Chatham News & Record Vol. 147, Issue 31

Page 1


Stein’s way

Democratic gubernatorial candidate and state Attorney General Josh Stein met with voters in Pittsboro last week at the Forest Hall at Chatham Mills. The Stein campaign is having an especially good week as his opponent, Republican Mark Robinson, deals with fallout from an explosive media report that saw most of his senior campaign staff resign.

See NSJ Page A1 for more.

the BRIEF this week

Absentee ballots finally being mailed out

Counties have started distributing absentee ballots for the November general election to those who have requested them. Election officials in all 100 N.C. counties planned to mail out the first ballots to regular state residents starting Tuesday. Ballots to military and overseas voters requesting them went out starting this past Friday. More than 207,000 absentee ballot requests have been received. State law directed that the first absentee ballots were to go out on Sept. 6, but appeals courts prevented ballots containing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name from going out. That led to reprinting and a roughly two-week delay.

Cary man sentenced as one of first Jan. 6 rioters

Four men who were among the first rioters to assault police officers and the first to breach a security perimeter during the attack on the U.S. Capitol have been sentenced to prison terms. James Grant, 31, of Cary, was sentenced to three years in prison after he climbed into the Capitol through a broken window and entered a senator’s office. Following his arrest, he told investigators that the FBI was “the biggest threat to Americans” and that prosecuting Jan. 6 rioters was “a big witch hunt.” Grant’s attorney called it “almost incomprehensible” that prosecutors would seek a nine-year prison sentence. He should be eligible for release within months with credit for time served.

Chatham Schools sees increase in school performance grades

“The work that our teachers are doing… I would put them up against any in the state.”
Amanda Moran, CCS assistant superintendent

Yondr Pouch smartphone pilot showing positive early results

PITTSBORO — The Chatham County Schools Board of Education was presented with some of the data from the annual school accountability report provided by the state at their Sept. 9 regular business meeting.

CCS had one A-rated school, six B-rated schools, nine C-rated schools, two D-rated schools and one F-rated school. Of those, nine schools saw improvements in their overall performance grade.

“The state of North Carolina in accordance with federal guidelines determines the school performance grade by giving a grade that is 80% based on student achievement and proficiency on state-level exams and then 20% dedicated to growth,” said Amanda Moran, assistant superintendent for academic services and instructional support. “These numbers are then combined, put on a scale and then given a letter grade.”

Some 26% of CCS schools exceeded growth, 32% met growth and 42% that did not meet the growth indicator. Of those that did not meet growth, two were designated as low-performing: Siler City

See SCHOOLS, page A2

Hispanic Heritage Fiesta draws more than 5K

People were having such a great time and it was such a good spirit.”

Hispanic Liaison executive director Ilana Dubester

Celebrating culture and heritage, it brought together Latinos from near and far

PITTSBORO — The Hispanic Heritage Fiesta — a celebration of culture, heritage, and community — was a resounding success, organizers declared, drawing together Latinos from near and far in a vibrant display of unity.

The Hispanic Liaison hosted the Hispanic Heritage Fiesta on Saturday at the Shakori Hills Arts Center in Pittsboro, drawing more than 5,000 visitors. According to Hispanic Liaison executive director Ilana Dubester, the

fiesta had some 95 vendors and 200 volunteers on site.

The Hispanic Heritage Fiesta was a feast for the senses, with vendors showcasing an array of Latin American dishes that filled the air with the mouth-watering aroma of cocina criolla.

Families enjoyed live performances from bands like La Nueva Elegancia, the No Passport Band, Revelación Sevilla, and Los Ninis de la Banda.

See FIESTA, page A3

Sheriff SROs get two new K-9 partners

Leo and Cheeno are joining SROs on the school safety team

PITTSBORO — Students will soon have some new furry friends wandering the halls of Chatham County schools, as the Sheriff’s Office has added two new K-9 officers to its school safety team.

The two dogs, Leo and Cheeno, will join the existing (human) Student Resource Officers Mackenzie Abbott and Dalton Oldham.

The K-9 units are trained to sniff out firearms and explosives and to signal these potential threats by sitting down in a calm, controlled manner. The teams will be available to deploy districtwide as part of the School

See K-9, page A7

I have learned [so much], not only about dog handling but how to accept failure and learn from it.”

Mackenzie Abbot, student resource officer

PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Sept. 18

• Melissa Ann Smith, 36, of Siler City, was arrested for identity theft.

Sept. 20

• Carrie Anne Mote, 31, of Siler City, was arrested for driving while license revoked, not impaired revocation.

Sept. 21

• Carrie Anne Mote, 31, of Siler City, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

• Ashley Jean Brewer, 33, of Pittsboro, was arrested for filing a false police report and obstruction of justice.

• Adam Michael Jacobs, 34, of Spring Hope, was arrested for obtaining property by false pretenses and burglary.

Sept. 23

• Karter Lee Faircloth, of Siler City, was arrested for assault on a female and misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

• Ashley Jean Brewer, of Pittsboro, was arrested for driving while impaired.

Elementary and Chatham Middle, the latter of which received the ‘F’ rating.

“This is the result of one day,” said Superintendent Anthony Jackson. “There are a lot of systems in place that will help us try to understand this. This is one pulse point. Our job is to make sure that every single child is prepared to meet the rigors of every single day in every single classroom and I would caution us from getting so bogged down from this one day. It is an indicator for us and it should help us plan what we do.”

Additional data points showed that 92% of students met or exceeded Grades 3-8 reading standards, and that CCS was third in the region in composite performance score.

“We looked at the region and at all the scores combined,” said director for accountability and testing Darlene Reap-Klosty. “So it’s all the high school scores, all of the 3-8 reading scores, all of our EL progress. It all got put into one and with that, we ranked third in the region (57.8) and well above the state average (54.2)”

According to Reap-Klosty, that score was only beaten out in the region by the Wake

County and Chapel Hill School districts.

“When you look at the comparisons across the region and the state, obviously every school and every district is different and comes with a variety of different needs for students,” Moran said. “Chapel Hill Schools only has abo ut 8-10% of their students that have at-risk factors or have a free/reduced lunch status compared to our district, which has an average of around 40% and we have schools as high as 97%. When you’re really thinking about the students and where we’re meeting them and how far we’re moving them, you’re kind of comparing apples to oranges here as far as that goes. … The work that our teachers are doing with our students in the classroom, I would put them up against any in the state.”

The district’s graduation data four- and five-year graduation rates at roughly 90%, the highest it’s been in 15 years.

In other business, the board got some early feedback on the Yondr Pouch pilot. The Yondr Pouch, often used at concerts and comedy shows to lock up devices, makes students’ phones unusable during classroom time without them having to give up possession of their devices.

“We are checking in on that

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Is Pittsboro the Most Expensive Town for Real Estate in NC in 2024?

program, weekly, daily, almost hourly sometimes,” Jackson said. “Our teachers have given us positive reports. We’ve heard positive reports from our students and we’ve also heard some concerns and some challenges, which we expect as it’s a pilot, we want to learn. But the goal here isn’t for everybody to be happy. The goal here is to give our teachers their classrooms back so they can teach in a place that’s distraction free. … We’re not taking their phones away, we’re helping them to manage them.”

Per the district, the goal of the pouches is to improve the classroom environment, enhance focus and engagement, increase social interaction, improve student and staff safety and push students to take responsibility for their education.

“There’s no magic to this,” Jackson said. “I’m very open to learning. We’re at the beginning of this and we don’t know what we don’t know, but a teacher walked up to me and said, ‘I wasn’t sure where I was going to be on this, but I can tell you that for the first time in four years, I’ve seen my students eyes.’ That stopped me in my tracks.”

The Chatham County Schools Board of Education will next meet Oct. 7.

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Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Chatham County:

Sept. 26

A virtual film screening of “La Boda” (2000)

Chatham Community Library

La Boda is an intimate portrait of migrant life along the U.S.-Mexican border, delving into the challenges a community faces to maintain their roots in Mexico while pursuing the “American Dream.” Access to the virtual screening was available beginning Sept. 19, at wmm.com/virtualscreening-room/la-bodachatham-communitylibrary. A password is required at the time of viewing. Please contact social.library@ chathamlibraries.org to request the password or for additional information. This program is free and open to the public.

Sept. 28

Chatham Mills Farmers’ Market

8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

480 Hillsboro St., Pittsboro

Friends of the Library Fall Book Sale

Chatham Community Library

9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The sale includes 18,000-plus items including hardbacks, softbacks, DVDs, audio books, vinyl records and CDs. All genres are sorted and conveniently displayed and include special collection items such as nine bound volumes of 1970s Rolling Stone magazine. All items are in excellent condition. Admission is free and there are no buyer limits. Purchases can be made by cash, check, or credit card. Fill a grocery bag for $5 (including DVDs, CDs and vinyl records). 197 N.C. Highway-87 N., Pittsboro

Oct. 1-31

Chatham County Challenge

A virtual walk, run or bike challenge will take place throughout October. Bikers are challenged to complete a 100K (62 miles) and runners/walkers are challenged to complete a 50K (31 miles). Participants will be asked to track their miles one of two ways: through a mobile app called Map My Fitness or by a paper log. Individuals must sign up through the app no later than Sept. 30. Every individual who completes the challenge will receive

The stage came alive with the energy and passion of the Ballet Folklorico Mexican Tradition and dances from Huepa! Culture & Arts Institute. The family-friendly event celebrated Hispanic Heritage through live music, folkloric dances, food, crafts, and activities for the entire family.

Participants also enjoyed the beauty of diverse traditions with vibrant colors and timeless designs during the Parade

of Traditional Outfits and Quinceañeras.

For Dubester, the best part of the day was simply seeing everyone enjoy themselves.

“Seeing our people and our vendors being happy at the event, having beautiful weather, people enjoying themselves, and the diversity of the people that attended — I think those are some of my favorite things. People were having such a great time and it was such a good spirit,” she said.

“We were getting a lot of compliments from people about

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the event. Changing it to a new place, you don’t know how people are gonna react and how it’s gonna work out. And so, it was great. We had it pretty much without hiccups and a better turnout than I was expecting. I was thinking there would be fewer people because of the new venue.”

Dubester explained that there were a lot of people who came to the event who usually would not drive to Siler City.

“(Shakori Hills Arts Center) is closer to some other towns, and

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people felt comfortable coming to Shakori because a lot of people also know that place,” said Dubester. “The folks at Shakori are just amazing; they were supportive from beginning to end.”

The event was moved for 2024 the downtown area it used previously was bursting at the seams last year.

“We could only fit about 70 vendors all together. Had to turn a bunch of people away because we just didn’t have any more room. And then closing more streets is super compli-

cated in town. So, there are a lot of logistical things that are a lot easier at Shakori,” said Dubester.

“A huge shout out to the Shakori Hills Arts Center because they were absolutely terrific from the first time we started talking to them last year about planning for this event. And they’ve been just incredible, super supportive, generous, and amazing people to work with.”

The next Hispanic Heritage Fiesta is planned for Sept. 20, 2025.

HOUSE OF PRAYER FELLOWSHIP CHURCH

The House of Prayer Fellowship Church, 549 Horton Road in Goldston, will be having our annual Family and Friends Day on Sunday, Sept. 29th at 11 a.m. The speaker will be Assistant Pastor Jeff Covington of the House of Prayer Fellowship Church. Dinner will be served immediately after service (eat in or take out.) The pastor is Rev. Annie C. Glover. Everyone is invited to attend this great celebration!

BROOKDALE BAPTIST CHURCH

Brookdale Baptist Church will celebrate Homecoming on Oct. 6. Shannon Petty will be our guest speaker at our 11 a.m. service. Dinner will be served in the fellowship hall following the service. All are welcome to come and join us!

PHOTOS

THE CONVERSATION

Seeing through Thoreau’s eyes

“How much virtue there is in simply seeing!”

Henry David Thoreau

IN 1845, Henry David Thoreau noted the construction of “a magnetic telegraph” from Maine to Texas and dryly wondered, “It may be that Maine and Texas have nothing important to communicate.”

Thoreau thus foresaw the dangers of the internet.

My phone buzzed at 5 this morning. What message was so urgent as to wake me from my sleep? It was an update about the latest presidential poll — this is insanity! If we were rested, we might grasp true priorities.

Now that I was awake, however, the dog wanted a walk. She’s no longer a breakneck puppy on the leash, much more content to pad along and sniff the grass. She does not ponder Election Day or anything beyond what’s right in front of her nose. Like Thoreau, she did not have an iPhone. Thoreau had Walden Pond; I have Pokeberry Creek. On this particular morning, recent rain had caused this creek to sing over the rocks behind the edge of the woods. The sound of moving water calmed me.

A small brown oak leaf entangled in a spider’s web abruptly captured my attention. I marveled at how it seemed suspended in midair by magic. Thoreau again: “How much virtue there is in simply seeing!”

The temptation, gentle reader, is to flit from one urgent update to the next, sacrificing both rest and beauty in the process. If we stop and notice, the simple, ordinary beauty that surrounds us every

COLUMN | BOB WACHS

Breakfasts of

Not everyone gets up in time for a “good breakfast.”

day is quite extraordinary. We can unplug and “consider the lilies,” as was said of old. Not only the flowers of the field but the stars of the sky and creeks of the woods. One September morning, Thoreau noticed how three small maples had turned red and gushed, “Ah, many a tale their color told!”

While a leaf pirouetting in a soft breeze

the past, gone with the

IT’S BEEN SAID we are what we eat.

If that’s so, I’m in trouble.

Although I have been trying recently, albeit not always successfully, to eat just half of a chicken instead of the whole bird, at times, the issue has often been not the amount of the meal but its content.

For instance, as a child, one of my favorite dishes was a bologna, peanut butter, cheese and catsup sandwich consumed with a cold bellywasher. Nowadays, most everyone I mention that to usually says something like, “Ugh.” I’m not sure if that comment reflects the food or if they don’t want to wind up with a figure like mine, created in part by the consumption of a significant number of those sandwiches.

While it’s been a while since I’ve had one — or two — of those delightful creations, there are some other combinations no one else in my family seems to like as much as I do. For instance, mixing scrambled eggs, grits, cheese, bacon or sausage and toast in a bowl, topped with catsup, comes to mind as one. I’m beginning to think it may be the love of catsup that other folks don’t have that drives them away. Our friends

in Washington say catsup is a vegetable, so I’m sure I’m getting my recommended daily allowance of something.

Anyway, I ran across a story in the Sunday paper a little while back that said a childhood favorite was in the fight of its business life. Cereal, the story said, was in a pitched battle for its life on two fronts: competition from granola bars, yogurt and juice on one, and behavior habits — not everyone gets up in time for a “good breakfast” — on the other.

More and more folks, especially the millennials — those folks between 14 and 32 — are giving up on Cap’n Crunch and having a bowl of dirt or rocks or whatever is the Fad of the Day, if they eat breakfast at all. If not that, they’re having a homemade glass of freshly squeezed carrot juice from organic carrots grown in Lower Slobovia by a group of left-handed bald Philistine monks or driving through their local fast food for whatever is on the Dollar Menu.

Many of them are not eating at all or waiting until 11. So sitting down with Snap, Crackle and Pop around the breakfast table with Mom and Dad and Billy and Sally and don’t forget Rover —

will not make the news, it is worthy of one’s attention. To quote him one last time, “The beauty of the earth answers exactly to your appreciation.”

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

wind

like they did in “Father Knows Best” — isn’t the highlight of the day for them.

Granted, there are a few boxes on the cereal aisle that should be named “Tons O’Sugar” or something similar. I can appreciate the need to avoid so much of that stuff as my body, which is now older than my mind, tries to maintain a measure of stability. And, I must confess, I find it hard to pay $8 for a 12-ounce box of crumbs that settled during shipping.

To combat the urge to skip breakfast or eat at the drive-thru, cereal companies are beginning to tout that it’s cheaper to eat at home. But until that $8 box starts going for $4.50, that may be a hard sale.

The reality is this: things — taste, cost, tradition — change. If I could still down half a pound of bacon with a setting of eggs, a pan of biscuits and a pot of grits, there’s no doubt what my breakfast habits would be; forget the cost. It’s just that my doctor won’t let me. But so far, catsup is not on the endangered list.

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
CHARLES KRUPA / AP PHOTO
A couple walks by Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts, in July 2017. Author Henry David Thoreau wrote of the beauty of the pond, woods and landscape of the area while living simply in his book “Walden.”

A contagion of light

I need light! You got it? A contagious movement, brimming with light’s capacity to make us feel alive.

SINKING, SINKING. Slowly sinking, deeply, into my chair. Slouch-city. Stop it! You know slouching isn’t great for your back. Easy enough to say but oh-so difficult to accomplish when reading the news online. I mean, it’s the season of vitriolic elections, natural disasters or, heaven forbid, another mass shooting. That kind of season. The kind of season where, frankly, the fetal position seems enormously inviting. I suppose slouching in my chair could be the minimalist version of a fetal position. You think?

Whoa! That bad?

That bad. Oh, and I just noticed my breathing is shallow, too. I’m really fond of breathing … Time out! Time out!

Oh, you want me to stop and think about this? No, no, I really, really don’t wish to do so. Stopping and cogitating only widens the deep hole I’m slipping into. I need light. I need light. I need contagion! Whoa, again! Contagion?! A nine-letter curse word that freezes folks in place, too frightened to move forward? Been there, done that. Enough of any quasi-COVID mentions. You got it?

I get your reasonable fear of COVID, but contagion? Hard to wrap your mind around, right? Would you question the esteemed Merriam-Webster dictionary’s take on contagion? That version of contagion. “An influence that spreads rapidly.” OK … but how the heck does this particular definition of contagion relate to feeling as if the world’s toxic events are pulling me into a deep hole?

I need light! You got it? A contagious

COLUMN | NEWT GINGRICH

movement, brimming with light’s capacity to make us feel alive. Hope, positive social connections, kindness (and you’re welcome to add your versions to this list, as well.) Yep, all these components of light and more are contagions. “Influences that spread widely,” with the capacity to jump from person to person. Doffing my chapeau to Merriam-Webster once again.

That good ol’ light can lift me out of the maws of powerlessness. Wakes me up to inklings of aliveness. It softens me while living in this hard world, even if only briefly. Deepens my breathing. And, best of all, that light spreads, contagious to me and all the people with whom I come in contact. (This nerd just loves her social science research!)

Well, that’s nice. Let’s get real, however. Where’s this light hiding out?

Anywhere. A brief walk in the hood, greeting and being greeted by people, some of whom I don’t know. My perennial favorite: the grocery store. A haven for sharing minibites of gratitude with employees, a quick smile and nod to other passing customers, all of whom also benefit from these positive contagions. You gettin’ my drift? I claim the mantle of being a spreader, and so can you!

If I were a poet, I’d happily dive into writing an ode to being lifted up from chair slouching. Seeing the sunlight through a window, a sunlight that’s always been there, but my eyes were attuned, only, to the darkness inside me. I wasn’t paying attention.

So ya’ll, huzzahs for a contagion of light.

Be a spreader!

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

An effective Secret Service requires real change

The agents assigned to protect President Trump — or any American president — should be placed entirely on their merit and nothing else.

THE SECRET SERVICE must completely rethink and revise its plans for protecting President Donald J. Trump.

Trump’s safety is clearly threatened. He has thankfully survived two assassination efforts.

The propaganda media and political left’s language continue to incite violence against the former and potentially future president.

The Secret Service’s reaction to the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, was clearly inadequate. Agents failed to detect and stop the would-be assassin. A local policeman fired the shot that killed the gunman. Trump’s life was saved by the grace of God and that officer — not the Secret Service.

Now we have had a second serious effort to kill Trump. The Secret Service is claiming success because its agent found the suspected assassin about 400 yards ahead of President Trump’s position. However, this close call could have been catastrophic.

The suspect had reportedly been on the golf course since 1 a.m. It was essentially pure luck that an agent saw the gun barrel sticking out of the bushes. The suspect was clearly within range. The rifle and scope he carried were capable of firing a fatal shot at that distance.

After the first attempt on Trump’s life, I warned Sean Hannity on July 13 that it was a political act that we should have seen coming:

“It was a deliberate act. And as you know, because we’ve talked about it offair, I’ve said for four months that when all the legal baloney fails and when they begin to realize he is going to win, the violence is the next thing because they’re that desperate.”

So we have had months for the Secret Service to come to grips with the scale of the challenge. It has failed. Simply adding a few more agents is not an answer. The Secret Service must undertake a completely new model of protecting Trump. It was an especially bad sign when its first reaction was to prevent the former president from playing golf because agents could not figure out how to protect him.

This public admission of its inability to think big and creatively enough made me wonder if the Trump team should bring in private sector protection service.

BE IN TOUCH

The mixed and muddled results of banning affirmative action

IN THE ARGUMENTS before the Supreme Court on affirmative action in college admissions, proponents of affirmative action claimed that the number of blacks admitted to selective colleges and universities would plummet absent affirmative action. And opponents of affirmative action claimed that the number of Asian Americans would increase substantially.

As colleges and universities release data on their incoming classes, the actual picture is much more muddled. Some schools have reported the kind of major declines in black and Hispanic enrollment that advocates of affirmative action feared. At Amherst College, the percentage of black students in the entering class dropped from 11% to 3%. At MIT, the number of black students dropped from 15% to 5%. At Brown University, the percentage of black students dropped from 15% to 9%, and the number of Hispanic freshmen dropped from 14% to 10%. At Columbia, the percentage of Asian students increased from 30% to 39%, while the percentage of black entering students dropped from 20% to 12%.

But other schools reported smaller drops in black and Hispanic enrollment, and little or no increase in Asian enrollment. Yale and Princeton held relatively steady in their percentages of minority admissions. Asian American enrollment dropped from 35% to 29% at Duke; from 30% to 24% at Yale; and from 26% to 23.8% at Princeton. As for black enrollment, it increased from 12% to 13% at Duke; stayed at 14% at Yale; and dropped only from 9% to 8.9% at Princeton.

What’s happening?

The president of Amherst College, in an email to the college community, asked, “Why did our demographics change so significantly while other institutions saw different outcomes?” and said that the question has “no easy answer.”

However, if Trump sticks with the Secret Service, then we should insist that it plans on the scale of the threat to Trump.

There are more than 7,000 agents in the Secret Service. They should reassign as many as necessary to have airtight coverage wherever Trump goes. Further, the Secret Service should consider military security systems, such as air base protection, and incorporate those technical capabilities. A drone carrying an infrared detection system could have been flown over the golf course an hour before President Trump arrived, and it would have immediately detected the warm body lying in the shrubbery.

The agents assigned to protect Trump — or any American president — should be placed entirely on their merit and nothing else. Diversity, equity and inclusion rules should not play a role.

There must be greatly expanded cooperation between the Secret Service and local law enforcement. In both assassination attempts, local police played major roles. This should be expanded and made routine. There must also be coordinated communication with all the local agencies (which would prove invaluable in a real national crisis).

Increased K-9 unit capabilities are needed. When an area is swept, people and dogs can be left behind to ensure no one comes in after the first sweep.

As those who wish to harm Trump grow more desperate, they may become more inventive. A drone threat is a real possibility and must be guarded against. Portable, mobile anti-drone systems should become part of the protective services. Coordination with the military and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency may become vital to keeping up with and countering threats.

The Secret Service must allocate the resources, manpower and skills to overmatch and defeat any plausible threat. The very fabric of American society requires that presidential candidates are protected from assassination.

This is a key moment for the survival of the American system.

The American people should demand that their government meet the challenge. Newt Gingrich was the 50th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Letters to the editor may be sent to letters@nsjonline.com or mailed to 1201 Edwards Mill Rd., Suite 300, Raleigh, NC 27607. Letters must be signed; include the writer’s phone number, city and state; and be no longer than 300 words. Letters may be edited for style, length or clarity when necessary. Ideas for op-eds should be sent to opinion@nsjonline.com.

Part of the answer — at least to the question of why Asian Americans didn’t show higher numbers — is that the percentage of students declining to identify their race has increased, for example, from 5% to 11% at Duke and from 4% to 7% at Brown. Experts speculate that the nonresponders are overwhelmingly Asian Americans who fear they will be disfavored because of race. At Tufts, nonresponders rose from 3.3% to 6.7%. At Harvard, they rose from 4% to 8%.

There are also discrepancies in the way different schools count, particularly when it comes to the growing number of biracial students. At some schools, when you check two boxes, you’re counted twice; at others, only once. No one is particularly satisfied with the numbers. Advocates of affirmative action point to the lower numbers of black and Hispanic students as costing all students the benefits of diversity in the classroom and college experience, and point to the need for increasing efforts to recruit students from disadvantaged backgrounds. At Harvard, where the number of blacks in the incoming freshman class dropped from 18% to 14%, the Coalition for a Diverse Harvard described that drop as “huge” and argued that “any drop in an already small number can dramatically impact the campus environment for students of color, and students are already reporting negative effects.” A precipitous drop to as low as 3% can be a selffulfilling prophecy, making it all the more difficult to recruit talented black students.

Others, like Richard Kahlenberg, director of the American Identity Project at the Progressive Policy Institute and a critic of affirmative action, take heart in the fact that the numbers aren’t as low as some feared they would be. “There were predictions that the black population could fall to 2% at some universities and 6% at Harvard, and that did not happen. I want there to be racial diversity on campus. I think it showed it was possible to achieve that without racial preferences.”

Still others have argued that the number of black and Hispanic students is still too high and the number of Asian Americans still too low to reflect a true merits system. “Your racial numbers are not possible under true neutrality,” Edward Blum, the president of Students for Fair Admissions, the group that brought a suit against Harvard in the Supreme Court, said in letters to Princeton, Yale and Duke, adding: “You are now on notice. Preserve all potentially relevant documents and communications” — a sign that they are contemplating litigation.

But the most troubling number of all, it seems to me, comes from Richard Sander, a critic of affirmative action who is a law professor at UCLA. According to Sander, who is cited by The New York Times for his work, black students make up about 3% of the top tenth of high school students nationally.

Three percent — for a group that makes up, according to data from Pew, some 14% of the U.S. population. That is, ultimately, what is wrong and why affirmative action at the college level is, at best, a Band-Aid for a larger problem of educational inequality that must be addressed if there is to be true equality and diversity at the college level.

Susan Estrich is a lawyer, professor, author and political commentator.

obituaries

IN MEMORY

Elsie Lucille Stansell Thomas

Sept. 21, 1926 –Sept. 20, 2024

Elsie Lucille Stansell Thomas, age 97, of Moncure, died Friday, September 20, 2024, at home.

Elsie was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina on September 21, 1926, to the late Alonzo Stansell and Irene Garrison Stansell. She was also preceded in death by her husband William Broadus

Nannie Rochelle Clark Downing

July 23, 1925 –Sept. 21, 2024

Mrs. Nannie Rochelle Clark Downing, 99, peacefully passed from her earthly home to her eternal home, Saturday morning, September 21, 2024, while surrounded by her loving family. Mrs. Downing was born in Chatham County, NC, July 23, 1925, to the late Flora Lee Jones Clark and Urie Thomas Clark. She was a graduate of Pittsboro High School and worked at Kellwood Hosiery as a Quality Control Inspector. Mrs. Downing was a lifelong member of Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church where she served in the choir, her Bible study group and the Women’s Christian Group.

Judith “Judy” Ann Michaels Wiggs

June 13, 1933 –Sept.22, 2024

Judith “Judy” Ann Michaels Wiggs, age 91, died Sunday, September 22,2024, at Cambridge Hills Assisted Living in Pittsboro, NC. She was the daughter of the late Edward Michaels and Helen Ann Prichard Micheals. She was born on June 13, 1933, in Durham

Thomas, Sr., and many brothers and sisters.

Surviving relatives include her son Dennis Thomas and wife Linda of Surf City, North Carolina and two grandsons, Ryan Thomas and wife Breanna of Spring Lake and Aaron Jackson and wife Stacey of Cary, and three great-grandchildren, Connor, Dylan, and Savannah.

A funeral service will be held Tuesday, September 24, 2024, at 11:00AM at Gum Springs Baptist Church with Pastor Jackie Franks presiding. Burial will immediately follow in the church cemetery.

In lieu of flowers the family asks for memorial contributions to be made in Elsie’s memory to Gum Springs Baptist Church Building Fund 227 Gum Springs Church Road Moncure, NC 27559.

Condolences may be made at www.donaldsonfunerals.com

Donaldson Funeral Home & Crematory is honored to serve the Thomas family.

In addition to her parents, Mrs. Downing was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Norton Downing; grandson, Charles Kevin Downing; greatgrandson, Jason Michael Downing, II; sister, Emma Geraldine Cheek; and brotherin-law, John Robert Cheek. She is survived by her sons; Charles Lawrence Downing (Pat) of Albany, KY and Thomas Norton Downing of Pittsboro, NC; grandchildren, Jason Michael Downing (Tara) and Christopher Chadwick Downing (Jennifer); great-grandchildren, Makayla Dawn Lehman (Caleb), Rebecca Lynn Downing, Sarah Michelle Downing, Christopher Caleb Downing and Hannah Patricia Downing; and brother, Charles Thomas Clark (Renalda).

The funeral service for Mrs. Downing will be held 11:00AM, Tuesday, September 24th, 2024, at Pleasant Hill UMC - 7019 Pleasant Hill Church Road, Siler City, NC 27344. A visitation will be held from 10:00Am - 11:00AM, prior to the service. She will be laid to rest in the church cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Pleasant Hill UMC cemetery fund. Smith & Buckner Funeral Home is honored to serve the Downing family.

County, NC.

She was also preceded in death by her husbands, Dwayne Walls and Charles Wiggs, and a brother, Ned Michaels. She is survived by her son, Dwayne Walls (Elizabeth Groeneman) of Pittsboro, NC and a daughter, Libby Walls, of Pittsboro, NC, one grandchild and a brother Johnny Michaels of Washington DC.

Judy was an elementary school teacher. She loved training and teaching children. Her entire teaching career was in the Silk Hope Elementary School. She was a member of St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church in Pittsboro, NC. Judy loved horses. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her.

Donations can be made to the St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church at 204 West Salisbury Street Pittsboro, NC in her memory.

Donaldson Funeral Home & Crematory is honored to serve the Wiggs family.

LAURENCE WILLIAM “LARRY” TIPTON

JAN. 22, 1947 – SEPT. 18, 2024

Laurence William “Larry” Tipton, age 77 of Broadway, passed away peacefully on Wednesday (9/18/2024) at Emerald Health and Rehab in Lillington. He was born on January 22, 1947, son of the late Frank William Tipton and Helen Elizabeth Tipton. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother, Leslie Tipton and his beloved wife, Sue Iseley Tipton. Larry was a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and remained a life long Tar-Heel fan. He was an avid sportsman, and even tried out for the UNC Basketball team during his time at Chapel Hill. He also loved to go golfing with his son and grandson and spending family time with his children and grandchildren. Larry retired from Central Carolina Community College after serving as the GED Test Coordinator. He was an accomplished pianist and shared his musical talents for over 40 years during his tenure at the Salem Presbyterian Church and Broadway Presbyterian Church. Even during his most recent days he played the piano at the nursing facility which brought joy to the residents, staff and visitors.

Come join our new aftercare program

For those who have lost their spouse or partner and are

on a new path… We invite you to meet others walking a similar journey with you! This new life squad will be a social group and network for individuals who can share together in treats, travels, tales, and trials. The Healing Hope Support Group meeting will be Thursday, Sept 19 at 11:30 am at Virlie's Grill. Sponsored by Donaldson Funeral Home & Crematory

Timothy Mark Phillips

March 22, 1967 –Sept. 19, 2024

Timothy Mark Phillips, 57, of Siler City, passed away at home Thursday, September 19th, 2024.

Mark was born March 22nd, 1967, in Chatham County to the late Clayburne Kelly Phillips and Lucille Clark Phillips. He is preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Teresa Ferguson. Mark was a member of Hickory Grove Baptist Church and the Siler City Lions Club. He loved spending time and giving talks at the senior citizens and going to Camp Dogwood every summer. In his free time, he loved fishing and would go on a fishing trip for the blind. He loved going to restaurants and eating out when he could. Mark loved people and was a people person. Everyone that knew him, loved him. He loved spending time and making memories with his grandsons, Gunner and Gabriel. He loved talking with his friends about how proud he was of his daughter, Hayley. His memory will forever live on.

Left to cherish his memory is his daughter, Hayley Phillips; and his two grandsons, Gunner Stanley and Gabriel Anthony.

Visitation will be Friday, September 27th, 2024, at Smith & Buckner Funeral home from 6-8 pm. A celebration of life service will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Siler City Lions Club, 4468 Friendly Lane, Ramseur, NC 27316. Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the Phillips family. Online condolences can be made at www.smithbucknerfh.com.

Jazz saxophonist and composer Benny Golson dies at 95

He worked with the biggest names in jazz over a seven-decade career

NEW YORK — Jazz great

Benny Golson, a tenor saxophonist and composer of standards such as “Killer Joe” and “Along Came Betty,” has died. He was 95.

Golson died Saturday at his home in Manhattan after a short illness, said Golson’s longtime agent, Jason Franklin.

Over his seven-decade musical career, Golson worked with some of the biggest luminaries in jazz, including Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton and John Coltrane. He built much of his reputation not as a per-

former but from his compositions, which also included “I Remember Clifford,”written in 1956 after trumpeter Clifford Brown, a friend, died in a car crash at age 25.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Golson began learning the piano at age 9 and switched to the saxophone at age 14. He was still in high school when he started performing with other local musicians, including Coltrane, a childhood friend.

Golson began writing and arranging music while attending Howard University.

After stints in Gillespie’s big band and in drummer Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Golson co-founded The Jazztet in 1959 with flugelhorn master Art Farmer.

The Jazztet disbanded in 1962, and Golson moved on to writing music for movies and for television shows such

as “Mannix,” “M-A-S-H” and “Mission: Impossible.” He also arranged music for performers including Peggy Lee, Lou Rawls and Dusty Springfield.

After a hiatus of more than a dozen years, Golson resumed playing the saxophone in the mid-1970s and launched a new version of the Jazztet with Farmer in 1982. He continued performing and writing music into his 90s.

He published “Whisper Not: The Autobiography of Benny Golson” in 2016.

Franklin, who worked with Golson for 25 years, said Golson stopped performing when COVID-19 shut down music venues in 2020 but continued working on projects, such as giving interviews for a forthcoming documentary, “Benny Golson: Looking Beyond The Horizon.”

Franklin said Golson saw

a rough cut of the film a few weeks ago and loved it. “He was so happy he got to see it,” he said.

Golson released dozens of albums as a solo artist and as a member of various ensembles.

He appeared as himself in the 2004 Steven Spielberg movie “The Terminal,” in which the main character, played by Tom Hanks, travels to New York from a fictional Eastern European country to obtain Golson’s autograph, which he needs to complete a collection of signatures of all of the 58 jazz musicians who assembled for the famous 1958 group photo “A Great Day in Harlem.”

Actor and musician Steve Martin recalled the film scene in a post on X on Sunday and said, “Thanks for all of the great music.”

With Golson’s death, Sonny Rollins is the last living subject of the photo who was an adult when it was taken.

Golson’s survivors include his wife, Bobbie Golson, daughter Brielle Golson and several grandchildren. Three sons preceded him in death.

K-9 from page A1

Resource Officer (SRO) program. “Our priority is ensuring that our schools remain safe environments for learning,” said Sheriff Mike Roberson in a press release. “The addition of these K9 officers is another step toward enhancing the security and well-being of students, staff, and the community. Their presence will provide an additional layer of protection, allowing us to respond swiftly to any potential safety concerns.”

Abbot and Oldham will incorporate their new partners into their current responsibilities with Chatham County Schools. They will also be required to complete additional

training to become certified K-9 teams.

“I have learned (so much), not only about dog handling but how to accept failure and learn from it,” Abbot said in an email interview.

Dalton likens the experience to having a best friend that can’t talk to you but continually amazes you with how its mind works. “We are with these dogs 24/7,” he said. “It’s incredible to watch the dog locate and find stuff. I also did not realize how much training and schedule adjustment were required.”

Both SROs will integrate their K-9 partners into their daily work by having them do walking patrols and getting them engaged in other day-to-day duties.

COURTESY CCSO
SRO Dalton Oldham with Cheeno.
Chatham Sheriff SRO Mackenzie Abbott with her new K-9 partner, Leo.
CHARLES SYKES / AP PHOTO
Benny Golson speaks at the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Awards Ceremony and Concert in New York in January 2011.

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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

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AUCTIONS

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HELP WANTED

CHATHAM MONUMENT COMPANY has an immediate job opening. This is a full-time position and involves placing monuments in the cemetery in Chatham and surrounding counties. Job requirements are: Must have a valid NC driver’s license, must be able to lift 75 pounds if necessary. Must have a good attitude, the ability to work well with others and be willing to learn. Also needs reliable transportation to and from work. Pay will be based on the individual and their ability to do the work.

Apply in Person to 227 N. 2nd Ave. Siler City, NC 27344 My23,rtfnc

and interview. Pittsboro Christian Village 1825 East Street, Pittsboro, NC

Now accepting applications for 2BR, 1.5BA Range, refrigerator, dishwasher are included in the rent. Rent starts at $630 and up. 400 Honeysuckle Dr., Pittsboro, NC 27312 919-542-5410 TDD 1-800-735-2962 Email: pittsborovillage@ECCMGT.com EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES APARTMENTS Call 919-999-3178 to schedule your free quote!

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE

SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION

CHATHAM COUNTY FILE NO. 24 SP 001088-180

NOTICE OF SERVICE BY PUBLICATION

W. Woods Doster, Administrator D.B.N. of the Estate of Donald Franklin Eads; Petitioner, vs. Judith Diann Eads, Jason Warren Eads, Austin Richard Eads Respondent

TO: Jason Warren Eads and Austin Richard Eads

Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against you has been filed in the above-entitled special proceeding. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: Petitioner is the duly appointed and qualified administrator of your mother’s estate; see Chatham County Estate file # 23 E 0140. The purpose of this action is to sell your mother’s property to pay the debts of her estate.

You are required to make a defense to such pleading no later than October 22, 2024 and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you will apply to the court for the relief sought.

This the 3rd day of September, 2024. Shelby L. Lennon, Attorney for Administrator 206 Hawkins Avenue Sanford, NC 27330 Publish: 09/12/24, 09/19/24, 09/26/24

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

WANDA FAYE WILLIAMS CHATHAM COUNTY FILE # 23E000692-180

The undersigned, having qualified as Administrator for the Estate of Wanda Faye Williams, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate to present such claims to the undersigned Administrator c/o Ralph A. Evans, Attorney At Law, at P.O. Box 1145, Liberty, North Carolina 27298 on or before December 4, 2024 or this Notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment.

This the 26th day of August, 2024. Annette Williams Bailey Administrator 196 Crestmont Drive Siler City, NC 27344 Ralph A. Evans Attorney At Law P.O. Box 1145 Liberty, NC 27298 (336) 622-5320

CREDITOR’S NOTICE

Having qualified on the 6th day of September, 2024, as Public Administrator of the Estate of Vickie F. Millenbaugh, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the decedent to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before the 19th day of December, 2024, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the estate should make immediate payment. This is the 13th day of September 2024. W. Woods Doster, Public Administrator of the Estate of Vickie F. Millenbaugh 206 Hawkins Avenue Sanford, NC 27330

Attorneys: Law Offices of Doster & Brown, P.A. 206 Hawkins Avenue Sanford, NC 27330 Publish On: September 19th, 26th, October 3rd and 10th, 2024.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

24E001469-910 All persons, firms and corporations having claims against Donald Wylie, Deceased, of Chatham County, N.C., are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned before December 4, 2024 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 5th of September, 2024. Lynne Griffin, Executor c/o Monroe, Wallace, Morden & Sherrill, P.A. 3225 Blue Ridge Road, Suite 117 Pittsboro, North Carolina

S5,S12,S19,S26

NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY DISTRICT COURT FILE NO.: 21CVD660-180 Yosary Dayonara Chavez Castillo v. Rony Alberto Matute Casco

To: Rony Alberto Matute Casco Take Notice that a Complaint has been filed against you in the Civil Action described above, in the General Court of Justice, District Court Division, by the plaintiff herein, the nature of which is as follows: The Complaint seeks an Order of Permanent Custody of your minor Child, Anniel Jaciel Matute Chavez. You are required to file an Answer including any defenses to this pleading within forty (40) days from the date of first publication of this Notice with the Clerk of Court of Chatham County. If you fail to do so, you may not receive further notices, and the plaintiff will seek the relief sought herein. Publication begins This is the 12th day of September, 2024. Ashley Harris, Attorney for Plaintiff 411 Andrews Road Suite 130 Durham, NC 27705 Published September 12, 19 and 26 of 2024. NOTICE TO CREDITORS 24

or before the day of December 4th, 2024, or this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 5th of September, 2024. Executor Marie H. Hopper Attorney for the Estate

PLLC Post Office Box 1455 Pittsboro, NC 27312

NOTICE ALL PERSONS, firms and corporations having claims against Ruth Evelyn Leopold, deceased, of Chatham County, N.C., are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before December 12,

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF JACQUALINE CARMEL D’AMICO

All persons, firms and corporations having claims against JACQUALINE CARMEL D’AMICO, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are notified to exhibit them to Elizabeth D’Amico as Executor as of the decedent’s estate on or before December 12, 2024, c/o Brittany N. Porter, Attorney at Law, 1414 Raleigh Rd., Ste. 203, Chapel Hill, NC 27517, or be barred from their recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment to the abovenamed Executor. This the 5th day of September, 2024. Elizabeth D’Amico, Executor c/o Brittany N. Porter, Atty. TrustCounsel 1414 Raleigh Rd., Ste. 203 Chapel Hill, NC 27517

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

ESTATE OF VIVIAN ESPERANZA CAMACHO FILE NO. 24E001458-180

All persons, firms and corporations having claims against Vivian Esperanza Camacho, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before December 5, 2024 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 5th day of September, 2024. Jacquelyn Elizabeth Alzola, Administrator C/O Brady Cobin Law Group, PLLC 4141 Parklake Ave, Suite 310 Raleigh, NC 27612

NOTICE

STATE OF NEW MEXICO COUNTY OF TAOS EIGHTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT JADE GOMEZ, Petitioner, v. NO. D-820-DM-2022-00034 HON JEFFREY A. SHANNON OSCAR GONZALEZ, Respondent. NOTICE OF SUIT TO OSCAR GONZALEZ, RESPONDENT

Take notice that a lawsuit has been filed against you. The subject of the lawsuit is to Establish Paternity, Custody, and Child Support. This lawsuit is not about real property. If you do not file an answer or responsive pleading with the above-titled Court within 30 days after the third publication of this Notice, the Court may enter a default judgment against you. The Court address is 105 Albright Street, Ste. N, Taos, NM 87571. When you file your response, you must give or mail a copy to the address below. Petitioner’s Name: Jade Gomez c/o Attorney Kim McGinnis, 945 Salazar Road, Taos, NM 87571; 575758-8082. WITNESS the Honorable Jeffrey Shannon, District Judge of the Eighth Judicial District Court of the State of New Mexico, this 18th day of September, 2024. BY: _/s/Holly B. Healy________________ CLERK OF THE DISTRICT COURT DATES OF PUBLICATION: September 26, 2024; October 3, 2024; October 10, 2024

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION CHATHAM COUNTY FILE NO. 16 CvD 536 COUNTY OF CHATHAM

Plaintiff, NOTICE OF SERVICE OF vs. PROCESS BY PUBLICATION

The HEIRS, ASSIGNS, and DEVISEES of WILLIE LEE FOUSHEE, SR., et al Defendants. TO: The HEIRS, ASSIGNS, and DEVISEES of WILLIE LEE FOUSHEE, JR. and spouse, if any, or any other person or entity claiming thereunder A pleading seeking relief against you has been filed in the above-entitled action and notice of service of process by publication began on September 12, 2024. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: Foreclosure on tax parcel(s) more completely described in the Complaint, to collect delinquent ad valorem taxes (assessments). Plaintiff seeks to extinguish any and all claim or interest that you may have in said property. You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than forty (40) days after the date of the first publication of notice stated above, exclusive of such date, being forty (40) days after September 12, 2024, or by October 22, 2024, and upon your failure to do so, the party seeking service of process by publication will apply to the Court for relief sought. This the 3rd day of September, 2024.

ZACCHAEUS LEGAL SERVICES

By:

MARK D. BARDILL/MARK B. BARDILL

____________________________________

Attorney for Plaintiff NC Bar #12852/56782

310 W. Jones St. P. O. Box 25 Trenton, North Carolina 28585 Telephone: (252) 448-4541 Publication dates: September 12, 2024 September 19, 2024 September 26, 2024

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

24 E 1462

The undersigned, having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Charlie F. Brooks, Jr., late of Chatham County, North Carolina, notifies all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned at her address, 1179 Charlie Brooks Road, Moncure, North Carolina, 27559, on or before the 5th day of December, 2024, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment.

This 28th day of August, 2024. Amy Jo Brooks 1179 Charlie Brooks Road Moncure, North Carolina 27559 GUNN & MESSICK, PLLC P. O. Box 880 Pittsboro, North Carolina 27312-0880 September 5, 12, 19, 26

NOTICE NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS CHATHAM COUNTY

HAVING QUALIFIED as Executor of the Estate of Marlene C. Brown, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 5th day of December, 2024, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 29th day of August, 2024. Donna B. Sessoms, Executor of the Estate of Marlene C. Brown 2250 Joe Brown Road Bear Creek, North Carolina 27207 MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE ATTORNEYS AT LAW BOX 629 SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850

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NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Julie King-McDaniel qualified before the Chatham County Clerk of Court on August 28, 2024, as the Executor of the Estate of SANDRA K. PHILLIPS, 9490 NC HWY 42, Bear Creek, NC 27207. This is to notify all persons, firms and corporations, as required by N.C.G.S. 28A-14-1, having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the attorney designated below on or before the 19th of December, 2024 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payments to the undersigned. Payments and claims should be presented to Deirdre M. Stephenson, Attorney at Law, 1518 Elm Street, Sanford, NC 27330.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having qualified as Personal Representative of the Estate of Robert Jason Powell, 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 December 28, 2024, 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 26th day of September 2024. Lisa Kay Powell, Administrator C/o L Howard Law, PLLC PO Box 2161 Greensboro, NC 27402 336-303-1284 [AD RUN DATES: 9/26/2024, 10/3/2024, 10/10/2024, and 10/17/2024]

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having qualified as Personal Representative of the Estate of Jeanie Fenton Branson, deceased of Chatham County, North Carolina, on the 16th day of September, 2024, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms, and corporations having claims against said estate to exhibit them to the undersigned at the office of the attorney for the estate on or before the 28th day of December, 2024, or this Notice will be pled in bar of recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. Issued this 26th day of September 2024. James W. Branson, Personal Representative, c/o Catherine L. Wilson, Attorney for the Estate, 3211 Shannon Road, Suite 400, Durham, NC 27707. Chatham News & Record: 9/26, 10/3, 10/10, 10/17

CREDITOR’S NOTICE

Having qualified on the 6th day of September, 2024, as Administrator of the Estate of John Henry Jackson, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the decedent to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before the 19th day of December, 2024, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the estate should make immediate payment. This is the 13th day of September 2024. W. Woods Doster, Administrator of the Estate of John Henry Jackson 206 Hawkins Avenue Sanford, NC 27330 Attorneys: Law Offices of Doster & Brown, P.A. 206 Hawkins Avenue Sanford, NC 27330 Publish On: September 19th, 26th, October 3rd and 10th, 2024.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#24E000172-180

The undersigned, SHAVONNE LANEE HUNTER, having qualified on the 16TH day of JULY 2024, as EXECUTOR of the Estate of CLOYCE HUNTER, 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 18TH Day of DECEMBER 2024, 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 19TH Day of SEPTEMBER 2024.

SHAVONNE LANEE HUNTER, EXECUTOR 1007 LAURA CT. HAW RIVER, NC 27258 Run dates: S19,26,O3,10p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#24E001457-180

The undersigned, MARSHA S. ANDERSON, having qualified on the 22ND day of AUGUST 2024, as EXECUTOR of the Estate of HOWARD FRANKLIN WILLIAMS, JR., 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 4TH Day of DECEMBER 2024, 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 5TH Day of SEPTEMBER 2024.

MARSHA S. ANDERSON, EXECUTOR 1491 JOHNSON DR. WILLIAMSTON, NC 27892

Run dates: S5,12,19,26p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#24E001475-180

The undersigned, CASEY C. KOPEZYNSKI, having qualified on the 3RD day of SEPTEMBER 2024, as EXECUTOR of the Estate of JANE C. KOPEZYNSKI, 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 11TH Day of DECEMBER 2024, 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 12TH Day of SEPTEMBER 2024.

CASEY C. KOPEZYNSKI, EXECUTOR 106 GLEN HAVEN DR. CHAPEL HILL, NC 27516

Run dates: S12,19,26,O3p

NOTICE

RESOLUTION OF THE CHATHAM COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS CONCERNING THE COUNTING OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS On July 16, 2024, the Chatham County Board of Elections met at the Board of Elections Office, Pittsboro, North Carolina and adopted the following resolution: BE IT RESOLVED by the Chatham County Board of Elections that: The Chatham County Board of Elections shall meet at 2:00 PM on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, 2024, at the Board of Elections Office at 984-D Thompson Street to count absentee ballots. Any voter of the county may attend this meeting and observe the count. The results of the absentee ballot count will not be announced before 7:30 pm on that day. The board will meet at 4:00 PM on November 14, 2024,

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH

CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#24E001499-180 The

MICHELLE

EXECUTOR 367 ARTHUR TEAGUE ROAD SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: S26,O3,10,17p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#24E001324-180 The undersigned, NORMAN SCOTTON, SR., having qualified on the 5TH day of AUGUST 2024, as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of PAULETTE ELAINE SCOTTON., 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 4TH Day of DECEMBER 2024, 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 5TH Day of SEPTEMBER

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF ROBERT WILSON SILER, JR. All persons, firms and corporations having claims against Robert Wilson Siler, Jr., late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are notified to exhibit them to Michael R. Siler as Executor of the

payment to the above-named Executor. This the 26th day of September, 2024. Michael R. Siler Brittany N. Porter, Atty. TrustCounsel 1414 Raleigh Rd., Ste. 203 Chapel Hill, NC 27517

NOTICE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS COUNTY OF CHATHAM THE UNDERSIGNED, having qualified on the 20th day of April, 2022, as Executrix of the ESTATE OF MILDRED T. STANSBURY A/K/A MILDRED TERESA STANSBURY, Deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 27th day of December, 2024, 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, the 26th day of September 2024. TERESA M. WEBER EXECUTRIX ESTATE OF MILDRED T. STANSBURY A/K/A MIDLRED TERESA STANSBURY c/o Shirley M. Diefenbach, Attorney Walker Lambe, PLLC Post Office Box 51549 Durham, North Carolina 27717 NOTE: For publication in The Chatham News on the following dates: September 26, October 3, October 10 and October 17, 2024. Please send the Statement and Proof of Publication to Post Office Box 51549, Durham, North Carolina 27717-1549.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#24E001478-180

The undersigned, BETTY ELAINE WOODY, having qualified on the 3RD day of SEPTEMBER 2024, as EXECUTOR of the Estate of BETTY LEE HENDERSON, 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 18TH Day of DECEMBER 2024, 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 19TH Day of SEPTEMBER 2024. BETTY ELAINE WOODY, EXECUTOR 1901 NC 42 HWY. MONCURE, NC 27559 Run dates: S19,26,O3,10p

TAKE NOTICE

Routh’s son arrested on child sexual abuse images charges

The Greensboro resident’s father is suspected in an assassination attempt on Donald Trump

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The son of the man suspected in the assassination attempt in Florida against former President Donald Trump has been arrested on federal charges of possessing child sexual abuse images.

Oran Alexander Routh was arrested this week after authorities searched his Greensboro home “in connection with an investigation unrelated to child exploitation,” and found hundreds of files depicting child sexual abuse, an FBI agent said in court papers.

Investigators who seized multiple electronic devices found videos sent to Oran Routh in July as well as chats from a messaging application commonly used by people who share child sexual abuse material, the FBI agent said.

He faces two charges of possessing and receiving child sexual abuse material and is expected to appear

later Tuesday in federal court in North Carolina. There was no attorney listed for Oran Routh in court papers. Phone messages left for relatives of Oran Routh were not immediately returned.

Oran Routh’s father, Ryan Wesley Routh, has been charged with federal gun offenses in connection to the attempted assassination at Trump’s Florida golf course earlier this month. Prosecutors have indicated much more serious attempted assassination charges are coming.

Oran Routh’s arrest was first reported Tuesday by ABC News.

A federal judge on Monday agreed with Justice Department prosecutors that Ryan Routh should remain locked up while he awaits trial in his case.

Prosecutors have said Ryan Routh left behind a note detailing his plans to kill the former president and kept in his car a handwritten list of dates and venues where Trump was to appear. The note describing Routh’s plans was placed in a box that he dropped off months earlier at the home of an unidentified person who did not open it until after Ryan Routh’s arrest, prosecutors said. Ryan Routh is currently charged

Clingmans Dome getting native name back

The peak, named for a Confederate general, is being renamed Kuwohi

The Associated Press

GATLINBURG, Tenn. — The highest peak at Great Smoky Mountains National Park is officially reverting to its Cherokee name more than 150 years after a surveyor named it for a Confederate general.

The U.S. Board of Geographic Names voted last week in favor of a request from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to officially change the name Clingmans Dome to Kuwohi, according to a news re -

24SP001073-180 NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, CHATHAM COUNTY

Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Pamela V. Lee to John B Whitley, Trustee(s), which was dated October 23, 2004 and recorded on November 1, 2004 in Book 1139 at Page 566, Chatham County Registry, North Carolina. Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on October 10, 2024 at 01:00 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Chatham County, North Carolina, to wit: THE LAND REFERRED TO IN THIS EXHIBIT IS LOCATED IN THE COUNTY OF CHATHAM AND THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA IN DEED BOOK 597 AT PAGE 218 AND DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEING ALL OF LOT NUMBER 7, AS SHOWN ON THAT CERTAIN PLAT ENTITLED, “SURVEY FOR PAMELA V. LEE” PREPARED BY BRACKEN & ASSOCIATES, RLS, DATED JUNE 8, 1992, AND RECORDED IN PLAT SLIDE 92-249, CHATHAM COUNTY REGISTRY, TO WHICH PLAT REFERENCE IS HEREBY MADE FOR GREATER CERTAINTY OF DESCRIPTION.

AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 23 SP 122

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,

lease from the park. The Cherokee name for the mountain translates to “mulberry place.”

“The Great Smoky National Park team was proud to support this effort to officially restore the mountain and to recognize its importance to the Cherokee People,” Superintendent Cassius Cash said in the release. “The Cherokee People have had strong connections to Kuwohi and the surrounding area, long before the land became a national park. The National Park Service looks forward to continuing to work with the Cherokee People to share their story and preserve this landscape together.”

Kuwohi is a sacred place for the Cherokee people and is the high-

Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 220 N Richardson Rd, Siler City, NC 27344. A Certified Check ONLY (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the sale, for purposes of inspection and/or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are ALL LAWFUL HEIRS OF PAMELA V. LEE. An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after

with illegally possessing his gun in spite of multiple felony convictions, including two charges of possessing stolen goods in 2002 in North Carolina, and with possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

But a prosecutor said in court Monday that they would pursue additional charges before a grand jury, accusing him of having tried to “assassinate a major political candidate” — charges that would warrant life in prison in the event of a conviction.

It is common for prosecutors to file more easily provable charges as an immediate placeholder before adding more significant allegations as the case proceeds.

Ryan Routh was arrested Sept. 15 after a Secret Service agent who was scoping the Trump International Golf Club for potential security threats saw a partially obscured man’s face and the barrel of a semiautomatic rifle, aimed directly at the former president.

The agent fired at Routh, who sped away before being stopped by officials in a neighboring county, leaving behind a loaded rifle, digital camera, a backpack and a reusable shopping bag that was hanging from a chain-link fence.

est point within the traditional Cherokee homeland, according to the park. The peak is visible from the Qualla Boundary, home of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Great Smoky Mountains National Park closes Kuwohi every year for three half-days so that predominantly Cherokee schools can visit the mountain and learn its history.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, on the Tennessee-North Carolina border, is America’s most visited national park, and Kuwohi is one its most popular sites, with more than 650,000 visitors per year. The peak became known as Clingmans Dome following an 1859 survey by geographer Arnold Guyot, who named it for Thomas Lanier Clingman, a Confederate brigadier general as well as a lawyer, U.S. representative and senator from North Carolina, according to the park.

The name-restoration proposal was submitted in January by Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Principal Chief Michell Hicks.

October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b)(2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. Pursuant to NCGS §45-21.25A, this sale may be subject to remote bids placed by bidders not physically present at the place of sale, which may be accepted by the person conducting the sale, or their agent”. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC

Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC

Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403

PHONE: (910) 392-4988 File No.: 23-32328-FC01

CHATHAM SPORTS

HEADS UP!

Jordan-Matthews’ Elvis Niño (3) and Southeast Alamance’s Zwe Maung (4) wait for the ball to come down during the Jets’ 5-0 win last week. The victory gave Jordan-Matthews the top spot in the Mid-Carolina Conference.

Northwood stampedes Jets in 48-0 rout on homecoming night

The Chargers rushed for over 300 yards Friday

PITTSBORO — The ground wasn’t safe for the Jets Friday.

On its homecoming night, Northwood (2-3, 2-1) ran all over its rival Jordan-Matthews (2-3, 1-2) in a 48-0 rout.

The Chargers just kept feeding junior running back Robert Tripp who rushed for 224 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.

“The game plan was do what we do,” Northwood coach Dalton Brown said. “That was our focus all week. It was getting back to running the football and stopping the run.”

Following a long opening kick return from sophomore Raje Torres that set Northwood up in Jordan-Matthews territory, Tripp found an open hole and turned it into a 41yard score on the first play from scrimmage.

He added six more runs of at least 10 yards, including his 24yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that put the Chargers at 48 points.

“The middle would open up, and eventually, I couldn’t get past the second level that much,” Tripp said. “Once I hit it outside, that’s when I could typically beat the second level.”

After Tripp’s first score, the Chargers piled it on, finding the end zone twice more in the first quarter and entering halftime with a 28-0 lead.

Northwood rushed for 155 yards in the first half thanks to contributions from Torres and junior quarterback Grayson Cox. Early in the second quarter Torres pulled off a 39-yard rush highlighted by numerous broken tackles and changes of direction, which exemplified just how much Northwood was able to get whatever it wanted on offense.

To add insult to injury, the Chargers threw the ball just five times in the first half (eight attempts the entire game), and came away with four completions, including a 17-yard gain to Torres and senior receiver Isaiah Blair’s first touchdown catch of the game on a 15-yard connection. The only incompletion in the first half was a dropped touchdown from Blair who was wide open in the end zone on a flea flicker.

“I wish we would do a little more passing, but it feels good when I get the ball,” Blair, who finished the game with two catches, 50 receiving yards and two touchdowns, said. Defensively, the Chargers lived in the backfield, coming away with 12 negative plays.

Senior AJ Rhone-Mason, described by Brown as one of the three “dogs” on the defensive line, recorded two sacks

and led the Chargers’ run defense to allowing just 19 net yards on the ground. The Jets averaged less than a yard per carry and pulled off only two runs over 10 yards in the entire game.

“We did our thing out here, and we executed well,” Rhone-Mason said.

Said Brown, “When they’re firing off the ball, they’re one of, if not, the best defensive lines in the conference. When they play like it, it’s good. We just have to get it consistently, and we got it consistently tonight which was really nice.”

Northwood’s defense also came away with three turnovers, including second-half interceptions from senior Beau Harvey and sophomore Farrell Blackburn and a fumble recovery in the third quarter.

The Chargers secured their first shutout of the season which was their first shutout since beating Jordan-Matthews 49-0 last season.

“Our defense has played great all year long and kept us in games when the offense is kind of in neutral mode and not moving,” Brown said. “It showed again tonight when we put everything together.”

For Northwood, Friday night’s win was another bounce back game following the disappointing 41-6 loss to Southeast Alamance the week prior.

The Jets secured their second shutout of the season

SILER CITY — Behind two goals from Francisco Ibarra and a shutout led by goalkeeper Angelo Vera, Los Jets took first place in the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference outright following a 5-0 win over Southeast Alamance on Sept. 18.

“It was a really important win for us because Southeast is a really good team,” Jordan-Matthews coach Paul Cuadros said. “They’ve got great players on that team, and they’re very dynamic, they’re fast, they can score, and they’ve been burning it up all season. We’re in a little bit of a rebuilding period for us. We’ve worked hard on some concepts, principles and fundamentals, and it really paid off tonight, so we’re really happy about that.”

After a scoreless opening 20

Both schools won their third consecutive Conference Cups

Chatham Charter and Seaforth received more post-season honors for the 2023-24 athletic year. At the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Region 5 meeting in Greensboro on Sept. 19, both programs received the Wells Fargo Conference Cup for their respective conferences. As a companion of the Wells Fargo State Cup that Seaforth won for the 2A classification after the 2023-24 season, the Wells Fargo Conference Cup recognizes the best interscholastic athletic performance within each NCHSAA

minutes, Ibarra broke free with the ball down the field, evaded the sliding goalkeeper and knocked in the Jets’ first score from close range.

Moments later, Ibarra rebounded a teammate’s miss and tapped in another goal to put Jordan-Matthews ahead 2-0 with 13:43 remaining in the first half.

“Through the weekend, I’ve been studying and looking at what I can improve on,” Ibarra said. “Today it really showed. The past two games, I didn’t score, but today, I pushed myself.”

The Jets took full control of the game when Darwin Suarez Zoga put a free kick across the goal line with just over a minute left to play in the first half.

Four different Jets ended up scoring in the win as Jeremey Alvarado and Marvin Herrera put the final two goals on the board for the Jets in the second half.

“This is not a single player

conference based on regular season performances within conference play. The honor is given to the school with the most points during the school year, and points are awarded for all sports on a standardized system that gives 50 points for a first-place finish and five less points for every next order of finish.

Chatham Charter won its third straight Conference Cup

/ CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Robert Tripp heads into the end zone for a Northwood touchdown during the Chargers’ 48-0 win over Jordan-Matthews.

Thee county teams look to bounce back from big losses

In the aftermath of week five of the high school football season, every Chatham County team now holds a losing record.

Northwood was the only team to win Friday, which came at the expense of Jordan-Matthews and put the combined county record at 6-12.

But now, what matters for the playoffs are conference records, and only two teams, Jordan-Matthews and Chatham Central, are in the hole in conference play.

Before the county teams take another shot at improving their records and attempt to better their situations in the second half of the season, here’s a recap of Friday’s football action, a preview of next week for each county team, conference standings and the latest football power rankings:

Seaforth

Seaforth (1-2, 1-1) put up a good fight against defending conference runner ups Cummings (4-1, 3-0), but it couldn’t overcome self-inflicted wounds and Cummings’ rushing attack in a 41-20 loss.

Sophomore quarterback Duncan Parker threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns, including a 69-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Max Hinchman, who hauled in 4 receptions for 205 yards and

two scores. However, Parker’s two interceptions didn’t help with the Hawks’ efforts to come back in the game. Cummings also pounded the rock, rushing for 358 yards and five touchdowns on 41 carries. Junior Jaidyn Briskey punched in all five scores and rushed for 198 yards himself.

The Hawks will play at Chatham Central Friday at 7 p.m. in the third ever meeting between the two teams. Seaforth has yet to lose to the Bears since it began playing varsity football, and it looks like it has

CHATHAM CHARTER X ACCOUNT

Chatham Charter was one of two county schools to earn a Conference Cup for the 2023-24 school year.

CUP from page B1

for the Central Tar Heel 1A conference. The Knights won regular season conference titles in multiple sports, including baseball, softball and girls’ basketball last year. Second-place finishes in boys’ basketball and boys’ and girls’ tennis also helped Chatham Charter get over the top in the cup standings.

The Knights have been rising in overall conference standings since 2020, finishing fifth for the Conference Cup in the 2019-20 season and third the next season before capturing a first-place victory in the 2021-22 athletic year. Chatham Charter won the 2021-22 Conference Cup by over 100 points.

Seaforth took its third Conference Cup in as many years as its existence for the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference. The Hawks took conference titles in volleyball, baseball, girls’ basketball, boys’ and girls’ cross country, boys’ and girls’ swimming, wrestling, boys’ outdoor track, girls’ soccer and boys’ and girls’ tennis last year.

Since opening its doors in 2021, Seaforth has seen great success in its athletics program, winning multiple state championships at both the team and individual levels. The Hawks won the 2022-23 Conference Cup by a significant margin, beating out second-place Jordan-Matthews by 205 points.

Seaforth will likely have to beat out a new set of schools next season as the NCHSAA realignment in 2025 is expected to put the Hawks in a different conference. Chatham Charter may be in the same boat depending on how schools will be organized in the new eight-classification system.

With the possibility of the county teams being in more than two conferences, there could possibly be three or more of them that take a Conference Cup in the same year once again.

The last time that happened was when Northwood won the 2021-22 Central 3A Conference Cup, joining Seaforth and Chatham Charter in earning the award.

0-3) failed to get back in the win-column with a 56-12 loss to Bartlett Yancey (2-3, 2-1).

The Bears completed some long passes throughout the night, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with the Buccaneers’ offense.

The key for the Bears in their in-county bout with Seaforth will be to find ways to get in the end zone. Chatham Central has only scored 40 points all season and came up empty in multiple trips deep in opponent territory. Seaforth’s defense, which has been a strength for the Hawks, will be a tough unit to crack, but the Bears could wear them down by stringing together multiple positive plays at a time.

Jordan-Matthews

found something with Parker making plays to Hinchman in the passing game.

The Bears have had trouble stopping teams from doing whatever they want offensively, and fortunately for Seaforth, it also has a solid run game to further expose that. Last year, Seaforth won this matchup, 35-6, behind 217 yards rushing, and the Hawks are very capable of winning in similar fashion.

Chatham Central

Chatham Central (1-4,

Following the 48-0 loss to Northwood Friday, Jordan-Matthews (2-3, 1-2) will travel to North Moore (0-4, 0-2) and battle the Mustangs at 7 p.m.

This isn’t the same North Moore program of recent history, but the “run people over” mindset is still alive. The Jets, who have multiple key players out due to injury, will need those filling in for missing starters to step up and play with great physicality.

Northwood

Northwood (2-3, 2-1) became the only county team

with a winning record in conference play after the win Friday, and now, they’re looking to continue that success against Bartlett Yancey (2-3, 2-1).

The Buccaneers have had trouble stopping the run this season as they’ve allowed over 300 yards rushing in multiple games. For the Chargers, this game falls right into their offensive strength as their rushing attack has been their most effective weapon all year.

Defensively, Northwood’s defensive line needs to put together another solid game in which it lives in the backfield. Bartlett Yancey hasn’t shown to be very secure with the ball as it lost multiple fumbles against Chatham Central, and the Chargers have been pretty good with forcing turnovers.

Power rankings

Last week: 1. Northwood; 2. Jordan-Matthews; 3. Seaforth; 4. Chatham Central This week’s rankings: 1. Northwood; 2. Seaforth; 3. Jordan-Matthews; 4. Chatham Central Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference standings: 1. Southeast Alamance (5-0, 3-0); 2. Cummings (4-1, 3-0); 3. Northwood (2-3, 2-1); 4. Bartlett Yancey (2-3, 2-1); 5. Seaforth (1-2, 1-1); 6. Jordan-Matthews (2-3, 1-2); 7. North Moore (0-4, 0-2); 8. Graham (0-4, 0-2); 9. Chatham Central (1-4, 0-3)

Chatham County Aging Services Weekly Activities Calendar

GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
The referee spots the ball as the Northwood offense gets ready to run another play. The Chargers are the only county team above .500 in conference play heading into this week’s slate of games.
CHATHAM

Jack Anstrom finishes top 20 in huge cross-country meet

Seaforth volleyball lost a heavyweight match with Chapel Hill

HERE’S A RECAP of the key results, developments and conference standings from week six of the high school fall sports season in Chatham County:

Despite a combined 26 kills from Josie Valgus, Ally Forbes and Keira Rosenmarkle, Seaforth fell to highly-touted Chapel Hill, 3-1, on Sept. 18.

Every set in the heavyweight match up was decided by less than 10 points, and the second set went into extra play.

Chatham Central won 3-1 over its rival Jordan-Matthews on Sept. 17, but that game was also closer than the score indicates. The Bears won their three sets by less than 10 points and won the final two sets by a score of 25-17 after the game was tied at 1-1.

Woods Charter continued to dominate its conference opponents, sweeping River Mill and Chatham Charter. The Wolves have only given up one set in conference play as of Sunday.

Northwood lost two games during the week, but it finished with a 3-0 victory over Jordan-Matthews on Sept. 19.

Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Seaforth (11-2, 8-0); 2. North Moore (11-1, 5-1); 3. Chatham Central (8-5, 6-2); 4. Northwood (5-9, 5-4); 5. Bartlett Yancey (8-4, 4-4); 6. Southeast Alamance (5-7, 3-5); 7. Jordan-Matthews (1-10, 1-7); 8. Graham (0-13, 0-9) Central Tar Heel 1A conference standings (as of Sunday):

1. Woods Charter (9-5, 8-0); 2. Clover Garden School (8-4, 5-2); 3. Chatham Charter (5-8, 4-2); 4. Southern Wake Academy (6-6, 4-4); 5. River Mill (5-8, 2-5); 6. Ascend Leadership (2-5, 1-4); 7. Triangle Math and Science (1-10, 0-7) Boys’ soccer

Due to postponements, there weren’t as many games as usual around the county last week. Yet, it was another slate of disappointing results.

The county went 3-5 in last week’s games with Jordan-Mat-

SOCCER from page B1

team,” Cuadros said. “We are going to attack from various positions and with various people. We want to be multidimensional in our attack.”

As the offense began to find its groove early on, the Jets’ defense had already established its footing by limiting the Stallions’ looks at the goal.

Both teams brought physicality to the fight, but Jordan-Matthews won the battle with solid ball pressure and steals that knocked Southeast Alamance out of rhythm.

“The defense did pretty good,” Vera said. “They stepped up and did their job.”

In the game’s final minutes, Southeast Alamance found some opportunities to get on the scoreboard, but crucial saves from Vera and disruptions from the Jets’ defense kept the Stallions with a donut. The Jets secured their second shutout of the season after beating Hobbton, 3-0, on Aug. 23. “It felt good keeping the clean sheet because last year, we shut them out 9-0,” Vera said. “It feels good for them not

FOOTBALL from page B1

Although the Chargers haven’t had the most ideal start to the season, they’ve shown that bad nights don’t keep them down for long. It first appeared when Northwood responded to two straight blowouts against

PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Jordan-Matthews players congratulate Francisco Ibarra (10) after one of his two goals against Southeast Alamance in a 5-0 victory for the Jets.

thews owning two of those wins over Southeast Alamance (5-0) and Southern Alamance (2-1).

Woods Charter split the week with a 4-1 conference loss to Triangle Math and Science and a 3-0 win over American Leadership Academy-Johnston.

Northwood and Chatham Charter came up as the Chargers lost to Graham, 3-1, and the Knights fell to Southern Wake Academy and Research Triangle.

The Chargers’ home bout against Seaforth, originally scheduled for Sept. 16, got rescheduled for Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m. Seaforth’s game at North Moore, originally scheduled for Sept. 18, will now be played on Oct. 30 at 6 p.m.

Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Jordan-Matthews (7-4, 4-0); 2. Graham (6-1-2, 2-0); 3. Seaforth (3-3-1, 1-0); 4. Southeast Alamance (5-6, 2-1); 5. Northwood (3-5-1, 1-3); 6. Cummings (3-3, 0-3); 7. North Moore (0-5, 0-3)

Central Tar Heel 1A conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Clover Garden School (5-5, 4-0); 2. Triangle Math and Science (4-3-1, 4-0); 3. River Mill (2-5-1, 2-2); 4. Ascend Leadership (4-4-1, 2-2); 5. Woods Charter (2-4-1, 1-2); 6. Southern Wake Academy (3-6, 1-4); 7. Chatham Charter (0-8, 0-4)

Girls’ tennis

Chatham Charter didn’t get a chance to add more wins to its undefeated season last week, but Seaforth bounced back from back-to-back losses in a huge way with a 9-0 win over Chatham Central on Sept. 18. The Hawks swept the Bears in every singles match, and the

latter is still looking for their first win of the season as of Sunday.

Northwood picked up a 7-2 win over Bartlett Yancey before its matchup with Jordan-Matthews on Sept. 19 got rained out. The Jets got the opposite result in its one game during the week, losing to North Moore, 7-2, on Sept. 18.

Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference standings (from dual matches as of Sunday): 1. Seaforth (7-3, 6-0); 2. North Moore (3-3, 3-1); 3. Bartlett Yancey (5-2, 5-2); 4. Northwood (4 - 4, 4-3); 5. Southeast Alamance (3-6, 3-4); 6. Jordan-Matthews (3-6, 3-5); 7. Chatham Central (0-9, 0-9)

Cross-country Seaforth and Northwood competed in the Adidas XC Challenge over the weekend.

Seaforth senior Jack Anstrom finished 20th in the boys’ championship 5K with a time of 15 minutes, 33.90 seconds. In the boys’ invitational 5K, the Hawks finished 15th as a team behind top 25 finishes from freshman Samuel Neil (21st place) and senior Will Cuicchi (22nd place). Northwood finished 33rd out of 37 teams, and junior Jordan Wiley ran a 16:46.50 to land at 31st place.

In the girls’ invitational 5K, Seaforth finished seventh out of 32 teams thanks to three top 60 finishes from Katie Leonard (40th), Claire Morgan (52nd) and Sasha Helmer (55th). Northwood senior Julia Hall had the best performance from any Chatham County runner in the race as she finished in 19th with a time of 20:01.30. The Chargers landed at 26th in the final team results.

Julia Hall

Northwood, cross-country

Northwood senior Julia Hall earns athlete of the week honors for the week of Sept. 16.

Hall ran in the girls’ invitational 5K race at the 2024 Adidas XC Challenge last weekend, and she finished 19th out of 247 runners with a time of 20 minutes, 1.1 seconds.

Hall’s time was faster than any of the 15 other Chatham County runners in the race, and she ran nearly a minute faster than the next best time from a county runner. Last season, Hall earned first-team all-conference honors for cross country.

PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Jordan-Matthews’ Jeremey Alvarado (17) fires a shot on goal against Southeast Alamance. Alvarado scored once in J-M’s 5-0 win.

to score on me this year.”

Jordan-Matthews’ defense has been one of its strengths, especially in conference play as it has only given up three goals to conference opponents.

“We work hard at it,” Cuadros said. “More than that, the guys really just want to hustle,

non-conference opponents with a convincing 33-13 win over North Moore in the first conference game. But with just five games left to push for the best playoff positioning possible, including tough bouts with Seaforth and Cummings, the Chargers have

and our goalkeeper has been fabulous. Things have been working out well for us.”

Ibarra said the team has seen players put more effort into learning and improving the defensive communication, which wasn’t as strong for the Jets earlier this season.

to keep responding for multiple weeks in a row.

“From here on out, it’s a championship game,” Brown said. “We need a little bit of help to do what we want to do in the conference, but we can only control what we can control and that’s to win each and

Following a rough start to the year with a resurgence in conference play, things are starting to look a bit familiar to last season when the Jets followed a similar path. Last year, Jordan-Matthews played its closest games, including two draws and a loss,

every game from here on out.”

With regard to Jordan-Matthews, the last few weeks have been a struggle with injuries and a lack of offensive production. The Jets didn’t have senior linebacker and tight end Rashaad McSwain and sophomore receiver and defensive

prior to winning 11 games in a row (including three playoff games).

After an 0-3 start the Jets have won seven out of their last eight games (four straight conference wins) as of Sunday.

For Ibarra, he said this season is starting to give him the same feeling, but for Cuadros the rough start to the season was more about the opponent more than his team.

Cuadros believes the tough 4A opponents early in the year have prepared his team for high-stakes conference games like the win over Southeast Alamance, and now the Jets are turning the lessons learned into sustained success.

“It was very challenging for this young team to play through those types of games and to mature that way,” Cuadros said.

Jordan-Matthews followed the win over the Stallions with a 2-1 victory over Southern Alamance on Sept. 19, putting its win streak at five before Monday.

The Jets will have another date with Southeast Alamance on Oct. 16 for what could be another battle for the top of the conference standings.

back Namir Wiley against the Chargers, which are two solid athletes who could have made a difference on both sides of the ball.

Health will be the biggest key for the Jets as they try to make a playoff push in the final five games of the season.

Larson wins at Bristol to advance

Two former Cup Series champions were knocked out of the playoffs

JUST MINUTES after Kyle Larson crossed the finish line on the most dominating victory ever for a Hendrick Motorsports driver, his team rushed his 9-year-old son to the winning Chevrolet.

Owen Larson was half in the car, half out, as his dad drove a victory lap around Bristol Motor Speedway with his son holding the No. 1 finger in the air.

“We had a little boys’ weekend here this weekend,” Larson said. “We’ll bring some hardware home tonight, too.” Larson dominated the first elimination race of the Cup Se -

ries’ 10-race playoff portion of the season by leading all but 38 of the 500 laps at the track in Bristol, Tennessee — the most laps led ever in a race by a Hendrick driver. It easily moved him into the second round of the playoffs, while former Cup champions Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr., as well as Ty Gibbs and Harrison Burton, were eliminated from the 16-driver field.

“I’ve had a lot of good cars since I’ve come to Hendrick Motorsports, but man, that was just great execution all weekend by the team,” Larson said.

“We dominate a lot of races but we might not close them all out, so it feels really good to close one out here.”

The first of three elimination races in the 10-race playoffs began with Denny Hamlin, Truex, Keselowski and Burton

all below the cutline and facing elimination from the 16-driver field.

Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner with four career wins at Bristol, was never really worried and finished fourth.

Burton, who used a surprise win at Daytona last month to qualify for the playoffs in the final few weeks before he loses his seat with Wood Brothers Racing, was doubtful to recover enough to advance and finished 35th. Keselowski, the 2012 Cup champion, and 2017 champion Truex had a better shot at salvaging their playoffs but both came up empty.

Truex was penalized for speeding on pit road, taking him out of contention to advance, and Keselowski just didn’t have the pace. Joe Gibbs Racing had two of its four cars eliminated from the playoffs as

Ty Gibbs was also penalized for speeding.

Keselowski finished 26th and lamented the lack of speed in his RFK Racing Ford.

“Didn’t have the pace we wanted. We ran as hard as we could, there just wasn’t anything there,” Keselowski said. “Just gotta be faster.” Larson, meanwhile, led 462 of 500 laps, the most since Cale Yarborough led 495 laps in 1977. Larson’s laps led is the most ever by a Hendrick driver and marked the fifth win of the season for the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet.

“That’s pretty awesome because there’s been some legendary Hall of Famers race for Hendrick Motorsports, and we’ve all grown up watching Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson dominate,” Larson said.

“So pretty cool to get my name

“Pretty cool to get my name on another record at Hendrick Motorsports.”

Kyle Larson

on another record at Hendrick Motorsports.”

Daniel Suarez, who finished four laps down in 31st, squeezed out the final spot into the second round of the playoffs by 11 points over Gibbs. Also advancing were Chase Elliott, who finished second, Christopher Bell, who finished fifth, regular-season champion Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, William Byron, Austin Cindric and Alex Bowman.

Hendrick’s entire four-car Chevrolet lineup advanced, as did all three Ford drivers from Team Penske. But Toyota lost a pair of JGR entries, and Ford lost two cars.

Kyle Larson leads Justin Haley and Todd Gilliland (white) on his way to winning Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol.

Historically bad day for Triangle football

NC State and UNC got pounded in simultaneous games last Saturday

THE ACC RELEASES its basketball schedule for 2024 -25 on Tuesday evening. It’s not a moment too soon, as football season came crashing down for two Triangle teams on Saturday.

Both games kicked off at noon, and before lunch had settled in most fans’ stomachs, the outcomes were clear.

NC State traveled to Clemson and was overwhelmed by the Tigers. The Wolfpack surrendered four first-quarter touchdowns,

trailed 45-7 at the half and by as many as 45 points as Clemson rolled to a 59-35 win. It was the second blowout loss the Wolfpack has suffered this year, coming two weeks after a 51-10 loss to Tennessee in Charlotte.

Meanwhile in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels were shocked by visiting James Madison, which shattered records for both schools as it rolled to a 70-50 win over UNC. It matched the most points UNC has ever surrendered in a game, and the beat-down broke records for most points allowed at Kenan Stadium and most given up in a half. It was also the most points JMU has ever scored against a FBS foe.

The 129 combined points were the most ever allowed by two Triangle teams on the

same day. It topped Oct. 8, 2005, when Duke lost 52-7 at Miami en route to a 1-10 season and Carolina lost 69-14 at Louisville, giving up a touchdown and two-point conversion more points. The previous worst Heels/Wolfpack daily double was Sept. 27, 2014, when State gave up 56 at Carter-Finley against Florida State and Carolina 50 at Clemson.

Duke, who won at Middle Tennessee State, and NC Central, who knocked off rival NC A&T, prevented the Triangle from suffering a complete sweep.

The Tar Heels were victimized by a blocked punt, onside kick, pick-six and several long completions, falling behind by 32 points in the first half. It was the first time UNC has

trailed by 30 or more at home since 2016 and the first time the Heels fell behind by as much in the first half at Kenan since 1999. Afterward, UNC coach Mack Brown took responsibility for the humiliating loss, saying, “I hired everybody that works in this building, and I’ve signed every player on this team. So I mean, the people that want to blame me, they should, because I am at fault 100%. I missed it.”

Brown also reportedly offered to step down as head coach while addressing the team.

Doeren, meanwhile, seemed to imply that some members of his team quit as Clemson ran up the score.

“We’re gonna find out who wants to fight,” he said. “Who

wants to get in there. … The guys kind of said no mas, and a bunch of guys stepped up and we started playing better. So this will be another truth serum when you get in the film room tomorrow. It’s gonna be a tough Sunday for them.”

When asked if the team captains stepped up as things went downhill, Doeren said, “I don’t know that I did, to be honest. I never saw a big play made by somebody in that role. … It wasn’t a game where there was a guy I can single out and say, ‘He had a great game today.’ We didn’t have a guy like that today. We just didn’t.”

State returns home with a game against NIU — Doeren’s previous head coaching stop before taking the Wolfpack job — next week, while UNC travels to Duke for its annual rivalry game. Both teams will have plenty of questions to answer before those games kick off.

NC

an instant replay on the scoreboard during the first half against Clemson on Saturday. The Wolfpack gave up four early touchdowns and lost 59-35 to the Tigers.

ARTIE WALKER JR. / AP PHOTO
State coach Dave Doeren watches
Bomb saga revisited with witness accounts in ‘Hiroshima: The Last Witnesses’

M.G. Sheftall’s story is about the perils of nuclear warfare

AN ATOMIC bombing is so horrific all accounts tend to be quintessential. M.G. Sheftall’s “Hiroshima: The Last Witnesses” is no different.

Although the individuals who recount their tales vary, their message is the same: In the words of one survivor, Kohei Oiwa, “If there is a hell, he thought to himself. Certainly, it must be just like this.”

Oiwa, a junior high school student in 1945, is told to help stack bodies. Charred flesh crumpled in his grip, so he held only bones. His is one of many rendered by Sheftall in his blow-by-blow retelling.

The storytelling leads up to Aug. 6, 1945, circles around that moment, and then describes what it left afterward, weaving in and out of witness accounts.

The experience is tantamount to recalling a giant nightmare so painful it’s hard to read in one sitting.

Sheftall, an American who has lived in Japan since 1987, interviewed dozens of survivors, known as “hibakusha,” primarily in Japan but also in Taiwan and Korea. Of his book’s 545 pages, more than 50 pages are taken up by references and notes.

“I would describe not only the bombings themselves — something countless authors have done quite effectively before me — but also the world those survived had known before the bombs and the New Japan they helped to rebuild from the rubble and ash-

es of the old,” he wrote in the acknowledgments.

It’s that story heard, over and over again, from those who lived to tell it, although many more died, tens of thousands, in a flash.

The story of Hiroshima is at risk of being forgotten. The Hibakusha are now over 90 years old.

Sheftall devotes a whole chapter to debunking the idea of being “vaporized.” The heat and destruction from Little Boy and Fat Man did not make for “waving a magic wand over people, and then, presto change-o, watching them disappear with a nice, clean painless ‘poof,’” he wrote. Some people’s faces were literally gone. Others had eyeballs knocked out, dangling from their sockets. Charred black figures wandered through a flattened city, begging for water, “Mizu … mizu” is the title of one of the book’s chapters. Illnesses from radiation poisoning followed for years. They felt guilt and shame for not having died.

His book tells their stories, in all their ruthless violence and gory pathos, but, most importantly, as a cautionary tale about the perils of nuclear warfare.

DUTTON VIA AP

this week in history

Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” premiered, Gandhi was born, Disney World opened, Tom Petty died

SEPT. 26

1777: British troops occupied Philadelphia during the American Revolution.

1960: The first-ever debate between presidential nominees occurred as Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard M. Nixon faced off before a national TV audience.

SEPT. 27

1903: A Southern Railway mail train derailed near Danville, Virginia, killing 11; the crash inspired the famous ballad, “Wreck of the Old 97.”

1940: Germany, Italy and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact, formally allying the World War II Axis powers.

1964: The government publicly released the Warren Commission report, which concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald had acted alone in assassinating President John F. Kennedy.

SEPT. 28

1924: Three U.S. Army planes landed in Seattle, com-

pleting the first round-theworld air trip in 175 days.

1928: Scottish medical researcher Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin.

2020: The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus pandemic reached 1 million.

SEPT. 29

1789: The U.S. War Department established a regular army with a strength of several hundred men.

1829: London’s reorganized police force, which became known as Scotland Yard, went on duty.

1965: The National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts were created.

1978: Pope John Paul I was found dead in his Vatican apartment just over a month after becoming head of the Roman Catholic Church.

SEPT. 30

1791: Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute” premiered in Vienna, Austria.

1938: After co-signing the Munich Agreement allowing Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain said, “I believe it is peace for our time.”

1947: The World Series was broadcast on television for the first time.

1949: The Berlin Airlift came to an end.

1955: Actor James Dean, 24, was killed in a two-car collision.

1962: James Meredith, a black student, was escorted by federal marshals to the campus of the University of Mississippi, where he enrolled for classes the next day; Meredith’s presence sparked rioting that claimed two lives.

OCT. 1

1908: Henry Ford intro-

The Masters expands coverage next year with CBS’s Paramount+

The 2025 tournament will include 23 hours total of Masters broadcasting

The Associated Press

THE MASTERS and CBS are expanding television coverage next year by five hours, including two hours on Saturday and Sunday through CBS’s Paramount+ streaming service.

Augusta National also announced another high-level corporate partner in Charlotte-based Bank of America, bringing to four the number of “champion partners” for the major that attracts the largest viewing audience in golf.

The addition of Bank of America does not affect the commercial load. The Masters said the broadcast will continue with only four minutes of commercials each hour.

“The Masters Tournament has had the great fortune of enjoying an extraordinary relationship with CBS Sports for nearly 70 years,” said Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National and the Masters. “Alongside our friends at the network, we are pleased to extend the tournament’s weekend coverage and ultimately de-

liver more live golf for Masters fans.”

CBS will add an hour to Saturday’s broadcast. Next year, it will go from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. EDT instead of starting at 3 p.m. The third and fourth rounds will be shown exclusively on Para-

solutions

mount+ from noon until 2 p.m. and will remain available on the streaming service through the 7 p.m. conclusion.

That brings the total coverage to 23 hours, including ESPN’s broadcasts from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.

CBS also produces expansive digital coverage through The Masters app, which includes features such as Amen Corner, holes 4-6, holes 15-16 and featured pairings. CBS has made its live coverage of sporting events available

duced his Model T automobile to the market.

1949: Mao Zedong proclaimed the People’s Republic of China during a ceremony in Beijing. Under his totalitarian regime, 40 to 80 million died due to starvation, persecution, prison labor and mass executions.

1957: The motto “In God We Trust” began appearing on U.S. paper currency.

1971: Walt Disney World opened near Orlando, Florida.

2017: A gunman opened fire from a room at the Mandalay Bay casino hotel in Las Vegas on a crowd of 22,000 country music fans at a concert below, leaving 58 people dead and more than 800 injured in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

OCT. 2

1869: Political and spiritual leader Mohandas K. Gandhi was born in Porbandar, India.

1941: During World War II, German armies launched an allout drive against Moscow; Soviet forces succeeded in holding on to their capital.

1959: Rod Serling’s “The Twilight Zone” debuted on CBS with the episode “Where Is Everybody?” starring Earl Holliman.

2017: Tom Petty died at a Los Angeles hospital at age 66.

on Paramount+. The additional two hours on the weekend will be exclusive content, the first time it has offered such content from golf.

The partnership between the Masters and CBS, a year-by-year contract, dates back to 1956 when the network used six cameras to televise the last four holes. Only 25 years ago, the Masters offered just 101/2 hours of live coverage on CBS, including three hours on Sunday.

Bank of America joins a small list of primary corporate sponsors at the Masters, including AT&T, IBM and Mercedes-Benz, each of which has extended their partnerships. The club does not disclose details of those contracts.

Bank of America has had a relationship with Augusta National for the last several years, serving as a presenting sponsor for the Augusta National Women’s Amateur since its inception in 2019, as well as the Asia-Pacific Amateur and the Latin America Amateur since 2022.

“Through Bank of America’s support of our community initiatives and amateur events, they have become an impactful and committed partner in our organization’s mission in Augusta and around the globe,” Ridley said.

He said adding Bank of America as a top-level sponsor expands that relationship and strengthens the Masters “for many years to come.”

The Masters will be held April 10-13 next year, sticking with its tradition of being held the first full week of April. Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion.

DAVID J. PHILLIP / AP PHOTO
Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, congratulates winner Scottie Scheffler at the 2024 Masters.
AP PHOTO
Political and spiritual leader Mohandas K. Gandhi was born in Porbandar, India, on Oct. 2, 1869.

famous birthdays this week

Gwyneth Paltrow is 52, Bryant Gumble hits 76, Zach Galifianakis turns 55

SEPT. 26

Actor Kent McCord (“Adam 12”) is 82. “The Weakest Link” host Anne Robinson is 80. Singer Bryan Ferry is 79. Singer-guitarist Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos is 70. Actor Linda Hamilton is 68. Actor Jim Caviezel (“Sound of Freedom,” “The Passion of the Christ”) is 56.

SEPT. 27

Actor Kathleen Nolan is 91. Actor Claude Jarman Jr. (“The Yearling”) is 90. Comedian-podcaster Marc Maron is 61. Actor Gwyneth Paltrow is 52. Singer Avril Lavigne is 40.

SEPT. 28

Actor Brigitte Bardot is 90. Actor-comedian Janeane Garofalo is 60. Actor Mira Sorvino is 57. TV personality and singer Moon Zappa is 57. Actor Naomi Watts is 56. TV personality Bam Margera (“Jackass”) is 45. Musician St. Vincent is 42. Actor Hilary Duff is 37.

SEPT. 29

Jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty is 82. TV personality Bryant Gumbel is 76. Comedian Andrew “Dice” Clay is 67. Singer-bassist Les Claypool of Primus is 61.

SEPT. 30

Actor Angie Dickinson is 93. Singer Johnny Mathis is 89. Singer Sylvia Peterson of The Chiffons is 78. Actor Barry Williams (“The Brady Bunch”) is 70. Actor Fran Drescher is 67. Country singer Marty Stuart is 66. Actor Eric Stoltz is 63. Singer Trey Anastasio of Phish is 60. Actor Tony Hale (“Veep,” ″Arrested Development”) is 54. Actor Jenna Elfman is 53. Actor Kieran Culkin is 41.

OCT. 1

Actor-singer Julie Andrews is 89. Jazz bassist Dave Holland is 78. Model-actor Cindy Margolis is 59. Actor Zach Galifianakis (“The Hangover”) is 55.

PHOTO BY CJ RIVERA / AP PHOTO
Actor Gwyneth Paltrow, pictured last month in New York, turns 52 on Friday.
JORDAN STRAUSS / AP PHOTO
Actor-comedian and Wilkesboro native Zach Galifianakis turns 55 on Tuesday.
JORDAN STRAUSS / AP PHOTO
Beloved British actor Julie Andrews, who played Mary Poppins among other starring roles, turns 89 on Tuesday.

the stream

Ellen’s final standup special lands on Netflix; Clooney, Pitt team up in ‘Wolfs’ on Apple TV+

“Inside Out 2” finally arrived on Disney+

The Associated Press STREAMING ON a screen near you this week: what Ellen DeGeneres says is her last comedy special landed on Netflix, and George Clooney and Brad Pitt star in a sleek New York City caper. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time include two Ryan Murphy series — “Grotesquerie” on FX and the ABC medical drama “Doctor Odyssey” — and nearly 40 years after the debut of The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo is finally making the title character the star of her own game.

MOVIES TO STREAM

Hard as this may be to believe, George Clooney and Brad Pitt are good together. Yes, stop the presses and all that. But it’s been a while since Clooney and Pitt, who first teamed up for “Ocean’s 11,” had a movie built around their easy charisma. “Wolfs,” streaming Friday on Apple TV+, corrects that with a sleek New York caper about two fixers hired for the same clean-up job. Some Pixar fans have quibbled when the digital animation studio has leaned too hard into sequels. But the “Inside Out 2” box office is hard to refute. It’s the year’s biggest box-office hit, with nearly $1.7 billion in ticket sales. On Wednesday, “Inside Out 2” arrived on Disney+ to make one of the most anticipated streaming debuts of the year. In it, Riley has grown up a couple of years but entered a new chapter in life: puberty, bringing with it several new emotions. Will Ferrell and Harper Steele became friends and collaborators at “Saturday Night Live,” where Steele was head writer from 2004 to 2008. When Steele came out as transgender a few years ago, Ferrell, interested in reconnecting, proposed a road trip. In “Will & Harper,” streaming Friday on Netflix, the two embark on a cross-country expedition full of revelations about what this changes and doesn’t change in their relationship.

MUSIC TO STREAM

Serj Tankian, frontman of the Grammy-award-winning Armenian-American nu-metal band System of a Down, will release a short solo EP, “Foundations,” on Friday. The release maintains his band’s abrasion but experiments with different forms of audial rebellion. For example, the single “A.F. Day” is a kind of psychedelic-punk treatise on the absurdity of everyday mundanity. And it sounds explosive. Nothing is predictable about the band Being Dead’s sopho-

more album, “EELS,” produced by Grammy-award winner John Congleton. Across 16 tracks that move from asymmetrical egg punk, Devo-worship, a recording of a bus driver who has had enough timeless, near-psychedelic harmonies and various other oddball sensibilities that make them the best college radio rock band in recent history — Being Dead’s organized chaos is future-seeking and familiar all at once.

SHOWS TO STREAM

Ellen DeGeneres says her next comedy special on Netflix will be her last. “For Your Approval” dropped Sept. 24, and the comedian “goes there” by addressing reports that she was difficult to deal with behind the scenes of her daytime talk show, which ended its run in 2022 after 19 seasons. “I got kicked out of show business,” she says in the trailer.

Ryan Murphy’s new series on FX, “Grotesquerie,” premiered on Wednesday. Niecy

Nash stars as a detective who agrees to help a nun and reporter (Micaela Diamond) with a Catholic newspaper investigate a series of gruesome murders. Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (otherwise known as Taylor Swift’s boyfriend) has a secret role in the show.

If “Grotesquerie” isn’t your bag, another Ryan Murphy series is making its debut this week. A medical drama called “Doctor Odyssey” premieres Thursday on ABC. Joshua Jackson plays a doctor on board a luxury cruise ship called the Odyssey. Don Johnson, Philippa Soo and Sean Teale are also stars. The show also boasts several guest stars, including John Stamos, Kelsea Ballerini, Shania Twain and Chord Overstreet. A trailer for the show had nearly 78 million views within 48 hours, making it the most-watched trailer for a new broadcast TV show. Episodes also stream on Hulu.

One might assume a TV show called “Colin from Accounts” takes place in an office setting.

Instead, it’s a modern-day romantic comedy made in Australia. It’s created by and co-stars real-life husband and wife Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammel, who play two people brought together by an injured dog named Colin — all eight episodes of season two debut Thursday on Paramount+. The Walking Dead characters Daryl and Carol (played by Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride) are one of the most popular platonic pairings on television. The two unlikely friends bond over similar pasts and share a deep trust. They next co-star in “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon — The Book of Carol.” It premieres Sunday on AMC and AMC+. Zachry Quinto is back on TV in a medical drama. But he’s not portraying any dour, by-the-rules doctor — he’s playing Dr. Oliver Sacks, the famed neurologist, path-breaking researcher and author once called the “poet laureate of medicine.” NBC’s “Brilliant Minds” takes Sack’s personality — a motor-

cycle-riding, fern-loving doctor who died in 2015 at 82 — and puts his career in the present day, where the creators theorize he would have no idea who Taylor Swift is or own a cell phone.

VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

Nearly 40 years after the debut of The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo is finally making the title character the star of her own game. As The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom begins, Link — our usual hero — has vanished, so it’s off to the rescue for Princess Z. She’s hardly a damsel in distress, armed with a “Tri Rod” that lets her duplicate objects she finds outside her castle. She can even make copies of monsters and have them fight on her side. The magical staff gives Zelda the improvisational skills that made last year’s Tears of the Kingdom a smash, while the top-down dungeon exploration will remind old-school fans of early games in the franchise. The Echoes begin reverberating Thursday on Switch.

“Inside Out 2,” “Wolfs” and “Will & Harper” are streaming this week.
SCOTT GARFIELD / APPLE TV+
Brad Pitt, left, and George Clooney star in “Wolfs,” streaming Friday on Apple TV+.

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