Chatham News & Record Vol. 147, Issue 40 by North State Journal

the BRIEF this week

Chatham gas station sells winning $5K lottery ticket

Pittsboro

A lucky lottery ticket buyer in Pittsboro won $5,000 on a Lucky for Life ticket, the N.C. Education Lottery shared in a post on X last week. The ticket was sold at Neal’s Gas & Convenience on East Street and required the buyer to match four white balls plus the Lucky ball. Had they matched all five white balls and the Lucky ball, the winner would have won $1,000 per day for life, albeit before taxes. A player at the same store won the same prize on the same game back in July. It is not known if it was the same person who won the prize both times, though that would be very improbable.

Statewide holiday

“Click It or Ticket” campaign kicks off

Last year in North Carolina, 495 people died in unbuckled crashes, and Thanksgiving marks the launch of a statewide Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign. From Nov. 25 to Dec. 1, law enforcement officers across all 100 counties will increase patrols to keep everyone safe during the holiday travel period. Choosing not to buckle up is dangerous and can be expensive. Drivers in North Carolina can face up to $187 in fines and fees if anyone in their vehicle is not wearing a seat belt. Half of those killed in crashes in North Carolina were not wearing their seat belt.

$2.00

“Robinson did not and cannot plausibly allege facts that show that CNN published the Article with actual malice.”

Mark Nebrig, CNN attorney

CNN wants Robinson’s defamation lawsuit thrown out by courts

The network says N.C.’s lieutenant governor has provided no evidence of wrongdoing

By Gary D. Robertson The Associated Press

RALEIGH — CNN wants a court to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson that attacks its report that he made explicit posts on a pornog-

raphy website’s message board. The network says Robinson presented no evidence that the network believed its story was false or aired it recklessly.

The September report says Robinson, who ran unsuccessfully for governor this month, left statements over a decade ago on the message board in which, in part, he referred to himself as a “black NAZI” and said

Mat history

JordanMatthews’ Ruth Interiano (center) and Alexandria Zumano (right) meet with the captain of Apex Friendship before the first girls’ wrestling dual meet in school history. Interiano wrestled the first match in J-M school history, while Zumano picked up the first win. J-M lost to Apex Friendship 30-6. We have more on the start of girls’ wrestling in the county on B1.

County commissioners adopt new Unified Development Ordinance

The new UDO will take effect July 1, 2025

By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record

PITTSBORO — Chatham County will be operating under a new land use plan in the coming year after the Chatham County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the adoption of the Recode Chatham Unified Development Ordinance which will be implemented on July 1, 2025.

The UDO is a “transformative initiative aimed at streamlining land use and development processes, fostering balanced community growth, and preserving the county’s cherished rural character for generations to come.” It has been in development for approximately three years and is designed to work alongside Plan Chatham, the county’s comprehensive plan.

“My fellow Commissioners and I are so grateful for the great work of staff, the consultants and everyone involved in this essential project over the last three years,” said Chatham County Board of Commissioners Chair Mike Dasher in a press release.

See LAWSUIT, page A9 See COUNTY, page A3

Whistleblower sounds alarm about destruction of tribal sites in NC

A USFS archeologist says irresponsible behavior has damaged historic sites

By Susan Montoya Bryan The Associated Press

SPEAR POINTS, hammer stones and picks lost to history under layers of leaves, roots and rocks — it was the evidence Scott Ashcraft was looking for. The ancient tools were inadvertently unearthed in 2021 by a bulldozer fighting a wildfire along a steep slope in western North Carolina. Ashcraft, a career U.S. Forest Service archaeologist, knew these wooded mountainsides held more

clues to early human history in the Appalachian Mountains than anyone had imagined. He tried for years to raise the alarm to forest managers, saying outdated modeling that ignored the artifacts sometimes hidden on steep terrain — especially sites significant to Native American tribes — needed to be reconsidered when planning for prescribed fires, logging projects, new recreational trails and other work on national forest lands. Instead, Ashcraft says managers retaliated against him and pushed ahead with their plans, often violating historic preservation and environmen-

See LAND, page A10

What’s happened at the forest unit and the regional level is egregious. It’s unconscionable.”

Valerie Grussing, National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers executive director

CHUCK BURTON / AP PHOTO

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson walks off the stage after speaking at an election night watch party in Raleigh.

@JMHS_LIVE / X)

When veterinary care is unavailable or unaffordable, ask for Happy Jack® animal healthcare products for cats, dogs, & horses.

Southern States Coop. 742- 2128

Nov. 20

• Michael Dameon Patterson, 47, of Moncure, was arrested for failure to appear.

• Joshua Luke Brady, 37, of Bear Creek, was arrested for failure to appear.

• Annie Lane Mashburn, 37, of Goldston, was arrested for failure to appear.

• Rahiem SalaamSammulwe Lord, 27, of Greensboro, was arrested for failure to appear, resisting a public officer, fleeing arrest with motor vehicle, reckless driving with wanton disregard, and speeding.

Nov. 21

• Jamie Moody Lee, 50, of Goldston, was arrested for multiple counts of forgery of endorsement, uttering forged endorsement, uttering forged instrument, and misdemeanor larceny.

Bear cub returned to the wild after being harassed in Asheville

The bear bounded into the woods after being released

The Associated Press

ASHEVILLE — A bear cub, one of two pulled from a tree as a person posed for a photo, has been returned to the wild, according to North Carolina wildlife officials.

The bear was released last month in an undisclosed, remote mountain area in western North Carolina, the state’s Wildlife Resources Commission announced Wednesday. A brief video of the release shows the cub bounding out of a carrier toward the camera on a small road, before spinning around and racing into the woods. The staffer who released her then fired a noise-maker meant to maintain a fear of humans.

Commission staff in April responded to a report of people harassing bear cubs at an Asheville apartment complex.

Officials were told the two cubs escaped after one bit a person, according to a commission news release. Video the commission posted online showed people pulling cubs from a tree.

One person could also be seen posing for a photo while holding one of the wild animals. After a loud screech, the person

RESIDENTIAL

• 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

COURTESY NCWRC

This still from a video posted by the WRC shows the bear running into the woods after being released.

dropped the cub, who ran for a nearby fence.

One cub was found later in a retention pond, wet and shivering, officials said. Ashley Hobbs, the commission’s coordinator for BearWise, a program aimed at helping people “live responsibly with black bears,” captured the cub and described her as “lethargic and frightened” and favoring one of her paws. That cub was taken to a rehabilitation facility, but the second cub was never found, officials said.

The commission investigated the incident, but no charges were filed.

Once staff determined the cub was healthy and could survive in the wild, she was fitted with a tracking collar and given

• 4662 Buckhorn Road (Sanford), 1.31 Acres, 2 Bedrooms/1 Bathroom, $225,000

• 83 Karen Calhoun Road (Pittsboro), 4.36 Acres, 3 Bedrooms/2 Bathrooms, $800,000 LAND

• 1388 Henry Oldham Road (Bear Creek), 4.840 Acres, $135,000

• 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

RESIDENTIAL

• 389 Dewitt Smith Road (Pittsboro), 9.109 Acres, 3 Bedroom/2 Bathroom, $525,000

LAND

• 13120 Strickland Road (Raleigh),16.25 Acres, $1,500,000

• 00 Hamlets Chapel Road (Pittsboro),118.742 Acres, $4,250,000

Dec. 1

Hanging of the Greens 9:30 a.m.

A “Hanging of the Greens” service is a traditional Christian ceremony that marks the start of the Advent season. It involves decorating the church with greenery such as wreaths, holly, ivy and evergreen trees, which symbolize eternal life and the anticipation of Christ’s birth. This service will include Scripture readings, hymns, prayers and explanations of the symbolism behind each decoration. The event prepares both the church and the congregation for the spiritual reflection of the Advent season leading to Christmas.

Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church 269 Manns Chapel Road Pittsboro

Downtown Pittsboro First Sunday Vendor Market

Noon to 4 p.m.

Join us for Downtown Pittsboro’s First Sunday event hosted by the Pittsboro Business Association! Come enjoy the fun day Sunday vibe that Downtown Pittsboro is known for while supporting local business! Lots of vendors, artists, live music, nonprofits and everything in between.

Dec. 2

Chatham

Dec.

10681

Hwy 64 E (Apex), 3.97 Acres, $1,000,000

The Parks of Chatham County

State elections chief wants Berger to take back vote manipulation comment

The state Senate leader suggested it was “count until somebody you want to win wins”

By Gary D. Robertson

The Associated Press

RALEIGH — The N.C. State Board of Elections’ top administrator asked a powerful legislator on Thursday to retract a comment that he made suggesting this month’s results were being manipulated, saying it could lead to threats against local election workers.

“You are a top leader of our state government. What you say matters,” Karen Brinson Bell, the board’s executive director, wrote to state Senate leader Phil Berger in response to his words from Wednesday. “When you tell your fellow citizens that an election is being conducted fraudulently, they listen.”

Berger, a Republican, was speaking to reporters following the final passage of a bill that in part would shift next year the authority to appoint the State Board of Elections from the governor to the state auditor. The new governor in 2025 will remain a Democrat in Josh Stein, while the next auditor will be a Republican. Changes also would likely filter down to county elections boards.

Republicans have expressed frustration about a state Supreme Court race where GOP

candidate Jefferson Griffin was leading on election night. But a 10,000-vote deficit for Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs was eliminated as county boards added qualifying provisional and absentee ballots to the totals. Griffin, now trailing, asked for a recount now underway and has filed protests.

Without mentioning the court race by name or specifics of electoral influence, Berger told reporters that “we’re seeing played out at this point another episode of ‘Count Until Somebody You Want to Win Wins.’”

In the letter, first reported by North Carolina Public Radio, Brinson Bell wrote that Berger’s accusation “has absolutely no basis in fact,” and that county boards, where hundreds of Democrats and Republicans serve, “were duty-bound to count eligible provisional and absentee ballots” before last Friday’s canvass. Some did not finish their work until this week.

The legislation also would move up the deadlines so that election officials finish counting outstanding ballots more quickly.

Berger’s office didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Brinson Bell’s letter — an unusual communication by an agency head to one of the state’s most influential politicians.

Brinson Bell told Berger that “baseless accusations of wrong-

doing” over the 2020 elections led election administrators to leave their profession and bring emotional stress, too.

“I fear for the people running elections in this state, including in your own community, that some misguided people will conclude from your statements that actions must be taken, perhaps through the use of threats or violence,” Brinson Bell said.

The state board and county boards, while bipartisan, are controlled by Democrats.

A Democratic state board first hired Brinson Bell for the job in 2019. Her future at the post may be jeopardized should the bill moving state board appointing power to Republican Auditor Dave Boliek be enacted and avoids being struck down by courts. Republican legislators have previously expressed displeasure at some of Brinson Bell’s actions.

Berger said Wednesday that he wants a board that “functionally operates in a way that is just counting the votes, not pulling for one side or the other.”

Logistically, elections went relatively well in the battleground state won by Republican Donald Trump, despite disruptions caused by Hurricane Helene’s historic flooding. The General Assembly passed legislation providing flexibility to 25 western counties affected most by the storm, leading to altered early-vote sites and schedules.

A handful of Election Day precincts set up shop in tents.

CHILDREN’S COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS PARTY

Santa is coming to Brookdale Baptist Church Sunday, Dec. 8 at 2 p.m.!

Please join us for the Christmas Story, crafts and games.

(We request a parent or guardian accompany the children)

1133 West 3rd St. Siler City

“We are excited for this new 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.”

In the coming months, county staff will work to figure out and refine where the new residential, agricultural, and parks and protected land districts will be implemented, and there will also be community meetings held to discuss these matters as well.

In addition, no county-issued commercial/business district rezonings are planned to be implemented in the coming months.

The UDO is also not a set-instone document, and the commissioners and county staff will continue working to refine and improve it as time goes on.

“I am all in for the spirit of conservation and preservation of Chatham County,” said Commissioner Franklin Gomez Flores. “I do just share a concern. I am not against the UDO, I’m willing to approve it, but I do have the concern that it focuses heavily on conservation and doesn’t focus as much as we would like it to on affordability.”

Commissioner David Delaney added, “Perfect can’t be the enemy of the good, and I think we have to be ready to move forward with what is very good work knowing that there are improvements and refinements to be made along the way.”

The board also held a public hearing for a rezoning request by Glandon Forest Equity for

“My fellow Commissioners and I are so grateful for the great work of staff, the consultants and everyone involved in this essential project over the last three years.”

Mike Dasher, Chatham County Board of Commissioners chair

2.4 acres of property located on N.C. 87 N from Residential (R-1) to Conditional District Neighborhood Business (CDNB) for the purpose of constructing a Dollar General. However, the item was met by a lot of opposition from citizens who felt Dollar General was neither needed nor wanted in the area.

“My sense, right now, is that there is a misconception that Dollar General has about what a crossroads community would look like in our rural community,” said vice chair Karen Howard. “So I would seriously urge them to consider where they’re looking at putting this and the direction that Chatham County has been going.”

Following the hearing, the commissioners referred the item to the planning board where it will be reviewed and sent back to the board for final approval, but at this time it seems that the request has been withdrawn.

The Chatham County Board of Commissioners will next meet Dec. 2.

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

So great, so small and so thankful

He persists with a resilient faith in the merciful mystery of God and the capacity of his fellow human beings for tenderness.

LAST TUESDAY, I sat in the ornate Duke Chapel and listened to a poetry reading by Pádraig Ó Tuama, an Irish poet and theologian. He is a gifted wordsmith who can make even the legal print of a cell phone contract sound melodious with his accent. His poems resonated in the hallowed chamber as beautiful and true.

Ó Tuama has worked for more than 20 years as a mediator for peace and reconciliation between Protestants and Catholics in North Ireland. His own Christian community subjected him, a gay man, to “reparative therapy,” an abusive process that was neither reparative nor therapeutic.

Yet, despite his experiences with violence and trauma, Ó Tuama persists with a resilient faith in the merciful mystery of God and the capacity of his fellow human beings for tenderness. When the emcee asked our featured speaker for an example of poetry that inspired him, I expected this internationally known poet to quote something by T.S. Eliot, Seamus Heaney or another giant of English literature. Instead, he shared a simple prayer penned by an anonymous fisherman in Breton, an Irish-speaking part of northwestern France: “O God, thy sea is so great and my boat is so small.”

I love the simple truth of the prayer. The ocean is enormous and untamed, evoking real danger, yet it also awes and wonders because

COLUMN | BOB WACHS

of its power and beauty. It is “so great” in multiple senses of the word. The sea dwarfs even the most massive airplane carriers. Yet a humble fishing boat may provide safe passage. Perhaps something “small” feels insufficient or causes us to respond with tenderness and care. Again, multiple meanings exist simultaneously.

Many praying people perceive this period in our country as akin to being adrift in a turbulent sea. The change is enormous, often frightening. At the same time, it’s also true that many seek refuge with family and faith, including houses of worship, which can serve as life rafts, carrying us through the stormy waters to safe harbor.

Ó Tuama asserted, “Small acts of courage in the present build a future of change.” It’s like braving the sea on a small boat. Initially, you appear as a mere speck on the vast expanse of water, but as time passes, more and more ships join yours, forming a fleet and a community. While I am neither a sailor nor a deep-sea fisherman, I am grateful for the people who accompany me on the voyage through life, whether they are gifted poets or offer the great gift of their presence. There is no gift too small not to give thanks.

Andrew Taylor-Troutman is pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church as well as a writer, pizza maker, coffee drinker and student of joy.

Some traditions worth keeping

We just all gather here and the more the merrier, as far as I’m concerned.

TRADITIONS ARE like handles on suitcases. They give us something to hold onto as we move along. Without them, we’d be like water on a tabletop — just sliding around, moving but just going anywhere anytime.

And by all accounts of common sense and experience, this time of the year — the Thanksgiving season — is full of traditions. And I love them both — the season and the traditions.

Among the big ones for me is the gathering of my immediate family — my own and my two brothers and their extended relatives who can make it — at one place for Thanksgiving. That place for sometime has been my place deep in the heart of an area that’s still-rural Chatham.

Once upon a time, the place where we gathered was at my folks (“folks” means “parents” for the non-natives), but through the years as more and more children arrived, we moved the event from there to here because there’s a bigger yard free of lots of passing traffic. Thus, the little people could go out into the back yard so they could play, and we could hear and see them and we didn’t have to worry about a runaway semi hauling a load of hogs.

As our biological parents passed away and our other parents, Mother Nature and Father Time, took over and the children began to produce children of their own, that extra room was nice. Now it’s like breathing; we just all gather here and the more the merrier, as far as I’m concerned. Sometimes all the grandchildren and nieces and nephews can’t make it because of their own entangling alliances of in-laws and such, and sometimes my brothers and I aren’t together because of distance and the aforementioned parents Mother Nature and Father Time, but the day or days, current and remembered, still rank high at the top. This year we’ve counted somewhere around maybe two dozen folks coming, including friends and neighbors who are now counted as regulars.

There are other traditions within that larger one. For instance, I’ll eat too much and then spend part of the afternoon moaning about what a moron I am for eating too much. At some point after that, probably when the Lions are losing another Thanksgiving Day football game on the tube — itself a tradition until recently — I’ll stretch out on the couch and go to sleep.

Later on, we’ll all rouse from our slumber, at least those who are slumbering, to have another go at the table, maybe to toss horseshoes in the backyard, to break out the Rook cards, or to trail after the little folks. And soon — too soon — the day will be a memory.

Here and there over the rest of the Thanksgiving holiday, we’ll do different things. We’ll eat some more (surprise) and play some more and visit other relatives. Years ago, some of us played golf, but I quit when it got to where the ball wouldn’t stay still so I could hit it.

Today, most of the play centers on the horseshoes or a strong game of Rook that doesn’t involve too much moving around as we labor under 40 pounds of mashed potatoes and other stuff.

Traditions come and go through the years for practically everyone, and what makes up some for some folks would seem a bit out of the ordinary for others. One that works that way for me is the tradition I have of not saying the words “Merry Christmas” or listening to carols or shopping until Dec. 1. Call me a crusty old man or whatever, but I just can’t get into “Black Friday.”

One reason that’s such a big deal for me is that the Thanksgiving season itself is such a good one on its own. But today I’d bet more folks from a certain age down, including a passel of youngsters, know more about Target or Kohl’s than they do a Pilgrim. And the tragedy of that thinking, to me, is that there’s more focus on “let’s get more stuff” than there is on “let’s be grateful and thankful for the stuff we have,” not to mention that being thankful isn’t just about “stuff.”

Through the years, I have ranted and raved about the benefits of the American “Free Enterprise” system, and I’m not against merchants being in the black as they work and try to stay in business.

It’s just that, I think, we could use a bit more Thanksgiving in our thanksgiving. I hope you have some good ones of both.

Bob Wachs is a native of Chatham County and emeritus editor at Chatham News & Record. He serves as pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church.

BE IN TOUCH

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

A macular pucker conundrum

Following the fourteenthousandth test, my careful eye doc shared the diagnosis with me.

AH, YOU’RE ALREADY intrigued by the title. Good. Let’s dive in. First things, first, however. What’s this macular pucker thing?

Despite how it sounds, the term really isn’t obscene. (Disappointed?) Indulge me.

C’mon, just say macular pucker to yourself a few times. You see what I mean?

Moving on to the crux of my macular pucker tale.

I experienced a worrisome eye concern. The kind gods of Duke University Eye Center must have taken a serious shine to me when I called. Scored a next day (next day!!) appointment with my own ophthalmologist, who was actually booked out until April. I’m sending many, many thanks to the universe, in hopes that the person who canceled their appointment (and made room for me) is blessed with a surfeit of friendly hugs.

Once I arrived, I had, as good ophthalmologists are wont to do, test after test after test. Following the fourteen-thousandth test, my careful eye doc shared the diagnosis with me. I have a macular pucker.

Excuse me? A what?

A macular pucker. No, no, did I hear this correctly? Aging hearing and all that, but …

Noting my clear befuddlement, the ophthalmologist repeated for me, once again — macular pucker. A retina thing. Requires surgery. (Oh, boy?)

My quirky little mind, however, is still tussling with that term “macular pucker.” I just couldn’t help myself, I really couldn’t. One-more-time, yours truly repeated macular pucker, out loud, really, truly,

COLUMN | STEPHEN MOORE

wondering if it was finally time to visit an audiologist about hearing aids.

Probably reacting to the befuddlement on my face, the M.D. burst out laughing. I wasn’t in the least bit offended. Truly. Our exchange had sounded a bit like the famous, old, comedy routine, “Who’s on first” by Abbott and Costello. (For the comedically uninitiated, please see Wikipedia.)

It was my turn to burst out laughing. (To be more accurate, there was some mutual giggling going on.) Here I am, well actually, here we are, laughing at a crazy-sounding diagnosis, one that requires surgical intervention.

Believe it or not, I felt much lighter leaving, even with this new diagnosis. Life …

Needing a soon-to-be-arranged surgery hasn’t stopped me from having fun with the macular pucker moniker. The little kid who is still alive and kicking in me just loves watching people’s faces when I share my macular pucker diagnosis. “What?! A macular what?!” And then befuddlement reigns. I love it! Cheers me up immeasurably.

We’re fast approaching The Season. You know, the one with the bright lights and overeating? It seems very apropos to close my medical musing with a line from Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”:

“… that while there is infection in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.”

And to all, a good night…

Jan Hutton, a resident of Chatham County and retired hospice social worker, lives life with heart and humor.

Breaking up Google will be a great American catastrophe

Few, if any, companies spend more money on product innovation and refinement than Google does.

EARLIER THIS YEAR, in one of the most absurd court rulings in modern times, federal judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google violated U.S. antitrust law by gaining a monopoly in the search engine markets.

In the days or weeks ahead, the courts will decide whether to break up one of America’s most iconic companies or to sell off some of its activities and products. The latest reports are that the courts may require Google to sell off its popular Chrome browser. (To whom? China?) It may also require Google to surrender other products to help erase its market lead.

With a market cap of roughly $2 trillion, Google is one of the five most profitable companies in the world. It got there by offering a search engine service for free to hundreds of millions of customers. This may be the largest benefit to consumers of any company in world history. Yet the courts ruled that: “Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly.” It was found guilty of violating Section 2 of the Sherman Act. Yet the Sherman Act was meant to protect against companies that use their size and scope to raise prices. Google’s sin is that it produces superior products at prices that are too low. One statistic was cited as evidence of monopoly behavior: Back in 2009, Google controlled 80% of the search engine market, and today it is closer to 90%.

What was remarkable and dangerous about this decision is that the courts openly conceded that Google gained this dominant market share by making the best search engine, and that it is made easily available to almost all consumers at very low costs.

How weird is this? Keeping prices low and relentlessly improving product performance is illegal because it is unfair to a company’s competitors? This is doubly absurd given that we have the Biden administration accusing companies like grocery stores of raising their prices. So in America today, if you raise your prices, you are a greedy profiteer, and if you lower your prices, you’re a monopolist that has to pay restitution to your less efficient competitors.

The argument for breaking up Google gets even more nonsensical when you listen to the Biden administration’s cockeyed excuses for punishing Google. The Department of Justice’s chief antitrust officer says: “This landmark decision ... paves the path for innovation for generations to come and protects access to information for all Americans.”

This is a preposterous statement. Few, if any, companies spend more money on product innovation and refinement than Google does. And as far as “protecting access to information for all Americans,” no company in history has opened up more access to information than Google. No other company even comes close. It has brought the equivalent of the entire Library of Congress to the fingertips of everyone with a laptop computer in a matter of a few seconds. That’s not an antitrust violation. It is a miracle of

RICHARD DREW / AP PHOTO

The search results displayed when you Google for Google.

innovation that deserves our deepest appreciation.

Even worse, this lawsuit piggybacks off the hostile actions by America’s European and Chinese tech rivals, whose inferior search engines can’t compete with Google. As recourse, they want to loot tens of millions of American shareholders who invest in Google. Instead of defending an American company against foreign raiders, we have the U.S. Justice Department and federal courts giving aid to those hostile lawsuits and bolstering their legitimacy.

Can anyone imagine for a moment that a German or a Japanese or a Chinese court would be stupid enough to rule against their own domestic company that has come to dominate a globally strategic industry and has created tens of thousands of highpaying jobs for its citizens while making hundreds of billions of dollars for its own citizen shareholders? Only in America.

Many conservatives moan that Google has developed algorithms that discriminate against viewpoints and studies that have a right-leaning perspective. That’s definitely a problem, but there are many other search engines available, like Bing and DuckDuckGo, that consumers can use as alternatives to Google. We certainly don’t want the government or politicians like Sens. Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren regulating what can and can’t be accessed on a private search engine platform. Even worse would be handing more business over to Chinese browsers that will clearly serve up misinformation.

Several years ago, a landmark study by economists Erik Brynjolfsson of Stanford University and Avinash Collis of Carnegie Mellon University estimated that the median U.S. user values search engines at $17,500 per year. Today, that number is easily more than $20,000 of value added for the average person with a laptop computer or a smartphone — which is nearly all of us. This is the very definition of a gift horse to nearly all Americans. And our government and its throng of lawyers with goofy legal theories are risking killing it.

Stephen Moore is a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation. He is also an economic adviser to the Trump campaign.

COLUMN VICTOR JOECKS

Debunking the left’s deportation hysteria

ILLEGAL

IMMIGRATION

activists are already panicked that Donald Trump will keep one of his biggest campaign promises.

Trump recently announced that Tom Homan will be his “border czar.” Homan isn’t a household name, but he’s had a long career in government.

Homan was the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first term. He was also ICE’s executive associate director of enforcement and removal operations under President Barack Obama. Trump wants him to put those skills to use.

Illegal immigrant parents should be allowed and encouraged to take their children with them when they leave.

“Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise. During the campaign, Trump vowed to oversee “the largest deportation operation in the history of our country.”

Many voters welcomed this. The millions of illegal aliens who entered the country since President Joe Biden took office overwhelmed even self-declared “sanctuary” cities. In several highprofile cases, like the death of Laken Riley, officials believe illegal immigrants murdered Americans. A Venezuelan gang even took over an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado.

But the left’s fearmongering over Trump’s deportation plans has already begun. Their first objection is that it’s logistically impossible. It would be very difficult to identify and move 15 million illegal immigrants out of the country. But it’s also hard to solve every murder case. That doesn’t keep police from solving the ones they can.

In an August interview, now-Vice President-elect J.D. Vance endorsed this step-by-step approach. “Let’s start with 1 million” and “then we can go from there,” he said.

The next objection is that it will cost too much. There is an element of truth here. Enforcing laws is costly. But as blue cities learned the hard way, the “defund the police” alternative is far worse.

This concern ignores how expensive it is for state and local governments to provide services to illegal immigrants. In 2023, New York City officials estimated illegal immigrants cost the city $4 billion annually. For context, in 2023, NYPD’s annual budget was $5.8 billion.

Also, you should never take Democrats seriously when they object to spending government money. Just look at the trillions they doled out during Biden’s first term.

Another concern is that deporting illegals will hurt the economy. The theory is that deporting millions of illegal immigrants would shrink the supply of low-skilled workers. That would force companies to pay higher wages, which would raise prices.

It probably would for some products, but look at the why again. Illegal immigrants have artificially boosted the supply of people competing for entry-level jobs and working in manual labor industries like construction.

That’s lowered wages for low-skill workers. Boosting those wages would be a good thing, even if it raises prices for those higher up the income ladder. Plus, removing millions of illegal immigrants would lower housing prices.

Finally, there will be claims that it’s cruel. The propaganda press is eager to blame deportations for causing a “family separation” crisis. But deportations don’t need to include that. Illegal immigrant parents should be allowed and encouraged to take their children with them when they leave.

Also, the government routinely separates U.S. citizens who commit crimes from their children. The responsibility in both cases lies with the parents who broke the law.

There’s also a practical benefit to Trump talking up deportations and reinstituting things like his “Remain in Mexico” policy. It will decrease the amount of illegal immigration. If would-be illegal immigrants know they won’t be able to enter and stay in the country, fewer will even try to cross the border. Regardless of how deportations go, that would be a major victory.

Victor Joecks is a columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

obituaries

William “Bill” Derward Thomas

Nov. 1, 1941 – Oct. 23, 2024 (age 82)

Pittsboro High School Class of 1960

William “Bill” Derward Thomas, 82, 184 Pickle Shed Lane, passed away Wednesday, October 23, 2024 at Wake Medical Center surrounded by his family.

A visitation with the family will be held 6-8 PM, Monday, October 28 at CrumplerHoneycutt Funeral Home. Bill, born November 1, 1941 in Pittsboro, NC was the son of the late James Dewey Thomas and Gladys Burnette Thomas.

Bill was a beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. He enjoyed playing golf and serving our country in the Navy. He was the Human Resource Manager with the Samina Company. At the time of his death, he was employed with Allied Security at Smithfield Packing. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his daughter Joanne Lee and brother James Wayne Thomas. Survivors include: wife, Priscilla Yvonne Price Thomas; children, Leigh Amber Duong and her husband Tommy Duong and her children Lily and Tai Duong, William Darnell Pace and wife Donna Pace and his children Michelle Youhouse and Kimberly Henderson, Teresa Kirkman and husband Chris Kirkman; grandchildren, Alex Pergerson and friend Samantha North, Mandy Anderton and husband Derrick Anderton; great-grandchildren, Avery Anderton, Colby Anderton, Emanuel Henderson, Isaiah Henderson, Eddie Youhouse, Clayton Youhouse and Charlie Wagner; and sister-in-law Clarine Thomas.

JOE NATHAN MCKOY

NOV. 19, 2024

Mr. Joe Nathan McKoy, 77, of Bear Creek, North Carolina entered into eternal rest on Tuesday, November 19, 2024. Arrangements are entrusted to McLeod Funeral Home of Sanford, North Carolina.

NELL MCFARLAND FIELDS NOV. 20, 2024

Nell McFarland Fields, age 76 of Broadway, formerly of Laurinburg, NC, passed away on Wednesday (11/20/2024) at her home with her family by her side. She was born in Harnett County, daughter of the late Worth McFarland and Ethel McNeill McFarland. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother, Oscar McFarland and sister, Mary Ann McFarland Buchanan. Nell was raised in Broadway and lived over 40 years in Laurinburg before returning home, to the community where she was born. She was a member of Mount Pisgah Presbyterian Church, worked for 27 years at Charles Craft and retired from Scotland Memorial Hospital. During her time in Scotland County, she loved to attend football games at Scotland High School, cheering for the team, watching the marching band, and spending time with her friends. She enjoyed gardening with her husband, watching hummingbirds and cooking for her family and friends. Surviving is her husband of 57 years, Eddie Fields of the home; daughters, Tiffeny Rose Fields of Laurinburg, NC and Bethany Fields Alsobrook (Bill) of Broadway, NC; brother, Tim McFarland (Lynn) of Sanford, NC; granddaughter, Kimberley Alsobrook of Texas; special niece, Ethel Mae Zabel of Broadway, NC, and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Arthur Frommer, travel guide innovator, dead at 95

By Beth Harpaz The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Arthur Frommer, whose “Europe on 5 Dollars a Day” guidebooks revolutionized leisure travel by convincing average Americans to take budget vacations abroad, has died. He was 95.

Frommer died from complications of pneumonia, his daughter Pauline Frommer said Monday.

“My father opened up the world to so many people,” she said. “He believed deeply that travel could be an enlightening activity and one that did not require a big budget.”

Frommer began writing about travel while serving in the U.S. Army in Europe in the 1950s. When a guidebook he wrote for American soldiers overseas sold out, he launched what became one of the travel industry’s bestknown brands, self-publishing “Europe on 5 Dollars a Day” in 1957.

“It struck a chord and became an immediate best-seller,” he recalled in an interview with The Associated Press in 2007 on the 50th anniversary of the book’s debut.

The Frommer’s brand, led today by his daughter Pauline, remains one of the best-known names in the travel industry, with guidebooks to destinations around the world, an influential social media presence, podcasts and a radio show.

Frommer’s philosophy — stay in inns and budget hotels instead

of five-star hotels, sightsee on your own using public transportation, eat with locals in small cafes instead of fancy restaurants — changed the way Americans traveled in the mid- to late 20th century. He said budget travel was preferable to luxury travel “because it leads to a more authentic experience.” That message encouraged average people, not just the wealthy, to vacation abroad.

It didn’t hurt that his books hit the market as the rise of jet travel made getting to Europe easier than crossing the Atlantic by ship. The books became so popular that there was a time when you couldn’t visit a place like the Eiffel Tower without spotting Frommer’s guidebooks in the hands of every other American tourist.

Frommer’s advice also became so standard that it’s hard to remember how radical it seemed in the days before discount flights and backpacks. “It was really pioneering stuff,” Tony Wheeler, founder of the Lonely Planet guidebook company, said in an interview in 2013. Before Frommer, Wheeler said, you could find guidebooks “that would tell you everything about the church or the temple ruin. But the idea that you wanted to eat somewhere and find a hotel or get from A to B — well, I’ve got a huge amount of respect for Arthur.”

“Arthur did for travel what Consumer Reports did for everything else,” said Pat Carrier, for-

mer owner of The Globe Corner, a travel bookstore in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The final editions of Frommer’s groundbreaking series were titled “Europe from $95 a Day.” The concept no longer made sense when hotels could not be had for less than $100 a night, so the series was discontinued in 2007. But the Frommer publishing empire did not disappear, despite a series of sales that started when Frommer sold the guidebook company to Simon & Schuster. It was later acquired by Wiley Publishing, which in turn sold it to Google in 2012. Google quietly shut the guidebooks down, but Arthur Frommer — in a David vs. Goliath triumph — got his brand back from Google. In November 2013 with his daughter Pauline, he relaunched the print series with dozens of new guidebook titles.

“I never dreamed at my age I’d be working this hard,” he told the AP at the time, age 84.

Frommer also remained a well-known figure in 21st century travel, opinionated to the end of his career, speaking out on his blog and radio show. He hated mega-cruise ships and railed against travel websites where consumers put up their own reviews, saying they were too easily manipulated with phony postings. And he coined the phrase “Trump Slump” in a widely quoted column that predicted a slump in tourism to the U.S. after Donald Trump was elected president.

Arthur Frommer and his

daughter Pauline pose among tourists in the Wall Street area in New York in 2012.

SETH WENIG / AP PHOTO

Fred Harris, former US senator from Oklahoma and presidential hopeful, dead at 94

Sen. Fred R. Harris (D-Okla.), holds a copy of the report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders as he and two other members of the commission discuss the study on the television-radio program “Issues and Answers” in March 1968.

Chatham County Aging Services Weekly Activities Calendar

Monday, December 2

Pittsboro Center for Active Living

8:15 a.m. - Total Body Conditioning

10 a.m. - Strong & Fit; Natural Rock Dinosaur Craft Class

Noon - Reading Out Loud with Gaines

1 p.m. - Mahjong; Beginner Chess Club; Table Tennis

3 p.m. - Caregiver Support Group Siler City Center for Active Living

9 a.m. - Strong & Fit

10 a.m. - Cornhole; Low Vision Support Group

11:30 a.m. - Christmas at the Library Trip Tuesday, December 3 Pittsboro Center for Active Living

8:30 a.m. - QiGong

9 a.m. - 3G’s Men’s Group; Trip to Southern Supreme

10 a.m. - Woodcarvers; Cardio Drumming

10:30 a.m. - Gym Orientation

11 a.m. - December Birthday Celebration

1 p.m. - Rummikub

2 p.m. - Zumba Gold

3 p.m. - Healthy Lifestyles with Alan Siler City Center for Active Living

8 a.m. - Quilting and Sewing Time

9 a.m. - Cardio Drumming

10 a.m. - Chair Exercises

10:30 a.m. - Mental Health with MaryAnne

1 p.m. - Rook, Phase 10 & Rummikub

2 p.m. - Line Dancing

Wednesday, December 4 Pittsboro Center for Active Living

8:15 a.m. - Cardio & Lower Body Exercise

10 a.m. - Chair Yoga with Liz; Music Jam; Coffee & Games with Law Enforcement

11 a.m. - Marylou Mackintosh Farewell Party

1 p.m. - Leaving Your Legacy with Jessica Bryan; Table Tennis Siler City Center for Active Living

9 a.m. - Strong & Fit

10 a.m. - Bible Study

10:30 a.m. - Saving Claire Project

1 p.m. - Crafts; Dink The Halls Pickleball Tournament at Ramsey Gymnasium Thursday, December 5 Pittsboro Center for Active Living

8:30 a.m. - Balance & Stretch Mat Exercise

10 a.m.

8:15

11:30

He was chair of the DNC following the tumultuous Chicago convention in 1968

By Rio Yamat

The Associated Press

FRED HARRIS, a former U.S. senator from Oklahoma, presidential hopeful and populist who championed Democratic Party reforms in the turbulent 1960s, died Saturday. He was 94.

Harris’ wife, Margaret Elliston, confirmed his death to The Associated Press. It was not immediately clear where he died, but he had lived in New Mexico since 1976 and was a resident of Corrales at the time of his death.

“Fred Harris passed peacefully early this morning of natural causes. He was 94. He was a wonderful and beloved man. His memory is a blessing,” Elliston said in a text message.

Harris served eight years in the Senate, first winning in 1964 to fill a vacancy, and made unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 1976.

It fell to Harris, as chairman of the Democratic National Committee in 1969 and 1970, to help heal the party’s wounds from the tumultuous national convention in 1968 when protesters and police clashed in Chicago.

He ushered in rule changes that led to more women and minorities as convention delegates and in leadership positions.

“I think it’s worked wonderfully,” Harris recalled in 2004, when he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Boston. “It’s made the selection much more legitimate and democratic.”

“The Democratic Party was not democratic, and many of the delegations were pretty much boss-controlled or -dominated. And in the South, there was terrible discrimination against African Americans,” he said.

Harris ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1976, quitting after poor showings in early contests, including a fourth-place win in New Hampshire. The more moderate Jimmy Carter went on to win the presidency.

Harris moved to New Mexico that year and became a political science professor at the University of New Mexico. He wrote and edited more than a dozen books, mostly on politics and Congress. In 1999, he broadened his writings with a mystery set in Depression-era Oklahoma.

Throughout his political career, Harris was a leading liberal voice for civil rights and antipoverty programs to help minorities and the disadvantaged.

“Democrats everywhere will remember Fred for his unparalleled integrity and as a pioneer for instituting core progressive values of equity and opportunity for prosperity as core tenets of our party,” the Democratic Party of New Mexico said in a statement.

Along with his first wife, LaDonna, a Comanche, he also was active in Native American issues.

“I’ve always called myself a populist or progressive,” Harris said in a 1998 interview. “I’m against concentrated power. I don’t like the power of money in politics. I think we ought to have programs for the middle class and working class.”

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham praised his work for their shared state and the nation.

“In addition to being a highly accomplished politician and professor, he was a decent, honorable man who treated everyone with warmth, generosity, and good humor,” she said in a statement. “Sen. Harris was a lesson in leadership that public officials would be wise to emulate now and forever.”

Harris was a member of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, the so-called Kerner Commission, appointed by then-President Lyndon Johnson to investigate the urban riots of the late 1960s.

The commission’s groundbreaking report in 1968 declared, “our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white — separate and unequal.”

Thirty years later, Harris cowrote a report that concluded the commission’s “prophecy has come to pass.”

“The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer and minorities are suffering disproportionately,” said the report by Harris and Lynn A. Curtis, president of the Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation, which continued the work of the commission.

Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute said Harris rose to prominence in Congress as a “fiery populist.”

“That resonates with people ... the notion of the average person against the elite,” Ornstein said. “Fred Harris had a real ability to articulate those concerns, particularly of the downtrodden.”

In 1968, Harris served as co-chairman of the presidential campaign of then-Vice President Hubert Humphrey. He and others pressed Humphrey to use the convention to break with Johnson on the Vietnam War. But Humphrey waited to do so until late in the campaign, and he narrowly lost to Republican Richard Nixon.

“That was the worst year of my life, ’68. We had Dr. Martin Luther King killed. We had my Senate seatmate Robert Kennedy killed and then we had this terrible convention,” Harris said in 1996.

“I left the convention — because of the terrible disorders and the way they had been handled and the failure to adopt a new peace platform — really downhearted.”

After assuming the Democratic Party leadership post, Harris appointed commissions that recommended reforms in the procedures for selecting delegates and presidential nominees. While lauding the greater openness and diversity, he said there had been a side effect: “It’s much to the good. But the one result of it is that conventions today are ratifying conventions. So it’s hard to make them interesting.

“My own thought is they ought to be shortened to a couple of days. But they are still worth having, I think, as a way to adopt a platform, as a kind of pep rally, as a way to get people together in a kind of coalition-building.”

Harris was born Nov. 13, 1930, in a two-room farmhouse near Walters, in southwestern Oklahoma, about 15 miles from the Texas line. The home had no electricity, indoor toilet or running water.

At age 5 he was working on the farm and received 10 cents a day to drive a horse in circles to supply power for a hay bailer. He worked part time as a janitor and printer’s assistant to help for his education at University of Oklahoma. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1952, majoring in political science and history. He received a law degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1954, and then moved to Lawton to practice.

In 1956, he won election to the Oklahoma state Senate and served for eight years. In 1964, he launched his career in national politics in the race to replace Sen. Robert S. Kerr, who died in January 1963.

Harris won the Democratic nomination in a runoff election against J. Howard Edmondson, who left the governorship to fill Kerr’s vacancy until the next election. In the general election, Harris defeated an Oklahoma sports legend — Charles “Bud” Wilkinson, who had coached OU football for 17 years.

Harris won a six-year term in 1966 but left the Senate in 1972 when there were doubts that he, as a left-leaning Democrat, could win reelection.

Harris married his high school sweetheart, LaDonna Vita Crawford, in 1949, and had three children, Kathryn, Byron and Laura. After the couple divorced, Harris married Margaret Elliston in 1983.

BOB DAUGHERTY / AP PHOTO

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NOTICE

Chatham County Board of Commissioners adopted the Schedule of Values to be used in the 2025 Reappraisal of Real Property in Chatham County on November 18th. A copy is available for examination in the Office of the Tax Administrator, First Floor, Courthouse Annex, 12 East Street, Pittsboro, North Carolina 27312. Additional copies are also available at all Chatham County public library locations. The Schedule of Values are also available at www. chathamcountnc.gov.

A property owner who asserts that the Schedule of Values are invalid may file an appeal therefrom to the NC Property Tax Commission no later than December 20, 2024. For questions, contact the Chatham County Tax Office at (919) 542-2811.

NOTICE

ALL PERSONS, firms and corporations having claims against ELAINE DOLORES PERRY A/K/A Elaine Delores Perry, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before February 7, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the Decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This 7th day of November, 2024. Robert Perry, Executor, c/o Lawrence A. Moye, IV., Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP, 555 Fayetteville St., Ste. 1100, Raleigh, NC 27601.

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE COUNTY OF CHATHAM 18CVD000689-180 CHATHAM COUNTY C/O GREGORY A. HEAFNER NOTICE OF POSTPONEMENT EXECUTION SALE VS OF REAL PROPERTY

OCORO ENTERPRISES LLC

Under and by virtue of an execution directed in the above-captioned action to the undersigned Sheriff from the Clerk of Superior Court for Chatham County, North Carolina, issued 8/9/2024, in the amount of $93,923.93, with the amount to be collected as $98,693.85 received in the county of Chatham on 9/5/2024. I will be, on the 2nd day of December 2024, at 10:00 A.M., at the Chatham County Justice Center at 40 East Chatham St, Pittsboro, NC 27312, and offer for sale to the highest bidder for cash all rights, title or interest which Defendant Ocoro Enterprises LLC now or anytime at or after docketing of Plaintiff’s judgement in Chatham County had in below listed property, in satisfaction of the execution. This sale was postponed due to no bidders being at the first sale on October 28, 2024. The real property being sold is more particularly described as follows: Being all that parcel 2A, containing 6.518 acres, more or less, shown on plat entitled “Lands of Robert A. Smith and Peggy H. Smith”, dated July 31, 2015, preparing by Infinite Land Design, P.C., Land Surveying, Land Planning, Mapping, recorded August 12, 2015, in Plat Slide 2015-149, Chatham County Registry, reference to which plat is made for a more particular description. Chatham County Tax Parcel #0090745 This sale shall be made subject to all prior recorded or perfected Liens, Mortgages, and Encumbrances that have attached to or been levied on the property prior to the date of levy or docketing of the judgement of this Execution under which this sale is being held. This, the 5th day of November 2024.

MIKE ROBERSON Sheriff of Chatham County _____A. Ellington________ DEPUTY SHERIFF

NOTICE

ALL PERSONS, firms and corporations having claims against James Ross Macdonald, III, deceased, of Chapel Hill, Chatham County, North Carolina, are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before February 28, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the Decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This 28th day of November, 2024. James Ross Macdonald, IV, Executor, c/o Elizabeth K. Arias, Esq., Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP, 555 Fayetteville Street, Suite 1100, Raleigh, NC 27601.

24SP001121-180

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

NORTH CAROLINA, CHATHAM COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Shane W. Scott and Regan Scott to The Law Firm of Hutchens, Senter & Britton, PA, Trustee(s), which was dated July 2, 2018 and recorded on July 11, 2018 in Book 01997 at Page 0780, Chatham County Registry, North Carolina.

Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on December 2, 2024 at 01:00 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Chatham County,

LAWSUIT from page A1

he enjoyed transgender pornography. The report also says he preferred Adolf Hitler to then-President Barack Obama and slammed the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as “worse than a maggot.” Robinson, who was seeking to become the state’s first black governor, said he didn’t write those posts and sued in October, just before early in-person voting was to begin. While filing a dismissal motion Thursday in Raleigh federal court, attorneys for CNN said Robinson’s arguments suggesting he was the likely victim of a computer hacking operation that created fake messages would require a series of events that is not just “implausible, it is ridiculous.” Generally speaking, a public official claiming defama -

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS

CHATHAM COUNTY

HAVING QUALIFIED as Executor of the Estate of Mary Jane Farmer, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 27th day of February, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 20th day of November, 2024. Patricia F. Andrews, Executor of the Estate of Mary Jane Farmer 418 Pine Lake Drive Siler City, North Carolina 27344 MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE ATTORNEYS AT LAW BOX 629 SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850 4tp

NOTICE

ALL PERSONS, firms and corporations holding claims against Gregory E. Masterson, deceased, of Chatham County, NC are notified to exhibit same to the undersigned on or before March 3, 2024, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This 28th day of November 2024. Mark O. Costley, Exec., c/o Clarity Legal Group, PO Box 2207, Chapel Hill, NC 27515.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The undersigned, having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Nancy Saunders Gabriel, Deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate to exhibit them to the undersigned at the offices of Tillman, Whichard & Cagle, PLLC, 501 Eastowne Drive, Suite 130, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, on or before the 7th day of February, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment. This 7th day of November, 2024.

KATHERINE C. GABRIEL, EXECUTOR ESTATE OF NANCY SAUNDERS GABRIEL

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

ALL PERSONS, firms and corporations having claims against MILTON B. MCCOLLOUGH, deceased, of Chatham County, are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before, February 28, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery.

All persons indebted to the Estate will please make immediate payment. This 28th day of November, 2024.

KAREN KAY MCCOLLOUGH, EXECUTRIX

ESTATE OF MILTON B. MCCOLLOUGH c/o Tillman, Whichard & Cagle, PLLC 501 Eastowne Drive, Suite 130 Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Notice to Creditors

ESTATE OF JOEL THURM FILE NO. 24 E 001320-180

All persons, firms and corporations having claims against Joel Thurm, deceased, of Chatham County, N. C., are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before February 13, 2024 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make payment. This the 14th day of November 2024. Stacy Thurm and Audrey Thurm, Co-Executors, C/O Brown Estate Planning & Elder Law, P. O. Box 920, Graham, NC 27253. November 14, 21, 28, December 5, 2024.

North Carolina, to wit: The land hereinafter referred to is situated in the City of Chapel Hill, County of Chatham, State of NC, and is described as follows:

Being all of Lot 125, The Legacy at Jordan Lake, Phase 2 as shown on maps recorded in Plat Slide 2013, Pages 193194, Chatham County Registry.

Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.

Said property is commonly known as 1046 Covered Bridge Trail, Chapel Hill, NC 27517.

A Certified Check ONLY (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing.

THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED.

Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for

tion must show a defendant knew a statement it made was false or did so with reckless disregard for the truth.

“Robinson did not and cannot plausibly allege facts that show that CNN published the Article with actual malice,” attorney Mark Nebrig wrote in a memo backing the dismissal motion, adding that the lawsuit “does not include a single allegation demonstrating that CNN doubted the veracity of its reporting.”

For Robinson, who already had a history of inflammatory comments about topics like abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, the CNN story nearly led to the collapse of his campaign. After the report’s airing, most of his top campaign staff quit, advertising from the Republican Governors Association stopped and fellow Republicans distanced themselves

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#24E001575-180

The undersigned, MURAT DIRLIK, having qualified on the 23RD day of OCTOBER, 2024, as EXECUTOR of the Estate of KIRA RUTH DIRLIK, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 19TH Day of FEBRUARY 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 21ST Day of NOVEMBER 2024.

MURAT DIRLIK, EXECUTOR 250 HAMAMELIS LANE

PITTSBORO, NC 27312

Run dates: N21,28,D5,12p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#24E001607-180

The undersigned, ROBYN RHYNE, having qualified on the 8TH day of NOVEMBER 2024, as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of JOYCE BARGER, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 19TH Day of FEBRUARY 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 21ST Day of NOVEMBER 2024. ROBYN RHYNE, ADMINISTRATOR 2150 HADLEY MILL RD.

PITTSBORO, NC 27312 Run dates: N21,28,D5,12p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#24E001627-180

The undersigned, CHARITY ALSTON, having qualified on the 19TH Day of NOVEMBER, 2024, as EXECUTOR of the Estate of HAZEL MAE ALSTON, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 26TH Day of FEBRUARY 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 28TH Day of NOVEMBER 2024.

CHARITY ALSTON, EXECUTOR PO BOX 1312 PITTSBORO, NC 27312 Run dates: N28,D5,12,19p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#24E001612-180

The undersigned, NICHOLAS B. DARK, JR., having qualified on the 13TH day of NOVEMBER, 2024, as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of LALA DEANE DARK, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 19TH Day of FEBRUARY 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 21ST Day of NOVEMBER 2024. NICHOLAS B. DARK, JR., ADMINISTRATOR 1413 QUEENSBOROUGH DR. CARMEL, IN 46033 Run dates: N21,28,D5,12p

sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the sale, for purposes of inspection and/or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are Shane W Scott and spouse, Regan Scott.

An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice

from him, including Donald Trump.

Robinson lost to Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein by nearly 15 points and will leave office at year-end.

Robinson’s lawsuit was initially filed in state court. It says, in part, that CNN chose to run its report based on data from the website NudeAfrica, which had been hacked several years ago and ran on vulnerable, outdated software. His suit claims the network did nothing to verify the posts. He’s seeking monetary damages.

Thursday’s memo highlights the network’s story, including a section where the CNN journalists showed how they connected Robinson to a username on the NudeAfrica site.

As the CNN story said previously, the memo says the net -

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#24E001285-180

The undersigned, EARL D. GLOVER, having qualified on the 18TH day of OCTOBER 2024, as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of MAE GLOVER, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 12TH Day of FEBRUARY 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 14TH Day of NOVEMBER 2024. EARL D. GLOVER, ADMINISTRATOR 400 SKY BRIDGE DR. #307 UPPER MARLBORO, MD 20774 Run dates: N14,21,28,D5p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#24E001564-180 The undersigned, DONNA WOOLARD, having qualified on the 30TH day of OCTOBER 2024, as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of OBARR LANE WOOLARD, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 5TH Day of FEBRUARY 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 7TH Day of NOVEMBER 2024. DONNA WOOLARD, ADMINISTRATOR 3030 NC 42 HWY GOLDSTON, NC 27252 Run dates: N7,14,21,28p

NOTICE

that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b)(2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

Pursuant to NCGS §45-21.25A, this sale may be subject to remote bids placed by bidders not physically present at the place of sale, which may be accepted by the person conducting the sale, or their agent”.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe 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.

work matched details of the account on the message board to other online accounts held by Robinson by comparing usernames, an email address and his full name. The details discussed by the account holder matched Robinson’s length of marriage, where he lived at the time, and that both Robinson and the account holder had mothers who worked at a historically black university, the memo says. CNN also said it found matches of figures of speech used by both the NudeAfrica account holder and in Robinson’s social media posts.

“This is hardly a case where, as Robinson alleges, CNN ‘disregarded or deliberately avoided the truth’ rather than investigate,” Nebrig said, adding later that the network “had no reason to seriously doubt that Robinson

Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 File No.: 23-03290-FC01

was the author” of the posts.

The lawsuit says anyone could have used Robinson’s breached data to create accounts on the internet.

His state lawsuit also sued Louis Love Money, a former porn shop worker who alleged in a music video and a media interview that for several years starting in the 1990s, Robinson frequented a porn shop where Money was working and that Robinson purchased porn videos from him. Robinson said that was untrue.

Money filed his own dismissal motion in the state lawsuit. But since then, CNN moved the lawsuit to federal court, saying that it’s the proper venue for a North Carolina resident like Robinson and a Georgia-based company like CNN, and that the claims against Money are unrelated.

tal protection laws by side stepping consultations with tribes, limiting input from state archaeologists and systematically suppressing scientific data.

In a letter shared with The Associated Press, Ashcraft sent his concerns to top officials in the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Interior Department, White House Council on Native American Affairs and National Congress of American Indians. He described an escalating pattern of illegal, unethical and irresponsible behavior by forest managers in North Carolina that stands in sharp contrast to the historic strides the Biden administration has made nationally to include Indigenous expertise when making decisions about public land management.

Although the case focuses on a single state, Ashcraft said it highlights a bigger problem — that there are no guardrails to keep the Forest Service from using outdated modeling and skirting requirements to consult with tribes before moving ahead with projects.

“It’s seems that project completion, feathers in caps and good performance evaluations have outweighed the protection of cultural resources,” Ashcraft told the AP in an interview.

The letter is the latest salvo in a federal whistleblower case that began when Ashcraft filed a lengthy disclosure with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s inspector general in 2023. That office turned the case back to the Forest Service, where regional officials declared that legal requirements had been met.

The whistleblower disclosure gained the attention of preservation experts and other researchers as hostility by forest managers mounted against Ashcraft, the heritage resources program manager for the Pisgah National Forest.

Emails and other documents reviewed by the AP show many of Ashcraft’s duties were reassigned to other employees and he was prohibited from communicating with tribes.

Regional forest officials have not directly addressed allegations of retaliation against Ashcraft, but they have doubled down on promises to work with the dozen tribes that have ancestral connections to the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests.

Nationally, the Biden administration has moved toward recognizing the connection Native Americans have to their homelands through the publication of action plans and guidance for dealing with sacred sites. In 2022, President Joe Biden issued a memo aimed at setting minimum standards for how agencies should carry out consultations with tribes.

It appears that system broke down in North Carolina, said Valerie Grussing, the executive director of the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers. The group has been in discussions with tribes and top forest officials about violations there.

“What’s happened at the forest unit and the regional level is egregious. It’s unconscionable,” she said. “It’s not just a breaking of the federal trust responsibility but of established relationships.”

James Melonas, supervisor of the four forests in North Carolina, said in a statement that an independent group of experts was tapped last year to review several projects to ensure compliance with federal laws and tribal consultation obligations after “an internal concern” was raised.

The experts recommended more training for employees on the requirements of the National Historic Preservation Act and a full review of the forest heritage program. Regional forest officials said that internal review was done in May, confirming that obligations were met.

“Honoring this rich tribal heritage along with co-stewardship of these lands with tribal nations is a top priority for the Forest Service,” Melonas said.

Some tribal officials say the Forest Service did not reach out to them when conducting the reviews.

Ashcraft’s attorneys have partnered with the legal nonprofit Whistleblower Aid. They contend

that Ashcraft has put his career on the line to bring attention to what they described as the “willful destruction of Native American heritage sites.” Andrew Bakaj, chief legal counsel for Whistleblower Aid, said virtually none of the key stakeholders with knowledge of the violations were interviewed as part of the agency’s review and the report has been kept out of the public eye.

The concerns raised by the whistleblower are not the first time the Forest Service has been accused of not following procedures. Documents obtained by the AP in 2016 revealed that portions of the Trail of Tears were ripped up in eastern Tennessee when an employee approved the construction of berms and trenches without authorization.

The Forest Service later apologized to the Cherokee Nation and other tribes.

Ashcraft has surveyed vast tracts of forest over his 31-year career. Without further inves-

Experts don’t expect big revelations if Trump declassifies final JFK files

It is believed only a few thousand documents remain sealed

By Jamie Stengle

The Associated Press

DALLAS — More than 60 years after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, conspiracy theories still swirl and any new glimpse into the fateful day of Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas continues to fascinate.

President-elect Donald Trump promised during his reelection campaign that he would declassify all of the remaining government records surrounding the assassination if he returned to office. He made a similar pledge during his first term but ultimately bent to appeals from the CIA and FBI to keep some documents withheld. At this point, only a few thou-

sand of the millions of governmental records related to the assassination have yet to be fully released, and those who have studied the records released so far say that even if the remaining files are declassified, the public shouldn’t anticipate any earth-shattering revelations.

“Anybody waiting for a smoking gun that’s going to turn this case upside down will be sorely disappointed,” said Gerald Posner, author of “Case Closed,” which concludes that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.

When Air Force One carrying Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy touched down in Dallas, they were greeted by a clear sky and enthusiastic crowds. With a reelection campaign on the horizon the next year, they had gone to Texas on a political fence-mending trip.

But as the motorcade was finishing its parade route downtown, shots rang out from the

Texas School Book Depository building. Police arrested 24-year-old Oswald, and two days later, nightclub owner Jack Ruby fatally shot Oswald during a jail transfer. A year after the assassination, the Warren Commission, which President Lyndon B. Johnson established to investigate the assassination, concluded that Oswald acted alone and there was no evidence of a conspiracy. But that hasn’t quelled a web of alternative theories over the decades. In the early 1990s, the federal government mandated that all assassination-related documents be housed in a single collection in the National Archives and Records Administration. The collection of more than 5 million records was required to be opened by 2017, barring any exemptions designated by the president. Trump, who took office for

tigation of steep slopes, he said the extent of the damage done in western North Carolina as a result of managers relying on outdated modeling can’t be fully known.

The whistleblower disclosure provides examples in which forest managers have allegedly tried to obstruct further archaeological investigations on steep slopes. It states that recreational trail projects — including a multimillion-dollar effort to expand hiking and biking networks east of Asheville — have already been built over some areas and that prescribed burns have been implemented despite the need for more assessments and tribal consultation.

“These actions are irreparably damaging or destroying an untold sum of Native American cultural and archeological sites including some of great significance. This conduct continues to this day,” Ashcraft warned in his letter.

The intent isn’t to stop work on forest lands, Ashcraft said, but rather to document sites before they’re altered or reroute work in cases where areas are more sensitive and need protection.

The Center for the Investigation of Native and Ancient Quarries has worked with Ashcraft and other scientists to uncover dozens of sites — many of which have a “surprising density” of Native American cultural materials and evidence of land use dating back thousands of years.

Within the scar of the Seniard Creek Fire south of Asheville, they turned up stone axes and other tools used for digging at quartz and soapstone quarries — all examples of what researchers described as engineering feats by sophisticated societies that called this region home about 6,000 years ago.

his first term in 2017, had boasted that he’d allow the release of all the remaining records but ended up holding some back because of what he called the potential harm to national security. And while files have continued to be released during President Joe Biden’s administration, some remain unseen. The documents released over the last few years offer details on the way intelligence services operated at the time and include CIA cables and memos discussing visits by Oswald to the Soviet and Cuban embassies during a trip to Mexico City just weeks before the assassination. The former Marine had previously defected to the Soviet Union before returning home to Texas.

Mark S. Zaid, a national security attorney in Washington, said what’s been released so far has contributed to the understanding of the time period, giving “a great picture” of what was happening during the Cold War and the activities of the CIA.

Posner estimates that there are still about 3,000 to 4,000 documents in the collection that haven’t yet been fully released. Of those documents, some are still completely redacted, while

“Here we are at higher elevations and steeper slopes with an absolutely magnificent resource eroding downslope,” said Philip LaPorta, executive director of the center and adjunct senior research scientist at Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory.

LaPorta said discoveries like the one near Asheville should make people think differently about how Indigenous people used steep landscapes. The whistleblower disclosure was shared with the Cherokee Nation, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Catawba Indian Nation, the Muscogee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee were hopeful about having more meaningful and frequent consultations with forest managers after the agency adopted a revised plan for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests in 2023. However, a specialist with the tribe said not much has changed.

In his letter, Ashcraft wrote that the identification and preservation of Native American heritage sites goes beyond a single agency, tribe or whistleblower.

“It concerns all of us,” he wrote. “Protection of these resources is a duty shared by actors across state and federal government, sovereign tribes as well as civil society. When one fails — spectacularly and in bad faith — it is up to the rest to step in.”

For Native Americans, Grussing said it goes beyond the artifacts found in a particular spot. It’s an intangible energy that comes from being connected to a place.

“That’s what is at stake,” she said. “These are irreplaceable cultural resources and places. They’re nonrenewable.”

others just have small redactions, like someone’s Social Security number.

“If you have been following it, as I have and others have, you sort of are zeroed in on the pages you think might provide some additional information for history,” Posner said. There are about 500 documents that have been completely withheld, Posner said, and those include Oswald’s and Ruby’s tax returns. Those files, the National Archives says on its website, weren’t subject to the 2017 disclosure requirement.

Trump’s transition team hasn’t responded to questions this week about his plans when he takes office.

Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said his interest in the assassination dates back to the event itself when he was a child.

“It just seemed so fantastical that one very disturbed individual could end up pulling off the crime of the century,” Sabato said. “But the more I studied it, the more I realized that is a very possible, maybe even probable in my view.”

PHILIP LAPORTA VIA AP

Scott Ashcraft, an archaeologist and heritage resources program manager for the Pisgah National Forest, examines a quartz vein at a prehistoric quarry near Asheville.

SCOTT ASHCRAFT VIA AP

Cultural artifacts were found during survey work in the Pisgah National Forest near Celo.

CHATHAM SPORTS

Chatham Central High School’s first girls’ wrestling team poses for a team photo before their first dual meet, which they won.

Chatham County schools field first girls’ wrestling teams this

Chatham Central’s team includes five senior cheerleaders

By Asheebo Rojas

Chatham News & Record

GIRLS’ WRESTLERS made history around Chatham County last week.

Chatham Central had a girls’ wrestling team compete for the first time in school history, and it

Shaylah and Mikaylah Glover combined for 28 points in the win

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

PITTSBORO — The Glover twins were double trouble in the Northwood girls’ basketball team’s 61-33 season-opening win over Williams Thursday.

Junior forward Mikaylah Glover led the Chargers in scoring with 16 points and notched a double-double with 12 rebounds. Her sister, junior forward Shaylah Glover, also recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

“They definitely stepped it up

won its first dual against Bartlett Yancey on Nov. 20, 25-24. However, none of the girls actually wrestled anyone. Chatham Central’s team of six wrestlers and Bartlett Yancey’s team of four only had one matching weight class for the 100-pound match, but Aspen Phillips, the Bears’ 100-pound wrestler, was out sick. As a result, every match ended in a forfeit, tying the dual at 24 points apiece. Because of the rare circumstances, the tie

was broken by a disc flip that went in favor of Chatham Central for the extra point.

But even with the lack of action in the first try at a girls’ wrestling dual, the process of forming the new team at a storied wrestling program has been “fun” for coach Stephen Silhan.

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association sanctioned girls’ wrestling as a championship sport in 2022, setting up the first sanctioned girls’

season opener

tonight,” Northwood coach Kerri Stubbs said. “They were unselfish, looking for each other, guards were able to feed our posts in transition multiple times, and they were confident, which was really great to see.”

The Glover twins established their dominance in the paint early by controlling the boards for multiple put backs and running the floor in transition.

Layups were their bread and butter, but Shaylah stepped out for a long mid-range buzzer-beater that gave Northwood a 25-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.

As big as a role the post players played in the win, the game was still high-paced thanks to senior point guard Natalia

Whitaker pushing the pedal.

Whitaker scored the first four points of the game with her speed, taking the opening tip behind Williams’ defenders for an immediate layup and then taking a stolen pass for a breakaway layup shortly after. She finished the night as the Chargers’ third double-digit scorer with 10 points and six steals.

“Natalia did a great job of getting us in transition, getting people in the right places,” Stubbs said. “She’s been really good at just being the point guard, being a true point guard. I think it kind from started with that energy from the tip.”

Other players, especial-

season

individual regionals and state titles for the 2023-24 season.

“I tried to get some girls to wrestle last year,” Silhan said.

“My selling point this year was that not only will they have the individual, but they’re going to do a team championship. I recruited based off of, ‘Hey, you’ll get to be the first Chatham Central girls’ wrestling team.’” Silhan started with two girls who were on board from the beginning, sophomore Mada-

lyn Holton, who also plays softball, and Aspen Phillips, who is a cheerleader. They began recruiting other girls to join the team, ending up with a six-person roster, including five senior cheerleaders.

Holton, the younger sister of Aidan Holton who was the senior heavyweight for the Bears’ boys’ wrestling team last year, has wrestling experience from

/ X Seaforth’s Declan Lindquist (1) and Campbell Meador (2) discuss strategy with coach John Berry during the Hawks’ loss to Carrboro.

Seaforth boys’ comeback comes up short against Carrboro

The Hawks’ multiple efforts fell short at the final buzzer

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

CARRBORO — Down two points with six minutes remaining in a tightly contested fourth quarter, Seaforth’s Nate Emerson potential game-winning three pointer missed the mark, and the Hawks fell short in their season-opener at Carrboro, 65-63. Seaforth trailed 64-60 with just under a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, and junior guard Campbell Meador drained a 3 to bring the Hawks

within one. Carrboro forward Joe Smith got fouled after corralling the rebound on Seaforth’s next possession, making the first one before a timeout.

“The big thing was we knew he can either make one, he can make two or he can miss both, and we had a contingent plan for all,” Seaforth coach John Berry said. “What ended up happening was he ended up making the first one and missed the second, so we went down by two. So the goal was to get the ball, push it, advance it, whoever’s open go ahead and take the shot.” Senior guard Noah Lewis’ outlet pass following the free throw miss was deflected, and

The Northwood girls’ basketball team lines up before its season opener against Williams.

Seasons start for Chatham County’s Mid-Carolina 1A/2A basketball teams

Albright goes for 40 points in the Bears’ season opener

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

CHATHAM Central opened its season Thursday with an 81-36 win over South Davidson behind a career-high 40 points from senior guard Reid Albright. Seniors Luke Gaines and Brennen Oldham were the Bears’ two other double-digit scorers with 14 and 12 points, respectively.

Chatham Charter got back in the win column on Nov. 19 with a 64-45 win over Wheatmore. Senior forward Brennan LaVelle recorded his second double-double of the season with team-highs of 24 points (75% from the floor) and 15 rebounds, and junior guard Gabe McKoy poured in 11 points on 60% shooting.

Woods Charter fell to Eno River Academy 71-65 on Nov. 19, losing its second game by less than a 10-point margin in a row. The Wolves led 35-24 at halftime, but they were outscored 47-30 in the second half. Sophomore guard Alden Phelps posted team-highs of 22 points and eight rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to surmount a 23-point, 13-rebound double-double from 6-foot-6 Eno River forward Cole Creedle.

Jordan-Matthews lost its season opener against Trinity on Nov. 18, 63-55.

Chatham County boys’ basketball power rankings (week of Nov. 18): 1. Northwood; 2. Chatham Central; 3. Chatham Charter; 4. Seaforth; 5. Jordan-Matthews; 6. Woods Charter Mid-Carolina 1A/2A confer-

ence standings (as of Nov. 21) (overall, conference): 1. Chatham Central (1-0, 0-1); 2. Bartlett Yancey (1-0, 0-0); 3. Graham (1-0, 0-0); 4. Jordan-Matthews (0-1, 0-0); 5. Cummings (0-0, 0-0); 6. North Moore (0-0, 0-0); 7. Northwood (0-0, 0-0); 8. Seaforth (0-0, 0-0); 9. Southeast Alamance (0-0, 0-0) Central Tar Heel 1A conference standings (as of Nov. 21): 1. Southern Wake Academy (4 - 0, 0-0); 2. Chatham Charter (4-1, 0-0); 3. Clover Garden School (0-1, 0-0); 4. Woods Charter (0-2, 0-0); 5. River Mill (0-3, 0-0); 6. Triangle Math and Science (0-5, 0-0); 7. Ascend Leadership (0-0, 0-0)

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Seaforth lost its season opener against Apex Friendship on Nov. 19, 58-56. Apex Friendship senior Jasmine Nivar poured in 33 points, seven rebounds and four assists to lift the Patriots over the Hawks.

Chatham Central won its sea-

son opener over South Davidson on Thursday, 47-21. Senior forward Karaleigh Dodson led the team with a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double, including seven offensive rebounds.

Chatham Charter fell to Wheatmore 73-22 on Nov. 19. With that defeat, the Knights have lost more than one game by more than 40 points for the first time since the 2017-18 season.

Jordan-Matthews lost a nail-biter in its season opener against Trinity, 34-32 on Nov. 18. Sophomore forward Jada Scott led both teams in scoring and rebounding with a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double, yet the Jets shot just 17% from the floor as a team.

Woods Charter lost to Eno River Academy on Nov. 19, 37-25. Chatham County’s girls’ basketball power rankings (week of Nov. 18): 1. Seaforth; 2. Northwood; 3. Chatham Central; 4. Chatham Charter; 5. Jordan-Matthews; 6. Woods Charter Mid-Carolina 1A/2A confer-

ence standings (as of Nov. 21): 1. Chatham Central (1-0, 0-0); 2. Northwood (1-0, 0-0); 3. Jordan-Matthews (0-1, 0-0); 4. Graham (0-1, 0-0); 5. Seaforth (0-1, 0-0); 6. Bartlett Yancey (0-2, 0-0); 7. Cummings (0 - 0, 0-0); 8. North Moore (0 - 0, 0-0); 9. Southeast Alamance (0-0, 0-0) Central Tar Heel 1A conference standings (as of Nov. 21): 1. Clover Garden School (1-0, 0-0); 2. Chatham Charter (2-3, 0-0); 3. Southern Wake Academy (1-2, 0-0); 4. Triangle Math and Science (1-4, 0-0); 5. Woods Charter (0-2, 0-0); 6. Ascend Leadership (0-2, 0-0); 7. River Mill (0-3, 0-0)

WRESTLING

Boys

Northwood picked up a 48-25 home win over Eastern Alamance on Nov. 19. The Chargers pinned eight opponents, including a 23-second fall by Aldo Peluso over Eastern Alamance’s Braxton Ballard in the 132-pound match.

Chatham Central won both of its matchups at its home meet on Nov. 20, beating Bartlett Yancey 45-36 and Central Carolina Academy 48-35.

Jordan-Matthews lost to Apex Friendship 60-24 and Montgomery Central 65-18 at its home meet on Nov. 20.

Girls

Chatham Central won its first-ever girls’ dual matchup over Bartlett Yancey 25-24 at its home meet on Nov. 20.

Jordan-Matthews lost its first girls’ dual matches to Apex Friendship 30-6 and Montgomery Central 18-12.

INDOOR TRACK

Jordan-Matthews competed in the first Cummings Polar Bear meet of the season on Nov. 19. Nyla Miller finished top-10 in both the girls’ 500-meter dash (1 minute, 42.91 seconds; 10th place) and the girls’ 1,000-meter run (4:35.20, eighth place). Other top-10 individual finishers included Athena Dispennette (eighth in the girls’ 300-meter dash, 47.36 seconds), Alex Morgan (10th in the boys’ 55-meter dash, 7.28 seconds), Aiden Laysath (seventh in boys’ 300-meter dash (41.68 seconds) and sixth in boys’ 500-meter dash (1:19.07), Marvin Herrera (sixth in boys 1,000-meter run, 3:24.62), Kevin Ochoa (10th in boys’ 1,000-meter run, 3:33.02), and Yadiel Zaya finished first in the boys’ 55-meter hurdles in a two-person race (9.25 seconds).

SWIMMING

Chatham County’s top individual event performers from the Southeast Alamance, Northwood, Chatham Central and Seaforth meet on Nov. 20: Boys: Jesse Sikes (Northwood, first in 200-yard freestyle (2 minutes, 10.48 seconds), first in 100-yard breaststroke (1:14.78); Benjamin Lajoie (Seaforth, first in 200-yard individual medley (2:11.45), first in 100-yard butterfly (51.26); Jesse Eskelund (Chatham Central, first in 50-yard freestyle (23.09); Evan Hepburn (Seaforth, first in 100-yard freestyle (50.50) Girls: Holly Thesing (Northwood, first in 200-yard freestyle (2:14.79), first in 500yard freestyle (5:54.40); Abigail Emrich (Northwood, first in 200-yard individual medley (2:20.65), first in 100-yard butterfly (1:01.87); Eva Wahieb (Seaforth, first in 50-yard freestyle (27.53); Alexandra Smith (Seaforth, first in 100 -yard freestyle (1:12.06); Juliette Haire (Seaforth, first in 100yard backstroke (1:18.44); Sydney Haire (Seaforth, first in 100-yard backstroke (1:23.20)

competing and even winning a state title with Silhan in her rec days. Phillips has experience from being around the sport and participating in wrestling practices as a child. But since it’s been a while since they last wrestled, even those two will still have a lot to learn as the rest of the team takes on wrestling for the first time.

The girls have shown significant enthusiasm in taking on the challenge, even as far as requesting extra practices, and the boys have “bought in” to teaching them the sport as well.

Silhan even feels that some of his girls wouldn’t mind wrestling against boys in real matches once they get more practice.

“The girls were like, ‘God, why didn’t we do this before?’” Silhan said.

In addition to Holton and Phillips, Chatham Central’s girls’ roster includes Amani Carter (114 pounds), Caleigh Warf (120), Jayla Clark (145), and Payton Pickett (185). Down the road at Jordan-Matthews, the Jets’ two girls wrestlers Alexandria Zumano (132) and Ruth Interiano (165) competed as the first girls’ wrestling team in school history on Nov. 20.

Interiano took part in the first-ever girls’ wrestling team match for Jordan-Matthews, losing to Apex Friendship’s Praise Abiahu by fall. Zumano won over her Montgomery Central opponent by technical fall, earning the first win for the Jets’ girls’ team. As a team, the Jets lost to Apex Friendship 306, and they lost to Montgomery Central 18-12 (multiple forfeits in both duals).

At Seaforth, five other girls’ wrestlers joined the seasoned Keira Rosenmarkle to form the Hawks’ first girls’ team. Their roster includes Sarah Tanner (120), Caroline Cook (138), Elise Warner (145), Thaialyn Horton (150) and Lilliana Messier (185). Northwood has two girls’ wrestlers this season, Gabriella Freeman (132) and Marelyn Martinez (138). WRESTLING from page B1

PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Jada Scott (2) puts up a shot during Jordan-Matthews’ season opener. The Jets lost to Trinity, but Scott had a double-double.

County athletes earn volleyball All-State, Central Tar Heel 1A fall All-Conference honors

Sheridan and Banbrook

earned All-State, All-Region and All-Conference honors

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

POSTSEASON HONORS are rolling in after the high school fall sports season.

The North Carolina Volleyball Coaches Association released its All-State teams on Nov. 11, and it released its All-Region team on Oct. 28. All-State and All-Region honors went to eight Chatham County volleyball players across three different teams.

The Central Tar Heel 1A conference also released its All-Conference lists for the fall sports season. Chatham Charter and Woods Charter were well represented in the lists, with two Wolves deemed the conference’s best in their respective sport.

Here are the county’s volleyball postseason award recipients and the Central Tar Heel

1A All-Conference list:

Karaleigh Dodson, Chatham Central, 1A All-State Second Team, All-Region (Region 5)

2024 stats: 265 kills, .466 hitting percentage, 30 aces, 24 total blocks, 226 digs

Maya Sheridan, Woods Charter, 1A All-State Second Team, All-Region (Region 5)

2024 stats: 287 kills, .393 hitting percentage, 78 aces, 321 digs, 47 assists Taylin Banbrook, Woods Charter, 1A All-State Second Team, All-Region (Region 5)

2024 stats: 99 kills, .517 hitting percentage, 25 solo blocks, 47 digs

Josie Valgus, Seaforth, 2A

All-State First Team, All-Region (Region 5) 2024 stats: 199 kills, .344 hitting percentage, 52 aces, 22 total blocks, 220 digs, 293 assists)

Maris Huneycutt, Seaforth, 2A All-State Second Team, All-Region (Region 5)

2024 stats: 123 kills, .221 hitting percentage, 67 aces, 16 total blocks, 178 digs, 440 assists Keira Rosenmarkle, Seaforth, All-Region (Region 4)

2024 stats: 255 kills, .269 hitting percentage, 40 aces, 28 total blocks, 122 digs

Landry Allen, Chatham Central, All-Region (Region 5)

2024 stats: 35 kills, .277 hitting percentage, 28 aces, 19 total blocks, 141 digs, 475 assists Reagan Goldston, Chatham Central, All-Region (Region 5)

2024 stats: 157 kills, .257 hitting percentage, 52 aces, 10 total blocks, 62 digs

Central Tar Heel

Conference All-Conference list (county athletes only):

VOLLEYBALL

Maya Sheridan

(Woods Charter, conference player of the year)

McKenna Sparrow (Woods Charter)

Taylin Banbrook (Woods Charter)

Annabel Unah (Woods Charter)

Cecilia Brignati (Woods Charter)

Kynzie Jordan (Chatham Charter)

Brooke LaVelle (Chatham Charter)

Aaliyah Walden (Chatham Charter) Honorable mention: Breanna

BOYS’ SOCCER

Odin Withrow (Woods Charter)

Grant Richardson (Woods Charter)

Erza Roebuck (Woods Charter)

Daniel Horil (Woods Charter)

Ryan Jones (Chatham Charter)

Honorable mention: Colton

Pena (Chatham Charter)

GIRLS’ CROSS-COUNTRY

Anna Peeler (Woods Charter, runner of the year)

Dana Sudhir (Woods Charter)

Dara Sudhir (Woods Charter)

Sofia Rodriguez (Woods Charter)

Grace Murphy (Woods Charter)

Michaela Valentine (Woods Charter)

Emily Scheidt (Chatham Charter)

BOYS’ CROSS-COUNTRY

Holton Mody (Woods Charter)

Coen Figge (Woods Charter)

Andrew Bednar (Chatham Charter)

Eli Coleman (Chatham Charter)

Adam Reese (Chatham Charter)

GIRLS’ TENNIS

Mak Allen (Chatham Charter)

Jordyn Garner (Chatham Charter)

Honorable mention: Sasha Blackmon (Chatham Charter),

Ren Jones (Chatham Charter),

Maggie Moody (Chatham Charter)

Students, get your applications in for the 2025 Electric

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.

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.

Reid Albright

Chatham Central, boys’ basketball team

Chatham Central’s Reid Albright earns athlete of the week honors for the week of Nov. 18.

Albright, a senior guard for Chatham Central’s boys’ basketball team, scored a career-high 40 points in the Bears’ season-opening win over South Davidson on Thursday. He shot at a 63% clip while shooting 50% from 3 (six 3-pointers made). Albright also poured in nine rebounds, five assists and seven steals in the victory.

Last season, Albright was one of the best scorers in the 1A classification, and he’s already off to a hot start. He looks to lead the Bears to another successful season after finishing second in the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference last year.

GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Armstrong (Chatham Charter)

PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Seaforth’s Josie Valgus was named to the All-State and All-Region volleyball teams.

It’s getting harder to stay on the PGA Tour — here’s why

The tour is making its biggest changes to eligibility in 40 years

By Doug Ferguson The Associated Press

THE PGA TOUR is making the most sweeping changes to its eligibility in more than 40 years by eliminating 25 tour cards, along with shrinking the size of its fields.

The all-exempt tour had been in place since 1983, meaning the top 125 players from the official money list — now the FedEx Cup standings — kept a full PGA Tour card the following season.

That changes in 2026. Only the top 100 players will earn full tour cards for the following year. The top 30 from the developmental Korn Ferry Tour used to advance to the PGA Tour. That goes

ly Neah Henry and Alyia Roberts, contributed to the Chargers’ up-tempo style of play with their numerous deflections and steals.

The Chargers came away with 16 steals as a team, and many of them led to easy points on the other end. The flow of the game showed up in the first half shooting percentages as Williams shot just 29% from the floor while Northwood shot at a 57% clip in the first two quarters.

The constant on-ball pressure and solid defensive rotations

senior Brandon Sturdivant and Emerson collided while trying to regain control of the ball. Emerson, well behind the 3-point line, had less than a second to get a shot off, and the rushed attempt only caught air at the buzzer.

Poor execution on the final play wasn’t the only thing to blame in the Hawks’ loss.

Seaforth had no answer for Carrboro junior forward Bakari Watkins, who poured in 22 points on 50% shooting. Watkins scored nine points in the final quarter, providing timely buckets in the paint down the stretch.

“He was just doing whatever he wanted to do,” Berry said. “He was getting to the basket, and

to 20. Five players from qualifying school will get cards — it previously was the top five and ties. Here’s a look at what’s behind the changes and what it means.

Why is there a need to reduce the number of full PGA Tour cards?

The all-exempt tour led to a bloated membership in which nearly 200 players were on the membership rolls through one exemption or another, and those toward the bottom of the priority list could not get into all the tournaments they wanted to play.

Those who graduated from the Korn Ferry Tour, for example, could only get in three or four tournaments over the first few months of the season, giving them a disadvantage.

The PGA Tour believes that limited full status to the top 100

from Northwood held Williams to just 16 points in the first half. Northwood still held a 36-16 lead at the break even after cooling off and scoring just 11 points in the second quarter.

In the second half, Williams put up a better defensive showing, holding Northwood to just 25 points, but despite hitting multiple 3s in the second half, the Bulldogs couldn’t muster enough offense to make a strong comeback.

The Chargers were able to play everyone on the roster, including their only freshman, No-

everything he was throwing up, it looked like it was going in.”

Missed layups and missed free throws also came back to haunt Seaforth, who ended up needing every point it could get in the final minutes. As a team, Seaforth missed nine free throws. Lewis, who recorded a 12-point, 12 rebound double-double with numerous assists, was aggressive throughout of night and scored all of his points on free throws. However, he missed six attempts at the stripe.

Seaforth’s early shooting struggles also didn’t help as it fell behind in the early stages of the game. Despite many open looks, the Hawks shot just 1 of 11 from 3 in the first half, and the inability to finish at the rim in crunch time also did damage.

instead of the top 125 will give everyone who earns a card a fair chance at getting into regular tournaments.

Who benefits from the PGA Tour changes?

Those who perennially finish in the top 100 should have no trouble keeping their cards, and they will have fewer players to beat because the fields will be smaller. It also helps newcomers from the Korn Ferry Tour, European tour and Q-school. They can expect to get into every regular tournament, increasing their odds of getting into some of the $20 million signature events.

The PGA Tour is likely to be even more competitive with a greater chance of the top names in contention.

elle Whitaker, Natalia’s younger sister. The younger Whitaker scored her first career point in the second half, garnering a crowd pop from the stands and exuberant celebrations from the Northwood bench.

“Her sister was going crazy on the bench,” Stubbs said. “It was really fun to see that excitement from the whole team just to be happy for each other. It was definitely a highlight of the night.”

The team’s energy, which showed up on the court and the sidelines, was one of Stubbs’ positive takeaways from the win.

“We missed a bunch of shots that we normally would make,” Berry said.

Berry, Emerson, Lewis and Meador agreed after the game that rebounding, playing smart and knowing the sets were the biggest things the Hawks needed to improve on after those shortcomings hurt them in game one.

“Overall, we have a lot of flaws in our game that we need to tighten up in practice,” Lewis said.

But even in defeat, there were some positive takeaways from Seaforth’s first game under its new coach.

The Hawks played a deep rotation and received positive contributions from a plethora of players. Meador looked like a key scorer at the guard posi-

The tour also hopes it will improve the pace of play and keep rounds from spilling over into the next day.

Who is hurt by the new PGA Tour rules?

Players like Peter Malnati and Taylor Pendrith come to mind. Under the new system, neither would have had a full PGA Tour card this year and likely would not have been in the fields for the tournaments they won — Malnati at the Valspar Championship and Pendrith at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Those wins make them exempt through 2026.

Players who have not performed consistently well, who seem to struggle each year just to finish in the top 125, will have to be at their best to stay on tour.

“We came out ready to play, which is much better than what we’ve seen in one of our scrimmage games,” Stubbs said.

Northwood’s first outing was also an early indicator of its offensive versatility now that it has more size than last season.

Stubbs has made it a point to utilize that size in the offseason, and with senior forward Sydney Ballard also in the post, there could be many more games in which the post players have the biggest impact.

“We’ve sat down as a team and said we have size,” Stubbs said.

tion, pouring in a team-high 22 points while shooting 58% from the floor and 50% from 3 (four made 3-pointers). And although shots weren’t falling for Lewis, he looked comfortable and exceled at being the primary ball handler and finding open looks for his teammates.

Seaforth also showed fight in the times it trailed.

A 10-0 run at the end of the third quarter, sparked by multiple trips to the free-throw line, a 3 from senior Brandon Sturdivant, and a transition layup from Meador, brought the Hawks within two points going into the fourth quarter, and they eventually took their first lead (52-50) of the game minutes later.

Just minutes prior to that

What happens to the dreamers of pro golf?

The PGA Tour also is reducing the four spots from Monday qualifiers at open tournaments. Now there will only two spots for 132-man fields and none for fields of 120. There has been only one Monday qualifier to win in the last five years — Corey Conners in the 2019 Texas Open.

Does this affect golf’s majors?

The four majors are not run by the PGA Tour. The Masters has the smallest field, typically fewer than 100 players. The U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship have 156-man fields.

The Players Championship, the premier event run by the PGA Tour, is reducing its field from 144 players to 120.

“We need to make sure that we’re using it, so that they’re confident and in the position that they need to be in to be successful.”

On the flip side, Stubbs would like to see her team take better care of the basketball, especially after Williams made defensive adjustments later in the game.

“Couple more turnovers than we would’ve liked,” Stubbs said. “Williams adjusted, came back out and played a zone but more of a trapping zone, so we need to get some things settled down with that, take care of the basketball and get our shot selection better.”

third quarter run, Seaforth trailed 36-25 and brought the deficit down to just five points following two 3s from Meador and a mid-range shot from junior guard Austin Smith.

“We showed as a team to our coach, to our fan base and to our whole community that we’re dogs,” Lewis said. “We’re not going to give up. We’re not just going to lay down and get stepped on. We’re going to keep fighting, no matter what’s going to happen.”

For Berry, who was proud of his team for how they battled in a tight game while in a tough environment, he’s confident this game was just a “baseline” for the Hawks.

“It’s nothing but upward from here,” Berry said.

SEAFORTH from page B1

NORTHWOOD from page B1

SIDELINE REPORT

NFL

Beyoncé to perform at halftime of Ravens-Texans’ Christmas Day game on Netflix

Los Angeles

Beyoncé is coming to your home on Christmas — provided you have Netflix and are tuning in to the Ravens-Texans game. Netflix announced the megastar would perform during halftime of a Christmas Day matchup in her hometown of Houston. The streaming service didn’t reveal details about the performance but teased that it would likely feature guest appearances from her “Cowboy Carter” album, which delivered Beyoncé a leading 11 Grammy nominations earlier this month.

MLB

Pirates ace Skenes, Yankees pitcher Gil win Rookie of the Year awards

New York

Hard-throwing Pittsburgh

Pirates ace Paul Skenes capped a remarkable season by winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award, while Luis Gil of the New York Yankees edged Baltimore’s Colton Cowser to take the AL honor. It’s the first time the rookie awards went to two pitchers since 2011, when Tampa Bay starter Jeremy Hellickson and Atlanta closer Craig Kimbrel won. Skenes didn’t make his big league debut until May 11, but the right-hander was such an immediate sensation that he was selected to start the All- Star Game for the NL on July 16.

NASCAR

Preece joins Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing in Cup Series for 2025

Charlotte Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing will field a third car in the Cup Series in 2025, with Ryan Preece joining the team in the No. 60 Ford. Preece will pair with Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher in the team’s three-car lineup. Kroger will serve as Preece’s primary sponsor. Preece is winless in 187 Cup starts, including 72 over the last two seasons with Stewart-Haas Racing. He previously drove for JTG Daughty Racing, where he fostered a relationship with Kroger. Keselowski and Buescher both won a race this past season to make the 12-car playoffs and finished 10th and 11th, respectively, in the final standings.

NHL Bruins fire coach

Montgomery after slow start follows playoff disappointments

Boston The Boston Bruins fired coach Jim Montgomery after losing 12 of their first 20 games. Montgomery led the Bruins to the greatest regular season in NHL history but never got them past the second round of the playoffs. He was fired a day after the Bruins lost to last-place Columbus to extend their losing streak to three games. Assistant Joe Sacco was named the interim coach. Sacco led the Colorado Avalanche from 2009-14 and was a finalist for coach of the year in his first season.

pass

Acrobatic pick offered proof that Steelers rookie LB Wilson’s learning curve speeding up

The former NC State star is making an impact in his first pro season

By Will Graves The Associated Press

PITTSBURGH — Payton Wilson could have played it safe, but where’s the fun in that?

The Pittsburgh Steelers rookie linebacker saw Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill sprinting toward him and knew what was coming. Wilson figures the Steelers scout team had run the same play “100 times” in practice.

And every single time, Wilson overplayed the pass route, trying his best to stay in front of whomever it was impersonating Hill on a given play.

“It’s practice, so you want it to be perfect,” Wilson said. Yet when the moment of truth arrived last week, with Pittsburgh holding a five-point fourth-quarter lead, Wilson did the opposite. Rather than make sure Hill didn’t get be-

hind him, Wilson tried to match Hill stride for stride.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson lofted a rainbow down the left sideline that seemed to nestle into Hill’s awaiting arms.

The ball didn’t stay there long. In one fluid motion, Wilson rolled on top of Hill and ripped it away for his first career pick, one that helped Pittsburgh eventually escape with an 18-16 victory.

“I took a chance because I kind of wanted to make a play in a big-time moment,” Wilson said. “It worked out.”

Like just about everything else has for Wilson since the Steelers selected the former NC State star last spring. The 24-year-old has given the Steelers a third down linebacker with the speed to more than hold his own when he drops back in coverage.

Watching up in the coach’s box, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin nodded as the football IQ that drew the Steelers to Wilson in the first place manifested itself on the

field when his team absolutely needed it.

“When you see that happen, you’re happy for him because you know it’s coming together for him,” Austin said. “The game makes sense.” And during the rare times it doesn’t, Wilson makes it a point to ask around until he figures it out.

During meetings, Wilson is constantly prodding in search of information and an advantage. Rather than rely on his own considerable talent, Wilson is not above challenging himself and even changing something that’s been working for him in search of a more efficient and effective way to go about his job.

“He doesn’t go on like, ‘OK, I’m going to get on and do this (my) way,’” veteran inside linebacker Elandon Roberts. “He wants to understand why and he’s very humble, so he just asks whatever he feels like he needs to ask.”

Though Wilson’s playing time has varied depending on the opponent — he’s played

anywhere from 13 to 44 snaps through 10 games — his presence inside the team facility has not. He is not interested in doing “the bare minimum,” as longtime defensive tackle Cam Heyward put it. It helps to have a locker right next to Roberts and Patrick Queen, who have embraced their mentorship of Wilson.

“They’re just so smart,” Wilson said. “There’s no egos in our room. So it’s super cool to see that they help me out.”

It’s telling of the tightness of the group that Roberts and Queen were among the first people to celebrate with Wilson after the biggest play of his still-young career.

Asked if he was surprised by how Wilson made an incredibly difficult pick look incredibly easy, Roberts raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“How tall is this man?” Roberts asked of his 6-foot-4 teammate.” What did he run at the combine? Exactly. He’s got all the attributes to make that play. And he works his (tail) off too.”

Logano has rebuilt career and Team Penske organization while racing to 3rd NASCAR title

Rogers Penske gave a second chance to Logano as a struggling NASCAR Cup Series newcomer

By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE — Two wins in four seasons at Joe Gibbs Racing certainly didn’t get the job done for Joey Logano, not after replacing Hall of Famer Tony Stewart and entering NASCAR with the nickname “Sliced Bread” because you’re allegedly the next best thing. He knew his days with Gibbs were winding down in 2012, the same time Roger Penske found himself in need of a driver.

Logano joining Team Penske changed the entire organization. It only happened, Penske believes, because the organization pledged its support to Logano at his lowest career moment.

“I think first he had to shake off some of the reputation he had. They called him ‘Sliced Bread,’” said Penske. “But he shook that off pretty quickly. We were behind him, and I think that was key, and he just grew and grew and grew.”

Bombing out at JGR ultimately put Logano on a far better path. Since joining Penske in 2013, Logano has logged 34 of his 36 career Cup Series wins. He let the JGR flameout

light his fire for his move to the No. 22 Ford.

“I don’t think it’s the No. 1 motivator, but you like to prove people wrong, don’t you? You know what I mean? You’d like to shut up the critics,” Logano said. “I don’t have anything bad to say about JGR. I think they’re a great race team, and I understand the decision they made. We weren’t winning. Something has to change.

“But do you take that with you when you leave a little bit? Yeah, you probably do. You’re a little bitter about it,” Logano added. Logano thrives on driving with a bit of an edge, finding something he can take as a slight and use for motivation.

In winning his third title, Logano left Charlotte Motor Speedway in October eliminated from the round of eight.

Hours later, Alex Bowman was disqualified for failing postrace inspection. Logano was suddenly back in. He then won the opening race of the third round to become the first driver to earn an automatic berth into the championship finale. Logano over the final month of the season used every bit of criticism against him to push him to another level. He wasn’t the new kid in NASCAR anymore, and he didn’t have a great year — just a single victory during the regular season, on fuel mileage, no less — and he was ranked 15th in the 16-driver playoff field. He was wound so tight headed into the finale that he was uncharacteristically graphic in his post-qualifying news conference when asked if it was his championship to

lose and said, “Yeah, we’ve got ‘em where we want ’em. We just gotta put our foot on their throats from here.”

He was then up at 6 a.m. on race day reviewing notes with Paul Wolfe, now the only active three-time champion crew chief. Logano, a father of three and considered a team leader at Team Penske and Ford, said something changes inside him when he can see the finish line.

“It’s just closer to the goal I become more intense, probably a little shorter-fused,” Logano said. “I try to achieve the same intensity level all year long, but it just seems like when it comes down to the end, you find another gear, and it’s really hard to get to it a lot of times. But I think that’s throughout the whole team, too. It’s not just me.”

JOHN LOCHER / AP PHOTO

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker

Payton Wilson reacts after intercepting a

by the Baltimore Ravens to help preserve a victory.

Joey Logano does a victory lap after winning his third NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Davis to receive Golden Globes’ Cecil B. DeMille Award

The 59-year-old has two Tonys, an Emmy, an Oscar and a Golden Globe

By Jonathan Landrum Jr. The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Viola Davis became one of Hollywood’s most revered actors through an array of powerful roles, from “Fences” to “The Woman King,” and now her decorated career has earned her one of the Golden Globes’ highest honors.

Davis will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 82nd annual awards ceremony on Jan 5, the Golden Globes announced last Wednesday. The actor has won praise for a string of compelling characters in films such as “The Help,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Doubt” while captivating TV audiences through the legal thriller drama “How to Get Away with Murder.”

Golden Globes president Helen Hoehne called Davis a “luminary” and expressed admiration for the actor’s dedication to her craft and impact on the industry.

“Viola’s courage in portraying complex, powerful characters have broken barriers and paved new paths, making her an em-

“Viola’s courage in portraying complex, powerful characters have broken barriers and paved new paths, making her an emblem of excellence and an ideal recipient of this prestigious award.” Golden Globes president Helen Hoehne

blem of excellence and an ideal recipient of this prestigious award,” Hoehne said. The DeMille Award has been bestowed to 69 of Hollywood’s greatest talents. Past recipients include Tom Hanks, Jeff Bridges, Oprah Winfrey, Morgan Freeman, Meryl Streep, Barbra Streisand and Sidney Poitier.

Nominations for the upcoming Globes show are scheduled to be announced Dec. 9. Davis, 59, has two Tonys, most recently for “Fences” in 2010, she won an Emmy in 2015 for “How to Get Away with Murder,” and an Oscar and Golden Globe in 2016 for the film ver-

sion of “Fences.” She achieved EGOT status after winning a Grammy last year for best audiobook, narration and storytelling recording for her memoir “Finding Me.”

In 2022, Davis was honored with the Public Counsel’s William O. Douglas Award for her commitment to social justice causes. She has partnered with multiple programs to eradicate childhood hunger in the United States.

Davis and her husband, Julius Tennon, founded a production company, JuVee Productions, which develops and produces independent films, theater, television and digital content. Earlier this year, the company filmed an action thriller for Amazon Studios in Cape Town and reportedly plans to return to South Africa to film the true story of a young African refugee’s journey to the U.S.

Davis and the 2025 Carol Burnett Award winner, honoring television achievements, will be praised at a gala dinner Jan. 3 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. For the first time, the Globes will host a separate event dedicated to both awards.

Davis will be recognized during the awards ceremony broadcast.

The physicians are available Monday through

John Cheesborough,

Cheesb

Dawn E. Kleinman,

this week in history

The Grand Ole Opry debuted, George Harrison died, Rosa Parks stood for justice by sitting down

The Associated Press

NOV. 28

1925: The Grand Ole Opry debuted on radio station WSM in Nashville.

1520: Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reached the Pacific Ocean.

1942: Fire engulfed the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston, killing 492 people in the deadliest nightclub blaze ever.

1943: President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin met in Tehran for the first time to discuss Allied cooperation during World War II.

NOV. 29

1864: The Sand Creek Massacre occurred when a Colorado militia launched an unprovoked attack on an encampment of Cheyenne and Arapahoe tribal members. An estimated 230 people were killed.

1929: Navy Lt. Cmdr. Richard E. Byrd, pilot Bernt Bal-

Civil

chen, radio operator Harold June and photographer Ashley McKinney made the first airplane flight over the South Pole.

1981: Film star Natalie Wood drowned while boating off California’s Santa Catalina Island with her husband, Robert Wagner, and actor Christopher Walken.

2001: Former Beatle George Harrison died following a battle with cancer; he was 58.

NOV. 30

1782: The United States and Britain signed preliminary peace articles in Paris to end the Revolutionary War.

1993: President Bill Clinton signed the Brady Bill, which required a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases and background checks of prospective buyers. 1999: An estimated 40,000 demonstrators clashed with police as they protested against the World Trade Organization as the WTO convened in Seattle.

DEC 1

1862: President Abraham Lincoln sent his Second Annual Message to Congress, in which he called for the abolition of slavery, and went on to say, “Fellow-citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this Administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves.”

1942: During World War II, nationwide gasoline rationing went into effect in the United States.

1955: Rosa Parks, a black seamstress, was arrested after refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus.

1969: The U.S. government held its first draft lottery since World War II.

1991: Ukrainians voted overwhelmingly for independence from the Soviet Union.

DEC. 2

1859: Militant abolitionist John Brown was hanged for his raid on Harpers Ferry the previous October.

1993: Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was shot to death in Medellin.

DEC. 3

1818: Illinois was admitted as the 21st state.

1947: The Tennessee Williams play “A Streetcar Named Desire” opened on Broadway.

1964: Police arrested some 800 students at the University of California at Berkeley, one day after the students stormed the administration building and staged a massive sit-in.

1965: The Beatles’ sixth studio album, “Rubber Soul,” was released in the United Kingdom.

DEC. 4

1942: During World War II, U.S. bombers struck the Italian mainland for the first time.

1956: Known as “The Million Dollar Quartet”, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins gathered for the first and only time for an impromptu jam session at Sun Records in Memphis.

The Breeders’ Kim Deal soars on solo debut in reunion with late Steve Albini

Fans of the Pixies and the Breeders will find a lot to enjoy here

By Krysta Fauria

The Associated Press

WHEN THE PIXIES set out to make their 1988 debut studio album, they enlisted Steve Albini to engineer “Surfer Rosa,” the seminal alternative record that includes the enduring hit “Where Is My Mind?” That experience was mutually beneficial to both parties — and was the beginning of a decades-long friendship between the prickly Albini and Kim Deal, the band’s bassist at the time.

Nearly 35 years later — and just before the acclaimed audio engineer died in May at age 61 — Deal turned to Albini once again for what would be their final collaboration, this time for another debut. Eight of the 11 tracks on Deal’s first solo studio album, “Nobody Loves You More,” were produced by both Albini and Deal — the ideal partnership of his experimentation and her musical skill.

Deal’s music has always reflected both the rugged exteri-

or needed to be a woman at the forefront of the ’90s alternative rock scene as well as a tenderness that subverts the indifference often characterizing that same scene.

Those features, ostensibly at odds with one another, culminate in “Nobody Loves You More,” thanks to her poignant lyricism and the unique instrumentation woven throughout the record. At its heart, this is still a rock album — one that Deal is uniquely suited to make.

The album’s final track, “A Good Time Pushed,” musically and lyrically captures the fine line between doom and joy. “We’re having a good time,” she repeats, in what is perhaps an effort to convince herself that she is.

Although the continuity is there between this album and the music of the Pixies and Deal’s band The Breeders, aspects of it are unequivocally distinct.

The resounding brass instruments on the title track and “Coast,” along with the orchestra featured on “Summerland,” are a departure from the traditional rock instrumentation that many listeners have come to associate with the 63-year-old.

As the album title suggests, many of the songs on “Nobody Loves You More” are also lyrically earnest and romantic. “Are you mine? / Are you my baby? / I have no mind / For nothin’ but love,” Deal croons on the doowop-inspired “Are You Mine?”

There are anomalies — like in the drum- and synth-

heavy “Big Ben Beat,” which is evocative of rocker Kim Gordon’s electronic pivot in 2024’s “The Collective.” That one was produced only by Deal, not Albini.

As a whole, “Nobody Loves You More” is varied — and as distinctly American as the myriad locations that inspired it,

from the Massachusetts island of Nantucket (the breezy sounds of “Coast”) to the Florida Keys (“Summerland”) to Deal’s hometown of Dayton, Ohio.

Fans of the Pixies and the Breeders will find a lot to enjoy here — it is both familiar and different.

4AD RECORDS VIA AP

“Nobody Loves You More” by Kim Deal is the alternative musician’s first solo album.

PAUL WARNER / AP PHOTO

rights pioneer Rosa Parks, pictured in 2001, was arrested on Dec.1, 1955, for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a racially segregated bus in Alabama.

CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO

Heavy metal singer and founding member of Black Sabbath Ozzy Osbourne turns 76 on Tuesday.

CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO Singer Randy Newman turns 81 on Thursday.

NOV. 28

Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. is 95. Singer Randy Newman is 81. Musician Paul Shaffer (“Late Show With David Letterman”) is 75. Actor Ed Harris is 74. Actor Judd Nelson is 65.

NOV. 29

Actor Diane Ladd is 89. Musician Chuck Mangione is 84. Singer-keyboardist Felix Cavaliere of The Rascals is 82. Actor Jeff Fahey (“Lost,” “The Marshal”) is 72. Director Joel Coen (“Fargo,” “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”) is 70. Actor-comedian Howie Mandel is 69. Actor Andrew McCarthy is 62. Actor Don Cheadle is 60.

NOV. 30

Director Ridley Scott is 87. Writer-director Terrence Malick (“The Thin Red Line”) is 81. Bassist Roger Glover of Deep Purple is 79. Singer-actor Mandy Patinkin is 72. Singer Billy Idol is 69. Actor-director Ben Stiller is 59.

DEC.1

Actor-director Woody Allen is 89. Drummer John Densmore of The Doors is 80. Actor-singer Bette Midler is 79.

DEC .2

Actor Cathy Lee Crosby (“That’s Incredible”) is 80. News anchor Stone Phillips is 70. Actor Dennis Christopher (“Breaking Away,” ″Chariots of Fire”) is 69. Actor Lucy Liu is 56. Singer Britney Spears is 43.

DEC. 3

Singer Ozzy Osbourne is 76. Actor Daryl Hannah is 64. Actor Julianne Moore is 64. Actor Brendan Fraser is 56. Singer Montell Jordan is 56.

DEC. 4

Game show host Wink Martindale is 91. Singer Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon is 88. Singer-bassist Chris Hillman (The Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers) is 80. Actor Jeff Bridges is 75. Actor Marisa Tomei is 60. Comedian Fred Armisen (“Portlandia,” ″Saturday Night Live”) is 58. Rapper Jay-Z is 55.

CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO Pop sensation Brittany Spears turns 43 on Monday.

CARLOS OSORIO / AP PHOTO Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. turns 95 on Thursday.

the stream

Michael Fassbender spies, yacht rock doc, Ben Stiller, the Beatles and Lindsay Lohan

Eric Clapton has a new live album and concert film

The Associated Press

THE OSCAR-NOMINAT-

ED animated charmer “Robot Dreams” and Lindsay Lohan starring in the Christmas romantic comedy “Our Little Secret” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also, among the streaming offerings worth your time: HBO has a documentary about yacht rock, there’s another entry in the reality genre of seniors looking for love called “The Later Daters” on Netflix and the Fab Four’s first trip to America is chronicled in the documentary, “Beatles ’64.”

MOVIES TO STREAM

“Robot Dreams,” the Oscar-nominated animated charmer about a dog and a robot, comes to Hulu on Tuesday. Associated Press Film Writer Jake Coyle called it “one of the best New York movies in years, not to mention a surprisingly mature tale of loving and losing for a movie where the effects of rust are quite central to the narrative.”

Also arriving Friday on Hulu is the family comedy “Nutcrackers.” Ben Stiller plays a city guy who must go to the country to take care of his unruly orphaned nephews. It’s a return to comedy for “Pineapple Express” filmmaker David Gordon Green.

“When Harry Met Sally” gets a modern update in the new romantic comedy “Sweethearts” about childhood best friends whose relationship gets a little complicated in college. Starring Kiernan Shipka and Nico Hiraga, “Sweethearts,” debuting on Max on Thursday, is the feature directorial debut of “Dollhouse” creator Jordan Weiss.

If you’re wondering why Lindsay Lohan seems to be everywhere lately, Netflix is the answer. The streamer has a new Christmas romantic comedy, “Our Little Secret,” waiting for you. The idea is that Lohan’s character is spending the holiday with her boyfriend’s family only to discover that his sister is dating her ex.

MUSIC TO STREAM

The Beatles’ first trip to America is chronicled in a new movie produced by Martin Scorsese, “Beatles ’64,” which streams on Disney+ on Friday. The documentary uses never-before-seen and rare footage and drills down on the Fab

Four’s milestone American visit, which included appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” concerts at Carnegie Hall and the Washington Colosseum, and a meeting with Muhammad Ali. It offers interviews with David Lynch and Ronnie Spector as well as some of the women who, as girls, screamed outside the Beatles’ New York hotel. Its backbone is rare footage filmed by documentarians Albert and David Maysles of John, Paul, George and Ringo being exceedingly silly. Grab your captain’s hat and fake mustache for a tour of yacht rock, the once-dismissed

musical genre that has found new love of late. HBO’s revealing “Music Box: Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary” traces the rise of the music style — elevated pop music infused with jazz and R&B — from the perspective of its makers, including Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins and Christopher Cross. The documentary nicely connects yacht rock to the culture and music heritage, adding the creators of the web series who coined the label. Sail away on Friday. Eric Clapton has a new live album and concert film, “Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival 2023,” which captured

the shows on Sept. 23-24, 2023, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Only Clapton could attract this level of musical talent to join him: Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, H.E.R., Los Lobos, John Mayer, Santana and The Wallflowers. The master of ceremonies is Bill Murray. This was the seventh installment of the festival after a four-year break. Guitar World hailed it as “a six-string celebration.”

SHOWS TO STREAM

When a CIA agent who goes by “Martian” (played by Michael Fassbender) returns to the London office after a long undercover job, the transition to real life is not an easy one in “The Agency.” The espionage thriller also stars Jodie Turner-Smith as a former love who complicates matters. “It’s the battle of his soul between what he does for a living and the relationships he has,” Fassbender told the AP. George Clooney is an executive producer. The story is based on a 2015 French espionage series called “The Bureau.” Jeffrey Wright, Katherine Waterston and Richard Gere also star. “The Agency” premieres Friday on Paramount+ with Showtime. America first fell for the notion of people of a certain age finding love on ABC’s “The Golden Bachelor” and most recently “The Golden Bachelorette.” Netflix — and Michelle Obama, who is an executive

producer — have jumped on the trend with a docuseries called “The Later Daters” debuting Friday. Cameras follow six silver singles as they go on a series of blind dates to find love and companionship.

Colman Domingo stars in a new conspiracy thriller series, “The Madness,” as a CNN pundit who is framed for the murder of a white supremacist. It deals with misinformation and disinformation spread online about Domingo’s Muncie Daniels character and the damage it can do to an individual and community. “The Madness” hits Netflix on Thursday.

VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

There are plenty of job simulators out there, but Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop is the first one I know of that also invites you to “ponder the futility of your existence.” You are a spaceship mechanic, so instead of flying around exploring strange new worlds, you’re stuck on a lonely asteroid tightening screws and replacing burnt-out wires. You also have to contend with a particularly demanding boss — one who might actually kill you if you don’t make your quota. The result, from British developer Beard Envy, is a mix of tricky, time-sensitive mechanical puzzles and surreal black comedy. Start choppin’ Thursday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S,

or PC.

“The Madness,” “Sweethearts” and the film “Nutcrackers” land on a screen near you this week.

RYAN GREEN / DISNEY VIA AP

Ben Stiller and Arlo Janson star in “Nutcrackers,” coming to Hulu on Friday.

DISNEY / MAX VIA AP

Music documentaries “Beatles ’64” and “Music Box: Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary” premiere this week.