the most absurd court rulings in modern times, federal judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google violated U.S. antitrust law by gaining a monopoly in the search engine markets.
In the days or weeks ahead, the courts will decide whether to break up one of America’s most iconic companies or to sell off some of its activities and products. The latest reports are that the courts may require Google to sell off its popular Chrome browser. (To whom? China?) It may also require Google to surrender other products to help erase its market lead.
With a market cap of roughly $2 trillion,
Google is one of the five most profitable companies in the world. It got there by offering a search engine service for free to hundreds of millions of customers. This may be the largest benefit to consumers of any company in world history.
Yet the courts ruled that: “Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly.” It was found guilty of violating Section 2 of the Sherman Act. Yet the Sherman Act was meant to protect against companies that use their size and scope to raise prices. Google’s sin is that it produces superior products at prices that are too low. One statistic was cited as evidence of monopoly behavior: Back in 2009, Google controlled 80% of the search engine market, and today it is closer to 90%.
What was remarkable and dangerous about this decision is that the courts openly conceded that Google gained this dominant market share by making the best search engine, and that it is made easily available to almost all consumers at very low costs.
How weird is this? Keeping prices low and relentlessly improving product performance
is illegal because it is unfair to a company’s competitors? This is doubly absurd given that we have the Biden administration accusing companies like grocery stores of raising their prices. So in America today, if you raise your prices, you are a greedy profiteer, and if you lower your prices, you’re a monopolist that has to pay restitution to your less efficient competitors.
The argument for breaking up Google gets even more nonsensical when you listen to the Biden administration’s cockeyed excuses for punishing Google. The Department of Justice’s chief antitrust officer says: “This landmark decision ... paves the path for innovation for generations to come and protects access to information for all Americans.”
This is a preposterous statement. Few, if any, companies spend more money on product innovation and refinement than Google does. And as far as “protecting access to information for all Americans,” no company in history has opened up more access to information than Google. No other company even comes close. It has brought the equivalent of the entire Library of Congress to the fingertips of everyone with a laptop computer in a matter of a few seconds. That’s not an antitrust violation. It is a miracle of innovation that deserves our deepest appreciation.
Even worse, this lawsuit piggybacks off the hostile actions by America’s European and Chinese tech rivals, whose inferior search engines can’t compete with Google. As recourse, they want to loot tens of millions of American shareholders who invest in Google. Instead of defending an American company against foreign raiders, we have the U.S. Justice Department and federal courts giving aid to those hostile
lawsuits and bolstering their legitimacy.
Can anyone imagine for a moment that a German or a Japanese or a Chinese court would be stupid enough to rule against their own domestic company that has come to dominate a globally strategic industry and has created tens of thousands of high-paying jobs for its citizens while making hundreds of billions of dollars for its own citizen shareholders? Only in America.
Many conservatives moan that Google has developed algorithms that discriminate against viewpoints and studies that have a right-leaning perspective. That’s definitely a problem, but there are many other search engines available, like Bing and DuckDuckGo, that consumers can use as alternatives to Google. We certainly don’t want the government or politicians like Sens. Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren regulating what can and can’t be accessed on a private search engine platform. Even worse would be handing more business over to Chinese browsers that will clearly serve up misinformation.
Several years ago, a landmark study by economists Erik Brynjolfsson of Stanford University and Avinash Collis of Carnegie Mellon University estimated that the median U.S. user values search engines at $17,500 per year. Today, that number is easily more than $20,000 of value added for the average person with a laptop computer or a smartphone — which is nearly all of us.
This is the very definition of a gift horse to nearly all Americans. And our government and its throng of lawyers with goofy legal theories are risking killing it.
Stephen Moore is a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation. He is also an economic adviser to the Trump campaign.
Debunking the left’s deportation hysteria
Illegal immigrant parents should be allowed and encouraged to take their children with them when they leave.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ACTIVISTS are already panicked that Donald Trump will keep one of his biggest campaign promises.
Trump recently announced that Tom Homan will be his “border czar.” Homan isn’t a household name, but he’s had a long career in government. Homan was the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first term. He was also ICE’s executive associate director of enforcement and removal operations under President Barack Obama. Trump wants him to put those skills to use.
“Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise. During the campaign, Trump vowed to oversee “the largest deportation operation in the history of our country.”
Many voters welcomed this. The millions of illegal aliens who entered the country since President Joe Biden took office overwhelmed even self-declared “sanctuary” cities. In several high-profile cases, like the death of Laken Riley, officials believe illegal immigrants murdered Americans. A Venezuelan gang even took over an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado.
But the left’s fearmongering over Trump’s deportation plans has already begun. Their first objection is that it’s logistically
impossible. It would be very difficult to identify and move 15 million illegal immigrants out of the country. But it’s also hard to solve every murder case. That doesn’t keep police from solving the ones they can.
In an August interview, now-Vice President-elect J.D. Vance endorsed this stepby-step approach. “Let’s start with 1 million” and “then we can go from there,” he said.
The next objection is that it will cost too much. There is an element of truth here. Enforcing laws is costly. But as blue cities learned the hard way, the “defund the police” alternative is far worse.
This concern ignores how expensive it is for state and local governments to provide services to illegal immigrants. In 2023, New York City officials estimated illegal immigrants cost the city $4 billion annually. For context, in 2023, NYPD’s annual budget was $5.8 billion.
Also, you should never take Democrats seriously when they object to spending government money. Just look at the trillions they doled out during Biden’s first term.
Another concern is that deporting illegals will hurt the economy. The theory is that deporting millions of illegal immigrants would shrink the supply of low-skilled workers. That would force companies to pay higher wages, which would raise prices.
It probably would for some products, but look at the why again. Illegal immigrants
have artificially boosted the supply of people competing for entry-level jobs and working in manual labor industries like construction.
That’s lowered wages for low-skill workers. Boosting those wages would be a good thing, even if it raises prices for those higher up the income ladder. Plus, removing millions of illegal immigrants would lower housing prices.
Finally, there will be claims that it’s cruel. The propaganda press is eager to blame deportations for causing a “family separation” crisis. But deportations don’t need to include that. Illegal immigrant parents should be allowed and encouraged to take their children with them when they leave.
Also, the government routinely separates U.S. citizens who commit crimes from their children. The responsibility in both cases lies with the parents who broke the law.
There’s also a practical benefit to Trump talking up deportations and reinstituting things like his “Remain in Mexico” policy. It will decrease the amount of illegal immigration. If would-be illegal immigrants know they won’t be able to enter and stay in the country, fewer will even try to cross the border. Regardless of how deportations go, that would be a major victory.
Victor Joecks is a columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Trudeau to cut sales tax, send checks to millions of Canadians
The move comes as the prime minister eyes a fourth term
By Rob Gillies The Associated Press
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia —
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government announced plans last Thursday to temporarily lift the federal sales tax off a number of items and send checks to millions of Canadians who are dealing with rising costs and as a federal election looms.
The measures come as a cost-of-living crisis has left voters unhappy with Trudeau and ahead of an election that could come anytime between this fall and next October.
“Our government can’t set prices at the checkout, but we can put more money in people’s pockets,” Trudeau said at a press conference in Toronto.
Under the plan, Canadians who worked in 2023 and earned up to 150,000 Canadian dollars (US$ 107,440) will receive a check for 250 Canadian dollars.
Trudeau noted that even those earning at the high end of that amount have been struggling to get by.
An estimated 18.7 million
Canadians will receive the onetime check.
The federal goods and services tax break would begin Dec. 14 and end Feb. 15.
The government said the tax break will apply to a number of items, including children’s clothing and shoes, toys, diapers, restaurant meals, beer and wine. It also applies to Christmas trees, a variety of snack foods and beverages, and video game consoles.
Opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre called the announcement a “two month temporary tax trick” that won’t make up for carbon taxes that are set to go up.
Trudeau has said he will lead his Liberal Party into the next election. No Canadian prime minister in more than a century has won four straight terms. Trudeau channeled the star power of his father in 2015 when he reasserted the country’s liberal identity in 2015 after almost 10 years of Conservative rule. But the son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau is now in trouble. Canadians have been frustrated by the cost of living coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Liberals trail the opposition Conservatives 39% to 26% in the latest Nanos poll. The poll of 1,047 respondents has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
“Politically, it’s probably too little too late, and it feels like a desperate move on the part of an unpopular government,” said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.
UN nuclear board condemns Iran again for failure to cooperate
France, Germany and Britain put forth the resolution
By Stephanie Liechtenstein The Associated Press
VIENNA — The U.N. nuclear watchdog’s board on Thursday condemned Iran for failing to cooperate fully with the agency, the second time it has done so in just five months.
The International Atomic Energy Agency also called on Tehran to provide answers in a long-running investigation into uranium particles found at two locations that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites.
Nineteen members of the IAEA board voted for the resolution, while Russia, China and Burkina Faso opposed it, and 12 abstained and one did not vote, according to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the outcome of the closed-doors vote.
The resolution was put forward by France, Germany and Britain, supported by the United States. It comes at a critical time, ahead of Donald Trump’s
return to the White House.
Trump’s first term in office was marked by a particularly tense period with Iran when the U.S. president pursued a policy of “maximum pressure” against Tehran. In 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers and imposed even harsher sanctions that have since hobbled Iran’s economy further.
The resolution comes on the heels of a confidential report earlier this week in which the IAEA said Iran has defied international demands to rein in its nuclear program and has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.
That report, seen by the AP on Tuesday, said that as of Oct. 26, Iran has accumulated 401.9 pounds of uranium enriched up to 60%, an increase of 38.8 pounds since the last IAEA report in August. Uranium enriched at 60% purity is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
The resolution approved on Thursday requires the IAEA to now produce a “comprehensive and updated assessment” of Iran’s nuclear activities, which
could eventually trigger a referral to the U.N. Security Council to consider more sanctions on Tehran.
In a joint statement issued after the approval of the resolution, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and the Iranian foreign ministry condemned the passing of the resolution, saying that Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami has issued orders to launch new and advanced centrifuges, powerful machines that spin rapidly to enrich uranium.
In the past, the IAEA has named two locations near Tehran — Varamin and Turquzabad — where there have been traces of processed uranium, according to IAEA inspectors. Thursday’s resolution homed in on those locations, asking Tehran to provide “technically credible explanations” for the presence of the uranium particles at the sites.”
The IAEA has urged Iran to also provide answers about the origin and current location of that nuclear material in order for it “to be in a position to provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful.”
Western officials suspect the uranium traces discovered by
the IAEA could provide evidence Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program until at least 2003. Tehran insists its program is peaceful.
One of the sites became known publicly in 2018 after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed it at the United Nations and called it a clandestine nuclear warehouse hidden at a rug-cleaning plant.
Iran denied that, though IAEA inspectors later found the manmade uranium particles there.
While the number of sites about which the IAEA has questions has been reduced from four to two since 2019, lingering questions have been a persistent source of tensions.
On the subject of Varamin, the IAEA said that inspectors believe Iran used the site from 1999 until 2003 as a pilot project to process uranium ore and convert it into a gas form, which then can be enriched through spinning in a centrifuge. The IAEA said buildings at the site had been demolished in 2004.
Turquzabad, the second location, is where the IAEA believes Iran brought some of the material from Varamin amid the demolition, though it said that alone cannot “explain the presence of the multiple types of isotopically altered particles” found there.
Last Thursday’s resolution before the 35-member board at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna called on Tehran to explain the
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, right, shakes hands with International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi at the start of their meeting Nov. 14 in Tehran.
presence of the uranium particles at Varamin and Turquzabad, inform the U.N. nuclear watchdog about the current whereabouts of that nuclear material, and grant access to IAEA inspectors to all Iranian nuclear locations.
Tehran continues to maintain that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes and has told the IAEA that it has declared all of the nuclear material, activities and locations required under a so-called Safeguard Agreement it has with the IAEA.
Iranian officials have vowed to retaliate immediately if a resolution is passed. In the past, Tehran has responded to IAEA resolutions by stepping up its nuclear activities.
The resolution also requires IAEA director general Rafael Grossi to provide an updated assessment of Iran’s nuclear program — including the possible presence of undeclared nuclear material at the two locations — by spring 2025 at the latest.
The assessment could be a basis for possible further steps by European nations, diplomats said, leading to a potential escalation in tensions between Iran and the West. It could also provide a basis for European countries to trigger sanctions against Iran ahead of October 2025, when the original 2015 Iran nuclear deal expires, the diplomats said.
IRANIAN PRESIDENCY OFFICE VIA AP
CHRIS YOUNG / THE CANADIAN PRESS VIA AP
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visits Vince’s Market, a grocery store in Sharon, Ontario, on Nov. 21.
STANLY SPORTS
South Stanly football loses in second round of state playoffs
The Bulls finished their 2024 campaign with a 6-5 record
By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal
NORWOOD — Playing on its home field at K.L. Young Stadium Friday night, South Stanly’s football team carried the hope of advancing to the third round of the NCHSAA state playoffs.
Instead, the eighth-seeded Rowdy Rebel Bulls (6-5) fell victim to the ninth-seeded Starmount Rams (11-1) in a 37-19 home defeat, eliminating the last Stanly County team alive in the tournament; North Stanly (6-5) and Albemarle (3-8) each fell short in their first-round matchups.
The 1A West Regional matchup marked the follow-up to South’s 34-7 home win over the No. 25 Avery County Vikings (2-8) on Nov. 15, as well as Starmount’s first game since blanking the No. 24 An-
drews Wildcats (4 - 6) in a 51-0 first-round shutout that same night.
Over the weekend, the Bulls trailed by just seven points at halftime but were unable to make up for three interceptions that helped the Rams outscore South by a margin of 23-12 in the second half.
It was the Bulls who recorded the first touchdown of the night as running back Carter Callicutt had a long dash to the end zone to put the first points on the board. Starmount running back Savian Billips quickly responded with a touchdown rush of his own.
Late in the second quarter, Rams quarterback Luke Collins kept the ball in his own hands as he scored on a run to give his team a 14-7 lead heading into halftime. Still showing signs of life, South fired back as quarterback Kaleb Richardson connected with wide receiver Jasiah Holt on a 50-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter.
A few minutes later, Star -
mount’s Cody Hernandez gave the Rams a 22-13 edge, leading to a series of interceptions by Richardson that resulted in another rushing touchdown by Collins.
With the game quickly getting out of reach for the Bulls, Starmount led 30-13 entering the fourth quarter as each team added another touchdown in the closing minutes of play.
The Rams are now set to travel to top-seeded and undefeated Mount Airy (12-0), while the Bulls’ 2024 campaign has reached its end.
Under the leadership of second-year coach Terry Shankle, South finished the regular season at third place in the Yadkin Valley Conference with a 2-2 conference record, falling short of the team’s hunt for its first conference title in more than three decades.
However, South’s first-round state playoff victory allowed the Bulls to hit six wins and achieve their first winning season in six years.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Kylie Speight
North Stanly, volleyball
Kylie Speight is a senior for the North Stanly volleyball team. She was also the Yadkin Valley Conference player of the year in softball last spring.
Speight added to her trophy case after volleyball season. The Comets finished 25-7 and a perfect 10-0 in the Yadkin Valley, advancing to the state 2A semifinals. Speight led the team with more than 1,000 assists and was third in aces and kills per set.
The North Carolina Volleyball Coaches Association released its all-region teams, and Speight was named to the all-region team for Region 6. Two weeks later, the NCVCA also named her second-team all-state.
It’s getting harder to stay on the PGA Tour — here’s why
The tour is making its biggest changes to eligibility in 40 years
By Doug Ferguson
The Associated Press
THE PGA TOUR is making the most sweeping changes to its eligibility in more than 40 years by eliminating 25 tour cards, along with shrinking the size of its fields.
The all-exempt tour had been in place since 1983, meaning the top 125 players from the official money list — now the FedEx Cup standings — kept a full PGA Tour card the following season.
That changes in 2026. Only the top 100 players will earn full tour cards for the following year. The top 30 from the developmental Korn Ferry Tour used to advance to the PGA Tour. That goes to 20. Five players from qualifying school will get cards — it previously was the top five and ties. Here’s a look at what’s behind the changes and what it means.
Why is there a need to reduce the number of full PGA Tour cards?
The all-exempt tour led to a bloated membership in which
nearly 200 players were on the membership rolls through one exemption or another, and those toward the bottom of the priority list could not get into all the tournaments they wanted to play.
Those who graduated from the Korn Ferry Tour, for example, could only get in three or four tournaments over the first few months of the season, giving them a disadvantage.
The PGA Tour believes that limited full status to the top 100 instead of the top 125 will give everyone who earns a card a fair chance at getting into regular tournaments.
Who benefits from the PGA Tour changes?
Those who perennially finish in the top 100 should have no trouble keeping their cards, and they will have fewer players to beat because the fields will be smaller.
It also helps newcomers from the Korn Ferry Tour, European tour and Q-school.
They can expect to get into every regular tournament, increasing their odds of getting into some of the $20 million signature events.
The PGA Tour is likely to be even more competitive with a greater chance of the top names in contention.
The tour also hopes it will improve the pace of play and keep rounds from spilling over into the next day.
Who is hurt by the new PGA Tour rules?
Players like Peter Malna-
ti and Taylor Pendrith come to mind. Under the new system, neither would have had a full PGA Tour card this year and likely would not have been in the fields for the tournaments they won — Malnati at the Valspar Championship and Pendrith at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Those wins make them exempt through 2026. Players who have not performed consistently well, who seem to struggle each year just
to finish in the top 125, will have to be at their best to stay on tour.
What happens to the dreamers of pro golf?
The PGA Tour also is reducing the four spots from Monday qualifiers at open tournaments. Now there will only two spots for 132-man fields and none for fields of 120. There has been only one Monday qualifier to win in the last five years — Corey Conners in the 2019 Texas Open.
Does this affect golf’s majors?
The four majors are not run by the PGA Tour. The Masters has the smallest field, typically fewer than 100 players. The U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship have 156 -man fields.
The Players Championship, the premier event run by the PGA Tour, is reducing its field from 144 players to 120.
ROGELIO V. SOLIS / AP PHOTO
Peter Malnati watches his drive off the second tee during the pro-am ahead of the Sanderson Farms Championship golf tournament.
Logano has rebuilt career and Team Penske organization while racing to 3rd NASCAR
Rogers Penske gave a second chance to Logano as a struggling NASCAR Cup Series newcomer
By Jenna Fryer
The Associated Press
CHARLOTTE — Two wins in four seasons at Joe Gibbs Racing certainly didn’t get the job done for Joey Logano, not after replacing Hall of Famer Tony Stewart and entering NASCAR with the nickname “Sliced Bread” because you’re allegedly the next best thing.
He knew his days with Gibbs were winding down in 2012, the same time Roger Penske
found himself in need of a driver.
Logano joining Team Penske changed the entire organization. It only happened, Penske believes, because the organization pledged its support to Logano at his lowest career moment.
“I think first he had to shake off some of the reputation he had. They called him ‘Sliced Bread,’” said Penske. “But he shook that off pretty quickly. We were behind him, and I think that was key, and he just grew and grew and grew.”
Bombing out at JGR ultimately put Logano on a far better path. Since joining Penske in 2013, Logano has logged 34 of his 36 career Cup Series wins. He let the JGR flameout light
his fire for his move to the No. 22 Ford.
“I don’t think it’s the No. 1 motivator, but you like to prove people wrong, don’t you? You know what I mean? You’d like to shut up the critics,” Logano said. “I don’t have anything bad to say about JGR. I think they’re a great race team, and I understand the decision they made. We weren’t winning. Something has to change.
“But do you take that with you when you leave a little bit? Yeah, you probably do. You’re a little bitter about it,” Logano added.
Logano thrives on driving with a bit of an edge, finding something he can take as a slight and use for motivation.
In winning his third title, Lo-
title
gano left Charlotte Motor Speedway in October eliminated from the round of eight. Hours later, Alex Bowman was disqualified for failing post-race inspection. Logano was suddenly back in. He then won the opening race of the third round to become the first driver to earn an automatic berth into the championship finale. Logano over the final month of the season used every bit of criticism against him to push him to another level. He wasn’t the new kid in NASCAR anymore, and he didn’t have a great year — just a single victory during the regular season, on fuel mileage, no less — and he was ranked 15th in the 16-driver playoff field.
He was wound so tight headed into the finale that he was uncharacteristically graphic in his post-qualifying news conference when asked if it was his championship to lose and said, “Yeah, we’ve got ‘em where we want ’em. We just gotta put our foot on their throats from here.”
He was then up at 6 a.m. on race day reviewing notes with Paul Wolfe, now the only active three-time champion crew chief. Logano, a father of three and considered a team leader at Team Penske and Ford, said something changes inside him when he can see the finish line.
“It’s just closer to the goal I become more intense, probably a little shorter-fused,” Logano said. “I try to achieve the same intensity level all year long, but it just seems like when it comes down to the end, you find another gear, and it’s really hard to get to it a lot of times. But I think that’s throughout the whole team, too. It’s not just me.”
Noodles, wine among secret ingredients for strange new twist in China’s doping saga
Positive drug tests of nearly two dozen swimmers were blamed on food contamination
By Eddie Pells
The Associated Press
IT LOOKED like a recipe for disaster. So when his country’s swimmers were being accused of doping earlier this year, one Chinese official cooked up something fast. He blamed it on contaminated noodles.
In fact, he argued, it could have been a culinary conspiracy concocted by criminals, whose actions led to the cooking wine used to prepare the noodles being laced with a banned heart drug that found its way into an athlete’s system.
This theory was spelled out to international anti-doping officials during a meeting and, after weeks of wrangling, finally made it into the thousands of pages of data handed over to the lawyer who investigated the case involving 23 Chinese swimmers who had test-
ed positive for that same drug.
The attorney, appointed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, refused to consider that scenario as he sifted through the evidence. In spelling out his reasoning, lawyer Eric Cottier paid heed to the half-baked nature of the theory.
to the ways the Chinese explain the TMZ case than a James Bond movie,” said Rob Koehler, the director general of the advocacy group Global Athlete. “And all of it is complete fiction.”
In April, reporting from The New York Times and the German broadcaster ARD revealed that the 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for the banned heart medication trimetazidine, also known as TMZ.
tist “saw no other solution than to accept it, even if he continued to have doubts about the reality of contamination as described by the Chinese authorities.”
A mystery remained: How did those traces of TMZ get into the kitchen?
A pharmaceutical factory, explained the leader of China’s agency, Li Zhiquan, had used industrial alcohol in the distillation process for producing TMZ. The industrial alcohol laced with the drug “then entered the market through illegal channels,” he said.
The alcohol “was re-used by the perpetrators to process and produce cooking wine, which is an important seasoning used locally to make beef noodles,” Li said. “The contaminated beef noodles were consumed by that athlete, resulting in an extremely low concentration of TMZ in the positive sample.
Even without the contaminated-noodles theory, Cottier found problems with the way WADA and the Chinese handled the case but ultimately determined WADA had acted reasonably in not appealing China’s conclusion that its athletes had been inadvertently contaminated.
“There are more story twists
“The Investigator considers this scenario, which he has described in the conditional tense, to be possible, no less, no more,” Cottier wrote.
China’s anti-doping agency determined the athletes had been contaminated, and so, did not sanction them. WADA accepted that explanation, did not press the case further, and China was never made to deliver a public notice about the “no-fault findings,” as is often seen in similar cases.
The stock explanation for the contamination was that traces of TMZ were found in the kitchen of a hotel where the swimmers were staying. In his 58page report, Cottier relayed some suspicions about the feasibility of that chain of events — noting that WADA’s chief scien-
“The wrongdoers involved have been brought to justice.” Meanwhile, 11 of the swimmers who originally tested positive competed at the Paris Games earlier this year in a meet held under the cloud of the Chinese doping case.
“It gives the appearance that people are just making things up as they go along on this, and hoping the story just goes away,” Koehler said. “Which clearly it has not.”
EUGENE HOSHIKO / AP PHOTO Military salute the Chinese flag during the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
JOHN LOCHER / AP PHOTO
Joey Logano does a victory lap after winning his third NASCAR Cup Series championship.
Aida Alicia Delgado De Holguin
Barbara Jean (Taylor) Drye
Feb. 22, 1936 – Nov. 21, 2024
April 17, 1936 ~ January 14, 2023
Barbara Jean Taylor Drye, 86, of Oakboro, passed away Saturday, January 14, 2023 at her home.
Barbara was born April 17, 1936 in North Carolina to the late Robert Lee Taylor and the late Eva Belle Watts Taylor. She was also preceded in death by husband of 61 years, Keith Furr Drye, and brothers, Robert Lee Taylor, Jr. and George Kenneth Taylor.
Calvin Charles Rushing
Dwight Farmer
Oct. 16, 1942 – Nov. 20, 2024
January 24, 1939 ~ January 15, 2023
Arthur Donald Drye
James Roseboro
Aug. 27, 1925 – Nov. 19, 2024
June 23, 1967 ~ January 10, 2023
Donald Eugene Bowers
John B. Kluttz
Feb. 16, 1943 – Nov. 21, 2024
Janet Gardner Fleming
Feb. 15, 1953 – Nov. 20, 2024
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 Garfield.
Aida Alicia Delgado De Holguin, 88, of Monroe passed away on Thursday, November 21, 2024. Her funeral mass will be held on Saturday, November 23, 2024, at 9 a.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church with Father Benjamin Roberts officiating. Burial will follow in Evergreen Cemetery. The family will receive friends at Davis Chapel on Friday, November 22, 2024, from 3 until 5 p.m. Born February 22, 1936 in Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico. She was the daughter of the late Esteban Delgado and Ana Montes Delgado. She was a homemaker and member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Her faith was an important part of her life, and she was very active in her church. Caring for others, especially the needy, was a vital part of her life and faith. She loved her grandchildren, and she also loved gardening and arts and crafts.
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.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Rogelio Holguin Carrillo. Survivors include seven children Soledad Alicia Dix of Columbia, SC, Guadalupe Lugo of Columbia, SC, Hector Rogelio Holguin Delgado of Mexico, Roberto Holguin Delgado of Charlotte, Angelica Eddy of Fort Mill, Jose Angel Holguin Delgado of Mexico, and Edith Xitlalic Holguin of Indian Trail, a brother Rogelio Delgado Montes of Mexico, 17 grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren. A daughter, Alicia Dix, preceded her in death.
Davis Chapel - Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Monroe is serving the De Holguin family.
Aida Alicia Delgado De Holguín, de 88 años, de Monroe, falleció el jueves 21 de noviembre de 2024. Su misa se celebrará el sabado a las 9 AM en la Iglesia Católica de Nuestra Señora de Lourdes, con el Padre Benjamin Roberts oficiando. El entierro será en el Cementerio Evergreen. La familia recibirá a los amigos en la Capilla Davis el viernes desde las 3 hasta las 5 p.m. Nació el 22 de febrero de 1936 en Parral, Chihuahua, México. Fue hija del fallecido Esteban Delgado y Ana Montes Delgado. Fue ama de casa y miembro de la Iglesia Católica de Nuestra Señora de Lourdes. Su fe fue una parte importante de su vida y estuvo muy activa en su iglesia. Cuidar de los demás, especialmente de los necesitados, fue una parte vital de su vida y fe. También amaba la jardinería y las artes y manualidades. Le precedió en la muerte su esposo, Rogelio Holguín Carrillo. Los sobrevivientes incluyen a siete hijos: Soledad Alicia Dix de Columbia, SC, Guadalupe Lugo de Columbia, SC, Héctor Rogelio Holguín Delgado de México, Roberto Holguín Delgado de Charlotte, Ángelica Eddy de Fort Mill, José Ángel Holguín Delgado de México, y Edith Xitlalic Holguín de Indian Trail, un hermano, Rogelio Delgado Montes de México, 17 nietos y 17 bisnietos. Una de sus hijas, Alicia Dix, la precedió en la muerte.
Calvin Charles Rushing, 82, of Mount Gilead passed away Wednesday, November 20, 2024.
Dwight Britten Farmer Sr., 83, of Norwood died Sunday morning, January 15, 2023 at Forrest Oakes.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, November 23, 2024, at First Baptist Church, Mount Gilead. Rev. Kevin Taylor will officiate. The family will receive friends after the service in the church fellowship hall.
James Arthur Roseboro, 55, of Albemarle, passed away Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at Anson Health and Rehab.
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.
Calvin was born October 16, 1942, in Wayne County, Michigan to the late William Henry and Ruth Graham Rushing.
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 Sheriff’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.
Calvin was an active member of First Baptist Church where he served on many committees as well as a Deacon. He was the owner and operator of Rushing’s Diamonds, Gifts and Jewelry in Mount Gilead. He was a past President of the Eastern Jewelers Travelers Association. He was very community-oriented having been a member of the Mount Gilead Civitans and past President of Piney Point Golf Club.
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 an avid golfer and a proud Tar Heel fan! He loved his family and was a proud dad, grandpa and great-grandpa.
He was preceded in death by his son Alex, brothers, Tommy and Jimmy, sisters, Nancy, Cornelia Annabell, Glennie Mae, and Betty.
Calvin and Jane shared many vacations together with their family. He was a great cook and baker.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers, Gerald, Bill and Dennis Rushing.
Memorials may be made to Cedar Grove United Methodist Church, Cemetery or Choir Fund c/o Pam Smith 36071 Rocky River Springs Road, Norwood, NC 28128.
He is survived by his wife, Jane Ballard Rshing of the home; sons, Stephen Dale Rushing (Ashley) of Goldsboro, Gregory Scott Rushing(Holly Bumgardner) of Mooresville; grandchildren, Kayla Belanger(Timothy), Alec Rushing(Karlee) and Kendall Rushing; great-grandchildren, River, Remi, Parker and Landon Belanger and Arthur Rushing. Memorials may be made to: First Baptist Church, P. O. Box 207, Mount Gilead, NC 27306.
Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in SCJ at obits@stanlyjournal.com
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.
Arthur Donald Drye, 99, of Raleigh passed away on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, at Abbotswood at Stonehenge. Funeral services will be held at noon on Friday, November 22, 2024, at the Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care Chapel in Albemarle, NC officiated by Pastor John Roe. Burial will follow at Randall by the River Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. prior to the service.
Mr. Drye was born on August 27, 1925, in Stanly County to the late Arthur and Maude Drye. He is lovingly survived by his sons, Donald Drye of Raleigh, NC, and Edward Drye and his wife Carla of Dayton, OH. Those also left to cherish his memory are grandchildren, Christopher Drye (Erin), Brittany Rizzuto (Kris), Stewart Blatt (Vanessa), and Bryan Drye, and greatgrandchildren, Derek, Christian, Jenna, Braedin, Kaeleb, Hudson and Callen.
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.
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.
Mr. Drye was preceded in death by his wife, Lucille Drye, daughter-in-law, Jean Drye, and brothers, Banks Drye, Carlee Drye, Felix Drye, and Harry Drye. Arthur was a great dad, grandad, great-granddad, neighbor and friend. To know him was to love him and he will be dearly missed by all! In his early life, he was dedicated to his church where he sang in the church choir, including special solos. He also served as the church treasurer. He was an avid HAM radio operator, and very interested in the advancement of technology. He loved gardening and genealogy and was the family’s primary historian. He was known for his hospitality to others, especially those moving to a new area.
The family would like to send a heartfelt Thank you to the staff at Abbotswood at Stonehenge for the care they provided for Dad!
Darrick Baldwin
Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Albemarle is serving the Drye family.
January 7, 1973 ~ January 8, 2023
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.
March 23, 1935 - January 9, 2023
Donald Eugene Bowers, 81, of Norwood, was welcomed into heaven by his Lord and Savior on Thursday, November 21, 2024. He was surrounded by his loving family at his home.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, November 25, 2024, at Silver Springs Baptist Church. Rev. Mark Little will officiate and interment will follow in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends on Sunday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. at Edwards Funeral Home in Norwood.
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.
Mr. Bowers was born on February 16, 1943, in Stanly County to the late Paul Henry and Virginia Kimrey Bowers. Don graduated from Aquadale High School. His career included working as a barber, and then continued as a supervisor at Federal Pacific, where he met his wife, Cecile. They were married on November 21, 1973. He also worked at Stanly Fixtures and Geoscapes Landscaping.
When John purchased his first 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!
“PaPa Don” was a true disciple of Jesus Christ over the years, telling everyone he came into contact with about Him. During his recent hospital stay, he asked everyone that entered his room to care for him if they are a Christian. He witnessed for Jesus until he had no breath left to do so. What an inspiration he was for his family. He was what we should all strive to be.
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.
Don is survived by his wife of 51 years, Cecile Springer Bowers of the home; children: Terry Dennis (Shelia), Dale Dennis, and Donna Byerly (Bobby); Seven Grandchildren: Erin Beth Pinkston, Jesse Garmon (Tatiana), Mollie Dennis, Maxine Dennis, Clyde Dennis, Halle Allen, and Emily Dennis; and eight great-grandchildren.
Janet Gardner Fleming, 71, of Norwood passed away on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at her home.
October 11, 1944 - January 10, 2023
A memorial service will be held at a later date. Janet was born in Hendersonville, NC on February 15, 1953, to the late Forest and Barté Frix Gardner.
She spent a majority of her working life as a retirement planner and then retired in marketing, working for Summit Marketing.
Doris Elaine Jones Coleman, 78, went home into God’s presence on January 10 after a sudden illness and a valiant week-long fight in ICU. Doris was born on October 11, 1944, in the mountains of Marion, NC while her father was away fighting in the US Navy during World War II. Raymond Jones was so proud to return after the war and meet his little girl! Doris grew up in Durham, NC and graduated from Durham High School. She furthered her studies at Watts Hospital School of Nursing in Durham and graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1966.
Doris married Rev. Dr. Ted Coleman in 1966 and had two daughters Amy and Laura. Doris raised Amy and Laura in North Augusta, SC.
After relocating to Norwood in July of 2019, she was very active in the local community, having served as president of the Community Service League, Treasurer of a book club, and several canasta groups. She participated in many programs including meal deliveries. Janet was also an active participant with the Norwood Lions Club.
She is survived by her husband of 29 years Michael Fleming, of the home, two stepchildren: Scott Fleming (Kelli), and Kristen Newhouse (Keith), and three stepgrandchildren: Bennet Fleming, Reese Fleming and Harrison Newhouse.
In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her brother Charles Gardner.
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.
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.
Memorials may be made to Tillery Compassionate Care 960 N First Street Albemarle NC 28001 or Silver Springs Baptist Church 16072 NC 138, Norwood NC 28128.
This is what John’s Model A Community had to say upon learning of his death: He was an active member of Wesley Chapel Methodist Church where he loved serving as greeter on Sunday mornings. He also belonged to the United Methodist Men. John is survived by his wife Julie Ussery Kluttz, for 66 years of the home. He is also survived by a son John David Kluttz (Kim) of Oakboro, NC; two daughters, Sally Simerson of Denver, CO and Betsy Tusa (John) of Lafayette, CO; three grandchildren, Bonnie Kluttz Sammons (Ben) of Richfield, NC John Alexander McKinnon (Sarah) of Asheville, NC and Seth William McKinnon (Amanda) of Germany; five great-grandchildren, Charlotte, Meredith, Grant, Victoria and Ronan. John is also preceded in death by his parents, J.S. Kluttz and Mary Wyatt Clayton Kluttz; a large and loving group of brothers and sisters, Jack Methias Kluttz, Annie Lou Kluttz Honeycutt, Jake Nelson Kluttz, Julius Kluttz, Mary Patricia Phillips and a grandson, Kevin Fowler Kluttz.
Doris was 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 selfless, 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, outfits for Amy and Laura, and Christening gowns for each of her grandchildren.
Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in NSJ at obits@northstatejournal.com
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.
Doris Jones Coleman
STATE & NATION
Democrats strike deal to get more Biden judges confirmed
Republicans will take control of the Senate in January
By Kevin Freking The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate won’t hold votes on four of President Joe Biden’s appellate court nominees as part of a deal with Republicans to allow for speedier consideration of other judicial nominations and bring Biden within striking distance of the 234 total judicial confirmations that occurred during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term.
Currently, the number of judges confirmed under Biden totals 221. Republicans forced numerous procedural votes this week and late-night sessions as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) attempted to move ahead in getting more of Biden’s nominees confirmed before Congress adjourns. Republicans take control of the chamber in January.
A Senate Democratic leadership aide said Thursday a time agreement had been reached to allow for consideration of seven district court judges the week following Thanksgiving.
Plus, another six district judges would be placed on the Senate executive calendar, making it possible for them to be considered on the Senate floor in December.
Excluded from that list were four circuit judge nominations awaiting a floor vote: Adeel Abdullah Mangi of New Jersey, nominated for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals; Karla M. Campbell of Tennessee, nominated for the Sixth Circuit; Julia M. Lipez of Maine, First Circuit; and Ryan Young Park of North Carolina, Fourth Circuit. Mangi would have been the first Muslim American to serve as a federal appellate court judge if he had been confirmed. Mangi received law degrees from Oxford and Harvard. He works in a prestigious law firm
Experts don’t expect big revelations if Trump declassifies final JFK files
It is believed only a few thousand documents remain sealed
By Jamie Stengle
The Associated Press
DALLAS — More than 60 years after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, conspiracy theories still swirl and any new glimpse into the fateful day of Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas continues to fascinate.
President-elect Donald Trump promised during his reelection campaign that he would declassify all of the remaining government records surrounding the assassination if he returned to office. He made a similar pledge during his first term but ultimately bent to appeals from the CIA and FBI to keep some documents withheld.
At this point, only a few thousand of the millions of governmental records related to the assassination have yet to be fully released, and those who have studied the records released so far say that even if the remaining files are declassified, the public shouldn’t anticipate any earth-shattering revelations.
“Anybody waiting for a smok-
ing gun that’s going to turn this case upside down will be sorely disappointed,” said Gerald Posner, author of “Case Closed,” which concludes that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.
When Air Force One carrying Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy touched down in Dallas, they were greeted by a clear sky and enthusiastic crowds. With a reelection campaign on the horizon the next
year, they had gone to Texas on a political fence-mending trip.
But as the motorcade was finishing its parade route downtown, shots rang out from the Texas School Book Depository building. Police arrested 24-year-old Oswald, and two days later, nightclub owner Jack Ruby fatally shot Oswald during a jail transfer.
A year after the assassination, the Warren Commission, which
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 13.
often having the last word on legal matters.
Schumer’s office said the four circuit nominees lacked the support to be confirmed, and Democrats received more than triple the amount of other judges moving forward as part of the agreement.
Liberal groups in recent weeks have been pressuring Senate Democrats to do what it takes to get all of Biden’s judicial nominees confirmed before Trump takes office again, and some expressed disappointment with the deal.
“Reports that there is a deal that would leave behind critical circuit court nominees are unacceptable. All of these nominees must be confirmed expeditiously before the end of the 118th Congress,” said Lena Zwarensteyn, an advisor at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
Russ Feingold, a former Democratic senator and now president of the American Constitution Society, called the deal “extremely frustrating.”
and has secured significant legal victories. But his limited volunteer work with two outside groups has imperiled his nomination. He faced opposition from some Democrats as well.
The confirmation battles over circuit court judges are generally much harder fights given their role in hearing appeals from district courts and
President Lyndon B. Johnson established to investigate the assassination, concluded that Oswald acted alone and there was no evidence of a conspiracy. But that hasn’t quelled a web of alternative theories over the decades.
In the early 1990s, the federal government mandated that all assassination-related documents be housed in a single collection in the National Archives and Records Administration. The collection of more than 5 million records was required to be opened by 2017, barring any exemptions designated by the president.
Trump, who took office for his first term in 2017, had boasted that he’d allow the release of all the remaining records but ended up holding some back because of what he called the potential harm to national security. And while files have continued to be released during President Joe Biden’s administration, some remain unseen.
The documents released over the last few years offer details on the way intelligence services operated at the time and include CIA cables and memos discussing visits by Oswald to the Soviet and Cuban embassies during a trip to Mexico City just weeks before the assassination. The former Marine had previously defected to the Soviet Union before returning home to Texas.
Mark S. Zaid, a national security attorney in Washington, said what’s been released so far has contributed to the under-
“All public officials need to be prepared to fight against the extremism that will come when Trump returns to office, and retreating in advance is a dangerous precedent to set,” Feingold said.
Schumer has dedicated much of the Senate schedule to getting Biden’s judicial nominees confirmed. He called it a basic responsibility of the Senate.
“We’ll take that responsibility very seriously between now and the end of the year,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.
standing of the time period, giving “a great picture” of what was happening during the Cold War and the activities of the CIA. Posner estimates that there are still about 3,000 to 4,000 documents in the collection that haven’t yet been fully released. Of those documents, some are still completely redacted, while others just have small redactions, like someone’s Social Security number.
“If you have been following it, as I have and others have, you sort of are zeroed in on the pages you think might provide some additional information for history,” Posner said.
There are about 500 documents that have been completely withheld, Posner said, and those include Oswald’s and Ruby’s tax returns. Those files, the National Archives says on its website, weren’t subject to the 2017 disclosure requirement.
Trump’s transition team hasn’t responded to questions this week about his plans when he takes office.
Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said his interest in the assassination dates back to the event itself when he was a child.
“It just seemed so fantastical that one very disturbed individual could end up pulling off the crime of the century,” Sabato said. “But the more I studied it, the more I realized that is a very possible, maybe even probable in my view.”
J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE / AP PHOTO
CORTEZ / AP PHOTO
Wintry wonderland
Appalachian State student Berkley Coon slides down a snow-covered hill at Kidd Brewer Stadium before the App State and James Madison football game on Saturday in Boone.
WHAT’S HAPPENING Commissioners approve
Statewide holiday
“Click It or Ticket” campaign kicks off
Last year in North Carolina, 495 people died in unbuckled crashes and Thanksgiving marks the launch of a statewide Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign.
From Nov. 25 to Dec. 1, law enforcement officers across all 100 counties will increase patrols to keep everyone safe during the holiday travel period. Choosing not to buckle up is dangerous and can be expensive. Drivers in North Carolina can face up to $187 in fines and fees if anyone in their vehicle is not wearing a seat belt. Half of those killed in crashes in North Carolina were not wearing their seat belt.
Elections chief wants senator to take back comment about vote manipulation
The NCSBE top administrator wants Senate leader Phil Berger to retract a comment that he made suggesting this month’s results were being manipulated. Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell wrote to Berger last Thursday, the day after he spoke to reporters. He sounded unhappy with a lengthy post- election counting process and inferred it was being used to help change a result. Brinson Bell said Berger’s accusation “has absolutely no basis in fact,” and that county election boards were duty-bound to examine provisional and absentee ballots.
LCID landfill expansion
The land clearing and inert debris landfill located on Watkins Ford Road will be expanded by more than 10 acres
By Ryan Henkel Twin City Herald
WINSTON-SALEM
— The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners had an agenda full of property and contractual matters at its Nov. 21 regular business meeting.
The board held three public hearings, with one dealing with a special use permit request for property located on the north side of Watkins Ford Road between High Point Road and Watkins Landing Drive for the
purpose of a land clearing and inert debris landfill.
This would actually expand the LCID landfill as there is already one (6.5 acres in size) operating at 7301 Watkins Ford Road.
The site plan depicts a 10.6-acre landfill with a 1.5-acre storage and processing area.
The board also held a rezoning request for 2.51 acres of property located along the eastern side of Peters Creek Parkway and across from the intersection with Haversham Park Drive from General Business Special (GB-S) to Residential (RS-9).
“The area has a mixture of mixed-residential and commercial recommendations,” said Director of Planning Chris Murphy. “Nothing with this rezoning
will impact the existing commercial that’s out there. This will accommodate single-family zoning consistent with the zoning of the remainder of the property.”
Following the hearing, the board approved both requests. There was a third hearing, also for a rezoning request, for 39.45 acres of property located at the terminus of Furman Drive from Agricultural (AG) to Residential (RS20). According to Murphy, the maximum unit allotment on the rezoned property would be approximately 86 homes.
However, the hearing was continued until Dec. 19 so that questions regarding fire code requirements for new versus total developed units in a single ingress/egress could be answered.
A USFS archeologist says irresponsible behavior has damaged historic sites
By Susan Montoya Bryan The Associated Press
SPEAR POINTS, hammer stones and picks lost to history under layers of leaves, roots and rocks — it was the evidence Scott Ashcraft was looking for.
The ancient tools were inadvertently unearthed in 2021 by a bulldozer fighting a wildfire along a steep slope in western North Carolina. Ashcraft, a career U.S. Forest Service archaeologist, knew these wooded mountainsides held more clues to early human history in the Appalachian Mountains than anyone had imagined.
He tried for years to raise the
The board also approved the following items:
• Acceptance of a $10,000 grant from the 2024 North Carolina Emergency Management Homeland Security Grant Program for the purchase of three AUXCOMM radio systems.
• An amendment to the interlocal agreement between Forsyth County and the City of WinstonSalem for administration for an extension to the Cure Violence Program.
• A $214,000 contract with EBSCO Publishing to provide library staff and customers access to Novelist Select, MyHeritage and Library Aware online databases for a three-year period.
• A three-year, $142,000
See BOARD, page A2
alarm to forest managers, saying outdated modeling that ignored the artifacts sometimes hidden on steep terrain — especially sites significant to Native American tribes — needed to be reconsidered when planning for prescribed fires, logging projects, new recreational trails and other work on national forest lands.
Instead, Ashcraft says managers retaliated against him and pushed ahead with their plans, often violating historic preservation and environmental protection laws by side stepping consultations with tribes, limiting input from state archaeologists and systematically suppressing scientific data.
In a letter shared with The Associated Press, Ashcraft sent his concerns to top officials in the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Interior Department, White House Council on Native American Affairs and National Congress of American Indians. He described an escalating pattern of illegal, unethical and irresponsible behavior by for-
NELL REDMOND / AP PHOTO
BOARD from page A1 contract with Nurse-Family Partnership to implement programming for first-time mothers at the Forsyth County Department of Public Health.
• A one-year, $190,000 contract with Daymark Recovery Services to provide security at the Behavioral Health Urgent Care.
• An interlocal agreement with the Winston-Salem Transit Authority to purchase 1,800 monthly bus passes, 650 10-ride bus passes and 2,000 one-ride passes to be distributed to eligible individuals in its Work First, Adult Services, Family and Children’s Services and Medicaid Transportation units at a cost not to exceed $35,500 each fiscal year.
• An interlocal agreement with Winston-Salem Transit Authority for provision of nonemergency medical-related transportation services.
• A $502,000 contract with Samet Corporation for the Tanglewood Park Shelter No. 4 playground replacement project.
• A $413,000 contract with Samet Corporation for the Public Health Facility air handling unit replacement project.
• A $613,000 contract with Samet Corporation for the Annex 1 HVAC replacement project.
• A $306,500 contract with Siemens Industry to replace Siemens control panels at the Department of Social Services.
• A $250,000 contract with Boss Energy for the purchase and installation of electric vehicle chargers and associated infrastructure at the Government Center and Health and Human Services Campus.
The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners will next meet Dec. 5.
Bear cub returned to the wild after being harassed in Asheville
The bear bounded into the woods after being released
The Associated Press
ASHEVILLE — A bear cub, one of two pulled from a tree as a person posed for a photo, has been returned to the wild, according to North Carolina wildlife officials.
The bear was released last month in an undisclosed, remote mountain area in western North Carolina, the state’s Wildlife Resources Commission announced Wednesday. A brief video of the release shows the cub bounding out of a carrier toward the
camera on a small road, before spinning around and racing into the woods. The staffer who released her then fired a noise-maker meant to maintain a fear of humans.
Commission staff in April responded to a report of people harassing bear cubs at an Asheville apartment complex. Officials were told the two cubs escaped after one bit a person, according to a commission news release. Video the commission posted online showed people pulling cubs from a tree. One person could also be seen posing for a photo while holding one of the wild animals. After a loud screech, the person dropped the cub, who ran for a nearby fence.
One cub was found later in a retention pond, wet and shivering, officials said. Ashley Hobbs, the commission’s coordinator for BearWise, a program aimed at helping people “live responsibly with black bears,” captured the cub and described her as “lethargic and frightened” and favoring one of her paws. That cub was taken to a rehabilitation facility, but the second cub was never found, officials said. The commission investigated the incident, but no charges were filed.
Once staff determined the cub was healthy and could survive in the wild, she was fitted with a tracking collar and given identifying tags and marks
before being released last month, officials said in a news release on Wednesday.
Data from the bear’s collar showed she was adjusting well to life in the wild, Hobbs said in the release.
“Like most rehabilitated black bear cubs, we expect this cub to follow its instincts this winter and identify an appropriate location to den,” Hobbs said. “Bear cubs are resilient animals, and it looks like this cub won’t be an exception.” Commission wildlife biologists say when cubs are seen alone, mother bears are often foraging nearby. They warn that trying to catch a cub could inadvertently separate it from its mother or injure the cub.
CNN wants Robinson’s defamation lawsuit thrown out
The network says N.C.’s lieutenant governor has provided no evidence of wrongdoing
By Gary D. Robertson The Associated Press
RALEIGH — CNN wants a court to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson that attacks its report that he made explicit posts on a pornography website’s message board. The network says Robinson presented no evidence that the network believed its story was false or aired it recklessly. The September report says Robinson, who ran unsuccessfully for governor this month, left statements over a decade ago on the message board in which, in part, he referred to himself as a “black NAZI” and said he enjoyed transgender pornography. The report also says he preferred Adolf Hitler to then-President Barack Obama and slammed the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as “worse than a maggot.”
Robinson, who was seeking to become the state’s first black governor, said he didn’t write those posts and sued in October, just before early in-person voting was to begin. While filing a dismissal motion Thursday in Raleigh federal court, attorneys for CNN said Robinson’s arguments suggesting he was the likely victim of a computer hacking operation that created fake messages would require a se -
ries of events that is not just
“implausible, it is ridiculous.”
Generally speaking, a public official claiming defamation must show a defendant knew a statement it made was false or did so with reckless disregard for the truth.
“Robinson did not and cannot plausibly allege facts that show that CNN published the Article with actual malice,” attorney Mark Nebrig wrote in a memo backing the dismissal motion, adding that the lawsuit “does not include a single allegation demonstrating that CNN doubted the veracity of its reporting.”
For Robinson, who already had a history of inflammatory comments about topics like abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, the CNN story nearly led to the collapse of his campaign. After the report’s airing, most
of his top campaign staff quit, advertising from the Republican Governors Association stopped and fellow Republicans distanced themselves from him, including Donald Trump.
Robinson lost to Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein by nearly 15 points and will leave office at year-end.
Robinson’s lawsuit was initially filed in state court. It says, in part, that CNN chose to run its report based on data from the website NudeAfrica, which had been hacked several years ago and ran on vulnerable, outdated software. His suit claims the network did nothing to verify the posts. He’s seeking monetary damages.
Thursday’s memo highlights the network’s story, including a section where the CNN journalists showed how they con-
still from a
nected Robinson to a username on the NudeAfrica site.
As the CNN story said previously, the memo says the network matched details of the account on the message board to other online accounts held by Robinson by comparing usernames, an email address and his full name. The details discussed by the account holder matched Robinson’s length of marriage, where he lived at the time, and that both Robinson and the account holder had mothers who worked at a historically black university, the memo says. CNN also said it found matches of figures of speech used by both the NudeAfrica account holder and in Robinson’s social media posts.
“This is hardly a case where, as Robinson alleges, CNN ‘disregarded or deliberately avoided the truth’ rather than investigate,” Nebrig said, adding later that the network “had no reason to seriously doubt that Robinson was the author” of the posts.
The lawsuit says anyone could have used Robinson’s breached data to create accounts on the internet.
His state lawsuit also sued Louis Love Money, a former porn shop worker who alleged in a music video and a media interview that for several years starting in the 1990s, Robinson frequented a porn shop where Money was working and that Robinson purchased porn videos from him. Robinson said that was untrue.
Money filed his own dismissal motion in the state lawsuit. But since then, CNN moved the lawsuit to federal court, saying that it’s the proper venue for a North Carolina resident like Robinson and a Georgia-based company like CNN, and that the claims against Money are unrelated.
CHUCK BURTON / AP PHOTO
Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson walks off the stage after speaking at an election night watch party in Raleigh.
COURTESY NCWRC
This
video posted by the WRC shows the bear running into the woods after being released.
THE CONVERSATION
Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
Slaying the monster
This old tax monster is just getting stronger with age.
SINCE THE END of 2024 is looming, many of us are getting tax information together. That is one of the least favorite jobs in the universe.
Last week, I dug into the tremendous waste in our federal government. This week, I want to talk about who pays for it.
I do hope that one of President Donald Trump’s first acts of business will be to fire the new 87,000 IRS agents the Biden administration brought on board. This would be a great start.
You think you get up each day and go to work to provide for your family. This year, until April 23, you worked for the government. Tax Freedom Day, the day you have paid your “fair share,” has crept up through the years. In 1900, the average family paid 5.9% in taxes and Tax Freedom Day was Jan. 22. The average family today pays more in taxes than it spends on food, clothing and housing combined.
Any conversation discussing “tax cuts” is usually followed by “for the rich.” However, they never specify who is “the rich.” Well, let us look at who feeds the tax monster.
According to the IRS, based on data released for 2023, the top 1% of taxpayers paid 43% of all federal income tax. The top 5% of income earners in America paid 59.14% of all taxes. The top 10% paid 70.8%, and the
COLUMN | STEPHEN MOORE
top 25% paid 86.10% of all taxes collected. This “fair share” has been rising for years. We are slaves to the tax monster. The original income tax enacted back in 1913 was only a pittance compared to our tax system of today. Only one-half of 1% of the population was affected by the tax, and the top rate was only 7%. Lawmakers lulled the masses by having the tax only apply to the super wealthy. Well, we know the rest of the story. As soon as that camel’s nose was under the tent, we were all slaves to this monster.
The original tax code was only 14 pages long, and the tax return was only two pages. Now, this monster has ballooned to 17,000 pages, and the return has mushroomed to 569 pages. Bracket creep has affected everyone. An annual income that is considered wealthy by today’s standard will eventually affect the middle class as inflation causes incomes to rise. This has worked for years. Attack the “rich” and make them pick up the tab, but remember, you are probably “the rich.” You have likely been duped into thinking that’s someone else, not you.
High taxes equate to power and big government. Every tax represents a transfer of power from the people to the government. I never understood liberals who think that wanting someone else’s money is need, wanting to keep more of your own money is greed. There is always an elected official
Breaking up Google will be a great American catastrophe
Few, if any, companies spend more money on product innovation and refinement than Google does.
EARLIER THIS YEAR, in one of the most absurd court rulings in modern times, federal judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google violated U.S. antitrust law by gaining a monopoly in the search engine markets.
In the days or weeks ahead, the courts will decide whether to break up one of America’s most iconic companies or to sell off some of its activities and products. The latest reports are that the courts may require Google to sell off its popular Chrome browser. (To whom? China?) It may also require Google to surrender other products to help erase its market lead.
With a market cap of roughly $2 trillion, Google is one of the five most profitable companies in the world. It got there by offering a search engine service for free to hundreds of millions of customers. This may be the largest benefit to consumers of any company in world history.
Yet the courts ruled that: “Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly.” It was found guilty of violating Section 2 of the Sherman Act. Yet the Sherman Act was meant to protect against companies that use their size and scope to raise prices. Google’s sin is that it produces superior products at prices that are too low. One statistic was cited as evidence of monopoly behavior: Back in 2009, Google controlled 80% of the search engine market, and today it is closer to 90%. What was remarkable and dangerous about this decision is that the courts openly conceded that Google gained this dominant market share by making the best search engine, and that it is made easily available to almost all consumers at very low costs.
How weird is this? Keeping prices low and relentlessly improving product performance
is illegal because it is unfair to a company’s competitors? This is doubly absurd given that we have the Biden administration accusing companies like grocery stores of raising their prices. So in America today, if you raise your prices, you are a greedy profiteer, and if you lower your prices, you’re a monopolist that has to pay restitution to your less efficient competitors.
The argument for breaking up Google gets even more nonsensical when you listen to the Biden administration’s cockeyed excuses for punishing Google. The Department of Justice’s chief antitrust officer says: “This landmark decision ... paves the path for innovation for generations to come and protects access to information for all Americans.”
This is a preposterous statement. Few, if any, companies spend more money on product innovation and refinement than Google does. And as far as “protecting access to information for all Americans,” no company in history has opened up more access to information than Google. No other company even comes close. It has brought the equivalent of the entire Library of Congress to the fingertips of everyone with a laptop computer in a matter of a few seconds. That’s not an antitrust violation. It is a miracle of innovation that deserves our deepest appreciation.
Even worse, this lawsuit piggybacks off the hostile actions by America’s European and Chinese tech rivals, whose inferior search engines can’t compete with Google. As recourse, they want to loot tens of millions of American shareholders who invest in Google. Instead of defending an American company against foreign raiders, we have the U.S. Justice Department and federal courts giving aid to those hostile lawsuits and bolstering their legitimacy.
willing to manage the transfer. In any other situation, it is a crime to take from someone that which he does not give freely. When Uncle Sam does it, it is considered “fairness.”
During my tenure in the North Carolina General Assembly, we have continually reduced your burden of North Carolina state tax. Many of us believe it is your money, and you know best how to spend it. Democrats just cannot agree. They cannot imagine giving money back to families. Rivers will dry up, mountains will crumble, and God will swoop up his children and take us home before liberals will ever agree to return money to taxpayers. It is just not possible due to their DNA. Americans have become complacent. Life is good for most of us. We love our country and do give freely to make it a better place and to help those who are less fortunate. This old tax monster is just getting stronger with age. No chance that it will ever just die off. As the monster gains strength, the people become weaker. Your mother told you that monsters are never friends. We need to be on the battle lines, slaying this evil monster.
Sen. Joyce Krawiec has represented Forsyth County and the 31st District in the North Carolina Senate since 2014. She lives in Kernersville.
Can anyone imagine for a moment that a German or a Japanese or a Chinese court would be stupid enough to rule against their own domestic company that has come to dominate a globally strategic industry and has created tens of thousands of high-paying jobs for its citizens while making hundreds of billions of dollars for its own citizen shareholders? Only in America.
Many conservatives moan that Google has developed algorithms that discriminate against viewpoints and studies that have a right-leaning perspective. That’s definitely a problem, but there are many other search engines available, like Bing and DuckDuckGo, that consumers can use as alternatives to Google. We certainly don’t want the government or politicians like Sens. Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren regulating what can and can’t be accessed on a private search engine platform. Even worse would be handing more business over to Chinese browsers that will clearly serve up misinformation.
Several years ago, a landmark study by economists Erik Brynjolfsson of Stanford University and Avinash Collis of Carnegie Mellon University estimated that the median U.S. user values search engines at $17,500 per year. Today, that number is easily more than $20,000 of value added for the average person with a laptop computer or a smartphone — which is nearly all of us.
This is the very definition of a gift horse to nearly all Americans. And our government and its throng of lawyers with goofy legal theories are risking killing it.
Stephen Moore is a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation. He is also an economic adviser to the Trump campaign.
TRIAD STRAIGHT TALK | SEN. JOYCE KRAWIEC
est managers in North Carolina that stands in sharp contrast to the historic strides the Biden administration has made nationally to include Indigenous expertise when making decisions about public land management.
Although the case focuses on a single state, Ashcraft said it highlights a bigger problem — that there are no guardrails to keep the Forest Service from using outdated modeling and skirting requirements to consult with tribes before moving ahead with projects.
“It’s seems that project completion, feathers in caps and good performance evaluations have outweighed the protection of cultural resources,” Ashcraft told the AP in an interview.
The letter is the latest salvo in a federal whistleblower case that began when Ashcraft filed a lengthy disclosure with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s inspector general in 2023. That office turned the case back to the Forest Service, where regional officials declared that legal requirements had been met.
The whistleblower disclosure gained the attention of preservation experts and other researchers as hostility by forest managers mounted against Ashcraft, the heritage resources program manager for the Pisgah National Forest.
Emails and other documents reviewed by the AP show many of Ashcraft’s duties were reassigned to other employees and he was prohibited from communicating with tribes.
Regional forest officials have not directly addressed allegations of retaliation against Ashcraft, but they have doubled down on promises to work with the dozen tribes that have ancestral connections to the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests.
Nationally, the Biden administration has moved toward recognizing the connection Native Americans have to their homelands through the publication of action plans and guidance for dealing with sacred sites. In 2022, President Joe Biden issued a memo aimed at setting minimum standards for how agencies should carry out consultations with tribes.
It appears that system broke down in North Carolina, said Valerie Grussing, the executive director of the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers. The group has been in discussions with tribes and top forest officials about violations there.
“What’s happened at the forest unit and the regional level is egregious. It’s unconscionable,” she said. “It’s not just a breaking of the federal trust responsibility but of established relationships.”
James Melonas, supervisor of the four forests in North Carolina, said in a statement that an independent group of experts was tapped last year to review several projects to ensure compliance with federal laws and tribal consultation obligations after “an internal concern” was raised.
The experts recommended more training for employees on
the requirements of the National Historic Preservation Act and a full review of the forest heritage program. Regional forest officials said that internal review was done in May, confirming that obligations were met.
“Honoring this rich tribal heritage along with co-stewardship of these lands with tribal nations is a top priority for the Forest Service,” Melonas said.
Some tribal officials say the Forest Service did not reach out to them when conducting the reviews.
Ashcraft’s attorneys have partnered with the legal nonprofit Whistleblower Aid. They contend that Ashcraft has put his career on the line to bring attention to what they described as the “willful destruction of Native American heritage sites.”
Andrew Bakaj, chief legal counsel for Whistleblower Aid,
said virtually none of the key stakeholders with knowledge of the violations were interviewed as part of the agency’s review and the report has been kept out of the public eye.
The concerns raised by the whistleblower are not the first time the Forest Service has been accused of not following procedures. Documents obtained by the AP in 2016 revealed that portions of the Trail of Tears were ripped up in eastern Tennessee when an employee approved the construction of berms and trenches without authorization.
The Forest Service later apologized to the Cherokee Nation and other tribes.
Ashcraft has surveyed vast tracts of forest over his 31-year career. Without further investigation of steep slopes, he said the extent of the damage done in western North Carolina as a re-
Experts don’t expect big revelations if Trump declassifies final JFK files
It is believed only a few thousand documents remain sealed
By Jamie Stengle The Associated Press
DALLAS — More than 60 years after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, conspiracy theories still swirl and any new glimpse into the fateful day of Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas continues to fascinate.
President-elect Donald Trump promised during his reelection campaign that he would declassify all of the remaining government records surrounding the assassination if he returned to office. He made a similar pledge during his first term but ultimately bent to appeals from the CIA and FBI to keep some documents withheld. At this point, only a few thou-
sand of the millions of governmental records related to the assassination have yet to be fully released, and those who have studied the records released so far say that even if the remaining files are declassified, the public shouldn’t anticipate any earth-shattering revelations.
“Anybody waiting for a smoking gun that’s going to turn this case upside down will be sorely disappointed,” said Gerald Posner, author of “Case Closed,” which concludes that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.
When Air Force One carrying Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy touched down in Dallas, they were greeted by a clear sky and enthusiastic crowds. With a reelection campaign on the horizon the next year, they had gone to Texas on a political fence-mending trip. But as the motorcade was finishing its parade route downtown, shots rang out from the
Texas School Book Depository building. Police arrested 24-year-old Oswald, and two days later, nightclub owner Jack Ruby fatally shot Oswald during a jail transfer.
A year after the assassination, the Warren Commission, which President Lyndon B. Johnson established to investigate the assassination, concluded that Oswald acted alone and there was no evidence of a conspiracy. But that hasn’t quelled a web of alternative theories over the decades.
In the early 1990s, the federal government mandated that all assassination-related documents be housed in a single collection in the National Archives and Records Administration. The collection of more than 5 million records was required to be opened by 2017, barring any exemptions designated by the president. Trump, who took office for
sult of managers relying on outdated modeling can’t be fully known.
The whistleblower disclosure provides examples in which forest managers have allegedly tried to obstruct further archaeological investigations on steep slopes. It states that recreational trail projects — including a multimillion-dollar effort to expand hiking and biking networks east of Asheville — have already been built over some areas and that prescribed burns have been implemented despite the need for more assessments and tribal consultation.
“These actions are irreparably damaging or destroying an untold sum of Native American cultural and archeological sites including some of great significance. This conduct continues to this day,” Ashcraft warned in his letter.
The intent isn’t to stop work on forest lands, Ashcraft said, but rather to document sites before they’re altered or reroute work in cases where areas are more sensitive and need protection.
The Center for the Investigation of Native and Ancient Quarries has worked with Ashcraft and other scientists to uncover dozens of sites — many of which have a “surprising density” of Native American cultural materials and evidence of land use dating back thousands of years. Within the scar of the Seniard Creek Fire south of Asheville, they turned up stone axes and other tools used for digging at quartz and soapstone quarries — all examples of what researchers described as engineering feats by sophisticated societies that called this region home about 6,000 years ago.
“Here we are at higher ele-
his first term in 2017, had boasted that he’d allow the release of all the remaining records but ended up holding some back because of what he called the potential harm to national security. And while files have continued to be released during President Joe Biden’s administration, some remain unseen. The documents released over the last few years offer details on the way intelligence services operated at the time and include CIA cables and memos discussing visits by Oswald to the Soviet and Cuban embassies during a trip to Mexico City just weeks before the assassination. The former Marine had previously defected to the Soviet Union before returning home to Texas.
Mark S. Zaid, a national security attorney in Washington, said what’s been released so far has contributed to the understanding of the time period, giving “a great picture” of what was happening during the Cold War and the activities of the CIA.
Posner estimates that there are still about 3,000 to 4,000 documents in the collection that haven’t yet been fully released. Of those documents, some are still completely redacted, while
vations and steeper slopes with an absolutely magnificent resource eroding downslope,” said Philip LaPorta, executive director of the center and adjunct senior research scientist at Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory.
LaPorta said discoveries like the one near Asheville should make people think differently about how Indigenous people used steep landscapes.
The whistleblower disclosure was shared with the Cherokee Nation, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Catawba Indian Nation, the Muscogee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee were hopeful about having more meaningful and frequent consultations with forest managers after the agency adopted a revised plan for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests in 2023. However, a specialist with the tribe said not much has changed.
In his letter, Ashcraft wrote that the identification and preservation of Native American heritage sites goes beyond a single agency, tribe or whistleblower.
“It concerns all of us,” he wrote. “Protection of these resources is a duty shared by actors across state and federal government, sovereign tribes as well as civil society. When one fails — spectacularly and in bad faith — it is up to the rest to step in.”
For Native Americans, Grussing said it goes beyond the artifacts found in a particular spot. It’s an intangible energy that comes from being connected to a place.
“That’s what is at stake,” she said. “These are irreplaceable cultural resources and places. They’re nonrenewable.”
others just have small redactions, like someone’s Social Security number.
“If you have been following it, as I have and others have, you sort of are zeroed in on the pages you think might provide some additional information for history,” Posner said. There are about 500 documents that have been completely withheld, Posner said, and those include Oswald’s and Ruby’s tax returns. Those files, the National Archives says on its website, weren’t subject to the 2017 disclosure requirement.
Trump’s transition team hasn’t responded to questions this week about his plans when he takes office.
Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said his interest in the assassination dates back to the event itself when he was a child.
“It just seemed so fantastical that one very disturbed individual could end up pulling off the crime of the century,” Sabato said. “But the more I studied it, the more I realized that is a very possible, maybe even probable in my view.”
PHILIP LAPORTA VIA AP
Scott Ashcraft, an archaeologist and heritage resources program manager for the Pisgah National Forest, examines a quartz vein at a prehistoric quarry near Asheville.
SCOTT ASHCRAFT VIA AP
Cultural artifacts were found during survey work in the Pisgah National Forest near Celo.
Forsyth SPORTS
Noodles, wine among secret ingredients for strange new twist in China’s doping saga
Positive drug tests of nearly two dozen swimmers were blamed on food contamination
By Eddie Pells The Associated Press
IT LOOKED like a recipe for disaster. So when his country’s swimmers were being accused of doping earlier this year, one Chinese official cooked up something fast. He blamed it on contaminated noodles.
In fact, he argued, it could have been a culinary conspiracy concocted by criminals, whose actions led to the cooking wine used to prepare the noodles being laced with a banned heart drug that found its way into an athlete’s system.
This theory was spelled out to international anti-doping officials during a meeting and, after weeks of wrangling, finally made it into the thousands of pages of data handed over to the lawyer who investigated the case involving 23 Chinese swimmers who had tested positive for that same drug.
The attorney, appointed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, refused to consider that scenario as he sifted through the evidence. In spelling out his reasoning, lawyer Eric Cottier paid heed to the halfbaked nature of the theory.
“The Investigator considers this scenario, which he has described in the conditional tense, to be possible, no less, no more,” Cottier wrote.
Even without the contaminated-noodles theory, Cottier found problems with the way WADA and the Chinese handled the case but ultimately determined WADA had acted reasonably in not appealing China’s conclusion that its athletes had been inadvertently contaminated.
“There are more story twists
to the ways the Chinese explain the TMZ case than a James Bond movie,” said Rob Koehler, the director general of the advocacy group Global Athlete. “And all of it is complete fiction.”
In April, reporting from The New York Times and the German broadcaster ARD revealed that the 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for the banned heart medication trimetazidine, also known as TMZ.
China’s anti-doping agency determined the athletes had been contaminated, and so, did not sanction them. WADA accepted that explanation, did not press the case further, and China was never made to deliver a public notice about the “no-fault findings,” as is often seen in similar cases.
The stock explanation for the contamination was that traces of TMZ were found in the kitchen of a hotel where the swimmers were staying. In his 58page report, Cottier relayed some suspicions about the feasibility of that chain of events — noting that WADA’s chief scientist “saw no other solution than to accept it, even if he continued to have doubts about the reality of contamination as described
by the Chinese authorities.”
A mystery remained: How did those traces of TMZ get into the kitchen?
A pharmaceutical factory, explained the leader of China’s agency, Li Zhiquan, had used industrial alcohol in the distillation process for producing TMZ. The industrial alcohol laced with the drug “then entered the market through illegal channels,” he said.
The alcohol “was re-used by the perpetrators to process and produce cooking wine, which is an important seasoning used locally to make beef noodles,” Li said. “The contaminated beef noodles were consumed by that athlete, resulting in an extremely low concentration of TMZ in the positive sample.
“The wrongdoers involved have been brought to justice.”
Meanwhile, 11 of the swimmers who originally tested positive competed at the Paris Games earlier this year in a meet held under the cloud of the Chinese doping case.
“It gives the appearance that people are just making things up as they go along on this, and hoping the story just goes away,” Koehler said. “Which clearly it has not.”
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Kylee Berry
Guilford College, women’s soccer
Kylee Berry is a 2023 graduate of East Forsyth. She is now a sophomore on Guilford College’s women’s soccer team.
Berry was a one-time all-state and two-time all-conference player at East Forsyth. She’s continuing to excel at Guilford. She made the ODAC All-Academic conference team as a freshman. This season, she was second-team All-ODAC, the first Guilford defender to earn that honor since 2006. She led the Quakers in minutes played.
It’s getting harder to stay on the PGA Tour — here’s why
The tour is making its biggest changes to eligibility in 40 years
By Doug Ferguson The Associated Press
THE PGA TOUR is making the most sweeping changes to its eligibility in more than 40 years by eliminating 25 tour cards, along with shrinking the size of its fields.
The all-exempt tour had been in place since 1983, meaning the top 125 players from the official money list — now the FedEx Cup standings — kept a full PGA Tour card the following season.
That changes in 2026. Only the top 100 players will earn full tour cards for the following year. The top 30 from the developmental Korn Ferry Tour used to advance to the PGA Tour. That goes to 20. Five players from qualifying school will get cards — it previously was the top five and ties.
Here’s a look at what’s behind the changes and what it means. Why is there a need to reduce the number of full PGA Tour cards?
The all-exempt tour led to a bloated membership in which nearly 200 players were on the membership rolls through one exemption or another, and those toward the bottom of the priority list could not get into all the tournaments they wanted to play.
Those who graduated from the Korn Ferry Tour, for example, could only get in three or four tournaments over the first few months of the season, giving them a disadvantage.
The PGA Tour believes that limited full status to the top 100 instead of the top 125 will give everyone who earns a card
a fair chance at getting into regular tournaments.
Who benefits from the PGA Tour changes?
Those who perennially finish in the top 100 should have no trouble keeping their cards, and they will have fewer players to beat because the fields will be smaller. It also helps newcomers from the Korn Ferry Tour, European tour and Q-school. They can expect to get into every regular tournament, increasing their odds of getting into some of the $20 million signature events.
The PGA Tour is likely to be even more competitive with a greater chance of the top names in contention.
The tour also hopes it will improve the pace of play and keep rounds from spilling over into the next day.
Who is hurt by the new PGA Tour rules?
Players like Peter Malnati and Taylor Pendrith come to mind. Under the new system, neither would have had a full PGA Tour card this year and likely would not have been in the fields for the tournaments they won — Malna -
ti at the Valspar Championship and Pendrith at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Those wins make them exempt through 2026.
Players who have not performed consistently well, who seem to struggle each year just to finish in the top 125, will have to be at their best to stay on tour.
What happens to the dreamers of pro golf?
The PGA Tour also is reducing the four spots from Monday qualifiers at open tournaments. Now there will only two spots for 132-man fields and
none for fields of 120. There has been only one Monday qualifier to win in the last five years — Corey Conners in the 2019 Texas Open.
Does this affect golf’s majors?
The four majors are not run by the PGA Tour. The Masters has the smallest field, typically fewer than 100 players. The U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship have 156 -man fields.
The Players Championship, the premier event run by the PGA Tour, is reducing its field from 144 players to 120.
ROGELIO V. SOLIS / AP PHOTO
Peter Malnati watches his drive off the second tee during the pro-am ahead of the Sanderson Farms Championship golf tournament.
EUGENE HOSHIKO / AP PHOTO
Military salute the Chinese flag during the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
SIDELINE REPORT
NFL
Beyoncé to perform at halftime of Ravens‑Texans’ Christmas Day game on Netflix
Los Angeles
Beyoncé is coming to your home on Christmas — provided you have Netflix and are tuning in to the Ravens-Texans game. Netflix announced the megastar would perform during halftime of a Christmas Day matchup in her hometown of Houston. The streaming service didn’t reveal details about the performance but teased that it would likely feature guest appearances from her “Cowboy Carter” album, which delivered Beyoncé a leading 11 Grammy nominations earlier this month.
MLB
Pirates ace Skenes, Yankees pitcher Gil win Rookie of the Year awards
New York
Hard-throwing Pittsburgh
Pirates ace Paul Skenes capped a remarkable season by winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award, while Luis Gil of the New York Yankees edged Baltimore’s Colton Cowser to take the AL honor. It’s the first time the rookie awards went to two pitchers since 2011, when Tampa Bay starter Jeremy Hellickson and Atlanta closer Craig Kimbrel won. Skenes didn’t make his big league debut until May 11, but the right-hander was such an immediate sensation that he was selected to start the All- Star Game for the NL on July 16.
NASCAR
Preece joins Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing in Cup Series for 2025
Charlotte Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing will field a third car in the Cup Series in 2025, with Ryan Preece joining the team in the No. 60 Ford. Preece will pair with Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher in the team’s three-car lineup. Kroger will serve as Preece’s primary sponsor. Preece is winless in 187 Cup starts, including 72 over the last two seasons with Stewart-Haas Racing. He previously drove for JTG Daughty Racing, where he fostered a relationship with Kroger. Keselowski and Buescher both won a race this past season to make the 12-car playoffs and finished 10th and 11th, respectively, in the final standings.
NHL Bruins fire coach
Montgomery after slow start follows playoff disappointments
Boston The Boston Bruins fired coach Jim Montgomery after losing 12 of their first 20 games. Montgomery led the Bruins to the greatest regular season in NHL history but never got them past the second round of the playoffs. He was fired a day after the Bruins lost to last-place Columbus to extend their losing streak to three games. Assistant Joe Sacco was named the interim coach. Sacco led the Colorado Avalanche from 2009-14 and was a finalist for coach of the year in his first season.
intercepting
pass by
Acrobatic pick offered proof that Steelers rookie LB Wilson’s learning curve speeding up
hind him, Wilson tried to match Hill stride for stride.
By Will Graves The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH — Payton Wilson could have played it safe, but where’s the fun in that?
The Pittsburgh Steelers rookie linebacker saw Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill sprinting toward him and knew what was coming. Wilson figures the Steelers scout team had run the same play “100 times” in practice. And every single time, Wilson overplayed the pass route, trying his best to stay in front of whomever it was impersonating Hill on a given play.
“It’s practice, so you want it to be perfect,” Wilson said. Yet when the moment of truth arrived last week, with Pittsburgh holding a five-point fourth-quarter lead, Wilson did the opposite. Rather than make sure Hill didn’t get be-
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson lofted a rainbow down the left sideline that seemed to nestle into Hill’s awaiting arms. The ball didn’t stay there long. In one fluid motion, Wilson rolled on top of Hill and ripped it away for his first career pick, one that helped Pittsburgh eventually escape with an 18-16 victory.
“I took a chance because I kind of wanted to make a play in a big-time moment,” Wilson said. “It worked out.”
Like just about everything else has for Wilson since the Steelers selected the former NC State star last spring. The 24-year-old has given the Steelers a third down linebacker with the speed to more than hold his own when he drops back in coverage.
Watching up in the coach’s box, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin nodded as the football IQ that drew the Steelers to Wilson in the first place manifested itself on the
field when his team absolutely needed it.
“When you see that happen, you’re happy for him because you know it’s coming together for him,” Austin said. “The game makes sense.” And during the rare times it doesn’t, Wilson makes it a point to ask around until he figures it out. During meetings, Wilson is constantly prodding in search of information and an advantage. Rather than rely on his own considerable talent, Wilson is not above challenging himself and even changing something that’s been working for him in search of a more efficient and effective way to go about his job.
“He doesn’t go on like, ‘OK, I’m going to get on and do this (my) way,’” veteran inside linebacker Elandon Roberts. “He wants to understand why and he’s very humble, so he just asks whatever he feels like he needs to ask.”
Though Wilson’s playing time has varied depending on the opponent — he’s played
anywhere from 13 to 44 snaps through 10 games — his presence inside the team facility has not. He is not interested in doing “the bare minimum,” as longtime defensive tackle Cam Heyward put it. It helps to have a locker right next to Roberts and Patrick Queen, who have embraced their mentorship of Wilson.
“They’re just so smart,” Wilson said. “There’s no egos in our room. So it’s super cool to see that they help me out.”
It’s telling of the tightness of the group that Roberts and Queen were among the first people to celebrate with Wilson after the biggest play of his still-young career.
Asked if he was surprised by how Wilson made an incredibly difficult pick look incredibly easy, Roberts raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“How tall is this man?” Roberts asked of his 6-foot-4 teammate.” What did he run at the combine? Exactly. He’s got all the attributes to make that play. And he works his (tail) off too.”
Logano has rebuilt career and Team Penske organization while racing to 3rd NASCAR title
Rogers Penske gave a second chance to Logano as a struggling NASCAR Cup Series newcomer
By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press
CHARLOTTE — Two wins in four seasons at Joe Gibbs Racing certainly didn’t get the job done for Joey Logano, not after replacing Hall of Famer Tony Stewart and entering NASCAR with the nickname “Sliced Bread” because you’re allegedly the next best thing. He knew his days with Gibbs were winding down in 2012, the same time Roger Penske found himself in need of a driver.
Logano joining Team Penske changed the entire organization. It only happened, Penske believes, because the organization pledged its support to Logano at his lowest career moment.
“I think first he had to shake off some of the reputation he had. They called him ‘Sliced Bread,’” said Penske. “But he shook that off pretty quickly. We were behind him, and I think that was key, and he just grew and grew and grew.”
Bombing out at JGR ultimately put Logano on a far better path. Since joining Penske in 2013, Logano has logged 34 of his 36 career Cup Series wins. He let the JGR flameout
light his fire for his move to the No. 22 Ford.
“I don’t think it’s the No. 1 motivator, but you like to prove people wrong, don’t you? You know what I mean? You’d like to shut up the critics,” Logano said. “I don’t have anything bad to say about JGR. I think they’re a great race team, and I understand the decision they made. We weren’t winning. Something has to change.
“But do you take that with you when you leave a little bit? Yeah, you probably do. You’re a little bitter about it,” Logano added. Logano thrives on driving with a bit of an edge, finding something he can take as a slight and use for motivation.
In winning his third title, Logano left Charlotte Motor Speedway in October eliminated from the round of eight.
Hours later, Alex Bowman was disqualified for failing postrace inspection. Logano was suddenly back in. He then won the opening race of the third round to become the first driver to earn an automatic berth into the championship finale. Logano over the final month of the season used every bit of criticism against him to push him to another level. He wasn’t the new kid in NASCAR anymore, and he didn’t have a great year — just a single victory during the regular season, on fuel mileage, no less — and he was ranked 15th in the 16-driver playoff field. He was wound so tight headed into the finale that he was uncharacteristically graphic in his post-qualifying news conference when asked if it was his championship to
lose and said, “Yeah, we’ve got ‘em where we want ’em. We just gotta put our foot on their throats from here.”
He was then up at 6 a.m. on race day reviewing notes with Paul Wolfe, now the only active three-time champion crew chief.
Logano, a father of three and considered a team leader at Team Penske and Ford, said something changes inside him when he can see the finish line.
“It’s just closer to the goal I become more intense, probably a little shorter-fused,” Logano said. “I try to achieve the same intensity level all year long, but it just seems like when it comes down to the end, you find another gear, and it’s really hard to get to it a lot of times. But I think that’s throughout the whole team, too. It’s not just me.”
JOHN LOCHER / AP PHOTO
The former NC State star is making an impact in his first pro season
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson reacts after
a
the Baltimore Ravens to help preserve a victory.
Joey Logano does a victory lap after winning his third NASCAR Cup Series championship.
the stream
Michael Fassbender spies, yacht rock doc, Ben Stiller, the Beatles and Lindsay Lohan
Eric Clapton has a new live album and concert film
The Associated Press
THE OSCAR-NOMINAT-
ED animated charmer “Robot Dreams” and Lindsay Lohan starring in the Christmas romantic comedy “Our Little Secret” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also, among the streaming offerings worth your time: HBO has a documentary about yacht rock, there’s another entry in the reality genre of seniors looking for love called “The Later Daters” on Netflix and the Fab Four’s first trip to America is chronicled in the documentary, “Beatles ’64.”
MOVIES TO STREAM
“Robot Dreams,” the Oscar-nominated animated charmer about a dog and a robot, comes to Hulu on Tuesday. Associated Press Film Writer Jake Coyle called it “one of the best New York movies in years, not to mention a surprisingly mature tale of loving and losing for a movie where the effects of rust are quite central to the narrative.”
Also arriving Friday on Hulu is the family comedy “Nutcrackers.” Ben Stiller plays a city guy who must go to the country to take care of his unruly orphaned nephews. It’s a return to comedy for “Pineapple Express” filmmaker David Gordon Green.
“When Harry Met Sally” gets a modern update in the new romantic comedy “Sweethearts” about childhood best friends whose relationship gets a little complicated in college. Starring Kiernan Shipka and Nico Hiraga, “Sweethearts,” debuting on Max on Thursday, is the feature directorial debut of “Dollhouse” creator Jordan Weiss.
If you’re wondering why Lindsay Lohan seems to be everywhere lately, Netflix is the answer. The streamer has a new Christmas romantic comedy, “Our Little Secret,” waiting for you. The idea is that Lohan’s character is spending the holiday with her boyfriend’s family only to discover that his sister is dating her ex.
MUSIC TO STREAM
The Beatles’ first trip to America is chronicled in a new movie produced by Martin Scorsese, “Beatles ’64,” which streams on Disney+ on Friday. The documentary uses never-before-seen and rare footage and drills down on the Fab
Four’s milestone American visit, which included appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” concerts at Carnegie Hall and the Washington Colosseum, and a meeting with Muhammad Ali. It offers interviews with David Lynch and Ronnie Spector as well as some of the women who, as girls, screamed outside the Beatles’ New York hotel. Its backbone is rare footage filmed by documentarians Albert and David Maysles of John, Paul, George and Ringo being exceedingly silly. Grab your captain’s hat and fake mustache for a tour of yacht rock, the once-dismissed
musical genre that has found new love of late. HBO’s revealing “Music Box: Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary” traces the rise of the music style — elevated pop music infused with jazz and R&B — from the perspective of its makers, including Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins and Christopher Cross. The documentary nicely connects yacht rock to the culture and music heritage, adding the creators of the web series who coined the label. Sail away on Friday. Eric Clapton has a new live album and concert film, “Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival 2023,” which captured
the shows on Sept. 23-24, 2023, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Only Clapton could attract this level of musical talent to join him: Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, H.E.R., Los Lobos, John Mayer, Santana and The Wallflowers. The master of ceremonies is Bill Murray. This was the seventh installment of the festival after a four-year break. Guitar World hailed it as “a six-string celebration.”
SHOWS TO STREAM
When a CIA agent who goes by “Martian” (played by Michael Fassbender) returns to the London office after a long undercover job, the transition to real life is not an easy one in “The Agency.” The espionage thriller also stars Jodie Turner-Smith as a former love who complicates matters. “It’s the battle of his soul between what he does for a living and the relationships he has,” Fassbender told the AP. George Clooney is an executive producer. The story is based on a 2015 French espionage series called “The Bureau.” Jeffrey Wright, Katherine Waterston and Richard Gere also star. “The Agency” premieres Friday on Paramount+ with Showtime. America first fell for the notion of people of a certain age finding love on ABC’s “The Golden Bachelor” and most recently “The Golden Bachelorette.” Netflix — and Michelle Obama, who is an executive
producer — have jumped on the trend with a docuseries called “The Later Daters” debuting Friday. Cameras follow six silver singles as they go on a series of blind dates to find love and companionship.
Colman Domingo stars in a new conspiracy thriller series, “The Madness,” as a CNN pundit who is framed for the murder of a white supremacist. It deals with misinformation and disinformation spread online about Domingo’s Muncie Daniels character and the damage it can do to an individual and community. “The Madness” hits Netflix on Thursday.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
There are plenty of job simulators out there, but Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop is the first one I know of that also invites you to “ponder the futility of your existence.” You are a spaceship mechanic, so instead of flying around exploring strange new worlds, you’re stuck on a lonely asteroid tightening screws and replacing burnt-out wires. You also have to contend with a particularly demanding boss — one who might actually kill you if you don’t make your quota. The result, from British developer Beard Envy, is a mix of tricky, time-sensitive mechanical puzzles and surreal black comedy. Start choppin’ Thursday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S,
“The Madness,” “Sweethearts” and the film “Nutcrackers” land on a screen near you this week.
RYAN GREEN / DISNEY VIA AP
Ben Stiller and Arlo Janson star in “Nutcrackers,” coming to Hulu on Friday.
DISNEY / MAX VIA AP Music documentaries “Beatles ’64” and “Music Box: Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary” premiere this week.
STATE & NATION
Democrats strike deal to get more Biden judges confirmed
Republicans will take control of the Senate in January
By Kevin Freking The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate won’t hold votes on four of President Joe Biden’s appellate court nominees as part of a deal with Republicans to allow for speedier consideration of other judicial nominations and bring Biden within striking distance of the 234 total judicial confirmations that occurred during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term.
Currently, the number of judges confirmed under Biden totals 221. Republicans forced numerous procedural votes this week and late-night sessions as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) attempted to move ahead in getting more of Biden’s nominees confirmed before Congress adjourns. Republicans take control of the chamber in January.
A Senate Democratic leadership aide said Thursday a time agreement had been reached to allow for consideration of seven district court judges the week following Thanksgiving.
Plus, another six district judges would be placed on the Senate executive calendar, making it possible for them to be considered on the Senate floor in December.
Excluded from that list were four circuit judge nominations awaiting a floor vote: Adeel Abdullah Mangi of New Jersey, nominated for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals; Karla M. Campbell of Tennessee, nominated for the Sixth Circuit; Julia M. Lipez of Maine, First Circuit; and Ryan Young Park of North Carolina, Fourth Circuit. Mangi would have been the first Muslim American to serve as a federal appellate court judge if he had been confirmed. Mangi received law degrees from Oxford and Harvard. He works in a prestigious law firm
Experts don’t expect big revelations if Trump declassifies final JFK files
It is believed only a few thousand documents remain sealed
By Jamie Stengle
The Associated Press
DALLAS — More than 60 years after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, conspiracy theories still swirl and any new glimpse into the fateful day of Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas continues to fascinate.
President-elect Donald Trump promised during his reelection campaign that he would declassify all of the remaining government records surrounding the assassination if he returned to office. He made a similar pledge during his first term but ultimately bent to appeals from the CIA and FBI to keep some documents withheld.
At this point, only a few thousand of the millions of governmental records related to the assassination have yet to be fully released, and those who have studied the records released so far say that even if the remaining files are declassified, the public shouldn’t anticipate any earth-shattering revelations.
“Anybody waiting for a smok-
ing gun that’s going to turn this case upside down will be sorely disappointed,” said Gerald Posner, author of “Case Closed,” which concludes that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.
When Air Force One carrying Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy touched down in Dallas, they were greeted by a clear sky and enthusiastic crowds. With a reelection campaign on the horizon the next
year, they had gone to Texas on a political fence-mending trip.
But as the motorcade was finishing its parade route downtown, shots rang out from the Texas School Book Depository building. Police arrested 24-year-old Oswald, and two days later, nightclub owner Jack Ruby fatally shot Oswald during a jail transfer.
A year after the assassination, the Warren Commission, which
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 13.
often having the last word on legal matters.
Schumer’s office said the four circuit nominees lacked the support to be confirmed, and Democrats received more than triple the amount of other judges moving forward as part of the agreement.
Liberal groups in recent weeks have been pressuring Senate Democrats to do what it takes to get all of Biden’s judicial nominees confirmed before Trump takes office again, and some expressed disappointment with the deal.
“Reports that there is a deal that would leave behind critical circuit court nominees are unacceptable. All of these nominees must be confirmed expeditiously before the end of the 118th Congress,” said Lena Zwarensteyn, an advisor at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
Russ Feingold, a former Democratic senator and now president of the American Constitution Society, called the deal “extremely frustrating.”
and has secured significant legal victories. But his limited volunteer work with two outside groups has imperiled his nomination. He faced opposition from some Democrats as well.
The confirmation battles over circuit court judges are generally much harder fights given their role in hearing appeals from district courts and
President Lyndon B. Johnson established to investigate the assassination, concluded that Oswald acted alone and there was no evidence of a conspiracy. But that hasn’t quelled a web of alternative theories over the decades.
In the early 1990s, the federal government mandated that all assassination-related documents be housed in a single collection in the National Archives and Records Administration. The collection of more than 5 million records was required to be opened by 2017, barring any exemptions designated by the president.
Trump, who took office for his first term in 2017, had boasted that he’d allow the release of all the remaining records but ended up holding some back because of what he called the potential harm to national security. And while files have continued to be released during President Joe Biden’s administration, some remain unseen.
The documents released over the last few years offer details on the way intelligence services operated at the time and include CIA cables and memos discussing visits by Oswald to the Soviet and Cuban embassies during a trip to Mexico City just weeks before the assassination. The former Marine had previously defected to the Soviet Union before returning home to Texas.
Mark S. Zaid, a national security attorney in Washington, said what’s been released so far has contributed to the under-
“All public officials need to be prepared to fight against the extremism that will come when Trump returns to office, and retreating in advance is a dangerous precedent to set,” Feingold said.
Schumer has dedicated much of the Senate schedule to getting Biden’s judicial nominees confirmed. He called it a basic responsibility of the Senate.
“We’ll take that responsibility very seriously between now and the end of the year,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.
standing of the time period, giving “a great picture” of what was happening during the Cold War and the activities of the CIA. Posner estimates that there are still about 3,000 to 4,000 documents in the collection that haven’t yet been fully released. Of those documents, some are still completely redacted, while others just have small redactions, like someone’s Social Security number.
“If you have been following it, as I have and others have, you sort of are zeroed in on the pages you think might provide some additional information for history,” Posner said.
There are about 500 documents that have been completely withheld, Posner said, and those include Oswald’s and Ruby’s tax returns. Those files, the National Archives says on its website, weren’t subject to the 2017 disclosure requirement.
Trump’s transition team hasn’t responded to questions this week about his plans when he takes office.
Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said his interest in the assassination dates back to the event itself when he was a child.
“It just seemed so fantastical that one very disturbed individual could end up pulling off the crime of the century,” Sabato said. “But the more I studied it, the more I realized that is a very possible, maybe even probable in my view.”
J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE / AP PHOTO
JULIO CORTEZ / AP PHOTO A man uses a cell phone to capture images of an X on Elm Street at Dealey Plaza, one of two spots marked where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.
Randolph record
Wintry wonderland
Appalachian State student Berkley Coon slides down a snow-covered hill at Kidd Brewer Stadium before the App State and James Madison football game on Saturday in Boone.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Bear cub returned to the wild after being harassed by locals
Asheville Wildlife officials say a bear cub has been returned to the wild after it was pulled from a tree as a person posed for a photo.
The state’s Wildlife Resources Commission says the bear was released last month in a remote mountain area. In April, the commission investigated a report of people harassing bear cubs in Asheville. A video shows cubs being pulled from a tree and one person posing with a cub. No charges were filed. Only one cub was found and she was taken to a rehabilitation facility. Staff determined that the cub could survive in the wild and she was released with a tracking collar.
CNN wants Lt. Gov’s defamation lawsuit thrown out
Standout students, employees recognized by Board of Education
the Randolph County School System.
By Ryan Henkel Randolph Record
ASHEBORO — The Randolph County Board of Education recognized a few standout performers from across the district at its Nov. 18 regular business meeting.
Makayla Eibach, a fifth grade teacher at Ramseur Elementary, was selected as the Outstanding Elementary Math Teacher of the Year for
“Each year, the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the North Carolina Department of Instruction recognize outstanding math teachers in our schools,” said Public Information Officer Amber Ward.
“They recognize and reward those teachers who make mathematics exciting, nurture their students’ enthusiasm in mathematics, motivate students to excel in mathematics and enhance everyday classroom experiences.”
Franklinville Elementary
School and Wheatmore High School were also recognized as Signature Schools for the 2024-25 school year.
“Each year, the Piedmont Triad Education Consortium honors schools from 18 school systems throughout our region that have exemplified excellence and experienced significant improvement in the last 12 months.”
Some indicators that apply to a Signature School include: the implementation of innovative practices to increase the academic achievement, documented increases in measurable outcomes, positive change
throughout the school, the overall quality of teaching has continued to improve as measured by observations, peer evaluations, student feedback, parent comments, and that the school has successfully engaged the support of parents and the community to accomplish its goals.
The board also recognized 11 students as STAR3 Students and 11 STAR employees for the month of November.
The students were Tiernan Steever, Joshua Parks, Khloe Holt, Penelope McKelvey,
Raleigh CNN wants a defamation lawsuit against it filed by North Carolina’s lieutenant governor dismissed. Mark Robinson filed the suit against the network for its report saying he once made explicit posts on a pornography website’s message board. The September report nearly led to the collapse of the Republican’s campaign for governor. Robinson ended up losing that race earlier this month. He sued in October and said, in part, the network failed to verify the posts. CNN’s filing on Thursday in federal court said that Robinson presented no evidence that the network believed its story was false or aired it recklessly. The report also detailed how they connected Robinson to a username on the website. See SCHOOLS, page A2
Tree lighting comes early in Asheboro
Holiday activities will begin in downtown by the weekend
By Bob Sutton Randolph Record
ASHEBORO — Holiday activities will kick into gear in Asheboro just a couple of days after Thanksgiving.
Mayor David Smith will light the city’s Christmas tree at 6 p.m. Saturday in downtown Asheboro. That will serve as the launch of weeks of holiday events in downtown.
Compared to previous years, the lighting ceremony will be earlier on the calendar. In the past, it was held in conjunction with the city’s Christmas parade. “We’re trying to make it a bigger thing,” said Alyssa Chapuis, public information officer for the city. She said many visitors to downtown missed past lighting ceremonies because they were staking out spots on the
parade route or caught up in other festivities associated with the parade. This way, she said, more attention can be directed to the lighting.
Plus, Small Business Saturday is also scheduled for the coming weekend as part of Asheboro’s downtown holiday agenda.
“So the tree already will be up when people come downtown,” Chapuis said.
Asheboro’s Christmas tree will come from Boyd Mountain Tree Farm in Waynesville. The tree will be located next to the train tracks adjacent to 200 Sunset Avenue. Asheboro High School’s choral ensemble will perform as part of the lighting ceremony.
Other holiday activities
The Christmas parade will be held at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 in Asheboro.
The parade route will begin at the corner of Church Street and Sunset Avenue, head east on Sunset to Fayetteville Street, then south on Fayette-
ville, ending at Kivett Street. It’s scheduled to last approximately two hours. Another big event is “Christmas on Sunset,” scheduled from 6-9 p.m. on Dec. 13 in downtown Asheboro. This is sponsored by the Asheboro Randolph Chamber and the City of Asheboro. It is free to attendees.
There are numerous activities associated with “Christmas on Sunset.” Santa Claus will greet visitors in the lobby of Asheboro Recreation Center, where a book will be presented to youth courtesy of Randolph Partnership for Children as long as supplies last.
There will be musical performances from various school and church groups at various spots in downtown. Among the schools taking part are the chorus and band from North Asheboro Middle School, the choruses from Asheboro High School, Southwestern Randolph High School and Uwharrie Charter Academy Middle School and bands from Uwharrie Ridge 6-12 and Asheboro High School.
THE RANDOLPH COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Randolph County Schools honored those who stood out in November
County election board sets hearing for protest
A judicial race between Jefferson Griffin and Allison Riggs has come under scrutiny
By Bob Sutton Randolph Record
North State Journal
(USPS 20451) (ISSN 2471-1365)
Neal
We stand corrected To report an error or a suspected error, please email: corrections@nsjonline. com with “Correction request” in the subject line.
THURSDAY NOV 28
FRIDAY NOV 29
SATURDAY NOV 30
SUNDAY DEC 1
MONDAY DEC 2
ASHEBORO — The Randolph County Board of Elections will conduct a hearing at 4 p.m. on Dec. 2 to consider an election protest filed by Judge Jefferson Griffin.
Based on a filing with Randolph County, the matter involves a challenge to the voting eligibility of six alleged Randolph County voters. Griffin, a Republican, is involved in the race for North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice, Seat 6. Democrat incumbent Allison Riggs is the other candidate. The hearing will be held at the Board of Elections office
Nov. 18
• Ernest Green Hutson, 36, of Trinity, was arrested by RCSO for simple assault and domestic violence protective order violation.
Nov. 19
• Carter Paul Fields, 30, of Randleman, was arrested by RCSO for second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.
• Cristian Cazarin Santos, 23, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for simple assault and resisting a public officer.
• Antwon Lejon Scott, 36, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for identity theft, possession of stolen goods, resisting a public officer, open container, breaking and entering a motor vehicle, and misdemeanor larceny.
Nov. 20
• Harvey Sanford Boone, 40, of Trinity, was arrested by RCSO for fleeing/eluding arrest, reckless driving, resisting an officer, stop sign violation, fictitious registration, no insurance, and driving left of center.
• Alisha Renee Jones, 39, of Randleman, was arrested by RCSO for larceny by changing price tag, misdemeanor larceny, possession of stolen goods, and obtaining property by false pretense.
SCHOOLS from page A1
Brianna Watkins, Florentino Martinez Barrera, Jonathan de la Torre, Deisy Montoya Sauceda, Jackson Motley, Issac Acosta Hernandez and Lesly Hefner. The employees were Amanda McPherson, Ashley LeSane, Kaitlyn Kiser, Bethany Reeder, Travis Leonard, Danielle Rambo, Pam Parrish, Stephanie Hatcher, Gentry Dunn, Abigail Williard and Gary Meisch.
“One of the greatest parts of being a board member is each month when we gather and we recognize students and staff,” said board chair Gary Cook.
“We’ve been doing this for 12 years now at least with the Star3 and Star Employees, and you see a very support-
at 1457 N. Fayetteville St. in Asheboro.
As of Nov. 18, Riggs held a lead of 66 votes, based on one report. A couple of days earlier, the reported margin was 24 votes in favor of Riggs.
Vote totals for both candidates show more than 2,769,400 votes.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections provided the following statement: “The county boards of elections shall retain jurisdiction over all other protests that have been timely filed and shall proceed to consider these protests.”
Griffin, in conjunction with the North Carolina Republican Party, sued the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
The protest from Griffin was filed Nov. 19. The Randolph County Board of Elections convened for preliminary consideration of Griffin’s protest.
• Martina Marie Osborne, 33, of Randleman, was arrested by Randleman PD for possession with intent to sell cocaine, felony cocaine possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, and simple possession of Schedule IV controlled substance.
• Brittany Nicole Saunders, 31, of Asheboro, was arrested by Randleman PD for felony cocaine possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, misdemeanor larceny, and possession of stolen goods.
• James Christopher Tadlock, 31, of Randleman, was arrested by RCSO for multiple counts of larceny by changing price tag, misdemeanor larceny, and possession of stolen goods.
Nov. 21
• DeAngilo Antwan McRae, 38, of Ramseur, was arrested by RCSO for trafficking opium/ heroin, possession with intent to sell Schedule VI and Schedule I controlled substances, possession of firearm by felon, possession of drug paraphernalia, and maintaining a vehicle/dwelling for controlled substances.
• Musin Shaborr Roberts, 21, of Greensboro, was arrested by RCSO for communicating threats.
In all six cases, the protests were filed “on the grounds that each such voter was deceased on election day and thus no longer qualified to vote under North Carolina law, as interpreted by the North Carolina State Board of Elections.”
At the county’s Nov. 15 canvass of votes, the daughter of one of the deceased appeared to contest the disqualification of the ballot of her recently deceased mother (Mary Greenwood). She died prior to Nov. 5 (Election Day). The board disqualified Greenwood’s ballot.
The protest hearing will address six other voters whose eligibility to vote has been challenged by Griffin. Evidence will be presented that the none of the six voters whose eligibility were challenged cast ballots that were included in vote totals reported by the county’s Board of Elections.
Nov. 22
• Robert Barlett, 34, of Burlington, was arrested for felony larceny, possession of stolen goods, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Ronda Faye Flowers, 55, of High Point, was arrested by Asheboro PD for first-degree trespassing, misdemeanor larceny, and possession of stolen goods.
• Silas T Owens, 50, of Patriot, OH, was arrested by Asheboro PD for possession of stolen motor vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana up to 1/2 oz.
• Timothy Shawn Wilson, 50, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for communicating threats.
Nov. 23
• Cesar Hernandez Benitez, 20, was arrested by Archdale PD for assault on a female and interfering with emergency communication.
• Coty Ryan Hartsell, 36, of Asheboro, was arrested by RCSO for possession of a stolen motor vehicle, felony possession of Schedule II controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
ive board of education here and they want nothing more than what’s the best for your kids and our staff,” said Superintendent Stephen Gainey. “Someone may have as good of kids and staff as we do, but nobody has better kids and staff than we do, and that’s for sure.”
The board also approved the school improvement plans for the 14 schools that were not designated as low-performing or for additional targeted support and improvement (ATSI) and the preliminary plans for the 18 schools designated as low-performing and/or for ATSI.
on Jan. 15, 2027, and the end of the school year on June 9, 2027.
“The committee met in October and had quite a lengthy discussion in working on the draft,” said Executive Director of Operations Dale Brinkley.
“The committee is actually one of the largest committees that I’ve worked with so far and included staff, parents, administrators and board members.”
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Randolph County:
Nov. 29
Kersey Valley Christmas 5:30 p.m.
Lights, Santa, Action! In late November, Kersey Valley transforms into a winter wonderland with more than 1 million LED lights! Magical sets like the Snow Blizzard with 5-foot snowflakes falling from 45 feet in the air plus many custom sets that are unique to Kersey Valley. Enjoy photo ops throughout the farm. Visit with Santa and the Grinch. Shop for gifts at Santa’s Workshop, then sneak around back to the Reindeer Stalls and see the elves at work. Enjoy all of the seasonal yummies like the Moonshine Fudge Shop, made-to-order hot apple cider donuts, fresh carmel kettle corn, hot Bavarian nuts, s’mores and marshmallow kits for roasting at fire pits, Coffee, hot apple cider, apple cider slushy and our famous Ghirardelli signature hot chocolate — mug included and more! Be sure to ride the Kersey Valley Express Train Ride through a Wild West Christmas plus a John Deere-pulled Christmas Wagon Ride, 200-foot Dual Super Mega Ride*n*Slide, Twin Massive Jumping Pillows, Treehouse Adventure, Kiddie Zip Lines, Pedal Karts, Cow Train, Bungee Trampolines, Barn Yard Twister, Round-Up Rodeo, Mr. and Mrs. Mac Jingles the singing Reindeers, plus the Roasty Toasty Village — eight fire pits for making s’mores! 1615 Kersey Valley Road Archdale
Dec. 1
Holiday Kiln Opening – Joseph Sand Pottery
1-5 p.m.
2555 George York Road Randleman
Randleman Christmas Parade
7 p.m.
Downtown Randleman
Dec. 2
TUESDAY DEC 3
WEDNESDAY DEC 4
They also approved the first reading of the 2026-27 school calendar which includes a start date of Aug. 24, 2026, the end of the first semester
In addition, the board was notified that Farmer Elementary School also received a $600 Bright Ideas Education Grant that will be used to fund the purchase of a 3D printer to enhance innovative ELA, math and science projects. The Randolph County Schools Board of Education will next meet Dec. 9.
Board of Commissioners
Dec. 3
THE CONVERSATION
Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
COLUMN | STEPHEN MOORE
Breaking up Google will be a great American catastrophe
Few, if any, companies spend more money on product innovation and refinement than Google does.
EARLIER THIS YEAR, in one of the most absurd court rulings in modern times, federal judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google violated U.S. antitrust law by gaining a monopoly in the search engine markets.
In the days or weeks ahead, the courts will decide whether to break up one of America’s most iconic companies or to sell off some of its activities and products. The latest reports are that the courts may require Google to sell off its popular Chrome browser. (To whom? China?) It may also require Google to surrender other products to help erase its market lead.
With a market cap of roughly $2 trillion, Google is one of the five most profitable companies in the world. It got there by offering a search engine service for free to hundreds of millions of customers. This may be the largest benefit to consumers of any company in world history.
Yet the courts ruled that: “Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly.” It was found guilty of violating Section 2 of the Sherman Act. Yet the Sherman Act was meant to protect against companies that use their size and scope to raise prices. Google’s sin is that it produces superior products at prices that are too low. One statistic was cited as evidence of monopoly behavior: Back in 2009, Google controlled 80% of the search engine market, and today it is closer to 90%.
What was remarkable and dangerous about this decision is that the courts openly conceded that Google gained this dominant market share by making the best search engine, and that it is made easily available to almost all consumers at very low costs.
How weird is this? Keeping prices low and relentlessly improving product performance
COLUMN
is illegal because it is unfair to a company’s competitors? This is doubly absurd given that we have the Biden administration accusing companies like grocery stores of raising their prices. So in America today, if you raise your prices, you are a greedy profiteer, and if you lower your prices, you’re a monopolist that has to pay restitution to your less efficient competitors.
The argument for breaking up Google gets even more nonsensical when you listen to the Biden administration’s cockeyed excuses for punishing Google. The Department of Justice’s chief antitrust officer says: “This landmark decision ... paves the path for innovation for generations to come and protects access to information for all Americans.”
This is a preposterous statement. Few, if any, companies spend more money on product innovation and refinement than Google does. And as far as “protecting access to information for all Americans,” no company in history has opened up more access to information than Google. No other company even comes close. It has brought the equivalent of the entire Library of Congress to the fingertips of everyone with a laptop computer in a matter of a few seconds. That’s not an antitrust violation. It is a miracle of innovation that deserves our deepest appreciation.
Even worse, this lawsuit piggybacks off the hostile actions by America’s European and Chinese tech rivals, whose inferior search engines can’t compete with Google. As recourse, they want to loot tens of millions of American shareholders who invest in Google. Instead of defending an American company against foreign raiders, we have the U.S. Justice Department and federal courts giving aid to those hostile
lawsuits and bolstering their legitimacy.
Can anyone imagine for a moment that a German or a Japanese or a Chinese court would be stupid enough to rule against their own domestic company that has come to dominate a globally strategic industry and has created tens of thousands of high-paying jobs for its citizens while making hundreds of billions of dollars for its own citizen shareholders? Only in America.
Many conservatives moan that Google has developed algorithms that discriminate against viewpoints and studies that have a right-leaning perspective. That’s definitely a problem, but there are many other search engines available, like Bing and DuckDuckGo, that consumers can use as alternatives to Google. We certainly don’t want the government or politicians like Sens. Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren regulating what can and can’t be accessed on a private search engine platform. Even worse would be handing more business over to Chinese browsers that will clearly serve up misinformation.
Several years ago, a landmark study by economists Erik Brynjolfsson of Stanford University and Avinash Collis of Carnegie Mellon University estimated that the median U.S. user values search engines at $17,500 per year. Today, that number is easily more than $20,000 of value added for the average person with a laptop computer or a smartphone — which is nearly all of us.
This is the very definition of a gift horse to nearly all Americans. And our government and its throng of lawyers with goofy legal theories are risking killing it.
Stephen Moore is a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation. He is also an economic adviser to the Trump campaign.
Debunking the left’s deportation hysteria
Illegal immigrant parents should be allowed and encouraged to take their children with them when they leave.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ACTIVISTS are already panicked that Donald Trump will keep one of his biggest campaign promises.
Trump recently announced that Tom Homan will be his “border czar.” Homan isn’t a household name, but he’s had a long career in government. Homan was the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first term. He was also ICE’s executive associate director of enforcement and removal operations under President Barack Obama. Trump wants him to put those skills to use.
“Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise. During the campaign, Trump vowed to oversee “the largest deportation operation in the history of our country.”
Many voters welcomed this. The millions of illegal aliens who entered the country since President Joe Biden took office overwhelmed even self-declared “sanctuary” cities. In several high-profile cases, like the death of Laken Riley, officials believe illegal immigrants murdered Americans. A Venezuelan gang even took over an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado. But the left’s fearmongering over Trump’s deportation plans has already begun. Their first objection is that it’s logistically
impossible. It would be very difficult to identify and move 15 million illegal immigrants out of the country. But it’s also hard to solve every murder case. That doesn’t keep police from solving the ones they can.
In an August interview, now-Vice President-elect J.D. Vance endorsed this stepby-step approach. “Let’s start with 1 million” and “then we can go from there,” he said.
The next objection is that it will cost too much. There is an element of truth here. Enforcing laws is costly. But as blue cities learned the hard way, the “defund the police” alternative is far worse.
This concern ignores how expensive it is for state and local governments to provide services to illegal immigrants. In 2023, New York City officials estimated illegal immigrants cost the city $4 billion annually. For context, in 2023, NYPD’s annual budget was $5.8 billion.
Also, you should never take Democrats seriously when they object to spending government money. Just look at the trillions they doled out during Biden’s first term.
Another concern is that deporting illegals will hurt the economy. The theory is that deporting millions of illegal immigrants would shrink the supply of low-skilled workers. That would force companies to pay higher wages, which would raise prices.
It probably would for some products, but look at the why again. Illegal immigrants
have artificially boosted the supply of people competing for entry-level jobs and working in manual labor industries like construction.
That’s lowered wages for low-skill workers. Boosting those wages would be a good thing, even if it raises prices for those higher up the income ladder. Plus, removing millions of illegal immigrants would lower housing prices.
Finally, there will be claims that it’s cruel. The propaganda press is eager to blame deportations for causing a “family separation” crisis. But deportations don’t need to include that. Illegal immigrant parents should be allowed and encouraged to take their children with them when they leave.
Also, the government routinely separates U.S. citizens who commit crimes from their children. The responsibility in both cases lies with the parents who broke the law.
There’s also a practical benefit to Trump talking up deportations and reinstituting things like his “Remain in Mexico” policy. It will decrease the amount of illegal immigration. If would-be illegal immigrants know they won’t be able to enter and stay in the country, fewer will even try to cross the border. Regardless of how deportations go, that would be a major victory.
Victor Joecks is a columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Trudeau to cut sales tax, send checks to millions of Canadians
The
By Rob Gillies
The Associated Press
with rising costs and as a federal election looms.
The measures come as a cost-of-living crisis has left voters unhappy with Trudeau and ahead of an election that could come anytime between this fall and next October.
“Our government can’t set prices at the checkout, but we can put more money in people’s pockets,” Trudeau said at a press conference in Toronto.
Under the plan, Canadians who worked in 2023 and earned up to 150,000 Canadi-
UN
nuclear board condemns Iran again for failure to cooperate
France, Germany and Britain put forth the resolution
By Stephanie Liechtenstein
The Associated Press
VIENNA — The U.N. nuclear watchdog’s board on Thursday condemned Iran for failing to cooperate fully with the agency, the second time it has done so in just five months.
The International Atomic Energy Agency also called on Tehran to provide answers in a long-running investigation into uranium particles found at two locations that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites.
Nineteen members of the IAEA board voted for the resolution, while Russia, China and Burkina Faso opposed it, and 12 abstained and one did not vote, according to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the outcome of the closed-doors vote.
The resolution was put forward by France, Germany and Britain, supported by the United States. It comes at a critical time, ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Trump’s first term in office was marked by a particularly tense period with Iran when the U.S. president pursued a policy of “maximum pressure” against Tehran. In 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers and imposed even harsher sanctions that have since hobbled Iran’s economy further.
The resolution comes on the heels of a confidential report earlier this week in which the IAEA said Iran has defied internation-
al demands to rein in its nuclear program and has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.
That report, seen by the AP on Tuesday, said that as of Oct. 26, Iran has accumulated 401.9 pounds of uranium enriched up to 60%, an increase of 38.8 pounds since the last IAEA report in August. Uranium enriched at 60% purity is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
The resolution approved on Thursday requires the IAEA to now produce a “comprehensive and updated assessment” of Iran’s nuclear activities, which could eventually trigger a referral to the U.N. Security Council to consider more sanctions on Tehran.
In a joint statement issued after the approval of the resolution, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and the Iranian foreign ministry condemned the passing of the resolution, saying that Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami has issued orders to launch new and advanced centrifuges, powerful machines that spin rapidly to enrich uranium.
In the past, the IAEA has named two locations near Tehran — Varamin and Turquzabad — where there have been traces of processed uranium, according to IAEA inspectors. Thursday’s resolution homed in on those locations, asking Tehran to provide “technically credible explanations” for the presence of the uranium particles at the sites.”
The IAEA has urged Iran to also provide answers about the origin and current location of that nuclear material in order for it “to be in a position to provide assurance that Iran’s
an dollars (US$ 107,440) will receive a check for 250 Canadian dollars. Trudeau noted that even those earning at the high end of that amount have been struggling to get by.
An estimated 18.7 million Canadians will receive the one-time check.
The federal goods and services tax break would begin Dec. 14 and end Feb. 15.
The government said the tax break will apply to a number of items, including children’s clothing and shoes, toys, dia -
pers, restaurant meals, beer and wine. It also applies to Christmas trees, a variety of snack foods and beverages, and video game consoles.
Opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre called the announcement a “two month temporary tax trick” that won’t make up for carbon taxes that are set to go up. Trudeau has said he will lead his Liberal Party into the next election. No Canadian prime minister in more than a century has won four straight terms.
Trudeau channeled the star power of his father in 2015 when he reasserted the country’s liberal identity in 2015 after almost 10 years of Conservative rule. But the son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau is now in trouble. Canadians have been frustrated by the cost of living coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Liberals trail the opposition Conservatives 39% to 26% in the latest Nanos poll. The poll of 1,047 respondents has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
“Politically, it’s probably too little too late, and it feels like a desperate move on the part of an unpopular government,” said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.
nuclear program is exclusively peaceful.”
Western officials suspect the uranium traces discovered by the IAEA could provide evidence Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program until at least 2003. Tehran insists its program is peaceful.
One of the sites became known publicly in 2018 after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed it at the United Nations and called it a clandestine nuclear warehouse hidden at a rug-cleaning plant.
Iran denied that, though IAEA inspectors later found the man-made uranium particles there.
While the number of sites about which the IAEA has questions has been reduced from four to two since 2019, lingering questions have been a persistent source of tensions.
On the subject of Varamin, the IAEA said that inspectors believe Iran used the site from 1999 until 2003 as a pilot proj-
ect to process uranium ore and convert it into a gas form, which then can be enriched through spinning in a centrifuge. The IAEA said buildings at the site had been demolished in 2004.
Turquzabad, the second location, is where the IAEA believes Iran brought some of the material from Varamin amid the demolition, though it said that alone cannot “explain the presence of the multiple types of isotopically altered particles” found there.
Last Thursday’s resolution before the 35-member board at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna called on Tehran to explain the presence of the uranium particles at Varamin and Turquzabad, inform the U.N. nuclear watchdog about the current whereabouts of that nuclear material, and grant access to IAEA inspectors to all Iranian nuclear locations.
Tehran continues to maintain that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes and has told the IAEA that it has de-
clared all of the nuclear material, activities and locations required under a so-called Safeguard Agreement it has with the IAEA. Iranian officials have vowed to retaliate immediately if a resolution is passed. In the past, Tehran has responded to IAEA resolutions by stepping up its nuclear activities.
The resolution also requires IAEA director general Rafael Grossi to provide an updated assessment of Iran’s nuclear program — including the possible presence of undeclared nuclear material at the two locations — by spring 2025 at the latest.
The assessment could be a basis for possible further steps by European nations, diplomats said, leading to a potential escalation in tensions between Iran and the West. It could also provide a basis for European countries to trigger sanctions against Iran ahead of October 2025, when the original 2015 Iran nuclear deal expires, the diplomats said.
IRANIAN PRESIDENCY OFFICE VIA AP
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, right, shakes hands with International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi at the start of their meeting Nov. 14 in Tehran.
Mary Moore Swaim
Dec. 17, 1945 – Nov. 21, 2024
Mary Moore Swaim, 78, of Seagrove, North Carolina, passed away Thursday, November 21, 2024, at Randolph Health, Asheboro, NC.
A memorial service will be conducted at 2 p.m., Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at Worthville Baptist Church, where she attended, with Rev. Junior Dawkins officiating.
Mary was born in VA, on December 17, 1945, the daughter of the late Vester King and Lena Bowman King. She was formerly employed with Asheboro Elastics. She enjoyed fishing, gardening, cooking, and traveling to the beach. Her sense of humor will be truly missed.
In addition to her parents, Mary was preceded in death by her sister, Lena Hughes; brother, Carl King; granddaughter, Jennifer Gwyn; and her favorite dogs, “Hollie” and “Maggie”.
Mary is survived by her daughters, Linda Driggers and husband Ken of Marston, Brenda Ramey and husband Paul of Seagrove, Mary Lou Caudill and husband Wayne of Sparta; son, Benjamin Moore of Level Cross; brother, Roland King of Mt. Airy; grandchildren, Herbert Driggers, Blake Driggers, Jessica Gwyn, David Gwyn, Jeffrey Caudill, Gregory Caudill, Isaac Moore; great-grandchildren Rayne, Riley, Jax, Blayden, Brayden, Brayleigh, Bryson, Glenn, Bella, Jasper, and Ally.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, at Ridge Funeral Home.
Mary Louise McMaster
April 28, 1921 – Nov. 20, 2024
Mary Louise McMaster passed away on November 20, 2024, at the age of 103 after a brief illness.
Mary graduated from Providence High School in Randolph County and Gate City Secretarial School in Greensboro. She was a bookkeeper for Asheboro Hosiery Mill and retired in 1986.
Mary was an active member of First United Methodist Church. She was an active participant in the Blanche McGlowan Sunday School Class, Chancel choir, and United Methodist Women. Mary was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and greatgrandmother.
Her faith in the Lord was her foundation. Throughout her life’s journey, she was steady and did not waver. She led by example and was wise, strong and courageous. Through her heart, which was full of kindness, she always shared the goodness of God with her family and friends.
Mary will be remembered by many as one who personified a member of the “Greatest Generation” with an unmatched work ethic and resilience. Each day was welcomed with a smile. Mary was predeceased by her husband, the late Daniel Green McMaster. Surviving are her three daughters, Danielle Mooney (Peter), Jean Montgomery, and Janet Jobson. She was blessed with nine grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Mary’s celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 24, 2024, at Pugh Funeral Home, 437 Sunset Avenue in Asheboro. In lieu of flowers, donations can be gifted to Trellis Supportive Hospice Care of Winston-Salem.
Maryann Lewis Sweitzer
March 4, 1957 – Nov. 19, 2024
Maryann Lewis Sweitzer, age 67, of Candor, NC, passed away at her home on Tuesday, November 19, 2024.
Maryann was born on March 4, 1957, in Frankfurt, Germany, to Roy Raymond Lewis and Hildegard Geier Lewis. She was a 1975 graduate of West Montgomery High School. She attended Wingate College and finished her Applied Science degree at Montgomery Community College. She worked several years in home healthcare and education. Maryann was known to have a sweet soul. She enjoyed participating in activities at the Troy Senior Center. She loved to sew and was an avid reader. She was a member of New Covenant Church in Troy.
Maryann is survived by her daughters: Jennifer Keith and Christina Keith; her mother: Hildegard Geier Lewis, and sister Sylvia Lewis along with 6 grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. She was cared for by family friend Mrs. Jackie Thomas. She was preceded in death by her husband: Mark Sweitzer, her father: Roy Raymond Lewis and her brother, Dean Lewis.
A Celebration of Life & Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, November 23, 2024, at 3 p.m. at New Covenant Church, 199 Alexander Road, Troy, NC, with Rev. Carl Burrow officiating.
The family will receive friends prior to the service from 1 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Memorial donations in honor of Maryann may be made to New Covenant Church, 199 Alexander Road, Troy, NC.
Online condolences may be made at pughfuneralhome.
com.
Pugh Troy Funeral Home is serving the family of Maryann Sweitzer.
David Ray Jarrell
April 27, 1954 – Nov. 19, 2024
David Ray Jarrell, 70, of Asheboro, North Carolina, passed away Tuesday, November 19, 2024, at Randolph Hospice House, Asheboro, NC.
A graveside memorial service will be held at a later date.
David was born in Randolph Co., NC, on April 27, 1954, the son of the late William Jarrell and Mary Cox Maness. He was a brick mason. David enjoyed golfing and working on old cars.
Surviving are his wife, Adrienne Jarrell; brothers, Howard Jarrell (Rita) and Terry Jarrell (Grace); nephews, Jason and Taylor; and great niece and nephew, Mason and McKenzie.
Memorials may be made to Hospice of Randolph, 416 Vision Drive, Asheboro, NC 27203.
Coy Oscar Hoover
Dec. 5, 1931 – Nov. 17, 2024
Mr. Coy Oscar Hoover, 92, of Asheboro, North Carolina, passed away Sunday, November 17, 2024, at Randolph Hospice House, Asheboro, NC.
Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m., Sunday, November 24, 2024, at Ridge Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Darrell Rabon officiating. Burial will follow at Oaklawn Cemetery.
Mr. Hoover was born in Randolph Co., NC, on December 5, 1931, the son of the late Ray Hoover and Queen Kindley Hoover. He had worked as an auto mechanic and later retired from Farmer School. Growing up Mr. Hoover attended Bethel Baptist Church and later he attended Sawyersville Wesleyan Church. Auto racing and raising cows were some of his favorite things to do. He adored his kids and grandchildren and spending time with them. His dog “Bingo” was his favorite companion.
In addition to his parents, Mr. Hoover was preceded in death by his wife, Julia Trotter Hoover; brothers, Charles Hoover, Roy Hoover, Raymond Hoover, Dallas “Virgil” Hoover; and sister, Elizabeth Satterfield Kessley.
Mr. Hoover is survived by his daughter, Debra Lanier (Arnold) of Denton; son, Kevin Hoover (Dionne) of Asheboro; grandchildren, Phillip Lanier (Angela) of Asheboro, Amy Lawson (Mike) of Lexington, Julie Hurley (Gene) of Troy, John Hunsuker of Asheboro, Alexis Curry of Albemarle; greatgrandchildren, Makayla Sanders (Ben), Abby Jean Hurley, Carson Yates, Kylee Yates, Spencer Lanier (Brianna), Debranna Lanier, Ellie Lanier, Levi Lanier; and great-great-grandchild, Gracelynn Sanders.
The family will receive friends from 6 - 8 p.m., Saturday, November 23, 2023, at Ridge Funeral Home.
Memorials may be made to Hospice of Randolph, 416 Vision Drive, Asheboro, NC 27203; or to Sawyersville Wesleyan Church, 157 Sawyersville Road, Asheboro, NC 27205.
Earlene Vestal Ward
June 26, 1931 — Nov. 17, 2024
Earlene Vestal Ward, 93, of Asheboro, N.C. died in Hospice care on Sunday, November 17, 2024. She was born on June 26, 1931, in Asheboro, N.C. to F. Earl and Daisy Ragsdale Vestal.
Earlene attended Asheboro’s public schools. At Asheboro High School on Fayetteville Street, she met her future husband, Walter Lee Ward. They were married on May 31, 1951; a marriage which would last for 65 years until Walter’s death in 2016. She was the mother of four children.
Earlene was the first in her family to graduate from college. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Women’s College and her master’s in business education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Earlene shattered many barriers throughout her remarkable life, forging her own path with a clear vision based upon the values of her parents, her love of education and her Methodist faith. In her roles as teacher and business leader, she served as a role model to many people. She readily dispensed valuable advice to the many people with whom she came into contact. Earlene quietly helped needy people with a timely gift of money or the offer of an opportunity to work, yet she seldom spoke to anyone about those gifts or opportunities.
After teaching in the public schools, Earlene served Randolph County as an elected board member to the Randolph County School Board.
Earlene succeeded in the car business, which is generally considered to be a man’s world. She worked for her father, who was not sure she would make it, and eventually succeeded to the leadership position at Vestal Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and, later, at Mid-State Toyota. At the time of its sale, Mid-State Toyota was the third oldest Toyota dealership in North Carolina.
In the 1950s-1960s, when Earlene was Vice President of Vestal Motor Co., the owneroperator of Asheboro Business College, and Executive Board member, choir director and organist at Browers Chapel United Methodist Church, she was the mother to three children, later four, and wife to Walter Ward.
Earlene served as a long-term member of the Board of Directors of First National Bank.
Earlene loved music. At Brower’s Chapel United Methodist Church, she played the piano and the organ from her high school years. She was the choir director. Earlene had a lovely voice and enjoyed singing in the church choir and at weddings.
Earlene enjoyed traveling with her husband. She traveled on both business and pleasure trips, and she traveled literally all over the world. On one trip to China, a young Chinese interpreter and guide approached her for help in immigrating to the United States. Despite some risk, she agreed and eventually successfully sponsored him. Today, he lives in California and China and owns a successful import-export business.
Earlene was preceded in death by her parents, her son, Lee Ward, and her husband, Walter Lee Ward.
She is survived by three children, Wendy Ward Heafner, (Bill); Leesa Ward Rush, (Chuck); and Evans Vestal Ward; six grandchildren, Lee Miller, (Jenny); Westly Miller, (Erica); Lane Miller, (Molly); Brad Rush, (Jessica); Brynn Staley (Rob); Ryne Rush, (Erin); and nine greatgrandchildren, Megan Omer; Gage Miller; Hank, Hayward and Betty Miller; Bailey Rush; Camden Miller; Kaylynn Staley; and Ryder Rush; and one greatgreat-grandchild, Ayden Omer.
Many thanks to her special friends and caregivers Evelyn Rodman and Bonnie Martin.
Funeral service will be conducted at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 23, 2024, at Brower’s Chapel Methodist Church, with Rev. Richard Routh officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 6 until 8 p.m. on Friday, November 22, 2024, at Ridge Funeral Home in Asheboro. Memorial contributions may be made to Brower’s Chapel Road Cemetery Fund, 3374 Keyauwee Ridge Road, Asheboro, NC 27205; or to Hospice of Randolph, 416 Vision Drive, Asheboro, NC 27203.
STATE & NATION
Democrats strike deal to get more Biden judges confirmed
Republicans will take control of the Senate in January
By Kevin Freking The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate won’t hold votes on four of President Joe Biden’s appellate court nominees as part of a deal with Republicans to allow for speedier consideration of other judicial nominations and bring Biden within striking distance of the 234 total judicial confirmations that occurred during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term.
Currently, the number of judges confirmed under Biden totals 221. Republicans forced numerous procedural votes this week and late-night sessions as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) attempted to move ahead in getting more of Biden’s nominees confirmed before Congress adjourns. Republicans take control of the chamber in January.
A Senate Democratic leadership aide said Thursday a time agreement had been reached to allow for consideration of seven district court judges the week following Thanksgiving.
Plus, another six district judges would be placed on the Senate executive calendar, making it possible for them to be considered on the Senate floor in December.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 13.
often having the last word on legal matters.
Schumer’s office said the four circuit nominees lacked the support to be confirmed, and Democrats received more than triple the amount of other judges moving forward as part of the agreement.
Liberal groups in recent weeks have been pressuring Senate Democrats to do what it takes to get all of Biden’s judicial nominees confirmed before Trump takes office again, and some expressed disappointment with the deal.
“Reports that there is a deal that would leave behind critical circuit court nominees are unacceptable. All of these nominees must be confirmed expeditiously before the end of the 118th Congress,” said Lena Zwarensteyn, an advisor at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
Russ Feingold, a former Democratic senator and now president of the American Constitution Society, called the deal “extremely frustrating.”
Excluded from that list were four circuit judge nominations awaiting a floor vote: Adeel Abdullah Mangi of New Jersey, nominated for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals; Karla M. Campbell of Tennessee, nominated for the Sixth Circuit; Julia M. Lipez of Maine, First Circuit; and Ryan Young Park of North Carolina, Fourth Circuit.
Mangi would have been the first Muslim American to serve as a federal appellate court judge if he had been confirmed. Mangi received law degrees from Oxford and Harvard. He works in a prestigious law firm
Experts don’t expect big revelations if Trump declassifies final JFK files
It is believed only a few thousand documents remain sealed
By Jamie Stengle
The Associated Press
DALLAS — More than 60 years after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, conspiracy theories still swirl and any new glimpse into the fateful day of Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas continues to fascinate.
President-elect Donald Trump promised during his reelection campaign that he would declassify all of the remaining government records surrounding the assassination if he returned to office. He made a similar pledge during his first term but ultimately bent to appeals from the CIA and FBI to keep some documents withheld.
At this point, only a few thousand of the millions of governmental records related to the assassination have yet to be fully released, and those who have studied the records released so far say that even if the remaining files are declassified, the public shouldn’t anticipate any earth-shattering revelations.
“Anybody waiting for a smok-
ing gun that’s going to turn this case upside down will be sorely disappointed,” said Gerald Posner, author of “Case Closed,” which concludes that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.
When Air Force One carrying Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy touched down in Dallas, they were greeted by a clear sky and enthusiastic crowds. With a reelection campaign on the horizon the next
year, they had gone to Texas on a political fence-mending trip.
But as the motorcade was finishing its parade route downtown, shots rang out from the Texas School Book Depository building. Police arrested 24-year-old Oswald, and two days later, nightclub owner Jack Ruby fatally shot Oswald during a jail transfer.
A year after the assassination, the Warren Commission, which
and has secured significant legal victories. But his limited volunteer work with two outside groups has imperiled his nomination. He faced opposition from some Democrats as well.
The confirmation battles over circuit court judges are generally much harder fights given their role in hearing appeals from district courts and
President Lyndon B. Johnson established to investigate the assassination, concluded that Oswald acted alone and there was no evidence of a conspiracy. But that hasn’t quelled a web of alternative theories over the decades.
In the early 1990s, the federal government mandated that all assassination-related documents be housed in a single collection in the National Archives and Records Administration. The collection of more than 5 million records was required to be opened by 2017, barring any exemptions designated by the president.
Trump, who took office for his first term in 2017, had boasted that he’d allow the release of all the remaining records but ended up holding some back because of what he called the potential harm to national security. And while files have continued to be released during President Joe Biden’s administration, some remain unseen.
The documents released over the last few years offer details on the way intelligence services operated at the time and include CIA cables and memos discussing visits by Oswald to the Soviet and Cuban embassies during a trip to Mexico City just weeks before the assassination. The former Marine had previously defected to the Soviet Union before returning home to Texas.
Mark S. Zaid, a national security attorney in Washington, said what’s been released so far has contributed to the under-
“All public officials need to be prepared to fight against the extremism that will come when Trump returns to office, and retreating in advance is a dangerous precedent to set,” Feingold said.
Schumer has dedicated much of the Senate schedule to getting Biden’s judicial nominees confirmed. He called it a basic responsibility of the Senate.
“We’ll take that responsibility very seriously between now and the end of the year,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.
standing of the time period, giving “a great picture” of what was happening during the Cold War and the activities of the CIA. Posner estimates that there are still about 3,000 to 4,000 documents in the collection that haven’t yet been fully released. Of those documents, some are still completely redacted, while others just have small redactions, like someone’s Social Security number.
“If you have been following it, as I have and others have, you sort of are zeroed in on the pages you think might provide some additional information for history,” Posner said.
There are about 500 documents that have been completely withheld, Posner said, and those include Oswald’s and Ruby’s tax returns. Those files, the National Archives says on its website, weren’t subject to the 2017 disclosure requirement.
Trump’s transition team hasn’t responded to questions this week about his plans when he takes office.
Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said his interest in the assassination dates back to the event itself when he was a child.
“It just seemed so fantastical that one very disturbed individual could end up pulling off the crime of the century,” Sabato said. “But the more I studied it, the more I realized that is a very possible, maybe even probable in my view.”
J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE / AP PHOTO
JULIO CORTEZ / AP PHOTO A man uses a cell phone to capture images of an X on Elm Street at Dealey Plaza, one of two spots marked where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.
RandolpH SPORTS
Chased down
Randleman’s Chase Farlow gets slammed to the turf by Forest Hill’s Rodney Smith after a reception during the Tigers’ 38-21 loss to the Yellow Jackets in their NCHSAA Class 2A second-round playoff game on Nov. 22.
Eastern Randolph breezes through second round
The season ended for Randleman when it was unable to score in the second half vs. Forest Hills
Randolph Record staff
RAMSEUR — Eastern Randolph is the last football team standing in Randolph County.
The Wildcats whipped visiting Cherokee 42-0 in the second round of the Class 1A state playoffs Friday night.
Mason Carson returned an interception for a touchdown for the first points of the game
and Eastern Randolph was in control. Cade McCallum threw for two touchdowns and Lucas Smith rushed for 145 yards.
Eastern Randolph (12-0), which is the No. 4 seed in the West Region, will next take on fifth-seeded Corvian Community (12-0), a 42-6 winner against No. 12 seed Mitchell, this Friday night at home.
Eastern Randolph scored 21 points in each of the first and second quarters on the way to a romp for the second week in a row.
Smith, Kobe Walker and James Combs ran for touchdowns. McCallum’s touchdown passes went to DeSean Sham-
Cougars fall in Class 2A soccer final
Southwestern Randolph made its first trip to a title game
Randolph Record staff
MATTHEWS — Southwest-
ern Randolph’s bid for a first state championship in boys’ soccer came up short.
The Cougars fell 3-1 in the Class 2A final to Clinton on Friday night at Mecklenburg County Sportsplex.
“I thought we represented our school well,” Southwestern Randolph coach Jimmy Walker
said. “We just came up short (in the final).” Clinton took the lead in the 17th minute as Holden Spell scored the opening goal off an assist from Chris Zeleya. Just 27 seconds later, the Cougars leveled the score on a goal from Fernando Hernandez. Jonathan Lopez-Degollado supplied the assist. In the 37th minute, Clinton’s Brandt Sumner slotted a shot into the bottom left corner to give the Dark Horses the lead going into halftime.
Eight minutes into the second half, Clinton senior David
berger for 40 yards and Aiden Goodman for 26 yards.
The Wildcats have won at least two games in the state playoffs for three years in a row. No. 13 seed Cherokee ended with a 7-5 record.
Class 2A
At Randleman, the season ended for Randleman with a 38-21 home loss to No. 13 seed Forest Hills.
The No. 4 seed Tigers (9-3) lost three of their last four games. Forest Hills (9-3) scored the
Paz gave his team a two-goal lead as he gathered a ball in the middle of the box and fired it past Cougars goalkeeper Jonathan Perez-Dominguez.
Twice in the second half, Hernandez had shots bounce off the crossbar.
Sumner, a junior midfielder, was named the Most Valuable Player for the game.
Perez-Dominguez collected nine saves.
Clinton had five more shots on goal than the Cougars.
Southwestern Randolph (25-3) was in the title game for the first time.
“We set the bar pretty high for next year,” Walker said. “… We just weren’t ready for prime time.”
Clinton, which won states for the second time, had reached the final for the second time in
Schools see shifts for NCHSAA realignment
Asheboro might have new league partners, while UCA bumps up
By Bob Sutton Randolph Record
SCHOOLS IN Randolph County will continue to be spread across three classifications in an upcoming realignment, but there’s a different makeup regarding the schools within the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.
Asheboro, in particular, could have some new company in terms of fellow conference members. The NCHSAA is expanding from four to eight classifications beginning with the next school year. The breakdown of classifications was unveiled last week as enrollment figures were released.
conference will be in smaller classifications than Asheboro in the new set-up.
Montgomery Central, Oak Grove, North Davidson are pegged for Class 5A. Central Davidson and Ledford go to Class 4A.
The NCHSAA announced that in the coming weeks that its staff will draft proposed conferences to present to the realignment committee. A draft will be presented to membership for approval.
Asheboro has been tagged for Class 6A, while Uwharrie Charter Academy, Randleman and Southwestern Randolph are on the Class 4A list. The Class 3A list includes Trinity, Wheatmore, Providence Grove and Eastern Randolph. In the current set-up with four classifications, Asheboro has been in Class 3A as the largest school in the county.
Asheboro is also the biggest of the schools in the current Mid-Piedmont Conference. The other schools in the
Still, there could be familiar pairings for Asheboro in Class 6A. That listing includes former conference colleagues Eastern Guilford, Southeast Guilford, Southern Alamance and Burlington Williams. Other soon-tobe Class 6A schools that could be paired with the Blue Comets in conference alignment include Ragsdale and Western Guilford. And depending on how conferences are configured, Lee County, Southern Lee, Greensboro Smith, Kernersville Glenn and Greensboro Dudley will be in Class 6A and possible partners for Asheboro. Meanwhile, UCA will make a big jump to the Class 4A ranks. Of note, UCA doesn’t field a football team.
Aside from Asheboro, the other schools in the county have been members of the Piedmont Athletic Conference, with teams currently in Class 2A and Class 1A. The PAC’s split conference has five Class 2A schools and Class 1A members Eastern Randolph and UCA.
THADDEUS SANDERS FOR RANDOLPH RECORD
HOME PLATE MOTORS
Lucas Smith
again this season.
Eastern Randolph, football
Eastern Randolph’s high-powered team has had various sources of production in maintaining an undefeated record.
One of the main contributors to the offense has been Smith, a senior running back.
He has eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark regularly and ended up as a frequent visitor to the end zone.
Smith has been an All-Piedmont Athletic Conference selection in each of the past two seasons.
The Wildcats have cruised to victories in the Class 1A state playoffs. They’ll have another home postseason game Friday night in a matchup of unbeatens when Corvian Community visits for a third-round game.
Acrobatic pick offered proof that Steelers rookie LB Wilson’s learning curve speeding up
The former NC State star is making an impact in his first pro season
By Will Graves The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH — Payton Wilson could have played it safe, but where’s the fun in that?
The Pittsburgh Steelers rookie linebacker saw Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill sprinting toward him and knew what was coming. Wilson figures the Steelers scout team had run the same play “100 times” in practice.
And every single time, Wilson overplayed the pass route, trying his best to stay in front of whomever it was impersonating Hill on a given play.
“It’s practice, so you want it to be perfect,” Wilson said.
Yet when the moment of truth arrived last week, with Pittsburgh holding a five-point fourth-quarter lead, Wilson did the opposite. Rather than make sure Hill didn’t get behind him, Wilson tried to match Hill stride for stride.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson lofted a rainbow down the left sideline that seemed to nestle into Hill’s awaiting arms.
The ball didn’t stay there long. In one fluid motion, Wilson rolled on top of Hill and ripped it away for his first ca-
from page B1
only second-half points with 14 in the third quarter, pulling away from a 24-21 halftime lead.
Randleman’s John Kirkpatrick threw touchdown passes to Chase Farlow and Tyshaun
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three years. The Dark Horses lost in the 2022 final on penalty kicks to Black Mountain Owen. Clinton and Southwestern
NCHSAA from page B1
For new classifications, Southwestern Randolph is the sixth-smallest school on the Class 4A list. Jordan-Matthews, which frequently is a nonconference opponent for PAC schools, is the 17th-largest school on the Class 4A list. Neighboring schools Providence Grove and Eastern Randolph have the two smallest enrollments on the Class 3A chart.
reer pick, one that helped Pittsburgh eventually escape with an 18-16 victory.
“I took a chance because I kind of wanted to make a play in a big-time moment,” Wilson said. “It worked out.”
Like just about everything else has for Wilson since the Steelers selected the former NC State star last spring. The 24-year-old has given the Steelers a third down linebacker with the speed to more than hold his own when he drops back in coverage. Watching up in the coach’s box, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin nodded as the football IQ that drew the Steelers to Wilson in the first place manifested itself on the field when his team absolutely needed it.
“When you see that happen, you’re happy for him because you know it’s coming together for him,” Austin said. “The game makes sense.”
And during the rare times it doesn’t, Wilson makes it a point to ask around until he figures it out.
During meetings, Wilson is constantly prodding in search of information and an advantage. Rather than rely on his own considerable talent, Wilson is not above challenging himself and even changing something that’s been working for him in search of a more efficient and effective way to go about his job.
Goldston. Micah Thurston ran for a touchdown as part of his 121-yard effort on the ground. Forest Hills rolled up 450 yards of total offense, with 347 of through the air. The Yellow Jackets visit fifth-seeded Salisbury (11-1) in the third round.
Randolph were top seeded in their respective regions. In the West Region final last Tuesday, Southwestern Randolph topped No. 14 seed Lincolnton 3-0 with Yael Ortiz,
Normally, enrollment numbers come from the Department of Public Instruction, but because of changes in how that data is gathered and delays related to Hurricane Helene, the NCHSAA is using average daily membership numbers submitted directly from superintendents or heads of schools. Conference affiliations have yet to be determined. With eight classifications, there has been speculation that the
“He doesn’t go on like, ‘OK, I’m going to get on and do this (my) way,’” veteran inside linebacker Elandon Roberts. “He wants to understand why and he’s very humble, so he just asks whatever he feels like he needs to ask.”
Though Wilson’s playing time has varied depending on the opponent — he’s played anywhere from 13 to 44 snaps through 10 games — his presence inside the team facility has not. He is not interested in doing “the bare minimum,” as longtime defensive tackle Cam Heyward put it. It helps to have a locker right next to Roberts and Patrick Queen, who have embraced their mentorship of Wilson.
“They’re just so smart,” Wilson said. “There’s no egos in our room. So it’s super cool to see that they help me out.”
It’s telling of the tightness of the group that Roberts and Queen were among the first people to celebrate with Wilson after the biggest play of his still-young career.
Asked if he was surprised by how Wilson made an incredibly difficult pick look incredibly easy, Roberts raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“How tall is this man?” Roberts asked of his 6-foot-4 teammate.” What did he run at the combine? Exactly. He’s got all the attributes to make that play. And he works his (tail) off too.”
There was a major upset in the classification in the second round with defending state champion Reidsville, which was the top seed in the West Region, falling at home by 27-26 to No. 17 seed East Rutherford. Reidsville’s season ended with an 11-1 record.
Aaron Avina and Hernandez scoring goals. Avina also provided an assist. Clinton defeated third-seeded Greene Central 2-0 in the East Region final.
number of split conferences (leagues with more than one classification represented) could increase.
The NCHSAA announced that in the coming weeks NCHSAA staff will draft proposed conferences to present to the realignment committee. A draft will be presented to membership for approval.
The new classifications are intended to be in use for four school years.
RANDOLPH RECORD FILE PHOTO
Lucas Smith of Eastern Randolph has found room to run
SOCCER
FOOTBALL
GENE J. PUSKAR / AP PHOTO
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson reacts after intercepting a pass by the Baltimore Ravens to help preserve a victory.
pen & paper pursuits
this week in history
The Grand Ole Opry debuted, George Harrison died, Rosa Parks stood for justice by sitting down
The Associated Press
NOV. 28
1925: The Grand Ole Opry debuted on radio station WSM in Nashville.
1520: Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reached the Pacific Ocean.
1942: Fire engulfed the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston, killing 492 people in the deadliest nightclub blaze ever.
1943: President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin met in Tehran for the first time to discuss Allied cooperation during World War II.
2001: Enron Corp., once the world’s largest energy trader, collapsed.
NOV. 29
1864: The Sand Creek Massacre occurred when a Colorado militia launched an unprovoked attack on an encampment of Cheyenne and Arapahoe tribal members. An estimated 230 people were killed.
1929: Navy Lt. Cmdr. Richard E. Byrd, pilot Bernt Balchen, radio operator Harold June and photographer Ashley McKinney made the first airplane flight over the South Pole.
1981: Film star Natalie Wood drowned while boating off California’s Santa Catalina Island with her husband, Robert Wagner, and actor Christopher Walken.
2001: Former Beatle George Harrison died following a battle with cancer; he was 58.
Roy
performs with the Smoky Mountain Boys at the Grand Ole Opry, which debuted on radio station WSM on Nov. 28, 1925, in Nashville, Tennessee.
NOV. 30
1782: The United States and Britain signed preliminary peace articles in Paris to end the Revolutionary War.
1993: President Bill Clinton signed the Brady Bill, which required a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases and background checks of prospective buyers.
1999: An estimated 40,000 demonstrators clashed with police as they protested against the World Trade Organization as the WTO convened in Seattle.
DEC 1
1862: President Abraham Lincoln sent his Second Annual Message to Congress, in which he called for the abolition of slavery, and went on to say, “Fellow-citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this Administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves.”
1942: During World War II, nationwide gasoline rationing went into effect in the United States.
1955: Rosa Parks, a black seamstress, was arrested after refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus.
1969: The U.S. government held its first draft lottery since World War II.
1991: Ukrainians voted overwhelmingly for independence from the Soviet Union.
DEC. 2
1859: Militant abolitionist John Brown was hanged for his raid on Harpers Ferry the previous October.
1993: Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was shot to death in Medellin.
Dec.1, 1955, for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a racially segregated bus in Alabama.
3
DEC.
1818: Illinois was admitted as the 21st state.
1828: Andrew Jackson was elected president of the United States.
1947: The Tennessee Williams play “A Streetcar Named Desire” opened on Broadway.
1964: Police arrested some 800 students at the University of California at Berkeley, one day after the students stormed the administration building and staged a massive sit-in.
1965: The Beatles’ sixth studio album, “Rubber Soul,” was released in the United Kingdom.
DEC. 4
1942: During World War II, U.S. bombers struck the Italian mainland for the first time.
1956: Known as “The Million Dollar Quartet”, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins gathered for the first and only time for an impromptu jam session at Sun Records in Memphis.
PAUL WARNER / AP PHOTO Civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, pictured in 2001, was arrested on
Acuff
AP PHOTO
Davis to receive Golden Globes’ Cecil B. DeMille Award
The 59-year-old has two Tonys, an Emmy, an Oscar and a Golden Globe
By Jonathan Landrum Jr.
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Viola Davis became one of Hollywood’s most revered actors through an array of powerful roles, from “Fences” to “The Woman King,” and now her decorated career has earned her one of the Golden Globes’ highest honors.
Davis will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 82nd annual awards ceremony on Jan 5, the Golden Globes announced last Wednesday.
The actor has won praise for a string of compelling characters in films such as “The Help,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Doubt” while captivating TV audiences through the legal thriller drama “How to Get Away with Murder.”
Golden Globes president Helen Hoehne called Davis a “luminary” and expressed admiration for the actor’s dedication to her craft and impact on the industry.
“Viola’s courage in portraying complex, powerful characters have broken barriers and paved new paths, making her
“Viola’s courage in portraying complex, powerful characters have broken barriers and paved new paths, making her an emblem of excellence and an ideal recipient of this prestigious award.”
Golden Globes president Helen Hoehne
an emblem of excellence and an ideal recipient of this prestigious award,” Hoehne said.
The DeMille Award has been bestowed to 69 of Hollywood’s greatest talents. Past recipients include Tom Hanks, Jeff Bridges, Oprah Winfrey, Morgan Freeman, Meryl Streep, Barbra Streisand and Sidney Poitier.
Nominations for the upcoming Globes show are scheduled to be announced Dec. 9. Davis, 59, has two Tonys, most recently for “Fences” in 2010, she won an Emmy in 2015 for “How to Get Away with Murder,” and an Oscar and Golden Globe in 2016 for the film version of “Fenc -
es.” She achieved EGOT status after winning a Grammy last year for best audiobook, narration and storytelling recording for her memoir “Finding Me.”
In 2022, Davis was honored with the Public Counsel’s William O. Douglas Award for her commitment to social justice causes. She has partnered with multiple programs to eradicate childhood hunger in the United States.
Davis and her husband, Julius Tennon, founded a production company, JuVee Productions, which develops and produces independent films, theater, television and digital content. Earlier this year, the company filmed an action thriller for Amazon Studios in Cape Town and reportedly plans to return to South Africa to film the true story of a young African refugee’s journey to the U.S.
Davis and the 2025 Carol Burnett Award winner, honoring television achievements, will be praised at a gala dinner Jan. 3 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. For the first time, the Globes will host a separate event dedicated to both awards.
Davis will be recognized during the awards ceremony broadcast.
EVAN AGOSTINI / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Multiple award-winning actor Viola Davis will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 82nd Golden Globes ceremony on Jan 5.
Chris Myers looks back on his career in ‘That Deserves a Wow’
The sportscaster’s new book profiles his varied experiences
By Rob Merrill The Associated Press
THERE ARE FEW sports journalists working today with a resume as broad as Chris Myers. From a decade doing everything for ESPN (“SportsCenter,” play-by-play and succeeding Roy Firestone as host of the interview show “Up Close”) to decades of involvement with nearly every league under contract with Fox Sports (NFL, NASCAR, Major League Baseball), the kid from Miami has truly seen and done it all when it comes to sports television.
Which is why it’s a little surprising that his memoir, “That Deserves a Wow,” isn’t more revealing. It hits all the admittedly very high points — the first live interview with O.J. Simpson following the civil judgment against him in the Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman murders, the 1989 California earthquake that postponed the World Series for a week, and live on-the-scene reporting from the Centennial Park bombing at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. For readers looking to get into the business, though, there’s some good advice in these pages. Myers knew early on what he wanted to do with his life and began writing down his goals. “Get on the radio. Be
WILLIAM MORROW VIA AP
Chris Myers recounts his career in broadcasting in “That Deserves a Wow: Untold Stories of Legends and Champions, Their Wins and Heartbreaks.”
an anchor on TV,” he scrawled in lipstick on his mirror as a kid. As he grew, he swapped the mirror for note cards and kept them close to his bed, reading them often as reminders. And as he climbed to a top rung on the TV sports ladder, he followed this adage: “If you don’t jump at unexpected opportunities, you won’t get more than what’s expected.” That’s the tenet that convinced him to leave ESPN for Fox Sports, which was essentially a network start-up in 1998. That decision led to a slew of opportunities that brought My-
ers face-to-face with a galaxy of sports stars. He recalls some of his most memorable on-camera moments, from Tom Brady after winning Super Bowls to Mike Tyson in his heyday.
Being on TV does have its perks, and Myers’ friendships with Bill Murray and Charles Barkley fall into that category. Some of the best chapters recount escapades with each of them, one involving a corned beef sandwich and another Barkley’s prodigious gambling habit. There’s also some real heart here, as most fans will probably have forgotten the personal loss Myers experienced in 2012 when his 19-year-old son Christopher died in a car accident.
“Back then I thought, ‘Well, there’ll be other days.’ I didn’t realize that that was the only day,” is a line spoken by actor Burt Lancaster as Archie “Moonlight” Graham in the movie “Field of Dreams,” and Myers uses it to reflect on how it felt (and still feels) to lose a son. The supportive role played by Rick Hendrick, the legendary owner of Hendrick Motorsports, during that tumultuous time in Myers’ life is a touching revelation.
In the end, it’s easy to forgive Myers for not dishing more or burning any bridges in his memoir. He admits he’s lived his dream, and perhaps the ultimate lesson readers should take from the book is that, sometimes, nice guys do finish first.
NOV. 28
Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. is 95. Singer Randy Newman is 81. Musician Paul Shaffer (“Late Show With David Letterman”) is 75. Actor Ed Harris is 74. Actor Judd Nelson is 65.
NOV. 29
Actor Diane Ladd is 89. Musician Chuck Mangione is 84. Singer-keyboardist Felix Cavaliere of The Rascals is 82. Actor Jeff Fahey (“Lost,” “The Marshal”) is 72. Director Joel Coen (“Fargo,” “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”) is 70. Actor-comedian Howie Mandel is 69. Actor Andrew McCarthy is 62. Actor Don Cheadle is 60.
NOV. 30
Director Ridley Scott is 87. Writer-director Terrence Malick (“The Thin Red Line”) is 81. Bassist Roger Glover of Deep Purple is 79. Singer-actor Mandy Patinkin is 72. Singer Billy Idol is 69. Actor-director Ben Stiller is 59.
DEC.1
Actor-director Woody Allen is 89. Drummer John Densmore of The Doors is 80. Actor-singer Bette Midler is 79.
DEC .2
Actor Cathy Lee Crosby (“That’s Incredible”) is 80. News anchor Stone Phillips is 70. Actor Dennis Christopher (“Breaking Away,” ″Chariots of Fire”) is 69. Actor Lucy Liu is 56. Singer Britney Spears is 43.
DEC. 3
Singer Ozzy Osbourne is 76.
Actor Daryl Hannah is 64. Actor Julianne Moore is 64. Actor Brendan Fraser is 56. Singer Montell Jordan is 56.
DEC. 4
Game show host Wink Martindale is 91. Singer Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon is 88. Singer-bassist Chris Hillman (The Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers) is 80. Actor Jeff Bridges is 75. Actor Marisa Tomei is 60. Comedian Fred Armisen (“Portlandia,” “Saturday Night Live”) is 58. Rapper Jay-Z is 55.
CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO Pop sensation Brittany Spears turns 43 on Monday.
CARLOS OSORIO / AP PHOTO Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. turns 95 on Thursday.
CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO Heavy metal singer and founding member of Black Sabbath Ozzy Osbourne turns 76 on Tuesday.
CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO Singer Randy Newman turns 81 on Thursday.
the stream
Michael Fassbender spies, yacht rock doc, Ben Stiller, the Beatles and Lindsay Lohan
Eric Clapton has a new live album and concert film
The Associated Press
THE OSCAR-NOMINAT-
ED animated charmer “Robot Dreams” and Lindsay Lohan starring in the Christmas romantic comedy “Our Little Secret” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also, among the streaming offerings worth your time: HBO has a documentary about yacht rock, there’s another entry in the reality genre of seniors looking for love called “The Later Daters” on Netflix and the Fab Four’s first trip to America is chronicled in the documentary, “Beatles ’64.”
MOVIES TO STREAM
“Robot Dreams,” the Oscar-nominated animated charmer about a dog and a robot, comes to Hulu on Tuesday. Associated Press Film Writer Jake Coyle called it “one of the best New York movies in years, not to mention a surprisingly mature tale of loving and losing for a movie where the effects of rust are quite central to the narrative.”
Also arriving Friday on Hulu is the family comedy “Nutcrackers.” Ben Stiller plays a city guy who must go to the country to take care of his unruly orphaned nephews. It’s a return to comedy for “Pineapple Express” filmmaker David Gordon Green.
“When Harry Met Sally” gets a modern update in the new romantic comedy “Sweethearts” about childhood best friends whose relationship gets a little complicated in college. Starring Kiernan Shipka and Nico Hiraga, “Sweethearts,” debuting on Max on Thursday, is the feature directorial debut of “Dollhouse” creator Jordan Weiss.
If you’re wondering why Lindsay Lohan seems to be everywhere lately, Netflix is the answer. The streamer has a new Christmas romantic comedy, “Our Little Secret,” waiting for you. The idea is that Lohan’s character is spending the holiday with her boyfriend’s family only to discover that his sister is dating her ex.
MUSIC TO STREAM
The Beatles’ first trip to America is chronicled in a new movie produced by Martin Scorsese, “Beatles ’64,” which streams on Disney+ on Friday. The documentary uses never-before-seen and rare footage and drills down on the Fab
Four’s milestone American visit, which included appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” concerts at Carnegie Hall and the Washington Colosseum, and a meeting with Muhammad Ali. It offers interviews with David Lynch and Ronnie Spector as well as some of the women who, as girls, screamed outside the Beatles’ New York hotel. Its backbone is rare footage filmed by documentarians Albert and David Maysles of John, Paul, George and Ringo being exceedingly silly. Grab your captain’s hat and fake mustache for a tour of yacht rock, the once-dismissed
musical genre that has found new love of late. HBO’s revealing “Music Box: Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary” traces the rise of the music style — elevated pop music infused with jazz and R&B — from the perspective of its makers, including Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins and Christopher Cross. The documentary nicely connects yacht rock to the culture and music heritage, adding the creators of the web series who coined the label. Sail away on Friday. Eric Clapton has a new live album and concert film, “Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival 2023,” which captured
the shows on Sept. 23-24, 2023, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Only Clapton could attract this level of musical talent to join him: Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, H.E.R., Los Lobos, John Mayer, Santana and The Wallflowers. The master of ceremonies is Bill Murray. This was the seventh installment of the festival after a four-year break. Guitar World hailed it as “a six-string celebration.”
SHOWS TO STREAM
When a CIA agent who goes by “Martian” (played by Michael Fassbender) returns to the London office after a long undercover job, the transition to real life is not an easy one in “The Agency.” The espionage thriller also stars Jodie Turner-Smith as a former love who complicates matters. “It’s the battle of his soul between what he does for a living and the relationships he has,” Fassbender told the AP. George Clooney is an executive producer. The story is based on a 2015 French espionage series called “The Bureau.” Jeffrey Wright, Katherine Waterston and Richard Gere also star. “The Agency” premieres Friday on Paramount+ with Showtime. America first fell for the notion of people of a certain age finding love on ABC’s “The Golden Bachelor” and most recently “The Golden Bachelorette.” Netflix — and Michelle Obama, who is an executive
producer — have jumped on the trend with a docuseries called “The Later Daters” debuting Friday. Cameras follow six silver singles as they go on a series of blind dates to find love and companionship. Colman Domingo stars in a new conspiracy thriller series, “The Madness,” as a CNN pundit who is framed for the murder of a white supremacist. It deals with misinformation and disinformation spread online about Domingo’s Muncie Daniels character and the damage it can do to an individual and community. “The Madness” hits Netflix on Thursday.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
There are plenty of job simulators out there, but Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop is the first one I know of that also invites you to “ponder the futility of your existence.” You are a spaceship mechanic, so instead of flying around exploring strange new worlds, you’re stuck on a lonely asteroid tightening screws and replacing burnt-out wires. You also have to contend with a particularly demanding boss — one who might actually kill you if you don’t make your quota. The result, from British developer Beard Envy, is a mix of tricky, time-sensitive mechanical puzzles and surreal black comedy. Start choppin’ Thursday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S,
Switch
“The Madness,” “Sweethearts” and the film “Nutcrackers” land on a screen near you this week.
RYAN GREEN / DISNEY VIA AP
Ben Stiller and Arlo Janson star in “Nutcrackers,” coming to Hulu on Friday.
DISNEY / MAX VIA AP Music documentaries “Beatles ’64” and “Music Box: Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary” premiere this week.
HOKE COUNTY
Wintry wonderland
Appalachian State student Berkley Coon slides down a snow-covered hill at Kidd Brewer Stadium before the App State and James Madison football game on Saturday in Boone.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
CNN wants Robinson’s defamation lawsuit thrown out
CNN wants a defamation lawsuit against it filed by North Carolina’s lieutenant governor dismissed. Mark Robinson filed the suit against the network for its report saying he once made explicit posts on a pornography website’s message board. The September report nearly led to the collapse of the Republican’s campaign for governor. Robinson ended up losing that race earlier this month. He sued in October and said, in part, the network failed to verify the posts. CNN’s filing on Thursday in federal court said that Robinson presented no evidence that the network believed its story was false or aired it recklessly.
Elections chief wants senator to take back comment about vote manipulation
The NCSBE top administrator wants Senate leader Phil Berger to retract a comment that he made suggesting this month’s results were being manipulated. Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell wrote to Berger on Thursday, the day after he spoke to reporters. He sounded unhappy with a lengthy postelection counting process and inferred it was being used to help change a result. Brinson Bell said Berger’s accusation “has absolutely no basis in fact.”
$2.00
People are skipping urban areas in favor of far-flung exurbs
Communities on the outskirts of the suburbs are some of the fastest growing
By Mike Schneider The Associated Press
HAINES CITY, Fla. — Not long ago, Polk County’s biggest draw was citrus instead of people. Located between Tampa and Orlando, Florida’s citrus capital produces more boxes of citrus than any other county in the state and has devoted tens of thousands of acres to growing millions of trees. But last year, more people moved to the county than to any other in the United States, almost 30,000.
Bulldozed citrus groves in recent years made way for housing and big box stores that could one day merge the two metropolitan areas into what has half-jokingly been dubbed, “Orlampa.”
The migration — and property sprawl — reflects a significant kind of growth seen all over the country this decade: the rise of the far-flung exurbs.
Outlying communities on the outer margins of metro areas — some as far away as 60 miles from a city’s center — had some of the fastest-growing populations last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Those communities are primarily in the South, like Anna on the outskirts of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area;
Fort Mill, South Carolina, outside Charlotte; Lebanon outside Nashville; and Polk County’s Haines City. For some residents, like Marisol Ortega, commuting to work can take up to an hour and a half one-way. But Ortega, who lives in Haines City about 40 miles from her job in Orlando, says it’s worth it. “I love my job. I love what I do, but then I love coming back home, and it’s more tranquil,” Ortega said.
A pandemic exodus and more
The rapid growth of far-flung exurbs is an after-effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Census Bureau, as
Whistleblower sounds alarm about destruction of tribal sites in NC
A USFS archeologist says irresponsible behavior has damaged historic sites
By Susan Montoya Bryan The Associated Press
SPEAR POINTS, hammer stones and picks lost to history under layers of leaves, roots and rocks — it was the evidence Scott Ashcraft was looking for.
The ancient tools were inadvertently unearthed in 2021 by a bulldozer fighting a wildfire along a steep slope in western North Carolina. Ashcraft, a career U.S. Forest Service archaeologist, knew these wooded mountainsides held more clues to early human history in the Appalachian Mountains than anyone had imagined. He tried for years to raise the
rising housing costs drove people further from cities and remote working allowed many to do their jobs from home at least part of the week.
Polk County’s Hispanic population has grown from onefifth to more than one-quarter of the overall population over the past five years, driven by Puerto Rican migration from the island after 2017’s Hurricane Maria and then from New York during the pandemic. The county has grown more diverse with the share of non-Hispanic white residents dropping from 61% to 54%, and it has also gotten more educated and wealthier, according to the Census Bureau. De-
alarm to forest managers, saying outdated modeling that ignored the artifacts sometimes hidden on steep terrain — especially sites significant to Native American tribes — needed to be reconsidered when planning for prescribed fires, logging projects, new recreational trails and other work on national forest lands.
Instead, Ashcraft says managers retaliated against him and pushed ahead with their plans, often violating historic preservation and environmental protection laws by side stepping consultations with tribes, limiting input from state archaeologists and systematically suppressing scientific data. In a letter shared with The Associated Press, Ashcraft sent his concerns to top officials in the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Interior Department, White House Council on Native American Affairs and National Congress of American Indians. He described an escalating pattern of illegal, unethical and irresponsible behavSee TRIBAL, page A4
PHILIP LAPORTA VIA AP
Two bipointed quarry picks fashioned from quartz mylonite were uncovered during an archaeological survey of the Seniard Creek Fire scar south of Asheville.
into the woods after being released
The Associated Press
ASHEVILLE — A bear cub, one of two pulled from a tree as a person posed for a photo, has been returned to the wild, according to North Carolina wildlife officials.
The bear was released last month in an undisclosed, remote mountain area in western North Carolina, the state’s Wildlife Resources Commission announced Wednesday. A brief video of the release shows the cub bounding out of a carrier toward the camera on a small road, before spinning around and racing into the woods. The staffer who released her then fired a noise-maker meant to maintain a fear of humans.
Commission staff in April responded to a report of people harassing bear cubs at an Asheville apartment complex. Officials were told the two cubs escaped after one bit a person, according to a commission news release. Video the commission posted online showed people pulling cubs from a tree. One person could also be seen posing for a photo while holding one of the wild animals. After a loud screech, the person dropped the cub, who ran for a nearby fence.
One cub was found later in a retention pond, wet and shivering, officials said. Ashley Hobbs, the commission’s coordinator for BearWise, a program aimed at helping people “live responsibly with black bears,” captured the cub and described her as “lethargic and frightened” and favoring one of her paws. That cub was taken to a rehabilitation facility, but the second cub was never found, officials said.
The commission investigated the incident, but no charges were filed.
congrats!
Haywood Jones, owner of Defender Ammunition in Raeford, accepts VFW Post 10’s 2024 Business of the Year award from Post Commander Dan Nocher, right.
spite the influx of new people, the county’s Republican leanings have remained relatively unchanged.
Yeseria Suero and her family moved from New York to Polk County at the start of the decade after falling in love with the pace of life and affordability during a visit. Still, there were some cultural adjustments: restaurants closing early, barbecue and boiled peanuts everywhere, strangers chatting with her at the grocery store. Suero is now involved with the tightknit Hispanic community, and her two boys are active in sports leagues.
“My kids now say, ‘Yes, ma’am,’” she said. Recent hurricanes and citrus diseases in Florida also have made it more attractive for some Polk County growers to sell their citrus groves to developers who build new residences or stores.
Over the past decade, citrus-growing there declined from 81,800 acres and almost 10 million trees in 2014 to 58,500 acres and 8.5 million trees in 2024, according to federal agricultural statistics.
“It hasn’t been a precipitous conversion of citrus land for growth,” said Matt Joyner, CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, a grower’s group. “But certainly you see it in northern, northeastern Polk.”
An exurb of an exurb
Anna, Texas, more than 45 miles north of downtown Dallas, is seeing the same kind of migration.
It was the fourth-fastest growing city in the U.S. last year, and its population has increased by a third during the 2020s to 27,500 residents. Like Polk County, Anna has gotten a little older, richer and more racially diverse. Close to 3 in 5 households have moved into their homes since 2020, according to the Census Bureau.
Schuyler Crouch, 29, and his wife wanted to buy a house in a closer-in exurb like Frisco, where he grew up, so they could settle down and start a family. But prices there have skyrocketed because of population growth.
In Anna, they fell in love last year with a house that was more reasonably priced. They both work in Frisco, about 30 miles away, and it has become their go-to for eating out or entertainment instead of downtown Dallas, even though not long ago Frisco itself was considered a far-flung outpost of the metro area.
Still, Crouch said he has noticed the exurbs keep getting pushed further north as breakneck growth makes affordable housing out of reach in neighborhoods once considered on the fringes of the metro area.
“The next exurb we are going to be living in is Oklahoma,” he joked.
COURTESY PHOTO
EXURBS
THE CONVERSATION
Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
COLUMN | STEPHEN MOORE
Breaking up Google will be a great American catastrophe
Few, if any, companies spend more money on product innovation and refinement than Google does.
EARLIER THIS YEAR, in one of the most absurd court rulings in modern times, federal judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google violated U.S. antitrust law by gaining a monopoly in the search engine markets.
In the days or weeks ahead, the courts will decide whether to break up one of America’s most iconic companies or to sell off some of its activities and products. The latest reports are that the courts may require Google to sell off its popular Chrome browser. (To whom? China?) It may also require Google to surrender other products to help erase its market lead.
With a market cap of roughly $2 trillion, Google is one of the five most profitable companies in the world. It got there by offering a search engine service for free to hundreds of millions of customers. This may be the largest benefit to consumers of any company in world history.
Yet the courts ruled that: “Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly.” It was found guilty of violating Section 2 of the Sherman Act. Yet the Sherman Act was meant to protect against companies that use their size and scope to raise prices. Google’s sin is that it produces superior products at prices that are too low. One statistic was cited as evidence of monopoly behavior: Back in 2009, Google controlled 80% of the search engine market, and today it is closer to 90%.
What was remarkable and dangerous about this decision is that the courts openly conceded that Google gained this dominant market share by making the best search engine, and that it is made easily available to almost all consumers at very low costs.
How weird is this? Keeping prices low and relentlessly improving product performance
is illegal because it is unfair to a company’s competitors? This is doubly absurd given that we have the Biden administration accusing companies like grocery stores of raising their prices. So in America today, if you raise your prices, you are a greedy profiteer, and if you lower your prices, you’re a monopolist that has to pay restitution to your less efficient competitors.
The argument for breaking up Google gets even more nonsensical when you listen to the Biden administration’s cockeyed excuses for punishing Google. The Department of Justice’s chief antitrust officer says: “This landmark decision ... paves the path for innovation for generations to come and protects access to information for all Americans.”
This is a preposterous statement. Few, if any, companies spend more money on product innovation and refinement than Google does. And as far as “protecting access to information for all Americans,” no company in history has opened up more access to information than Google. No other company even comes close. It has brought the equivalent of the entire Library of Congress to the fingertips of everyone with a laptop computer in a matter of a few seconds. That’s not an antitrust violation. It is a miracle of innovation that deserves our deepest appreciation.
Even worse, this lawsuit piggybacks off the hostile actions by America’s European and Chinese tech rivals, whose inferior search engines can’t compete with Google. As recourse, they want to loot tens of millions of American shareholders who invest in Google. Instead of defending an American company against foreign raiders, we have the U.S. Justice Department and federal courts giving aid to those hostile
lawsuits and bolstering their legitimacy.
Can anyone imagine for a moment that a German or a Japanese or a Chinese court would be stupid enough to rule against their own domestic company that has come to dominate a globally strategic industry and has created tens of thousands of high-paying jobs for its citizens while making hundreds of billions of dollars for its own citizen shareholders? Only in America.
Many conservatives moan that Google has developed algorithms that discriminate against viewpoints and studies that have a right-leaning perspective. That’s definitely a problem, but there are many other search engines available, like Bing and DuckDuckGo, that consumers can use as alternatives to Google. We certainly don’t want the government or politicians like Sens. Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren regulating what can and can’t be accessed on a private search engine platform. Even worse would be handing more business over to Chinese browsers that will clearly serve up misinformation.
Several years ago, a landmark study by economists Erik Brynjolfsson of Stanford University and Avinash Collis of Carnegie Mellon University estimated that the median U.S. user values search engines at $17,500 per year. Today, that number is easily more than $20,000 of value added for the average person with a laptop computer or a smartphone — which is nearly all of us.
This is the very definition of a gift horse to nearly all Americans. And our government and its throng of lawyers with goofy legal theories are risking killing it.
Stephen Moore is a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation. He is also an economic adviser to the Trump campaign.
Debunking the left’s deportation hysteria
Illegal immigrant parents should be allowed and encouraged to take their children with them when they leave.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ACTIVISTS are already panicked that Donald Trump will keep one of his biggest campaign promises.
Trump recently announced that Tom Homan will be his “border czar.” Homan isn’t a household name, but he’s had a long career in government. Homan was the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first term. He was also ICE’s executive associate director of enforcement and removal operations under President Barack Obama. Trump wants him to put those skills to use.
“Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise. During the campaign, Trump vowed to oversee “the largest deportation operation in the history of our country.”
Many voters welcomed this. The millions of illegal aliens who entered the country since President Joe Biden took office overwhelmed even self-declared “sanctuary” cities. In several high-profile cases, like the death of Laken Riley, officials believe illegal immigrants murdered Americans. A Venezuelan gang even took over an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado.
But the left’s fearmongering over Trump’s deportation plans has already begun. Their first objection is that it’s logistically
impossible. It would be very difficult to identify and move 15 million illegal immigrants out of the country. But it’s also hard to solve every murder case. That doesn’t keep police from solving the ones they can.
In an August interview, now-Vice President-elect J.D. Vance endorsed this stepby-step approach. “Let’s start with 1 million” and “then we can go from there,” he said.
The next objection is that it will cost too much. There is an element of truth here. Enforcing laws is costly. But as blue cities learned the hard way, the “defund the police” alternative is far worse.
This concern ignores how expensive it is for state and local governments to provide services to illegal immigrants. In 2023, New York City officials estimated illegal immigrants cost the city $4 billion annually. For context, in 2023, NYPD’s annual budget was $5.8 billion.
Also, you should never take Democrats seriously when they object to spending government money. Just look at the trillions they doled out during Biden’s first term.
Another concern is that deporting illegals will hurt the economy. The theory is that deporting millions of illegal immigrants would shrink the supply of low-skilled workers. That would force companies to pay higher wages, which would raise prices.
It probably would for some products, but look at the why again. Illegal immigrants
have artificially boosted the supply of people competing for entry-level jobs and working in manual labor industries like construction.
That’s lowered wages for low-skill workers. Boosting those wages would be a good thing, even if it raises prices for those higher up the income ladder. Plus, removing millions of illegal immigrants would lower housing prices.
Finally, there will be claims that it’s cruel. The propaganda press is eager to blame deportations for causing a “family separation” crisis. But deportations don’t need to include that. Illegal immigrant parents should be allowed and encouraged to take their children with them when they leave.
Also, the government routinely separates U.S. citizens who commit crimes from their children. The responsibility in both cases lies with the parents who broke the law.
There’s also a practical benefit to Trump talking up deportations and reinstituting things like his “Remain in Mexico” policy. It will decrease the amount of illegal immigration. If would-be illegal immigrants know they won’t be able to enter and stay in the country, fewer will even try to cross the border. Regardless of how deportations go, that would be a major victory.
Victor Joecks is a columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
ior by forest managers in North Carolina that stands in sharp contrast to the historic strides the Biden administration has made nationally to include Indigenous expertise when making decisions about public land management.
Although the case focuses on a single state, Ashcraft said it highlights a bigger problem — that there are no guardrails to keep the Forest Service from using outdated modeling and skirting requirements to consult with tribes before moving ahead with projects.
“It’s seems that project completion, feathers in caps and good performance evaluations have outweighed the protection of cultural resources,” Ashcraft told the AP in an interview.
The letter is the latest salvo in a federal whistleblower case that began when Ashcraft filed a lengthy disclosure with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s inspector general in 2023. That office turned the case back to the Forest Service, where regional officials declared that legal requirements had been met.
The whistleblower disclosure gained the attention of preservation experts and other researchers as hostility by forest managers mounted against Ashcraft, the heritage resources program manager for the Pisgah National Forest.
Emails and other documents reviewed by the AP show many of Ashcraft’s duties were reassigned to other employees and he was prohibited from communicating with tribes.
Regional forest officials have not directly addressed allegations of retaliation against Ashcraft, but they have doubled down on promises to work with the dozen tribes that have ancestral connections to the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests.
Nationally, the Biden administration has moved toward recognizing the connection Native Americans have to their homelands through the publication of action plans and guidance for dealing with sacred sites. In 2022, President Joe Biden issued a memo aimed at setting minimum standards for how agencies should carry out consultations with tribes.
It appears that system broke down in North Carolina, said Valerie Grussing, the executive director of the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers. The group has been in discussions with tribes and top forest officials about violations there.
“What’s happened at the forest unit and the regional level is egregious. It’s unconscionable,” she said. “It’s not just a breaking of the federal trust responsibility but of established relationships.”
James Melonas, supervisor of the four forests in North Carolina, said in a statement that an independent group of experts was tapped last year to review several projects to ensure compliance with federal laws and tribal consultation obli-
gations after “an internal concern” was raised. The experts recommended more training for employees on the requirements of the National Historic Preservation Act and a full review of the forest heritage program. Regional forest officials said that internal review was done in May, confirming that obligations were met.
“Honoring this rich tribal heritage along with co-stewardship of these lands with tribal nations is a top priority for the Forest Service,” Melonas said.
Some tribal officials say the Forest Service did not reach out to them when conducting the reviews.
Ashcraft’s attorneys have partnered with the legal nonprofit Whistleblower Aid. They contend that Ashcraft has put his career on the line to bring attention to what they described as the “willful destruction of Native American heritage sites.”
Andrew Bakaj, chief legal counsel for Whistleblower Aid, said virtually none of the key stakeholders with knowledge of the violations were interviewed as part of the agency’s review and the report has been kept out of the public eye.
The concerns raised by the whistleblower are not the first time the Forest Service has been accused of not following procedures. Documents obtained by the AP in 2016 revealed that portions of the Trail of Tears were ripped up in eastern Tennessee when an employee approved the construction of berms and trenches without authorization. The Forest Service later apologized to the Cherokee Nation and other tribes.
Ashcraft has surveyed vast tracts of forest over his 31-year career. Without further investigation of steep slopes, he said the extent of the damage done in western North Carolina as a result of managers relying on
outdated modeling can’t be fully known.
The whistleblower disclosure provides examples in which forest managers have allegedly tried to obstruct further archaeological investigations on steep slopes. It states that recreational trail projects — including a multimillion-dollar effort to expand hiking and biking networks east of Asheville — have already been built over some areas and that prescribed burns have been implemented despite the need for more assessments and tribal consultation.
“These actions are irreparably damaging or destroying an untold sum of Native American cultural and archeological sites including some of great significance. This conduct continues to this day,” Ashcraft warned in his letter.
The intent isn’t to stop work on forest lands, Ashcraft said, but rather to document sites before they’re altered or reroute work in cases where areas are more sensitive and need protection.
The Center for the Investigation of Native and Ancient Quarries has worked with Ashcraft and other scientists to uncover dozens of sites — many of which have a “surprising density” of Native American cultural materials and evidence of land use dating back thousands of years.
Within the scar of the Seniard Creek Fire south of Asheville, they turned up stone axes and other tools used for digging at quartz and soapstone quarries — all examples of what researchers described as engineering feats by sophisticated societies that called this region home about 6,000 years ago.
“Here we are at higher elevations and steeper slopes with an
absolutely magnificent resource eroding downslope,” said Philip LaPorta, executive director of the center and adjunct senior research scientist at Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory.
LaPorta said discoveries like the one near Asheville should make people think differently about how Indigenous people used steep landscapes.
The whistleblower disclosure was shared with the Cherokee Nation, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Catawba Indian Nation, the Muscogee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee were hopeful about having more meaningful and frequent consultations with forest managers after the agency adopted a revised plan for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests in 2023. However, a specialist with the tribe said not much has changed.
In his letter, Ashcraft wrote that the identification and preservation of Native American heritage sites goes beyond a single agency, tribe or whistleblower.
“It concerns all of us,” he wrote. “Protection of these resources is a duty shared by actors across state and federal government, sovereign tribes as well as civil society. When one fails — spectacularly and in bad faith — it is up to the rest to step in.”
For Native Americans, Grussing said it goes beyond the artifacts found in a particular spot. It’s an intangible energy that comes from being connected to a place.
“That’s what is at stake,” she said. “These are irreplaceable cultural resources and places. They’re nonrenewable.”
PHILIP LAPORTA VIA AP
Left, Scott Ashcraft, an archaeologist and heritage resources program manager for the Pisgah National Forest, examines a quartz vein at a prehistoric quarry near Asheville.
SCOTT ASHCRAFT VIA AP
Cultural artifacts were found during survey work in the Pisgah National Forest near Celo.
HOKE SPORTS
Hoke County learns its likely reclassification
NCHSAA ADM numbers give a clue of how new classifications will look
North State Journal staff
THE NORTH CAROLINA High School Athletic Association’s Board of Directors approved a realignment of high school sports at its spring meeting. The plan, known as the “Big 32” realignment model, moves the NCHSAA to eight classifications beginning with the 2025-26 school year.
The “Big 32” model will classify the largest 32 member schools into the 8A classification, and the remaining schools would be divided as evenly as possible among classes 1A through 7A.
At the time, NCHSAA commissioner Que Tucker said the realignment process wouldn’t start until the fall, which is after the realignment committee is named and receives the schools’ average daily membership data for the first 20 days of the next school year.
That data is now in.
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association released its final average daily membership numbers for the 2024-25 school year last week, which will be used to reclassify member schools into eight classifications starting next year.
Peter Malnati watches his drive off the second tee during the pro a m ahead of the Sanderson Farms Championship golf tournament.
Hoke County fans and students pack the stands during a football game this season. Hoke’s student body is the 10th‑largest in the state.
ADMs are the student populations from the first 20 days of the academic year. The top 32 schools by ADM numbers will be in 8A, and the rest of the classifications will receive an even split.
Hoke County’s current classification is 4A, the highest level under the current organization of NCHSAA schools. Hoke’s ADM number for this year is 2,536, up 71 from last year. That ranks Hoke as the 10th-largest school in the state and qualifies it for the Big 32, or 8A, classification. The 8A classification is ex-
pected to consist of: Myers Park, Ardrey Kell, William G. Enloe, Apex Friendship, Panther Creek, South Mecklenburg, Green Hope, William Amos Hough, Millbrook, Hoke County, Emsley A. Laney, Athens Drive, Needham B. Broughton, Apex, Wakefield, East Mecklenburg, Leesville Road, Julius L. Chambers, Palisades, Charles E. Jordan, Rolesville, Pinecrest, Green Level, Corinth Holders, William Spring, Northwest Guilford, Providence, John T. Hoggard, Mallard Creek, West Forsyth, Richmond, Ronald Reagan.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Tremell Middlebrooks
Head Coach, girls’ basketball
Okay, technically, he wasn’t performing as an athlete this week, but our Athlete of the Week honor goes to Tremell Middlebrooks nonetheless. He recorded his first win as head coach of the Hoke County girls’ basketball team.
The Bucks, who lost their first two games under Middlebrooks, got a 54-39 win over Purnell Swett at home. Hoke is coming off a five-year span where the Bucks went 12-92. Middlebrooks has engineered fast turnarounds to double-digit win totals at coaching stops at Anson and Palisades. Friday’s win was a step toward doing the same with the Bucks.
It’s getting harder to stay on the PGA Tour — here’s why
The tour is making its biggest changes to eligibility in 40 years
By Doug Ferguson
Associated Press
THE PGA TOUR is making the most sweeping changes to its eligibility in more than 40 years by eliminating 25 tour cards, along with shrinking the size of its fields. The all-exempt tour had been in place since 1983, meaning the top 125 players from the official money list — now the FedEx Cup standings — kept a full PGA Tour card the following season.
That changes in 2026. Only the top 100 players will earn full tour cards for the following year. The top 30 from the developmental Korn Ferry Tour used to advance to the PGA Tour. That goes to 20. Five players from qualifying school will get cards — it previously was the top five and ties. Here’s a look at what’s behind the changes and what it means.
Why is there a need to reduce the number of full PGA Tour cards?
The all-exempt tour led to a bloated membership in which
nearly 200 players were on the membership rolls through one exemption or another, and those toward the bottom of the priority list could not get into all the tournaments they wanted to play.
Those who graduated from the Korn Ferry Tour, for example, could only get in three or four tournaments over the first few months of the season, giving them a disadvantage.
The PGA Tour believes that limited full status to the top 100 instead of the top 125 will give everyone who earns a card a fair chance at getting into regular tournaments.
Who benefits from the PGA Tour changes?
Those who perennially finish in the top 100 should have no trouble keeping their cards, and they will have fewer players to beat because the fields will be smaller.
It also helps newcomers from the Korn Ferry Tour, European tour and Q-school.
They can expect to get into every regular tournament, increasing their odds of getting into some of the $20 million signature events. The PGA Tour is likely to be even more competitive with a greater chance of the top names in contention.
The tour also hopes it will improve the pace of play and keep rounds from spilling over into the next day.
Who is hurt by the new PGA Tour rules?
Players like Peter Malnati and Taylor Pendrith come to mind. Under the new system, neither would have had a full PGA Tour card this year and likely would not have been in the fields for the tournaments they won — Malnati at the Valspar Championship and Pendrith at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Those wins make them exempt through 2026.
Players who have not performed consistently well, who seem to struggle each year just
to finish in the top 125, will have to be at their best to stay on tour.
What happens to the dreamers of pro golf?
The PGA Tour also is reducing the four spots from Monday qualifiers at open tournaments. Now there will only two spots for 132-man fields and none for fields of 120. There has been only one Monday qualifier to win in the last five years — Corey Conners in the 2019 Texas Open.
Does this affect golf’s majors?
The four majors are not run by the PGA Tour. The Masters has the smallest field, typically fewer than 100 players. The U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship have 156 -man fields.
The Players Championship, the premier event run by the PGA Tour, is reducing its field from 144 players to 120.
The
ROGELIO V. SOLIS / AP PHOTO
SIDELINE REPORT
NFL
Beyoncé to perform at halftime of Ravens‑Texans’ Christmas Day game on Netflix
Los Angeles
Beyoncé is coming to your home on Christmas — provided you have Netflix and are tuning in to the Ravens-Texans game. Netflix announced the megastar would perform during halftime of a Christmas Day matchup in her hometown of Houston. The streaming service didn’t reveal details about the performance but teased that it would likely feature guest appearances from her “Cowboy Carter” album, which delivered Beyoncé a leading 11 Grammy nominations earlier this month.
MLB
Pirates ace Skenes, Yankees pitcher Gil win Rookie of the Year awards
New York
Hard-throwing Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes capped a remarkable season by winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award, while Luis Gil of the New York Yankees edged Baltimore’s Colton Cowser to take the AL honor. It’s the first time the rookie awards went to two pitchers since 2011, when Tampa Bay starter Jeremy Hellickson and Atlanta closer Craig Kimbrel won. Skenes didn’t make his big league debut until May 11, but the right-hander was such an immediate sensation that he was selected to start the All- Star Game for the NL on July 16.
NASCAR
Preece joins Roush Fenway
Keselowski Racing in Cup Series for 2025
Charlotte Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing will field a third car in the Cup Series in 2025, with Ryan Preece joining the team in the No. 60 Ford. Preece will pair with Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher in the team’s three-car lineup. Kroger will serve as Preece’s primary sponsor. Preece is winless in 187 Cup starts, including 72 over the last two seasons with Stewart-Haas Racing. He previously drove for JTG Daughty Racing, where he fostered a relationship with Kroger. Keselowski and Buescher both won a race this past season to make the 12-car playoffs and finished 10th and 11th, respectively, in the final standings.
NHL Bruins fire coach
Montgomery after slow start follows playoff disappointments
Boston The Boston Bruins fired coach Jim Montgomery after losing 12 of their first 20 games. Montgomery led the Bruins to the greatest regular season in NHL history but never got them past the second round of the playoffs. He was fired a day after the Bruins lost to last-place Columbus to extend their losing streak to three games. Assistant Joe Sacco was named the interim coach. Sacco led the Colorado Avalanche from 2009-14 and was a finalist for coach of the year in his first season.
Pittsburgh
Payton
reacts after intercepting a pass by the Baltimore Ravens to help preserve a
Acrobatic pick offered proof that Steelers rookie LB Wilson’s learning curve speeding up
The former NC State star is making an impact in his first pro season
By Will Graves The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH — Payton Wilson could have played it safe, but where’s the fun in that?
The Pittsburgh Steelers rookie linebacker saw Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill sprinting toward him and knew what was coming. Wilson figures the Steelers scout team had run the same play “100 times” in practice. And every single time, Wilson overplayed the pass route, trying his best to stay in front of whomever it was impersonating Hill on a given play.
“It’s practice, so you want it to be perfect,” Wilson said. Yet when the moment of truth arrived last week, with Pittsburgh holding a five-point fourth-quarter lead, Wilson did the opposite. Rather than make sure Hill didn’t get be-
hind him, Wilson tried to match Hill stride for stride.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson lofted a rainbow down the left sideline that seemed to nestle into Hill’s awaiting arms. The ball didn’t stay there long. In one fluid motion, Wilson rolled on top of Hill and ripped it away for his first career pick, one that helped Pittsburgh eventually escape with an 18-16 victory.
“I took a chance because I kind of wanted to make a play in a big-time moment,” Wilson said. “It worked out.”
Like just about everything else has for Wilson since the Steelers selected the former NC State star last spring. The 24-year-old has given the Steelers a third down linebacker with the speed to more than hold his own when he drops back in coverage.
Watching up in the coach’s box, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin nodded as the football IQ that drew the Steelers to Wilson in the first place manifested itself on the
field when his team absolutely needed it.
“When you see that happen, you’re happy for him because you know it’s coming together for him,” Austin said. “The game makes sense.” And during the rare times it doesn’t, Wilson makes it a point to ask around until he figures it out. During meetings, Wilson is constantly prodding in search of information and an advantage. Rather than rely on his own considerable talent, Wilson is not above challenging himself and even changing something that’s been working for him in search of a more efficient and effective way to go about his job.
“He doesn’t go on like, ‘OK, I’m going to get on and do this (my) way,’” veteran inside linebacker Elandon Roberts. “He wants to understand why and he’s very humble, so he just asks whatever he feels like he needs to ask.”
Though Wilson’s playing time has varied depending on the opponent — he’s played
anywhere from 13 to 44 snaps through 10 games — his presence inside the team facility has not. He is not interested in doing “the bare minimum,” as longtime defensive tackle Cam Heyward put it. It helps to have a locker right next to Roberts and Patrick Queen, who have embraced their mentorship of Wilson.
“They’re just so smart,” Wilson said. “There’s no egos in our room. So it’s super cool to see that they help me out.”
It’s telling of the tightness of the group that Roberts and Queen were among the first people to celebrate with Wilson after the biggest play of his still-young career.
Asked if he was surprised by how Wilson made an incredibly difficult pick look incredibly easy, Roberts raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“How tall is this man?” Roberts asked of his 6-foot-4 teammate.” What did he run at the combine? Exactly. He’s got all the attributes to make that play. And he works his (tail) off too.”
Logano has rebuilt career and Team Penske organization while racing to 3rd NASCAR title
Rogers Penske gave a second chance to Logano as a struggling NASCAR Cup Series newcomer
By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press
CHARLOTTE — Two wins in four seasons at Joe Gibbs Racing certainly didn’t get the job done for Joey Logano, not after replacing Hall of Famer Tony Stewart and entering NASCAR with the nickname “Sliced Bread” because you’re allegedly the next best thing. He knew his days with Gibbs were winding down in 2012, the same time Roger Penske found himself in need of a driver.
Logano joining Team Penske changed the entire organization. It only happened, Penske believes, because the organization pledged its support to Logano at his lowest career moment.
“I think first he had to shake off some of the reputation he had. They called him ‘Sliced Bread,’” said Penske. “But he shook that off pretty quickly. We were behind him, and I think that was key, and he just grew and grew and grew.”
Bombing out at JGR ultimately put Logano on a far better path. Since joining Penske in 2013, Logano has logged 34 of his 36 career Cup Series wins. He let the JGR flameout
light his fire for his move to the No. 22 Ford.
“I don’t think it’s the No. 1 motivator, but you like to prove people wrong, don’t you? You know what I mean? You’d like to shut up the critics,” Logano said. “I don’t have anything bad to say about JGR. I think they’re a great race team, and I understand the decision they made. We weren’t winning. Something has to change.
“But do you take that with you when you leave a little bit? Yeah, you probably do. You’re a little bitter about it,” Logano added. Logano thrives on driving with a bit of an edge, finding something he can take as a slight and use for motivation.
In winning his third title, Logano left Charlotte Motor Speedway in October eliminated from the round of eight.
Hours later, Alex Bowman was disqualified for failing postrace inspection. Logano was suddenly back in. He then won the opening race of the third round to become the first driver to earn an automatic berth into the championship finale. Logano over the final month of the season used every bit of criticism against him to push him to another level. He wasn’t the new kid in NASCAR anymore, and he didn’t have a great year — just a single victory during the regular season, on fuel mileage, no less — and he was ranked 15th in the 16-driver playoff field. He was wound so tight headed into the finale that he was uncharacteristically graphic in his post-qualifying news conference when asked if it was his championship to
lose and said, “Yeah, we’ve got ‘em where we want ’em. We just gotta put our foot on their throats from here.”
He was then up at 6 a.m. on race day reviewing notes with Paul Wolfe, now the only active three-time champion crew chief.
Logano, a father of three and considered a team leader at Team Penske and Ford, said something changes inside him when he can see the finish line.
“It’s just closer to the goal I become more intense, probably a little shorter-fused,” Logano said. “I try to achieve the same intensity level all year long, but it just seems like when it comes down to the end, you find another gear, and it’s really hard to get to it a lot of times. But I think that’s throughout the whole team, too. It’s not just me.”
JOHN LOCHER / AP PHOTO
Steelers linebacker
Wilson
victory.
Joey Logano does a victory lap after winning his third NASCAR Cup Series championship.
William Lee Monroe
Jan. 28, 1948 – Nov. 21, 2024
William Lee Monroe age, 76 went home to rest with his Heavenly Father on November 21, 2024.
He leaves to cherish his loving memories his wife, Brenda Faye Monroe; children: William L. Monroe Jr., Amanda Monroe, Frazier Monroe, Stephanie Monroe, Belton Monroe; sisters: Patricia Thorton, Norma Blackshear, Sandra McKnight, Priscilla Jackson; brothers: Aaron Morrison, Christopher Smith; ten grandchildren, three great grandchildren along with a host of other family and friends. William will be greatly missed.
The Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, November 30, at 2 p.m. at the Pauline T. Buie Chapel.
Jeffrey Michael Johnson
Oct. 11, 1962 – Nov. 21, 2024
Jeffrey Michael Johnson passed away on Thursday, November 21, 2024, at the age of 62. He was born in Westchester, NY on October 11, 1962. Jeff was preceded in death by his parents, Bill Johnson and Ellen Snowden; his brother, Matt Johnson; and his sister Billie Trahan.
He retired from the U.S. Army after serving active duty for over 20 years. After his career in the military, he went on to work at Range Control at Fort Liberty, NC. Jeff earned his master’s degree in science and Instructional Technology from ECU in 2021. He was a handyman and enjoyed fixing things. Jeff loved spending time with his family. Jeff is survived by his son, Joshua Johnson (Brittney) and granddog, Millie; Joshua’s mother, Kathy Johnson; his girlfriend, Lisa Knight and their fur babies, Daisy and Bugsy; his brother, Steve Johnson (Carol); his nieces, Miranda Johnson, Shelbi Johnson, and Brandi Johnson; one nephew, Stephen Johnson Jr.; his sister-inlaw, Lori Johnson; and his aunt, Maureen O’Grady. A memorial will be held at a later date.
Online condolences may be made on the Crumpler Funeral Home Website.
Haywood Rivers Jr.
April 11, 1947 – Nov. 20, 2024
Haywood Rivers Jr. age, 77 went home to rest with his Heavenly Father on November 20, 2024.
He leaves to cherish his loving memories his life partner, Ernistine Harris; children: Eric Steve Rivers, Latoya Hopps and Jasmine Hopps along with a host of other family and friends. Haywood will be greatly missed.
The Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, November 30, at noon at the Word of Life Temple.
Rogers Frierson
Jan. 29, 1950 – Nov. 20, 2024
Mr. Rogers Frierson age, 74 went home to rest with his Heavenly Father on November 20, 2024. He leaves to cherish his loving memories his wife, Louise Frierson; brother, Kennedy Frierson; two grandchildren along with a host of other family and friends. Rogers will be greatly missed. A Graveside service will be held on Saturday, November 23, at 1 p.m. at Highland Biblical Gardens.
Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in NSJ at obits@northstatejournal.com
Arthur Frommer, travel guide innovator, dead at 95
By Beth Harpaz
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Arthur Frommer, whose “Europe on 5 Dollars a Day” guidebooks revolutionized leisure travel by convincing average Americans to take budget vacations abroad, has died. He was 95.
Frommer died from complications of pneumonia, his daughter Pauline Frommer said Monday.
“My father opened up the world to so many people,” she said. “He believed deeply that travel could be an enlightening activity and one that did not require a big budget.”
Frommer began writing about travel while serving in the U.S. Army in Europe in the 1950s. When a guidebook he wrote for American soldiers overseas sold out, he launched what became one of the travel industry’s bestknown brands, self-publishing “Europe on 5 Dollars a Day” in 1957.
“It struck a chord and became an immediate best-seller,” he re-
called in an interview with The Associated Press in 2007 on the 50th anniversary of the book’s debut.
The Frommer’s brand, led today by his daughter Pauline, remains one of the best-known names in the travel industry, with guidebooks to destinations around the world, an influential social media presence, podcasts and a radio show.
Frommer’s philosophy — stay in inns and budget hotels instead of five-star hotels, sightsee on your own using public transportation, eat with locals in small cafes instead of fancy restaurants — changed the way Americans traveled in the mid- to late 20th century. He said budget travel was preferable to luxury travel “because it leads to a more authentic experience.” That message encouraged average people, not just the wealthy, to vacation abroad. It didn’t hurt that his books hit the market as the rise of jet travel made getting to Europe easier than crossing the Atlantic by ship. The books became so pop-
ular that there was a time when you couldn’t visit a place like the Eiffel Tower without spotting Frommer’s guidebooks in the hands of every other American tourist.
Frommer’s advice also became so standard that it’s hard to remember how radical it seemed in the days before discount flights and backpacks. “It was really pioneering stuff,” Tony Wheeler, founder of the Lonely Planet guidebook company, said in an interview in 2013. Before Frommer, Wheeler said, you could find guidebooks “that would tell you everything about the church or the temple ruin. But the idea that you wanted to eat somewhere and find a hotel or get from A to B — well, I’ve got a huge amount of respect for Arthur.”
“Arthur did for travel what Consumer Reports did for everything else,” said Pat Carrier, former owner of The Globe Corner, a travel bookstore in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The final editions of Frommer’s groundbreaking series
Arthur Frommer and his daughter Pauline pose among tourists in the Wall Street area in New York in 2012.
were titled “Europe from $95 a Day.” The concept no longer made sense when hotels could not be had for less than $100 a night, so the series was discontinued in 2007. But the Frommer publishing empire did not disappear, despite a series of sales that started when Frommer sold the guidebook company to Simon & Schuster. It was later acquired by Wiley Publishing, which in turn sold it to Google in 2012. Google quietly shut the guidebooks down, but Arthur Frommer — in a David vs. Goliath triumph — got his brand back from Google. In November 2013 with his daughter Pauline, he relaunched the print series with dozens of new guidebook titles.
“I never dreamed at my age I’d be working this hard,” he told the AP at the time, age 84.
Frommer also remained a well-known figure in 21st century travel, opinionated to the end of his career, speaking out on his blog and radio show. He hated mega-cruise ships and railed against travel websites where consumers put up their own reviews, saying they were too easily manipulated with phony postings. And he coined the phrase “Trump Slump” in a widely quoted column that predicted a slump in tourism to the U.S. after Donald Trump was elected president.
SETH WENIG / AP PHOTO
STATE & NATION
Democrats strike deal to get more Biden judges confirmed
Republicans will take control of the Senate in January
By Kevin Freking The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate won’t hold votes on four of President Joe Biden’s appellate court nominees as part of a deal with Republicans to allow for speedier consideration of other judicial nominations and bring Biden within striking distance of the 234 total judicial confirmations that occurred during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term.
Currently, the number of judges confirmed under Biden totals 221. Republicans forced numerous procedural votes this week and late-night sessions as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) attempted to move ahead in getting more of Biden’s nominees confirmed before Congress adjourns. Republicans take control of the chamber in January.
A Senate Democratic leadership aide said Thursday a time agreement had been reached to allow for consideration of seven district court judges the week following Thanksgiving.
Plus, another six district judges would be placed on the Senate executive calendar, making it possible for them to be considered on the Senate floor in December.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D N.Y.) speaks with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 13.
often having the last word on legal matters.
Schumer’s office said the four circuit nominees lacked the support to be confirmed, and Democrats received more than triple the amount of other judges moving forward as part of the agreement.
Liberal groups in recent weeks have been pressuring Senate Democrats to do what it takes to get all of Biden’s judicial nominees confirmed before Trump takes office again, and some expressed disappointment with the deal.
“Reports that there is a deal that would leave behind critical circuit court nominees are unacceptable. All of these nominees must be confirmed expeditiously before the end of the 118th Congress,” said Lena Zwarensteyn, an advisor at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
Russ Feingold, a former Democratic senator and now president of the American Constitution Society, called the deal “extremely frustrating.”
Excluded from that list were four circuit judge nominations awaiting a floor vote: Adeel Abdullah Mangi of New Jersey, nominated for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals; Karla M. Campbell of Tennessee, nominated for the Sixth Circuit; Julia M. Lipez of Maine, First Circuit; and Ryan Young Park of North Carolina, Fourth Circuit.
Mangi would have been the first Muslim American to serve as a federal appellate court judge if he had been confirmed. Mangi received law degrees from Oxford and Harvard. He works in a prestigious law firm
Experts don’t expect big revelations if Trump declassifies final JFK files
It is believed only a few thousand documents remain sealed
By Jamie Stengle
The Associated Press
DALLAS — More than 60 years after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, conspiracy theories still swirl and any new glimpse into the fateful day of Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas continues to fascinate.
President-elect Donald Trump promised during his reelection campaign that he would declassify all of the remaining government records surrounding the assassination if he returned to office. He made a similar pledge during his first term but ultimately bent to appeals from the CIA and FBI to keep some documents withheld.
At this point, only a few thousand of the millions of governmental records related to the assassination have yet to be fully released, and those who have studied the records released so far say that even if the remaining files are declassified, the public shouldn’t anticipate any earth-shattering revelations.
“Anybody waiting for a smok-
ing gun that’s going to turn this case upside down will be sorely disappointed,” said Gerald Posner, author of “Case Closed,” which concludes that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. When Air Force One carrying Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy touched down in Dallas, they were greeted by a clear sky and enthusiastic crowds. With a reelection campaign on the horizon the next
year, they had gone to Texas on a political fence-mending trip.
But as the motorcade was finishing its parade route downtown, shots rang out from the Texas School Book Depository building. Police arrested 24-year-old Oswald, and two days later, nightclub owner Jack Ruby fatally shot Oswald during a jail transfer.
A year after the assassination, the Warren Commission, which
and has secured significant legal victories. But his limited volunteer work with two outside groups has imperiled his nomination. He faced opposition from some Democrats as well.
The confirmation battles over circuit court judges are generally much harder fights given their role in hearing appeals from district courts and
President Lyndon B. Johnson established to investigate the assassination, concluded that Oswald acted alone and there was no evidence of a conspiracy. But that hasn’t quelled a web of alternative theories over the decades.
In the early 1990s, the federal government mandated that all assassination-related documents be housed in a single collection in the National Archives and Records Administration. The collection of more than 5 million records was required to be opened by 2017, barring any exemptions designated by the president.
Trump, who took office for his first term in 2017, had boasted that he’d allow the release of all the remaining records but ended up holding some back because of what he called the potential harm to national security. And while files have continued to be released during President Joe Biden’s administration, some remain unseen.
The documents released over the last few years offer details on the way intelligence services operated at the time and include CIA cables and memos discussing visits by Oswald to the Soviet and Cuban embassies during a trip to Mexico City just weeks before the assassination. The former Marine had previously defected to the Soviet Union before returning home to Texas.
Mark S. Zaid, a national security attorney in Washington, said what’s been released so far has contributed to the under-
“All public officials need to be prepared to fight against the extremism that will come when Trump returns to office, and retreating in advance is a dangerous precedent to set,” Feingold said.
Schumer has dedicated much of the Senate schedule to getting Biden’s judicial nominees confirmed. He called it a basic responsibility of the Senate.
“We’ll take that responsibility very seriously between now and the end of the year,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.
standing of the time period, giving “a great picture” of what was happening during the Cold War and the activities of the CIA. Posner estimates that there are still about 3,000 to 4,000 documents in the collection that haven’t yet been fully released. Of those documents, some are still completely redacted, while others just have small redactions, like someone’s Social Security number.
“If you have been following it, as I have and others have, you sort of are zeroed in on the pages you think might provide some additional information for history,” Posner said.
There are about 500 documents that have been completely withheld, Posner said, and those include Oswald’s and Ruby’s tax returns. Those files, the National Archives says on its website, weren’t subject to the 2017 disclosure requirement.
Trump’s transition team hasn’t responded to questions this week about his plans when he takes office.
Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said his interest in the assassination dates back to the event itself when he was a child.
“It just seemed so fantastical that one very disturbed individual could end up pulling off the crime of the century,” Sabato said. “But the more I studied it, the more I realized that is a very possible, maybe even probable in my view.”
J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE / AP PHOTO
/ AP PHOTO
MOORE COUNTY
Wintry wonderland
Appalachian State student Berkley Coon slides down a snow-covered hill at Kidd Brewer Stadium before the App State and James Madison football game on Saturday in Boone.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
CNN wants Robinson’s defamation lawsuit thrown out
CNN wants a defamation lawsuit against it filed by North Carolina’s lieutenant governor dismissed. Mark Robinson filed the suit against the network for its report saying he once made explicit posts on a pornography website’s message board. The September report nearly led to the collapse of the Republican’s campaign for governor. Robinson ended up losing that race earlier this month. He sued in October and said, in part, the network failed to verify the posts. CNN’s filing on Thursday in federal court said that Robinson presented no evidence that the network believed its story was false or aired it recklessly.
Elections chief wants senator to take back comment about vote manipulation
The NCSBE top administrator wants Senate leader Phil Berger to retract a comment that he made suggesting this month’s results were being manipulated. Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell wrote to Berger last Thursday, the day after he spoke to reporters. He sounded unhappy with a lengthy post-election counting process and inferred it was being used to help change a result. Brinson Bell said Berger’s accusation “has absolutely no basis in fact.”
$2.00
Commissioners green light North Moore racetrack project
voluntary conditions in response to those public comments and concerns, which helped to sway the commissioners.
By Ryan Henkel North State Journal
CARTHAGE — The Moore County Board of Commissioners has given the green light for a proposed luxury racetrack development.
At its Nov. 19 meeting, the board continued its public hearing from its Oct. 15 meeting regarding the North Moore Uwharrie Motorsports Park and Resort which was originally postponed to allow for more time for public comments.
The development is planned to be a high-end sports enter-
tainment facility with racetracks, garages for storing cars and small accessory living areas and would rezone approximately 396 acres of property located on Leach Road.
According to the applicant, Autoport, the project could create an influx of jobs in and around the track itself, and according to Sanford Holshouser, the anticipated economic impact of the project is estimated to be around $117 million annually.
While there had been a large volume of public complaints regarding the development, the applicants had offered a variety of
“After the first hearing, we put together a list of proposed voluntary conditions that I think address a lot of the issues that we’ve heard tonight,” said Principal Bob Koontz of Koontz Jones Design.
In response to concerns about noise, which was perhaps the main complaint, the applicants proposed a sound limit of 75 decibels within 1 foot of any boundary of the property on which a portion of the project is located.
They will achieve that through the installation of earthen berms between the track and adjacent properties, the preservation or installation of natural veg-
Whistleblower sounds alarm about destruction of tribal sites in NC
A USFS archeologist says irresponsible behavior has damaged historic sites
By Susan Montoya Bryan The Associated Press
SPEAR POINTS, hammer stones and picks lost to history under layers of leaves, roots and rocks — it was the evidence Scott Ashcraft was looking for. The ancient tools were inadvertently unearthed in 2021 by a bulldozer fighting a wildfire along a steep slope in western North Carolina. Ashcraft, a career U.S. Forest Service archaeologist, knew these wooded mountainsides held more clues to early human history in the Appalachian Mountains than anyone had imagined. He tried for years to raise the
etation, and the installation of sound panels and sound monitoring devices. There will also be sound limits placed upon any car that drives on the track, and cars will have to go through a sound compliance check before running.There will also be enforced hours of operations.
On the main circuit, gas-combustion motors can run on Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Electric motors will run on Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. There will be no nighttime driving on main circuit.
The kart track will allow
alarm to forest managers, saying outdated modeling that ignored the artifacts sometimes hidden on steep terrain — especially sites significant to Native American tribes — needed to be reconsidered when planning for prescribed fires, logging projects, new recreational trails and other work on national forest lands.
Instead, Ashcraft says managers retaliated against him and pushed ahead with their plans, often violating historic preservation and environmental protection laws by side stepping consultations with tribes, limiting input from state archaeologists and systematically suppressing scientific data.
In a letter shared with The Associated Press, Ashcraft sent his concerns to top officials in the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Interior Department, White House Council on Native American Affairs and National Congress of American Indians. He described an escalating pattern of illegal, unethical and irresponsible behavSee TRIBAL LAND, page A4
PHILIP LAPORTA VIA AP
Two bipointed quarry picks fashioned from quartz mylonite were uncovered during an archaeological survey of the Seniard Creek Fire scar south of Asheville.
The Moore County Board of Commissioners hope that the Uwharrie Motorsports Park and Resort will bring an economic boost to the region
NELL REDMOND / AP PHOTO
“Join the conversation”
North State Journal (USPS 20451) (ISSN 2471-1365)
Neal Robbins, Publisher
Jim Sills, VP of Local Newspapers
Cory Lavalette, Senior Editor
Jordan Golson, Local News Editor
Shawn Krest, Sports Editor
Dan Reeves, Features Editor
Ryan Henkel, Reporter
P.J. Ward-Brown, Photographer
BUSINESS
David
Bear cub returned to the wild after being harassed in Asheville
The bear bounded into the woods after being released
The Associated Press
ASHEVILLE — A bear cub, one of two pulled from a tree as a person posed for a photo, has been returned to the wild, according to North Carolina wildlife officials.
The bear was released last month in an undisclosed, remote mountain area in western North Carolina, the state’s Wildlife Resources Commission announced Wednesday. A brief video of the release shows the cub bounding out of a carrier toward the camera on a small road, before spinning around and racing into the woods. The staffer who released her then fired a noise-maker meant to maintain a fear of humans.
CRIME LOG
Nov. 19
• Bernard Wayne Walker, 61, was arrested by Aberdeen PD for larceny from the person.
• Timothy Matthew Gschwind, 37, was arrested by Vass PD for seconddegree trespass.
• Mitchell McKinley Goins, 40, was arrested by Moore County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) for possession with intent to manufacture/sell/deliver Schedule III controlled substance.
• Angela Dawn Bowman, 50, was arrested by MCSO for fleeing/eluding arrest with a motor vehicle.
Nov. 20
• Kayla Annette Wall, 27, was arrested by MCSO for felony possession of cocaine.
• Katti Marie Sheffield, 43, was arrested by MCSO for probation violation.
• Bridget Marie McMillan, 39, was arrested by MCSO for misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.
Nov. 21
• Samuel Adam Hicks, 34, was arrested by Aberdeen PD for misdemeanor larceny.
• Dustin Lee Fowler, 34, was arrested by MCSO for parole violation.
Nov. 22
• Ronald Naman Shaw, 46, was arrested by Aberdeen PD for probation violation.
• James Rawls, 46, was arrested by MCSO for probation violation.
• Joseph Lee Barber, 57, was arrested by MCSO for attempted trafficking opioids by transport.
Commission staff in April responded to a report of people harassing bear cubs at an Asheville apartment complex. Officials were told the two cubs escaped after one bit a person, according to a commission news release. Video the commission posted online showed people pulling cubs from a tree. One person could also be seen posing for a photo while holding one of the wild animals. Af-
RACETRACK from page A1
gas-combustion motors on Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., and electric motors on Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Other voluntary conditions included that the on-site cemetery will be preserved or relocated in coordination with Moore and Montgomery County Historical Societies, and the family members of the cemetery occupants, that all on-site lighting will comply with the dark-sky illumination design principles established in the UDO, that traffic shall comply with NCDOT’s findings and recommendations, that the circuit and respective facilities shall be designed per FIA Level II requirements, and that the track reserves the right to apply for special-event permits to modify hours of operation up to twice a year per the UDO.
The applicants also agreed to a performance bond of $1 million for land restoration should the project fail.
Following the hearing, the
COURTESY NCWRC
This still from a video posted by the WRC shows the bear running into the woods after being released.
ter a loud screech, the person dropped the cub, who ran for a nearby fence.
One cub was found later in a retention pond, wet and shivering, officials said. Ashley Hobbs, the commission’s coordinator for BearWise, a program aimed at helping people “live responsibly with black bears,” captured the cub and described her as “lethargic and frightened” and favoring one of her paws. That cub was taken to a rehabilitation facility, but the second cub was never found, officials said.
The commission investigated the incident, but no charges were filed.
Once staff determined the cub was healthy and could survive in the wild, she was fitted with a tracking collar and given
commissioners voted 3-2 to approve the project with Commissioners Nick Picerno, Jim Von Canon and Kurt Cook voting in favor of the motion and Commissioners Frank Quis and John Ritter voting against it.
“The noise level will not be to a decibel level that should interrupt any of the adjoining properties, they have committed to that,” Picerno said.
“The poverty rate in that area is 32.8%, and so they definitely need more economic development. We’re also talking about less than one-tenth of 1% of farmland that was rezoned.
Out of the 457,600 acres, we were talking about 390.”
“When I ran, that area was depressed, and we said that we would try and bring jobs to that area and help people,” Von Cannon said.
“I chose for Moore County, for 103,000 people,” Cook said. “Racing is quite a large industry. A $5.11 billion industry last year in the United States.”
“I saw that it probably would be the catalyst for a major change in that area, and that may or may not be the best thing for the people that live there, and I certainly don’t think it’s what I necessarily
identifying tags and marks before being released last month, officials said in a news release on Wednesday. Data from the bear’s collar showed she was adjusting well to life in the wild, Hobbs said in the release. “Like most rehabilitated black bear cubs, we expect this cub to follow its instincts this winter and identify an appropriate location to den,” Hobbs said. “Bear cubs are resilient animals, and it looks like this cub won’t be an exception.”
Commission wildlife biologists say when cubs are seen alone, mother bears are often foraging nearby. They warn that trying to catch a cub could inadvertently separate it from its mother or injure the cub.
want to see in the community,” Ritter said.
“I made a big deal about quality of life and I made a big deal out of protecting the rural agricultural areas of Moore County, so I figured I’m just going to stick to that,” Quis said.
The board also held a public hearing for a proposed economic incentive agreement with Reliance Packaging. The Aberdeen-based company is looking to expand its facility which would see an estimated capital investment of $7.4 million from Reliance Packaging. The expansion would also create 32 new jobs with an average wage of $53,000.
Following the hearing, the board approved an incentive grant that will reimburse the company a portion of its incremental property taxes over a seven-year period, approximately $96,000.
“We’ll work with them ahead of paying out any of the grant in the first place, and we’ll make sure they have met the provisions that are spelled out in the agreement,” said county manager Wayne Vest.
The Moore County Board of Commissioners will next meet Dec. 2.
moore happening
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in and around Moore County:
Nov. 29 & Dec.1
Christmas at the Garden Center by AOS Noon to 2 p.m.
Come and see Santa and pick up your holiday wreaths, garland and Christmas tree.
6652 U.S. 15/501 Carthage
Dec. 3
Town Council Work Session
3 p.m.
C. Michael Haney Community Room Southern Pines Police Department 450 W. Pennsylvania Avenue Southern Pines
Dec. 3-5
Moore County Historical Association: Shaw House & Property Tours
1-4 p.m.
The Moore County Historical Association’s Shaw House grounds and properties are open for tours on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. The tours are free and open to all ages. Enjoy learning of the impressive history here in Moore County. “The Moore County Historical Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing, the rich historical legacy of the towns, cities and surrounding area, of Moore County, North Carolina.” Shaw House 110 Morganton Road Pinehurst
Dec. 5
Trolley Express: Festival of Lights
6-7:30 p.m.
Step into the holiday magic aboard our Sandhills Trolley for the Festival of Lights Cruise! Experience VIP travel to a holiday wonderland. Let the Williams and Thomas families dazzle you with their spectacular light display as you stroll and soak in the season’s cheer. Sing along to merry tunes and play games to and from — let’s make this holiday season unforgettable! Check-in will begin 10 minutes before tour departure. Please note that drinks are not included in the ticket price. Feel free to bring your own beer/wine (no liquor or glass).
Harris Teeter – Taylortown
305 Ivey Lane Pinehurst
THE CONVERSATION
Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
COLUMN | STEPHEN MOORE
Breaking up Google will be a great American catastrophe
Few, if any, companies spend more money on product innovation and refinement than Google does.
EARLIER THIS YEAR, in one of the most absurd court rulings in modern times, federal judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google violated U.S. antitrust law by gaining a monopoly in the search engine markets.
In the days or weeks ahead, the courts will decide whether to break up one of America’s most iconic companies or to sell off some of its activities and products. The latest reports are that the courts may require Google to sell off its popular Chrome browser. (To whom? China?) It may also require Google to surrender other products to help erase its market lead. With a market cap of roughly $2 trillion, Google is one of the five most profitable companies in the world. It got there by offering a search engine service for free to hundreds of millions of customers. This may be the largest benefit to consumers of any company in world history. Yet the courts ruled that: “Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly.” It was found guilty of violating Section 2 of the Sherman Act. Yet the Sherman Act was meant to protect against companies that use their size and scope to raise prices. Google’s sin is that it produces superior products at prices that are too low. One statistic was cited as evidence of monopoly behavior: Back in 2009, Google controlled 80% of the search engine market, and today it is closer to 90%.
What was remarkable and dangerous about this decision is that the courts openly conceded that Google gained this dominant market share by making the best search engine, and that it is made easily available to almost all consumers at very low costs. How weird is this? Keeping prices low and relentlessly improving product performance
is illegal because it is unfair to a company’s competitors? This is doubly absurd given that we have the Biden administration accusing companies like grocery stores of raising their prices. So in America today, if you raise your prices, you are a greedy profiteer, and if you lower your prices, you’re a monopolist that has to pay restitution to your less efficient competitors.
The argument for breaking up Google gets even more nonsensical when you listen to the Biden administration’s cockeyed excuses for punishing Google. The Department of Justice’s chief antitrust officer says: “This landmark decision ... paves the path for innovation for generations to come and protects access to information for all Americans.”
This is a preposterous statement. Few, if any, companies spend more money on product innovation and refinement than Google does. And as far as “protecting access to information for all Americans,” no company in history has opened up more access to information than Google. No other company even comes close. It has brought the equivalent of the entire Library of Congress to the fingertips of everyone with a laptop computer in a matter of a few seconds. That’s not an antitrust violation. It is a miracle of innovation that deserves our deepest appreciation.
Even worse, this lawsuit piggybacks off the hostile actions by America’s European and Chinese tech rivals, whose inferior search engines can’t compete with Google. As recourse, they want to loot tens of millions of American shareholders who invest in Google. Instead of defending an American company against foreign raiders, we have the U.S. Justice Department and federal courts giving aid to those hostile
lawsuits and bolstering their legitimacy.
Can anyone imagine for a moment that a German or a Japanese or a Chinese court would be stupid enough to rule against their own domestic company that has come to dominate a globally strategic industry and has created tens of thousands of high-paying jobs for its citizens while making hundreds of billions of dollars for its own citizen shareholders? Only in America.
Many conservatives moan that Google has developed algorithms that discriminate against viewpoints and studies that have a right-leaning perspective. That’s definitely a problem, but there are many other search engines available, like Bing and DuckDuckGo, that consumers can use as alternatives to Google. We certainly don’t want the government or politicians like Sens. Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren regulating what can and can’t be accessed on a private search engine platform. Even worse would be handing more business over to Chinese browsers that will clearly serve up misinformation.
Several years ago, a landmark study by economists Erik Brynjolfsson of Stanford University and Avinash Collis of Carnegie Mellon University estimated that the median U.S. user values search engines at $17,500 per year. Today, that number is easily more than $20,000 of value added for the average person with a laptop computer or a smartphone — which is nearly all of us. This is the very definition of a gift horse to nearly all Americans. And our government and its throng of lawyers with goofy legal theories are risking killing it.
Stephen Moore is a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation. He is also an economic adviser to the Trump campaign.
Debunking the left’s deportation hysteria
Illegal immigrant parents should be allowed and encouraged to take their children with them when they leave.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ACTIVISTS are already panicked that Donald Trump will keep one of his biggest campaign promises.
Trump recently announced that Tom Homan will be his “border czar.” Homan isn’t a household name, but he’s had a long career in government. Homan was the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first term. He was also ICE’s executive associate director of enforcement and removal operations under President Barack Obama. Trump wants him to put those skills to use.
“Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise. During the campaign, Trump vowed to oversee “the largest deportation operation in the history of our country.”
Many voters welcomed this. The millions of illegal aliens who entered the country since President Joe Biden took office overwhelmed even self-declared “sanctuary” cities. In several high-profile cases, like the death of Laken Riley, officials believe illegal immigrants murdered Americans. A Venezuelan gang even took over an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado.
But the left’s fearmongering over Trump’s deportation plans has already begun. Their first objection is that it’s logistically
impossible. It would be very difficult to identify and move 15 million illegal immigrants out of the country. But it’s also hard to solve every murder case. That doesn’t keep police from solving the ones they can.
In an August interview, now-Vice President-elect J.D. Vance endorsed this stepby-step approach. “Let’s start with 1 million” and “then we can go from there,” he said.
The next objection is that it will cost too much. There is an element of truth here. Enforcing laws is costly. But as blue cities learned the hard way, the “defund the police” alternative is far worse.
This concern ignores how expensive it is for state and local governments to provide services to illegal immigrants. In 2023, New York City officials estimated illegal immigrants cost the city $4 billion annually. For context, in 2023, NYPD’s annual budget was $5.8 billion.
Also, you should never take Democrats seriously when they object to spending government money. Just look at the trillions they doled out during Biden’s first term.
Another concern is that deporting illegals will hurt the economy. The theory is that deporting millions of illegal immigrants would shrink the supply of low-skilled workers. That would force companies to pay higher wages, which would raise prices.
It probably would for some products, but look at the why again. Illegal immigrants
have artificially boosted the supply of people competing for entry-level jobs and working in manual labor industries like construction.
That’s lowered wages for low-skill workers. Boosting those wages would be a good thing, even if it raises prices for those higher up the income ladder. Plus, removing millions of illegal immigrants would lower housing prices.
Finally, there will be claims that it’s cruel. The propaganda press is eager to blame deportations for causing a “family separation” crisis. But deportations don’t need to include that. Illegal immigrant parents should be allowed and encouraged to take their children with them when they leave.
Also, the government routinely separates U.S. citizens who commit crimes from their children. The responsibility in both cases lies with the parents who broke the law.
There’s also a practical benefit to Trump talking up deportations and reinstituting things like his “Remain in Mexico” policy. It will decrease the amount of illegal immigration. If would-be illegal immigrants know they won’t be able to enter and stay in the country, fewer will even try to cross the border. Regardless of how deportations go, that would be a major victory.
Victor Joecks is a columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
ior by forest managers in North Carolina that stands in sharp contrast to the historic strides the Biden administration has made nationally to include Indigenous expertise when making decisions about public land management.
Although the case focuses on a single state, Ashcraft said it highlights a bigger problem — that there are no guardrails to keep the Forest Service from using outdated modeling and skirting requirements to consult with tribes before moving ahead with projects.
“It’s seems that project completion, feathers in caps and good performance evaluations have outweighed the protection of cultural resources,” Ashcraft told the AP in an interview.
The letter is the latest salvo in a federal whistleblower case that began when Ashcraft filed a lengthy disclosure with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s inspector general in 2023. That office turned the case back to the Forest Service, where regional officials declared that legal requirements had been met.
The whistleblower disclosure gained the attention of preservation experts and other researchers as hostility by forest managers mounted against Ashcraft, the heritage resources program manager for the Pisgah National Forest.
Emails and other documents reviewed by the AP show many of Ashcraft’s duties were reassigned to other employees and he was prohibited from communicating with tribes.
Regional forest officials have not directly addressed allegations of retaliation against Ashcraft, but they have doubled down on promises to work with the dozen tribes that have ancestral connections to the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests.
Nationally, the Biden administration has moved toward recognizing the connection Native Americans have to their homelands through the publication of action plans and guidance for dealing with sacred sites. In 2022, President Joe Biden issued a memo aimed at setting minimum standards for how agencies should carry out consultations with tribes.
It appears that system broke down in North Carolina, said Valerie Grussing, the executive director of the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers. The group has been in discussions with tribes and top forest officials about violations there.
“What’s happened at the forest unit and the regional level is egregious. It’s unconscionable,” she said. “It’s not just a breaking of the federal trust responsibility but of established relationships.”
James Melonas, supervisor of the four forests in North Carolina, said in a statement that an independent group of experts was tapped last year to review several projects to ensure compliance with federal laws and tribal consultation obligations after “an in-
ternal concern” was raised. The experts recommended more training for employees on the requirements of the National Historic Preservation Act and a full review of the forest heritage program. Regional forest officials said that internal review was done in May, confirming that obligations were met.
“Honoring this rich tribal heritage along with co-stewardship of these lands with tribal nations is a top priority for the Forest Service,” Melonas said.
Some tribal officials say the Forest Service did not reach out to them when conducting the reviews.
Ashcraft’s attorneys have partnered with the legal nonprofit Whistleblower Aid. They contend that Ashcraft has put his career on the line to bring attention to what they described as the “willful destruction of Native American heritage sites.”
Andrew Bakaj, chief legal counsel for Whistleblower Aid, said virtually none of the key stakeholders with knowledge of the violations were interviewed as part of the agency’s review and the report has been kept out of the public eye.
The concerns raised by the whistleblower are not the first time the Forest Service has been accused of not following procedures. Documents obtained by the AP in 2016 revealed that portions of the Trail of Tears were ripped up in eastern Tennessee when an employee approved the construction of berms and trenches without authorization. The Forest Service later apologized to the Cherokee Nation and other tribes.
Ashcraft has surveyed vast tracts of forest over his 31-year career. Without further investigation of steep slopes, he said the extent of the damage done in western North Carolina as a
result of managers relying on outdated modeling can’t be fully known.
The whistleblower disclosure provides examples in which forest managers have allegedly tried to obstruct further archaeological investigations on steep slopes. It states that recreational trail projects — including a multimillion-dollar effort to expand hiking and biking networks east of Asheville — have already been built over some areas and that prescribed burns have been implemented despite the need for more assessments and tribal consultation.
“These actions are irreparably damaging or destroying an untold sum of Native American cultural and archeological sites including some of great significance. This conduct continues to this day,” Ashcraft warned in his letter.
The intent isn’t to stop work on forest lands, Ashcraft said, but rather to document sites before they’re altered or reroute work in cases where areas are more sensitive and need protection.
The Center for the Investigation of Native and Ancient Quarries has worked with Ashcraft and other scientists to uncover dozens of sites — many of which have a “surprising density” of Native American cultural materials and evidence of land use dating back thousands of years. Within the scar of the Seniard Creek Fire south of Asheville, they turned up stone axes and other tools used for digging at quartz and soapstone quarries — all examples of what researchers described as engineering feats by sophisticated societies that called this region home about 6,000 years ago.
“Here we are at higher eleva-
tions and steeper slopes with an absolutely magnificent resource eroding downslope,” said Philip LaPorta, executive director of the center and adjunct senior research scientist at Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory.
LaPorta said discoveries like the one near Asheville should make people think differently about how Indigenous people used steep landscapes.
The whistleblower disclosure was shared with the Cherokee Nation, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Catawba Indian Nation, the Muscogee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee were hopeful about having more meaningful and frequent consultations with forest managers after the agency adopted a revised plan for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests in 2023. However, a specialist with the tribe said not much has changed.
In his letter, Ashcraft wrote that the identification and preservation of Native American heritage sites goes beyond a single agency, tribe or whistleblower.
“It concerns all of us,” he wrote. “Protection of these resources is a duty shared by actors across state and federal government, sovereign tribes as well as civil society. When one fails — spectacularly and in bad faith — it is up to the rest to step in.”
For Native Americans, Grussing said it goes beyond the artifacts found in a particular spot. It’s an intangible energy that comes from being connected to a place.
“That’s what is at stake,” she said. “These are irreplaceable cultural resources and places. They’re nonrenewable.”
PHILIP LAPORTA VIA AP
Left, Scott Ashcraft, an archaeologist and heritage resources program manager for the Pisgah National Forest, examines a quartz vein at a prehistoric quarry near Asheville.
SCOTT ASHCRAFT VIA AP
Cultural artifacts were found during survey work in the Pisgah National Forest near Celo.
MOORE SPORTS
Moore County schools find out their likely reclassifications
NCHSAA ADM numbers give first clue how new classifications will look
North State Journal staff
THE NORTH CAROLINA High School Athletic Association’s Board of Directors approved a realignment of high school sports at its spring meeting. The plan, known as the “Big 32” realignment model moves the NCHSAA to eight classifications beginning with the 2025-26 school year.
The “Big 32” model will classify the largest 32 member schools into the 8A classification, and the remaining schools would be divided as evenly as possible among classes 1A through 7A.
At the time, NCHSAA commissioner Que Tucker said the realignment process wouldn’t start until the fall, which is after the realignment committee is named and receives the schools’ average daily membership data for the first 20 days of the next school year.
That data is now in.
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association released its final average daily membership numbers for the 2024-25 school year last week, which will be used to reclassify member schools into eight classifications starting next year.
ADMs are the student populations from the first 20 days of the academic year. The top 32 schools by ADM numbers will be in 8A, and the rest of the classifications will receive an even split.
Here’s the ADM numbers and the expected classifications for each of Moore County’s schools.
Pinecrest
The Patriots’ current classification is 4A, the highest lev-
el under the current organization of NCHSAA schools. Pinecrest’s ADM number is 2,346, up 66 from last year. That ranks Pinecrest as the 22nd largest school in the state and qualifies it for the Big 32, or 8A, classification. The 8A classification is expected to consist of Myers Park, Ardrey Kell, William G. Enloe, Apex Friendship, Panther Creek, South Mecklenburg, Green Hope, William Amos Hough, Millbrook, Hoke County, Emsley A. Laney, Athens Drive, Needham B. Broughton, Apex, Wakefield, East Mecklenburg, Leesville Road, Julius L. Chambers, Palisades, Charles E. Jordan, Rolesville, Pinecrest, Green Level, Corinth Holders, William Spring, Northwest Guilford, Providence, John T. Hog-
gard, Mallard Creek, West Forsyth, Richmond, Ronald Reagan.
Union Pines
Union Pines’ current classification is 3A, the second-highest level under the current organization of NCHSAA schools. The school’s ADM number is 1,491, up 93 from last year. That puts Union Pines in the 6A classification.
North Moore
North Moore’s current classification is 1A, the lowest level under the current organization of NCHSAA schools, based on study body size. North Moore’s ADM number is 606, down one from last year. That puts the school in the 3A classification.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Tyne Ross
NC A&T, volleyball
Tyne Ross is a 2024 graduate of Union Pines, where she starred for the volleyball and tennis teams. She’s now a freshman on the NC A&T volleyball team. The Aggies entered the postseason with a 17-9 record, a significant turnaround from 8-18 last year. Ross is a big reason why.
A&T won back-to-back games to close out the regular season, and Ross led the team in kills in both games, with 17 and 21. She also had a team-high seven digs in the season finale. Ross leads the team in kills, is third in digs, fourth in service aces and fifth in blocks. Ross’ performance down the stretch earned her CAA Rookie of the Week honors, the fifth time this year she’s won that award. She’s also been CAA Offensive Player of the Week once.
It’s getting harder to stay on the PGA Tour — here’s why
The tour is making its biggest changes to eligibility in 40 years
By Doug Ferguson
The Associated Press
THE PGA TOUR is making the most sweeping changes to its eligibility in more than 40 years by eliminating 25 tour cards, along with shrinking the size of its fields.
The all-exempt tour had been in place since 1983, meaning the top 125 players from the official money list — now the FedEx Cup standings — kept a full PGA Tour card the following season.
That changes in 2026. Only the top 100 players will earn full tour cards for the following year. The top 30 from the developmental Korn Ferry Tour used to advance to the PGA Tour. That goes to 20. Five players from qualifying school will get cards — it previously was the top five and ties.
Here’s a look at what’s behind the changes and what it means. Why is there a need to reduce the number of full PGA Tour cards?
The all-exempt tour led to a bloated membership in which nearly 200 players were on the membership rolls through one exemption or another, and those toward the bottom of the priority list could not get into all the tournaments they wanted to play.
Those who graduated from the Korn Ferry Tour, for example, could only get in three or four tournaments over the first few months of the season, giving them a disadvantage.
The PGA Tour believes that limited full status to the top 100 instead of the top 125 will give everyone who earns a card
a fair chance at getting into regular tournaments.
Who benefits from the PGA Tour changes?
Those who perennially finish in the top 100 should have no trouble keeping their cards, and they will have fewer players to beat because the fields will be smaller. It also helps newcomers from the Korn Ferry Tour, European tour and Q-school. They can expect to get into every regular tournament, increasing their odds of getting into some of the $20 million signature events.
The PGA Tour is likely to be even more competitive with a greater chance of the top names in contention.
The tour also hopes it will improve the pace of play and keep rounds from spilling over into the next day.
Who is hurt by the new PGA Tour rules?
Players like Peter Malnati and Taylor Pendrith come to mind. Under the new system, neither would have had a full PGA Tour card this year and likely would not have been in the fields for the tournaments they won — Malna-
ti at the Valspar Championship and Pendrith at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Those wins make them exempt through 2026.
Players who have not performed consistently well, who seem to struggle each year just to finish in the top 125, will have to be at their best to stay on tour.
What happens to the dreamers of pro golf?
The PGA Tour also is reducing the four spots from Monday qualifiers at open tournaments. Now there will only two spots for 132-man fields and
none for fields of 120. There has been only one Monday qualifier to win in the last five years — Corey Conners in the 2019 Texas Open.
Does this affect golf’s majors?
The four majors are not run by the PGA Tour. The Masters has the smallest field, typically fewer than 100 players. The U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship have 156 -man fields.
The Players Championship, the premier event run by the PGA Tour, is reducing its field from 144 players to 120.
DAVID SINCLAIR FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Pinecrest students congratulate the team during a first-round playoff victory. The Pinecrest student body is the 22nd largest in the state.
ROGELIO V. SOLIS / AP PHOTO
Peter Malnati watches his drive off the second tee during the pro-am ahead of the Sanderson Farms Championship golf tournament.
obituaries
Matthew Christopher Smithson
Sept. 23, 2005 –Nov. 19, 2024
Matthew Christopher Smithson, 19, of Southern Pines, died Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024.
Born Sept. 23, 2005, in Pinehurst, he was the son of Chris and Mary Smithson.
Matthew is survived by his parents Chris, of Southern Pines, and Mary, of Pinehurst; grandparents John and Barbara Quigley, of Asheville, and Wendy Smithson, of Southern Pines; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Matthew was a 2024 graduate of Pinecrest High School.
A visitation will be held at Boles Funeral Home in Southern Pines on Tuesday, November 26 from 6-8 p.m. No other services are planned.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to First Tee - Sandhills, 135 W Vermont Ave, Southern Pines, NC 28387 or firstteesandhills.org.
Charles George Leib
Jan. 2, 1927 – Nov. 18, 2024
Celebration of Life Service Saturday, January 11, 2025
11:00 a.m.
Our Saviour Lutheran 1517 Luther Way Southern Pines, NC 28387
Charles Joseph “Chuck” Bishop
March 20, 1956 –Nov. 16, 2024
Charles Joseph “Chuck” Bishop, 68, of Norfolk, VA passed away peacefully Saturday, November 16, 2024, at Hospice Home in Raleigh.
He was born on March 20, 1956, the third child of Lewis Moore and Eugenia Harte Bishop of Norfolk.
Chuck served the Chesapeake Public Schools for 37 years; three years as a Special Education Teacher at Crestwood Jr. High, and then as a Special Education Coordinator and Administrator. After working on his Bachelor’s Degree at Belmont Abbey College in NC, where he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, he then earned his Master’s Degree at Old Dominion University, followed by a Certificate of Advanced Studies at Virginia Tech.
In his free time, Chuck enjoyed traveling with friends, trying new adaptive sports, and listening to live music but more than anything, he treasured time with his two boys and precious granddaughters.
In addition to his parents, Chuck was preceded in death by his sister, Barbara “Bobbie” Caruana.
Chuck is survived by his two beloved sons: Joshua Bishop and wife, Eileen, of Charlotte, NC and Matthew Bishop and wife, Rachel, of Fuquay-Varina, NC; two granddaughters: Emma and June; brother: Col. Lewis “Skip” Bishop and wife, Sheila, of Norfolk; and many cousins, nieces,and nephews.
A funeral mass to celebrate his life will be held on Monday, November 25 at 11 a.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Pinehurst. The family will receive friends from 1 to 3 p.m. following the mass.
Memorials may be made to ASPCA at aspca.org/waysto-give to remember his love for dogs and cats; Sugar Plum Bakery at donorbox. org/6b8561d2-8790-407f-8dcb32033d3a4082, who employs young adults with special needs, in honor of Chuck’s commitment to special education and his love for baked goods; or The William M. Dunlap Center for Caring “Hospice Home” at transitionslifecare.org/donate in memory of the gracious care which he and his family received. Services are entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Southern Pines.
Theodore “Ted” Meyer Jr.
Nov. 21, 1938 – Nov. 18, 2024
Theodore “Ted” R. Meyer Jr., 85, of Pinehurst, formally of Northfield, IL, passed away the morning of November 18, 2024.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Joan, his children Mary Elizabeth Meyer (Scott Sauer), Mary DeMarais Meyer, Theodore Robert Meyer III (Stacey), Thomas Duffy Meyer (Rebecca), and Mary Alexis Schmitt (Pete), nine grandchildren and numerous friends.
Mass of the Resurrection will be held on November 22 at 11 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church in Pinehurst.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Services are entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Pinehurst.
Denise Walsh
March 15, 1954 –Nov. 16, 2024
Denise Walsh, 70, passed away on November 16, 2024.
Timothy Donovan Kent
Jan. 6, 1955 – Nov. 18, 2024
Timothy Donovan Kent, father of three and a loving husband, died November 18, 2024, in Pinehurst, North Carolina, at the age of 69. Born in Hemet, California in 1955 to Kathryn Donovan Kent and Duane Kent, two high school sweethearts married just before Duane’s deployment to the Pacific to serve in World War II, Tim came of age in southern California at an exciting time to be on the West Coast. He attended Hemet High School and cherished his time playing basketball as #22 on the team. He would go on to be recognized as All Southern California Player of the Year before graduating in 1972, and then playing for two years at the University of Southern California where he earned his Bachelor’s in Journalism. Tim was a steadfast father to three children with Elizabeth Chapman, his first wife of 18 years beginning in 1983: Emily Martin of Nashville, Tennessee, Stephen Kent of Manassas, Virginia, and Michael Kent of Richmond, Virginia; as well as a loving grandfather to Judah, June, Milo, and Lewis Martin; Sylvie Marie Kent; and Wesley Kent. He is survived by his wife, Andra Zarins, who filled his life with adventure and joy since their union on April 14, 2012. While studying at USC, Tim worked as the Sports Editor for the Daily Trojan, USC’s college paper. Tim graduated in 1976 and put his degree to work as a broadcast journalist in several smaller markets before journeying across the country to cover North Carolina in 1981. There he had a dynamic few years covering NC politics as an on-air political reporter for WFMY-Greensboro and then WRAL. Tim transitioned into politics as the Executive Assistant to the North Carolina Speaker of the House, Rep. Josephus Lyman Mavretic. This political experience marked the start of a remarkable career
in association management beginning in 1990 and spanning four decades.
Tim Kent helmed the NC Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the North Carolina Association of REALTORS® (NCAR), and for the last 15 years of his life and career served as the Executive Director of the North Carolina Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association (NCBWWA), a role he fulfilled with great distinction. Tim Kent was awarded the Association Executives of North Carolina’s 2018 Bob Slocum Award for Outstanding Government Affairs and Advocacy. He managed the NCBWWA with profound impact and left an indelible mark on both the industry and the state he served so passionately.
Tim was known as an honest man who would work with anyone toward a shared goal. He was intentional and known to invest time, energy, and treasure in his relationships with family and friends. A man of great faith in God, who had been broken down and put back together by a Heavenly Father and the love of Andra Zarins, Tim was humble to a fault, kind, and someone who could intuit the needs of others. People were his business, and in this trade, he brought forth his mother’s passion for words and rhetoric, and his father’s practicality. Tim exercised his care of people on the golf course, which drew him to Pinehurst, where he hosted countless games for community and charitable causes. He loved learning about people’s lives on the fairway and rehearsing how to overcome unforeseen obstacles in his own life by adapting to each twist and turn of the course. Tim cherished his family and the sacrifices made by all those who came before him and set him up for success in his life. To his last days, Tim was paying that forward, and he will be deeply missed.
Tim’s mother, Kathryn, made a point of instilling in him an Irish blessing that served as a centerpiece of his and Andra’s Pinehurst home.
“May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face, the rain fall soft upon your fields, and until we meet again may God hold you in the hollow of his hands”.
In lieu of flowers, Tim would have preferred donations be made to the general fund of The Village Chapel in Pinehurst: tvcpinehurst.com.
Services are entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Southern Pines.
Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in NSJ at obits@northstatejournal.com
Marshall James Pilkington
March 9, 1942 –Nov. 18, 2024
Marshall James Pilkington, of Seven Lakes, North Carolina, a beloved family man, patriot, and retired investments firm vice president, passed peacefully in his home on Monday, November 18, 2024, 82 years young. Marshall was born on March 9, 1942, to Gerald and Marjorie Pilkington in Phoenix, Arizona. He was the middle child of three siblings, flanked by his deceased older brother Jack, who was his very best friend, and kid sister Patty, whom he cherished. Marshall graduated from North High School in Phoenix. He then attended the University of Arizona and was a proud alumnus of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity from 1960-64. Marshall served honorably in the Arizona Air National Guard as an enlisted aircraft engine mechanic from 1965-71.
Marshall met the love of his life and devoted wife of 56 years, Linda Jack, on a blind date to a Dionne Warwick concert on July 26th, 1968. It was truly “love at first sight,” and when the concert ended, he took her to a large family party to introduce her to all of his kin. Six short weeks later they were wed on September 28th, 1968.
Marshall worked diligently to gain stock broker certification and went on to spend five decades in the investment brokerage business as a trusted advisor and leader in multiple firms. Marshall and Linda had two daughters, Amy and Julie, who were the pride and joy of his life. Anybody who knew Marshall learned very quickly how much he adored his girls and how proud he was of them.
Marshall and Linda lived in many different places following his career and his kids’ military service, including Arizona, California, Oklahoma and Virginia, and since 2010, their current home in North Carolina. He cherished their small cabin there, which he dubbed “5 Tree Camp” for its five tall loblolly pines that sit in a circle with Big Juniper Lake in the backdrop.
Marshall was a true American patriot whose love of country was only surpassed by his love for his family and God. A Christian Scientist most his adult life, he served as First Reader, with Linda as Second Reader, at the Christian Science church in Southern Pines, North Carolina from 2010-13. Marshall placed his wholehearted trust in God through his final breath. Always an optimist, he never lost faith in the power of love and goodness to overcome all challenges.
This quote (one of his favorites) by artist Tom Lea reflected his outlook on life:
“Sarah and I live on the east side of our mountain. It is the sunrise side, not the sunset side. It is the side to see the day that is coming, not the side to see the day that is gone. The best day is the day coming, with the work to do, with the eyes wide open, with the heart grateful.”
Left to cherish his memory are his wife Linda, his daughters Amy Dudley and Julie Grundahl, sons-in-law Paul Dudley and Scott Grundahl, grandchildren Jackson Dudley and his wife Mary Grace, Laura Dudley and Grace Grundahl, sister Patty Russell, sister-in-law Gail Pilkington, and his dear cousins, nephews, nieces, and their families. He so loved them all, and his legacy of magnanimous love lives on in them and all those he touched forever.
In lieu of flowers, if you would like to make a donation in Marshall’s honor, please consider the Seven Lakes Wall of Honor, which proudly displays the names of veterans from families within the local community, or, the Tunnel to Towers (T2T) Foundation, which makes significant contributions to deceased or disabled US military and civil servants and their families, as well as homeless veterans. See the links below. slwallofhonor.org/menu t2t.org Services entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Seven Lakes.
Thomas Edward Ross
April 25, 1942 – Nov. 19, 2024
Thomas Edward Ross, 82, of Southern Pines, NC, passed away unexpectedly on November 19, 2024, after a brief illness. Born on April 25, 1942, in Bud, West Virginia, he was the son of the late Charles and Hilda Schrewsbury Ross. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by sister, Ellene Perry; brothers, Charles Ross and Harry Ross; sister-in-law, Laila Ross; and brother-in-law, David Kantor.
Tom is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Cheryl E. Ross; their daughters, Candace Ross May (Douglas) of Garner, NC and Laura Ross King of Fayetteville, NC, and brother Gene Ross (Wanda) and sister Betty Cook, both of Beckley, West Virginia. He also leaves behind cherished grandchildren: Ashley May Green (Corey), Alexander Thomas May (Delaney), Kirstie Emanuelo King Hawley (Benjamin), Richard Warren King Jr., and greatgrandson, Stephen Thomas Hawley. Tom is also survived by sister-in-law, Mary Jo Kantor of Jacksonville, FL and nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends who considered him family.
Tom proudly served in the United States Air Force from 1960 to 1964, with assignments in Alaska, Texas, Nevada, and Germany. After his military service, he earned his undergraduate degree in Geography from Marshall University in 1967. He went on to receive his master’s degree in Geography, also from Marshall in 1969. He earned his PhD in Geography from the University of Tennessee in 1977. He furthered his education with post-graduate studies in groundwater at Duke University in 1982.
Tom had a distinguished 45year career as a professor and Department Chair of Geography at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. He was a passionate educator who greatly enjoyed mentoring students and coaching the university’s successful Geography Bowl teams. He authored over a dozen books and numerous articles, with notable works such as American Indians in NC: Geographic Interpretation and Carolina Bays: An Annotated and Comprehensive Bibliography, 1844-2000. He also contributed to the NC Atlas and the Atlases of Robeson and Moore Counties. He was a strong advocate and reason for the recognition of North Carolina’s Indigenous Tribes, the Lumbee Indians.
In recognition of his contributions, Tom was named the University’s Distinguished Professor in 1989, received the Adolph Dial Scholarship in 1998, and in 2008, established the Thomas E. Ross & Cheryl E. Ross Scholarship, supporting Geography and Geology students. Tom was deeply committed to his faith. He was an active member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Pinehurst, NC where he was a member of the Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus and an usher. He formed lifelong friendships and contributed generously to the church’s mission. Above all, Tom loved life, loved to laugh, and enjoyed telling stories. His greatest joy came from making others happy, whether by caring for his family, teaching his students, or helping his friends. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend.
Tom’s legacy will live on in the lives of those who knew and loved him. He will be deeply missed by his family and friends.
A church service celebrating Tom’s life will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Pinehurst, NC on Monday, November 25, at 1:30 p.m. Burial will be at St. Anthony of Padua Cemetery, Southern Pines. A reception will follow at Sacred Heart Church Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. John Paul II Catholic School in Southern Pines, NC. Services are entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Southern Pines.
Arthur Frommer, travel guide innovator, dead at 95
By Beth Harpaz The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Arthur Frommer, whose “Europe on 5 Dollars a Day” guidebooks revolutionized leisure travel by convincing average Americans to take budget vacations abroad, has died. He was 95.
Frommer died from complications of pneumonia, his daughter Pauline Frommer said Monday.
“My father opened up the world to so many people,” she said. “He believed deeply that travel could be an enlightening activity and one that did not require a big budget.”
Frommer began writing about travel while serving in the U.S. Army in Europe in the 1950s. When a guidebook he wrote for American soldiers overseas sold out, he launched what became one of the travel industry’s best-known brands, self-publishing “Europe on 5 Dollars a Day” in 1957.
“It struck a chord and became an immediate best-seller,” he recalled in an interview with The Associated Press in 2007 on the 50th anniversary of the book’s debut.
The Frommer’s brand, led today by his daughter Pauline, remains one of the bestknown names in the travel industry, with guidebooks to destinations around the world, an influential social media presence, podcasts and a radio show.
Frommer’s philosophy — stay in inns and budget ho-
tels instead of five-star hotels, sightsee on your own using public transportation, eat with locals in small cafes instead of fancy restaurants — changed the way Americans traveled in the mid- to late 20th century. He said budget travel was preferable to luxury travel “because it leads to a more authentic experience.” That message encouraged average people, not just the wealthy, to vacation abroad.
It didn’t hurt that his books hit the market as the rise of jet travel made getting to Europe easier than crossing the Atlantic by ship. The books became so popular that there was a time when you couldn’t visit a place like the Eiffel Tower without spotting Frommer’s guidebooks in the hands of every other American tourist.
Frommer’s advice also became so standard that it’s hard to remember how radical it seemed in the days before discount flights and backpacks.
“It was really pioneering stuff,” Tony Wheeler, founder of the Lonely Planet guidebook company, said in an interview in 2013. Before Frommer, Wheeler said, you could find guidebooks “that would tell you everything about the church or the temple ruin. But the idea that you wanted to eat somewhere and find a hotel or get from A to B — well, I’ve got a huge amount of respect for Arthur.”
“Arthur did for travel what Consumer Reports did for everything else,” said Pat Carri-
er, former owner of The Globe Corner, a travel bookstore in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The final editions of Frommer’s groundbreaking series were titled “Europe from $95 a Day.” The concept no longer made sense when hotels could not be had for less than $100 a night, so the series was discontinued in 2007. But the Frommer publishing empire did not disappear, despite a series of sales that started when Frommer sold the guidebook company to Simon & Schuster. It was later acquired by Wiley Publishing, which in turn sold it to Google in 2012. Google quietly shut the guidebooks down, but Arthur Frommer — in a David vs. Goliath triumph — got his brand back from Google. In November 2013 with his daughter Pauline, he relaunched the print series with dozens of new guidebook titles.
“I never dreamed at my age I’d be working this hard,” he told the AP at the time, age 84. Frommer also remained a well-known figure in 21st century travel, opinionated to the end of his career, speaking out on his blog and radio show. He hated mega-cruise ships and railed against travel websites where consumers put up their own reviews, saying they were too easily manipulated with phony postings. And he coined the phrase “Trump Slump” in a widely quoted column that predicted a slump in tourism to the U.S. after Donald Trump was elected president.
Herlda Senhouse, second-oldest U.S. resident, dies at age 113
She was born in West Virginia in 1911
The Associated Press
WELLESLEY, Mass.
— Herlda Senhouse, who founded a jazz dance group to raise money for black students in the 1950s and lived to become the second-oldest person in the United States, has died at age 113.
Senhouse died “peacefully in her sleep” Nov. 16, said Stephanie Hawkinson, public information officer for the town of Wellesley, Massachusetts, where Senhouse had lived for the last four decades.
“She never missed an opportunity to learn more, do more, experience more,” said Hawkinson, who met Senhouse on her 108th birthday and had celebrated with her every year since.
Born Feb. 28, 1911, in Piedmont, West Virginia, Senhouse was sent to live with an aunt in Woburn, Massachusetts, at age 16 and graduated from Woburn High School. According to the Boston Globe, she dreamed of becoming a nurse but was turned away by a nursing school after it had met its
quota of two black students in 1931. She later worked as a housekeeper for several families and founded the Boston Clique Club, which raised money to improve educational opportunities for black students in Boston. At age 105, she enrolled in the New England Centenarian Study, which seeks to determine how people like her age so slowly while delaying or escaping aging-related disease. She also bequeathed her brain to researchers, Hawkinson said. According to the Gerontol-
ogy Research Group, the oldest person in the United States is Naomi Whitehead, 114, who lives in Greenville, Pennsylvania. Hawkinson said Senhouse often said the secret to her longevity was never having children, though she enjoyed children and caring for them. She surrounded herself with a community of relatives, friends and members of her church, and was always up for an adventure, Hawkinson said.
“She was truly an inspiration to so many in our community,” she said.
SETH WENIG / AP PHOTO
Arthur Frommer and his daughter Pauline pose among tourists in the Wall Street area in New York in 2012.
STEPHANIE HAWKINSON / TOWN OF WELLESLEY, MASSACHUSETTS VIA AP
Herlda Senhouse attends her 113th birthday celebration on Feb. 28, 2024, in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
STATE & NATION
Democrats strike deal to get more Biden judges confirmed
Republicans will take control of the Senate in January
By Kevin Freking The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate won’t hold votes on four of President Joe Biden’s appellate court nominees as part of a deal with Republicans to allow for speedier consideration of other judicial nominations and bring Biden within striking distance of the 234 total judicial confirmations that occurred during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term.
Currently, the number of judges confirmed under Biden totals 221. Republicans forced numerous procedural votes this week and late-night sessions as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) attempted to move ahead in getting more of Biden’s nominees confirmed before Congress adjourns. Republicans take control of the chamber in January.
A Senate Democratic leadership aide said Thursday a time agreement had been reached to allow for consideration of seven district court judges the week following Thanksgiving.
Plus, another six district judges would be placed on the Senate executive calendar, making it possible for them to be considered on the Senate floor in December.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 13.
often having the last word on legal matters.
Schumer’s office said the four circuit nominees lacked the support to be confirmed, and Democrats received more than triple the amount of other judges moving forward as part of the agreement.
Liberal groups in recent weeks have been pressuring Senate Democrats to do what it takes to get all of Biden’s judicial nominees confirmed before Trump takes office again, and some expressed disappointment with the deal.
“Reports that there is a deal that would leave behind critical circuit court nominees are unacceptable. All of these nominees must be confirmed expeditiously before the end of the 118th Congress,” said Lena Zwarensteyn, an advisor at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
Russ Feingold, a former Democratic senator and now president of the American Constitution Society, called the deal “extremely frustrating.”
Excluded from that list were four circuit judge nominations awaiting a floor vote: Adeel Abdullah Mangi of New Jersey, nominated for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals; Karla M. Campbell of Tennessee, nominated for the Sixth Circuit; Julia M. Lipez of Maine, First Circuit; and Ryan Young Park of North Carolina, Fourth Circuit.
Mangi would have been the first Muslim American to serve as a federal appellate court judge if he had been confirmed. Mangi received law degrees from Oxford and Harvard. He works in a prestigious law firm
Experts don’t expect big revelations if Trump declassifies final JFK files
It is believed only a few thousand documents remain sealed
By Jamie Stengle
The Associated Press
DALLAS — More than 60 years after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, conspiracy theories still swirl and any new glimpse into the fateful day of Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas continues to fascinate.
President-elect Donald Trump promised during his reelection campaign that he would declassify all of the remaining government records surrounding the assassination if he returned to office. He made a similar pledge during his first term but ultimately bent to appeals from the CIA and FBI to keep some documents withheld.
At this point, only a few thousand of the millions of governmental records related to the assassination have yet to be fully released, and those who have studied the records released so far say that even if the remaining files are declassified, the public shouldn’t anticipate any earth-shattering revelations.
“Anybody waiting for a smok-
ing gun that’s going to turn this case upside down will be sorely disappointed,” said Gerald Posner, author of “Case Closed,” which concludes that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.
When Air Force One carrying Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy touched down in Dallas, they were greeted by a clear sky and enthusiastic crowds. With a reelection campaign on the horizon the next
year, they had gone to Texas on a political fence-mending trip.
But as the motorcade was finishing its parade route downtown, shots rang out from the Texas School Book Depository building. Police arrested 24-year-old Oswald, and two days later, nightclub owner Jack Ruby fatally shot Oswald during a jail transfer.
A year after the assassination, the Warren Commission, which
and has secured significant legal victories. But his limited volunteer work with two outside groups has imperiled his nomination. He faced opposition from some Democrats as well.
The confirmation battles over circuit court judges are generally much harder fights given their role in hearing appeals from district courts and
President Lyndon B. Johnson established to investigate the assassination, concluded that Oswald acted alone and there was no evidence of a conspiracy. But that hasn’t quelled a web of alternative theories over the decades.
In the early 1990s, the federal government mandated that all assassination-related documents be housed in a single collection in the National Archives and Records Administration. The collection of more than 5 million records was required to be opened by 2017, barring any exemptions designated by the president.
Trump, who took office for his first term in 2017, had boasted that he’d allow the release of all the remaining records but ended up holding some back because of what he called the potential harm to national security. And while files have continued to be released during President Joe Biden’s administration, some remain unseen.
The documents released over the last few years offer details on the way intelligence services operated at the time and include CIA cables and memos discussing visits by Oswald to the Soviet and Cuban embassies during a trip to Mexico City just weeks before the assassination. The former Marine had previously defected to the Soviet Union before returning home to Texas.
Mark S. Zaid, a national security attorney in Washington, said what’s been released so far has contributed to the under-
“All public officials need to be prepared to fight against the extremism that will come when Trump returns to office, and retreating in advance is a dangerous precedent to set,” Feingold said.
Schumer has dedicated much of the Senate schedule to getting Biden’s judicial nominees confirmed. He called it a basic responsibility of the Senate.
“We’ll take that responsibility very seriously between now and the end of the year,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.
standing of the time period, giving “a great picture” of what was happening during the Cold War and the activities of the CIA. Posner estimates that there are still about 3,000 to 4,000 documents in the collection that haven’t yet been fully released. Of those documents, some are still completely redacted, while others just have small redactions, like someone’s Social Security number.
“If you have been following it, as I have and others have, you sort of are zeroed in on the pages you think might provide some additional information for history,” Posner said.
There are about 500 documents that have been completely withheld, Posner said, and those include Oswald’s and Ruby’s tax returns. Those files, the National Archives says on its website, weren’t subject to the 2017 disclosure requirement.
Trump’s transition team hasn’t responded to questions this week about his plans when he takes office.
Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said his interest in the assassination dates back to the event itself when he was a child.
“It just seemed so fantastical that one very disturbed individual could end up pulling off the crime of the century,” Sabato said. “But the more I studied it, the more I realized that is a very possible, maybe even probable in my view.”
