Winter wonderland
It was a snowy, idyllic scene looking south down the train tracks running through the middle of Southern Pines in the aftermath of last week’s blast of wintry weather.
the BRIEF this week
Medical helicopter crashes in eastern N.C.
Wilmington Officials say three people were taken to a hospital after a medical helicopter crashed in a wooded area near Wilmington International Airport.
Novant Health says three team members on the AirLink helicopter on Monday night were transported for evaluation but that no patients were on board. The FAA says the Eurocopter EC -135 helicopter crashed in a wooded area near Wilmington International Airport. Novant says the team consisted of a pilot, a critical care registered nurse and a critical care paramedic. They were in fair condition Tuesday.
Greensboro-native
Rhiannon Giddens cancels Kennedy Center show
New York
Rhiannon Giddens, an Award-winning singer-musician and Greensboro-native is the latest artist to call off an appearance at the Kennedy Center, which has been in upheaval since President Donald Trump took office. Trump has forced out the center’s leadership and was elected chair of the board of trustees. Actor Issa Rae, author Louise Penny and the rock band Low Cut Connie also have canceled events. Singer-songwriter Victoria Clark went ahead with her show but wore an anti-Trump T-shirt. Giddens is an eclectic roots musician known for co-founding the Carolina Chocolate Drops.
Banner Elk native Driscoll confirmed as Army secretary by 66-28 vote
“I do support the president’s right to execute a lawful order.”
Dan Driscoll
The 38-year-old is an Iraq War veteran
By Lolita C. Baldor The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. —
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Dan Driscoll to be the next Army secretary, voting 66-28 to put the former soldier and Iraq War veteran at the helm of the service.
Driscoll, 38, of North Carolina, had served as an adviser to Vice President JD Vance, whom he met when both were attending Yale Law School. He served in the Army for less than four years and left at the rank of first lieutenant.
During his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing, Driscoll noted that his father and grandfather served in the Army, and he vowed to be
a secretary focused on the needs of soldiers.
“We are a family that is grateful to have had the privilege of wearing the uniform of the United States Army,” he said during the hearing. “We are a family that understands the gravity of leading soldiers in and out of combat.”
Driscoll takes over an Army that has been moving steadily to overcome recruiting shortfalls through a sweeping overhaul of its programs and staffing while also revamping and modernizing its weapons systems.
He also will have to deal with the repercussions of the chaotic and confusing new personnel decisions coming out of the Trump administration’s campaign to slash the government workforce. Officials have to ensure that
Chapel Hill Council calls for reopening of USAID
USAID awarded almost $400 million to N.C. organizations in 2024
By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record
CHAPEL HILL — The Town of Chapel Hill Council unanimously approved a joint resolution — along with the City of Durham — calling on the federal government to lift the stop-work order on foreign assistance programs and to reopen the USAID at its Feb. 12 meeting.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is the lead international humanitarian and development arm of the U.S. government and was established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy.
See DRISCOLL, page A2 See COUNCIL, page A3
Snowy roads lead to hundreds of highway crashes
“This
is probably one of those one-in-10-
years-type storm.”
Scott Kleebauer, NWS meteorologist
Fifty-three vehicles were involved in 12 crashes in a single county
The Associated Press
NORFOLK, Va. — Roads in Virginia and North Carolina were treacherous for days last week after unusually heavy snow led to hundreds of accidents, including crashes on an interstate that involved more than 50 vehicles. Meanwhile, a polar vortex sent temperatures plunging from the Northern Great Plains all the way to Louisiana. Two separate collisions stopped traffic on Interstate 40 in Orange County, North Carolina, last Wednesady and the stopped vehicles were struck from behind, including a tractor trailer that hit a passenger
vehicle, causing a fatality, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. A total of 53 vehicles were involved in 12 crashes in the area, the highway patrol said. The driver of the tractor trailer was charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle and exceeding a safe speed for conditions.
The highway patrol responded to nearly 1,200 collisions statewide last Wednesday, according to Sgt. Christopher Knox. Crashes that day closed portions of Interstate 95 and I-85 near Raleigh.
Virginia State Police reported last Thursday that there had been well over 800 crashes statewide since heavy snow pounded parts of the mid-Atlantic the day before. At least 45 crashes involved injuries but no fatalities.
“Job losses of this magnitude should not be a partisan issue.”
Adam Searing, council member
DAVID SINCLAIR FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
We stand corrected To report an error or a suspected error, please email: corrections@nsjonline.com with “Correction request” in the subject line.
If veterinary care is unavailable or unaffordable, ask for Happy Jack® LiquiVict 2x® to treat hook & round worms. 3 year stability. 2x strength. J R MOORE & SON. 898- 2998
LOG
Feb. 17
• Heather Nicole Tonkin, 39, of Siler City, was arrested for maintaining a vehicle, dwelling, or place for controlled substances, felony possession of a Schedule II controlled substance, and possession with intent to sell or deliver cocaine.
• Brian Keith Murphy, Jr., 31, of Carr Creek Rd, was arrested for child support order for arrest.
Feb. 20
• Derek Rile Green, 48, of Staley, was arrested for breaking or entering.
Feb. 22
• Hector Daniel SaucedoJuan, 18, of Siler City, was arrested for fleeing or eluding arrest with a motor vehicle, resisting a public officer, and reckless driving endangering others.
Feb. 23
• Joshua Lake Brady, 37, of Bear Creek, was arrested for resisting a public officer.
Feb. 24
• Steven Craig Barth, 56, of Siler City, was arrested for larceny after breaking or entering, and breaking or entering.
the cuts don’t erode national security.
Driscoll’s Senate hearing was largely unconfrontational and focused on how the Army could modernize its systems, improve recruiting and beef up the military industrial base.
Asked if he would work to implement reforms aimed at reducing sexual assault in the military, he said he wanted an Army that his daughter could join with no fear of such threats.
He said he would set a “culture where that is not tolerated in any way.”
He also got tough questions from senators on his willingness to follow the law.
Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) both pressed Driscoll on whether he would decline to follow unlawful orders from the president or defense secretary, including ones related to the use of active duty soldiers for law enforcement at the border.
He responded, “I reject the premise that the president or secretary of defense would ask for an order like that. But I will always follow the law.”
When asked by Slotkin if he would support revoking the pension of an honorably discharged Army officer, however, he declined to answer directly, saying the question was “hypothetical.”
Slotkin noted that the issue
RESIDENTIAL
• 389 Dewitt Smith Road (Pittsboro), 9.109 acres, 3 bed/2 bath, $525,000
• 9550 Silk Hope Liberty Road (Siler City), 73.740 acres, 3 bed/3bath, $1,450,000
• 557 Olives Chapel Road (Apex), 12.802 acres, 3 bed/3 bath, $2,500,000
• 4147 Siler City Snow Camp Road (Siler City), 57.43 acres, 5 separate living spaces, $2,750,000
LAND
• 37 E Cotton Road (Pittsboro), 0.996 acres, $100,000
• 170 Cherokee Drive (Chapel Hill), 1.150 acres, $100,000
RESIDENTIAL
• 5515 Rives Chapel Church Road (Siler City), 2.607acres, 3 bed/2 bath, $295,000
• 1115 Manco Dairy Road (Pittsboro), 14 acres, 3 bed/1 bath, $500,000
• 873 Arrowhead Loop (Pittsboro), 11.06 acres, 3 bed/3.5 bath, $705,000
is not hypothetical and actually has come up in connection with potential political reprisals against retired Army Gen. Mark Milley, who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Trump has already moved to strip Milley of his security clearance and protective detail.
Pushed for an answer, Driscoll said, “I do support the president’s right to execute a lawful order.”
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Chatham County:
Feb. 27
Tie Dye Class at Katty Corner
5 to 7 p.m.
• 188 Cherokee Drive (Chapel Hill), 1.150 acres, $100,000
• 327 Poplar Trail (Siler City), 5.022 acres, $150,000
• 9311 NC Highway 87 (Pittsboro), 4.602 acres, $225,000
• 9231 NC Highway 87 (Pittsboro), 5.630 acres, $250,000
• Tract 1 Robedo Road (Mount Gilead), 15.123 acres, $227,000
• Tract 2 Robedo Road (Mount Gilead), 17.425 acres, $262,000
• 323 Wagon Trace (Pittsboro), 10.255 acres, $325,000
• 83 Karen Calhoun Road (Pittsboro), 4.36 acres, 3 bed/2 bath, $800,000 LAND
• 0 Panama Terrace (Durham), 0.420 acres, $29,000
• 0 JB Morgan Road (Apex), 21 acres, $825,000
• 00 Hamlets Chapel Road (Pittsboro), 118.742 acres, $4,250,000
THIS WEEK’S VIDEO
Typical Soil Evaluation Results in Chatham County
Both Duckworth and Slotkin voted against him. According to the Army, Driscoll served as an armor officer from August 2007 to March 2011, deploying to Iraq from October 2009 to July 2010. He ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary for a North Carolina congressional seat in 2020, getting about 8% of the vote in a crowded field of candidates.
• 639 Hills of the Haw Road (Pittsboro), 5.2470 acres, $450,000
• 0 Chatham Church Road (Moncure), 15.94 acres, $750,000
• 0 Pasture Branch Road (Rose Hill), 29 acres, $1,250,000
• 8636/8710 Johnson Mill Road (Bahama),182.888 acres, $3,240,000
• 0 US 64 W (Siler City), 9.670 acres, $4,500,000
• 0 Olives Chapel Road (Apex), 75.4330 acres, $17,000,000
COMMERCIAL IMPROVED
• 140 & 148 East Street (Pittsboro), 1.49 acres, $1,350,000
COMMERCIAL UNIMPROVED
• 10681 US Hwy 64 E (Apex), 3.97 acres, $1,000,000
• 1700 Hillsboro Street (Pittsboro), 29.79 acres, $4,500,000
Come out from 5-7 p.m. to Katty Corner’s Tie Dye Class this Thursday. You can make two youth or one adult T-shirt for $30. The class is limited to 11 people, so register today. For registration information, email info@ kattycornermarket.com or visit their Facebook page. Katty Corner Market 69 Hillsborough St. Pittsboro
Anime, Ramen and Sake Watch Party
6-8 p.m.
Join Koshu Sake every Thursday, 6-8 p.m. for an Anime, Ramen and Sake Watch Party! Movie selections are announced a few days before each event on their Facebook page. You must be 21 with an ID to consume sake. Part of the Chatham County Craft Beverages & Country Inns Trail. The Plant 220 Lorax Lane Pittsboro
Opinionation Trivia at House of Pops
6-8 p.m.
Join House of Hops every Thursday, 6-8 p.m. for Opinionation Trivia. This Family Feud-style trivia game is so much fun! Play at 6 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. for two chances to win $15 or $25 House of Hops gift cards. More events at House of Hops; part of Chatham County’s Craft Beverages and Country Inns Trail. 112 Russet Run Suite 110 Pittsboro
Feb. 28
Vino!! Wine Shop Tasting 5-7 p.m.
Weekly free tastings at Vino!! Wine Shop are hosted every Friday. Experts share their picks of wines with varied pricing and from diverse locations. Tasting details, including which wines will be served, are shared on their Facebook page and in their newsletter.
March 3-5
Jazz Night at The Sycamore at Chatham Mills 6-9 p.m.
Every Wednesday night from 6-9 p.m., The Sycamore at Chatham Mills hosts live Jazz Nights. The series features a rotating list of local musicians. The Sycamore also offers their Lounge Menu in the dining room on Wednesday nights. Reservations are highly recommended.
480 Hillsboro St. Suite 500 Pittsboro
MANUEL BALCE CENETA / AP PHOTO
Daniel Driscoll, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the Department of Defense’s secretary of the Army, testifies before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his nomination last month in Washington, D.C.
Siler City reveals extent of gym damage that led to demolition
The town salvaged historic pieces before razing Paul Braxton Gym
Chatham News & Record staff
SILER CITY — The Town of Siler City has released additional details regarding the damage that led to the demolition of Paul Braxton Gym last week.
After inviting Chatham County Fire Marshal and Building Inspection staff to assess the facility in January 2024, officials discovered significant structural issues throughout the historic building, according to a town statement.
The inspection revealed extensive pest damage, prolonged water exposure and sagging in
Nearly two-thirds of the outside walls were affected by rot.
the basketball court floor. Officials also found rot affecting “at least 60%” of the gym’s outside walls.
Following these findings, the Siler City Board of Commissioners directed town staff at a Feb. 3 meeting to provide cost estimates for constructing a new gymnasium on the same site. Before demolition began, the town preserved several historical elements from the nearly century-old structure. Staff photographed the interior and exterior of the building and salvaged the
original scoreboard, a large center court piece from the hardwood floor and three large post beams.
The town announced Tuesday that approximately 12 pieces of salvaged timber were available for purchase on a first-come, first-served basis.
Paul Braxton Gymnasium was built in 1930 and served as a community hub for decades.
The historic structure hosted its first basketball game in 1934 and continued to be used for youth athletics, voting, homeschool activities and Chatham County Senior Games until its closure.
The gym received interior renovations as recently as 2021, including refinished hardwood floors, repainted court lines and remodeled bathrooms.
Sheriff’s office to host Polar Plunge at Jordan Lake
It raises funds for Special Olympics North Carolina
Chatham News & Record staff
THE CHATHAM County
Sheriff’s Office will host its annual Polar Plunge fundraiser at Jordan Lake on March 1, inviting community members to take a chilly dip to support Special Olympics North Carolina.
The event, scheduled for 10 a.m. at Seaforth Beach Recreation Area in Pittsboro, aims to raise funds for Special Olympics programs that provide year-round training
and competition opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities.
Sheriff Mike Roberson, who participated last year alongside his wife Annette, plans to continue the tradition.
“Taking the plunge is always a thrill, but what makes this event special is the way it brings people together for a great cause,” Roberson said in a press release.
“The athletes of Special Olympics North Carolina inspire us with their determination, and we’re honored to support them by helping provide the opportunities and resources they need.”
Last year’s event broke par-
ticipation records with 128 people braving the frigid waters and raised more than $50,000, exceeding its fundraising goal. Many participants wear costumes to add to the fun, while supporters gather along the shore to cheer them on.
According to event organizers, Special Olympics North Carolina currently serves nearly 45,000 athletes across the state, but an estimated 200,000 individuals could potentially benefit from its programs. Fundraisers like the Polar Plunge help sustain and expand these opportunities.
The March 1 event will follow a schedule that includes registration opening at 10 a.m., an opening ceremony with awards at 11 a.m., the actual plunge at 11:30 a.m. and conclusion at 1 p.m. Participants need to raise a minimum of $50 to take part in the plunge.
Those interested in participating or donating can find more information at chathamsheriff.com.
NINTH ANNUAL GOSPEL SING AT NEW SALEM CHURCH
Sunday, March 2 at 6:30 p.m.
Featuring: • GOSPEL BAND
• Gospel Quartet “Redeemed Harmony”
• Soloist and Groups
Plan to attend and invite a friend!
5030 Old Graham Road, Pittsboro 919-542-4832 www.visitnewsalem.com
FIRST UNITED METHODIST
CHURCH
Please join us for our Ash Wednesday Service Wednesday, March 5 7 p.m.
First United Methodist Church Siler City
LOVING GOD AND ONE ANOTHER
COUNCIL from page A1
“It provides assistance to strategically important countries and countries in conflict, leads U.S. efforts to alleviate poverty, disease and humanitarian need and assists U.S. commercial interests by supporting developing countries economic growth and building countries capacity to participate in world trade,” said Chapel Hill Mayor Jessica Anderson. “These actions are threatening thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic impact in North Carolina and in the Triangle.”
The Trump administration had put a funding freeze and stop-work order on all USAID projects starting on Jan. 20 but had since run into trouble with the courts as they tried to further dismantle the agency.
Trump had labeled USAID as being “run by a bunch of radical lunatics,” and Elon Musk, who runs the Department of Government Efficiency, labeled them a “criminal organization.”
Last Friday, however, a federal judge gave the administration the green light to move forward, and it has since laidoff or put on administrative leave more than 5,000 employees.
“The freeze that we have experienced has had a ripple effect across the entire industry,” said Alliance Brianna Clarke, executive director of the North Carolina Global Health. “Entire organizations are closing programs and soon will be closing their doors. Thousands of American citizens
are losing their jobs, and hundreds of thousands of people around the world will also lose their jobs and also their lifeline to critical life saving medicine and care.”
North Carolina was the fourth-largest recipient of USAID funding in the nation and housed dozens of different foreign aid programs and entities. Due to this, many of those dealing with the recent furloughs and layoffs are local citizens.
“Job losses of this magnitude should not be a partisan issue,” said council member Adam Searing.
According to Clarke, USAID had awarded approximately $3.5 billion in grant funding to North Carolina since 2012, and there was still $8.5 billion in promised funding to come over the next 10 years.
“We know that it is important to have efficient, effective programs around the world, and we are eager to work with the administration to ensure that American foreign aid lives up to American values,” Clarke said. “Foreign aid is something that we should be proud of. American foreign aid, for over 60 years, has saved millions of lives around the world.”
The council was also slated to continue its hearing for a conditional zoning application for property located at 200 South Elliott Road — a 330unit, mixed-use development — but it was again postponed to March 12 at the applicant’s request.
The Chapel Hill Town Council will next meet March 12.
Chatham County Saturday Mulch Sales
Mulch sales are on Saturdays from 7:30 am to Noon March 1 through May 17
COURTESY PHOTO
Sheriff Mike Roberson poses with a thematic team at a prior Polar Plunge.
THE CONVERSATION
Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
Repairing despair
While the world is most certainly in need of repair and healing, it is not only about what you can do but also how you look at the world around you.
The following reflects several emails I’ve recently received and summarizes my responses, yet it has been arranged as an advice column to protect confidentiality and offer to a wider community.
Dear Pastor,
I’m feeling depressed and even find myself despairing over the state of our country and the world. How can I find hope?
Sincerely, Down in the Doldrums Dear Doldrums,
The Jewish phrase tikkun olam translates to “repairing the world.” The idea comes from an ancient belief that, in the beginning of time, the light of the universe was shattered into zillions of pieces, which lodged inside everything and everyone. Our sacred calling as humans is not to find every shard or fragment but to discover the light from where we stand. As Wendell Berry once said, “Find your hope, then, on the ground under your feet.”
We could all do a lot worse than turning off our screens and going outside. The weather is warming, and, with it, dandelions are popping up. I realize that many people consider these plants to be weeds. Their deep root system makes them a pain to pull. Moreover, if left in the ground, they multiply like crazy!
But I look at their sunny heads as little shards of light.
COLUMN | BOB WACHS
Every part of the dandelion is also edible. You can make tea from the flowers, coffee from the roots, and eat the greens in a salad or sautéed. These greens are richer in nutrients than spinach or kale. A gardener friend says his dandelions always produce a bumper crop.
The name dandelion comes from the French for “lion’s tooth” because of the jagged edges of the leaves. In many cultures, the plant symbolizes perseverance and resilience. It is right underfoot. This reality not only reminds me of Berry’s poem but also of the teaching of Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer and civil rights activist, who talks about our “proximity” to problems. We can best attend to repairs that we can see, hear and touch.
What I’m suggesting is that, while the world is most certainly in need of repair and healing, it is not only about what you can do (proximity) but also how you look at the world around you (perspective). Berry added, “Your hope of Heaven, let it rest on the ground underfoot.” Maybe that looks like a neighbor in need or a volunteer opportunity with a nonprofit. You can write to your elected officials and attend a school board meeting. Maybe you simply and profoundly find hope by stopping to notice a sunshine-yellow flower.
Andrew Taylor-Troutman’s newest book is “This Is the Day.” He serves as pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church as well as a writer, pizza maker, coffee drinker and student of joy.
Navigating the waters of language can be tricky trip some of the time
And here is where I am having some difficulties with my mastery of English.
MY FAVORITE HIGH SCHOOL subject, other than lunch and U.S. history, both of which are still favorites even today, was English. Part of that comes directly because of two great ladies I have mentioned before — Mrs. Annie May and Mrs. Mary Strowd Rigsbee — who were my teachers of English.
English not as in literature, although we did have some of that.
Rather, English as in the study of the language itself and its parts of speech and when and where and how to use them. For instance, I loved diagramming sentences, and if you are a certain age and don’t know what that means, find an older person to explain it to you.
That love of language, too, is still with me this day. And I’m still learning and trying to master it, and I’m not there yet, even though it’s my mother tongue.
For example, there’s the use of two similar words but with different meanings: “less” and “fewer.” “Less” means “amount;” “fewer” means “how many.” So, grammatically speaking, there’s less coffee than we had yesterday, but there are not “less” people to drink it. Instead, there are fewer people since some of them left when we started running out of coffee.
I say all that as a lengthy introduction to another group of words: “old,” “older” and “oldest.” The simple rule we learned
was that “older” was when you compared two people or things, as in “that coffee is older than the other.” As for “oldest,” well, that was what you said when the coffee you’d been drinking had been around longer than any of 43 varieties in the house.
And here is where I am having some difficulties with my mastery of English.
From time to time, in this space, I have been known to refer to my two brothers. I am the last born of the three sons of our mama and daddy, which makes the first one the oldest of the three, especially noteworthy at this moment since he just recently celebrated a significant birthday, the number of which I will not disclose, other than to note he’s 10 years older than me and I’ll be 77 before too long. But when I talk about us and take me out of the equation, how do I distinguish between the two since they are both older. If I say “my older brother,” to which am I referring — not to mention I should never, in such a situation, use language such as “who am I referring to?”
Now that I have run all this into the ground, I will come to the point — mercifully for you, dear reader, if you’re still here. My oldest older brother — or is its older oldest brother — continues to pile up birthdays.
I’m glad. So is he.
He had one the other day, as I
mentioned. He used to say his claim to fame was that George Washington had the same birthday as he did. Now his claim to fame is that he keeps having birthdays.
Interesting thing about those birthdays. He has 10 more than I do or, put another way, I have 10 fewer than he does. Years ago, those 10 were more like 30 or 40. Today, now that both of us have to keep a fire extinguisher close to the candles on our birthday cakes, those 10 years have melted into about 15 minutes.
One of my pet stories is that I’m here because of him, that mama and daddy had him first and said, “That’s not so bad; let’s have another one.” Then along came the younger of my two older brothers, and our folks said, “Well, that’s pretty good, too. Let’s take a break and, in a few more years, try for perfection.” And bingo ... here I am. He, of course, if he gets to go first, says the opposite, that things were going downhill fast, so they applied the brakes. Either way, here we both are. It’s good; I like it. Hopefully, it’ll keep on getting gooder ... or more better.
Is it OK to say it that way, Mrs. Rigsbee? Mrs. May?
Bob Wachs is a native of Chatham County and emeritus editor at Chatham News & Record. He serves as pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church.
COLUMN | ANDREW TAYLOR-TROUTMAN
We are the world. Trying, anyway.
Where’s a good oldfashioned bridge when you need one?
THIS IS HOW it unspooled.
Remembering the iconic “We Are The World” music fundraiser in 1985. Holy cow, a 40-year romp back into rock ’n’ roll history! (Holy cow! You are so dating yourself. What does holy cow mean, anyway? Another time …)
Holy cow aside, I felt compelled to view the long-ago music video. What a swell of nostalgia while listening to and seeing so many of rock’s foundational icons in one room. Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Tina Turner and 43 other luminaries squeezed together in a tiny studio, each voice still reflecting its own uniqueness from that era. (Era? That makes me sound so old! Oh, wait, I am older …)
Of the song’s many stanzas, 19 to be exact, three lines tugged me away from my avid celebrity-watching on the video. Rarely do I ever remember song lyrics. I’m usually the one silently moving her lips during a song, trying to pretend I know the words (I don’t.)
Those remembered song lyrics:
“There’s a choice we’re making; We’re saving our own lives. It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me.”
Hey, “just you and me.” Our shared humanity. Our shared humanity is often riddled with innate differences. Where’s a good old-fashioned bridge when you need one? A bridge where we argumentative and dissimilar humans can meet in the middle as just that — mutually vulnerable humans.
COLUMN | REP. RICHARD HUDSON
America is back
President Trump’s efforts to secure the border have been nothing less than historic.
SINCE HIS INAUGURATION on Jan. 20, President Donald J. Trump has worked tirelessly to restore border security, enforce our nation’s laws and make clear that your constitutional rights shall not be infringed. Following four years of chaos, Trump has sent a clear message: America is back, and he’s just getting started.
After just one month back in office, Trump reestablished the successful “Remain in Mexico” policy, restarted construction of the border wall, ramped up deportation flights of criminal illegals, and ended the dangerous Biden-era “catch-andrelease” policy. These are just a few of the actions Trump has taken to regain control of our border and crack down on illegal immigration.
Trump’s efforts to secure the border have been nothing less than historic, including sharply reducing illegal border crossings in just his first 11 days back in office. This is the “Trump Effect” in action, and it’s only just the beginning.
I, alongside my Republican colleagues, am continuing to work in lockstep with Trump to advance policies in Congress that will secure our borders and protect our communities. Just last week, our House Republican majority passed the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act with bipartisan support.
This legislation, which I was proud to vote for, ensures that criminal illegals who try to flee from Border Patrol agents in a high-speed chase will face jail time and be subject to deportation. Too many of our law enforcement have paid the tragic price for illegals recklessly breaking our laws and engaging in this dangerous, reckless behavior to avoid detention. House passage of this legislation sends a clear warning to anyone crossing our borders illegally: If you put our Border Patrol agents in harm’s way, you will face serious consequences.
At this juncture, I’m slipping in the “r” word, research. No, no, I promise this will not become didactic. Promise … (Really.)
The “r” word, research, has described “behaviors through which people benefit others” as bridge building. The simplicities of, well, geez, being kind and friendly. Oh, right, just like those “We Are The World” lyrics:
“It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me.”
OK, I’m out of breath from this show-and-tell. Such a potent self-reminder why I’ve remembered “We Are The World” lyrics all these many years. It certainly may seem like an artifice, being kind and friendly with those whose visions are different than mine. Plank by plank, however, I’m building bridges to those who, like me, are fallible human beings.
Oy, but such a challenge in our volatile world to remember our shared humanity. C’mon … running a track of “We are the world” in my head? Sharing an ardent thank you with the nice grocery person who stopped the self check-out machine from indiscriminately beeping at me? Saying a very Southern “Howdy” to the man who offered me his empty shopping cart? Small acts can be planks to building bridges of acknowledgment to someone else’s humanity. Hey, someone has to model this kind of stuff. Why not us?
Jan Hutton, a resident of Chatham County and retired hospice social worker, lives life with heart and humor.
Is this what America wants?
“BUT ISN’T THERE really a lot of waste, abuse and fraud in all the government spending?” my Uber driver asked.
I don’t bring up these topics with strangers. Too dangerous. But my Uber driver raised it, wanting to know what I thought of Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s latest doings in D.C. I thought I’d avoid the topic by just telling him I was a longtime Democrat, but that didn’t work. He actually wanted to know what I thought. Like many taxpayers, he worries that what he pays in doesn’t get used wisely for what it’s supposed to. And he doesn’t know if Trump and Musk are really shaking up the system or just trying to destroy it. Of course there is waste. How could there not be? Of course there are federal employees who, like members of Congress, are just determined to stay there. But you don’t weed them out with mass firings. You don’t eliminate waste by just destroying whole agencies. The skies are not too safe. The air is not too clean. The food supply is not too secure, and the dangers of another pandemic are not too remote.
If Musk wanted to root out fraud and waste, why didn’t he bring in an army of auditors instead of a posse of kids with laptops and no experience or respect for public service?
Why fire everyone who has been hired in the last two years without reviewing what they’ve been hired to do and whether they are critically needed?
Why pretend that you can slash the federal budget enough to give huge tax breaks to the wealthy without gutting Social Security, Medicare and Defense?
How dumb do they think we are? It can’t be done. Something bad is going to happen. Another plane is going to crash. People are not going to get the checks they need to live. Bird flu is going to spread. Hate is going to boil over.
We are cruising for a bruising. And this time, Trump and his buddy are going to be blamed. The latest polls suggest that Trump is playing with fire.
BE
IN TOUCH
Additionally, I recently introduced the Protect Medicaid Act to prevent your tax dollars from being used to subsidize illegals’ health care costs and ensure we are taking care of our most vulnerable Americans. Over the past few years, liberal states like California have gamed the system to provide Medicaid benefits to illegals at the expense of hardworking taxpayers like you.
Not only is this already against the law, but it further incentivizes more illegal crossings at our border and puts our citizens who truly depend on the program on the backburner. This is unacceptable, and my commonsense bill will put a stop to it.
Back at home, I visited the Family Traditions Gun Range recently to talk about the need for my Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act.
Whether you have a concealed carry permit or live in a Constitutional carry state, every state should recognize it when you travel — just like a driver’s license. Our Second Amendment right does not disappear when crossing invisible state lines, and my bipartisan H.R. 38 would guarantee that.
Trump has also taken executive action to safeguard your freedoms and end the left’s unconstitutional attacks on your right to keep and bear arms. Working together, we will ensure your Second Amendment rights are protected — not targeted.
Whether it’s securing our border or defending our freedoms, Trump and Republicans in Congress are delivering on our promise to change the direction of our country. While there is a lot more to accomplish, rest assured we will Make America Great Again.
Rep. Richard Hudson represents North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
According to a just-released Washington PostIpsos poll, 57% of all Americans say Trump has exceeded his authority since taking office. Some 43% say they support what Trump has done during his first month in office, with 48% saying they oppose. Those who strongly oppose outnumber those who strongly support by 37% to 27%.
Republicans overwhelmingly support him, while Democrats overwhelmingly oppose him. Trump continues to try to divide and conquer. Among independents, 1 in 3 support what he’s done, half oppose and the rest are not sure. Who can blame them?
Perhaps the most positive number in the poll is the clear rejection of the Trump/Vance/Musk theory that Trump is above the law. If a court rules that what he has done is illegal, more than 8 in 10 Americans say Trump should follow the court ruling. That includes more than 9 in 10 Democrats along with roughly 8 in 10 Republicans and independents. We are not looking for a king. No matter how many times he claims it, there is no support for a lawless administration that would ignore judicially imposed limits on his power.
What do these numbers suggest? They make clear what Democrats, the courts and any honest Republicans who are left need to do. Stand up to Trump. Stand up to Musk. Demand accountability and transparency. Put the public welfare first. Expose all of their mistakes. Put the lie to the argument that this is the way to cut back the fat in the federal budget.
Take on Musk. Everyone is afraid of his money and his power on X. The poll finds 34% saying they approve of the way Musk is handling his job, with 49% disapproving and 14% not sure. They don’t know if he is really cutting fraud or just wreaking havoc. We need to show them. If Musk becomes a true liability, Trump will cut him loose. That’s his way. It can’t happen soon enough. These are frightening times. Fear can make you turn off the news and turn down the volume. That is what Trump is hoping for. Don’t do it.
Susan Estrich is a lawyer, professor, author and political commentator.
Letters to the editor may be sent to letters@nsjonline.com or mailed to 1201 Edwards Mill Rd., Suite 300, Raleigh, NC 27607. Letters must be signed; include the writer’s phone number, city and state; and be no longer than 300 words. Letters may be edited for style, length or clarity when necessary. Ideas for op-eds should be sent to opinion@nsjonline.com.
Contact a writer or columnist: connect@northstatejournal.com
obituaries
IN MEMORY
HELEN MARIE KELLY ROSSER
OCT. 10, 1940 – FEB. 19, 2025
Helen Marie Kelly Rosser, age 84, of Sanford, NC, passed away on Wednesday, February 19, 2025 in the comfort of her home.
She was born in Lee County on October 10, 1940 to the late Lee Roy Kelly and Lucy Iola Hipp Kelly. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband William “Bill” Rosser and siblings John Henry Barley, Billy Barley, Lee Roy Kelly, Jr., Tommy Kelly, Bobby Kelly, Jessie Wicker, Betty Mae Morrison, Barbara O’Quinn and Lois Wallace. She was a proud graduate of Deep River School and enjoyed being a member of the basketball team. In her early years, she was a selfless caretaker, offering love and support to many in her family and community. Her compassionate nature led her to return to school at Central Carolina Technical College, where she earned her LPN degree. Caring for others became not just her profession, but her ministry. Helen had a deep love for her family, particularly her grandchildren and greatgrandchildren, who were the light of her life. She also enjoyed watching and caring for the hummingbirds in her yard, playing her favorite card game, canasta, and was known for her famous homemade carrot cakes that always brought joy to the table. Her love, kindness, and devotion will be deeply missed.
Helen is survived by her sons Tim Rosser (Sharon) and Jeff Rosser (Beth), both of Sanford; sister Catherine Williams of Sanford; grandchildren Crystal Hunter (Matt), Brittany Phillips (Mark), Josh Rosser (Hunter) and Grant Rosser (Kristen) and greatgrandchildren Colton and Camden Hunter, Brady Phillips, Levi Rosser and Everly Rosser.
Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in Chatham News & Record at obits@chathamrecord.com
Roberta Flack, Grammy-winning singer and pianist, dies at 88
She was born in Black Mountain and rose to be a star
By Hillel Italie The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Rober-
ta Flack, the North Carolina-born Grammy-winning singer and pianist whose intimate vocal and musical style made her one of the top recording artists of the 1970s and an influential performer long after, died Monday. She was 88. She died at home surrounded by her family, publicist Elaine Schock said in a statement. Flack announced in 2022 she had ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and could no longer sing.
Little known before her early 30s, Flack became an overnight star after Clint Eastwood used “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” as the soundtrack for one of cinema’s more memorable and explicit love scenes, between the actor and Donna Mills in his 1971 film “Play Misty for Me.”
The hushed, hymn-like ballad, with Flack’s graceful soprano afloat on a bed of soft strings and piano, topped the Billboard pop chart in 1972 and received a Grammy for record of the year.
“The record label wanted to have it rerecorded with a faster tempo, but he said he wanted it exactly as it was,” Flack told The Associated Press in 2018. “With the song as a theme song for his movie, it gained a lot of popularity and then took off.”
In 1973, she matched both achievements with “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” becoming the first artist to win consecutive Grammys for best record.
A classically trained pianist and who at age 15 received a full scholarship to Howard, the historically Black university, Flack was discovered in the late 1960s by jazz musician Les McCann,who later wrote that “her voice touched, tapped, trapped, and kicked every emotion I’ve ever known.” Although versatile enough to summon the up-tempo gospel passion of Aretha Franklin, Flack often favored a more reflective and measured approach, as if curating a song word by word.
For Flack’s many admirers, she was a sophisticated and bold new presence in the music world and in the social and civil rights movements of the time, her friends including the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Angela Davis, whom Flack visited in prison while Davis faced charges — for which she was acquitted — for murder and kidnapping. Flack sang at the funeral of Jackie Robinson, Major League Baseball’s first black player, and was among the many guest performers on the feminist children’s entertainment project created by Marlo Thomas, “Free to Be ... You and Me.”
Flack’s other hits from the 1970s included the cozy “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and two duets with her close friend and former Howard classmate Donny Hathaway, “Where Is the Love” and ”The Closer I Get to You” — a partnership that ended in tragedy. In 1979, she and Hathaway were working on an album of duets when he suffered a breakdown during recording and later that night fell to his death from his hotel room in Manhattan.
“We were deeply connected creatively,” Flack told Vibe in 2022, upon the 50th anniversary of the million-selling “Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway” album. “He could play anything, sing anything. Our musical synergy was unlike (anything) I’d had before or since.”
She never matched her first run of success, although she
“I wanted to be successful, a serious all-round musician.”
Roberta Flack
did have a hit in the 1980s with the Peabo Bryson duet “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love” and in the 1990s with the Maxi Priest duet “Set the Night to Music.” In the mid-90s, Flack received new attention after the Fugees recorded a Grammy-winning cover of “Killing Me Softly,” which she eventually performed on stage with the hip-hop group.
Overall, she won five Grammys (three for “Killing Me Softly”), was nominated eight other times and was given a lifetime achievement Grammy in 2020, with John Legend and Ariana Grande among those praising her.
“I love that connection to other artists because we understand music, we live music, it’s our language,” Flack told songwriteruniverse.com in 2020. “Through music we understand what we are thinking and feeling. No matter what challenge life presents, I am at home with my piano, on a stage, with my band, in the studio, listening to music. I can find my way when I hear music.”
In 2022, Beyoncé placed Flack, Franklin and Diana Ross among others in a special pantheon of heroines namechecked in the Grammy-nominated “Queens Remix” of “Break My Soul.”
Flack was briefly married to Stephen Novosel, an interracial relationship that led to tension with each of their families, and earlier had a son, the singer and keyboardist Bernard Wright. For years, she lived in Manhattan’s Dakota apartment building, on the same floor as John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who became a close friend and provided liner notes for a Flack album of Beatles covers, “Let It Be Roberta.” She also devoted extensive time to the Roberta Flack School of Music, based in New
York and attended mostly by students between ages 6 to 14. Roberta Cleopatra Flack, the daughter of musicians, was born in Black Mountain, North Carolina, and raised in Arlington, Virginia. After graduating from Howard, she taught music in D.C.-area junior high schools for several years in her 20s, while performing after hours in clubs.
She sometimes backed other singers, but her own shows at Washington’s renowned Mr. Henry’s attracted such celebrity patrons as Burt Bacharach, Ramsey Lewis and Johnny Mathis. The club’s owner, Henry Yaffe, converted an apartment directly above into a private studio, the Roberta Flack Room.
“I wanted to be successful, a serious all-round musician,” she told The Telegraph in 2015. “I listened to a lot of Aretha, the Drifters, trying to do some of that myself, playing, teaching.”
Flack was signed to Atlantic Records and her debut album, “First Take,” a blend of gospel, soul, flamenco and jazz, came out in 1969. One track was a love song by the English folk artist Ewan MacColl: “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” written in 1957 for his future wife, singer Peggy Seeger. Flack not only knew of the ballad, but used it while working with a glee club during her years as an educator.
“I was teaching at Banneker Junior High in Washington, D.C. It was part of the city where kids weren’t that privileged, but they were privileged enough to have music education. I really wanted them to read music. First, I’d get their attention. (Flack starts singing a Supremes hit) ‘Stop, in the name of love.’ Then I could teach them!” she told the Tampa Bay Times in 2012.
“You have to do all sorts of things when you’re dealing with kids in the inner-city,” she said. “I knew they’d like the part where (‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’) goes ‘The first time ever I kissed your mouth.’ Ooh, ‘Kissed your mouth!’ Once the kids got past the giggles, we were good.”
DIANE BONDAREFF / AP PHOTO
Roberta Flack performs at the Jazz at Lincoln Center benefit concert, “Here’s to the Ladies: a Celebration of Great Women in Jazz,” in New York on Nov. 17, 2003.
Federal workers return to offices amid threat from Musk
Work from home is ending across the government
By Sean Murphy The Associated Press
FEDERAL EMPLOYEES across the country, many of whom have worked from home since the COVID-19 pandemic, were back at agency offices Monday under President Donald Trump’s return-to-office mandate.
Billionaire Elon Musk, who is leading Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency scouring of government agencies for suspected waste, delivered a warning Monday to workers on his platform X.
“Starting this week, those who still fail to return to office will be placed on administrative leave,” Musk wrote.
Lee Zeldin, Trump’s new administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said Monday on X, formerly Twitter, “Full-time, COVID-era remote work is DONE under @POTUS leadership.”
In a video he posted, Zeldin said average attendance at EPA headquarters on Mondays and Fridays last year was less than 9% of employees.
“Our spacious, beautiful EPA headquarters spans two city blocks in D.C. across five buildings,” Zeldin said. “But our hallways have been too vacant, desks empty and cubicles filled with unoccupied chairs.”
It appears at least some fed-
eral agencies are not prepared for all remote workers to return to the office.
In an email to U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid employees on Friday obtained by The Associated Press, agency officials noted that some regional offices in
Boston, Chicago, New York and San Francisco were not ready for workers to return. The message also noted that employees who live more than 50 miles from regional offices in some major cities would not be required to return to the office Monday.
“We should treat it like the
Chatham County Aging Services Weekly Activities Calendar
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8:30
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first day of school — plan a little time in your calendar to get oriented, find your way around, and figure out how to connect in the conference rooms, etc.,” the email said. “There will, no doubt, be some who get lost or are late to class or have to scramble to find a seat because of a snafu.”
SNOW from page A1
Emergency workers in Suffolk, Virginia, rescued two people from an SUV that crashed into water last Wednesday afternoon, according to the city’s Department of Fire & Rescue. Photos the department posted on social media showed rescuers stretching a ladder to the vehicle’s roof and helping one person clinging to the roof rails crawl across the ladder to land.
That day’s snowfall in Norfolk, Virginia, ranked as the eighth-highest one-day snowfall total the coastal city has ever recorded, Weather Prediction Center meteorologist Scott Kleebauer said. Norfolk officially recorded about 10.2 inches of snow, he said.
High snowfall isn’t unprecedented, he said, but it’s “certainly rare.”
“This is probably one of those one-in-10-years-type storm,” Kleebauer said.
Children in the city of 230,000 on the Chesapeake Bay used boogie boards to sled down a small hill, while some adults cleared off cars with leaf blowers. Many roadways were still covered in slush, if not snow, while authorities urged everyone to stay off the roads to give plows time to come through.
“People aren’t used to driving in these kinds of conditions,” said Jared Brooks, a surgeon at a local hospital, while shoveling the sidewalk outside of his house. “And they just don’t slow down appropriately. And they get kind of crazy. People just need to stay
The email also noted that while some workers would begin reporting to offices Monday, others would begin relocating back to offices in phases through April and beyond.
Mike Galletly, president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 4016, said the information technology workers he represents at the U.S. Department of Agriculture across the country have been struggling to comply with the back-to-office mandate.
“For my bargaining unit members, it’s been a whole lot of work scrambling to find hardware for people, monitors, docking stations,” Galletly said. “You have an office that up until this month normally seated four people. Now they have to seat eight people.”
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is directing its remote employees to return to offices, even if they were hired into a remote role.
Federal workers with the department received the formal notice Monday in an email that was sent to employees who work more than 50 miles from a regional office. It says they will need to report to an office by April 28.
The federal government employed more than 3 million people as of November of last year. That accounted for nearly 1.9% of the nation’s entire civilian workforce, according to the Pew Research Center.
home and not even try to drive unless they have to.”
Schools were closed or relying on remote learning throughout large parts of Virginia and North Carolina, while several thousand electric customers were remained without power through last Thursday. About 1,800 flights were canceled or delayed across the U.S., including about 250 flights in and out of Charlotte Douglas International Airport last Thursday, according to the flight-tracking site FlightAware.com.
Meanwhile, an arctic air mass was bringing widespread, record-breaking cold to the central United States, and forecasters expected some locations in the Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley to experience their coldest temperatures on record this late in the season, according to the Weather Prediction Center. In Detroit, a large water main break left dozens of people without power and heat amid temperatures well below freezing.
Frigid temperatures broke daily cold records across 45 weather stations ranging from North Dakota to Louisiana, Kleebauer said. Parts of Texas also broke daily cold records set in 2021 when a deadly winter storm caused the state’s power grid to mostly collapse. But a “big change” is on the horizon, Kleebauer said. Last Thursday was expected to be the “last truly cold day” across the country as temperatures rose nearly everywhere this week.
LM OTERO / AP PHOTO
A woman walks past the Earle Cabell Federal Building in downtown Dallas on Monday.
DAVID SINCLAIR FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL Traffic would normally be bumper-to-bumper during the morning rush hour in Pinehurst, but last Thursday saw more trains on the tracks than cars on the road thanks to a blast of wintry weather.
LEARN ABOUT LAND - Chatham Land Experts, www.learnaboutland.com - 919362-6999. JY2,tfnc
FOR RENT
POWELL SPRINGS APTS. Evergreen Construction introduces its newest independent living community for adults 55 years or older, 1 and 2 bedroom applications now being accepted. Office hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 919533-6319 for more information, TDD #1800-735-2962, Equal housing opportunity, Handicapped accessible.
A2,tfnc
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS now for onebedroom apartments, adults 55 years or older. Water included, appliances furnished, on-site laundry, elevator, keyless entry. Section 8 accepted. No security deposit. Application fee $25 per adult. Call Braxton Manor, 919-663-1877. Handicap accessible. Equal Housing Opportunity. J14,tfnc
AUCTIONS
RICKY ELLINGTON AUCTIONEERSEquipment, business, liquidation, estates, land, houses, antiques, personal property, coins, furniture, consignments, benefits, etc., NCAL #7706, 919-548-3684, 919-663-3556, rickyellingtonauctions@yahoo.com. Jy6,tfnc
FOR SALE
FOR SALE: Dining Room Set w/China Cabinet, several Curio Cabinets, Treadmill, Sofa and 2 end tables, 2 upright freezers, dishes, Bedroom Suite, 2 Recliners, etc. 919-799-8243.
SERVICES
RAINBOW WATER FILTERED VACUUMS, Alice Cox, Cox’s Distributing - Rainbow - Cell: 919-548-4314, Sales, Services, Supplies. Serving public for 35 years. Rada Cutlery is also available. A26,tfnc
JUNK CARS PICKED UP Free of charge. Due to many months of low steel prices and unstable steel markets, we cannot pay for cars at this time. Cars, trucks, and machinery will be transported and environmentally correctly recycled at no charge. 919-5422803.
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LETT’S TREE SERVICE - tree removal, stump grinding, lot clearing. Visa & Master Card accepted. Timber. Free estimates. 919-2583594.
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CONSCIOUS RETIRED CARPENTER –Part-Time - Small building projects. Call 919-548-2943.
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NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
In the District Court Division
File NO: 25CV000137-180
LAURA MONROE v. DANIELLE R. MONROE and UNKNOWN FATHER To: DANIELLE R. MONROE and UNKNOWN FATHER
Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against you has been filed in the above-entitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: Plaintiff seeks custody of and child support for Kinsley Rose Monroe, born January 26, 2023. You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than April 1, 2025 and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you will apply to the court for the relief sought.
This the 20th day of February, 2025.
Kirsten A. Grieser, Attorney for Plaintiff 101 Conner Drive, Suite 402 Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Public Notice
Chatham County Schools’ federal projects under Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 are presently being developed. Projects included:
Title I (Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards)
Title II (High Quality Teachers and Principals) Title III (Language Acquisition) Title IV A (Student Support and Academic Enrichment) Migrant Education Program (MEP) Career and Technical Education (CTE) High school students can enroll, without cost, in college credit classes through the Career and College Promise program. This includes Career and Technical Education pathways of study.
IDEA (Students with Disabilities) The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA-
Part B, Public Law 108.446) Project is presently being amended. The Project describes the special education programs that Chatham County Schools proposes for Federal funding for the 2025-2026 School Year. Interested persons are encouraged to review amendments to the Project and make comments concerning the implementation of special education under this Federal Program. All comments will be considered prior to submission of the amended Project to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction in Raleigh, North Carolina
These projects describe the programs that Chatham County Schools proposes for federal funding for the 2025-2026 school year. Non-profit private schools and interested persons are encouraged to review these federal guidelines for the above listed projects and indicate their interest in participation in the projects if qualified. These projects are being developed during April and May and are due to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction on June 30, 2025. The initial Equitable Services for Private Schools meeting will be held on March 25, 2025, at 2:00 PM, in person, at the address listed below. Interested parties are encouraged to contact the office of Carol Little, Executive Director Federal Programs and School Improvement, at Chatham County Board of Education, P.O. Box 128, 468 Renaissance Dr, Pittsboro, N.C.
Spanish Version below: NOTICIA PUBLICA Los proyectos federales de las Escuelas del Condado Chatham bajo la Ley Cada Estudiante Triunfa (ESSA) de 2015 están en proceso de planificación. Los proyectos incluidos son:
Título I (Ayuda a los niños desfavorecidos a alcanzar altos estándares) Título II (Maestros y directores de alta calidad)
Título III (Adquisición del Lenguaje) Título IV A (Apoyo al Estudiante y Enriquecimiento Académico) Programa de Educación para Familias Migrantes (MEP, por sus siglas en Inglés) Carreras y Educación Técnica (CTE, por sus siglas en Inglés) Los estudiantes de preparatoria pueden inscribirse, sin costo, en clases de créditos universitarios a través del programa Career and College Promise. Esto incluye vías de estudio de Educación Técnica y Profesional.
IDEA (Estudiantes con Discapacidades) Actualmente se encuentra en proceso de modificación el Proyecto de Ley de Educación para Personas con Discapacidad (IDEA-Parte B, Ley Pública 108.446). El Proyecto describe los programas de educación especial que las Escuelas del Condado Chatham proponen para financiamiento federal para el año escolar 20252026. Se anima a las personas interesadas a revisar las enmiendas al Proyecto y hacer comentarios sobre la implementación de la educación especial bajo este Programa Federal. Todos los comentarios serán considerados antes de la presentación del Proyecto modificado al Departamento de Instrucción Pública de Carolina del Norte en Raleigh, Carolina del Norte. Estos proyectos describen los programas que las Escuelas del Condado Chatham proponen para financiamiento federal para el año escolar 20252026. Se anima a las escuelas privadas sin fines de lucro y a las personas interesadas a revisar estas pautas federales para los proyectos enumerados anteriormente e indicar su interés en participar en los proyectos si califican. Estos proyectos se están desarrollando durante abril y mayo y deben entregarse al Departamento de Instrucción Pública de Carolina del Norte el 30 de junio de 2025. La reunión inicial de Servicios Equitativos para Escuelas Privadas se llevará a cabo el 25 de marzo de 2025 a las 2:00 PM, en persona en la dirección listada abajo. Se anima a las partes interesadas a comunicarse con la oficina de Carol Little, Directora Ejecutiva de Programas Federales y Mejoramiento Escolar, en la Junta de Educación del Condado de Chatham, P. O. Box 128, 468 Renaissance Dr, Pittsboro, N.C.
Notice to Creditors
Estate of Steven Botha Chatham File No.: 25E000085-180 ALL PERSONS, firms and corporations having claims against Steven Botha, deceased, of Chatham County, NC, are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before June 2, 2025 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 27th day of February 2025. Zelda Harlean Botha, Limited Personal Representative, in c/o Kellie M. Corbett, Attorney, at Carolina Family Estate Planning, 201 Commonwealth Court, Suite 100, Cary, NC 27511. Publication Dates: February 27, 2025 March 6, 2025 March 13, 2025 March 20, 2025
NOTICE
25E000041-180 NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
TO
CREDITORS
The undersigned, David Cunningham, having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Stephen H. Dorenkamp, deceased, late of Chatham County, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the day of May 7th, 2025, or this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This the 6th of February, 2025.
Administrator David Cunningham c/o Marie H. Hopper
Attorney for the Estate Hopper Cummings, PLLC Post Office Box 1455 Pittsboro, NC 27312
CREDITOR’S NOTICE
Having qualified on the 30th day of January 2025, as Executor of the Estate of Bunni Susan Hall, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the decedent to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before the 6th day of April, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the estate should make immediate payment.
This is the 31st day of January 2025. Megan Bean, Executor of the Estate of Bunni Susan Hall 2350 Everette Dowdy Road Sanford, NC 27330
Attorneys: Law Offices of Doster & Brown, P.A. 206 Hawkins Avenue Sanford, NC 27330 Publish On: February 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th 2025.
NOTICE OF MEETING FOR THE TOWN OF PITTSBORO BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT
Notice is hereby given that the Town of Pittsboro Board of Adjustment will conduct a meeting to be held on Thursday, March 16, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. The meeting will be held in the Town of Pittsboro Town Hall, 287 East Street, Suite 221, Pittsboro. The purpose of the meeting will be for the Board of Adjustment to participate in the following: Election of Officers Training For more information contact Carrie Bailey at cbailey@pittsboronc.gov, (984) 282-6647.
NOTICE
ALL PERSONS, firms and corporations holding claims against Mairead Lockwood, deceased, of Chatham County, NC are notified to exhibit same to the undersigned on or before May 16, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This 13th day of February 2025. Brian N. Lockwood, Exec., c/o Clarity Legal Group, PO Box 2207, Chapel Hill, NC 27515.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Jannell Hanood qualified before the Chatham County Clerk of Court on February 14, 2025, as the Executor of the Estate of JOHNNY DAVIS BUTLER, 140 Brookstone Lane, Room 317, Pittsboro, NC 27312.
This is to notify all persons, firms and corporations, as required by N.C.G.S. 28A-14-1, having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the attorney designated below on or before the 27th of May, 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 payments to the undersigned. Payments and claims should be presented to Deirdre M. Stephenson, Attorney at Law, 1518 Elm Street, Sanford, NC 27330.
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS CHATHAM COUNTY
HAVING QUALIFIED as Executor of the Estate of Howard Billy Kidd, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 8th day of May, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery.
This the 30th day of January, 2025.
Sherry F. Kidd, Executor of the Estate of Howard Billy Kidd 1279 Bowers Store Road Siler City, North Carolina 27344 MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE ATTORNEYS AT LAW BOX 629 SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850 4tp
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
25E000063-180 NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
The undersigned, Marcus Crossman, having qualified as Administrator CTA of the Estate of Daniel G. Crossman, deceased, late of Chatham County, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the day of June 3, 2025, or this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This the 27th of February, 2025.
Marcus Crossman Executor
Marie H. Hopper Attorney for the Estate Hopper Cummings, PLLC Post Office Box 1455 Pittsboro, NC 27312
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS
CHATHAM COUNTY
HAVING QUALIFIED as Co-Executors of the Estate of Michael R. Ferguson, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 16th day of May, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 4th day of February, 2025.
Jeffrey Ferguson, Co-Executor of the Estate of Michael R. Ferguson 1001 Bowers Store Road Siler City, North Carolina 27344
Heidi K. Faucette, Co-Executor of the Estate of Michael R. Ferguson 20 Harold Hackney Road Siler City, North Carolina 27344
MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE
ATTORNEYS AT LAW BOX 629
SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850
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NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS
CHATHAM COUNTY
HAVING QUALIFIED as Executor of the Estate of Charles Lee Moody, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 22nd day of May, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery.
This the 11th day of February, 2025.
Cathy L. Moody, Executor of the Estate of Charles Lee Moody
2090 Silk Hope Liberty Road
Siler City, North Carolina 27344
MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
BOX 629
SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850
4tp
EXECUTOR’S NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY All persons having claims against the estate of Pauline Ann Gergen, of Chatham County, NC, who died on December 1, 2024 are notified to present them on or before May 15, 2025 to Maria Gergen Teague, Executrix, c/o Maitland & Stiffler Law Firm, 2 Couch Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Michele L. Stiffler MAITLAND & STIFFLER LAW FIRM 2 Couch Road Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Attorney for the Estate
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The undersigned, Tina Victoria Darden, having duly qualified as Executrix of the Estate of Miotzi Eugenia Darden, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the Estate to present them to the undersigned in care of Ronald G. Coulter, Attorney for the Estate, 3400 Croasdaile Dr., Ste 205, Durham, NC 27705, within ninety (90) days of the first publication of this Notice or it will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons and legal entities indebted to the Estate will please make immediate payment. This the 27th day of February, 2025. Tina Victoria Darden, Executrix C/O Ronald G. Coulter, Attorney 3400 Croasdaile Drive Ste 205 Durham, NC 27705
1-919-246-5775 Publication Dates: 2/27, 3/6, 3/13, 3/20/2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
Chatham COUNTY
24E001587-180 All persons, firms, and corporations having claims against Richard Henry Amlung, deceased, late of Chatham County, NC, are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before the 28th day of May, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 27th day of February 2025. Susan Rubin, Administrator CTA c/o Hemphill Gelder, PC PO Box 97035 Raleigh, NC 27624-7035
Publication Dates: 2/27, 3/6, 3/13 and 3/20/2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E001595-180 The undersigned, CATHERINE ANN DORIN-BLACK AND DANIEL BROOKS DORIN, having qualified on the 7TH Day of JANUARY, 2025 as CO-EXECUTORS of the Estate of DENNIS DANIEL DORIN, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 7TH Day of MAY 2025, 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 is the 6TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2025.
CATHERINE ANN DORIN-BLACK, CO-EXECUTOR 1211 HUMMINGBIRD HILL RD.
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27517
DANIEL BROOKS DORIN, CO-EXECUTOR 5601 NORTH OCEAN BLVD., BOX 17
MYRTLE BEACH, SC 29577
Run dates: F6,13,20,27p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000058-180
The undersigned, GARY L. MARBRY, having qualified on the 30TH Day of JANUARY, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of DONALD L. MARBRY, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 14TH Day of MAY 2025, 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 is the 13TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2025.
GARY L. MARBRY, EXECUTOR 1550 US 15-501
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27517 Run dates: F13,20,27,M6p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000019-180
The undersigned, ROBERT JAMES CLARK, having qualified on the 27TH Day of JANUARY, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of ELAINE THAIN, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 14TH Day of MAY 2025, 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 is the 13TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2025. ROBERT JAMES CLARK, EXECUTOR 104 S DOGWOOD AVE. SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: F13,20,27,M6p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000065-180
The undersigned, KIMBERLY TERRELL TEUNIS, having qualified on the 4TH Day of FEBRUARY, 2025 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of JOHN SYLVESTER TEUNIS, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 21ST Day of MAY 2025, 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 is the 20TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2025. KIMBERLY TERRELL TEUNIS, ADMINISTRATOR 1157 SAINT CLOUD LOOP APEX, NC 27523 Run dates: F20,27,M6,13p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000062-180 The undersigned, JEFFREY S. LeGAY, having qualified on the 5TH Day of FEBRUARY, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of SANDRA K. LeGAY, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 14TH Day of MAY 2025, 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 is the 13TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2025.
JEFFREY S LeGAY, EXECUTOR 140 LANDRUM CREEK DR. SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: F13,20,27,M6p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000095-180
The undersigned, RANDALL L. HOLT, having qualified on the 18TH Day of FEBRUARY, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of PEGGY HOLT ROSENBERGER, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 27TH Day of MAY 2025, 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 is the 27TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2025.
RANDALL L. HOLT, EXECUTOR 175 EDWARDS HILL CHURCH RD. SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: F27,M6,13,20p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000073-180
The undersigned, ANNE L. CAMPBELL, having qualified on the 5TH Day of FEBRUARY, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of PEGGY LEWIS LINDLEY, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 14TH Day of MAY 2025, 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 is the 13TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2025. ANNE L. CAMPBELL, EXECUTOR 635 SHEEP ROCK RD. SNOW CAMP, NC 27349 Run dates: F13,20,27,M6p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000100-180
The undersigned, PAMELA BARTH JACOBS, having qualified on the 24TH Day of FEBRUARY, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of GEORGIA RUTH HUDSON BARTH, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 27TH Day of MAY 2025, 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 is the 27TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2025.
PAMELA BARTH JACOBS, EXECUTOR 7 AZALEA LANE SPRUCE PINE, NC 28777
*MAIL AFFIDAVIT TO: 13604 US HIGHWAY 64 W. SILER CITY, NC 27344-6445
Run dates: F27,M6,13,20p
AA flight from New York to New Delhi lands in Rome after security concern
The plane was escorted by two fighter jets
The Associated Press
ROME — An American Airlines flight from New York to New Delhi landed safely in Rome on Sunday afternoon after it was diverted due to a security concern, which later proved to be “non-credible,” the airline said.
American Airlines said Flight 292 “was inspected by law enforcement” after landing at Leonardo da Vinci International Airport and “cleared to re-depart.”
It didn’t clarify the cause of the security concern, but added an inspection was required by protocol before the flight could land in New Delhi.
“The flight will stay in Rome overnight to allow for required crew rest before continuing to Delhi as soon as possible,” the airline said.
An Associated Press reporter filmed two fighter jets flying over the airport shortly before the unscheduled landing. Fire trucks were visible on the landing strip on one side of the plane after it landed.
Neeraj Chopra, one of the passengers on board, said the captain announced that the
plane had to turn around about three hours before it was supposed to land in New Delhi because of a change in “security status.”
Chopra, who was traveling from Detroit to visit family, described the mood on the plane as calm after the initial announcement but said he began to feel stressed when the captain later announced that fighter jets would be escorting their plane to Rome.
“I felt a little panic of, ‘OK, what’s going on here?’” Chopra told the AP. “There’s got to be like something bigger going on here.”
Passenger Jonathan Bacon,
22, from Dayton, Ohio, started paying attention to the flight tracker on the seatback in front of him after the captain’s announcement of a “diversion due to a security issue,” observing the plane’s sharp turn away from New Delhi and route back toward Rome.
Passengers had no internet connection for much of the flight, Bacon said, with only some spotty access that clued them into early reports of the situation about two hours before landing.
After landing, Bacon said all passengers were loaded onto buses and taken to the terminal, where each passenger and their
Hegseth says he fired top military lawyers because they weren’t well suited for jobs
Several JAG officers, as well as the chief of naval operations, were reassigned
By Lolita C. Baldor
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that he was replacing the top lawyers for the military services because he didn’t think they were “well-suited” to provide recommendations when lawful orders are given.
Speaking at the start of a meeting with Saudi Arabia’s defense minister, Hegseth refused to answer a question about why the Trump administration has selected a retired general to be the next Joint Chiefs chairman when he doesn’t meet the legal qualifications for the job.
President Donald Trump on Friday abruptly fired the chairman, Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr., and Hegseth followed that by firing Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the chief of naval operations, and Air Force Gen. James Slife, the vice chief of the Air Force. He also said he was “requesting nominations” for the jobs of judge advocate general, or JAG, for the Army, Navy and Air Force.
He did not identify the lawyers by name. The Navy JAG, Vice Adm. Christopher French, retired about two months ago, and there was already an ongoing effort to seek a replacement. The Army JAG, Lt. Gen. Joseph B. Berger III, and Air Force JAG, Lt. Gen. Charles Plummer, were fired.
The removals — which came without any specified reasons
in terms of their conduct — sent a new wave of apprehension through the Pentagon. And they added to the broader confusion over the changing parameters of Elon Musk’s demand that federal employees provide recent job accomplishments by the end of Monday or risk getting fired, even though government officials later said the edict is voluntary.
Throughout the Pentagon on Monday, military and civilian workers juggled their routine
national security duties with a growing unease that anyone could be next on the firing block.
Hegseth has defended Trump’s firing of Brown, saying it was not unusual and the president deserves to pick his own team. The defense chief argued that other presidents made changes in military personnel.
Trump’s choice of retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan Caine is unusual. Caine would have to come back onto active duty, but he does not meet the legal
The captain announced that the plane had to turn around about three hours before it was supposed to land in New Delhi because of a change in “security status.”
personal items underwent additional security screenings that were time-consuming and felt “slightly heightened,” especially for arrivals. More than two hours after landing, Bacon and his friend said they were still waiting for their checked baggage, which they said was also undergoing security screenings.
“It was definitely the longest flight to Europe I’ve ever taken,” Bacon said.
A spokesperson for the airport said it was continuing to operate normally.
In recent decades, a number of three-star and four-star officers have been fired, but Pentagon leaders have routinely made clear why they were ousted.
tagon leaders have routinely made clear why they were ousted. Those reasons included disagreements over the conduct of the Iraq or Afghanistan wars, problems with the oversight of America’s nuclear arsenal and public statements critical of the president and other leaders. Brown, a history-making fighter pilot and only the second black general to serve as chairman, is the first in that post to be fired in recent history. Hegseth made it clear before he took the secretary’s job that he thought Brown should be fired, and he questioned whether Brown got the job because he was black.
Hegseth has also repeatedly argued that military officers would be reviewed “based on meritocracy.” It’s unclear, however, how Franchetti, Slife and the lawyers were evaluated and what meritocracy they were found to lack.
requirements for the top post. According to law, a chairman must have served as a combatant commander or service chief. Those requirements can be waived by the president. Historically, Pentagon leaders have deliberately shifted top admirals and generals into a job as service chief for even a brief period of time in order to qualify them for the chairman’s post.
In recent decades, a number of three-and four-star officers have been fired, but Pen-
As a result, Pentagon workers are left to decipher whether the officers were fired due to political reasons or because of their race or gender. Hegseth has laid out a campaign to rid the military of leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks. And there have been persistent threats from the Trump administration that military officers advocating diversity and equity — or so-called “wokeism” — could be targeted.
Hegseth has said that efforts to expand diversity and equity have eroded the military’s readiness.
JACQUELYN MARTIN / AP PHOTO
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a meeting with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman on Monday at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
CHATHAM SPORTS
ASHEEBO
/
Team captains for the Seaforth Hawks meet with the game officials and Southeast Alamance captains before the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference championship game. The Hawks won, 60-46.
Seaforth, Northwood claim tourney titles
Seaforth got revenge for its only conference loss to Southeast Alamance
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
Girls: Seaforth 60, Southeast Alamance 46
HAW RIVER — Seaforth caught fire from the 3-point lineearly and kept Southeast Alamance out of striking distance to win its third Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference
Seaforth junior Gabe Rogers gets a hug after winning the state wrestling title at 126 pounds.
tournament title 60-46 Friday. The 14-point win was the largest margin of victory in the season series between the two teams as the first two meetings, split by the Hawks and Stallions, were decided by just one possession.
“We wanted to come out in this game aggressive,” Seaforth coach Charles Byrd said. “We felt like in the first two games, we played the game very conservative.”
The Hawks let it fly out of the gate and hit five 3s to Southeast Alamance’s zero in the first half,
knocking down four triples in the first quarter. Although the Stallions got off to their own solid start behind a seven-point burst from junior Clara LaChapelle, Seaforth built a 22-15 lead in the opening period after knocking down open look after open look.
“We wanted to attack first then kick out for those shots,” Byrd said. “We feel like the last time we played them, they did a really good job keeping us on the perimeter, and we didn’t get a lot of clean looks.”
Senior guard Gabby White,
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Seaforth wins back-to-back individual wrestling state titles
Three Hawks won individual state championships Monday
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
GREENSBORO — Déjà vu left a sweet taste for the Hawks this time around.
Seaforth came away with three individual state champions and its second straight 2A individual team title Monday night at the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state wrestling tournament at First Horizon Coliseum.
For the second year in a row, the Hawks recovered from a dual team loss and redeemed itself in the wrestling season’s finale, winning with a team score of 149.
Seaforth senior Layne Arm-
strong won his second straight individual title, taking the crown for the 132-pound weight class this time.
Armstrong, the No. 1 2A wrestler in the state for his weight class according to RankWrestlers, overcame an early takedown and pinned Mount Pleasant’s Cameron Gue (2A’s No. 2 wrestler for the weight class) in the first period after holding him down on the mat with his back and gaining control for the finishing move.
“I put him to his back, and he wouldn’t move,” Armstrong, who finished the season with a 42-3 record said. “I thought he was pinned for a couple of seconds, and then I heard his last breath go out, and I was like, ‘I got it.’ I was excited after that. A great way to finish my senior season off.”
After the win, he ran over to his dad, Seaforth coach Ryan Armstrong, who hugged his
“It’s unbelievable to see all the hard work, all the early mornings and things like that turn out right.”
Pete Rogers
son in the air the same way he did when Armstrong won the 126-pound title last year. The pair didn’t know if they would be back on this stage together after Armstrong injured his right meniscus in July.
“When I finally got back, Gabe helped me train a lot,” Armstrong said. “I was going to physical therapy two times a week, I was trying to build my knee back, and eventually, I got back.”
See WRESTLING, page B3
who led Seaforth with 16 points, created a lot of those looks with her constant drives to the rim. She was huge on the offensive boards as well, creating second-chance opportunities.
As the Hawks endured a late third quarter offensive lull, the team got a scare when White left the game with an apparent injury. She returned less than a minute later, though, and helped close the game with four fourth quarter points.
“The biggest thing we tell Gabby is always be in attack mode but not necessarily to score
all the time,” Byrd said. “Her being in attack mode makes the defense collapse, and she could kick out to the shooters.”
Senior Peyton Collins, one of the shooters who was coming off a career-high 31 points against Northwood in the tournament semifinals, continued her red-hot play with nine first half points and multiple steals at the top of Seaforth’s zone. Seaforth constantly trapped the Stallions’ guards well before the 3-point line, and a steal from
Collins turns life’s trials into glory during championship-level career
Nothing can stand in the way of the Woods Charter swimmer making history
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
BEFORE COMPETITION
got started at the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 1A/2A swimming championships on Feb. 8, Woods Charter swimming coach Julie Neal presented a challenge to sophomore Daisy Collins on her target splits sheet.
“I dare you to break 200 and 500 free records!”
Once she got in the pool at Triangle Aquatic Center, to call it a “challenge” seemed like an overstatement. Collins, the defending state champ for the 500 free, shattered the 1A/2A meet records for the 200 and 500 free with respective times of 1 minute, 47.92 seconds and 4:45.36. Her 200 free time beat Emily Knorr’s (Salisbury) 2021 record by nearly two seconds, and her 500 free finish also beat Knorr’s record (set in 2021) by nearly four seconds, meeting the All-American standard for both events.
“It was definitely my goal going in to get the record,” Collins, who was named the meet’s Most Outstanding Swimmer, said. “So when I got them, I was really excited, and so was coach Julie.”
Neal recalled a feeling of “pure elation” watching her own make history.
It’s a feeling that maybe only her and others close to Collins could experience, given they’ve witnessed Collins overcome
“You’re going to win this for her. You’re going to do this.”
Daisy Collins
more daunting trials on her way to becoming a three-time state champion.
Fear
After a very eventful 2024 in which she competed internationally and found herself on the same state championship stage, Collins felt “very scared” in the ready room prior to her most recent 200 free state title race.
“I think it was the most nervous I’ve ever been,” Collins said.
“I think I just really wanted to get that record, and the previous year, I’d been sick during the meet. I remember I missed it, and I was really sad. I just knew I didn’t want to feel that again.”
The fear and anxiety she experienced before the race wasn’t a one-time occurrence, though. Collins usually gets overcome with nerves before competing, no matter how many times she’s won throughout her career.
“I think it’s just like the pressure, and I don’t want to let people down,” Collins said.
She deals with it by performing breathing exercises, and Neal helps lighten the mood with her quirky and silly interactions with Collins before races. Once she hits the water, all the nerves go away, which in a way serves as a reminder
ROJAS
CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
that she’s gotten over worse. Collins crossed the ocean at the age of 5 when her family moved from the UK to North Carolina while simultaneously being a child who feared water.
“I couldn’t have baths,” Collins said. “I couldn’t wash my hands. I was so scared, so my parents were like, ‘She’s going to drown.’”
To help her stay afloat, Collins’ parents took her to a UNC Wellness Center where she first started swim lessons. It took nearly a month before she was able to get into the pool, and by the second month, she had a good feel for the water.
Her instructor at the time, a college student named Marissa, took notice of her strides in the water, and her promising prediction about Collins set her on a path as a competitor.
“She was just so kind with Daisy,” Collins’ mother, Laura, who swam in high school, said. “She said to me after maybe a month or two in, ‘She’s going to be really good.’ I just thought that meant that she was going to, you know, learn how to swim quickly. I didn’t know that it was going to go anywhere.”
Collins competed for the first time in the following summer season at the age of 6, doing well enough to garner suggestions to swim year-round. Shortly after, she found a year-round home with the North Carolina Aquatic Club in Chapel Hill, where she has swam ever since and developed into one of the best swimmers in the state (ranked the sixth-best girl swimmer in North Carolina by Swimcloud).
Rough waters
Water isn’t a pushover. In large quantities, its force can bring pain, knock one backward or prevent one from moving forward.
Collins learned that last year when she seemingly hit a wall that repeatedly stood in her path whenever she swam.
It started during the 2023 Speedo Winter Junior Championship East in Columbus, Ohio, where Collins failed to meet her own standard. She finished 54th in the 400-yard individual medley, 57th in the 500-yard free and 10th in the 1,650-yard free.
“I felt horrible,” Collins said. “I did so bad. I did good at open water nationals, but then every in-pool meet, I did so bad all the time. It was really, really rough because I’d show up to practice, I’d do everything right, I’d eat, sleep, but I just would not drop.
“I think it was a confidence thing where I was just like, ‘You’re only good at one event.’”
At the same time, Collins had to overcome emotions from trials outside of the pool.
Collins’ mother was diagnosed with breast cancer during the time Collins competed in the winter junior championships. Laura Collins told her children shortly before Christmas, and that news coupled with her struggles in the pool sent Collins to a point where she nearly gave up swimming.
“Not like I wanted to stop, but I was like, ‘There’s no point,’” Collins said.
Instead of giving up, she leaned into her coaching staff for guidance out of the choppy waters.
Talking with her main coach at NCAC, Steve Brown, and other coaches like Chris Pfaffenroth and Watts, Collins had to first learn how to have fun with swimming.
“Like you need to go into it not thinking about dropping, not thinking about anything, not thinking about where you place,” Collins said.
While understanding that concept, Brown also emphasized the importance of consistency.
“Sometimes she gets a little shortsighted with her goals,” Brown said. “It’s all about today, and I’m always like today, make it good tomorrow, and find a way to be a little bit better every day. That over an extended period of time will give you the opportunity to achieve the goals you want.”
Collins and Brown trained one on one two hours a day throughout August prior to her competing with Team USA at the Open Water Junior World Championships in Italy. She started seeing her times fall again, regained confidence and in Italy, she led two-thirds of the way before impressively finishing fourth in the 7.5-kilometer finals. At the most recent Speedo
Winter Junior Championship East in December, Collins finished 30th in the 400-yard individual medley, 12th in the 500 free and third in the 1,650 free.
Collins’ mother was also making strides in her recovery after two successful surgeries in February 2024. She’s now in remission after completing her active treatment, but even while going through chemotherapy, Laura Collins made the trip to Sarasota, Florida, in May to watch her daughter win the junior 7.5-kilometer open water national title.
“I was in the middle of the race, and I was getting tired,” Collins said. “I was like, ‘This is so stupid. Why am I doing this anymore? I’m in the middle of a lake right now, and I’ve been swimming for an hour. I’m about to get out, like this is so dumb.’ I swam by my mom, and I saw her cheering, and I was like ‘You’re complaining right now, and your mom is standing out in the blazing heat in Florida, cheering for you and supporting you while she has just gotten the worst news of her life.’
“I was falling back at this point. I was up there, and now I was in 20th place. It was so bad. And I saw her, and I was just like, ‘You’re going to win this for her. You’re going to do this.’ And so, I got that strength from her.”
Opportunity
Woods Charter’s swim program likely wouldn’t exist without Collins.
Before Collins, there was Maddie Homovich, a standout NCAC and Marlins of Raleigh swimmer, who graduated from Woods in 2018. She went on to have a successful swim career at Georgia, but she never got the chance to do the same in a Woods uniform.
Homovich tried to get a team going at Woods, but the school didn’t have the necessary training pool to make it happen.
“We just don’t have the money and the funds to rent pool space,” Neal said.
Collins tried again last year, anyway, this time reaching out to Woods Athletic Director Dena Floyd and convincing Neal, who also coaches at NCAC, to coach the team. There wouldn’t be any practices, and members were required to already belong to a club team, but the school was able to get five others to join Collins and compete in NCHSAA events for the 2023-24 season.
Woods likely won’t get to develop swimmers from scratch any time soon, but Collins has been trying to convince others to join the squad. She has siblings that could possibly keep the team going once she graduates in two years. Both her brother Jack, 13, and her sister Rosie, 9, swim, and Collins already coaches them on their summer team.
“It’s a great thing seeing your child being mentor to other kids,” Laura Collins said.
Collins’ ability to create lanes for others at Woods is just one of many indicators of how far swimming can take her. The past year has proven that she’s a natural trailblazer, and she still has more to accomplish at Woods and beyond.
Those closest to Collins have high expectations for her, as she does for herself. Whether there’s another record to break or another high-pressure situation to conquer, nothing seems too daring.
Collins led to a 3 from Annika Johansson to put the Hawks ahead 27-17 with six minutes left in the second quarter.
“We worked really hard on some of the action they have against the zone,” Byrd said. “We scouted them really well. We were looking to key in on No. 3 (Shaniya Paylor) and just get out on the shooters.”
Collins finished the game with 11 points. Junior guard Katie Leonard knocked in 10 points, and senior guard Mia Moore knocked in nine points for the Hawks all from 3-point range.
Boys: Northwood 60, Southeast Alamance 37
Northwood overcame a rough start and outscored Southeast Alamance 19-4 in the fourth quarter to win 60-37 and capture its second-straight Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference tournament title Friday.
Junior guard Cam Fowler lifted the Chargers with a team-high 28 points. He relentlessly attacked the rim, as indicated by his 16 free-throw attempts (11 of 16 at the line), and came up big with some much-needed rebounds.
Junior forward Chad Graves, who scored 18 points, also took a plethora of trips to the free throw line, going 8 for 13 from the stripe.
“That was the game plan coming in,” Northwood coach Matt Brown said. “We wanted to attack inside out and just go at them, get to the line and get them in foul trouble. They executed it perfectly.”
Early in the game, Southeast Alamance outworked Northwood on the offensive boards and hung around by capitaliz-
ing on extra possessions. Poor shooting (2 for 11 from 3 in the first half) and turnovers also knocked the Chargers out of rhythm offensively. The Stallions’ hustle paid off as they trailed just 25-20 at halftime and tied the game at 26 with a 3 from senior Cardell West two minutes into the third quarter. Things got chippy as the game intensified. A double tech was called on West and Fowler after they exchanged words in the third quarter. Shortly after, tensions reached a peak when Fowler took a long fall after being swiped out of the air on a layup attempt.
“That was probably a bad
idea on their part,” Brown said. That play seemed to light a fire under Fowler and the Chargers. Fowler went full attack mode in the fourth quarter and went 5 for 5 for 10 points.
Back-to-back and-ones from senior Hayes Burleson and Fowler two minutes in the fourth quarter served as back breakers, giving Northwood a 48-33 lead.
“When we have the senior leadership that we do, and we have one of the best players in the state in Cam Fowler, really good things can happen,” Brown said. “We just trust the guys, and the guys did really well. Proud of them.”
Central Electric awards two Touchstone Energy Sports Camp Scholarships annually to local students in Chatham, Harnett, Lee, Moore, or Randolph counties. A young man will be selected to attend the Carolina Basketball School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a young woman will be selected to attend the Wolfpack Women’s Basketball Camp at N.C. State University in Raleigh.
To be eligible to apply, the student must be in the sixth or seventh grade during the upcoming school year, have permission from a parent or guardian to attend the overnight camp and must provide their own transportation if selected to attend.
Scan the QR code or visit CEMCPower.com for more information or to apply. The deadline for applications to both camps is March 31.
COLLINS
NCHSAA / INSTAGRAM
Daisy Collins poses with her outstanding swimmer award at the state championships.
PHOTOS BY ASHEEBO ROJAS / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Top, The Seaforth Hawks girls’ basketball team won the Mid- Carolina 1A/2A conference championship. Bottom, The Northwood Chargers boys’ basketball team claimed the Mid- Carolina 1A/2A conference title.
Missing link: Why Chatham doesn’t have middle school football
Former coaches have called for middle school football for decades
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
FORMER NORTHWOOD
football coach Bill Hall started the fight for middle school football in Chatham County when he first arrived in 1989.
Coming from Pinecrest, a school in Moore County that did have middle school football, Hall was “shocked” when he heard from his new athletic director that it wasn’t an option in Chatham County.
“I was floored,” Hall said. “I’m like, ‘Are they talking about getting it? Or is it a chance they’re going to get it?’ And she said, ‘Not to my knowledge.’ It’s just become a mission of mine since then.”
Hall wasn’t alone in the fight, though. In the late 2000s, Hall, former Jordan-Matthews football coach Marty Scotten and former Chatham Central football coach Bob Pegram got together and drafted a plan to help the county start a middle school football league. The coaches hired former Alabama football player Todd Roper, a lawyer at the time and currently the District Court Judge for Chatham and Orange counties, to craft and present their plans at a county school board meeting with the coaches in attendance.
“Todd just kind of went in and made our case that we had talked to him about, and they seemed very receptive,” Scotten said.
But even with plans for funds and equipment laid out, including the potential transfer of equipment from a dismantling seventh and eighth grade East Chatham football league, Hall and the hopeful coaches couldn’t make any progress.
“I think the final decision on it was, ‘Well, we don’t have the money right now to start it, but when we get the money to start a new sport, that’ll be the first one we start,’” Scotten said. “That’s not what happened. They went ahead and started soccer before then.”
Said Hall, “All they basically said to us that night was, ‘We’ll get back to you.’ We’re kind of still waiting for them to get back to us.”
Over a decade later, Chatham County is still one of a few counties in North Carolina without football teams at its middle schools. Coaches on the high school level feel the lack of a middle school program hurts the success of the prep teams as losing seasons and a lack of playoff success has been the story of high school football in the county in recent years.
Even though the county school board never followed up with the three former coaches, the idea of making it a reality wasn’t always out of sight and out of mind. Years later, the board did a deep dive and found its reasons for why middle school football doesn’t exist.
In 2017, Chatham County Schools District Athletic Director and current Assistant Superintendent Chris Blice presented to the school board reports by
an advisory committee (consisting of representatives from each middle school, high school and the three local organizations providing football) on the possibility of adding additional middle school team sports.
The committee looked at the possibility of adding football, cross-country, volleyball and wrestling. For football, the plan was to put together four combined teams, making a team for Pollard by itself, a team for Horton and Moncure, a team for Bennett, Bonlee and JS Waters and a team for Chatham Middle and Silk Hope.
Looking at finances, football was projected to be the most expensive sport to add with an estimated start-up cost of $96,000. The committee, which set a potential start date for middle school football in the 2018-19 school year, determined a football program would cost $31,000 per year after the first season, including $15,000 for recurring equipment costs and $16,000 to pay football coaches, cheer coaches, trainers and first responders. Through the 2020-21 school year, middle school football was estimated to cost $127,000. The next most expensive sport to add was volleyball, which the committee planned to start a year earlier and cost $72,500 through the 2020-21 school year.
Scotten and the other two former coaches argued that the county would make the money invested into football back through gate fees, but Blice doesn’t think that would’ve been the case, considering all the other costs involved in running sports events.
“If we break even on officials, we’d be thrilled,” Blice said.
Although the high cost of starting a middle school football program played a huge part in its absence, Blice doesn’t feel like it’s the only thing keeping it from being a reality.
Blice said the “feasibility” isn’t there for middle school football as the committee looked into other factors like enrollment numbers and overall interest to play football.
In 2018, the committee determined that a team needed a minimum of 20 players. Based on the projected number of students expected to try out for each proposed team at the time (calculated by taking the proportion of students that try out for football at each
high school and applying that to the enrollment numbers of the combined teams), only Pollard (26 students) and the Horton and Moncure team (21) hit that that threshold. The other two proposed teams were deemed “less likely” to have enough players, especially when considering football would be in competition with soccer and cross- country for participation in the fall season.
Regarding interest from the students, board staff surveyed the county’s middle schoolers about their sports preferences in early 2018. Countywide, football received the third-most interest to play from the county’s middle school boys, following soccer (second) and basketball.
But what about the numbers now?
Blice said the number of students interested in playing sports has been “fairly consistent” over the years, and some of the county’s middle schools are struggling to field teams for other sports currently.
Regarding finances, the costs to start a football program could be even higher now, especially with the need of more activity buses which cost around $150,000 each.
There are examples of county LEAs without middle school football with state championship-level high school teams, such as Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.
Other factors, like successful independent youth programs and coaching, can make successful high school teams.
“If (middle school sports) were the only denominator, we would be winning state championships in basketball every year,” Blice said, referring to the success of Chatham County’s middle school basketball league over decades.
As stated earlier in this series, there are few options for middle school-aged kids to play football in the county, which include the East Chatham Chargers and Siler City Youth Football. This fall, Chatham Central football coach Derrin Little and a team of others will offer football and cheer for grades 6-8 at Chatham Central High School. Football registration costs $85, and cheer costs $50.
Blice doesn’t feel Chatham won’t ever see a county-wide football program, but for now, as it has been for decades, it’s a long way from being a possibility.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Peyton Collins
Seaforth, girls’ basketball
Seaforth’s Peyton Collins earns athlete of the week honors for the week of Feb. 17.
Collins, a senior, scored a career-high 31 points in the Hawks’ win over Northwood on Feb. 18, helping Seaforth punch its ticket to the girls’ Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference tournament championship game. She went 8 for 10 from the 3-point line in that performance, ending the night shooting 77% from the floor. In the tournament final, Collins scored 11 points (nine in the first half) and came away with multiple steals.
This season, Collins reached 1,000 career points. She has scored in double digits in four of Seaforth’s last five games.
WRESTLING from page B1
Said Ryan Armstrong, “I’m excited for him. This is all that work. All that off season stuff.”
Seaforth junior Jordan Miller, the No. 1 2A wrestler in the 113-pound weight class, won by a 17-1 technical fall over Morehead’s Tyler Kendrick in the second period to clinch his first state title. After not placing at all in the state last year, Miller came back and won by technical fall all the way through, giving up just two points the entire tournament.
“Last year, I didn’t really cut any weight, but this year, I cut down a lot,” Miller, who finished the season with a 36-2 record, said. “Last year, I wasn’t working as hard. This year, I feel like I came back, and I was more experienced.”
Seaforth junior Gabe Rogers, the state’s No. 1 2A wrestler for the 120-pound division, followed Miller with a state title win of his own in a much wilder finish.
After leading West Caldwell’s Fernando Teniente (2A’s No. 2 wrestler for the weight class) 7-2 near the end of the third period, Teniente got Rogers on his back and scored five points at the buzzer to send the match into overtime.
Rogers, stressed after the sudden change of events, settled down quickly, though, and scored the first three points of the period for the sudden-victory win.
“I hit a single leg switch off to a double, hooked his ankle and then took him down,” Rogers said, who finished the season with a 45-4 record said.
Rogers also got to share the moment with his father, Pete, who is an assistant coach for the Hawks.
“It’s unbelievable to see all the hard work, all the early mornings and things like that turn out right,” Pete Rogers said. “I knew how much it mattered to him, and to see it happen, it just doesn’t get any better than that.” Seaforth and the rest of Chatham County had some solid finishes in the state tournament.
Seaforth senior Ethan Kuball, the No. 2 2A wrestler in his weight class, finished as the state runner-up for the 215-pound division after falling to Randleman’s Braxton Walker (the No. 3 215-pounder in 2A) by a 14-2 major decision. Here’s how the rest of the county finished in the tournament.
1A: Carson Williams (Chatham Central, 150 pounds, fifth place); Stephen Silhan III (Chatham Central, 190, fifth place)
2A: Harrison Compton (Seaforth, 190, third place); Judge Lloyd (Seaforth, 175, fifth place); Chance Cody (Seaforth, 138, loss in consolation third round); Alex Hinchman (Seaforth, 165, loss in consolation third round); Benjamin Johnson (Seaforth, 144, loss in consolation second round); Jakari Blue (Jordan-Matthews, 190, loss in consolation second round); Nermiah Page (Jordan-Matthews, 120, loss in consolation first round); Elijah Farrow (Northwood, 165, loss in consolation first round)
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
East Chatham youth football players work out before a Northwood high school home game, then take the field with the Chargers last fall.
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
East Chatham youth football players work out before a Northwood High School home game, then take the field with the Chargers last fall.
Bell takes only lead in OT to edge Hocevar, Larson
Atlanta hosted another thrilling Cup Series finish
By Charles Odum
The Associated Press
HAMPTON, Ga. — Chris-
topher Bell edged Carson Hocevar and Kyle Larson in overtime Sunday in another close NASCAR Cup Series finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Bell led only the final lap in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and had a slight edge on the outside when the caution light came on in overtime following a wreck by Josh Berry.
“That last lap of the race
we were at our best,” Bell said.
The 30-year-old Oklahoma driver has 10 career Cup victories.
Austin Cindric led in his Team Penske Ford before he and William Byron, the Daytona 500 winner last week, wrecked with three laps remaining, setting up the overtime.
Kyle Busch finished seventh, ending his hopes of snapping a winless streak on the Cup Series. Busch won the Atlanta Truck Series race Saturday but is still looking for his first Cup win since 2023 after having his NASCAR-record 19-year streak with at least one win end last year.
Larson failed to finish the last four and five of the last six Atlan-
ta races and was involved in accidents in each of the six.
Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammates claimed the spotlight in the Cup Series’ first two weeks. Chase Elliott won The Clash on Feb. 2 before Byron avoided late wrecks to win the Daytona 500.
Larson’s string of bad luck ended Sunday after he qualified only 17th. Larson, the 2021 Cup champion, surged late to win the second stage.
Wrecks for Elliott, Suarez
Elliott was in the top 10 when his Hendricks Motorsports Chevrolet hit the wall late in the second stage and then hit
“That last lap of the race we were at our best.”
Christopher Bell
Brad Keselowski’s RFK Racing’s Ford, ending Keselowski’s race. Elliott finished 18th. Daniel Suarez, who edged Ryan Blaney and Busch in a thrilling three-wide finish in Atlanta’s 2024 February race, saw his hopes for a repeat end when he was involved in a seven-car crash early in the third stage. Cole Custer, Ty Gibbs, Cody Ware, Noah Gragson and JJ Yaley also were involved. Blaney was in contention before his late one-car spin caused a caution, but he rallied to finish fourth.
Sharp-dressed man
Billy Gibbons, the lead guitarist and singer for the rock
group ZZ Top, served as the grand marshal and gave the “start your engines” command.
New deal for Heim with 23XI
The 23XI Racing team announced a multiyear deal with Corey Heim as a development driver. Heim will drive a limited number of Cup Series races in the No. 67 Toyota and also will compete in Xfinity races, including next week at Circuit of the Americas. His first Cup race on the new deal will be at Kansas Speedway on May 11. Heim made three Cup starts for 23XI last year and has a Truck Series win at Daytona this year. He finished 23rd in Saturday’s Truck Series race in Atlanta.
Up next
The Cup Series moves to Austin, Texas, and Circuit of the Americas next Sunday.
MIKE STEWART / AP PHOTO
Christopher Bell spins out, doing doughnuts to celebrate his victory in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race in Atlanta.
SIDELINE REPORT
MLB Rodriguez makes halfcourt shot, wins Bucknell student $10K
Lewisburg, Pa.
Former Major League Baseball star Alex Rodriguez showed his skill on the hardwood, making a half-court shot to win a Bucknell student $10,000. The 14-time All-Star was invited to take the shot Sunday during halftime of Bucknell’s basketball game against Army. The 49-year-old tossed a high-arching shot that banked off the backboard and through the hoop. The threetime MVP was at Bucknell to speak about his company Jump Platforms, which he founded with two other entrepreneurs, Jordy Leiser and Marc Lore.
NBA
76ers coach Nurse sits Embiid for entire 4th quarter in loss to Brooklyn
Philadelphia Joel Embiid got benched and the 76ers got beat at the horn. Philadelphia lost their seventh straight game, this one on a buzzer-beating tip-in against Brooklyn with Embiid on the bench. The oft-injured Embiid sat out the entire fourth quarter in the 105-102 loss after a rough three quarters. Embiid scored 14 points in 31 minutes, missed all six 3-point attempts and was a bystander in the fourth when the 76ers rallied from 17 down to take the lead late before the buzzer-beater.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Arizona apologizes for ‘unacceptable chant’ from fans at end of basketball loss to BYU Tuscon, Ariz.
Arizona apologized after the school says some fans participated in an “unacceptable chant” following the basketball team’s 96-95 loss to BYU. According to online video, fans can be heard yelling a profane phrase directed at Mormons as the teams were leaving the court. BYU is the flagship school for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Richie Saunders scored 23 points, including two free throws with 3.2 seconds left, to give BYU the road victory at No. 19 Arizona.
Charlotte among cities vying for WNBA team
The league has said it will add a 16th team in 2028
By Doug Feinberg The Associated Press
FORMER NBA player Michael Carter-Williams is hoping to get a WNBA franchise in Boston whether it’s through expansion or being a destination for a current team that wants to move.
He’s part of The Boston Women’s Basketball Partners group that is spearheading the initiative. The group hasn’t submitted a bid to the WNBA, although they’ve talked with the company that the league hired to handle the expansion bids process.
“The main objective is to get a team in Boston,” Carter-Williams said in a phone interview last Thursday. “It doesn’t matter if it’s an expansion team or a team that wants to sell and move to Boston.”
Boston hosted a sold out WNBA game last year when the Connecticut Sun played a contest at TD Garden — home of the Boston Celtics. Another regular-season game will
be played at TD Garden this year when Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever take on the Sun.
The deadline to submit an expansion bid was Jan. 30.
The WNBA has already announced three expansion teams that will start play over the next two years, with Golden State beginning this season and Toronto and Portland starting in 2026. The league has said it would add a 16th team to begin play in 2028.
Here’s a look at some of the interested cities.
Cleveland expansion bid
The Ohio city’s ownership group is led by Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert. A report from the Sports Business Journal said it was “likely” for Cleveland to get the next expansion team, although the deal isn’t done yet.
Nashville expansion bid
12
Current number of WNBA teams, with Golden State, Toronto and Portland joining in the next two years
includes Sheila Ford Hamp and her husband, the principal owners of the Detroit Lions; the chief executive officer and chair of General Motors Company; and Hall of Famer and former NBA rookie of the Year Grant Hill.
Tilman Fertitta, the owner of the Houston Rockets, submitted a bid for a WNBA franchise with the team potentially playing at the Toyota Center. The Houston Comets won the first four WNBA titles before the franchise disbanded in 2008.
The Charlotte Hornets are supporting an effort to bring the Sting back.
Kansas City, Austin and St. Louis expansion bids
Unlike other franchises, the Nashville group already has a name for its franchise — the Tennessee Summitt — in honor of the late Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt.
Charlotte, Detroit and Houston expansion bids
Three cities that previously had WNBA franchises are looking to get back into the women’s game.
Bids by groups in Charlotte, Detroit and Houston are led by the NBA owners in those cities. The Detroit bid is led by Pistons owner Tom Gores and
The Nashville contingent is led by the chairman of the NHL’s Nashville Predators, Bill Haslam, and his wife, Crissy. The couple has lined up a group of investors including Candace Parker, Peyton Manning and entertainers Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.
New York Yankees drop ban on beards
The team’s facial hair policy was lifted 49 years after it was imposed by George Steinbrenner
The Associated Press TAMPA. Fla. — The New York Yankees dropped their ban on beards Friday, 49 years after it was imposed by owner George Steinbrenner, in a move aimed to improve player recruitment as the team tries to win its first World Series title since 2009.
Current owner Hal Steinbrenner, son of The Boss, announced the change Friday before the team’s spring training opener. He called the ban “outdated” and “somewhat unreasonable.”
“This generation, the vast majority of 20, 30s-into-the40s men in this country have beards,” Steinbrenner said during a news conference, flanked by general manager Brian Cashman. “It is a part of
who these younger men are. It’s part of their character. It’s part of their persona. Do I totally relate to that? It’s difficult for me. I’m an older guy who’s never had a beard in his life, but it’s a very important thing to them. They feel it defines their character.”
George Steinbrenner announced the facial policy during spring training in 1976, mandating no long hair or beards — mustaches were allowed. Players complied, but some pushed boundaries by going unshaven or letting hair fall over their collars.
“My dad was in the military. He believed that a team should look in a disciplined manner,” Hal Steinbrenner said. “Very important to my father, but again (for) my father, nothing is more important than winning, and that’s in the back of my mind.”
Hal Steinbrenner, who succeeded his father as controlling owner in November 2008, said he had considered the issue for a decade and discussed the con-
templated change recently with Yankees stars Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Gerrit Cole in one-on-one meetings. Steinbrenner then issued a statement Friday morning that “we will be amending our expectations to allow our players and uniformed personnel to have well-groomed beards moving forward.”
Cashman said CC Sabathia hesitated because of the hair policy before signing with the Yankees ahead of the 2009 season, and the agent of a player contemplating a minor league contract this offseason wasn’t sure his client would be willing to shave.
Cashman said some current players had told him of the facial hair ban: “It’s not what I want. It’s not my preference, but I will honor the rules of the land.”
As recently as last Monday, the Yankees had left reminders on the clubhouse chair of each player to arrive clean shaven the following morning for photo day.
Celebrity athletes are lending their star power to WNBA bids in several cities, including Patrick Mahomes getting involved in Kansas City’s expansion hopes, Jayson Tatum with St. Louis and Kevin Durant in Austin, Texas.
Philadelphia expansion bid
The Philadelphia 76ers put in a bid and have a new sports complex on the way that will house the NBA team as well as the Flyers. Having another city on the East Coast would potentially make travel easy and could build rivalries with franchises in New York, Washington and Connecticut.
All-Star closer Devin Williams, acquired in an offseason trade from Milwaukee, had hair on his chin for his photo. Williams, eligible for free agency after this season, had a beard when he played for the Brewers.
“The New York Yankees are different,” Cashman said. “This is obviously a special place in baseball history. That logo has a lot of meaning behind it, and we want our past and our present players to recognize that and the future players to recognize that. So ultimately there’s still going to be things that we’re going to hold onto that are important for us, but I think as Hal just said more importantly is always trying to be a championship-caliber franchise and chasing winning.” Outfielder Alex Verdugo was forced to trim his previously long hair when he was traded to the Yankees ahead of the 2024 season. Clay Holmes and Gleyber Torres arrived at spring training this year with beards after leaving the Yankees.
“It’s somewhat surprising just because of how long the rule’s been around,” Holmes said.
Amazon MGM takes creative reins of James Bond, ending era of family control
Some fans have doubts about Bond’s new corporate overloads
By Jake Coyle The Associated Press
NEW YORK — In a James Bond shakeup that stirred the film industry, Amazon MGM announced last Thursday that the studio has taken the creative reins of the 007 franchise after decades of family control. Longtime Bond custodians Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said they would be stepping back.
“With my 007 career spanning nearly 60 incredible years, I am stepping back from producing the James Bond films to focus on art and charitable projects,” Wilson said in a statement. “Therefore, Barbara and I agree, it is time for our trusted partner, Amazon MGM Studios, to lead James Bond into the future.”
Amazon bought MGM Studios in 2022 for $6.1 billion, a purchase that was significantly motivated by the acquisition of one of the movies’ most beloved and long-running franchises. Since the Daniel Craig era of 007 concluded with 2021’s “No Time to Die,” Broccoli and Wilson have reportedly clashed with Amazon MGM over the direction of Bond.
“We are grateful to the late Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman for bringing James
“We are honored to continue this treasured heritage and look forward to ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007 for audiences around the world.”
Mike Hopkins, Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios
Bond to movie theaters around the world, and to Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for their unyielding dedication and their role in continuing the legacy of the franchise that is cherished by legions of fans worldwide,” said Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. “We are honored to continue this treasured heritage and look forward to ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007 for audiences around the world.”
Bond had been a family business since Albert “Cubby” Broccoli secured the rights to adaptations of Ian Fleming’s novels and kicked off a run of 25 Bond films produced by Eon Productions, beginning with 1962’s “Dr. No.”
In 1995, the elder Broccoli handed over control of Eon to his daughter and stepson. In recent years, the 64-year-old
Broccoli has largely taken the lead as Wilson, 83, has aged into retirement.
“My life has been dedicated to maintaining and building upon the extraordinary legacy that was handed to Michael and me by our father, producer Cubby Broccoli,” Broccoli said in a statement. “I have had the honor of working closely with four of the tremendously talented actors who have played 007 and thousands of wonderful artists within the industry. With the conclusion of ‘No Time to Die’ and Michael retiring from the films, I feel it is time to focus on my other projects.”
A key point for the producers in the Amazon acquisition of MGM was a commitment to theatrically release James Bond films. That Bond’s future is now in the hands of an e-commerce giant with one of the leading streaming services will immediately prompt doubts from some fans about Bond’s new corporate overloads. Other billion-dollar movie franchises, such as the Disney-owned “Star Wars” and Marvel brands, have in recent years struggled with oversaturation.
Even Joe Russo, co-director of four Marvel Cinematic Universe films including “Avengers: Endgame,” pleaded to Amazon MGM: “DON’T cinematic universe James Bond.”
“It is one of our last, great theatrical events,” Russo said on X. “Don’t dilute that with a plethora of streaming spin-offs.”
MICHAEL SOHN / AP PHOTO
Daniel Craig played the role of secret agent James Bond in five installments of the franchise.
this week in history
Massacre in Boston, Lindbergh baby kidnapped, Chamberlain scores 100, Stalin dies
The Associated Press
FEB. 27
1933: Germany’s parliament building, the Reichstag, was gutted by fire; Chancellor Adolf Hitler, blaming communists, used the fire to justify suspending civil liberties.
1942: The Battle of the Java Sea began during World War II; Imperial Japanese naval forces scored a decisive victory over the Allies.
1951: The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, limiting a president to two terms in office, was ratified.
FEB. 28
1953: Francis H.C. Crick announced that he and fellow scientist James D. Watson had discovered the double-helix structure of DNA.
1983: Nearly 106 million viewers watched the final episode of the television series “M.A.S.H.” It remains the mostwatched episode of any U.S. television series to date.
1993: Agents tried to arrest Branch Davidian leader Da-
MUSIC REVIEW
vid Koresh in Waco, Texas, on weapons charges; four agents and six Davidians were killed as a 51-day standoff began.
MARCH 1
1872: President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act, making Yellowstone the nation’s first national park.
In 1932: Charles A. Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh, was kidnapped.
1961: President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order establishing the Peace Corps.
1971: A bomb went off inside a men’s room at the U.S. Capitol. The radical group Weather Underground claimed responsibility.
MARCH 2
1807: The Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves was signed by President Thomas Jefferson.
1861: The state of Texas, having seceded from the Union, was admitted to the Confederacy.
1877: Rutherford B. Hayes was declared the winner of the 1876 presidential election.
1962: Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a game
AP PHOTO
Franklin Delano Roosevelt takes the oath of office as the 32nd president of the United States on March 4,
against the New York Knicks, a single-game NBA record that still stands.
MARCH 3
1849: Congress established the U.S. Department of the Interior.
1931: President Herbert Hoover signed a bill making “The Star-Spangled Banner” the national anthem of the United States.
1991: Motorist Rodney King was severely beaten by Los Angeles police officers after a highspeed chase in a scene captured on amateur video.
MARCH 4
1789: The Constitution of the United States went into ef-
fect as the first Federal Congress met in New York.
1933: Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated for his first term as president. In his inaugural speech, Roosevelt stated, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
1966: John Lennon of The Beatles was quoted in the London Evening Standard as saying, “We’re more popular than Jesus now.”
MARCH 5
1770: The Boston Massacre took place as British soldiers who’d been taunted by a crowd of colonists opened fire, killing five people.
1946: Winston Churchill delivered his “Iron Curtain” speech in which he said: “From Stettin in the Baltic, to Trieste in the Adriatic, an ‘iron curtain’ has descended across the continent, allowing police governments to rule Eastern Europe.”
1953: Soviet dictator Josef Stalin died after three decades in power.
1963: Country music performers Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins died in a plane crash.
1982: Comedian John Belushi was found dead of a drug overdose in Hollywood; he was 33.
Sam Fender’s pop-rock soars on third album, ‘People Watching’
“He speaks of specific struggles, but his observations are built upon the understanding that pain is always universal.”
The English artist displays his production prowess
By Elise Ryan The Associated Press
NEW YORK — As its title
“People Watching” suggests, Sam Fender spends the bulk of his third studio album putting his observations about others — their histories, their futures, their troubles, their hopes — to music. The concept is simple. The results are anything but. Written by the English singer-songwriter over two years, the album’s 11 pop-rock tracks reveal a tender, strong-willed and observant lyricist. They also show off Fender’s skills as a musician and co-producer, capable of tying together instrumental threads into rich productions that enliven his stories. None of that is news to his fans, who have already soldout tour dates ahead of the album’s release.
The project’s titular opening track is anthemic and robust. Its Springsteen-style makes you want to move, or at least, shout along with Fender. That energy is achieved through a fastpaced and meticulously arranged production: Guitar and piano are layered over strings.
Metallic cymbals punctuate the chorus, cut by a saxophone solo. That town, his home of North Shields, England, serves as inspiration throughout the album.
On “Crumbling Empire,” atop grooving electric guitar, Fender appears to describe his family and the systems they were failed by: “My mother delivered most of the kids in this town / My stepdad drove in a tank for the crown,” before summarizing his album in a few lines: “I don’t wear the shoes I used to walk in / But I can’t help but thinking where they’d take me / In this crumbling empire.”
He speaks of specific struggles, but his observations are built upon the understanding that pain is always universal. On “Something Heavy,” he offers reprieve: “Everybody here’s got, something heavy / I’ll shoulder it a while if you just want a night off.”
The album closes with “Remember My Name,” a tribute to Fender’s late grandparents. It is written from the perspective of his grandfather as he cared for Fender’s grandmother, who had dementia. Absent the upbeat guitars and drum beats that accompany much of the album, Fender’s vocals are strikingly crisp. Featured instead is the muffled, nostalgic sound of
solutions
horns, performed by Northeast England’s Easington Colliery Band. The song’s chorus is tight but powerful. “Humor me / make my day / I’ll tell you stories / kiss your face / and I’ll pray /
you’ll remember / my name,” Fender sings as his grandfather, his voice soaring with aching emotion. Closer to his roots here than anywhere else on the album, his people watching is complete.
“People Watching” by Sam Fender features Northeast England’s Easington Colliery Band.
POLYDOR / UMG VIA AP
“People Watching” by Sam Fender features Northeast England’s Easington Colliery Band.
1933.
famous birthdays this week
Roger Daltrey of the Who is 81, Jon Bon Jovi turns 63, Chelsea Clinton celebrates 45, Ron Howard is 71
THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week: FEB. 27
Broadcast journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault is 83. Basketball Hall of Famer James Worthy is 64. Chelsea Clinton is 45. FEB. 28
Actor-director-choreographer Tommy Tune is 86. Hall of Fame auto racer Mario Andretti is 85. Actor Mercedes Ruehl is 77. Actor-singer Bernadette Peters is 77.
MARCH 1
Rock singer Roger Daltrey is 81. Filmmaker Ron Howard is 71. Basketball Hall of Famer Chris Webber is 52. Actor MarkPaul Gosselaar is 51. Pop singer Justin Bieber is 31.
MARCH 2
Author John Irving is 83. Laraine Newman (“Saturday Night Live”) is 73. Singer Jay Osmond is 70. Singer Jon Bon Jovi is 63. Actor Daniel Craig is 57. Actor Rebel Wilson (“Pitch Perfect” movies) is 45.
MARCH 3
Movie producer-director George Miller (“Mad Max,” “Babe”) is 80. Singer Jennifer Warnes is 78.
MARCH 4
Singer Chris Rea is 74. Actor Catherine O’Hara (“Home Alone,” “A Mighty Wind”) is 71. Actor Mykelti Williamson (“Forrest Gump”) is 68. Actor Patricia Heaton (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) is 67.
MARCH 5
Actor Michael Warren is 79. Singer Eddy Grant is 77. Rock musician Alan Clark (Dire Straits) is 73. Actor-comedian Marsha Warfield is 69. Magician Penn Jillette is 71.
CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO
Actor Catherine O’Hara, pictured at the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2024, turns 71 on Tuesday.
AMY HARRIS / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Roger Daltrey of The Who celebrates 81 on Saturday.
VINCE BUCCI / AP PHOTO
Gastonia native and UNC star James Worthy, pictured in 2017, turns 64 on Thursday.
the stream
The
Oscars with Conan O’Brien, Kate Hudson in
‘Running
“Nickel Boys” is up for two Oscars
The Associated Press
THE OSCARS telecast hosted by Conan O’Brien and Kate Hudson playing a pro basketball team president in a new Netflix series called “Running Point” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also, among the streaming offerings worth your time: RaMell Ross’ sensational “Nickel Boys,” the indie stunner “Ghostlight” and a recently unearthed, never-before-released concert album by Ella Fitzgerald.
MOVIES TO STREAM
RaMell Ross’ “Nickel Boys” (streaming Friday on MGM+), adapted from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, has been called the best American film of the year. It’s up for two Oscars: best picture and best adapted screenplay. The film, about two young men who have been sent to an abusive, mid-century Florida reform school called Nickel Academy. Ross films it almost entirely from the first person of those two boys, played by Ethan Herisse and Brandon Wilson. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr called “Nickel Boys” “a lyrical, heartbreaking and haunting journey into the darkness of a brutal reform school in the Jim Crow South.”
One of 2024’s small revelations was the indie stunner “Ghostlight” (now on Hulu). Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan’s film stars Keith Kupferer as a grieving father, a construction worker, who reluctantly joins a local theater production of “Romeo and Juliet.” A nominee at both the Spirit Awards and the Gotham Awards, AP Film Writer Jake Coyle said,”Ghostlight” is an uncommonly gentle, warm-hearted testament to the therapeutic power of theater.
MUSIC TO STREAM
Lalisa Manobal — who per-
Point,’
Ella
Fitzgerald album unearthed
forms under the first name moniker of “Lisa,” communicating Cher- and Prince-like ambition — is best known as a vocalist and lead rapper of Blackpink, the impossibly popular K-pop girl group. Her story starts at age 14, when she auditioned for the quartet in her native Thailand and explodes from there. Now 27 and with a “White Lotus” acting credit to her name, a debut solo album is the next milestone. “Alter Ego,” out Friday, demonstrates her chamele-
onic skills: from her fierce flow on “Rockstar” to the airy pop of “New Woman” featuring Rosalía and the transformative “Moonlit Floor (Kiss Me)” that interpolates Sixpence None the Richer’s 1998 hit “Kiss Me.” Ella Fitzgerald fans, rejoice.
A recently unearthed, never-before-released concert album, “The Moment of Truth: Ella at the Coliseum,” arrives Friday. The LP, recorded at the Oakland Coliseum on June 30, 1967, includes nine tracks. Fitzgerald,
her voice as powerful as ever, is joined by The Duke Ellington Orchestra. Start with “Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love),” her cover of the Cole Porter cut. Or start anywhere — just start.
SHOWS TO STREAM
The 97th Academy Awards will be handed out on Sunday. This year, the Spanish-language, French-made “Emilia Pérez,” leads with 13 nominations, including best picture, best ac-
“‘Ghostlight’ is an uncommonly gentle, warm-hearted testament to the therapeutic power of theater.”
Jake Coyle
tress for Karla Sofía Gascón and best supporting actress for Zoe Saldaña. The narco-musical could make history as Gascón is the first transgender performer to be nominated for a best actress Oscar. The enthusiasm over Gascón has waned in recent weeks, however, due to problematic past tweets. The musical “Wicked” and the postwar drama “The Brutalist” follow with 10 nominations each. The Oscars will air on ABC and stream on Hulu.
Kate Hudson plays the new president of a pro basketball team in Los Angeles in a new Netflix series called “Running Point,” executive produced by Mindy Kaling. Hudson’s character is based on LA Lakers president Jeanie Buss. The sports comedy debuts Thursday on the streamer and also features Drew Tarver, Brenda Song, Chet Hanks, Jay Ellis and Max Greenfield.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
What’s new in Monster Hunter Wilds, the latest edition of Capcom’s long-running franchise? More monsters to hunt, of course. There’s Nu Udra, a giant octopus that prowls the Oilwell Basin and has no qualms about setting the whole place on fire. There’s Rey Dau, a wyvern that can harness lightning and zap you out of your armor. There’s Uth Duna, a fishy leviathan that wields water as a weapon. They’re just a few of the apex predators ready to eat you for lunch — but on the plus side, you do get to meet the friendly Seikret, an ostrich-like mount you can ride around Wilds’ sprawling environments. The hunt begins Friday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.
Keith Kupferer and Katherine Mallen Kupferer star in”Ghostlight,” now streaming on Hulu.
Ethan Herisse, left, and Brandon Wilson star in the Oscar-nominated film “Nickel Boys.”