More than 250 luminaries were purchased and displayed around the Mt. Zion Wesleyan Church in Seagrove ahead of Christmas. The funds raised will allow a family stay at the Ronald McDonald House in Winston-Salem for more than a month.
Govt. puts $100B in disaster relief in year-end budget bill
Washington, D.C.
Congress is allocating more than $100 billion in emergency aid to address extensive damage caused by hurricanes and other disasters. The money is in a bill passed early Saturday by Congress after last week’s scramble to find consensus on a government spending bill. The money is being provided after back-to -back hurricanes slammed into the Southeast. But the funding will go to much more than just Helene and Milton recovery. There’s also disaster assistance for farmers, money for damaged roads and highways, and money for block grants administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Boost to Social Security for public sector retirees
Washington, D.C.
The Senate passed legislation to boost Social Security payments for millions of people. The bill is a longtime priority for former public employees. The bipartisan bill next heads to President Joe Biden. It will eliminate longtime reductions to Social Security benefits for nearly 3 million people who receive pensions because they worked in federal, state and local government, or public service jobs like teachers, firefighters and police officers. Advocates say the Social Security Fairness Act rights a decades-old disparity, though it will also further strain Social Security Trust Funds.
Chatham County released its annual report
By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record
ordinance as it implements the Plan Chatham vision and aligns with best practices to better support the county’s rapid growth while preserving our cherished rural character,” Commissioner Mike Dasher said at the time of its passing.
One of the biggest initiatives passed by the county commissioners this year was the new Recode Chatham Unified Development Ordinance. The UDO, which was in de-
PITTSBORO — It was a big year for Chatham County as the county continues to make significant progress in terms of economic, educational and population growth. The county released its annual “State of Chatham County Report” which highlights some of that progress.
velopment for nearly three years in conjunction with the county’s comprehensive plan, Plan Chatham, will provide a streamlined land use and development processes that will “foster balanced community growth, and preserve the county’s cherished rural character for generations to come.”
“We are excited for this new
He had previously been head of N.C.’s Department of Environmental Quality
By Matthew Daly The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Michael Regan, who championed
environmental justice as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, will leave the agency Dec. 31, three weeks before the end of President Joe Biden’s term.
In a letter Friday to agency employees, Regan said he was proud of the EPA’s work to confront climate change, restrict air and water pollution and spend tens of billions of dollars under the administration’s landmark climate law to spur clean energy development. Those efforts slashed harmful greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants that endanger communities, “delivering significant economic and pub-
$2.00 Farms were second thoughts amid the widespread devastation
By Russ Bynum The Associated Press
LYONS, Ga. — Twisted equipment and snapped tree limbs still litter Chris Hopkins’ Georgia farm more than two months after Hurricane Helene made its deadly march across the South. An irrigation sprinkler system about 300 feet long lay overturned in a field, its steel pipes bent and welded joints broken. The mangled remains of a grain bin sat crumpled by a road. On a Friday in early De-
cember, Hopkins dragged burly limbs from the path of the tractor-like machine that picks his cotton crop six rows at a time. “I have wrestled with lots of emotions the past two months,” said Hopkins, who also grows corn and peanuts in rural Toombs County, about 75 miles west of Savannah. “Do we just get through this one and quit? Do we build back? It is emotionally draining.” Hopkins is among farmers across the South who are still reeling from Helene’s devastation. The storm made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26 as a major Category 4 storm and then
“It was staggering. This may be just too much for some folks.”
Timothy Coolong, Horticulture professor
The county also merged its water and wastewater services with TriRiver Water, which will now cover the entire county including Sanford, Pittsboro and Siler City.
“This agreement transfers all responsibility for setting rates and operating the system to TriRiver,” said County Manager Dan LaMontagne back in Octo-
lic health benefits in areas long overburdened by pollution,″ he said. The agency also created thousands of jobs and lowered costs for families, he said. Regan, the first black man to head the EPA, noted that the agency elevated the role of environmental justice under his watch and “placed it at the center of our decision-making.’’ Regan went on a “Journey to Justice” tour from Mississippi to Texas in 2021. The five-day trip from Jackson, Mississippi, to New Orleans and Houston highlighted low-income, mostly mi-
Send
The weekly deadline is
Pittsboro Christian Village honored Julie Gay as its 2024 Employee of the Year. Gay serves as the village’s office manager and executive assistant, and Pittsboro Christian Village says she embodies the heart of the ministry. Since 1997, she has dedicated herself to serving the Lord, going above and beyond for residents, staff and their families, the ministry said.
The ministry expressed its gratitude for her unwavering commitment and the love she pours into her work daily.
• 298 E. Salisbury Street (Pittsboro), 0.40 Acres, 3 Bedroom/2 Bath, $600,000
• 557 Olives Chapel Road, (Apex),12.802 Acres, 3 Bedroom/3 Bathroom, $2,500,000
• 209 Democracy Place (Apex), 4.62 Acres, 4 Bedrooms/5 Bathrooms, $1,750,000
• 873 Arrowhead Loop (Pittsboro), 11.06 Acres, 3 Bedrooms/3.5 Bathrooms, $725,000
• 4147 Siler City Snow Camp Road (Siler City), 57.43 Acres, 5 Separate Living Spaces, $2,750,000
LAND
• 188 Cherokee Drive (Chapel Hill),1.150 Acres, $100,000
• 170 Cherokee Drive (Chapel Hill),1.150 Acres, $100,000
• 9311 NC Highway 87 (Pittsboro), 4.602 Acres, $225,000
• 9231 NC Highway 87 (Pittsboro), 5.630 Acres, $250,000
• 48 Swimming Chicken Lane (Pittsboro), 5.060 Acres, $500,000
• 24 Swimming Chicken Lane (Pittsboro), 9.470 Acres, $750,000
• 8636/8710 Johnson Mill Road (Bahama),182.888 Acres, $3,240,000
RESIDENTIAL
• 389 Dewitt Smith Road (Pittsboro), 9.109 Acres, 3 Bedroom/2 Bathroom, $525,000
• 83 Karen Calhoun Road (Pittsboro), 4.36 Acres, 3 Bedrooms/2 Bathrooms, $800,000
• 4662 Buckhorn Road (Sanford), 1.31 Acres, 2 Bedrooms/1 Bathroom, $200,000
LAND
• 00 Hamlets Chapel Road (Pittsboro),118.742 Acres, $4,250,000
• 00 Olives Chapel Road (Apex), 33.66 Acres, $3,500,000
• 0 JB Morgan Road (Apex), 21.00 Acres, $825,000
• 292 Choice Trail (Pittsboro), 4.100 Acres, $285,000
• 0 Chatham Church Road (Moncure),15.94 Acres, $750,000
• 323 Wagon Trace (Pittsboro), 10.255 Acres, $325,000
• 0 Pasture Branch Road (Rose Hill), 29.00 Acres, $1,250,000
• 0 US 64 W (Siler City), 9.670 Acres, $4,500,000
• 37 E Cotton Road (Pittsboro), 0.996 Acres, $100,000 COMMERCIAL IMPROVED
• 140 &148 East Street (Pittsboro), 1.49 Acres, $1,350,000
• 0 Panama Terrace (Durham), .420 Acres, $38,000
• 0 Mt. Gilead Church Road (Pittsboro), 1.643 Acres, $175,000
• 0 Moonrise Meadow Drive (Siler City), 20.66 Acres, $160,000
• 1388 Henry Oldham Road (Bear Creek), 4.840 Acres, $135,000
COMMERCIAL IMPROVED
• 1311 Old US 421 S (Siler City), 3.74 Acres, $260,000
COMMERCIAL UNIMPROVED
• 1700 Hillsboro Street (Pittsboro), 29.79 Acres, $4,500,000
• 10681 US Hwy 64 E (Apex), 3.97 Acres, $1,000,000
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Chatham County:
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 newsletters. All tastings and events are at Vino!! Wine Shop, part of Chatham County’s Craft Beverages and Country Inns Trail. 89 Hillsboro St., Suite D Pittsboro
Zumba Dance Class
9-10 a.m.
Zumba Fitness is a dance-inspired, instructor-led fitness class that feels like a party on the dance floor. Move and groove to international and Latin rhythms from around the world while learning new dance steps. Start with feet, add arms, then follow the pattern shown through nonverbal direction at the front of the class. Classes are held weekly; the first class is free! Visit zumba.com/enUS/p/tanja for more info. 7 Dance Centre 55 Hillsboro St. Pittsboro
Slow Flow Yoga at the Plant
11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Slow-flow vinyasa class is focused on building strength and encouraging flexibility. Class begins with a short grounding and centering exercise during which students are guided into their breathwork practice, followed by gentle movements to warm up the body. Students then complete a series of modified sun salutations and standing postures, followed by inversions offered to support the circulatory system. Modifications are offered throughout practice, and all levels are welcome! Classes are free and meet on the lawn in front of the stage or in Building No. 2 in case of rain.
The Plant 220 Lorax Lane Pittsboro
Dec. 30
Afternoon Tea @Westend Tea Kitchen and Catering
2-5 p.m.
THIS WEEK’S VIDEO
The Land Buying Process Explained (in under 2 Minutes!)
Chief Shon Barnes previously worked in Greensboro and Salisbury
By Scott Bauer and Todd Richmond
The Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. — Madison
Police Chief Shon Barnes was named as the chief of police in Seattle on Friday, five days after he was thrust into the national spotlight because of a shooting at a religious school in Wisconsin that killed a teacher and student.
Barnes’ departure comes as Madison police are still in the early days of their investigation into what motivated 15-year-old Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow to open fire at Abundant Life Christian School, killing teacher Erin West and 14-year-old freshman Rubi Patricia Vergara. Rupnow killed herself, authorities said.
In a statement announcing the
decision, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said Barnes has demonstrated “impressive leadership capabilities” during the school shooting investigation.
Barnes was known to be a finalist for the Seattle job before the shooting. He has served as the chief of police in Wisconsin’s capital city since 2021. He also was a finalist to become chief of police in Chicago in 2023 and San Jose, California, in October.
Barnes did not mention the shooting in the statement from Harrell’s office. “My family and I are excited about the opportunity to integrate into Seattle’s vibrant community, known for its diversity, innovation and resilience,” Barnes said.
The Seattle mayor’s office office said Barnes was chosen over two other finalists, an assistant police chief in Montgomery County, Maryland, and a deputy chief in Los Angeles.
Harrell, Seattle’s mayor, reas-
signed former police Chief Adrian Diaz in May over allegations that Diaz discriminated against women and people of color. Diaz was fired this week after an investigation found he had an intimate relationship with a former television news anchor before he hired her as his chief of staff.
Barnes had long been rumored to be looking to leave the job in Madison, which has a population of about 280,000. Seven months into the position, he told the news outlet Isthmus that despite the rumors he was in the job “for the long haul.” Barnes’ three children and wife continued to live in Illinois, where he previously worked, while he rented an apartment in Madison, Isthmus reported.
Barnes has taken center stage responding to the school shooting with mixed results. His department initially reported that five people had been killed.
Barnes also said at a news conference that the first 911 call came
from a second grade student. A day later, Barnes said it had in fact come from a second grade teacher.
Barnes has done many interviews with local and national media outlets this week while defending not releasing more details about the shooter’s motivation or whether her parents may be charged, citing the ongoing investigation.
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway on Friday congratulated Barnes on his new job and praised his handling of the shooting.
“I’m grateful that the Madison Police Department responded to this unthinkable crisis with the utmost professionalism and compassion,” Rhodes-Conway said in her own statement.
Barnes is a former U.S. Marine who began his law enforcement career in 2000 with the Greensboro Police Department. He left to become deputy chief of police in Salisbury from 2017 to 2020. He worked as the director of training and professional development with Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability starting in August 2020 before coming to Madison as chief in February 2021.
nority communities adversely affected by decades of industrial pollution.
Regan, 48, a North Carolina native who headed the state Department of Environmental Quality before taking over at EPA in early 2021, said he will return to the state with his family.
Jane Nishida, EPA’s assistant administrator for the Office of International and Tribal Affairs, will serve as acting administrator for the final weeks of the term, Regan said. Regan’s chief of staff, Dan Utech, will serve as acting deputy administrator.
Democratic Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware, retiring chairman
of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said Regan has “a good heart and a brilliant mind” and was a “good steward” of the planet.
“It’s no secret that he had a very tough job as administrator,’’ Carper said in a statement. Regan was tasked with restoring morale, renewing emphasis on science and enforcement and hiring thousands of employees to replace a mass departure under former President Donald Trump, he said.
“But from the moment he was confirmed by the Senate, Michael took quick action to restore the agency,’’ Carper said.
“He led the EPA to obligate tens of billions of dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act,” major
laws passed in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Regan led EPA “with compassion and skill” and “advanced historic environmental justice policies to better protect the health and well-being of every American,” Carper said.
Regan, who worked at EPA earlier in his career, thanked Biden for naming him to the post, adding: “Ten years ago, I could have never imagined coming back to lead EPA alongside such committed and dedicated staff.”
In the past four years, the agency has “made huge strides to remove lead pipes from communities and protect drinking water sources for millions of people in America,’’ Regan wrote. “We have acted on forever chemicals like PFAS to protect fam-
ilies from pollution in the products we use, the water we drink, and in the backyards where our children play.’’
EPA also “reinvigorated enforcement efforts’’ after four years of environmental rollbacks under former President Donald Trump, “holding polluters accountable and making sure they pay for cleanups of legacy pollution sites across the country,” Regan said.
EPA has banned dangerous chemicals such as asbestos and trichloroethylene, also known as TCE, and responded to environmental and public health emergencies across the country, including in Asheville and Tampa, Florida, in just the last year, Regan said.
The agency also hired thou-
sands of new employees, including hundreds of scientists who left the agency during the first Trump administration. The president-elect, who has named former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to be EPA administrator, has said he will again slash environmental regulations when he returns to office for a second term next month. Trump also has said he will target what he calls onerous rules on power plants, factories and oil and natural gas production imposed under Biden. While not mentioning Trump or Zeldin, Regan told staff that “the work continues. I have nothing but optimism and faith in your commitment to continue delivering public health and environmental protections for every person in this great country.”
Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
I’m grateful for technology, including medical advancements, but I recognize a need to unplug and go outside.
MY WIFE AND I gave our kids tablets this year for Christmas. I fully expect them to disappear into their digital worlds for part of Christmas morning while halfeaten breakfast cools on the table and wrapping paper litters the floor. I want them to enjoy their gifts.
Later, though, we will take our traditional Christmas Day hike through the woods around our neighborhood. No screens allowed. The two youngest children will wear their pajamas; the oldest has outgrown this. But all of us will tromp through the leaves, our dog leading the way on her leash. We can never move fast enough for her, but time moves even faster for me. I remember Christmas walks pushing a stroller with a baby strapped to my back. Now the same kids climb high in the trees and run circles around the dog.
The wooden trail ambles along a muddy creek. No matter how cold, the youngest will get in the water. Even the oldest will play in the sand. I enjoy standing back, holding my wife’s hand. The run-up to Christmas is busy for a pastor and parent. This is a chance to rest and reflect.
I hold dear Psalm 121: “I will lift up my eyes to the hills.” I have lived in the mountains, yet here in Chatham County, the verse reminds me there is more to see than what’s on a computer or phone. Whether the hills, ocean or humble creek, nature offers gifts worthy of my attention.
I can’t quite get into “Black Sabbath Sings the Great Carols of Christmas” or whatever LP or CD is on the “must-have” list of the hour.
CHRISTMAS, LIKE MANY THINGS, means different things to different people. Baskin and Robbins figured that kind of thing out long ago; that’s why they have 31 flavors.
As we wind down to the day, or it’s already here when you read this, I find myself thinking about what it means to me, and a couple of thoughts keep jumping to the head of the line.
One is traditions. The other day, the older of the two folks who used to be the two teenagers who lived at my house and I did our regular daddy-daughter outing that we’ve been doing for years, the one where she helps me select gifts for her mother. I think I could probably do it, but then I wouldn’t get to be with her, and it wouldn’t seem like Christmas.
She says that, too, which is a part of the tradition also. Along with that bit of activity is the tradition, which says I must wait until the last minute anyway. Maybe it’s my own feeble nature or weakness or who knows what, but it’s hard for me to get caught up in the mood in mid-November or even early December. But when that mood comes for me, I’ve got it.
Another tradition for me is the music. I can’t quite get into “Black Sabbath Sings the Great Carols of Christmas” or whatever LP or CD is on the “must-have” list of the hour. But let me hear Burl Ives do “Frosty” or Gene Autry conjure up “Rudolph” or The Percy Faith Orchestra take off on “Joy to the World,” and it’s a different game. Throw in Harry Simeon’s Chorale with the official version of “Little Drummer Boy” and I’m with my dad, who loved that tune. And when I break out the Kingston Trio’s album “Last Month of the Year,” then I’m a little boy in the warmth of my mama’s living room and kitchen.
I miss my folks at Christmas. One of their traditions was the shoe boxes of candy and fruit and gum and nuts they helped Santa put together for my brothers and me. Being the youngest of three boys, I got the short end of the stick quite a bit, and it was never more obvious than at Christmas when my two older brothers would raid my shoe box, swapping their Brazil nuts for my Mr. Goodbar, something obviously I never would have done ... or even thought about.
Henry Beston, the renowned nature writer, diagnosed his culture as “sick to its thin blood for lack of elemental things.” And this was before the internet! One hundred years later, Beston’s statement is even more true. We create digital worlds at the expense of the natural one; we pollute our land, sky and sea without even noticing.
I’m grateful for technology, including medical advancements, but I recognize a need to unplug and go outside — to be offline and in the beauty around me. Two squirrels play tag in the bare branches while a vulture circles higher above in the thermals. The piney evergreens are solemn sentinels as the water slowly carves the land.
Beston observed that anyone “might well feel reverent gratitude … in this silence and isolation of winter.” While I find this to be true, it’s clear that he did not write in view of young children. Their shrieks and pleas will break my contemplation, and I will slide down the creek bank, the dog bounding joyfully ahead of me, to join my kids at the water’s edge. In the brief pauses between their squeals and the dog’s barks, I will hear the water singing a bubbly tune and add my thanksgiving.
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.
There are others; I’m sure you have yours if you have Christmas. But at the same time, there’s another side to what Christmas is, and it’s not just the memories.
It’s the future. It’s the promise we can do better and things can be better, and there’s a second chance in many things in many ways, all rooted in God’s great second chance gift to us.
I love the traditions, the ones that were mine as a child and the ones that have come along later with other people.
But I also love the realization that Christmas, at its simplest and its best, is about gifts and giving, and that’s a tradition the world needs more of.
Merry Christmas ... and may you find your own traditions and a bright future.
Bob Wachs is a native of Chatham County and emeritus editor at Chatham News & Record. He serves as pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church.
Letters addressed to the editor may be sent to letters@nsjonline.com or 1201 Edwards Mill Rd., Suite 300, Raleigh, NC 27607. 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
COLUMN | JAN
And my jolly, lit-up persona? A constructive reaction to my periodic memories of seasonal disconnection. We’re all human and vulnerable.
WHAT? Life as a Christmas tree and menorah? Are you performing in a play for your neighborhood? Feeling a belated Halloween urge to play dress up?
Nope, none of the above. Good try, however. I’m feeling seasonal. Bright lights, unconsciously, flickering on in my psyche.
Oh, you want to know the origin story of this tale? I had no particular intention of embodying a lit-up menorah or Christmas tree. None. It snuck up on me. Just like that.
While doing my daily human things — you know, shopping, getting gas, activities of daily living, as framed in medical world parlance — I observed a change in my behavior. Nothing big, at least I didn’t think so. Oddly, my tone of voice, when interacting with others. had reached the point of sounding, of all things, jolly.
Me?
Why?
Great question. Why, that is. Where did this non Jan-like, jolly, lit-up factor originate? I only allow myself one cup of coffee a day, not enough to hit the jolly or lit-up range. Was it the forbidden chocolate Snickers bar I really shouldn’t have eaten? What, for heaven’s sakes?
Ahhhhh. I got it. It was the grocery store Christmas tree. A Christmas tree dressed in ornaments, requesting holiday meal donations for others. A stark reminder for me that this Season of Light is not that for everyone.
A high bar is often set for the season. A high bar composed of cheer, delight, family, gift-giving and connection: “What are you doing for the holidays?”
“Staying in town?”
COLUMN | REP. WAYNE SASSER
“My whole family is here. We’ll just be going house to house, celebrating with each other.”
And the sharing of delight goes on, in the mutual expectation that everyone else will be experiencing the same Seasonal Light you will.
I wish. Ironically, this time of year, literally, the darkest time of year, can bring sadness, loneliness and alienation for some. Folks who aren’t blessed with family, close friendships, the expected accoutrements of seasonal cheer. I’ve been there, and I’m guessing that some of you, in one form or another, have also experienced a disconnection from our expected seasonal culture. A significant ouch.
No personal judgments of those who feel disconnected. Most often, simply a result of life’s circumstances. Painful, nonetheless.
And my jolly, lit-up persona? A constructive reaction to my periodic memories of seasonal disconnection. We’re all human and vulnerable. (You do know that, right?)
I’ll continue expending, big-time, verbal cheer. Lighting others up, making sure folks feel seen, sharing joy at being in their presence. My own fully lit and, internalized, menorah and Christmas tree are throwing off connective light, in every direction. Zing! Zing, again! In all honesty, a high for me, as well. (Nothing wrong with that, is there?)
Hey, want to meet me at the grocery store, gas station, pharmacy, ad infinitum … and we can verbally confetti-ize more folks, together?
Jan Hutton, a resident of Chatham County and retired hospice social worker, lives life with heart and humor.
Urgent care is an area where private capital is proving its worth.
PRIVATE CAPITAL HAS INVESTED nearly $1 trillion in U.S. health care since 2006. These investments have funded critical research into devastating diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s and revolutionized medical record-keeping.
Despite the clear benefits private capital brings to health care, some state and federal policymakers are pushing to restrict how private capital can be deployed in the health care sector. As a pharmacist and retiring state representative — the only pharmacist to serve in North Carolina’s legislature during my tenure — I believe such restrictions would be a mistake. Not only does private capital fund crucial medical innovation and research into new treatments, but it’s also expanding access to quality care in our state. Across all sectors of the economy, North Carolina is among the top 10 recipients of private capital, with 600 businesses backed by private investors. Many of these recipients are in health care and making a difference for patients today.
While dozens of privately backed North Carolina health care entities are worth highlighting, three recent success stories in the news illustrate why funding from private capital is essential. The first success is Tryon Medical Partners in Charlotte. This practice demonstrates the power of private investment in physician care. The practice serves 200,000 patients in 10 clinics throughout the Charlotte area.
In October, the practice announced that it was teaming with private investors to access new capital that would be used to run the business side of its practice and to provide resources to expand services.
Private capital will also help Tryon compete in a market increasingly controlled by a few big actors, including the third-largest tax-exempt hospital system in the U.S., Advocate Health. For Tyron and many other practices nationwide, consolidation presents a big problem. Private capital helps practices remain independent and compete with the most prominent industry players.
Another success story is Charlotte Radiology, which was recently featured at an event in Washington, D.C. Charlotte Radiology shows how private investment can transform and expand access to specialty care.
This practice received funding from private capital in 2018. New resources
have helped it grow from 30 centers in Charlotte to more than 175 imaging centers in 13 states. In addition to helping the practice reach more patients, private capital enables it to improve care by adding tools like artificial intelligence to its arsenal.
Some critics argue for restrictions on private capital in health care, suggesting that private investments lead to diminished patient care. Charlotte Radiology tells a different story. The company reports that its patient satisfaction rates approach 98%.
The final example is American Family Care, an urgent care leader recently expanding into Lee County. American Family Care started with a single location in 1982. Access to private capital has since helped it expand to more than 350 locations nationwide, including more than 10 in the Tarheel State.
Urgent care is an area where private capital is proving its worth. However, accessing health care is extremely difficult in too many rural areas. For example, 11 rural hospitals in North Carolina have either shut down or stopped providing inpatient care since 2005, and many more are at risk.
Urgent care clinics can help fill in the gaps in rural communities, and private capital can help make sure the resources exist to open more centers where patients need them.
Tryon Medical Partners, Charlotte Radiology and American Family Care demonstrate why responsible private investment must remain part of our health care system. It enables physician independence, drives technological innovation and maintains health care access in underserved areas.
In North Carolina, we are fortunate to have leaders who understand the vital role of private capital in health care. Sen. Thom Tillis, for example, has correctly characterized the funding as a “very important part of the ecosystem.”
As discussions about private investment in health care continue and perhaps even reach the halls of Congress, we will need him and others to share stories from North Carolina and stand up for private capital’s positive role in our healthcare system.
Rep. Wayne Sasser is chairman of the North Carolina House Health Committee and represents Montgomery and Stanly counties.
IN SEPTEMBER 2024, the Federal Communications Commission cut a deal to rescue Audacy Inc. from bankruptcy. Bypassing decades of protocol and procedure, the FCC accepted a $415 billion offer made by Soros Fund Management.
The “Soros Shortcut” allows Audacy to continue broadcast service to 46 media markets in the U.S. Audacy is the second largest radio content provider in the United States, reaching 165 million American listeners.
Audacy filed for Chapter 11 in January 2024, citing debt of $1.5 million, a decline in advertising revenue and tough competition from streaming services. Sensing weakness, George Soros and partners made an offer the FCC could not refuse.
“When you own all the cards, erasing faith is easier than you might think. All you have to do is erase the mind it inhabits.”
David James Duncan,
“The Brothers K”
The audacious play for control of the public radio market was met with sharp resistance by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) published a press release saying the normal process for reviewing a transaction by a foreign entity had been breached. The intent to fast track this takeover was seen by many as a grab to gain control of the political narrative to influence the 2024 national election.
Also in September 2024, the FCC quietly tabled the Biden-Harris scheme to provide internet service to all rural America. The celebrated Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program (BEAD), with $42 billion in funding, vanished under a pile of red tape.
At the time, Elon Musk’s Starlink grant to expand broadband service to 640,000 rural homes and businesses was canceled. This was a blatant act of “digital discrimination” to let the FCC micromanage pricing and control the buildout of services. Recall it was Starlink that provided the connectivity to thousands of victims stranded in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene. Free. Warren Buffett, the Oracle of Omaha and America’s favorite investor, is in the process of rescuing SiriusXM from serious debt. Once the wealthiest man in America, active in the communications business, he was attracted to the “management style, the subscription model and the Sirius Sinatra channel.” In addition, “SiriusXM has a monopoly on satellite radio in the U.S. and holds a solid spot in the podcast game,” Buffett told Benzinga News.
The domination of public radio and subscription broadcast services by two of the most liberal philanthropic enterprises revealed the next tactic in the contest for the American mind. Debate raged, pitting “hate speech” against the inalienable right to free speech. But the bidding war between the First Amendment and “content moderation” has been trumped. Beginning January 20, 2025, the Federal Communications Commission will have a new leader. Brendan Carr, one of two Republicans on the five-person commission will take the table and change the stakes.
Carr, a commissioner since 2017, has been the voice of dissent during the Biden administration, calling out the lack of transparency and overreach of the commission. His scrutiny exposed the hypocrisy of the “60 Minutes” Kamala Harris interview and the unlawful television appearance of Harris on “Saturday Night Live” in the final desperate days of the presidential election.
He has effectively become the gatekeeper of the FCC mission to protect the “basic tenet of national communications policy: that the widest possible dissemination of information from diverse and antagonistic sources is essential to the public’s welfare,” said Eugene Volokh, senior fellow at the Hoover Institute.
Climate spokesman John Kerry recently schooled the titans at the World Economic Forum, saying, “It’s really hard to govern anymore. … People self-select where they go for their news. It’s much harder to build consensus.”
Indeed. The Soros-controlled Global Disinformation Index employs its own special brand of discrimination to identify and disrupt any business model deemed too risky for investment due to the “ever-changing disinformation landscape.” Controversial subjects deemed too unpleasant may be modified before entering the public domain.
For example, a rounding error of 818,000 job losses could go unreported. Or publishing the true number of illegal immigrants entering the U.S. as felons (425,000) could be scrubbed as disinformation. Governing would certainly be easier; consensus attainable.
A Magician’s Choice is a technique used to deceive the unsuspecting patsy into thinking he has successfully selected the right card, not knowing that the deck is stacked against him.
Americans must protect the right to receive a “wide dissemination of information from diverse and antagonistic sources.” The Federal Communications Commission must honor the First Amendment principle of free speech. Americans want their information dealt from the top of the deck, not the bottom.
Connie Lovell lives in Pinehurst.
IN MEMORY
AUG. 11, 1935 – DEC. 19, 2024
Clyde Rackley Davis Sr., 89, of Siler City passed away at home surrounded by family on Thursday, December 19th, 2024.
Clyde was born August 11th, 1935, in Chatham County, to the late William Henry and Clady Poe Davis. He is preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Jack, Atlas, Frank, Buck, Bill, and Calvin Davis; his sisters, Maxine Langley, Betty “Dot” McPherson, and Evangeline Stinson.
Clyde was a member of Staley Baptist Church where he formally served as a deacon, and he was the oldest member of the church. Clyde and his wife, Treva, were foster parents for 35 years. He was a lifetime farmer consisting mostly of hogs and chickens.
Clyde leaves his wife of 69 ½ years, Treva Wright Davis; his son, Clyde Rackley Davis Jr.; his daughter, Ann Davis; his grandchildren, Christian and Malory Cameron and Gabriel Watson; and numerous nieces and nephews to cherish his memory.
Funeral services will be Monday, December 23rd, 2024, at 3 pm, at Staley Baptist Church. Visitation will be held one hour prior at the church. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Services will be officiated by Pastor Roger Carson.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Staley Baptist Church Building Fund.
Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the Davis family.
Online condolences can be made at smithbucknerfh.com
ROETTA THOMAS TAYLOR
DEC. 23, 1945 – DEC. 18, 2024
Roetta Thomas Taylor, age 78 of Lillington, passed away on Wednesday (12/18/2024). She was born on December 23, 1945, daughter of the late Neil Allen Thomas and Luzene Howard Thomas. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother, Neil Thomas Jr. and sisters Eloise Thomas Rosser and Beatrice Thomas Brownlee. Roetta was a member at Antioch Baptist Church and for many years owned Roetta’s Beauty Shop and R & R Originals. She loved traveling to the beach and working in her yard, The greatest joy she had was spending time with her family, especially her greatgrandchildren. She was a friend to many and will be missed by all who knew and loved her. Surviving is her husband of 60 years, Darnell Taylor of the home; son, Anthony Taylor of Lillington, NC; Sister, Rebecca Thomas Rosser of Broadway, NC; granddaughter, Heather Taylor Rosser andhusband Adam of Sanford, NC and her greatgrandchildren, Gavin Rosser and Ainsleigh Rosser; nieces Kelli Rattz, Jennifer Goodwin and several other nieces and nephews. The family will receive friends from 11am-12pm on Saturday (12/21/2024) at Antioch Baptist Church. Funeral services will follow at 12pm Saturday with Rev. Doug Houston and Rev. Scott Yow officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Sept. 7, 1961 –Dec. 14, 2024
Midge Annette Mitchell, artist and animal lover, died on Saturday, December 14th at the age of 63. Midge had natural warmth, a sharp wit, and creativity that seemed to flow effortlessly in everything she did. Midge was born the fourth of five children on September 7, 1961. Daughter of Sylvia Beal Mitchell and the late Louis Benson Mitchell, she grew up in Pittsboro graduating Northwood High School then attending Appalachian State in 1979, where she began to nurture her lifelong love for the arts. A true nature lover, she settled in Saxapahaw to enjoy life on the river where she could be found capturing its beauty with her camera, especially on cloudy days.
April 21, 1935 –Dec. 15, 2024
Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in Chatham News & Record at obits@chathamrecord.com
Dr. Therry Dawne Nash Deal passed away on December 15, 2024, at her home on St. Simon’s Island, Georgia. She was 89 years old. Therry was born in the Shiloh community of Iredell County, NC, on April 21, 1935, the first child of the late Stephen Watt Nash Sr. and Betty Belle Sherrill Nash. She graduated as Valedictorian from Celeste Henkel School in 1953, and entered the Woman’s College (now UNC-G) in Greensboro. She married J.B. Deal on July 10, 1954, at the old Beulah Baptist Church. After completing her Bachelor’s degree program at Woman’s College in Home Economics in 1957, she left immediately for Hawaii to join J.B, who was stationed there with the Navy. They subsequently transferred to Okinawa, Japan, where their daughter Melaney Dawne was born. Following their return to North Carolina in 1959, Therry began three decades of service as an educator, teaching first in the Iredell County school system, then as an Assistant Professor at UNC-G. She completed her Masters degree in Child Development there in 1963, following that with completion of her Doctorate in 1965, just weeks before the
We offer an on-site crematory with many options of Celebration of Life services, Traditional, and Green Burials. Call us to set an appointment to come by and learn more.
Midge was fortunate to spend her life as an artist, both professionally and personally, and her artistic pursuits knew no bounds. An avid photographer, digital artist, sculptor, metal worker, and painter, she never stopped making or learning. For over 30 years, she worked alongside her brother as Studio Manager and Designer at Tommy Mitchell, LLC where she was the heart of the studio. Midge’s creativity and work ethic helped shape the company and made it a place of inspiration for everyone who worked with her. Her art may carry her legacy, but for those of us who knew her, her real legacy lives in the memories she made with us. She was the ultimate mix of hilarious, bold, loyal, and kind—a fiercely loving sister, daughter, and friend who made life way more interesting. She was also a comically funny road rager, an incredibly thoughtful gift giver, a Lenny Kravitz admirer, a camera collector who despised being photographed, an animal lover who used social media to save lost pets (though she did keep the scariest one), and her family’s biggest fan. Midge is survived by her mother, Sylvia Beal Mitchell; her
birth of their son Julian Bradley. The family moved to Athens, Georgia, in the fall of 1965, where Therry began teaching as Assistant Professor of Child Development at the University of Georgia. In September of 1972, she accepted the position of Chair of the Home Economics Department at Georgia College in Milledgeville. GA. She later became the Georgia College Dean of Continuing Education, and remained in that position until her retirement. Following the death of her husband J.B. in 1990, and her retirement from Georgia College in 1992, Therry put new energy into a lifelong passion: travel. She was always a planner and traveler, having planned family trips to the New York World’s Fair in 1964, Expo Montreal in 1967, then the American Southwest and Mexico in 1968 and 1969. In 1993, she made an around the world trip which included 4 months as a Visiting Guest Lecturer at the University of Lanzhou, Lanzhou City in northwest China. In the late 90’s, she took her granddaughter Tara LaCount and nephew Adam Nash on a European and Russian tour, following that with a voyage on the Queen Mary with her grandson Ed Williams. Other trips included a Kenya safari, a sailing voyage to Antarctica, and an Australian/New Zealand trip. When not traveling the world, she relished her time at her East Beach cottage on St. Simon’s Island, GA. Therry focused equal energy on her journey into family history, as a decades long member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was a member of the National Society of
siblings, Linda Jones, Pam Shuping (Bill), Kaye Mitchell-May (Norman), and Tommy Mitchell (Marty); her nieces and nephews, each of whom believed they were her favorite, and their children. She is remembered by her lifelong friends, Anna Scott, Lisa Langley, Julie Greene, and the late Tracy ShanerFarrell, as well as many other friends, coworkers, and loved ones. A memorial service celebrating her life will be held at the Donaldson Funeral Home & Crematory Griffin Chapel, 396 West St, Pittsboro, NC, on Sunday, December 22, 2024, at 2:00 PM. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service, beginning at 1:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, her family kindly requests donations be made to Chatham Sheriff’s County Animal Resources or The Goathouse Refuge. Though Midge’s time with us was too short, her legacy will continue through her art, her love for her family, and the joy shared with us all. You never know when someone’s story will end, but we will never stop telling hers. Condolences may be made at www. donaldsonfunerals.com Donaldson Funeral Home & Crematory is honored to serve the Mitchell family.
Colonial Dames of the XVII Century, and the Southern Dames of America. Therry was raised and married in the Baptist tradition, but she also lived her faith in both the Lutheran and Methodist churches. She and her husband J.B. were decades-long members of First United Methodist Church in Milledgeville, GA. More recently, Therry had moved her church membership back to Sharon Lutheran Church in Statesville, NC, her first church home following her marriage to J.B. Therry was preceded in death by her parents, Stephen Watt Nash Sr., and Betty Belle Sherrill Nash; her husband, J.B. Deal; her brothers Stephen Watt “Bud” Nash, Jr. and infant Jeffrey Sherrill Nash. She is survived by her daughter, Melaney Dawne Deal Williams, New Hill, NC; her son, Julian Bradley Deal and daughter-in-law Holly Schuck Deal, Germantown, TN; granddaughter Tara Leigh LaCount Chodorow (Harrison), Saxapahaw, NC; grandson Charles Edwin Williams III, Apex, NC; granddaughter Caitlyn Jeanelle Deal McCollough (Dylan), Atlanta, GA; grandson Jasper Bradford Deal, Atlanta, GA; greatgrandsons Caleb and Carter Williams, Apex, NC; her brother, Barry O’Neil Nash (Marsha), Statesville and Raleigh, NC; and a number of nieces, nephews, and cousins. Therry’s family will receive visitors at Nicholson Funeral Home in Statesville, NC on Friday evening, December 27, from 7:00pm - 9:00pm. A service will be held on Saturday morning, December 28 at 11:00 am, at Sharon Lutheran Church, Island Ford Rd., Statesville, followed by interment in the church cemetery.
He helped the Panthers and Hornets land expansion teams
By Steve Reed
The Associated Press
CHARLOTTE — Sports marketer Max Muhleman, who was credited with the concept of developing the permanent seat license in professional sports and helping the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets land expansion teams, has died at 88.
Muhleman died on Saturday in Charlotte peacefully after battling some heart-related issues, his son Lee Muhleman told The Associated Press.
Muhleman worked closely with Panthers founder Jerry Richardson in his quest to bring an NFL franchise to the Carolinas in the early 1990s. Muhleman delivered the closing marketing pitch at the October 1993 owners’ meetings for Richardson, who would ultimately be unanimously awarded the league’s 29th franchise.
The Panthers began playing in 1995.
“I don’t think a lot of people realize what a big role Max played in getting the expansion team,” said former Panthers director of communications Charlie Dayton. “He wasn’t out front, he preferred to be in the background. That was him. But he
was as valuable as anybody in the process of getting a team. He was there every step of the way.”
Muhleman’s marketing plan for the Panthers included landing three NFL preseason games in Raleigh and Chapel Hill, and another in Columbia, South Carolina.
All three games sold out, helping prove to league owners that the Carolinas were a viable market.
Still, there was the matter of funding the expansion team.
Richardson didn’t want to use taxpayer money, and the league was worried at the time
about him taking on any additional debt.
That is when Muhleman invented the concept of the PSL, where fans could pay a onetime fee for the annual right to buy season tickets. The Panthers sold more than 55,000 PSLs, and the millions raised from that venture were used to build the 72,000-seat Bank of America Stadium in downtown Charlotte.
The stadium continues to serve as home of the Panthers and Major League Soccer’s Charlotte FC.
Tamera Green, who worked with Muhleman for more than a
Monday, December 30
Pittsboro Center for Active Living
8:15 a.m. - Total Body Conditioning
10 a.m. - Strong & Fit
11 a.m. - Bingocize
Noon - Reading out Loud with Gaines
1 p.m. - Mahjong; Chess Club; Table Tennis
Siler City Center for Active Living
9 a.m. - Strong & Fit
10 a.m. - Cornhole
8:30 a.m. - QiGong
Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte is shown during an NFL football game in September 2009. Max Muhleman’s innovative personal seat licenses were crucial to raising the funds necessary to build the stadium.
decade and now serves as the senior vice president and communications officer with the Panthers, said Muhleman was an incredibly talented and creative man.
“He had some really cool ‘firsts’ in sports,” Green said. “The idea of the PSL almost came out of desperation at the time. It was like a Hail Mary. And it worked.”
Several other professional sports franchises have since adopted the idea of PSLs as a means of funding private stadiums and arenas.
The Panthers still use PSLs.
Earlier in his career,
GROWTH from page A1
Tuesday, December 31
Pittsboro Center for Active Living
9 a.m. - 3G’s Men’s Group
10 a.m. - Woodcarvers; Cardio Drumming
10:30 a.m. - Gym Orientation; Crafting Your Own Grief Journey
11 a.m. - New Year’s Celebration
1 p.m. - Rummikub
2 p.m. - Zumba Gold
Siler City Center for Active Living
8 a.m. - Quilting and Sewing Time
9 a.m. - Cardio Drumming
10 a.m. - Chair Exercises; Blood Drive
10:30 a.m. - Tuesdays with Talyse
1 p.m. - Rook, Phase 10 & Rummikub
Wednesday, January 1
Aging Services Centers Closed (New Year’s Holiday)
Thursday, January 2
Pittsboro Center for Active Living
8:30 a.m. - Balance & Stretch Mat Exercise
10 a.m. - Hooks & Needles; Kindermusik; African-American Studies Group
11 a.m. - Music with Original Haw River Crawdaddies
1 p.m. - Rummikub, Pinochle
1:30 p.m. - Line Dancing
3 p.m. - Gentle Yoga with Liz Siler City Center for Active Living
9 a.m. - Men’s Coffee & Conversations; Open Gym Pickleball
10 a.m. - Chair Exercises; Crochet Workshop; Music Jam Session
1 p.m. - Book Club
2 p.m. - Strength & Tone
3 p.m. - Social: Movie Friday, January 3
Pittsboro Center for Active Living
8:15 a.m. - Cardio & Upper Body Exercise
10 a.m. - Strong & Fit
11 a.m. - Bingocize
1 p.m. - Euchre Siler City Center for Active Living
9 a.m. - Zumba Gold
10 a.m. - Quilting
7
Muhleman worked alongside then-Hornets owner George Shinn to develop the strategy and pitch that would help Charlotte land an NBA expansion team in 1988.
“Max was instrumental in leading the NBA’s expansion efforts to Charlotte and establishing the Hornets franchise,” the team post on social media Thursday, calling him a “renowned sports marketing legend.”
He also advised Rick Hendrick when he was looking into becoming a NASCAR team owner.
“Rick has always said Hendrick Motorsports would not have happened without Max Muhleman, who approached him about starting a NASCAR team more than 40 years ago,” wrote former NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, who now serves as vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports.
Lee Muhleman said his father’s greatest quality might have been his ability to develop and maintain personal relationships.
“He loved sports,” he said. “What he was able to do, because of his background as a top-notch sports journalist, was make people he spoke to feel important and liked. He made them feel that they wanted to do business with him. It was the cultivation of not just clients, but friends. And he went on to sustain relationships with all of his clients.”
ber. “TriRiver will consult with the county before any kind of increases and at least annually, but in reality, we’ll be working with them pretty continuously when any developments come up.”
One of the 10 fastest growing counties in the state, Chatham has permitted approximately $200 million in commercial construction value this year.
Two of the largest investments, Wolfspeed and VinFast, which represent around $9 billion in total investment, continue to make strides in site development. Wolfspeed, which is both the largest building in Chatham County and the largest single investment ever announced in North Carolina, plans to start being operational in 2025.
Other notable business developments include Innovative Construction Group, CTI Systems and Hunt Forest Resources.
To meet those manufacturing needs, the county has maintained a focus on increasing housing access and options.
Chattham approved approximately 500 units of single-family housing in 2024, and one of the biggest areas that will see a housing boom is the Chatham Park mixed-use development in Pittsboro.
The county plans to approve an additional 400 apartment units in the coming months there, and with the anticipated completion of a water recovery plant on East Street, the additional sewer allocation should result in an even larger increase to permitting overall.
In terms of affordable housing, the county awarded $300,000 in Housing Trust Fund awards which went to support the construction of four new townhomes and the preservation and/ or repair of 58 homes, and $150,000 was also awarded through the Emergency Housing Assistance Program to help more than 125 families avoid eviction from their homes.
“Chatham County is experiencing a historic wave of growth, and this year we’ve taken critical steps forward in solidifying development while preserving Chatham’s heritage and nature,” said board chair Karen Howard in a press release.
“With these investments and our planning efforts, we’re setting the stage for a thriving economy and a brighter future for our community. My fellow commissioners and I, along with our staff, are committed to ensuring that development aligns with the vision outlined in Plan Chatham.”
In line with the increased housing, the county also worked to expand broadband access, securing significant funding through a Completing Access to Broadband grant, which will bring fiber internet to more than 2,500 rural addresses.
In the school systems, the Board of Education increased staff supplements by $2,000 for teachers and $500 for noncertified staff in order to stay competitive in the current market.
Chatham County Schools also had 100% of its elementary and K-8 schools meet or exceed growth and had 78.9% of their total schools meet or exceed growth.
In terms of school performance grades, CCS had nearly 85% of its schools achieve at least a C rating or higher compared to just 65% of the schools in the state achieving that level of performance.
CCS also had a graduation rate of 89.7% for 2024, and those students were awarded more than $36 million in scholarship money and earned nearly 5,500 college credits combined from their time in high school.
In addition, this year, CCS will also be providing free breakfast and lunch to all students through the Community Eligibility Provision.
“Chatham County is experiencing a historic wave of growth, and this year we’ve taken critical steps forward in solidifying development while preserving Chatham’s heritage and nature.”
Board Chair Karen Howard
JY2,tfnc
LOOKING TO
HOUSE – I will buy
AS-IS. House needs work? No Problem. For Sale by Owner Only – Contact 919473-6462.
O31-8tp FOR RENT
Apartment For Rent – 2 bedrooms/2 baths – Duplex – Stove, Refrigerator, Dishwasher, Washer and Dryer Hookup – No Pets$1,200/mo. – 1 month deposit
Located in the Siler City area– Call Mike Andrews at 919-548-2007. N21-rtfn
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, 919-6631877. Handicap accessible. Equal Housing Opportunity. J14,tfnc
Mobile Home For Rent – 2 Bedrooms – 1 ½ Baths – 3056 W. 3rd St. – Siler City, NC Contact Diane – 919-663-2979.
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 919-533-6319 for more information, TDD #1-800-735-2962, Equal housing opportunity, Handicapped accessible. A2,tfnc
RICKY ELLINGTON AUCTIONEERSEquipment, business, liquidation, estates, land, houses, antiques, personal property, coins, furniture, consignments, benefits, etc., NCAL #7706, 919-548-3684, 919663-3556, rickyellingtonauctions@ yahoo.com. Jy6,tfnc
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
Are you or a loved one in need of reliable support? Whether you’re an elderly individual or someone with an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD), I’m here to help. I offer personalized care and assistance with:
*Running errands (groceries, appointments, etc.)
*Light household tasks.
*Companionship and emotional support.
*Transportation needs. With a focus on kindness, patience and respect, I aim to provide peace of mind and make daily life a little easier. Flexible schedule and competitive rates. Let me lend a helping hand so you or your loved one can focus on what matters most.
Contact Alyssa @ 919-200-3445
D26rtfn-n/c
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. 919-542-2803. A2,tfnc
LETT’S TREE SERVICE - tree removal, stump grinding, lot clearing. Visa & Master Card accepted. Timber. Free estimates. 919-258-3594. N9,tfnc
DIGGING AND DEMO-Land improvements, mini-excavating, stump removal, mobile home and building teardown, all digging. French Drains, All your digging needs. Call John Hayes, 919-5480474. N9-D31p
34 Winston Way Pittsboro, NC
Apartment Community (Located behind Lowes) • Three Bedroom Units • Rental Assistance Available Rent based on income
Please call 919-533-6198
TDD/TYY # 800-735-2962
This institution is an equal opportunity provider & employer
Email: pittsborovillage@ECCMGT.com EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES APARTMENTS
ROOF WASHING – Softwash roof –Cleans ALL black streaks off roofs to make them look new again And to prolong the life of the shingles. Call John Hayes – 919-548-0474. M28-D31p Email ads@chathamnr.com to submit classified ads
Now accepting applications for 2BR, 1.5BA Range, refrigerator, dishwasher are included in the rent. Rent starts at $630 and up. 400 Honeysuckle Dr., Pittsboro, NC 27312 919-542-5410 TDD 1-800-735-2962
FARMERS from page A1
raced north across Georgia and neighboring states.
Experts estimate the cost to farmers, timber growers and other agribusinesses from Florida to Virginia will reach more than $10 billion. The toll includes ravaged crops, uprooted timber, wrecked farm equipment and mangled chicken houses, as well as indirect costs such as lost productivity at cotton gins and poultry processing plants.
For cotton growers like Hopkins, Helene hit just as the fall harvest was starting. Many put most cleanup on hold to try to salvage what remained of their crops.
‘Staggering’ losses to cotton, pecans and fall vegetables
Georgia farmers suffered storm losses of at least $5.5 billion, according to an analysis by the University of Georgia. In North Carolina, a state agency calculated farmers suffered $3.1 billion in crop losses and recovery costs after Helene brought record rainfall and flooding. Separate economic analyses of farm damage tal-
lied losses of up to $630 million in Virginia, $452 million in South Carolina and $162 million in Florida.
Hopkins figures he lost half the cotton on his 1,400 acres.
“We were at the most vulnerable stage we could be,” he said.
“The lint was open and fluffy and hanging there, waiting to be defoliated or picked. About 50% of the harvestable lint ended up on the ground.”
Even with insurance, Hopkins said, he won’t recoup an estimated $430,000 in losses from his cotton crop alone. That doesn’t include the cost of debris removal, repairing or replacing damaged machinery and the loss of two small pecan orchards uprooted by the storm.
The storm ripped through blooming cotton fields, pecan orchards laden with nuts and fields where fall vegetables like cucumbers and squash awaited picking. Hundreds of large poultry houses used to raise thousands of chickens at a time got destroyed.
Farmers far from Helene’s center weren’t spared, as tropical-storm force winds reached outward up to 310 miles.
“It was staggering,” said Timothy Coolong, a University of Georgia horticulture professor.
“This may be just too much for some folks.”
Helene was one of the deadliest U.S. hurricanes in nearly two decades, killing more than 200 people. It left more than 100,000 homes damaged or destroyed across the South.
Will aid to farmers come soon enough?
Georgia’s government in November diverted $100 million that had been set aside for construction projects or paying off existing debt to fund emergency loans to farmers and cleanup in Helene’s aftermath. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has made additional storm relief a priority for the upcoming legislative session.
But Georgia’s constitution prohibits using state funds to give direct disaster aid to individuals and private businesses.
In Congress, a spending bill passed early Saturday to avoid a government shutdown included $21 billion in disaster aid to U.S. farmers.
“We need help, but we need it quick,” said Jeffrey Pridgen, a fifth-generation farmer who raises chickens in south Georgia’s Coffee County.
Pridgen operated a dozen poultry houses, each large
enough to raise up to 20,000 chickens at a time. Helene destroyed four of them, along with thousands of chickens. Only one of Pridgen’s houses remains in working condition, the others having been badly damaged.
Pridgen said new chicken houses will cost about $450,000 apiece. Because most of his were decades old, he expects insurance to cover just half the cost.
“I was looking at retirement, but I lost my retirement and my income in one day,” said Pridgen, 62. “It’ll be two years before we get fully operational again. I’m basically starting over.”
‘Everybody lost something’
Georgia’s poultry industry took an estimated $683 million hit, with farmers having to rebuild about 300 chicken houses and repair hundreds more.
The poultry processing plant that relies on Pridgen and other storm-impacted farmers for chickens is now operating just four days per week, he said.
“Now for at least a year, perhaps a little bit longer, we’re in rebuilding mode,” said Mike Giles, president of the Georgia Poultry Federation. “That affects production in an area for an extended period of time.”
Helene’s devastation shouldn’t have much impact on consumer prices because crops grown elsewhere can make up for most shortages, said Michael Adjemian, a University of Georgia professor of agricultural economics. Pecans are one possible exception. Georgia is responsible for roughly one-third of U.S. production.
“In most cases, even a terrible storm like this is going to have a relatively small impact,” Adjemian said. “And maybe it’s not even noticeable, depending on the product.”
Helene cost Georgia cotton farmers roughly one-third of their crop, with direct and indirect losses valued at $560 million. Some were still recovering from Hurricane Michael in 2018.
Cotton growers also were facing low prices this harvest season of around 70 cents per pound, said Taylor Sills, executive director of the Georgia Cotton Commission. That meant they needed a big yield to turn any profit.
“Times were awful, and then they got hit by a hurricane,” Sills said. “There are people who lost everything and there are people who didn’t. But everybody lost something.”
NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE
24SP001120-180
Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Jeremy K. Thompson and Lycrecia V. Thompson (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Jeremy K. Thompson) to David L. Brunk, Trustee(s), dated June 25, 2007, and recorded in Book No. 1344, at Page 638 in Chatham County Registry, North Carolina. The Deed of Trust was modified by the following: A Loan Modification recorded on February 27, 2024, in Book No. 2402, at Page 210 , default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Chatham County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Pittsboro, Chatham County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 1:30 PM on January 9, 2025 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Pittsboro in the County of Chatham, North Carolina, and being
more particularly described as follows:
All that certain property situated in the County of Chatham and state of North Carolina, being more fully described in a Deed dated 02/28/2001 and recorded 03/01/2001, among the land records of the County of State set forth above, in Deed Volume 856 and Page 136. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 220 Blakes Drive, Pittsboro, North Carolina.
Tax Map or Parcel ID NO.: 0062241
Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S.
§45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1). The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any
physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property
OJ Simpson, Pete Rose and Jerry West were among the legends lost in the past year
By Bernard Mcghee
The Associated Press
HERE IS A ROLL CALL of some noteworthy sports figures who died in 2024.
JANUARY
Franz Beckenbauer, 78. Won the World Cup both as a player and coach and became one of Germany’s most beloved personalities with his easygoing charm. Jan. 7.
Jack Burke Jr., 100. The oldest living Masters champion and staged the greatest comeback ever at Augusta National for one of his two majors. Jan. 19.
Gigi Riva, 79. The all-time leading goalscorer for Italy’s men’s national team was known as the “Rombo di Tuono” (Rumble of Thunder). Jan. 22.
FEBRUARY
Carl Weathers, 76. A former NFL linebacker who became a Hollywood action movie and comedy star, playing nemesis-turned-ally Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” movies. Feb. 1.
Lefty Driesell, 92. The Hall of Fame coach whose folksy drawl belied a fiery on-court demeanor that put Maryland on the college basketball map and enabled him to rebuild several struggling programs. Feb. 17.
MARCH
Chris Mortensen, 72. The award-winning journalist covered the NFL for close to four decades, including 32 as a senior analyst at ESPN. March 3.
Lou Whittaker, 95. A legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and
See DEATHS, page B4
Where schools in the readership area are headed in reclassification
Chatham News & Record staff
THE NCHSAA’S reclassification of North Carolina schools took another step forward this week.
For the first time, the state’s high schools will be divided into eight different classifications, based on enrollment,
with the largest 32 schools placed in the top classification and the rest divided up evenly with about 60 schools in each division.
The NCHSAA released its draft of the eight classifications last month.
Now, North Carolina schools get their first look at their potential conference placement.
The NCHSAA released its first draft of conferences for the 2025-29 period. Schools can still raise issues and pro-
vide feedback that may result in changes, but here’s a look at where schools in North State Journal’s footprint are slotted.
CHATHAM COUNTY
Chatham Central: Current Conference — 1A/2A MidCarolina; New Conference — 1A Conference 2
The Bears have all new conference foes, as their Mid-Carolina rivals are scattered to oth-
er conferences. Central is now placed with Ascend Leadership, Central Carolina Academy, Chatham Charter, Neuse Charter and Southern Wake Academy.
Chatham Charter: Current — 1A Central Tar Heel; New Conference — 1A Conference
Central becomes Chatham Charter’s new crosstown rival. They also remain in the same conference as Ascend and Southern Wake but are separated from Woods Charter.
Northwood: Current Conference — 1A/2A MidCarolina; New Conference — 3A/4A Conference C
The Chargers got bumped
From Caitlin Clark and Simone Biles to a new hockey league, women’s sports had a year
WNBA, other female sports leagues, had new highs in attendance and viewership in 2024
By Alanis Thames The Associated Press
RECORD NUMBERS of basketball fans filled arenas to watch the rookie seasons of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese unfold. Simone Biles captivated the world at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Coco Gauff made women’s tennis history. It was all part of a pivotal year for women in sports, financially and culturally, and after a steady rise in popularity and reach in recent years, the women’s game is more valuable than ever.
“(Clark)’s just moved the needle of the global movement of women in sports,” said softball great and Olympic gold medalist Jennie Finch, “and what a thrill it’s been to be able to see her rise.”
The consulting firm Deloitte estimated in November 2023 that women’s sports would generate more than $1 billion in global revenue this year for the first time ever, which the company said is up about 300% from its last estimate in 2021. Skyrocketing viewership and
corporate sponsorships were major factors. The WNBA in July signed a historic 11-year media rights deal with Disney, Amazon Prime and NBC valued at about $200 million — a jump from about $60 million currently. Players hope higher salaries and a greater share of revenue could be on the horizon as parity, star power and competition in the WNBA continue to grow.
The WNBA had its mostwatched regular season in 24 years and best attendance in 22 seasons, and commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a recent state-of-the-league address that players are getting a lot more marketing deals, turning them into household names.
Game 5 of the WNBA fi-
See WOMEN’S, page B4 See NCHSAA, page B5
“We spend a lot of time reading research and all these things that suggest the time is now and that the
is there.”
Denali, and who taught generations of climbers during his more than 250 trips up Mount Rainier, the tallest peak in Washington state. March 24.
O.J. Simpson, 76. The decorated football superstar and Hollywood actor who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend but later found liable in a separate civil trial. April 10.
Carl Erskine, 97. He pitched two no-hitters as a mainstay on the Brooklyn Dodgers and was a 20game winner in 1953 when he struck out a then-record 14 in the World Series. April 16.
Roman Gabriel, 83. The first Filipino-American quarterback in the NFL and the league MVP in 1969. April 20.
MAY
Bill Walton, 71. He starred for John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins before becoming a Hall of Fame center for his NBA career and one of the biggest stars in basketball broadcasting. May 27.
Jerry West, 86. Selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame three times in a storied career as a player and executive, his silhouette is considered to be the basis of the NBA logo. June 12.
Willie Mays, 93. The electrifying “Say Hey Kid” whose singular combination of talent, drive and exuberance made him one of baseball’s greatest and most beloved players. June 18.
Pål Enger, 57. A talented Norwegian soccer player turned celebrity art thief who pulled off the sensational 1994 heist of Edvard Munch’s famed “The Scream” painting from the National Gallery in Oslo. June 29.
JULY
Jacoby Jones, 40. A former NFL receiver whose 108-yard kickoff return in 2013 remains the longest touchdown in Super Bowl history. July 14.
AUGUST
Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez, 88. A Hall of Fame golf-
er whose antics on the greens and inspiring life story made him among the sport’s most popular players during a long professional career. Aug. 8.
Al Attles, 87. A Hall of Famer who coached the 1975 NBA champion Warriors and spent more than six decades with the organization as a player, general manager and most recently team ambassador. Aug. 20. Johnny Gaudreau, 31. An NHL player known as “Johnny Hockey,” he played 10 full seasons in the league. Aug. 29. Killed along with his brother when hit by a car while riding bicycles.
SEPTEMBER
Joe Schmidt, 92. The Hall of Fame linebacker who helped the Detroit Lions win NFL championships in 1953 and 1957 and later coached the team. Sept. 11. Pete Rose, 83. Baseball’s career hits leader and fallen idol who undermined his historic achievements and Hall of Fame dreams by gambling on the game he loved and once embodied. Sept. 30.
Dikembe Mutombo, 58. A Basketball Hall of Famer who was one of the best defensive players in NBA history and a longtime global ambassador for the game. Sept. 30. Brain cancer.
OCTOBER
Fernando Valenzuela, 63. The Mexican-born phenom for the Los Angeles Dodgers who inspired “Fernandomania” while winning the NL Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year in 1981. Oct. 22.
NOVEMBER
Bobby Allison, 86. Founder of racing’s “Alabama Gang” and a NASCAR Hall of Famer. Nov. 9. Bela Karolyi, 82. The charismatic, if polarizing, gymnastics coach turned young women into champions and the United States into an international power in the sport. Nov. 15. Mary McGee, 87. Female racing pioneer and subject profiled in the Oscar-contending documentary “Motorcycle Mary.” Nov. 27. Lou Carnesecca, 99. The excitable St. John’s coach whose outlandish sweaters became an emblem of his team’s rousing Final Four run in 1985. Nov. 30.
nals between the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx drew an average of 2.2 million viewers, peaking at 3.3 million, which made it the mostwatched WNBA game in 25 years.
“We’ve been growing in popularity, endorsements, media rights, all of those things,” said Amira Rose Davis, a sports historian and assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin.
“This period is one of rapid acceleration,” Davis continued, “where all that growth seems to switch into overdrive, where the deals are getting bigger, where the visibility is stretching out.”
While many point to the WNBA as a blueprint for success in women’s sports, accomplishments in 2024 went far beyond one league or athlete.
Gauff, the 20-year-old tennis superstar, was the world’s highest-paid female athlete this year with $30.4 million in earnings, according to Sportico rankings. Gauff could not defend her 2023 U.S. Open title, but ended her 2024 season with a WTA
finals title and a $4.8 million check — the biggest payout ever for a women’s tennis event, per Sportico.
The Olympics neared complete gender parity for the first time among the more than 11,000 men and women who competed in Paris this summer.
More than 34 million people across all NBC platforms in the U.S. watched Biles exorcise the demons of her surprising exit from the Tokyo games three years earlier. The 27-year-old shared a message of resilience and redemption as she added four gold medals to her resume. Nearly everything she did in Paris made headlines — a clap back at social media trolls, a revelation about her mental health, a moment of triumph. Her TikTok showing Team USA’s gold medals from team competition has more than 139 million views.
“She became a symbol,” Davis said. “Whether you wanted to symbolize her as persevering, or talking about mental health or refusal, the politics of refusal. Or (whether) you wanted to symbolize her as being a quitter — being
Each year, Central Electric sponsors two rising high school juniors or seniors on the trip of a lifetime to Washington, D.C. in connection with the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour. While in D.C., you’ll join 1,800 other students from across the country to meet members of Congress and learn more about American history and electric cooperatives.
everything that you’re bemoaning about the country. Either way, both projections elevated her even more.”
And as Gauff and Biles soared, other women’s leagues leveraged that visibility.
The Pro Women’s Hockey League brought in 392,259 fans during its inaugural regular season, highlighted by a women’s hockey record crowd of 21,105 at the home arena of the NHL’s Canadiens for a Montreal-Toronto matchup.
The PWHL’s strong first season showed its organizers and players that there’s an appetite for women’s sports, so much so that there are hopes to expand from six to eight teams in 2025.
“For many of us that have been in the game for so long, it’s emotional to think about where the game’s come from, where we’ve come to,” said Jayna Hefford, the league’s senior vice president of hockey operations. “We spend a lot of time reading research and all these things that suggest the time is now and that the fandom is there. And to be able to live that and feel it in real time was pretty special.”
The trip will be hosted in June 2025 and the deadline for all applications is Jan. 20. Scan the QR code or visit CEMCPower.com to apply or to find out more information.
Elon’s Yurk named
All-American
Elon Elon punter Jeff Yurk was the only player from a North Carolina school to make The Associated Press FCS AllAmerica first team. The All-America team is selected for the AP by a panel of sports information directors and sports writers who cover the FCS. The junior from Southern Pines earned the honor. His teammate, Chandler Brayboy, a senior from Pembroke, was named to the second team as an all-purpose player. Western Carolina sophomore Jordy Lowery was a second-team defensive back. Davidson offensive lineman Malik McDaniel was named honorable mention.
Wingate’s Fleming makes DII
All-American
Wingate
Wingate defensive lineman
Marquise Fleming is among four players who were repeat first-team selections to The Associated Press Division II All-America team. Joining Fleming were Central Missouri quarterback Zach Zebrowski, Augustana (South Dakota) defensive back Peyton Buckley and Colorado Mines punter Blake Doud. The All-America team is selected by a panel of sports information directors representing the four Division II super regions. Other players from the state on the team are Johnson C. Smith senior linebacker Benari Black, of Charlotte, who made the first team, and Virginia Union receiver Reginald Vick Jr., of Wendell, who made second team.
Vick accepts head coaching job at Norfolk State
Norfolk, Va. Michael Vick agreed to become the head coach at Norfolk State in a return to football for the former NFL star, who has never coached at any level. The 44-year-old Vick announced on Facebook that he has accepted the job. He grew up in nearby Newport News. Vick starred in college at Virginia Tech and was a four-time Pro Bowler in 13 seasons for Atlanta, Philadelphia, the New York Jets and Pittsburgh. He served 18 months in federal prison in the prime of his career after pleading guilty to his role in a dogfighting ring.
The Demon Deacons replaced Dave Clawson two days after his resignation
By Aaron Beard The Associated Press
WAKE FOREST MOVED quickly in reaching across the country to find its next football coach.
The school hired Washington State’s Jake Dickert, two days after Dave Clawson resigned unexpectedly following 11 seasons that included regular bowl bids and an Atlantic Coast Conference division title.
“Coach Dickert’s approach to building a program — through evaluation and development of talent with a plan rooted in detail, discipline, and an unwavering commitment to student-athlete development — reminds me of what made Dave Clawson so successful during his 11-year transformational tenure as our head football coach,” athletic director John Currie said in a statement.
“Jake’s philosophy of fostering personal growth, cultivating trust within the team, and relentlessly competing for championships embodies the principles we hold dear.”
Dickert, 41, had been the defensive coordinator when he
took over during the 2021 season as the Cougars’ interim coach after Washington State fired Nick Rolovich for refusing a state mandate that all employees get vaccinated against COVID-19. Dickert led the team to a 3-3 finish to earn the permanent job, then went 2017 in the three seasons since.
“We will have a clear focus on retaining our current roster while adding valuable pieces that fit our program and Wake Forest University,” Dickert said in a statement. “Additionally, I am excited to immerse myself in this special community as throughout this process my belief that this is the perfect place
for our family and our program only strengthened.”
Washington State went 8-4 this year, the first since the Pac12 fell apart, with the majority of its schools scattering to the ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten. Now Dickert is back in a power conference again, nine days before his Cougars are set to play No. 22 Syracuse in the Holiday Bowl (Dec. 27).
Dickert arrived at Washington State after a three-year run at Wyoming in a career with stops at the Division II level, though those generally were at schools in the central part of the country or further west. A job at Southeast Missouri State
Inspirational coaches highlight three films about the fight game
By Jake Coyle The Associated Press
NEW YORK — The sports movie can easily fall victim to overly familiar story beats. An underdog challenger. A big match. But a trio of new movies brings some original moves, and a few curveballs, to a genre where tried-and-true formula often reigns supreme. Each, curiously enough, is a directorial debut by an industry veteran. And each features an inspirational coach.
“Day of the Fight”
Jack Huston’s “Day of the Fight,” currently playing in theaters, stars Michael Pitt as down-and-out middleweight boxer “Irish” Mike Flannigan. He is, like some battered boxers before him, seeking redemption. Flannigan’s once-prom-
Jordan-Matthews: Current Conference — 1A/2A MidCarolina; New Conference — 3A/4A Conference C
up from 2A. They remain in the same conference as Jordan-Matthews and North Moore but also get Eastern Randolph, Southwestern Randolph, Carrboro and Uwharrie Charter.
Woods Charter: Current — 1A Central Tar Heel; New Conference — 1A Conference 3
The Wolves keep Clover Garden School and River Mill from their current conference. They’re joined by Discovery Charter, Excelsior Classical and Falls Lake Academy.
Seaforth: Current Conference—1A/2A MidCarolina; New Conference— 5A Conference 1.
The Hawks get a big jump up from 2A to 5A. They’re also separated from all their current conference partners, including fellow Chatham County schools Northwood and Chatham Central. Their new rivals include Cedar Ridge, Durham School of the Arts, Orange, South Granville and Webb.
Like Northwood, the Jets got bumped up from 2A. They keep Northwood and North Moore from their current conference.
MOORE COUNTY
North Moore: Current Conference — 1A/2A MidCarolina; New Conference — 3A/4A Conference C
The Mustangs jump up to 3A. They remain with current Mid-Carolina foes Northwood and Jordan-Matthews. They also get Eastern Randolph, Carrboro, Southwestern Randolph and Uwharrie Charter. The latter three schools are 4A, as is J-M.
Pinecrest: Current Conference —Sandhills 3A/4A; New Conference 7A/8A Conference A
The Patriots are one of the largest 32 schools in the state and got placed in the top tier. Hoke and Richmond make
ising career was long ago derailed by a fatal drunk driving accident. But on this day, he’s preparing for an unlikely opportunity: an undercard bout at Madison Square Garden.
“Day of the Fight” culminates in the Madison Square Garden match, but the movie is largely about the preamble to the fight. The movie follows Flannigan on a series of poignant errands.
“I wanted to make a film where you didn’t necessarily need the boxing match,” Huston says. “The boxing match became icing.”
Cornerman: Ron Perlman. Though “Day of the Fight” is graced by a several father figures (Joe Pesci, Steve Buscemi), the one that really stands out is Perlman’s coach.
“Unstoppable”
William Goldenberg, the Oscar-winning editor (“Argo,” “Heat”) directs this based-ona-true-story drama about the life of NCAA champion wrestler Anthony Robles, played
the trip to the new conference from the Sandhills along with Pinecrest. They are joined by Cape Fear, Jack Britt, Lumberton, Overhills, Pine Forest and Purnell Swett.
Union PInes: Current — Sandhills 3A/4A; New Conference — 6A Conference 1
The Vikings got bumped up to 6A, and they are now separated from Pinecrest. Southern Lee and Lee County will be familiar faces from the old conference. They’re joined by Harnett Central, Triton and Western Harnett.
HOKE COUNTY
Hoke County: Current Conference — Sandhills 3A/4A; New Conference — 7A/8A Conference A
Like Pinecrest, the Bucks are one of the largest 32 schools in the state and got placed in the top tier classification. They remain with current conference foes Pinecrest and Richmond but shed the rest of the old Sandhills to be paired with Cape Fear, Jack Britt, Lumberton, Overhills, Pine Forest and Purnell Swett.
in 2012 was his farthest east.
He’ll relocate to the Eastern Seaboard for the job at Wake Forest, one of the smallest undergraduate enrollments in the Bowl Subdivision ranks. It comes as the Demon Deacons have had consecutive 4-8 seasons, a product of a changing landscape in college sports that hindered Wake Forest’s formula of retaining and developing players to compete with schools featuring four- and five-star prospects.
In Wake Forest’s case, the Demon Deacons had an 11-win season that included a trip to the ACC title game in 2021, as well as brief stints in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 in 2021 and 2022 amid a run of seven straight bowl appearances before the two four-win seasons.
In an emotional news conference last Tuesday, Clawson said he “just felt like it was time” to step aside to let Wake Forest take a fresh approach to the changes, which include the looming arrival of revenue sharing with athletes.
“I think there’s things I can help with (in) the transition,” Clawson said. “But I don’t want to be the old coach in the office that’s overlooking you or second-guessing you. … If the new coach says, ‘Dave, stay the hell away, it’s my program,’ I will stay the hell away and do nothing but support him.”
“The Fire Inside”
by Jharrel Jerome. The film, which arrives Jan. 16 on Prime Video, chronicles Robles’ constant hardships, not the least of which is that he was born without his right leg.
It’s less about Robles’ overcoming one challenge than it is about his perseverance through constant adversity.
Jennifer Lopez co-stars as his mother, with Bobby Cannavale as an abusive stepfather.
“It was a constant battle,” says Robles. “That’s kind of how I felt going through my life, whether it was on a mat against a flesh-and-blood opponent or it was in my family life or the world. There was always something I was fighting against.”
Cornerman: “Unstoppable” is the rare sports drama to give you not just one excellent coach but two. Because it spans Robles’ wrestling career in high school and college, we first get Michael Peña as his most devoted supporter, and later, Don Cheadle as his initially more skeptical coach in college.
“The Fire Inside,” directed by decorated cinematographer Rachel Morrison (“Fruitvale Station,” “Mudbound”), is also about a real champion, the Olympic gold medal winner Claressa Shields (played by Destiny Ryan).
The first half of “The Fire Inside,” which opens Dec. 25, is somewhat conventional. It charts her rise as a female boxer leading up to the 2012 Olympics. Once she’s won gold, you might even glance at your watch and wonder why they wrapped things up so quickly. But the film then turns into something else. Shields’ glory is short-lived. A tough black woman in a bloody sport who makes no apologies for her interest in knocking out her opponent is unappealing to marketers. As “The Fire Inside” continues in its thought-provoking third act, it asks questions less about who wins and more about who gets to be deemed “an American hero.” Cornerman: Brian Tyree Henry plays Shields’ devoted cornerman Jason Crutchfield. Henry, a tender and soulful actor, is more of a co-star than a supporting player. Of all the coaches in these three films, he’s the one you’d most want cheering you on.
The actor was given the Distinguished Public Service Award
By The Associated Press
LONDON — The world’s most famous fictional Top Gun is now a decorated naval hero.
Tom Cruise was awarded the U.S. Navy’s top civilian honor last Tuesday for “outstanding contributions to the Navy and the Marine Corps” with “Top Gun” and other films.
Cruise, who has been working in the U.K., was given the Distinguished Public Service Award by U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro in a ceremony at Longcross Studios near London.
The 62-year-old actor said he was proud to receive the “extraordinary acknowledgement,” which came with a medal and a certificate.
“I admire all of the servicemen and women,” Cruise said. “I know in life, something that is very true to me, is that is to lead is to serve. And I know that to my core. And I see that in the servicemen and women.”
The Navy said Cruise had “increased public awareness and appreciation for our highly trained personnel and the sacrifices they make while in uniform.”
“Top Gun,” the smash hit 1986 movie about Cold War flying aces, made Cruise a star and drove a spike in military enlistment. The Navy even set up
recruitment tables in theaters.
Interest was renewed with the 2022 sequel “Top Gun: Maverick,” in which Cruise’s character mentored a new generation of elite aviators.
The Navy said the sequel “brought nostalgia to older audiences and reinvigorated the minds of newer audience members, which effectively targeted a younger audience’s interest into the skill sets and opportunities the Navy can provide.” Cruise was also commended for his roles in “Born on the Fourth of July,” “A Few Good Men” and the “Mission: Impossible” movies.
Cruise’s next on-screen adventure, “Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning,” is due for release in May 2025.
Online dating, love, death in Pek’s new mystery, ‘The Rivals’
Pek writes with wit and AI savvy
By Kendal Weaver The Associated Press
CLAUDIA LIN, an online dating detective in the age of AI, is hunting once again through a dark cybersphere of tech systems in “The Rivals,” the second novel in a new mystery series by Jane Pek.
Pek, who introduced Claudia in her 2022 debut book, “The Verifiers,” has given the mystery genre fresh trappings — a vivid New York City landscape of chatbots and apps that can create chaos or sniff out fraud, and a delightfully plucky new sleuth, who is in her mid-20s, Asian American and gay.
In “The Rivals,” Claudia and Becks Rittel are the co-owners of the fact-checking firm Veracity. It’s a tiny business — it only has one other employee, the unkempt gamer Squirrel — that helps clients of giant matchmaking platforms make sure the strangers they meet for dates are not unscrupulous liars or worse.
“The Rivals” opens with a couple of customers from online meet-up sites seeking different kinds of assistance. One wants Veracity to make sure his new lady friend, the charming Amalia Suarez, is all she claims to be. The other, Pradeep Mehta, anxiously asks for help taking down a false
online gay-dating profile that could ruin his life.
Claudia takes on both projects despite Becks’ protests and disparagement. A curt, tough-minded colleague in her mid-30s, Becks is nicknamed the “Blonde Assassin.” In short order, both cases present Claudia with false turns, odd developments and scary possibilities. These twists make “The Rivals” a modern mystery unfolding amid synthetic culprits — cyberworld bots known as “synths” — that can wreck real lives. Pek adds a few vital human ingredients to the story’s digital
mix. One is Claudia’s striving but dysfunctional family. Her siblings, Charles and Coraline, and their irritable mother are introduced in an early chapter as they gather in the West Village for a meal celebrating the Chinese New Year. Coraline’s beau is there, too. Their father is out of the picture. A celebration the meal is not, but the Lin family fracas adds sparks to the narrative throughout.
Pek also makes neighborhoods and go-to sites of Manhattan, Brooklyn and other city environs an integral and appealing part of the story. Claudia, for example, plays Ultimate Frisbee in Prospect Park and takes the reader on her many rendezvous, from the touristy High Line to a bike path through Fort Washington Park.
Claudia’s sexuality is not a central tug-of-war plot issue. But it does give an edgy lift to the storyline when Claudia, as the novel’s narrator, notes the inner romantic tingles set off in her by others.
Pek writes with wit and AI savvy. At times, “The Rivals” unfolds with so much techheavy dialogue that it can be hard to follow. But Claudia is a winning new entry in the field of modern serial detectives. “The Rivals” hints that she has more work in store. With the freshness of Pek’s staging of online love and death, a third entry in the series will be welcome.
Texas joined the union, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, YMCA was founded
The Associated Press
DEC. 26
1908: Jack Johnson became the first black boxer to win the world heavyweight championship as he defeated Canadian Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia.
1991: The USSR was formally dissolved through a declaration by the Supreme Soviet.
2004: A 9.1-magnitude earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean triggered a tsunami with waves up to 100 feet high, killing an estimated 230,000 people.
DEC. 27
1904: James Barrie’s play “Peter Pan: The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up” opened at the Duke of York’s Theater in London.
1932: New York City’s Radio City Music Hall opened to the public.
1979: Soviet forces seized control of Afghanistan.
1985: American naturalist Dian Fossey, 53, who had studied mountain gorillas in
Africa for nearly 20 years, was found murdered in her cabin in Rwanda.
DEC. 28
1908: A major earthquake followed by a tsunami devastated the Italian cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria, killing at least 70,000 people.
1945: Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance.
1973: The Endangered Species Act was signed into law by President Richard Nixon.
1981: Elizabeth Jordan Carr, the first American “testtube” baby, was born in Norfolk, Virginia.
DEC. 29
1170: Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was slain in Canterbury Cathedral by knights loyal to King Henry II.
1812: During the War of 1812, the American frigate USS Constitution engaged and severely damaged the British frigate HMS Java off Brazil.
1845: Texas was admitted as the 28th state.
1851: The first Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in the United States was founded in Boston.
1890: The Wounded Knee massacre took place in South
President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863.
Dakota as an estimated 300 Sioux Indians were killed by U.S. troops sent to disarm them.
DEC. 30
1813: British troops burned Buffalo, New York, during the War of 1812.
1853: The United States and Mexico signed a treaty under which the U.S. agreed to buy some 45,000 square miles of land from Mexico for $10 million in a deal known as the Gadsden Purchase.
1922: Vladimir Lenin proclaimed the establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which lasted nearly seven decades before dissolving in December 1991.
2015: Bill Cosby was charged with drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.
1879: Thomas Edison first publicly demonstrated his electric incandescent light in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
1904: New York’s Times Square saw its first New Year’s Eve celebration.
1863: President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that slaves in rebel states shall be “forever free.”
1892: The Ellis Island Immigrant Station in New York formally opened.
1942: The Rose Bowl was played in Durham instead of Pasadena, California, because of security concerns in the wake of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor.
1953: Hank Williams Sr., among the most important singers and songwriters in country music history, was discovered dead at age 29.
1954: NBC broadcast the first coast-to-coast color TV program.
1959: Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries overthrew Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista.
‘Dirty
The archive spans 115 years of filmmaking
By Andrew Dalton
The Associated Press
NOBODY PUTS Baby in a corner, but they’re putting her in the National Film Registry.
“Dirty Dancing” and another 1980s culture-changer, “Beverly Hills Cop,” are entering the Library of Congress’ registry, part of an annual group of 25 announced Tuesday that spans 115 years of filmmaking.
The 1987 film “Dirty Dancing” — filmed mostly around Lake Lure in North Carolina — used the physicality and chemistry of Patrick Swayze as Johnny Castle and Jennifer Grey as Frances “Baby” Houseman to charm generations of moviegoers while also taking on issues like abortion classism and antisemitism.
“Beverly Hills Cop,” from 1984 and the first Eddie Murphy film in the registry, arguably made Murphy the world’s biggest movie star at the time and turned action comedies into a blockbuster staple for a decade.
Since 1988, the Librarian of Congress has annually selected movies for preservation that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant. The cur-
film “Up in Smoke,” which will be entering the National Film Registry.
rent picks bring the registry to 900 films. The oldest film is from 1895 and brought its own form of dirty dancing: “Annabelle Serpentine Dance” is a minute-long short of a shimmying Annabelle Moore that was decried by many as a public indecency for the suggestiveness of her moves. The newest is David Fincher’s “The Social Network” from 2010.
Here’s a look at some of the films entering the registry.
“Pride of the Yankees” (1942):
The film became the model for the modern sports tear-jerker, with Gary Cooper playing Lou Gehrig and delivering the classic real-life line: “Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.”
“Up in Smoke” (1978): The first feature to star the duo of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong established a template for the stoner genre and brought weed culture to the mainstream. Marin, who also appeared in the inductee “Spy Kids” in 2001, is one
Since 1988, the Librarian of Congress has annually selected movies for preservation that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.”
of many Latinos who have had prominent roles in this year’s crop of films.
“Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt” (1989): The Oscar-winning documentary about the NAMES Project Aids Memorial Quilt was a landmark telling of the devastation wrought by the disease.
“My Own Private Idaho” (1991): Director Gus Van Sant’s film featured perhaps the greatest performance of River Phoenix, a year before the actor’s death at age 23.
“No Country for Old Men” (2007): Joel and Ethan Coen broke through at the Oscars with their adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel, winning best picture, best director and best adapted screenplay, while Javier Bardem won best supporting actor.
2024 National Film Registry inductees
• “Annabelle Serpentine Dance” (1895)
• “KoKo’s Earth Control” (1928)
• “Angels with Dirty Faces” (1938)
• “Pride of the Yankees” (1942)
• “Invaders from Mars” (1953)
• “The Miracle Worker” (1962)
• “The Chelsea Girls” (1966)
• “Ganja and Hess” (1973)
• “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974)
• “Uptown Saturday Night” (1974)
• Zora Lathan Student Films (1975-76)
• “Up in Smoke” (1978)
• “Will” (1981)
• “Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan” (1982)
• “Beverly Hills Cop” (1984)
• “Dirty Dancing” (1987)
• “Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt” (1989)
• “Powwow Highway” (1989)
• “My Own Private Idaho” (1991)
• “American Me” (1992)
• “Mi Familia” (1995)
• “Compensation” (1999)
• “Spy Kids” (2001)
• “No Country for Old Men” (2007)
• “The Social Network” (2010)
Actor Sir Anthony Hopkins turns 87 on Tuesday.
E. KLEIN / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Patti
TURNER / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Actor Denzel Washington turns 70 on Saturday.
EVAN AGOSTINI / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Author, humorist and Raleigh native David Sedaris turns 68 on Thursday.
David Sedaris turns 68, Denzel Washington is 70, Marianne Faithfull is 78, Grandmaster Flash hits 67
The Associated Press
DEC. 26
“America’s Most Wanted” host John Walsh is 79. Humorist David Sedaris is 68. Funk musician George Porter Jr. (The Meters) is 77. Baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith is 70.
DEC. 27
Basketball Hall of Fame coach Nolan Richardson is 83. Rock musician Mick Jones (Foreigner) is 80. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Bill Self is 62. TV journalist Savannah Guthrie is 53. DEC. 28
Actor Denzel Washington is 70. TV personality Gayle King is 70. Hockey Hall of Famer Ray Bourque is 64. Linux creator Linus Torvalds is 55. Political commentator Ana Navarro is 53. TV host-comedian Seth Meyers is 51. Actor Joe Manganiello is 48. Musician John Legend is 46. DEC. 29
Actor Barbara Steele is 88. Actor Jon Voight is 86. Singer Marianne Faithfull is 78. Actor Ted Danson is 77.
DEC. 30
Singer Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary is 87. Singer Patti Smith is 78. Musician Jeff Lynne is 77. TV host Meredith Vieira (“Today,” “The View”) is 71. Actor-comedian Tracey Ullman is 65. TV host Sean Hannity is 63.
DEC. 31
Actor Sir Anthony Hopkins is 87. Actor Sir Ben Kingsley is 81. Actress Bebe Neuwirth is 66. Singer Paul Westerberg is 65. Author Nicholas Sparks is 59.
JAN. 1
Actor Frank Langella is 87. Comedian Don Novello (Father Guido Sarducci) is 82. Actor Rick Hurst (“The Dukes of Hazzard”) is 79. Rapper Grandmaster Flash is 67.
Buying these gifts will help businesses affected by Hurricane Helene
By Travis Loller
The Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The city of Asheville, known for its artists and restaurants, is a tourist destination and the economic hub of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountain communities. In September, it was devastated by flooding from Hurricane Helene.
Even businesses not physically damaged suffered weeks without power and water, and Asheville was essentially closed to tourists during its busiest season.
Now, besides hoping that visitors will return for the holidays, Asheville’s artists and small businesses are pitching their handcrafted goods as gifts online to speed recovery.
The heavily damaged River Arts District lets artists sell directly through its website. And the tourism authority Explore Asheville has set up a site called “Love Asheville from Afar.”
“There’s definitely been some confusion about whether people should travel to Asheville,” says Katie Button, chef at the Spanish tapas restaurants Curate Bar de Tapas and La Bodega by Curate. “Absolutely! We are open, and downtown — the rest of the businesses and things — are really needing people to come travel here.” La Bodega remains closed because there are not enough visitors to keep both open.
Here’s a small sampling of giftable online offerings that will help the city’s small businesses and artists while also filling your stockings.
Button’s dream of opening an authentic Spanish tapas restaurant in the United States culminated in the James Beard award-winning Curate Bar de Tapas. That was followed by a cafe, wine bar and retail space, La Bodega by Curate. You can support both the restaurant and local artist Lori Theriault by purchasing one of Curate’s signature handmade ceramic pigs. They come as Christmas ornaments ($38) or toothpick holders ($29).
Dan Rattigan and Jael Skeff-
ington started French Broad Chocolate in their home kitchen, selling their confections at local farmers markets. The business has grown to include a downtown retail space and a large factory and tasting room by the French Broad River. The factory space is currently closed to the public, but their delicious bonbons, hot chocolate mixes and peppermint bark ($35) are available online. The building where the Asheville Tea Company works its magic was a total loss in the flood. They have limited ability to ship teas, but when you preorder a gift box, the recipient
will receive a card letting them know their gift is on the way. The Let it Snow gift box features the blends “Pisgah Breakfast,” “Snow Day” and “Asheville Grey.” ($45.95) Ginger Frank started Poppy Hand-Crafted Popcorn with the idea of using real ingredients and creating fun, original flavors, like dill pickle and oatmeal cookie. In the beginning, she was slapping labels onto Ziploc bags. Ten years later, her business has expanded to sell popcorn across the country. The “Asheville Mix Artist Bag” ($7.25) supports not only Poppy Popcorn and its workers, but $2
from each bag goes to helping other Asheville entrepreneurs rebuild. It comes in an adorable bag featuring drawings by local artist Annie Riker.
For the art lover, Asheville’s River Arts District encompasses 26 historic industrial buildings converted into studios, galleries and classrooms for more than 700 local artists. Flooding destroyed a majority of that space, with some artists losing entire bodies of work. While some parts of the district suffered less damage and have reopened for business, other spaces must be completely rebuilt. In the meantime, many of the artists are offering their wares directly.
Moonlight Makers was born when Claire Watson moved next door to Nicole Hairfield. The two moms found themselves spending more than 50 hours a week together while their young children played, so they decided to make the most of that time. They are currently offering a line of Asheville-themed products like scented candles and T-shirts, and are donating 100% of profits to local hurricane relief efforts. All of their gifts are designed and screen-printed in Asheville by a staff of 10. For more gift ideas, visit “Love Asheville from Afar,” a website from the local tourism development authority, Explore Asheville.