the BRIEF this
week
Biden’s big semiconductor law adds Wolfspeed jobs at high cost
A sweeping 2022 law, touted by President Joe Biden as a way to revive U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and reduce reliance on foreign-made computer chips, will “sharply increase production’’ of semiconductors in the United States — including at Wolfspeed in Chatham County. But it might not deliver the best bang for the buck. Researchers calculated that the $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act will create about 93,000 construction jobs and 43,000 permanent manufacturing jobs. But each job created will cost the government about $185,000 a year — twice the average annual salary of U.S. semiconductor employees.
“More production might not provide the best security for the money,’’ the researchers wrote.
U.S. inflation picked up in December, price pressures ease
U.S. inflation picked up last month as prices rose for gas, eggs and used cars, yet underlying price pressures also showed signs of easing a bit.
Wednesday’s report from the Labor Department showed that the consumer price index rose 2.9% in December from a year ago, the highest since July. It was the third straight increase after inflation fell to a 31/2 year low of 2.4% in September.
$2.00
Chatham County Schools looking ahead to upcoming budget
“Our superpower is that we’ve had stable leadership.”
Anthony Jackson, Chatham County Schools superintendent
The district has a few key budgetary priorities for the upcoming year including a free breakfast and lunch pilot
By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record
PITTSBORO — As the new year gets underway, so too does the budget process for many local entities, including Chatham County Schools.
The CCS Board of Education was presented with a preliminary look at the upcoming 2025-26 budget plan entitled the “Head’s Up Document.”
The early projection calls for a request of nearly $3 million in total appropriation from the county commissioners, but without a clear picture of what state and federal funding will look like, this isn’t a concrete figure.
“We know very little at this point, in particular with transitions at the state and national levels,” said Superintendent Anthony Jackson. “We cannot at this point, really, with any sense of certainty, talk about funding to be quite frank. But we have taken what we know at this point and taken what we know our needs are going to be and started the plan.”
The proposed budget priorities for 2025-26 include enhancing workforce excellence by reinstating the master’s supplement to attract and retain highly qualified employees as well
See BUDGET, page A9
More legal briefs sought in unresolved North Carolina Supreme Court election
Most of those being challenged were cast by voters whose registration records lacked either a driver’s license number or the last four digits of a Social Security number.
Federal and state courts are holding dueling hearings
By Gary D. Robertson
The Associated Press
RALEIGH — A federal appeals court on Friday said it would hear more arguments involving an extremely close election in November for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat where the trailing candidate has argued that tens of thousands of ballots cast should not have been counted.
After reviewing several legal filings this week, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Vir-
ginia, scheduled oral arguments for Jan. 27 as well as briefing deadlines. The order means that both the federal appeals court and the state Supreme Court likely will consider simultaneously substantial matters related to the race between Democratic Associate Justice Allison Riggs and Republican challenger Jefferson Griffin. Election results show Riggs ahead of Griffin by 734 votes from over 5.5 million ballots cast. But attorneys for Griffin — a state Court of Appeals judge — argued in formal election protests that well over 60,000
‘Pizzagate’ gunman killed by police during Kannapolis traffic stop
Edgar Maddison Welch was
after pointing a handgun at an officer
By Makiya Seminera The Associated Press
A MAN WHO fired a gun inside a Washington, D.C., restaurant motivated by a fake online conspiracy theory called “Pizzagate” nearly a decade ago was shot and killed by North Carolina police during a weekend traffic stop.
Edgar Maddison Welch was a passenger in a
See GUNMAN, page A2
shot
SATHI SOMA VIA AP
Edgar Maddison Welch, of Salisbury, surrenders to police in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 4, 2016.
The calm after the storm Sunset on the Little Haw River serves up a perfect moment for some quiet contemplation on Monday evening in Pittsboro.
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
CRIME LOG
Jan. 6
• Aaron Steven Coble, 24, of Siler City, was arrested for breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering, and possession of stolen property.
• Blaine Ivey Rhodes, 29, of Chapel Hill, was arrested for financial card theft, misdemeanor larceny, and unauthorized use of motor vehicle.
• Ivan Rumbo, 33, of WinstonSalem, was arrested for driving while license revoked, no liability insurance, and window tinting violation.
Jan. 7
• Nathaniel William Davis, 56, of Siler City, was arrested for possession of stolen property from construction site and resisting, delaying, or obstructing an officer.
• Benjamin Henry Buckner, 53, of Siler City, was arrested for misdemeanor stalking.
• Nicholas Ryan Mullins, 36, of Pittsboro, was arrested for breaking and entering motor vehicle and larceny of motor vehicle.
Jan. 9
• Corey Ray Mote, 29, of Staley, was arrested for cyberstalking and harassing phone calls.
Jan. 10
• Jonathan Guillermo Ruiz-Perez, 26, of Chapel Hill, was arrested for attempted first degree murder and discharge of weapon into occupied dwelling/moving vehicle.
• Fletcher Ray Barbee, 56, of Apex, was arrested for possession of firearm by felon.
• Carlos Yeudiel UrrutiaHermenegildo, 18, of Siler City, was arrested for larceny of motor vehicle.
• Christopher Silas Luck, 55, of Eagle Springs, was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia.
Jan. 12
• Leonard Thadeus Scurlock, 50, of Pittsboro, was arrested for domestic violence, misdemeanor larceny, and assault on a female.
Jan. 13
• Eric Lynn Pendergrass, 58, of Bear Creek, was arrested for purchase of firearm in violation of domestic order, felony stalking, and communicating threats.
GUNMAN from page A1
vehicle stopped by officers in Kannapolis on Saturday night, according to a Kannapolis Police Department news release. One of the officers recognized the SUV as one he’d seen Welch drive before, police said. The officer had arrested Welch before and knew he had an outstanding warrant for a felony probation violation at the time, according to authorities.
When the officers approached the vehicle to arrest Welch, police said the man pulled out a handgun and pointed it at one of the officers. After he was instructed to drop the weapon but didn’t, two officers shot Welch, authorities said.
Emergency responders took Welch to the hospital and he died from his injuries two
days later, according to the release. None of the officers, nor the driver and another passenger, were injured.
In 2016, authorities said, Welch drove from North Carolina with an assault rifle to Comet Ping Pong restaurant in Washington, D.C., after believing an unfounded conspiracy theory that prominent Democrats were operating a child sex trafficking ring out of the pizzeria. The fake theory, dubbed “Pizzagate,” began circulating online during the 2016 presidential election.
He entered the restaurant armed, and as customers fled the scene, Welch shot at a locked closet inside. After realizing there were no children held captive in the pizzeria, Welch peacefully surrendered. No one was injured.
At the time, Comet Ping Pong’s owner, James Alefan-
tis, said the conspiracy theory and subsequent violence from it traumatized him and his staff.
Welch later pled guilty to interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition and assault with a dangerous weapon in 2017. His judge, now Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, subsequently sentenced him to four years in prison.
City of Kannapolis communications director Annette Privette Keller confirmed the man who died was the same one involved in the “Pizzagate” incident.
The shooting death of Welch, a resident of Salisbury, is under review by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the officers who fired at him are on administrative leave, per the department’s protocol.
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Chatham County:
Jan. 16
Opinionation Trivia at House of Pops
6-8 p.m.
Join House of Hops every Thursday from 6-8 p.m. for Opinionation Trivia. This Family Feud-style trivia game is so much fun! Play at 6 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. for two chances to win $15 or $25 House of Hops gift cards. More events at House of Hops; part of Chatham County’s Craft Beverages and Country Inns Trail.
112 Russet Run Suite 110 Pittsboro
Jan. 16-17
Free Christmas Tree Recycling
7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• 298 E. Salisbury Street (Pittsboro), 0.40 acres, 3 bed/2 bath, $600,000
• 557 Olives Chapel Road (Apex), 12.802 acres, 3 bed/3 bath, $2,500,000
• 873 Arrowhead Loop (Pittsboro), 11.06 acres, 3 bed/3.5 bath, $705,000
• 4147 Siler City Snow Camp Road (Siler City), 57.43 acres, 5 separate living spaces, $2,750,000
RESIDENTIAL
• 389 Dewitt Smith Road (Pittsboro), 9.109 acres, 3 bed/2 bath, $525,000
• 83 Karen Calhoun Road (Pittsboro), 4.36 acres, 3 bed/2 bath, $800,000
• 4662 Buckhorn Road (Sanford), 1.31 acres, 2 bed/1 bath, $200,000
• 1115 Manco Dairy Road (Pittsboro), 14 acres, 3 bed/1 bath, $500,000 LAND
• 188 Cherokee Drive (Chapel Hill), 1.150 acres, $100,000
• 170 Cherokee Drive (Chapel Hill), 1.150 acres, $100,000
• 9311 NC Highway 87 (Pittsboro), 4.602 acres, $225,000
• 9231 NC Highway 87 (Pittsboro), 5.630 acres, $250,000
LAND
• 00 Hamlets Chapel Road (Pittsboro), 118.742 acres, $4,250,000
• 0 JB Morgan Road (Apex), 21.00 acres, $825,000
• 0 Panama Terrace (Durham), 0.420 acres, $29,000
• 0 Mt. Gilead Church Road (Pittsboro), 1.643 acres, $175,000
THIS WEEK’S VIDEO
What is the Difference Between Raw Land VS Developed Lots
• 8636/8710 Johnson Mill Road (Bahama),182.888 acres, $3,240,000
• 292 Choice Trail (Pittsboro), 4.100 acres, $285,000
• 0 Chatham Church Road (Moncure), 15.94 acres, $750,000
• 323 Wagon Trace (Pittsboro), 10.255 acres, $325,000
• 0 Pasture Branch Road (Rose Hill), 29.00 acres, $1,250,000
• 0 Moonrise Meadow Drive (Siler City), 20.66 acres, $160,000
• 1388 Henry Oldham Road (Bear Creek), 4.840 acres, $135,00 COMMERCIAL IMPROVED
• 1311 Old US 421 S (Siler City), 3.74 acres, $260,000
• 0 US 64 W (Siler City), 9.670 acres, $4,500,000
• 37 E Cotton Road (Pittsboro), 0.996 acres, $100,000
• 639 Hills of the Haw Road (Pittsboro), 5.247 acres, $450,000
COMMERCIAL IMPROVED
• 140 & 148 East Street (Pittsboro), 1.49 acres, $1,350,000
Chatham County Solid Waste and Recycling is offering free Christmas tree recycling at the Main Facility on Jan. 16-17. Only real trees can be accepted.
28 County Services Road Pittsboro
Jan. 17
Vino!! Wine Shop Tasting 5-7 p.m.
Weekly free tastings at Vino!! Wine Shop are hosted every Friday. Experts share their picks of wines with varied pricing and from diverse locations. Tasting details, including which wines will be served, are shared on their Facebook page and in their newsletters. All tastings and events at Vino!! Wine Shop; part of Chatham County’s Craft Beverages and Country Inns Trail.
89 Hillsboro St., Suite D Pittsboro
Jan. 19
• 1700 Hillsboro Street (Pittsboro), 29.79 acres, $4,500,000
• 10681 US Hwy 64 E (Apex), 3.97 acres, $1,000,000
Third Sunday Dinner 1:30-4:30 p.m.
Celebrity Dairy invites you to dinner on the third Sunday afternoon of each month. Dinner menus change with the seasons but always include Celebrity Dairy Goat cheese. You and your guests arrive at about 1:30 p.m. for a bit of socializing over appetizers and goat cheese. Then at 2 p.m. either Brit or Fleming gives a brief welcome and the “cheese chat” — covering uses, storage and odd things they have discovered in their 20-something years of cheesemaking. Guests then seat themselves at a long common large table for the 4-5 course meal. 144 Celebrity Dairy Way Siler City
Social Services’ Christmas program helps hundreds of Chatham residents
Toys, clothes and household items are given to children and adults in need
Chatham News & Record staff
THE CHATHAM County Department of Social Services’ Christmas Wishes and Dreams Programs provided gifts to hundreds of children and adults in need during the 2024 holiday season.
The annual program supported 464 children in the child welfare program, including those in foster care or receiving economic benefits, along with 75 adults who are elderly or disabled and receiving services from the department.
Jennie Kristiansen, director of the Chatham County Department of Social Services, said community support for the program continues to grow each year.
“Christmas Wishes and Dreams is truly a highlight of
the season, and the best part is that the program continues to gain support every single year,” Kristiansen said. “Our ‘sleigh’ is filled with bikes, toy kitchens, Legos, personal care items, you name it.
“Our ‘sleigh’ is filled with bikes, toy kitchens, Legos, personal care items, you name it”
Jennie Kristiansen, DSS
director
“Some of our donors have supported the program for more than 15 years, making a difference at a time when many need help the most.”
Through the program, community members are matched with children or adults to fulfill their Christmas “wishes,” which can include clothes, toys, household items and food to help brighten the holiday season.
Residents interested in sponsoring children or adults for the 2025 holiday season can be added to the mailing list by emailing donate2christmaswishes@gmail.com.
Man charged with attempted murder after highway shooting
The Chapel Hill resident is accused of firing multiple shots at a vehicle
Chatham News & Record staff
A CHAPEL HILL man faces multiple felony charges after allegedly firing shots at another motorist on U.S. 15-501 near Andrews Store Road last Thursday night.
Jonathan Guillermo RuizPerez, 26, was arrested and charged with three counts of attempted murder and one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle following the Jan. 9 incident.
According to the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to reports of a shooting at approximately 9:45 p.m. The victim, who personally knew Ruiz-Perez, told inves-
tigators the suspect fired multiple shots at his vehicle during the encounter. The victim then rammed the suspect’s vehicle before both parties left the scene in different directions. While the victim was not injured in the incident, investigators found bullet holes in his vehicle.
Deputies secured a search warrant for the suspect’s residence after the victim identified his attacker.
After the victim identified Ruiz-Perez as the shooter, deputies obtained and executed a search warrant at the suspect’s residence on Cedar Terrace Road in Chapel Hill. Ruiz-Perez was taken into custody and issued a $50,000 secured bond. He is scheduled to appear in Chatham County District Court on Feb. 17. Sheriff’s Office officials said the incident appears to stem from a personal dispute and there is no ongoing threat to the community.
Two Chatham students named NC Teaching Fellows
Siler City and Pittsboro students were among 210 selected for the teacher prep program
Chatham News & Record staff
TWO CHATHAM County students have been selected to receive North Carolina Teaching Fellows awards for the Class of 2025 during its early-decision window.
Allison Bender of Siler City and Melissa Bolainez Benitez of Pittsboro are among 210 individuals chosen for the competitive program. The Teaching Fellows program offers a forgivable loan providing tuition assistance of up to $10,000 a year for students committed to teaching elementary education, special education, science, technology, engineering or math in N.C. public schools.
Recipients can attend any of the program’s 10 partner institutions: Appalachian State University, East Carolina University, Elon University, Fayetteville State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, NC State University, Meredith College, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and University
of North Carolina at Pembroke.
The commission selected the recipients based on grade point average, leadership and experience, awards and honors, written essays, educator recommendations and video submissions. This year, standardized test scores were optional.
“Congratulations to these deserving winners chosen during our early-decision process,” said Bennett Jones, director of the North Carolina Teaching Fellows program. “We look forward to their future careers in classrooms around the state. We are heartened by the continued growth of the program, and we are grateful for the support of lawmakers and education leaders as we continue to promote the teaching profession.”
The 210 awards represent a 61% increase from last year’s early-decision window. This year’s early-decision recipients include 134 high school seniors, 60 college transfer students and 16 licensure-only students from 126 different cities and towns across 63 counties.
Students who didn’t receive an early-decision award were deferred to the regular application period, which runs until Feb. 28. The final list of Class of 2025 Teaching Fellows will be announced in March.
to our precious
Kinley Thompson
January 15, 2013 – October 5, 2018
Our Jace! We treasure every moment we spent with you and look forward to the time when we are with you again. You will always be our hero. Your words “Can’t Stop Me!” will forever give us strength to continue the fight to raise awareness and research funds to ultimately find a cure for DIPG (pediatric brain cancer). You deserved a chance to live! We miss you with every beat of our hearts. See you soon, sweet boy.
We will always love you, Mommy, Daddy, Big Brother Blake, Gigi and Bob
Read Jace’s story at www.warriorjace.org
COURTESY CHATHAM COUNTY SHERIFF
Jonathan Ruiz-Perez
COURTESY
DSS workers showed off their holiday spirit as they prepared to hand out presents to local children in need.
THE CONVERSATION
Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
Let it snow
Addressing climate change also involves figuring out how to simultaneously breathe and grieve while finding joy in the present moment.
I’D NEVER SEEN so much joy over a half-inch of snow. Last Saturday morning, kids of all ages bounded out of their homes like headlong puppies. Some children, unable to wait to dress appropriately, sprinted outside, their unzipped coats billowing like wings. While this particular storm lacked snow, it left a slippery sheet of ice, which resulted in gleeful children sledding down the hills all morning.
The children were excited because this was the first significant wintry precipitation in the Triangle in over 1,000 days. When I grew up in Raleigh, I counted on several snows per year. My neighborhood buddies and I could expect an accumulation of 6 inches or more.
Earlier last Saturday morning, I read the report from the Copernicus Climate Change Service. The average global surface temperature for 2024 was the warmest year on record. Scientists have demonstrably linked this warming to more dangerous heat waves, flooding and increasingly ferocious storms like Hurricane Helene. For tragic consequences of climate change, look no further than the terrible wildfires in Los Angeles. This scientific report also issued the ominous warning that the record-breaking global surface temperatures are “beyond what modern humans have ever experienced.”
I know that climate-change deniers exist despite the evidence to the contrary. And I know young adults, in particular, who
Life — and our resolutions — depend on realistic intent
Never will I hold myself up as an example of making or keeping good, intelligent or even logical resolutions.
ALLOW ME, PLEASE, to give one more nod to thoughts about the “New Year.” We’re now well into it, so much so that it’s really no longer “new.” January is half over or will be by the time this hits print. 2025 is today’s normal, and hopefully, we’ve learned to put that date on checks and other important papers.
Of course, all that assumes you still write checks and are not like the 20-something who checked out my grocery order the other day.
As I handed him my somewhat neatly written check, made a bit harder because my hand and shoulder have surrendered to the enemy, he, in a bit of friendly conversation, noted, “I’ve never written a check in my life.”
Obviously, I thought, this guy is part of the generation that goes to McDonald’s and buys a burger on plastic. Later, I wondered if maybe he had the best idea, getting “points” for cash and prizes as long as he paid his balance monthly. But if he doesn’t, the thought of paying 18% interest on an order of fries takes my appetite.
Christmas 2024 now seems a distant memory ... or maybe not, depending on how much you used the charge cards to pay for it. Those monthly statements will be with many folks until Christmas 2025, a constant reminder of last Christmas. And for many folks, that cycle will repeat itself for Christmas 2025 and on into the year 2026.
With the passing of Christmas Day on the calendar, we then slide into the next monthly event, namely New Year’s and its resolutions. Among the questions to ponder about those plans are what resolutions to make (if any), how many will there be, and how long will all — or any — of them last.
It’s been my experience that most folks casually make resolutions, not really expecting or even planning to keep them. Most of the time, it seems, we make a few general resolutions just because the calendar or someone else says so or because it’s just tradition. The ones we make seem to be pretty general anyway, and so usually, it’s not much more than a few weeks before resolutions are not that big of a deal, even if we can remember them.
Never will I hold myself up as an example of making or keeping good, intelligent or even logical resolutions. The reasons are among those mentioned earlier, especially that they’re pretty general.
For instance, if I were really interested in reshaping my body that’s rapidly losing any edge it may once have had, I would make a resolution much more specific than the one I used to write down but now pretty much only give a nod to: “I’m going to lose weight”
struggle with despair over the future of our planet. I wonder how to look at the catastrophic reality with hope for my children’s future.
There are steps to take in order to reduce one’s carbon footprint. Eat less meat and more local food. Walk or carpool to work. Play in your own neighborhood. Rebecca Solnit wrote, “It’s curious, in the chaos of conversations about what we ought to do to save the world, how seldom sheer modesty comes up — living smaller, staying closer, having less.” Perhaps such modest focus likewise fosters a healthy sense of humility. This, in turn, helps one’s prayer life, if by prayer we mean trusting powers beyond our ken or control.
For me, addressing climate change also involves figuring out how to simultaneously breathe and grieve while finding joy in the present moment despite the overwhelming sense of dread and uncertainty about the future. And so I read the damning climate change report, and then I went outside with my children. I cheered as they shrieked down the hill. The burning sun would soon melt what little snow was on the ground, but in the moment, the surrounding woods were glittering, shimmering bright.
Andrew Taylor-Troutman’s newest book is This Is the Day. He serves as pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church as well as a writer, pizza maker, coffee drinker and student of joy.
or “I’m going to eat better.” One question to ponder in that area is what exactly does it mean to “eat better”?
Does “better” mean eat more New York strip steaks instead of potted meat? Does it mean to grill my pork chops instead of frying them and turning up lots of brown gravy? Does it mean staying away from Col. Sanders and instead satisfying my cravings with a bowl of 100% bran and cardboard?
And what does “lose weight” mean? A hundred pounds? Ten pounds? One pound? Half an ounce? About every two to three weeks, I lose a pound or two when I get a haircut. The only problem is that it doesn’t show up well in my waist. And does “lose weight” mean dropping three pounds so you can gain four when Grandma serves banana pudding at her house at Sunday dinner?
I’m pretty sure making resolutions at New Year’s is a lot like what a young feed salesman, new to his job, encountered when he met an old pig farmer. The youngster was full of vim, vigor, vitality and vinegar. He extolled the virtues of his pig feed, along with the handy tips he would share, to the farmer, all in an attempt to win a customer.
“Mister,” the salesman said, “if you’ll use our feed and follow my advice, your hogs will grow faster and quicker and better and healthier in less time, and you’ll be a better farmer than ever before ... and better than your neighbor.”
“Sonny,” the old gentleman said, “I don’t need any new advice. I already know to do better than I do. I’d be better if I’d just do that. And, besides, what’s time to a hog?”
If you haven’t made any New Year’s resolutions and want to, you might want to think about getting started. There’s not much left to the new part of the New Year.
And if you have some and haven’t broken them yet, keep up the good work.
And if you make any, make them realistic. Among the few I’ve been able to keep is not the one that says, “I’m going to try to be nicer to people.” It’s the one that says, “I’m not going to be rude to someone who’s 6-foot, 6-inches tall, weighs 300 pounds and goes by the name ‘Bubba.’”
So far, that one is holding up pretty well.
Bob Wachs is a native of Chatham County and emeritus editor at Chatham News & Record. He serves as pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church.
COLUMN | ANDREW TAYLOR-TROUTMAN
COLUMN | BOB WACHS
COLUMN SUSAN ESTRICH
Snowmageddon!
I could feel the small thread of panic that I hadn’t stocked up on food.
IF THE TITLE of this piece sounds nonsensical, then you don’t live in Central North Carolina. S-N-O-W is a four-letter word here, usually spat out with a howl of, “Oh no, oh no, oh no!! Don’t know how to drive in it!! There’s no salting or plowing!!” And, foremost, the fear that we’ll starve because of the above conditions. (Starve, I say!)
This collective cultural fear leads folks to absolutely vacuum store shelves clean of milk, bread and piles of food, usually the day prior to a predicted snowfall. Stampede behavior, born of, well, terror. Stampede behavior with no regard for the food needs of other humans, nothing beyond our own personal capacity to not starve due to possible snow conditions (usually quite minimal).
So here I am, fessing up. I wasn’t paying attention to the weather forecast recently. Much too late in the evening, I realized the severe weather watch for a snowstorm would begin the next day at 5 p.m. (I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!) I could feel the small thread of panic that I hadn’t stocked up on food. Would there be food left on the next morning? To appease my acculturated anxiety (I’ve lived here for 30 years), I woke up early, decided to pass on my daily meditation (not a healthy choice) and was waiting, with bated breath, at my food co-op’s door by 7:55 a.m. for their 8 a.m. opening. (Would food still be available?)
Scooted into the newly opened store, got a cart, and like a bloodhound on the trail,
began my rapacious hunt for all I’d need to survive. It was only when I found myself tossing five cans of tuna into the cart (from an already sorely diminished shelf) that I took a breath. Oh, and grabbing the last bottle of my favorite nondairy beverage from the refrigerator shelf. (Wait, don’t I have a completely full bottle at home?)
And then, whomp, it hit me!
I’d transformed into a culturally primed, grimacing lunatic loading up on food, irrespective of the needs of others. Culturally primed to survive snow, at all costs (even the 1 inch we actually received) and not give a second thought to anyone else’s food needs.
Eeek! What’s a self-respecting Quaker who cares about humanity to do when her mirror reflects this image of an anxious, snow-fearing person, hypnotically driven to disregard the food concerns of her fellow citizens? Well, damn, I don’t know.
Guess I’ll start with gratitude for having discerned the cultural fugue of which I’ve become a part. (I’ll starve, I’ll starve!) Maybe make humorous comments to other store customers during the next storm watch, allowing me to see them as humans, not as opponents with whom I’m competing for groceries. Judging by the absolutely unpredictable weather in North Carolina, I’ll have plenty of opportunities to experiment … (Whoopee?).
Jan Hutton, a resident of Chatham County and retired hospice social worker, lives life with heart and humor.
The threat of snow in means one thing for many North Carolinians: a mad dash to the supermarket to buy anything and everything to survive the pending wintry doom.
Hitting the ground running
Republicans have a generational opportunity to change the direction of our country.
IT IS A NEW YEAR, and the 119th Congress has officially begun. I am honored to continue serving you, representing North Carolina’s new 9th District in Congress. As Fort Bragg’s congressman, I will continue to be the voice for our veterans, servicemembers and military families. I am working to ensure every community in the new district has direct access to the resources and support my office can provide. This includes all or portions of Guilford, Alamance, Randolph, Moore, Hoke, Cumberland and Chatham counties. Previously, I represented all or portions of Lee, Scotland, Harnett and Richmond counties. It has been an honor to serve these communities, and I am proud of all we have been able to accomplish together. Rest assured, I will always be your voice.
Now with control of the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives, Republicans have a generational opportunity to change the direction of our country. This means advancing an agenda to secure our borders, unleashing American energy to lower costs, restoring law and order, safeguarding our freedoms, and making life better for you, and I have already hit the ground running.
Last week, I voted for, and the House passed, the Laken Riley Act. One of the horrific consequences of the Biden-Harris administration’s open border policies was the brutal and preventable murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley by an illegal criminal. This legislation ensures that illegal criminals are swiftly and permanently detained and deported, not
released back onto our streets like Laken’s murderer was.
I also cosponsored the REMAIN in Mexico Act, which would restore President Donald Trump’s successful “Remain in Mexico” immigration policy. This bill is a good first step to bringing stability back to our broken immigration system and fixing the border crisis Democrats created. Under Trump’s leadership, I will continue working to secure our borders and protect Americans like you.
As your representative, one of my top priorities is to ensure your Second Amendment freedoms are protected. After being sworn into the 119th Congress, I introduced the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 38). This common-sense, bipartisan legislation would ensure that each state’s concealed carry license is valid in every other state. Your right to self- defense does not disappear when crossing invisible state lines, and H.R. 38 guarantees it.
I have proudly championed H.R. 38 each Congress, and I am glad it has received such strong, bipartisan support. I look forward to working with Trump and my colleagues to get this legislation signed into law. We have a lot of work ahead to deliver on an agenda that will lower costs, secure the border and protect our freedoms. Together with Trump, we will deliver results for folks in our community and across America. Richard Hudson represents the 9th Congressional District in Washington, D.C.
WHAT WAS DONALD TRUMP’S reaction to the deadly and devastating wildfires literally burning down a county that didn’t vote for him?
This is what he wrote on Truth Social.
“Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way.”
Count on Trump to turn sour a moment that should remind us that what really matters is not a partisan issue, that a president, and a president-elect, works for all Americans, not just the ones who voted for him. Ronald Reagan would have been great at a moment like this.
Not the Don.
There is a lot of free-flowing anger out here looking for a place to land.
At a press conference on Thursday, LA officials repeatedly thanked President Joe Biden for his support and commitments for disaster relief as Los Angeles faces an apocalyptic crisis. The elephant in the room was Trump.
Would the new president continue to provide the resources and support that California desperately needs?
Biden says that he prays he will. That is not exactly reassuring.
There is no such thing as a “water restoration declaration.” There is no spigot that Newsom could have turned on that would have filled the hydrants in the Palisades or Altadena, that would have saved lives and homes in this disaster.
What Trump is referring to is a fight he had years ago with Newsom about whether California was doing too much to protect fish — including the “smelt” that you may have heard about — at the expense of California farmers. It had nothing whatsoever to do with how much water was available this week.
The extreme weather conditions that produced this disaster — an extreme drought the likes of which we haven’t seen and extreme wind the likes of which we haven’t felt — overwhelmed the system. Yes, we knew it was coming, and it would have been better if the mayor hadn’t gone to Ghana for the week, but it wouldn’t have made a difference.
To be sure, Trump wasn’t the only one trying to make political hay out of this disaster. My friend Rick Caruso, the billionaire developer from Pacific Palisades who ran against (and lost to) Karen Bass for mayor, called into a local station and complained that the mayor should not have been out of town for such extreme weather and that something had obviously gone wrong leaving firefighters without enough water to fight these blazes. The interview went viral, with the help of Elon Musk, who kept pumping out criticism of the mayor and the governor at a time when people were desperate for reassurance that the Trump administration would be there to support us.
Will they be?
There is, without a doubt, a lot of free-flowing anger out here, looking for a place to land. People want to know how something this terrible could have happened and what can be done to make sure it will never happen again. Who can we blame for this? Some of the loudmouths on the right are blaming the Los Angeles Fire Department, which is ably led by a lesbian chief who implemented a much-needed DEI initiative a few years ago, with Megyn Kelly — amplified by who else but Musk — irresponsibly suggesting that the chief “has made not filling the fire hydrants top priority, but diversity.”
There is absolutely no evidence that diversity has impaired the fire department’s ability to fight these fires; it’s an attack that is unfair to the men and women who are risking their lives to save ours. Not to mention the fact that it’s the Department of Water and Power that is responsible for filling the hydrants, not the firefighters.
Someone should ask Trump what he plans to do about the extreme weather that causes devastation, not to mention what he plans to do about the disaster we face. Can he say anything to comfort us? Will he be a president for all Americans?
Killing the smelts is not an answer. Susan Estrich is a lawyer, professor, author and political commentator.
COLUMN | REP. RICHARD HUDSON
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
obituaries
IN MEMORY
KATHY MARIE WHITAKER HICKMAN
JAN. 7, 2025
Kathy Marie Whitaker Hickman, 63, of Sanford, NC, passed away peacefully at her home on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, surround by family.
Kathy was born in Lee County, NC, to Marie Gwyn Bolick and the late James McCoy Whitaker. In addition to her father, she was preceded in death by a sister, Viola Baker and brothers, John Powers and Darrell Powers.
Kathy is survived by her mother, Marie Bolick of Hickory; she was a dedicated mother to her two sons, Charles Andrew “Charlie” Hickman, Jr. (Crystal) and Brian Lee Hickman (Allison Haire), both of Sanford; siblings, James Whitaker (April) of Sanford, Jimmy Whitaker (Lorraine) of Sanford, Jack Powers of Hickory, and Suzanne Dickens (Daniel) of Sanford.
She also shared a special bond with her stepdaughter, Rhonda Ann Stevens (Michael) of South Carolina.
Kathy’s legacy lives on in her cherished grandchildren: Collin Hickman, Chaslyn Hickman, Brittany Stevens, and Amanda McCarthy (Killian).
Kathy was a kind, caring person who touched the lives of all who knew her. Her love for her family and Jesus will be remembered always. She will be deeply missed by her family, friends, and all whose lives she touched. May she rest in peace.
STEPHEN LEROY WILLETT
JUNE 18, 1935 – JAN. 8, 2025
Stephen Leroy Willett, 89, passed away peacefully at the Randolph Hospice House on Wednesday, January 8th, 2025, surrounded by family.
He was born in Chatham County to Evans Ward Willett and Estie Boyd Willett on June 18th, 1935. He graduated from Bonlee High school in 1953. He began working at a young age with his first job at Siler City Mills. He then went to work for Collins & Aikman and retired after 44 years of service in the textile industry.
Leroy was the last of the older generation of bench warmers and conversationalists at Paul’s Bonlee Auto Repair. He loved watching the Atlanta Braves baseball, listening to bluegrass music, and talking to family and friends and recounting his favorite stories. He also loved eating lunch and thrift store shopping every day with his son, Tommy. At one time, Leroy was an active square dancer with a club in Moore County for 20 years and attended national conventions. After retiring from his job, he enjoyed traveling all over the U.S. with his special friend and companion, Beverly Blake, of Aberdeen. Leroy was a member of Edwards Hill Friends Meeting Church.
Leroy was preceded in death by his parents; his younger brother, Harold Willett; former wife, Peggy Willett; daughter-in-law, Rita Willett; and his friend and companion, Beverly Blake. He is survived by his son, Tommy Willett of Bonlee; daughter, Teresa Willett Phillips and her husband, William of Bonlee; grandson, Blake Phillips and his wife, Melinda of Kansas City, MO; and granddaughter, Rachel Barnes and her husband, Rick of Siler City.
The funeral services will be held on Tuesday, January 14th, 2025, at 3 pm, at Edwards Hill Friends Church with Josh Conrad officiating. Family visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church.
SARAH LYNCH HAIRE
AUG. 30, 1934 – JAN. 12, 2025
Sarah Lynch Haire, age 90 of Sanford, passed away on Sunday (1/12/2025) at her home. She was born on August 30, 1934, daughter of the late Thomas Henry Haire and Generah Lee Smith Haire. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, David Lynch, her daughter Diane Lynch and siblings, Coy Haire, Preston Haire, Frank Haire, Bill Haire, Levis Haire, James Earl Haire, Orbie Lee Haire, Elizabeth West, Mary Frances Thomas and Martha Allene Creador. Sarah was a strong woman of faith who enjoyed reading her bible. She loved to shop, decorate her house and loved her pets, Gracie and Nicki. She was a seamstress for many years, and after retiring, she worked as a greeter at Walmart, a job that she enjoyed, greeting people with a smile and a kind word. Surviving are her sisters, Madge McBryde (Mickey) of Sanford, NC, and Evelene Murry of Lillington, NC; and grandsons, Kevin Ballard and Ivan Ballard of Lillington, NC and great-granddaughter, Chloe Ballard.
Roger Lebranchu, WWII veteran and France’s oldest male Olympian, dead at 102
He rowed for France at the 1948 Games
The Associated Press
PARIS — Roger Lebranchu, a World War II veteran who survived Nazi concentration camps and was the oldest French male Olympian, has died. He was 102.
The French Rowing Federation announced Lebranchu’s death on Friday.
A member of the French rowing team at the 1948 Olympic Games in London, Lebranchu was also a former member of the Resistance.
During the war, Lebranchu refused to take part in the Obligatory Labour Service and joined the Resistance in south-eastern France. He was arrested in 1943 and deported to the Buchenwald concentration camp and its annex at Schönebeck.
He managed to escape when the camp was evacuated in 1945.
After the war, Lebranchu became the French rowing champion in 1946 and 1947. He represented France at the London Games in the coxed eight, finishing fourth. He rowed until the age of 79, the federation said. Last year, Lebranchu carried
the Olympic flame as it passed through Mont-Saint-Michel ahead of the Paris Games.
To get ready for the relay, Lebranchu trained with the support of his grandson, holding up a 1.5-liter bottle of water weighing the equivalent of the Olympic torch.
In a response to a query by The Associated Press, the French Olympic Committee said that after checking with its culture department it appeared that Lebranchu was the oldest surviving male participant in the Olympic Games.
Lebranchu was also a commander of the Legion of Honor, the rowing federation said.
Former Baltimore MLB player Brian Matusz dies at 37
No cause of death was announced
The Associated Press
BALTIMORE — Brian Matusz, the left-handed pitcher who spent eight seasons in the major leagues, mostly with the Baltimore Orioles as they returned to prominence a decade ago, has died. He was 37.
The Orioles and the University of San Diego announced Matusz’s death Tuesday night, with USD saying it received word from Matusz’s family. They did not announce a cause of death, though it happened in Arizona.
The Phoenix police department confirmed on Wednesday night that it responded to a dead body call at 2:45 p.m. on Monday and found Matusz. The department said the
incident is being handled as a death investigation and the case is pending findings by a medical examiner.
“Our hearts are heavy tonight as we mourn the passing of former Oriole Brian Matusz,” the Orioles said. “A staple in our clubhouse from 2009-2016, Brian was beloved throughout Birdland, and his passion for baseball and our community was unmatched. He dedicated his time to connecting with any fan he could, was a cherished teammate, and always had a smile on his face.”
The Orioles drafted Matusz with the fourth overall pick in 2008 out of San Diego.
“Brian was one of the best players to ever wear a Torero uniform,” San Diego coach Brock Ungricht said. “His dedication to the USD community and passion for the game of baseball were evident to all
who knew him. Brian’s unexpected passing leaves a void in our hearts, but his legacy will continue to inspire us, both on and off the field. We will forever be grateful for his friendship and unwavering support of San Diego baseball.”
Matusz made his major league debut in 2009 and was a starter until shifting to the bullpen down the stretch in 2012. That was the season Baltimore earned a wild card for its first postseason appearance in 15 years. In 2014, Matusz went 2-3 with a 3.48 ERA in 63 relief appearances as the Orioles won the AL East.
Baltimore traded Matusz to Atlanta early in the 2016 season, and he eventually caught on with the Chicago Cubs, making one start for them that year in what would be his final big league appearance.
ELAINE THOMPSON / AP PHOTO
Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Brian Matusz throws during a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners in August 2015.
Panama Canal administrator fires back at Trump
Ricaurte Vásquez denied the president-elect’s claims that China is controlling the waterway
By Alma Solís The Associated Press
PANAMA CITY — The administrator of the Panama Canal said Friday that the vital waterway will remain in Panamanian hands and open to commerce from all countries, rejecting claims by President-elect Donald Trump that the United States should take it over.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Ricaurte Vásquez denied Trump’s claims that China was controlling the canal’s operations, and said making exceptions to current rules concerning its operation would lead to “chaos.”
He said Chinese companies operating in the ports on either end of the canal were part of a Hong Kong consortium that won a bidding process in 1997. He added that U.S. and Taiwanese companies are operating other ports along the canal as well.
Trump has gone so far as to suggest the U.S. should take back control of the canal, and he would not rule out using military might to do so.
“It might be that you’ll have to do something,” Trump last week. “The Panama Canal is vital to our country.” Trump has characterized the fees for transiting the canal that connects
the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as “ridiculous.”
Panama President José Raúl Mulino has said unequivocally that the canal will remain in Panamanian hands.
Responding to the suggestion that the U.S. could try to retake control of the canal, Vásquez said there was “no foundation for that sort of hope. That is the only thing I can say.”
Vásquez stressed that the Panama Canal was open to the commerce of all countries.
The canal can’t give special treatment to U.S.-flagged ships because of a neutrality treaty, Vásquez added. “The most sensible and efficient way to do this is to maintain the established rules.”
Requests for exceptions are routinely rejected because the process is clear and there mustn’t be arbitrary variations, he said. The only exception in the neutrality treaty is for American warships, which receive expedited passage.
Chatham County Aging Services Weekly Activities Calendar
Monday, January 20 Aging Services Centers Closed (Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday)
Tuesday, January 21
Pittsboro Center for Active Living
8:30 a.m. - QiGong
9 a.m. - 3G’s Men’s Group
10 a.m. - Woodcarvers; Cardio Drumming
10:30 a.m. - Gym Orientation
11 a.m. - Science with Alan
1 p.m. - Rummikub; Basket Weaving (FULL)
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
10 a.m. - Chair Exercises
10:30 a.m. - Tuesdays with Talyse
1 p.m. - Rook, Phase 10 & Rummikub
2 p.m. - Fitness Room Orientation (by appointment only); Line Dancing
Wednesday, January 22 Pittsboro Center for Active Living
8:15 a.m. - Cardio & Lower Body Exercise
9 a.m. - Quilting (FULL)
10 a.m. - Chair Yoga with Liz; Music Jam
11 a.m. - The Chosen with discussion
12:30 p.m. - AARP Driving Safety
1 p.m. - Table Tennis Siler City Center for Active Living
9 a.m. - Strong & Fit
10 a.m. - Bible Study
10:30 a.m. - Health Education with Ashley Brewer
1 p.m. - Crafts
2 p.m. - Pickleball & Cornhole Thursday, January 23 Pittsboro Center for Active Living
8:30 a.m. - Balance & Stretch Mat Exercise
10 a.m. - Hooks & Needles; Kindermusik; Arts with Ashlyn
1 p.m. - Rummikub, Pinochle
3 p.m. - Gentle Yoga with Liz
6 p.m. - Master Aging Plan Community Input Session Siler City Center for Active Living
9 a.m. - Men’s Coffee & Conversations; Open Gym Pickleball
10
1
8:15
10
11
11:30
1
9
10 a.m. - Quilting and Sewing Time
10:15 a.m. - January Jumpstart
7 p.m. - Friday Night Dance
off at the Panama Canal.” He claimed the U.S. “foolishly gave it away.”
Regarding the fees for using the canal, Vasquez said a planned series of increases had concluded with one this month. Any additional increases would be considered in the first half of the year to give clients certainty in their planning and would go through a public comment process, he said.
“There’s no discrimination in the fees,” he said. “The price rules are uniform for absolutely all those who transit the canal and clearly defined.”
The canal depends on reservoirs to operate its locks and was heavily affected by drought during the past two years that forced it to substantially reduce the number of daily slots for crossing ships. With fewer ships using the canal each day, administrators increased the fees that are charged all shippers for reserving a slot.
Some 70% of the sea traffic that crosses the Panama Canal leaves or goes to U.S. ports.
The United States built the canal in the early 1900s as it looked for ways to facilitate the transit of commercial and military vessels between its coasts.
Washington relinquished control of the waterway to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999, under a treaty signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter.
Last month, Trump told supporters “We’re being ripped
COURTS from page A1
ballots came from ineligible voters.
Most of those being challenged were cast by voters whose registration records lacked either a driver’s license number or the last four digits of a Social Security number. A state law has required that such numbers be sought in registration applications since 2004.
The State Board of Elections dismissed Griffin’s protests last month and had been poised to certify Riggs as the winner on Friday. Griffin had already gone to the state Supreme Court asking it to intervene, but the board removed that matter to federal court, saying it involved many federal election and voting laws. Griffin wanted the matter to remain before the state Supreme Court, which has a Republican majority of justices.
But last Monday, U.S. District Judge Richard Myers ruled that North Carolina state courts were the proper venue to hear Griffin’s arguments and returned Griffin’s appeals to the state Supreme Court. The next day, the Supreme Court’s justices in a 4-2 decision agreed to block the election certification. Riggs recused herself from the deliberations. The justices asked for briefs to be filed in a schedule that ran through Jan. 24.
Meanwhile, the state elections board asked the 4th Circuit this week to decide whether Myers should have retained jurisdiction of Griffin’s case and ultimately reject Griffin’s demand for a preliminary injunction.
Riggs’ attorneys also weighed in and asked the 4th Circuit to speed up the process. Riggs, who is one of two Democrats on court and seeks an eight-year term, wants a decision in this appeal before
The canal bisects Panama, running 51 miles end to end. It allows ships to avoid the longer and costlier trip around Cape Horn at the tip of South America.
“It is an enormous responsibility,” Vásquez said of Panama’s control of the canal. “Take the case of COVID, when it arrived, the canal took the necessary measures to protect the labor force, but while keeping the canal open, because the international commitment is to keep it open.”
the Supreme Court begins hearing its own cases this year on Feb. 11, her lawyers wrote. The 4th Circuit, in last Friday’s order that listed no judges, granted Riggs’ motion for expedited legal briefing and oral argument.
It’s unclear how separate rulings in the federal and state appeals in this election will shake out. Griffin’s claims largely focus on state laws and the state constitution. Attorney for Riggs and the election board have argued that federal laws and the U.S. Constitution play a large role in the case, however.
Other categories of votes that Griffin is challenging were cast by overseas voters who have never lived in the U.S. but whose parents were deemed North Carolina residents; and by military or overseas voters who did not provide copies of photo identification with their ballots.
Earlier Friday, a state trial judge denied a request by Republican Party groups and two voters to order ballots cast by voters whose registration records lack driver’s license or Social Security numbers and found not to be valid voters to be removed from final election counts for state elections in November.
The state board has said there are many reasons why a voter record lacks such a number. A lawyer representing the board Friday in Wake County court said that evidence has been presented showing the voters at issue were ineligible to cast ballots.
The Democratic National Committee, which joined with the board in opposing the GOP request, said in a brief that such a demand was yet another attempt by the GOP in recent months to “engage in mass voter suppression.”
MATIAS DELACROIX / AP PHOTO
A cargo ship traverses the Agua Clara Locks of the Panama Canal in September.
LEARN ABOUT LAND - Chatham Land Experts, www.learnaboutland.com - 919362-6999. JY2,tfnc
FOR RENT
POWELL SPRINGS APTS. Evergreen Construction introduces its newest independent living community for adults 55 years or older, 1 and 2 bedroom applications now being accepted. Office hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 919533-6319 for more information, TDD #1800-735-2962, Equal housing opportunity, Handicapped accessible. A2,tfnc
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS now for onebedroom apartments, adults 55 years or older. Water included, appliances furnished, on-site laundry, elevator, keyless entry. Section 8 accepted. No security deposit. Application fee $25 per adult. Call Braxton Manor, 919-663-1877. Handicap accessible. Equal Housing Opportunity. J14,tfnc
AUCTIONS
RICKY ELLINGTON AUCTIONEERSEquipment, business, liquidation, estates, land, houses, antiques, personal property, coins, furniture, consignments, benefits, etc., NCAL #7706, 919-548-3684, 919-663-3556, rickyellingtonauctions@yahoo.com. Jy6,tfnc
SERVICES
RAINBOW WATER FILTERED VACUUMS, Alice Cox, Cox’s Distributing - Rainbow - Cell: 919-548-4314, Sales, Services, Supplies. Serving public for 35 years. Rada Cutlery is also available.
A26,tfnc
JUNK CARS PICKED UP Free of charge. Due to many months of low steel prices and unstable steel markets, we cannot pay for cars at this time. Cars, trucks, and machinery will be transported and environmentally correctly recycled at no charge. 919-5422803.
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LETT’S TREE SERVICE - tree removal, stump grinding, lot clearing. Visa & Master Card accepted. Timber. Free estimates. 919-2583594. N9,tfnc
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000003-180
The undersigned, ROBERT LISLE ROCKETT, having qualified on the 3RD Day of JANUARY, 2025, as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of SHARYN TRACEY ROCKETT, 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 16TH Day of APRIL 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 16TH DAY OF JANUARY 2025.
ROBERT LISLE ROCKETT, ADMINISTRATOR 186 LINDO JOHNSON RD. PITTSBORO, NC 27312 Run dates: J16,23,30,F6p
PUBLISHED NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having qualified as Ancillary Executor of the Estate of James Ashley Sharpe aka J. Ashley Sharpe, late of Baltimore, Maryland, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at 3000 Galloway Ridge, Apt. J-206, Pittsboro, North Carolina 27312, on or before the 2nd day of April, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 2nd day of January, 2025. William N. Sharpe, Jr. Ancillary Executor File #24E001683-180 1/2, 1/9, 1/16, 1/23
4918-4535-1947, v. 1
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS
Town of Siler City
The following items will be considered by the Siler City Board of Commissioners as legislative hearings. The hearings will be conducted during the Board of Commissioner’s regular meeting on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the court room located in the Siler City Town Hall at 311 N. 2nd Ave. Legislative Public Hearings
TA24-02: The Town of Siler City is proposing a text amendment, to Article XIII “Recreational Facilities and Open Space”; Section 180 – Miniparks Required of the Siler City Unified Development Ordinance to add new standards for specific recreation facilities in new residential developments.
R24-1101: Wren Industries, Inc. (applicant), proposing a General Rezone of an approximate 22.5 acres of property located at 14240 US 64 W and further identified as Parcel ID: 14267 from H-C, Highway Commercial to A-R, Agricultural Residential
These items were reviewed and recommended for approval by the Siler City Planning Board at their December 9, 2024, regular meeting. The proposed item is available for review by contacting Timothy Mack at tmack@silercity.org or 919-726-8626. All persons interested in the outcome of this item are invited to attend the legislative hearing and present comments, testimony, and exhibits on the above referenced item. Interested parties may also submit written comments. Written comments can be submitted by email to tmack@silercity.org. Individuals desiring to speak may sign up by registering their name and information on the sign-up sheet, located outside the entry doors to the court room. The Town of Siler City will make appropriate arrangements to ensure that disabled persons are provided other accommodations, such arrangements may include, but are not limited to, providing interpreters for the deaf, providing taped cassettes of materials for the blind, or assuring a barrier-free location for the proceedings. This information is available in Spanish or any other language upon request. Please contact Kimberly Pickard at 919-726-8620, 311 North Second Avenue, Siler City, North Carolina 27344, or kpickard@ silercity.org for accommodations for this request. Esta información está disponible en español o en cualquier otro idioma bajo petición. Por favor, póngase en contacto con Kimberly Pickard al kpickard@silercity.org o 919-726-8625 o en 311 North Second Avenue, Siler City, North Carolina 27344 de alojamiento para esta solicitud.
TAKE NOTICE
NOTICE
Having qualified as Administrator of the estate of Henry Clay Blymire, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, firms, and corporations, having claims against the said estate to exhibit them duly verified to the undersigned c/o John P. Paschal, Attorney at Law, PLLC, 4904 Waters Edge Drive, Suite 100, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606 on or before the 9th day of April, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate settlement. This the 9th day of January, 2025. Ashely Blymire, Administrator Henry Clay Blymire, Deceased Chatham County Estate File: 24E001687-180
NOTICE
Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Maria Lapetina, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 3rd day of April 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 2nd day of January 2025. Maria Elena Lapetina, Executor, c/o W. Andrew Fletcher, South Durham Law, 6104 Fayetteville Road, #105, Durham, North Carolina 27713. Publication Dates: Jan 2, 9, 16, 23 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#24E001673-180
The undersigned, CHRISTOPHER BARNARD
POSTON, having qualified on the 13TH Day of DECEMBER, 2024, as EXECUTOR of the Estate of DOROTHY POSTON MCKINNEY, 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 2ND Day of APRIL 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 2nd DAY OF JANUARY 2025. CHRISTOPHER BARNARD POSTON, EXECUTOR 54 KENSINGTON DRIVE PITTSBORO, NC 27312 Run dates: J2,9,16,23p
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS The undersigned, having qualified as Administrator CTA CTA of the ESTATE OF MILDRED GRACE SMITH, late of Chatham County, North Carolina; this is to notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before March 26th, 2024, or this Notice will be pled in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make payment to the undersigned. This the 26th of December, 2024. Kathleen Grace Pulliam, Administrator CTA 2400 Grayson Creek Dr. Wake Forest, NC 27587 ESTATE OF MILDRED GRACE SMITH Susannah L. Brown, Attorney 430 1st Ave. NW Hickory, NC 28601 Publish: December 26, 2024, January 2, 9, 16, 2025.
AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 23SP000122-180
Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Willie James Scotton, IV and Martha Wilkins (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Willie James Scotton, IV and Martha Wilkins) to Ben H. colvard, III, Trustee(s), dated March 30, 2005, and recorded in Book No. 01168, at Page 1020 in Chatham County Registry, North Carolina. The Deed of Trust was modified by the following: A Loan Modification recorded on February 22, 2013, in Book No. 1670, at Page 250, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Chatham County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Pittsboro, Chatham County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 1:30 PM on January 23, 2025 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Siler City in the County of Chatham, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: Being all of Parcel 9, containing 0.376 acres, more or less, as described on a plat entitled, “Topo Survey for Valerie Lynne Glover”, dated June 21, 1988, prepared by James D. Hunter, RLS, and recorded in Plat Slide 88-220, Chatham County Registry, to which plat reference is made for a more particular description. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 1707 North Chatham
BUDGET from page A1
as continuing the investment in other local supplements, securing financial sustainability, promoting equity and student achievement, fully funding the free breakfast and lunch for all students pilot and strengthening safety and modernization.
“Our superpower is that we’ve had stable leadership,” Jackson said. “As a school system, we’re able to see both the road we
NOTICE TO ALL PROPERTY OWNERS
Tax Listing Notice All persons owning real, personal and business property on January 1, 2025, have the duty to list property that is subject to Chatham County property taxation. Certain personal property must be listed every year. Real estate listing is not required unless buildings or other improvements having a value in excess of $100 have been acquired, begun, erected, damaged, or destroyed in the year prior to January 1, 2025.
Listing Period Begins - January 1, 2025
Listing Period Ends - January 31, 2025 For Business Listings only, requests for an extension must be received in writing by January 31, 2025.
Extensions will only be granted until April 15, 2025.
Listing Assistance is available at: Chatham County Tax Department 12 East Street, Pittsboro NC 27312 Monday - Friday 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Except Holidays WHAT TO LIST?
You are required to list un-licensed vehicles, trailers with multi-year registrations, mobile homes not designated as real property, all types of water craft, aircraft, and items used in a business. Business Property also includes items used for farming, a trade or profession, or furnishings or appliances you provide to a tenant. Except for trailers with multi-year registration, exempted from listing are licensed vehicles, mobile homes (considered real estate,) and household items used for your own residence. Forms may be picked up at the office or obtained from our website at https://www.chathamcountync.
gov You may list in person. Bring all detailed information necessary to identify your property and its value. If forms were mailed to you, please bring them with you. Listing by mail is permitted. Listings must bear a U.S. Postal Service postmark on or before January 31, 2025. Penalties apply to late listings.
If you have not received your listing forms by January 20, you should make satisfactory arrangements with this office so that you may make a timely listing.
Persons who fail to comply are subject to listing penalties and other penalties which are prescribed by N.C. General Statutes.
PROPERTY TAX RELIEF: Persons at least 65 years of age or persons that are permanently and totally disabled whose income does not exceed the maximum, may apply for a tax reduction or tax deferment on their permanent residence. The maximum income to qualify for the 2025 tax reduction is $37,900, the maximum income to qualify for 2025 tax deferment is $56,850. If you meet the qualifications your taxes could be significantly lowered. Please contact our office or visit our website for more details on this program and to obtain an application.
PROPERTY TAX RELIEF FOR DISABLED VETERANS:
This program excludes the first forty-five thousand dollars ($45,000) of the appraised value of a permanent residence owned and occupied by a North Carolina Resident, who is an Honorably Discharged 100% Disabled Veteran, or the unmarried surviving spouse of an Honorable Discharged 100% Disabled Veteran. Please contact our office or visit our website for more details about this program.
Chatham County Tax Department P O Box 908, Pittsboro NC 27312 (919) 542-8250
NOTICE
“All persons having claims against the estate of JUDITH GRUMETTE ORTIZ of Chatham County, NC, who died on October 21, 2024, are notified to present them on or before March 31, 2025, to Samuel and Jennifer Ortiz, Co-Executors for the estate of Judith Grumette Ortiz, c/o Schupp & Hamilton, PLLC, P.O. Box 3200, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-3200, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery.”
DATES: 12/26/2024, 01/2/2025, 01/9/2025, 01/16/2025
Avenue, Siler City, North Carolina.
Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23.
Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1).
The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws.
A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale.
If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the
have traveled, and we have very good lenses about where we want to go.”
The board also approved an MOU with United Way for its Big Bold Goal Program.
“Our district has a longstanding history and partnership with the United Way of Chatham,” said assistant superintendent Amanda Moran. “The program seeks to move 2,000 individuals out of poverty within 2,000 days.”
Siler City Elementary will serve as the target pilot school and according to Moran, the MOU will commit CCS to identifying and referring eligible families for support and sharing any pertinent data related to the student in order to track student and family progress.
The district will have no costs associated with the program.
The board also approved a $20,000 donation from Wolfspeed for the county’s robot-
NOTICE
ATTENTION: All persons, firms and corporations having claims against Verna Annetha Harris, deceased, of Chatham County, NC, are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before April 14, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 9th day of January, 2025. Dustin Aaron Harris, Executor, c/o Poyner Spruill LLP, 301 Fayetteville Street, Suite 1900, Raleigh, NC 27601.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000007-180 The undersigned, SANDRA COOK, having qualified on the 7TH Day of JANUARY, 2025, as EXECUTOR of the Estate of MAE HICKS STOVALL, 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 16TH Day of APRIL 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their
Run dates: J16,23,30,F6p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#24E001691-180 The undersigned, DAVID DARYL COLLINS, having qualified on the 27TH Day of DECEMBER, 2024, as EXECUTOR of
NOTICE
NEW HILL, NC 27562 Run dates: J2,9,16,23p
loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property
An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any 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 foreclosure sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination. 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.
SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC.
SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 3513 - 46356
ics team — which is made up of students from Jordan-Matthews High, Chatham Early College and Chatham Middle — and a $135,000, three-year renewal contract with Risk and Strategic Management Corporation for services and materials related to crisis planning, school security assessments and training for staff and other stakeholders.
“The thing I really appreciate about RSM in addition to all the resources that we receive from
them is that they are a 24/7 resource for us when bad things happen in the world,” said assistant superintendent Chris Blice. “We pick up the phone and call, and it doesn’t matter where in the world they are, they call us back and we get the benefit of their knowledge and their credentials to help us work through things.”
The Chatham County Schools Board of Education will next meet Feb. 10.
DOJ accuses 6 major landlords of scheming to keep rents high
North Carolina and nine other states joined the suit
By Jesse Bedayn The Associated Press
DENVER — The U.S. Jus-
tice Department is suing several large landlords for allegedly coordinating to keep Americans’ rents high by using both an algorithm to help set rents and privately sharing sensitive information with their competitors to boost profits.
The lawsuit arrives as U.S. renters continue to struggle under a merciless housing market, with incomes failing to keep up with rent increases. The latest figures show that half of American renters spent more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities in 2022, an all-time high.
That means exhausting, day-to-day decisions between medications, groceries, school supplies and rent. It means eviction notices and protracted court cases in which children face the
highest eviction rates, with 1.5 million evicted each year, according to Princeton University’s Eviction Lab.
While the housing crisis has been assigned several causes, including a slump in homes built over the last decade, the Justice Department’s lawsuit
claims major landlords are playing a part.
The department, along with 10 states including North Carolina, Tennessee, Colorado and California, is accusing six landlords that collectively operate more than 1.3 million units in 43 states and the District of
Millions have had student loans canceled under Biden — despite collapse of his forgiveness plan
A total of $180 billion in student loans have been waived
By Collin Binkley The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Despite failing to deliver his promise for broad student loan forgiveness, President Joe Biden has now overseen the cancellation of student loans for more than 5 million Americans — more than any other president in U.S. history.
In a last-minute action on Monday, the Education Department canceled loans for 150,000 borrowers through programs that existed before Biden took office. His administration expanded those programs and used them to their fullest extent, pressing on with cancellation even after the Supreme Court rejected Biden’s plan for a new forgiveness policy.
“My Administration has taken historic action to reduce the burden of student debt, hold bad
actors accountable, and fight on behalf of students across the country,” Biden said in a written statement. In total, the administration says it has waived $183.6 billion in student loans. The wave of cancellation could dry up when President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump hasn’t detailed his student loan policies but previously called cancellation “vile” and illegal. Republicans have fought relentlessly against Biden’s plans, saying cancellation is ultimately shouldered by taxpayers who never attended college or already repaid their loans.
Biden loosened rules for debt forgiveness
The latest round of relief mostly comes through a program known as borrower defense, which allows students to get their loans canceled if they’re cheated or misled by their colleges. It was created in 1994 but rarely used until a wave of high-profile
for-profit college scandals during the Obama administration.
A smaller share of the relief came through a program for borrowers with disabilities and through Public Service Loan Forgiveness, which was created in 2007 and offers to erase all remaining debt for borrowers in a government or nonprofit job who make 10 years of monthly payments.
Most of Monday’s borrower defense cancellations were for students who attended several defunct colleges owned by Center for Excellence in Higher Education, including CollegeAmerica, Stevens-Henager College and Independence University. They are based on past findings that the schools lied to prospective students about their employment prospects and the terms of private loans.
Before Biden took office, those programs were criticized by advocates who said complex rules made it difficult for borrowers to get relief. The Biden administration loosened some of the rules
Columbia of scheming to avoid lowering rents.
The landlord Greystar Real Estate Partners LLC, a defendant in the case, declined a request for comment from The Associated Press but published an unsigned statement on its website.
“Greystar has and will conduct its business with the utmost integrity. At no time did Greystar engage in any anti-competitive practices,” the statement read. “We will vigorously defend ourselves in this lawsuit.”
The lawsuit accuses the landlords of sharing sensitive data on rents and occupancy with competing firms via email, phone calls or in groups. The information shared allegedly included renewal rates, how often they accept an algorithm’s price recommendation, the use of concessions such as offering one month free, and even their approach to pricing for the next quarter.
The Justice Department said one of the six landlords agreed to cooperate with pros-
using its regulatory power, a maneuver that expanded eligibility without going through Congress. As an example, just 7,000 borrowers had gotten their loans canceled through Public Service Loan Forgiveness before the Biden administration took office. Widespread confusion about eligibility, along with errors by loan servicers, resulted in a 99% rejection rate for applicants.
Huge numbers of borrowers made years of payments only to find out they were in an ineligible repayment plan. Some were improperly put into forbearance — a pause on payments — by their loan servicers. Those periods didn’t end up counting toward the 10 years of payments needed for cancellation.
The Biden administration temporarily relaxed the eligibility rules during the pandemic and then made it more permanentin 2023. As a result, more than 1 million public servants have now had their balances zeroed out through the program.
All those rule changes were meant to be a companion to Biden’s marquee policy for student debt, which proposed up to $20,000 in relief for more than 40 million Americans. But after the Supreme Court blocked the move, the Biden administration shifted its focus to maximizing relief through existing mechanisms.
ecutors. The proposed settlement would restrict how the company can use their competitors’ data and algorithms to set rents.
“Today’s action against RealPage and six major landlords seeks to end their practice of putting profits over people and make housing more affordable for millions of people across the country,” said Doha Mekki, the acting assistant attorney general for the department’s antitrust division in Tuesday’s press release.
Those landlords were added to an existing lawsuit against RealPage, which runs an algorithm that recommends rental prices to landlords. Prosecutors say the algorithm uses sensitive competitive information, allowing landlords to align their prices and avoid competition that would otherwise push down rents.
Jennifer Bowcock, RealPage’s senior vice president for communications, said in a statement to the AP that their software is used on fewer than 10% of rental units in the U.S., and that their price recommendations are used less than half the time.
“It’s past time to stop scapegoating RealPage — and now our customers — for housing affordability problems when the root cause of high housing costs is the under-supply of housing,” Bowcock said.
Republicans have called for a different approach
Announcements of new cancellation became routine, even as conservatives in Congress accused Biden of overstepping his power. Republican states fought off Biden’s later attempts at mass forgiveness, but the smaller batches of relief continued without any major legal challenge.
As Republicans take hold of both chambers of Congress and the White House, Biden’s changes could be targeted for a rollback. But it’s unclear how far the next administration will go to tighten the cancellation spigot. Trump proposed eliminating PSLF during his first term in office, but Congress rejected the idea. Project 2025, a blueprint created by the Heritage Foundation for a second Trump term, proposes ending PSLF, and narrowing borrower defense and making repayment plans less generous than existing ones. Republicans have suggested that reversing Biden’s changes will be a priority. Earlier this month, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) issued a report blasting Biden’s expansion of borrower defense, saying he “tried to stretch every possible law” to fulfill his campaign promises. When Trump takes office, Foxx wrote, “the jig will finally be up.”
JOSE LUIS MAGANA / AP PHOTO
The U.S. Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C. is shown in December 2024.
CHATHAM SPORTS
Katie Leonard scored nine of her 16 points in the first quarter
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
PITTSBORO — Seaforth
led by as much as 17 points in a dominant first quarter, kicking off a 62-47 wire-to-wire home win over its crosstown rival Northwood on Jan. 9.
The Hawks took a 21-4 lead with just over a minute left in the opening quarter thanks to junior Katie Leonard pouring in nine of her 16 points on the night. Leonard shot just 1 for 4 from 3 in the first eight minutes, but she was able to score off the dribble, knocking down a mid-range jumper and two layups.
Senior Peyton Collins also had a big first quarter with six points, including an andone that put the Hawks up 18-2 just over six minutes into the game.
“Offensively, we wanted to get paint touches and make them guard us,” Leonard said.
Said senior Gabby White, who scored the Hawks’ first four points of the game, “Just playing fast, too. They can’t really run with us. We’re a really fast-paced team, so I think being able to get out in transition, getting those easy buckets and then setting up in our defense I think helped us a lot.”
“Offensively, we wanted to get paint touches and make them guard us.”
Katie Leonard
Northwood went 3 for 10 from the field in the first quarter and struggled to get clean looks at the basket from all areas on the court.
“We put a major emphasis on our scouting report yesterday, making sure that we know where their bigs are and try to front the post,” Seaforth coach Charles Byrd said. “When they do catch the ball, just walling up, turning and boxing out.”
Northwood junior forward Shaylah Glover found a crack in the Hawks’ defense though, scoring eight of the Chargers’ 10 second quarter points to help bring them within 12 at halftime. Glover, who finished the game as Northwood’s leading scorer with 12 points, played with aggression around the rim, finishing contested layups and taking trips to the free-throw line. However, it wasn’t enough to spark a comeback.
Seaforth opened the second half with another solid offensive stretch and grew its lead to a 22-point advantage entering the fourth quarter.
Leonard caught fire once again in the third quarter with seven more points in the scoring column, but White did most of the heavy lifting down the stretch with 11 second half points. White finished the game with a team-high 17 points, marking her sixth straight game in double figures and her 12th double-digit scoring performance of the season.
Although White is usually the Hawks’ main offensive threat, Leonard has proven to be just as dangerous, especially in Seaforth’s recent outings.
In a 51-48 win over Southeast Alamance, arguably Seaforth’s biggest threat in the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference, on Jan. 7, Leonard came up huge with six made 3a and scored a season-high 18 points. While White has scored at least 10 points in 12 of the Hawks’ 13 games this season, Leonard is right behind her with 11 games in double figures.
“It’s been really a blessing,” White said about playing with Leonard. “I’d say freshman and sophomore year, I had a lot on my plate trying to be that leader and trying to facilitate, but having Katie by my side taking off a little bit of pressure has been really relaxing and really relieving.” After getting through a
See GIRLS, page B3
Chad Graves set the tone with eight first quarter points
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
PITTSBORO — Northwood juniors Cam Fowler and Chad Graves led the charge with 17 and 16 points, respectively, and were crucial in the Chargers’ third quarter explosion in a 63-37 blowout win at Seaforth on Jan. 9.
Coming out of halftime, Fowler scored eight third quarter points, including two 3s, to help Northwood outscore Seaforth 15-4 and build a 44 -18 lead going into the fourth quarter. He secured his 12th straight game with at least 15 points.
Graves, who had the size advantage in the paint, became an early problem for the Hawks as he scored eight first quarter points, all from flashing open and finishing layups and dunks at the rim. His hot start helped Northwood jump
“We just did the same stuff we’ve been doing all year. Same plays, executing, making the extra pass and playing as a team.”
Isaiah Blair
out to an 18-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
“We really worked on our play called secondary this week just to focus on different options we could get out of it and making sure (Graves) seals in the paint, so he could get a wide open layup,” Fowler said. Fowler scored seven of Northwood’s 11 second quarter points, the lone offensive bright spot during a period in which Seaforth started slowing the game down. As dominant as the Chargers looked to
Northwood boys’ wrestling comes away with two wins on Chatham Central’s senior night
The Chargers scored a combined 95 points
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
BEAR CREEK — The Northwood boys’ wrestling team scored a combined 95 points in two Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference dual wins over Chatham Central and North Moore at Chatham Central’s senior night on Jan. 8. The Chargers beat North Moore 41-39 and Chatham Central 54-30 to win their fourth and fifth conference duals, moving to 5-3 against conference opponents. North Moore beat the host Bears 39-20. The Mustangs moved to 4-6 in conference play, while Chatham Central fell to 5-4 against the conference. Chatham Central’s girls pick-
ed up an 18-0 win over North Moore and a 24-12 win over Northwood from all matches being decided by forfeit. Before the final dual of the night, Chatham Central honored its seniors, including its first ever girls’ wrestling senior class. Aspen Phillips, Amani Carter, Caleigh Warf, Jayla Clark and Payton Pickett were honored, making up the entire roster except sophomore Madalyn Holton.
“It feels nice to know that we’re the first girls’ wrestling team at Chatham Central, and it’s nice to know how it’s just a good community,” Holton said. “We make a lot of friends.” Northwood’s boys gained an 18-point advantage over North Moore thanks to three forfeits in the 106-, 144- and 285-pound weight classes. The Mustangs made a valiant effort
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Seaforth senior Beau Harvey (2) fires a pass in front of Northwood’s Cam Fowler (3) during the rivalry game between the two schools. Northwood had the upper hand in this meeting, 63-37.
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Katie Leonard, left, shoots for two of her 16 points in Seaforth’s win over Northwood.
Checking in on Chatham County’s collegiate winter sports athletes
Get updated on the county’s former standouts
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
CHATHAM COUNTY’S former athletes are still making noise on the collegiate level during the winter sports season. Here’s an update on the recent happenings with the county’s former standouts.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Drake Powell (UNC, Northwood): Powell has been steadily improving, especially on the offensive side of the ball, this season. Since becoming a starter on Dec. 4, Powell has recorded at least 10 points in three games and shot over 45% from the field in six games (as of Sunday). He’s also becoming a solid 3-point shooter for the Tar Heels, shooting 39.5% from deep, which ranks second on the team behind freshman Ian Jackson.
Jarin Stevenson (Alabama, Seaforth): Stevenson has remained a starter since the win over UNC in December. The 6-foot-11 forward has been getting it done on the defensive end with a combined eight blocks in Alabama’s last four games. In the win over Texas A&M on Saturday, Stevenson recorded a career-high three blocks.
Max Frazier (Central Connecticut, Northwood): Frazier has played well off the bench for Central Connecticut. The 6-foot-9 forward is averaging 4.7 points and 3.4 rebounds a game while shooting at a 65.2% clip as of Sunday. Frazier had his best game of the season on Dec. 21 in an 84-80 win over Quinnipiac as he poured in a season-high 17 points and nine rebounds.
Aaron Ross (Chowan, Northwood): Ross has played some really good basketball this season, averaging 13.2
ASHEEBO ROJAS / CHATHAM
Northwood’s Elijah Farrow (top) grabs control of North Moore’s Jayden Hussey during last week’s tri-meet. The Chargers got wins over North Moore and Chatham Central, while the Mustangs beat Central to earn a split.
WRESTLING from page B1
to make up the deficit with six pins and a win by decision over the Chargers. North Moore scored 18 straight points with pins from Austin Williams (175 pounds), Saul Ferrer (190) and Kevin Martinez Lopez (215) to take a 39-35 lead before Northwood’s Jaxon Green (215) was granted the deciding six points from a forfeit to close the dual. A technical fall from Northwood’s Connor Willingmyre (120) and pins by Aldo Peluso (132), Cole Shambley (138) and Elijah Farrow (165) all kept the Chargers alive while North Moore made its late run.
Against Chatham Central, Northwood gained a 30-6 advantage over the Bears due to forfeits. More pins from Shambley, Farrow, Green and Kevin Fortin (175) put the Chargers over the hump, although the Bears still picked up fall points from Carson Williams (150) over Northwood’s Alex Raley, Aiden Hernandez (132) over Peluso and Stephen Silhan III (190) over Franklin Sandria.
“I saw some good performances,” Northwood coach Tony Shambley said. “My 165 was on point as always. I had
some good showings from my guy that just made it down to 215, Jaxon Green. That was good to see.
“We had a couple of things go wrong that I wasn’t sure what happened, but we’ll try to correct those for next time.”
North Moore only had an 18-6 advantage over Chatham Central from forfeits, making for a closer dual down the stretch. The Mustangs held a 33-23 lead over the Bears before the decisive 215-pound match between Lopez and Chatham Central’s Logan Robinson. Lopez pinned Robinson in 54 seconds to seal the win for the Mustangs despite Chatham Central picking up six points in the 285-pound match from a forfeit.
Chatham Central coach Stephen Silhan II said the Bears missed some wrestlers during the meet due to injury and one of his girls missing weight. Shambley also said he has to get some of his wrestlers back in shape and acclimated to the season after the long break.
All three teams will have a chance to wrestle against each other again during the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference tournament on Jan. 25.
from beyond the arc. Earlier this month, McAfee-Marion had back-to-back 17 point games in wins over Our Lady of the Lake and Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
3
Blocks against Texas A&M, a new career-high for Alabama’s Jarin Stevenson
points per game which ranks
second for Chowan. He’s been efficient, shooting 49.2% from the floor and 36.5% from 3, and in his most recent outing against Francis Marion on Jan. 8, he poured in 16 points while shooting 6 for 14.
Jalen McAfee-Marion (University of the Southwest, Northwood): McAfee-Marion has been a crucial offensive option for the University of the Southwest this season. The 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 11.5 points per game while shooting 53.8% from the floor and 37.3%
start the night, a sloppy end to the half with multiple turnovers and missed shots kept Seaforth alive down 29-14 at the break.
Northwood coach Matt Brown told his team to “pick up the tempo” and made some defensive adjustments at halftime.
“Don’t let them get back in the 2-3 zone,” Brown said. “Don’t let them set up. Be a little bit more aggressive in our press to get a little more steals. The first two or three possessions, we got steals because we did pressure. They did a really good job of making that adjustment.”
Graves and senior Isaiah Blair put the finishing touches on the game with six points apiece in the final quarter. Blair, who was a key contributor both offensively and defensively, finished the night with eight points. Four other Chargers entered the scoring column, including senior Beau Harvey, who had six points.
“We’ve faced 2-3 multiple times this year,” Blair said. “We just did the same stuff we’ve been doing all year. Same plays, executing, making the extra pass and playing as a team.”
Meah Brooks (Greensboro College, Chatham Charter): Brooks has made an immediate impact for Greensboro as a freshman, shooting 44.4% from the floor (highest shooting clip on the team as of Sunday) and averaging 8.7 points per game as a starter. However, she’s struggled to make shots as of late. In the Pride’s three games back from a long break over the holiday season, Brooks has combined for just 10 points while shooting at or under a 25% clip in each outing. She’s still been playing well defensively, though, coming away with three steals in the first three games of 2025.
Olivia Porter (Marquette, Northwood): Porter has been a solid playmaker for Marquette this season, leading the team with 54 assists as of Sunday. Although she hasn’t taken many shots in the last few games, Porter is averaging 6.6 points per outing while making 35.1% of her shots.
McKenna Snively (Christopher Newport, Northwood/North Raleigh Christian Academy): Snively has primarily come off the bench
While the Chargers had some ups and downs on offense throughout the night, it was their defensive effort that remained consistently up to par. Harvey came away with a team-high eight steals as Northwood’s mix of zone, half-court and full-court presses disrupted Seaforth’s ability to penetrate and find good shots. The Hawks shot just 31% from the floor and 29% from 3.
Seaforth’s 37 points was its lowest scoring output since losing to Western Guilford 39-36 on Dec. 28. The Hawks are now 1-3 in games that they score less than 40 points, while the Chargers have held eight teams to under 40 points and are unbeaten in those games.
“The defense is where everything starts with us,” Brown said. “It starts and ends with us, so we like to pressure. We like to mix things up. We play a couple of different funky zones here and there to throw teams off, and Beau did a terrific job, and the rest of the guys did, too.”
Northwood secured its 13th win of the season and moved to 7-0 in Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference play (first place as of Friday), winning its second straight game since the close
for Christopher Newport this season, averaging just 12 minutes per game. She’s averaging 4.7 points per game while shooting 32.1% from the floor. Snively recently had her best game of the season in an 8345 win over Haverford on Jan. 5. She started that game and scored a season-high 10 points.
Hannah Ajayi (Guilford, Seaforth): Ajayi returned to action Saturday against Eastern Mennonite after missing a few games in December and January. She scored three points in five minutes in her return.
Skylar Adams (Shaw, Northwood): Adams hasn’t played since Dec. 22 due to injury. She averaged 5.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in her first nine games.
SWIMMING
Jennah Fadely (Kenyon College, Jordan-Matthews): Fadely added another accolade to her decorated career in a double-dual meet Friday. She won the 100-yard breaststroke with a NCAA Division III record-breaking time of 59.62 seconds. Fadely also swam a season-best and NCAA “B” qualifying 2:11.53 in the 200 -yard breaststroke to win the event at the meet.
loss to Washington on Jan. 4. The Chargers face a tougher conference game at home against third-place Chatham Central on Thursday, going against one of the conference’s best scorers in Reid Albright and talented forward Brennen Oldham. However, none of that matters as the Chargers aren’t as worried about who’s in front of them as much as they’re worried about themselves.
“We’re going to just get better and prepare how we’re going to do us,” Brown said. “That’s who we have to worry about. We don’t have to worry about anybody else right now. We’ve got to get better ourselves and make this playoff push.”
As for Seaforth, the loss marks its second defeat in a row after losing to Southeast Alamance on Jan. 7. The Hawks have shown flashes of being dangerous team when they get shots to fall, but they haven’t been consistent, leading to some of their blowout losses this season.
After a tough week against the conference’s best two best teams, Seaforth will get a chance to regain some momentum against conference foe Jordan-Matthews (sixth in the conference) on Thursday.
NEWS & RECORD
RICK OSENTOSKI / AP PHOTO
Marquette guard Olivia Porter (23) shoots over a pair of Bowling Green defenders during a December game. The Northwood product leads Marquette in assists.
BOYS from page B1
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Northwood’s Chad Graves (34) makes the most of his size advantage in the paint to dunk during a win over Seaforth.
Chatham Central claims 7th consecutive win ahead of showdown with Northwood
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
Boys’ basketball
Chatham Charter went 2-0 during the week with an 82-36 win over Triangle Math and Science on Jan. 7 and a 67-24 win over Clover Garden School on Jan. 9. Four different Knights scored in double-digits against Triangle Math and Science as senior Brennan LaVelle recorded team-highs of 18 points and 14 rebounds. Across the Central Tar Heel 1A conference, Woods Charter edged Carolina Friends 53-51 on Jan. 7. Sophomore Alden Phelps led the Wolves with 16 points and eight rebounds, and senior Bhuvanesh Senthil scored a season-high 15 points.
Chatham Central won its seventh game in a row with a 56 - 41 victory over Cedar Ridge on Jan. 8. Senior Reid Albright recorded his second straight double-double with team highs of 16 points and 10 rebounds, and senior Brennen Oldham poured in 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Jordan-Matthews snapped its three-game losing streak with a 46-35 win over Bartlett Yancey on Jan. 8. Before falling to Northwood, Seaforth lost to Southeast Alamance 56-43 on Jan. 7. The Hawks were tied with the Stallions 18-18 at halftime but couldn’t keep up with the Southeast Alamance’s pace in the second half.
Northwood started its week with a 63-32 win over Cummings on Jan. 7. Junior guard Cam Fowler led the team with 20 points, his eighth 20-point game of the season.
Week of Jan. 6 Power Rankings: 1. Northwood; 2. Chatham Central; 3. Seaforth; 4. Woods Charter; 5. Chatham Charter; 6. Jordan-Matthews Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference standings (as of Sunday) (overall, conference): 1. Northwood (13-2, 7-0); 2. Southeast Alamance (11-2, 6-1); 3. Chatham Central (10-1, 5-1); T4. Seaforth (6-8, 3-3); T4. Cummings (4-8, 3-3); 6. Jordan-Matthews (3-8, 2-4); 7. Graham (2-10, 1-6); 8. North Moore (3-8, 0-5) Central Tar Heel 1A conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Southern Wake Academy (133, 3-0); 2. Woods Charter (5-4, 2-0); 3. Chatham Charter (11-7,
2-1); T4. Clover Garden School (3-6, 1-2); T4. Triangle Math and Science (2-11, 1-2); T6. River Mill (1-14, 0-2); T6. Ascend Leadership (3-6, 0-2)
Girls’ basketball
Seaforth took down MidCarolina 1A/2A conference foe Southeast Alamance 51-48 on Jan. 7. Senior Gabby White led the team with 26 points and 11 rebounds, and junior Katie Leonard came up huge for the Hawks with six made 3-pointers.
Chatham Charter snapped its six-game losing streak with a 41-30 win over Triangle Math and Science on Jan. 7 and a 43-31 win over Clover Garden School on Jan. 9.
Woods Charter extended its win streak to four with a 43-7 demolition of Carolina Friends.
Junior Wesley Oliver led the team with 19 points and 10 steals. Prior to last week, the Wolves last won four games in a row during the 2021-22 season.
Northwood started its week with a 49-12 victory over Cummings on Jan. 7.
Chatham Central was held to its third-lowest scoring output in a 36-33 loss to Cedar Ridge on Jan. 8. Week of Jan 6. Power Rankings: 1. Seaforth; 2. Northwood; 3. Chatham Central; 4. Chatham Charter; 5. Woods Charter; 6. Jordan-Matthews Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Seaforth (12-1, 6-0); 2. Southeast Alamance (11-2, 6-1); T3. Northwood (9-4, 4-2); T3. Chatham Central (8-3, 4-2); 5. Jordan-Matthews (3-9, 3-3); 6. Cummings (2-6, 2-4); 7. Graham (4-9, 2-5); T8. Bartlett Yancey (0-9, 0-5); T8. North Moore (1-7, 0-5) Central Tar Heel 1A conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Chatham Charter (6-12, 3-0); T2. Triangle Math and Science (6-7, 2-1); T2. Clover Garden School (7-3, 2-1); 4. Woods Charter (5-3, 1-1); 5. Southern Wake Academy (3-5, 1-2); T6. River Mill (1-14, 0-2); T6. Ascend Leadership (2-9, 0-2)
Boys’ wrestling
Seaforth continued its dominant run against conference opponents with a 72-6 win over Graham and a 77-0 win over Cummings in a tri meet on Jan. 8.
Jordan-Matthews lost two conference matches in a tri meet at Bartlett Yancey on Jan. 9, falling to Southeast Alamance 66-18 and Bartlett Yancey 42-41.
Girls’ wrestling
Jordan-Matthews got to actually wrestle Southeast Alamance without every match being decided by forfeit (due to a lack of wrestlers for each weight class) on Jan. 9, but the Jets lost 42-6. Despite the team loss, Alexandria Zumano got the only win for the Jets after pinning Southeast Alamance’s Layorah Jamison. Jordan-Matthews lost to Bartlett Yancey the same day 19-18 after all the matches were decided by forfeit.
Chatham Central beat Northwood 24-12 on Jan. 8 in another dual decided fully by forfeits.
Swimming
Northwood, Chatham Central and Southeast Alamance competed in a tri meet at the Burlington YMCA on Jan. 9. Northwood senior Abigail Emrich had herself a day, finishing first in the girls’ 200-yard freestyle (2 minutes, 02.10 seconds) and girls’ 100 backstroke (1:03.14). She was also part of the Chargers’ girls’ 200 medley relay and girls’ 200 free relay teams that finished first. Northwood senior Holly Thesing was part of the two first-place relay teams while also finishing first in the girls’ 200 individual medley (2:25.64) and the girls’ 100 free (1:02.06).
Chatham Central’s Jesse Esklund finished first in the boys’ 50 free (23.75) and the boys’ 100 free (52.81). Northwood senior Christian Smith Pumalpa earned first place times for the boys’ 200 free (2:32.34) and the boys’ 100 backstroke (1:08.78), and he contributed to first-place wins for the boys’ 200 medley relay and the boys’ 200 free relay.
Woods Charter competed alongside five other teams in a meet on Jan. 6, with junior Derek White earning first place finishes for the boys’ 50 free (22.85) and the boys 100 free (53.91). Sophomore Drew White won both the boys’ 200 free (2:01.65) and 500 free (5:24.43), while sophomore Daisy Collins won both the girls’ 200 free (1:58.70) and the 500 free (5:12.53).
Central Electric sponsoring two youth to attend basketball camp this summer
Central Electric awards two Touchstone Energy Sports Camp Scholarships annually to local students in Chatham, Harnett, Lee, Moore, or Randolph counties. A young man will be selected to attend the Carolina Basketball School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a young woman will be selected to attend the Wolfpack Women’s Basketball Camp at N.C. State University in Raleigh.
To be eligible to apply, the student must be in the sixth or seventh grade during the upcoming school year, have permission from a parent or guardian to attend the overnight camp and must provide their own transportation if selected to attend.
Scan the QR code or visit CEMCPower.com for more information or to apply. The deadline for applications to both camps is March 31.
Cam Fowler
Northwood, boys’ basketball
Northwood’s Cam Fowler earns athlete of the week honors for the week of Jan. 6. Fowler was all over the place for the Chargers in their two big wins over Cummings and Seaforth. Against the Cavaliers on Jan. 7, he put up a team-high 20 points, six rebounds, five assists and posted a team-high five steals in a stellar all-around performance. Fowler did it again against Seaforth on Jan. 9, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out two assists to go along with his 17 points.
GIRLS from page B1
tough week against Southeast Alamance and Northwood with two wins, Seaforth sits at 12-1 overall and 6-0 in conference play (first place).
The Hawks have yet to lose a regular season conference game over the program’s four-year history, extending its regular season conference win streak to 46 after the most recent victory. “Excited we got those wins, two really big wins, but we’ve still got a whole bunch of games ahead of us,” White said. “So, we’re just trying to get locked in and ready for the next one to come.”
As for Northwood, the Chargers now sit at 9-4 overall and 4-2 in the Mid-Caro -
lina 1A/2A conference (third place).
Northwood has been without its standout senior guard, Natalia Whitaker, since the middle of December as she recovers from an injury. With just a month left in the regular season, having her back will be huge as the Chargers will need all the help they can get in upcoming home games against Southeast Alamance and Seaforth on Jan. 21 and Jan. 31, respectively.
But for now, Northwood will focus on regaining some momentum in the conference before taking another swing at the top two teams. The Chargers will host fourth-place Chatham Central on Thursday and travel to ninth-place North Moore on Friday.
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
SIDELINE REPORT
MLB
Yankees fans who interfered with Betts during World Series banned from all MLB games
New York
Major League Baseball has banned two fans who interfered with Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts during a World Series game at Yankee Stadium from attending any games at big league ballparks.
MLB sent a letter to Austin Capobianco and John P. Hansen this week informing them of the decision. The letter say “based on your conduct, Major League Baseball is banning you indefinitely from all MLB stadiums, offices, and other facilities.” It adds: ”You are also hereby banned indefinitely from attending any events sponsored by or associated with MLB.”
NCAA FOOTBALL
McCartney, who coached Colorado to only football national title in 1990, dies Boulder, Colo.
Bill McCartney, who coached Colorado to its only football national championship in 1990, has died. He was 84. McCartney died “after a courageous journey with dementia,” according to a family statement. His family announced in 2016 that he had been diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s. McCartney remains the winningest coach in Colorado history, with a record of 93-55-5. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013. McCartney led Colorado to its best season in 1990, when the team finished 11-1-1 and beat Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl to clinch the national title.
SKIING
Macuga wins World Cup super-G race with Vonn 4th on stellar day for U.S. ski team St. Anton, Austria
On a stellar day for the United States ski team, Lauren Macuga got her first World Cup win in a super-G and Lindsey Vonn impressed again in fourth place at St. Anton, Austria. Macuga’s victory was no surprise to ski watchers who saw the 22-year-old American’s fast-improving results. Still, she was skiing with a question mark image on her helmet where a sponsor’s brand could be. Macuga won by 0.68 seconds margin ahead of Stephanie Venier of Austria. Federica Brignone was 0.92 back in third. Vonn was 1.24 back yet fastest on the steep middle section.
TENNIS
Habib becomes first man representing Lebanon to win Grand Slam singles match Melbourne, Australia
Hady Habib, already the first man to represent Lebanon in a Grand Slam singles tournament, became the first to win a match by defeating Bu Yunchaokete of China 7-6 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (6). The 26-year- old Habib won three matches in qualifying rounds just to get into the field of 128 players. Habib, who is ranked outside the top 200, was born in Houston, Texas; his father is Lebanese. Habib went to Texas A&M University. He represented Lebanon at the Paris Olympics last year.
CBS’s Nantz broadcasts milestone 500th NFL game
He became the second play-by-play announcer to reach the mark all at one network
By Joe Reedy The Associated Press
JIM NANTZ has called many signature events during his nearly 40 years at CBS Sports. He reached a milestone on Sunday that only a few NFL announcers have accomplished.
Nantz called his 500th NFL game when the Buffalo Bills beat the Denver Broncos in an AFC wild-card round game.
Nantz is the first person in CBS history to work 500 games as a play-by-play announcer.
Pat Summerall did more than 500 games at CBS but started as an analyst before moving to play-by-play.
“That’s a lot of games. It’s just staggering,” Nantz said.
“To think I have been given the blessing of calling more NFL
games play-by-play than anyone in the network’s history, it’s meaningful and something that resonates for me.”
Nantz is the eighth NFL TV play-by-play announcer to reach 500 games but only the second with all of his games at one network.
Kenny Albert, who has done games since Fox got the NFL in 1994, reached the milestone on Oct. 13.
Al Michaels, Dick Stockton, Don Criqui, Summerall, Kevin Harlan and Charlie Jones, are also part of The 500 Club. Joe Buck is at 495.
Sunday was Nantz’s 69th playoff game, including seven Super Bowls and 20 AFC championship games.
Nantz’s first NFL game for CBS was on Oct. 16, 1988, when he called the Indianapolis Colts’ 35-31 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Pat Haden. He called seven games between 1988 and ’90 before being added to the reg-
ular rotation of announcers in 1991. In 1993, he was part of the network’s No. 2 crew calling games with Randy Cross and worked the NFC divisional round game between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers in 1994.
That would be the last NFL game Nantz would call for a while, though, as CBS lost the NFL rights to Fox.
CBS regained the rights to the league in 1998, but Nantz would not return to the booth until 2004, after hosting “The NFL Today” for six seasons.
In 1997, he considered an offer to host ABC’s “Good Morning America,” but CBS Sports president Sean McManus got him to stay. with a persuasive pitch that ended up becoming reality.
“My contract was up, and Sean said, ‘You’re not going to do that. You’re staying right here. We’re going to get the NFL back.’” Nantz said.
This is his 21st season as
CBS’s lead announcer. The first 13 were with Phil Simms before Tony Romo became the lead analyst in 2017.
Nantz’s other regular partners were Haden, Cross, Ken Stabler, Tim Brant, Hank Stram and Dan Fouts. Bill Cowher and Boomer Esiason each had one-game stints.
Nantz has plenty of memories. He called Bill Belichick’s first NFL game as a head coach in 1991. He also has worked three games that ended on Hail Mary passes, most recently Jayden Daniels’ 52-yard heave earlier this season.
Nantz has seen memorable matchups between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, Troy Aikman and Brett Favre, and now Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Buffalo’s Josh Allen. Nantz and Romo have called seven of the eight matchups between the two.
Nantz, who turns 66 on May 17, shows no sign of slowing.
“I’ve never enjoyed it more. I’m having more fun now than I ever have in my career,” he said. “I’ve got a lot more work to do, but this is one of those weeks where you pause and think about the journey, how you got here and how fortunate you are.”
Power Four seeks more control over NCAA policies
The proposal includes letting top leagues run championship events, a report says
By The Associated Press
A PROPOSAL from the nation’s four largest conferences would give them more authority over rule-making, policy decisions and postseason events such as March Madness, Yahoo Sports reported Thursday.
The proposal, described as a “working document” ahead of next week’s NCAA convention, would grant the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC rights to manage postseason championships such as the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. Those events, worth more than $1 billion in revenue to the 1,100 schools of the NCAA, have long been run by the association.
The so-called power conferences already have existing autonomous legislative powers that separate them from other NCAA member leagues. They are seeking even more control as the distance between the Power Four and everyone else grows in terms of revenue and prestige.
The proposal, Yahoo reported, would create a new subdivision within the NCAA umbrella, a prospect raised by NCAA
President Charlie Baker in December 2023. Baker’s plan, of-
fered as a starting point for discussion, called for the creation of a new tier of NCAA Division I sports where schools would be required to offer at least half their athletes a payment of at least $30,000 per year through a trust fund.
Since then, the NCAA and the power conferences, including the Pac-12, agreed to a $2.8 billion settlement of antitrust claims that clears the way for paying athletes directly — up to $20.5 million per school — beginning later this year
“This is an important time for change. We think it is important to provoke thought.”
Greg Sankey, SEC commissioner
if a judge gives final approval. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey told Yahoo the proposal is only a conversation-start-
er as all of Division I leaders examine a new governance model.
“There have been seven to eight months of discussions about the NCAA governance decision-making process,” Sankey told the outlet. “We have a responsibility to develop an idea. We’ve circulated this with our conferences. We’ve let the NCAA president know. This is an important time for change. We think it is important to provoke thought.”
Sankey is a member of the Division I Decision Making Group, which is considering potential changes to the NCAA governance model that is being remade as amateurism gives way to a more professionalized system.
ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, a member of the NCAA Board of Governors, said the hope is to find a governance structure that “fits” modern college athletics.
Brett Yormark, commissioner of the Big 12, called the proposal part of a “complete review of the entire model” and a necessary “modification” to provide greater authority to the power leagues.
“We have no desire to compromise what makes college athletics so special, but instead we want to make necessary adjustments to reflect where the industry is going,” he said in a statement to Yahoo Sports.
BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO
Duke’s Cooper Flagg, right, dunks over Pittsburgh’s Guillermo Diaz Graham (25) during the second half of a recent game.
MORRY GASH / AP PHOTO
Tony Romo, left, and Jim Nantz work in the CBS broadcast booth before a game between the Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals.
ACC’s shaky nonconference showing creates NCAA bid drama
League teams have struggled against other power conferences
By Aaron Beard
The Associated Press
RALEIGH — It’s still early for the Atlantic Coast Conference. No one knows that better than NC State coach Kevin Keatts, whose team last year found a never-before-seen form just in time to improbably win the league tournament and reach the Final Four.
That doesn’t change the fact this isn’t the place the ACC wanted to be as teams dive into the meat of the league schedule.
A season that began with the publicly stated goal of earning more NCAA Tournament bids
— backed by the league continuing to outperform its peers in March Madness — instead had a jarring nonconference showing. That has brought the league into 2025 with just one AP Top 25 team, while others face the question of how much they can improve their standing in a league offering a limited universe of chances for high-end wins.
“At this point, you have to control what you can control,” Keatts said. “Most of the talking heads are going to have us with four (bids), maybe an outside chance for five. I just don’t think you can worry about it. I just think you’ve got to lock into your team and figure out how to win games.”
Indeed, though that’s how the trouble began.
Tough start
The ACC is 16-52 against the Big 12, Big East, Big Ten and Southeastern conferences, a win rate of 23.5%. That’s by far the worst of those top leagues.
The low point was the SEC’s 14-2 romp against the ACC in that annual interleague contest.
Multiple coaches had no answer for why the league-wide results had been so shaky.
“I don’t know, I haven’t watched all the teams, I certainly haven’t seen a lot of the games,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. “We’re all a little disappointed with some of the results.”
And the impact lingers by establishing a pecking order when it comes to perceived league strength, particularly now as
teams dive into conference play to continue building their resumes.
For example, the ACC had six teams in the top 50 of Friday’s NET rankings, the constantly shifting sorting tool used by the NCAA selection committee; that trailed the SEC (14), Big Ten (10) and Big 12 (nine). That could ultimately impact the committee’s decisions on everything from bubble teams on the fringes of the 68-team field to seeding lines for top teams playing for the most favorable bracket path to San Antonio.
“Unfortunately, when results go that way, decisions are made for really the rest of the year,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “And it’s unfortunate that it happened that way.”
Going forward
It’s an ill-timed stumble considering league coaches and officials had spent the offseason examining why the league has been getting its lowest bid totals since expanding to 12 teams and beyond. The league has managed just five bids for three straight seasons from its 15-team membership, which has expanded with this year’s additions of California, Stanford and SMU.
The ACC keeps winning in March, such as putting four different teams (Duke, UNC, Miami and NC State) in the past three Final Fours and six dating to 2015 with three national titles in that span. As longtime Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton put it: “We always seem to be standing tall at the end of the season.”
But past tournament performance isn’t part of the bid evaluation. The goal was to bump up that bid haul through quality wins early in the season. That will be hard to do now considering how things went in November and December.
BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO
Pittsburgh head coach Jeff Capel looks toward the court during the second half of a game at Duke.
‘Den of Thieves
2’
opens at No. 1, ‘Better Man’ flops
“Mufasa” added $13.2 million to bring its total to $539.7 million worldwide
By Jake Coyle The Associated Press
NEW YORK — On a quiet weekend in movie theaters, while much of Hollywood’s attention was on the wildfires that continue to rage in Los Angeles, Lionsgate’s “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” debuted atop the box office with $15.5 million.
Mid-January is often a slow moviegoing period, and that was slightly exacerbated by the closures of about 10 theaters in Los Angeles, the country’s top box-office market.
A sequel to the Gerard Butler 2018 heist thriller, “Den of Thieves 2” performed similarly to the original. The first installment, released by STX, opened with $15.2 million seven years ago. O’Shea Jackson Jr. co-stars in the sequel, which debuted in 3,008 North American theaters.
Butler’s films are becoming something of a regular feature in January. He also starred in “Plane,” which managed $32.1 million after launching on Jan. 13, 2023.
“Den of Thieves 2,” made for about $40 million, was a bit more costly to make. Audiences liked it well enough, giving it a “B+” CinemaScore. Reviews
(58% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) weren’t particularly good. But it counted as Lionsgate’s first No. 1 opening since “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” in November 2023.
Also entering wide release over the weekend was the Robbie Williams movie Better Man, one of the more audacious spins on the music biopic in recent years. Rather than taking the more traditional route of Elton John (“Rocketman”) or Elvis Presley (“Elvis”), Michael Gracey’s film portrays the British popstar as a CGI chimpanzee.
The Paramount Pictures release, produced for $110 million and acquired by Paramount for $25 million, didn’t catch on much better than Williams’ previous forays into the United States. It tanked, with $1.1 million in ticket sales from 1,291 locations.
The weekend’s lion’s share of business went to holiday holdovers, including “Mufasa: The Lion King,” “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” “Nosferatu” and “Moana 2.” In its fourth week of release, Barry Jenkins “Mufasa” continued to do well, adding $13.2 million to bring its total to $539.7 million worldwide. Also on its fourth weekend, “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” padded its $384.8 million global total with $11 million. Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu,” the sur-
prise hit of the Christmas period, collected $6.8 million in ticket sales, bringing the vampire tale to $81.1 million domestically.
The Walt Disney Co.’s “Moana 2,” in its seventh week of release, added $6.5 million to bring its global tally to $989.8 million. In the coming days, it will become the third Disney film released in 2024 to notch $1 billion, joining “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool and Wolverine.”
Final domestic figures were released Monday. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera,” $15.5 million
2. “Mufasa: The Lion King,” $13.2 million
3. “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” $11 million
4. “Nosferatu,” $6.8 million
5. “Moana 2,” $6.5 million
6. “A Complete Unknown,” $5 million
7. “Wicked,” $5 million
8. “Babygirl,” $3.1 million
9. “Game Changer,” $1.9 million
10. “The Last Showgirl,” $1.5 million
RICO TORRES / LIONSGATE VIA AP
Gerard Butler, left, and O’Shea Jackson Jr. star in “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera.”
this week in history
Prohibition began, Captain Cook reached Hawaii, Queen Victoria died, American hostages released
JAN. 16
1865: Union Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman decreed that 400,000 acres of land in the South would be divided into 40-acre lots and given to former slaves. (The order inspired the expression “40 acres and a mule.”)
1942: Actor Carole Lombard, her mother, Elizabeth Peters, and 20 other people were killed when their plane crashed near Las Vegas.
JAN. 17
1920: Prohibition of alcohol began in the U.S. as the Volstead Act went into effect.
1950: The Great Brink’s Robbery took place as seven masked men held up the Brink’s Building in Boston, stealing $1.2 million in cash and $1.5 million in checks and money orders.
1961: President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered his farewell address in which he warned against “the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.”
JAN. 18
1778: English navigator Captain James Cook reached the present-day Hawaiian Islands, which he dubbed the “Sandwich Islands.”
1911: The first landing of an aircraft on a ship took place as pilot Eugene B. Ely brought his Curtiss biplane in for a safe landing on the deck of the armored cruiser USS Pennsylvania in San Francisco Harbor.
1973: Pink Floyd began recording “Dark Side of the Moon.”
JAN. 19
1853: Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Il Trovatore” premiered in Rome.
1915: Germany carried out its first air raid on Britain during World War I as a pair of Zeppelins dropped bombs onto Great Yarmouth and King’s Lynn in England.
1942: During World War II, a German submarine sank the Canadian liner RMS Lady Hawkins off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, killing 251 people.
JAN. 20
1801: Secretary of State John Marshall was nominated by President John Adams to be
chief justice of the U.S Supreme Court.
1841: The island of Hong Kong was ceded by China to Great Britain. (It returned to Chinese control in July 1997.)
1964: Capitol Records released the album “Meet the Beatles!”
1981: Iran released 52 Americans it had held hostage for 444 days, minutes after the presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan.
JAN. 21
1793: During the French Revolution, King Louis XVI, condemned for treason, was executed on the guillotine.
1910: The Great Paris Flood began as the rain-swollen Seine River burst its banks, sending water into the French capital.
1924: Russian socialist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin died at age 53.
1950: Former State Department official Alger Hiss, accused of being part of a Communist spy ring, was found guilty of lying to a grand jury.
JAN. 22
1901: Britain’s Queen Victoria died at age 81 after a reign of 63 years.
1938: Thornton Wilder’s
play “Our Town” was performed publicly for the first time.
1973: The U.S. Supreme Court, in its Roe v. Wade decision, declared a nationwide constitutional right to abortion.
1997: The Senate confirmed Madeleine Albright as the nation’s first female secretary of state.
1998: Theodore Kaczynski pleaded guilty to being the Unabomber responsible for three deaths and 29 injuries in return for a sentence of life in prison without parole.
Sheeran goes back to school to launch new foundation
The foundation’s goal is to give kids access to a “high-quality” music education
By Hilary Fox The Associated Press
LONDON — Ed Sheeran wants people to take music in schools seriously.
The British singer-songwriter has set up a foundation to ensure kids in the U.K. get access to “high-quality” music education.
Sheeran started writing songs at a young age after encouragement from a teacher and said he wants to help plug the gap left by reduced arts funding. To support the launch of the foundation, the Grammy-winner is visiting schools and youth groups in Cardiff, Coventry, Edinburgh and Belfast.
Addressing a group of pupils in Wales last Thursday, alongside his songwriting partner Amy Wadge, Sheeran said music should be treated as a legitimate career option.
“Britain has this sort of thing where it’s pushing people towards being bankers or like working in tech or finance or like all this sort of stuff,” said Sheeran.
“We’ve basically just come here today being like, we’ve done it. We both came from state school education and all
that takes is you guys having confidence built in you by the teachers around you,” he added.
Sheeran has a special connection with Wales: As a teenager, he visited Wadge in the Welsh capital, Cardiff, to work on his songs, an experience he described as a “key stage” of his life.
He treated pupils to a performance of one of his biggest hits, “Shape of You,” and also duetted with young musicians at a Cardiff youth group.
So far, the Ed Sheeran Foundation said it has supported 18 grassroots music education organizations or state school music departments, which will improve access to instruments and lessons for 12,000 children.
The organization said it also aims to advocate for the “essential role” of music teachers and the way music can transform the lives of young people.
In an Instagram post about the initiative, Sheeran said he wants children to benefit from music education, just as he did.
“It was incredible for my mental health as a kid, feeling a sense of purpose and achievement, even just learning piano or cello at a young age way before songwriting,” he said. “I want kids to be able to learn instruments, learn production and songwriting, performing, and have apprenticeship schemes help them learn different skills to enter the industry.”
British musician Ed Sheeran is visiting schools and youth groups in Cardiff, Coventry, Edinburgh and Belfast to support the launch of his foundation.
Sheeran also underlined the amount of people employed in the music industry, aside from the onstage talent, adding that 150 people work on his tour. A report by UK Music said
216,000 people in the U.K. were employed in the music industry in 2023.
JORDAN STRAUSS / INVISION / AP PHOTO
AP PHOTO
Queen Victoria of Britain, who ruled for 63 years, died on Jan. 22, 1901, at age 81.
famous birthdays this week
Kevin Costner turns 70, country singer Ronnie Milsap is 82
The Associated Press THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week:
JAN. 16
Hall of Fame auto racer A.J. Foyt is 90. Country musician Ronnie Milsap is 82. Filmmaker John Carpenter is 77. Actor-producer-songwriter LinManuel Miranda is 45.
JAN. 17
Rock musician Mick Taylor is 76. Politician-lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is 71. Singer-songwriter Steve Earle is 70. Actor-comedian Steve Harvey is 68. Actor Jim Carrey is 63. Former first lady Michelle Obama is 61. Musician Kid Rock is 54.
JAN. 18
Actor-filmmaker Kevin Costner is 70. Actor Mark Rylance is 65. Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Messier is 64. Football Hall of Famer Julius Peppers is 45.
JAN. 19
Country singer Dolly Parton is 80. Former ABC newswoman Ann Compton is 78. TV chef Paula Deen is 78. Actor Katey Sagal is 71. Comedian Paul Rodriguez is 70.
JAN. 20
Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin is 95. Movie director David Lynch is 77. Rock musician Paul Stanley (Kiss) is 73. Comedian Bill Maher is 69.
JAN. 21
Guitarist Jim Ibbotson (The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) is 78. Singer-songwriter Billy Ocean is 75. Actor Robby Benson is 60. Actor Geena Davis is 69
JAN. 22
Movie director Jim Jarmusch is 70. Actor John Wesley Shipp is 72. Actor Linda Blair is 66. Actor Diane Lane is 60. Celebrity chef Guy Fieri is 56.
JORDAN STRAUSS / INVISION / AP PHOTO Actor Kevin Costner, pictured in 2024, celebrates 70 on Saturday.
RICHARD SHOTWELL / INVISION / AP PHOTO
RICHARD SHOTWELL
‘Severance’ returns, Mac Miller album drops; Cameron Diaz, Jamie Foxx pair up
It’s been three years since “Severance” debuted on Apple TV+
The Associated Press
KIERAN CULKIN and Jesse Eisenberg playing mismatched cousins in the acclaimed “A Real Pain” and Mac Miller’s second posthumous full-length album “Balloonerism” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you. Also, among the streaming offerings worth your time: the scifi dystopian drama “Severance” premieres its second season, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has a new lifestyle series coming to Netflix, and Aaron Schimberg’s “A Different Man” lands on Max.
MOVIES TO STREAM
While Kieran Culkin keeps picking awards for his standout performance, Jesse Eisenberg’s acclaimed “A Real Pain” arrives Thursday on Hulu. Eisenberg, who wrote and directed the film, and Culkin play mismatched cousins who travel to Poland in honor of their late grandmother. Culkin’s awards haul includes a Golden Globe and numerous other trophies. In her review, AP’s Jocelyn Noveck wrote that the “miracle” of the film “is how it pulls off the most delicate of balancing acts.”
“Unstoppable,” on Prime Video on Thursday, is based on the true story of Anthony Robles, who despite having one leg, rose to become one of the top wrestlers in the country. The film, directed by William Goldenberg stars Jharrel Jerome as Robles, though it also features Robles acting as Jerome’s stunt-double on the mat. Co-stars include Jennifer Lopez, Bobby Cannavale and Don Cheadle. AP Film
Writer Lindsey Bahr wrote that while the film is a conventional sports drama, “You’d have to be a certain kind of grinch not to get swept up in the hurdles and triumphs.”
Aaron Schimberg’s “A Different Man,” on Max beginning Friday, is a beguilingly tangled tale of identity and representation. Sebastian Stan stars as a disfigured man whose neurofibromatosis is cured by an experimental surgery. When he begins acting
in a role very much like his prior self, he’s upstaged by someone authentically with neurofibromatosis (Adam Pearson). In her review, Noveck called “A Different Man” “fascinating, genre-bending, undeniably provocative and occasionally frustrating.” Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx star as retired CIA agents whose suburban cover is exposed in the action comedy “Back in Action” (streaming Friday on Netflix).
The film, which reunites the “Any Given Sunday” co-stars, is Diaz’s first film in more than a decade. Seth Gordon (“Horrible Bosses”) directs a cast that includes Glenn Close, Kyle Chandler and Andrew Scott.
MUSIC TO STREAM
The details around Mac Miller’s second posthumous fulllength, “Balloonerism,” are limited. Fans have known about the project for several years now; Miller recorded the album around the time he released his “Faces” mixtape in 2014. According to a statement provided by his family, Miller commissioned artwork for the project, though other releases took precedent, and it never saw the light of day. On Friday, fans will finally get to experience “Balloonerism” in all its glory.
If the genre terms “post-punk,” “indie,” “indie pop” or “jangly guitar pop” are a listener’s personal favorites, the English band Television Personalities, originally formed in 1977, are considered a formative group. If not, well, allow us to introduce you to your favorite band’s favorite’s band favorite band.
A new collection, “Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out: The Television Personalities Radio Sessions — 1980-1993” is a cheeky, ramshackle representation of their clever pop songs, led by frontman Dan Treacy’s undeniable schoolboy charms. Treasures abound, but our recommendation? Start with “Salvador Dali’s Garden Party,” as captured at the Andy Kershaw BBC session in February 1986. Everybody was there!
SHOWS TO STREAM
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has kicked off 2025 with new public ventures. After shutting down the @SussexRoyal Instagram account that she shared with husband Harry, the Duke of Sussex, in 2020, the royal has returned to the platform. She also has a new lifestyle series coming to Netflix.
“With Love, Meghan” features Meghan in conversation with guests like Mindy Kaling and Al-
ice Waters and showcases practical how-tos. It’s been three years since “Severance” debuted on Apple TV+ and the sci-fi dystopian drama premieres its second season Friday. Adam Scott (“Parks and Recreation”, “Big Little Lies”) stars as an office employee of a mysterious company who has elected to keep his work and home life separate — thanks to an implanted chip. “Severance” also stars Patricia Arquette, John Turturro and Christopher Walken. Ben Stiller is an executive producer and directs some of the episodes.
The TV spinoff to the Netflix teen film trilogy “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” called “XO, Kitty” returns for a second season Thursday. It stars Anna Cathcart as Kitty, a Korean American attending a prestigious boarding school in Seoul. The show also stars Korean-born actors Choi Min-young and real-life siblings Gia Kim and Sang Heon Lee. Noah Centineo, the co-star of “To All the Boys” also makes an appearance.
A new Peacock docuseries takes viewers behind-the-scenes of “Saturday Night Live,” now airing its 50th season. “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night” goes inside the writers’ room as sketches are hashed out, shows cast mem-
ber audition tapes and features dozens of interviews. All four episodes drop Thursday.
“Outlander” actor Sam Heughan has a new limited series on Starz playing another sexy character, but this one doesn’t time travel. “The Couple Next Door” is about what happens when two married couples — who are neighbors — swap partners after an evening of partying. No spoilers, but let’s just say complications arise. The show premieres Friday. Starz originals stream on its app and website.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
Koei Tecmo returns to 3rd century China in Dynasty Warriors: Origins, the latest chapter in its long-running retelling of the classic “Romance of the Three Kingdoms.” The protagonist is a nameless amnesiac who doesn’t know which side he’s fighting for but remembers how to swing a deadly sword. Origins continues the franchise’s “hackand-slash” mayhem, in which you’re thrust into battle and expected to kill hundreds of opponents, but adds some tactical tweaks that let you rally your comrades to unleash large-scale assaults. The war resumes
Friday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.
ANA CARBALLOSA / AMAZON / MGM VIA AP
Jharrel Jerome and Jennifer Lopez star in “Unstoppable,” based on the true story of Anthony Robles, who became one of the top wrestlers in the country despite having one leg.
SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES VIA AP
Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg star in the film “A Real Pain,” coming to Hulu on Thursday.