the BRIEF this week
Jackson, other Democrat AGs file lawsuit over birthright citizenship
Attorneys general from 22 states, including North Carolina’s Jeff Jackson, have sued to block President Donald Trump’s move to end a century-old immigration policy known as birthright citizenship, which guarantees that U.S.-born children are citizens regardless of their parents’ status.
Trump’s roughly 700-word executive order, issued late Monday, amounts to a fulfillment of something he talked about during the presidential campaign. Whether it succeeds is far from certain after it was challenged in court Tuesday. A group of more than a dozen Democrat attorneys general, including Jackson, also moved to intervene in an ongoing gun rights case.
Trump directs all federal DEI staff to be put on leave
The Trump administration is directing that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on paid leave and that agencies develop plans to lay them off, according to a memo from the Office of Personnel Management. Tuesday’s memo follows an executive order that Trump signed his first day ordering a sweeping dismantling of the federal government’s diversity and inclusion programs that could include antibias training and funding for minority farmers and homeowners.
$2.00
Thompson takes helm as Chatham County manager
The former Siler City manager brings 18 years of local gov. experience
By Dan Reeves Chatham News & Record
PITTSBORO — Just weeks into his new role as county manager, Bryan Thompson is focused on managing growth and infrastructure while building on the county’s legacy of strong leadership. Thompson stepped into the position Dec. 28 following Dan LaMontagne’s retirement.
Thompson, who served as assistant county manager since July 2019, brings 18 years of North Carolina local government experience. Prior to joining the county, he served as town manager in Siler City, Erwin and Mount Gilead. A Campbell University graduate with a master’s degree in public administration from Appalachian State, Thompson previously oversaw several county departments, including finance, budget, tax, emergency communications, emergency management, information technology, GIS, and parks and recreation.
In an interview with Chatham News & Record last week, Thompson emphasized the importance of continuing LaMontagne’s focus on employee development.
“All of those things point to part of what makes Chatham County’s culture so impressive,” Thompson said of his predecessor’s investment in training opportunities and the internal leadership academy.
Among Thompson’s priorities is implementing the county’s unified development ordinance. “This is a project that our planning team, consultants and board have been working on for
See MANAGER, page A8
WCOM celebrates 20 years of community radio
The local station aims to raise $60,000 for a new home in Drakeford Library Complex
By Dan Reeves Chatham News & Record
CARRBORO — For 20 years, listeners have tuned in to 103.5
FM to hear volunteer DJs broadcasting diverse viewpoints, news, music and cultural experiences from local and global perspectives on WCOM radio, one of North Carolina’s first low-power FM stations.
Pittsboro Commissioners approve expansion of mixed-use developments
6.9
The number of acres to be donated to the town for a fire station and/or public park
More than 150 acres of property that will mirror the Chatham Park development were approved for rezoning
By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record
PITTSBORO — The Town of Pittsboro recently paved the way for the expansion of mixed-use developments around the Chatham Park area. At its Jan. 13 regular business meeting, the board held three public hearings with the main two hearings dealing with rezoning requests submitted
by Highcroft Investors LLC.
One request was to rezone approximately 34 acres of property located off of U.S. 64 Business East at the intersection of Eubanks Road from Residential (RA, RA2) to Community Mixed-Use Center (CMUC-CZ).
The property abuts Chatham Park’s PDD and plans to mirror in a lot of ways the neighboring property.
“This particular piece is going to presumably house 140 residential parcels and a maximum of 100,000 square footage of nonresidential,” said Planning Director Randall Cahoon-Tingle.
Jacques Menache, founder and CEO of WCOM and founder of Carrboro’s ArtsCenter in 1979, launched the station as what he describes as pirate radio.
“Twenty years ago, I was
Since its humble beginnings as a volunteer-run community radio station, WCOM has had a lasting impact on the community. While its 100-watt transmitter limits the broadcast range around Carrboro, listeners worldwide can tune in through wcomfm.org. On Jan. 12, supporters packed Carrboro’s Cat’s Cradle for a fundraiser supporting WCOM’s planned move into a new building at the Drakeford Library Complex in the coming weeks. The station aims to raise $60,000 to fund the move and purchase essential radio equipment.
See RADIO, page A7
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Newly appointed Chatham County Manager Bryan Thompson, left, and assistant county manager Darrell Butts stand outside the Chatham County Government Annex last week in downtown Pittsboro.
suspected error, please email: corrections@nsjonline.com with “Correction request” in the subject line.
CRIME LOG
Jan. 14
• Donovan Bradley Dowdy, 35, of Moncure, was arrested for assault on a female.
• Keith Brian Steele, 61, of Sanford, was arrested for delivering/accepting blank open title.
Jan. 15
• Savannah Rae Moody, 33, of Siler City, was arrested for felony possession of cocaine, possession with intent to sell/deliver cocaine, and possession with intent to sell/deliver marijuana.
• Christopher James Smith, 37, of Goldston, was arrested for resisting a public officer.
Jan. 18
• Mario Rafael Zamora, 28, of Chapel Hill, was arrested for driving while impaired, no operator’s license, and open container alcohol violation.
• Karen Raines, 38, of Goldston, was arrested for domestic violence protective order violation.
Jan. 19
• Dylan Bryant Fleming, 30, of Siler City, was arrested for communicating threats, injury to real property, and breaking and entering.
Jan. 20
• Ethel Ann Hicks, 32, of Pittsboro, was arrested for possession of Schedule IV controlled substance.
Chatham deputies rescue injured eagle, hawk in separate incidents
Wildlife rescues highlight the Sheriff’s Office partnership with local animal rehabilitation centers
Chatham News & Record staff
TWO INJURED birds of prey, including America’s national bird, were rescued by Chatham County Sheriff’s Office personnel in separate incidents last weekend, with both birds now receiving specialized care at rehabilitation facilities.
On Jan. 11, Animal Resource Officer John Lacy and Deputy Tim White responded to a
call about an injured bald eagle that had been struck by a vehicle. The deputies found the disoriented bird near the roadside around 1 p.m.
“It tried to fly away but was way too concussed,” Lacy said.
The deputies used a net and towel to safely and gently subdue the bird, allowing it to calm down. They then transported it to Holly’s Nest Animal Rescue in Sanford. The bird was later transferred to a raptor center in Charlotte for specialized care.
“I’m glad he’s going to be OK,” White said.
In a separate incident on Jan. 12, Animal Resource Offi-
• 5515 Rives Chapel Church Road (Siler City), 2.607acres, 3 bed/2 bath, $300,000
• 1115 Manco Dairy Road (Pittsboro), 14 acres, 3 bed/1 bath, $500,000
• 873 Arrowhead Loop (Pittsboro), 11.06 acres, 3 bed/3.5 bath, $705,000
• 557 Olives Chapel Road (Apex), 12.802 acres, 3 bed/3 bath, $2,500,000
RESIDENTIAL
• 4662 Buckhorn Road (Sanford), 1.31 acres, 2 bed/1 bath, $200,000
• 389 Dewitt Smith Road (Pittsboro), 9.109 acres, 3 bed/2 bath, $525,000
• 83 Karen Calhoun Road (Pittsboro), 4.36 acres, 3 bed/2 bath, $800,000
• 4147 Siler City Snow Camp Road (Siler City), 57.43 acres, 5 separate living spaces, $2,750,000 LAND
• 37 E Cotton Road (Pittsboro), 0.996 acres, $100,000
• 188 Cherokee Drive (Chapel Hill), 1.150 acres, $100,000
• 170 Cherokee Drive (Chapel Hill), 1.150 acres, $100,000
• 9311 NC Highway 87 (Pittsboro), 4.602 acres, $225,000
LAND
• 0 Panama Terrace (Durham), 0.420 acres, $29,000
• 1388 Henry Oldham Road (Bear Creek), 4.840 acres, $135,000
• 0 Moonrise Meadow Drive (Siler City), 20.66 acres, $160,000
THIS WEEK’S VIDEO
What's the Benefit of Having a Professional Land Consultant?
cer Caitlin Cade rescued an injured hawk along U.S. 15-501. The hawk, which had been struck by a vehicle and sustained a hole in its wing, was also taken to Holly’s Nest for treatment. Both rescues were made possible through the Sheriff’s Office’s partnership with local wildlife rehabilitators, who will care for the birds until they can be safely released back into the wild. The Sheriff’s Office expressed gratitude to Holly’s Nest Animal Rescue and local wildlife rehabilitators for their partnership in ensuring these birds have a chance to recover and return to the wild.
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Chatham County:
Jan. 22-27
Jazz Night at The Sycamore at Chatham Mills
6-9 p.m.
Every Wednesday night from 6-9 p.m., the Sycamore at Chatham Mills hosts live Jazz Nights. The series features a rotating list of local musicians. The Sycamore also offers their Lounge Menu in the dining room on Wednesday nights. Reservations are highly recommended.
480 Hillsboro St. Suite 500 Pittsboro
Jan. 23-27
Anime, Ramen and Sake Watch Party
6-8 p.m.
• 9231 NC Highway 87 (Pittsboro), 5.630 acres, $250,000
• 292 Choice Trail (Pittsboro), 4.100 acres, $285,000
• 323 Wagon Trace (Pittsboro), 10.255 acres, $325,000
• 639 Hills of the Haw Road (Pittsboro), 5.2470 acres, $450,000
• 0 Chatham Church Road (Moncure), 15.94 acres, $750,000
• 0 JB Morgan Road (Apex), 21 acres, $825,000
• 00 Hamlets Chapel Road (Pittsboro), 118.742 acres, $4,250,000
COMMERCIAL IMPROVED
• 1311 Old US 421 S (Siler City), 3.7410 acres, $260,000
• 0 Pasture Branch Road (Rose Hill), 29 acres, $1,250,000
• 8636/8710 Johnson Mill Road (Bahama),182.888 acres, $3,240,000
0 US 64 W (Siler City), 9.670 acres, $4,500,000
COMMERCIAL IMPROVED
• 140 & 148 East Street (Pittsboro), 1.49 acres, $1,350,000
Join Koshu Sake every Thursday from 6-8 p.m. for an Anime, Ramen and Sake Watch Party! Movie selections are announced a few days before each event on their Facebook page. You must be 21 with an ID to consume sake. Part of the Chatham County Craft Beverages & Country Inns Trail. The Plant 220 Lorax Lane Pittsboro
Jan. 23
Opinionation Trivia at House of Pops
6-8 p.m.
Join House of Hops every Thursday from 6-8 p.m. for Opinionation Trivia. This Family Feud-style trivia game is so much fun! Play at 6 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. for two chances to win $15 or $25 House of Hops gift cards. More events at House of Hops; part of Chatham County’s Craft Beverages and Country Inns Trail.
• 10681 US Hwy 64 E (Apex), 3.97 acres, $1,000,000
• 1700 Hillsboro Street (Pittsboro), 29.79 acres, $4,500,000
112 Russet Run Suite 110 Pittsboro
Jan. 24
Vino!! Wine Shop Tasting 5-7 p.m.
Weekly free tastings at Vino!! Wine Shop are hosted every Friday. Experts share their picks of wines with varied pricing and from diverse locations. Tasting details, including which wines will be served, are shared on their Facebook page and in their newsletters. All tastings and events at Vino!! Wine Shop; part of Chatham County’s Craft Beverages and Country Inns Trail.
89 Hillsboro St, Suite D Pittsboro
COURTESY PHOTOS
An eagle and hawk were rescued by Chatham Sheriff’s deputies last week.
Chatham seeks volunteers for advisory committees
Seven committees have openings with applications due Feb. 21
Chatham News & Record staff
CHATHAM COUNTY is seeking residents to fill several vacancies on key advisory committees, with positions available across multiple districts.
The openings span seven committees: Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, Board of Equalization and Review, Community Advisory Committee for Nursing and Adult Care Homes, Environmental Review Advisory Com-
mittee, Library Advisory Committee, Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Applicants must be Chatham County residents age 18 or older. Some positions are assigned to specific commissioner districts, while others are at-large appointments. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. on Feb. 21.
The Planning Board has the most openings with four seats available across different districts. The Community Advisory Committee for Nursing and Adult Care Homes has three atlarge vacancies.
“Service on committees is a great way for residents to have a voice on issues of interest and
make a difference in the community,” said Kara Lusk with Chatham County.
The Board of Equalization and Review, which handles property valuation appeals, requires applicants to have lived in the county for at least two years and own real estate locally. The Zoning Board position requires extensive training with the county attorney.
Residents can find their commissioner district on the N.C. State Board of Elections website. Applications are available online through the county website or by contacting Jenifer Johnson at 919-542-8200 for a printed copy.
At Trump’s second inauguration, a changed Washington and a full embrace from Republicans
Even some Democrats are open to working with the 47th president
By Mary Clare Jalonick
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. —
Donald Trump took the oath of office Monday inside a tightly packed Capitol Rotunda, where he was surrounded by a very different Washington than he was eight years ago.
Back then, when Trump gave a speech about “American carnage” on the inaugural stage in the rain, many congressional Republicans were silently prepared to push back on the most radical elements of his agenda and investigate his background. Today, they are almost unanimously backing the president. World leaders and corporate CEOs who once balked at Trump attended the ceremony, prepared to brave the bitter cold to publicly show their support before events were moved inside.
It is also a far different Washington from four years ago, when the stage built for Democrat Joe Biden’s inauguration had to be hastily repaired after a riot triggered by Trump’s supporters two weeks before. The rioters tore pieces off the scaffolding to use as weapons against police who tried to stop them from breaking into the Capitol and halting the certification of Biden’s victory.
The Rotunda was packed then, too, as rioters violently rushed in after breaking
through the main doors. They hung off statues, called out for lawmakers and battled police who were trying to push them out of the building. They walked through Statuary Hall — where Trump was celebrated in a post-ceremony luncheon on Monday — before trying to break down the doors of the House chamber with lawmakers still inside.
Trump refused to attend Biden’s inauguration, and many Republicans thought Trump’s political career was over in 2021. But he came back stronger than ever — and brought Washington with him.
“It’s a party victory in the sense that there’s this new populist Republican Party,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.).
“There’s no question that the enthusiasm level is much higher than it was eight years ago.”
Amid the positive energy for Trump, even some Democrats appeared to be open to working with him.
Many Democrats attended the luncheon, a traditionally bipartisan affair that saw lawmakers in different parties, along with Supreme Court justices and the heads of major tech companies, sitting shoulder to shoulder to toast the new president.
Democratic Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Chris Coons of Delaware both talked to him, and Coons shook his hand. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, (D-Minn.), who planned the inauguration in her role as head of the Senate Rules Committee in the last Congress, laughed and chatted with Trump and Vice
President JD Vance throughout the luncheon.
Trump’s second inauguration was also different because it was held indoors, a last-minute change because of the weather. The platform on the West Front of the Capitol, built over many months, stood empty and covered in tarps and cords, abandoned as the swearing in happened inside.
Biden’s inauguration in 2020 was unusual, as well, held without the normal crowds because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Guests on the platform were spaced out instead of crowded in.
Cramer said he attended, but many other lawmakers did not, and he said it felt “weird” but also more intimate with fewer people. “I remember the big teleprompter, the giant screen TV that Joe Biden was reading off of, and just how few people that were out there listening to it,” he said.
Did he ever think Trump, mostly shunned by official Washington after the Jan. 6 attack, would be back at the Capitol taking the oath of office?
“It was a possibility that clearly always existed,” Cramer said.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said that while Trump was an unknown in 2017, Washington Republicans now understand how he operates.
“They know he’s going to make statements and that he’s going to test the waters,” Rounds said. “But they also know that when it’s all said and done, he’ll take counsel and then he’ll make a decision.”
Church News
JUNIPER TREE CONFERENCE
Date: Feb. 6-8
Location: 1094 Mt Vernon Hickory Mt Rd Siler City
Join these men along with others who will be speaking during the conference:
Steve Scoggins
Alan Carr
Stacey Layne
Andrew & Mary Beth Jones
Lunch will be available Friday and Saturday. For more information email Hickorymtnbaptist@gmail.com or call 423-794-8250
Ballers
Kathy Gaines, director of precinct operations for the Chatham County Republican Party, attended the Turning Point Inaugural-Eve Ball with her son Chase Gaines on Sunday in Washington, D.C., ahead of President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
COURTESY PHOTO
THE CONVERSATION
Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
The uncomfortable King
King believed that a person’s sacred worth was independent of their capacity for production or financial gain.
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. is often quoted, and perhaps his most repeated words are from his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 in front of the Lincoln Memorial. It is a beautiful, inspiring speech.
Yet pundits and politicians misinterpret the line about children judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. To assert that King opposed ideas like affirmative action contradicts his own words.
In the last interview he gave before his assassination in 1968, King began by noting that the 244 years of slavery were made possible because of the “thingification” of black people. Law, pseudo-science and even religion rationalized and justified their dehumanization. King cited the biblical concept that every human being bears God’s image as a counter to this thingification. All people deserve respect, dignity and care since they bear the divine image. King believed that a person’s sacred worth was independent of their capacity for production or financial gain.
King recognized that the history of
COLUMN | BOB WACHS
bigotry and oppression against black people had resulted in unequal economic opportunities. The Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in 1863, but it did not grant them land. At the same time, white immigrants from Europe received millions of acres of land in the west of America. King cited other economic opportunities, like the G.I. Bill to pay for college, that were rarely extended to blacks, as well as injustices, like redlining, that prevented blacks from loaning opportunities. King concluded, “I believe (black people) should do all we can and seek to lift ourselves by our own bootstraps, but it’s a cruel jest to say to a bootless man that he ought to lift himself by his own bootstrap.” The uncomfortable truths of economic oppression have purposefully disadvantaged people of a particular skin color.
In 1967, King delivered a speech asking, “Where do we go from here?” He began by speaking about love triumphing over hate. So far, so good. But then, as they say, he went from preaching to meddling: “Why are there 40 million poor people in America? When you begin to ask that
question, you are raising a question about the economic system and about a broader distribution of wealth.”
King anticipated the argument that he was a communist or socialist. He called for a “higher synthesis” than either communism or capitalism through the story of Jesus and Nicodemus (see Gospel of John, chapter three). While many interpreters cite this biblical text to advocate for an individual’s rebirth, King extended the concept to our entire society — “America, you must be born again!” He preached for a shift in hearts and minds, as well as reformed policies and programs to uplift black people and other minorities.
As a preacher, King had a twofold charge — to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable. Americans today would be faithful to his legacy if we were more attentive to the latter.
Andrew Taylor-Troutman’s newest book is “This Is the Day.” He serves as pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church as well as a writer, pizza maker, coffee drinker and student of joy.
Everyday reminders remind me of my dad
I’m
AS I PILE UP MORE BIRTHDAYS, a couple of things come to mind.
One is that I’m glad to still be having them.
The other is that even though it’s been some time now since he slipped away — almost 33 years, to be exact — I find myself thinking about and remembering my dad more and more.
I wasn’t with him the day he crossed the Great Divide. Mama was there, in another room. He had gone outside after a hearty — for him — breakfast to watch the tree trimmers do their thing on a cold day. Mama called to him to come inside and get a jacket so his cold-natured chest could stand the day. When he came in and sat down in his living room chair and the phone rang, and he didn’t answer the portable one he kept at hand, she called to him to see who was on the other end. When it kept ringing, she went to where he was and discovered he wasn’t there any longer.
We knew he had a bad ticker and wasn’t going to be with us for 80 more years. We just didn’t expect it to happen that day.
I remember him in large part for the lessons in life and of life — things he told me often, like keep it between the ditches, don’t wish your time away, you can’t have your cake and eat it too, slow down before you get to the curve, don’t get caught between a mama hog and her babies, just to name a few.
While all of those had a specific meaning at the time they were said, it’s amazing to me as I look at them now how they have a broader application to life in general.
I think he knew that.
I also remember him for something else he left me — bad genes.
“Genes.”
Not “jeans.”
Genes.
I outgrew his jeans by the time I turned 11.
I remember how as a little boy — let me rephrase that ... as a “young” boy — I often waited anxiously for him to come home at the end of a long day so we could play ball or pitch horseshoes or play golf in a three-hole course he made in the side yard using Campbell’s soup cans dug into the ground as the holes.
Many times, we did. But other times, he’d say, “I don’t feel like it.” For the longest time in those days, I’d reply, “Daddy, you don’t look sick,” and he’d say, “I’m not sick; I just hurt.”
Now I know what he meant. Some of his bad genes were named “arthritis,” and they caused his hands and wrists and knees and various other joints to keep him often in some severe pain. It got worse as he got older. He tried all kinds of remedies — doctors, drinking vinegar, gold shots, sitting in spas and hot tubs at a health club, anything he or someone else could come up with.
He once hoped even to have a knee replacement, but his ticker wasn’t strong enough to stand the surgery, and that surgery wasn’t as common then as it is now. Today, I’m pretty sure I’m my father’s son. Three shoulder repairs, two hip replacements, spinal decompression, a knee replacement and a shoulder replacement — all since 1999 — attest to that. Friends ask me if I’m trying to make like Lee Majors and
be the bionic “Six Million Dollar Man.” I tell them, “No, I’ll settle for being the five-dollar man if it’ll take care of the pain.”
The bad news is that all that has happened; the good news is that today’s surgeries and therapies and doctors can do more for me than could be done for my dad.
I wish some of that had been around for him.
I wish he were still here — not in the shape he was but benefiting from the good things that helped me. Then maybe he could see his great-grandchildren, those grandkids of mine and my brothers.
I could ask him for advice and insight about specific things or just life in general; those things I thought I could handle myself when he was here. I’d take him back to Red Lobster and order all the shrimp he could eat.
We’d play Rummy again, maybe even checkers, a game in which I never beat him, and he never let me win just so I’d feel good. He was teaching me a life lesson there. Now that I have satellite TV, we’d watch Bonanza again ... and again ... not just at 8 on Saturday night.
As I have more of those birthdays, I have come to a great truth: Given the good he shared with me and my brothers, I’ll put up with the bad genes for the sheer pleasure of having known the man ...
And calling him “Dad.”
Bob Wachs is a native of Chatham County and emeritus editor at Chatham News & Record. He serves as pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church.
Today,
pretty sure
I’m my father’s son.
Healing, or chopped liver?
So, there I was, fresh out of the recovery room and smack dab in the middle of an impassioned conversation about Bill Belichick.
A TELL-TALE SIGN I live in a sports-crazy college town ... Yes, yes, I had a spot of outpatient retinal surgery last week. Post-op, anesthesia slowly dissipating, the RN wheeled me out to my friend’s waiting car. Oh, wait, even more pitiful, my surgery-impacted eye had a temporary, implanted gas bubble covering the operated-on surface. Oh, right, you might like to know (or maybe not) what, in heaven’s name, an implanted optical gas bubble is. I can only offer you my felt experience because I was too out of it post-op to retain what they told me. An implanted gas bubble is the equivalent of peering through a mound of Jell-O. More specifically, a dancing mound of Jell-O, jiggling from side to side and up and down whenever my body made the slightest movement. A temporary funhouse mirror is not particularly welcome in someone (like me) who is sensitive to motion sickness. O’ Dramamine, dear Dramamine, my beloved motion sickness drug of choice, where the heck were you when needed?
Returning to my outbound wheelchair odyssey, the RN gingerly helped this fairly out-of-it person safely enter the car.
Minors and porn
OF COURSE THE STATE has a legitimate interest in preventing minors from accessing porn online that is intended for adults.
Who could be against that?
Certainly not the state of Texas, which overwhelmingly passed a law requiring porn sites to verify the age of users seeking access to their sites. Sort of like showing your ID when you’re buying alcohol or cigarettes.
Actually, it’s not like that at all.
The Texas law’s constitutionality was up before the United States Supreme Court last Wednesday in the case of Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton. I’m on the coalition’s side. Not that I’ve ever accessed pornography online — not my taste — but tens of millions of adults do, and they have every right to, at least according to the district court that enjoined the Texas law from taking effect because giving your drivers’ license to a porn site as a condition for access unreasonably burdens the rights of adults to free speech.
But the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit — the country’s most conservative — reversed the district court, refused to apply the strict scrutiny that laws restricting adults’ free speech are supposed to be subject to, and upheld the law.
Now it’s up to the Supreme Court to decide.
Will it follow its own precedent and protect the freedom of adults to access such speech privately, without having to provide identifying documents online that will make the site a target for hackers and blackmailers?
The devil is in the details. The porn industry doesn’t challenge the state’s right to try to protect kids from porn. But the Texas law is, in a word, a mess. It won’t stop kids from accessing porn: It only applies to porn sites doing business in Texas, not to foreign sites or social media sites or search engines that can be used to access the same images; it only applies to sites where more than one-third of their content is “sexual material harmful to minors”; it doesn’t stop kids from using VPNs (ask any teenager what a virtual private network is and they’ll know even if you don’t) to access sites, nor does it do anything to discourage kids from resorting to the much more extreme (and dangerous) sites on the dark web. But it means that every adult who wants to look at images they have every right to see has to sacrifice their
BE IN TOUCH
She then leaned past me to talk with my accompanying friend. I assumed she was sharing more post-op care instructions with him.
Not.
It transpired that she had noticed my friend’s UNC (University of North Carolina) bumper sticker and his embossed UNC ball cap. In a very concerned voice, she asked what he thought about the astonishing UNC Tar Heels’ hire of Bill Belichick as the new college football coach.
For those not in the know (or really, really don’t care), Belichick is a six-time winning coach of the NFL Super Bowl. Great! On the other hand, he has never coached at the collegiate level. Ever.
So there I was, fresh out of the recovery room and smack dab in the middle of an impassioned conversation about Bill Belichick’s $10 million-a-year contract. I did mention my sports-crazy town earlier, didn’t I?
Hey, was I chopped liver, or what?
Go Tar Heels!
Jan Hutton, a resident of Chatham County and retired hospice social worker, lives life with heart and humor.
anonymity and their privacy to do so. The sites don’t want that information. Unlike every other vendor, they don’t want to identify and track their users any more than their users want to be identified and tracked by them. Pornhub stopped doing business in Texas rather than collect driver’s licenses or passports from everyone there who accessed the site. Can you imagine a juicier target for hackers or for unscrupulous operators?
When a state regulates free speech, even for a very good reason, it is required to use the least restrictive alternative to do so. Employers have figured out how to block their employees from surfing Facebook, or whatever, at work. They use content-filtering software, which parents can easily install on their kids’ computers and phones. If you don’t want to put it on parents, the state could require device-based age verification.
Device-based age verification refers to any approach to age verification where the personal information that is used to verify the user’s age is either shared in-person at an authorized retailer, inputted locally into the user’s device, or stored on a network controlled by the device manufacturer or the supplier of the device’s operating system. The user will then be prevented from accessing age-restricted content over the internet unless they are ageverified. Such an approach requires the cooperation of manufacturers and operating-system providers, which should be forthcoming.
Texas did not consider any of these options before settling on a “solution” that could only be upheld by jettisoning the strict scrutiny that has long been applied to content regulation of protected speech. The Supreme Court asked tough questions to both sides: To this observer, they seemed sympathetic to what the state was trying to do but also concerned with the Fifth Circuit’s plain rejection of precedent and with the implications of weakening or abandoning strict scrutiny.
That concern is well-placed. State legislatures that are concerned with minors’ access to porn would be well-advised to do a better job of considering alternatives that Texas ignored.
Susan Estrich is a lawyer, professor, author and political commentator.
COLUMN STEPHEN MOORE
Europe takes a bite out of America’s Apple
ENVY IS AN UGLY thing — one of the seven deadly sins.
Europeans have long been dripping with jealousy that American firms dominate the tech sector — cellphones, search engines, social media platforms, artificial intelligence and robotics. Our “magnificent seven” tech companies — including Google, Nvidia, Apple and Amazon — saw massive stocks market gains in 2024.
Meanwhile, Europe has flatlined.
One reason for this success: The United States innovates while Europe regulates. Instead of fixing their economies, the European Union bureaucrats want to kneecap America’s tech success stories with lawsuits and regulatory barbed wire fences to keep American firms from competing on a level playing field.
Their first target was Google, with a rash of expensive antitrust lawsuits against search engines.
Even worse, the EU bureaucrats are waging war against Apple with the “Digital Markets Act” — a law that requires “contestable and fair markets in the digital sector.”
They are also demanding of Apple something called “interoperability,” which absurdly requires Apple to hand over access to its private operating systems to its competitors and will require iPhones to offer competitors’ applications.
This makes as much sense as requiring McDonald’s to offer Burger King fries with their Happy Meals.
The iPhone’s amenities and apps are part of a package deal that have made these devices the most popular in the world, with billions of customers. This hardly sounds like monopolistic behavior. If people don’t like Apple’s apps, there are many other cellphone products (such as the Galaxy) made by Samsung, Google or other companies, including some in China, that consumers can turn to.
For all the talk about Apple’s monopoly, it now controls slightly less than 20% of the global cellphone market.
What is especially dangerous about interoperability is what it means for security and privacy. If third parties are given unfettered access to the Apple platform, this shield of privacy will be pierced.
Apple warns that outsiders could “read on a user’s device all of their messages and emails, see every phone call they make or receive, track every app that they use, scan all of their photos, look at their files and calendar events, log all of their passwords, and more.”
But the biggest danger of these kinds of raids on successful companies that spend billions of dollars innovating is that the incentive to innovate at all is stifled — in which case everyone loses. Sharing patented information with competitors in the name of “fairness” is a socialist idea that has rusted the Eurozone economy.
If Europe wants to get back in the tech game, EU bureaucrats should focus on what made these companies so successful in the first place — and then try to create a public policy environment that will foster innovative companies that can compete and win — rather than run to the courts for protection. Punishing the winners is a good way to keep producing losers.
In the meantime, let’s hope the incoming Trump regulators at the Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission and Justice Department defend American companies against aggressive and hostile lawsuits to hobble our made-in-A merica companies. In other words, put America first, and don’t let Europe take a bite out of our Apple.
Stephen Moore is a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation. His new book, coauthored with Arthur Laffer, is “The Trump Economic Miracle.”
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.
COLUMN | SUSAN ESTRICH
The Texas law is a mess.
obituaries
James “Jim” Robert Stephens
May 26, 1930 –Jan. 13, 2025
James “Jim” Robert Stephens, 94, of Carthage, went to his heavenly home on Monday, January 13th, 2025, at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital surrounded by family.
Jim was born May 26th, 1930, in Hornell, NY to the late William B. and Wilma Bennett Stephens. He is preceded in death by his parents; his wife Elaine Zimmerman Stephens; his brother, Donald Stephens; and his granddaughter, Sherry Rose.
Jim resided in Siler City from 1967 to 2000. He then moved to Carthage and lived there the remainder of his life. He was the treasurer and secretary for the Siler-Rand Bowling Association for 30 years. He was a member of St. Julia’s Catholic Parrish and then The Sacred Heart Parrish in Pinehurst. Jim was a scout master for BSA Troop 924 and Troop 900. Among his many other associations, he was also a 3rd degree member of The Knights of Columbus. He was also a charter member of Siler City Moose Lodge where he was the accountant for the lodge. Jim was also a Navy Veteran of the Korean
Renee Moses Ellis
Jan. 13, 2025
Renee Moses Ellis, 63, of Ramseur, passed away on Monday, January 13, 2025 at Clapp’s Convalescent Nursing Home in Asheboro. Funeral Services, 11 AM, Friday, January 17, 2025, at Loflin Funeral Home Chapel, Ramseur. Officiating, Rev. Garry Arnett, Rev. Lia Scholl. A private family burial will be held at Moses Family Cemetery in Pittsboro. Renee was born in Chatham County and was a longtime resident of Ramseur. She was a 1980 graduate of Faith Christian School and a 1984 graduate of Liberty Baptist College, now Liberty University. One of Renee’s cherished professional experiences was when she served as a White House Aid during the Ronald Reagan Administration. She went on to be the secretary to the Housing Department Director in Raleigh,
War having served on the USS Chauncey. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Navy Occupation Service Medal “E”, the Korean Service Medal “S”, and the United Nations Service Medal. He was a Disbursing Clerk Petty Officer 2nd Class when he left the Navy. In Jim’s free time, he loved to play golf and go bowling. He bowled on Monday and Thursdays and traveled to many bowling tournaments around the Southeast region. He also enjoyed crossword puzzles, fishing, traveling, camping, hiking, and playing softball. Most of all, Jim loved spending time with his family traveling making memories that he forever cherished.
Left to cherish Jim’s memory are his three sons, Mark Stephens and his wife, Donna Sue of Carthage, NC; Brian Stephens and his wife, Teresa Fannin of Dade City, FL; and David Stephens and his wife, Son OK of Knightdale, NC; his two daughters, Theresa Stephens of Carthage, NC, and Judith Lilley and her husband, Gary of Carthage, NC; eight grandchildren; and thirteen great grandchildren. They all will miss him dearly. Funeral mass for Jim will be held on Monday, January 20th, 2025, at 10 am, at St. Julia’s Catholic Parrish in Siler City. Visitation will be Sunday evening, January 19th, 2025, from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm, at Smith & Buckner Funeral Home. Burial will follow the service Monday at Chatham Memorial Park with the Randolph Honor Guard assisting. Services will be officiated by Memorials can be made to the American Cancer Society, https:// donate.cancer.org Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the Stephens family. Online condolences can be made at www.smithbucknerfh. com
as well as the Administrative Assistant to the Vice President at Randolph Community College. Renee worked for over 20 years at Hebert & Company CPA’s. Mrs. Ellis was a member of First Christian Church in Ramseur and also enjoyed playing the piano. Renee was a very loving mother and often made clothing for herself, as well as her children during their childhood, including embroidery and smocking. She could often be found spending time with her daughters or on the phone checking on her other friends and relatives. Renee always had a way of knowing what someone needed and always filled that role. Mrs. Ellis was preceded in death by her parents, Thomas William and Elizabeth Faye Harris Moses. Survivors: husband, Jim Ellis, of the home, daughters, Elizabeth Ellis and husband Matthew Beasley of Greensboro, Tiffany Ellis and husband Evan Gobble of Lewisville, one grandchild, Elizabeth “Libby” Beasley, sister, Tamra Moses Farris and husband Ronald of Pittsboro, nieces, Gabrielle and Alexie Farris. Visitation, 10:00 AM to 10:45 AM, Friday, Loflin Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Ramseur. Arrangements by Loflin Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Ramseur. Memorials may be made to Randolph County Senior Adult Association, Contributions to: PO Box 1852, Asheboro, NC 27204 http://www.senioradults.org/ Ways-to-Donate.html.
Jan. 14, 1936 – Jan. 11, 2025
2025.
88,
Saturday, January
January 14,
Judy Esther Langley Fogleman
Jan. 18, 2025
Judy Esther Langley Fogleman, 82, of Snow Camp, passed away on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at Wesley Long Hospital. A funeral service will be held
IN MEMORY
on Wednesday, January 22, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. at Pleasant Hill Christian Church, 1712 Pleasant Hill-Liberty Road, Liberty; officiated by Pastor Willie Pickard. The family will receive friends for a time of visitation from 1:00 to 1:45 p.m. prior to the service in the church sanctuary. Judy was the daughter of the late John Vestal Langley Jr. and Mary Kathryn Lowe Langley. She was also preceded in death by her brother, Tony Langley and stepdaughter, Rhonda Alston. She leaves behind to cherish her memory her husband of 49 years, Ronald “Red” Fogleman, of the home; daughters, Candi Wright Langley of Ramseur and Rita Wright Silver of Cornelius; stepson, Bruce Fogleman of Jamestown; grandchildren, Justin Fogleman, Victoria Langley, Michaela Langley,
Mia Silver, Courtney Alston, and Macon Alston; and two great grandchildren. Judy was employed at Glendale Hosiery in Siler City for 40 years, as well as Ye Olde Country Kitchen in Snow Camp for 34 years. She was known for her love of flowers and baking wonderful desserts for her friends and family. She was especially known for her fried apple pies, lemon pound cake and persimmon pudding. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Cemetery Fund at Pleasant Hill Christian Church, 1712 Pleasant Hill-Liberty Road, Liberty, NC 27298. Please share your thoughts and memories with the family at www.LoflinFH. com. Loflin Funeral Home of Liberty is honored to serve Judy’s Family.
PAMELA PHILLIPS HENDRICKS
JAN. 17, 2025
Pamela Phillips Hendricks, age 68 of Cameron, passed away on Friday (1/17/2025) at Emerald Health and Rehab in Lillington. She was born in Chatham County, daughter of the late Palmer Lee Pillips and Mary Lois Woody Phillips. She was preceded in death by her parents, and her brother, James Michael Phillips. Pamela enjoyed crocheting, traveling to the mountains and cooking for her family and friends. She was a devoted mother and loved to spend time with her children and her granddaughters, whom she adored. Surviving is her daughter, Brandy Hendricks of Sanford, NC; son, Christopher Hendricks and wife Elsa of Cameron, NC; brothers, Steven Douglas Phillips of Sanford, NC, Roger Avery Phillips and wife Tammy of Bear Creek, NC; and her two granddaughters, Shelby Hendricks and Eliana Timms. Private family services will be held at a later date.
RICHARD FRANCIS DACEY 1953 – 2025
Richard Francis Dacey (1953-2025) died unexpectedly January 11, 2025. He was born in Boston, the youngest of eight children. He leaves behind three sisters and one brother. He lived in North Carolina since 1976, mostly in Chatham County. No services have been planned.
JAMES CLAUDE BROOKS
JAN. 13, 1940 – JAN. 17, 2025
James Claude Brooks, 85, of Siler City, passed away on Friday, January 17, 2025 at his daughter’s home. The funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 21, 2025 at Joyce-Brady Chapel with Pastor Zach Garner presiding. The family will receive friends before the service from 1:00-1:45 p.m. Burial will follow at Rives Chapel Baptist Church cemetery. JoyceBrady Chapel will be open on Monday, January 16, 2025 from 1:00-5:00 for friends to sign the register.
James was born in Chatham County on January 13, 1940, to John and Margaret Clark Brooks. He drove a truck for the Stockyard for 55 years. He enjoyed working with cattle and farming. He loved spending time with his family and friends.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by daughters, Blanche Regina Brooks and Carolyn Margaret Brooks and sister, Helen Frances Langley.
He is survived by his daughter, Theresa Varner (Dwayne), of Liberty; son, James “Russell” Brooks, of Siler City; girlfriend, Joyce Buie Chalflinch, of Carthage; grandchildren, Anna Brooks, Landon Brooks and Logan Brooks; two great-grandchildren and a host of family and friends.
Former Planned Parenthood president, women’s rights activist Cecile Richards has died at 67
She was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer in 2023
By Holly Ramer The Associated Press
CONCORD, N.H.
— Cecile
Richards, a national leader for abortion access and women’s rights who led Planned Parenthood for 12 tumultuous years, has died. She was 67.
was preceded in death by her nephew, David Siler; husband, Jimmy Thompson; sisters, Ann Siler King, Deborah Siler Stewart, and Susan Siler Phillips; brothers, Robert (Bob) Siler Jr, Sandy Siler, and Larry Siler.
Norma graduated from East Carolina and was a homemaker and sales associate at Burlington Coat Factory. She enjoyed car trips with her sisters and family reunions.
She is survived by daughters, Debra Lewis and Jimise Waite; brothers, Will Siler and wife Ann and Tony Siler and wife Ginny; grandchildren, Jessica Lewis, Justin Lewis, Shelby Waite and Paul Pate; great grandchildren, Luke, Jacob, Charlotte and Greyson, and numerous nieces and nephews. If anyone wishes to donate, please do so to the charity of their choice.
As per the wishes of Norma there will be no formal service.
Richards died Monday at home in New York “surrounded by family and her ever-loyal dog, Ollie,” her family said in a statement.
“Our hearts are broken today but no words can do justice to the joy she brought to our lives,” the family said.
Richards, the daughter of the late Texas Gov. Ann Richards, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in 2023, five years after she left Planned Parenthood.
Though Planned Parenthood also provides birth control, cancer screenings and testing for sexually transmitted diseases at clinics nationwide, its status as the nation’s leading abortion provider has long made it a target of social conservatives. Under Richards’
leadership, the organization gained in membership, donor support and political clout, and she played a prominent role in pushing back against critics.
In 2015, she spent hours answering hostile questions from Republican U.S. House members who later created an investigative panel to probe Planned Parenthood’s abortion and fetal-tissue policies. In 2021, she warned that the U.S. Supreme Court’s inaction on Texas’ restrictive abortion law could signal the end of judicial checks and balances on the issue. And after the court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, she continued to speak out.
“One day, our children and grandchildren may ask us, ‘When it was all on the line, what did you do?’” she said at the Democratic National Convention in August. “The only acceptable answer is, ‘Everything we could.’”
Born on July 15, 1957, in Waco, Texas, Richards earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Brown University, where she unfurled a banner from a second floor window during her 1980 graduation ceremony to protest the school’s investments in South Africa.
“One of the more popular buttons of the day was ‘Ques-
tion Authority,’ and I feel like we did that every single day, and it absolutely set me on my path,” she said in a 2017 address to graduates. “Brown instilled in me the belief that any one of us can change the world and that, in fact, it’s sort of what is expected of us.”
After college, she worked as an organizer for low-wage workers in several states before returning to Texas to help with her mother’s 1990 gubernatorial campaign. In 2004, she was a founder of America Votes, and before joining Planned Parenthood, served as deputy chief of staff for House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.
“It was my privilege to work directly with Cecile for many years and to have a front-row seat to her sharp intellect, strategic thinking and relentless effectiveness,” Pelosi said in a statement Monday. “As she ascended to other leadership roles, we never stopped working together to defend the rights of women and working families.”
Outgoing President Joe Biden, who awarded Richards the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November, on Monday called her a “leader of utmost character.”
Norma Siler Thompson
Norma Siler Thompson,
passed away on
11,
Norma was born on
1936, in Siler City, NC, the daughter of Robert W. Siler and Margaret Johnson Siler. In addition to her parents, she
walking in Mexico with Ruffin Slater, who owns Weaver Street Market, and we saw a pirate flag waving on a radio tower. We went inside and talked to the DJ,” Menache said. “We got back to Carrboro and decided we had to do it, so we did.”
Today, a loyal community tunes in to hear mainstays like DJ Aurora, whose real name is Dawn Rowan. “I like to use Aurora because it’s the same in Spanish,” she said. Her show “Play by Ear with
DJ Aurora” airs Saturdays from 1-3 p.m., spotlighting local artists performing live on air. The station’s programming ranges from education, finance and mental health to community issues including LGBTQ+ rights. Shows like “High and Lonesome with Dave and Jenni,” hosted by “Grateful Dave” Cottingham, explore the music of the Grateful Dead and the modern psychedelic Americana scene each week.
The anniversary event drew people of all ages who enjoyed performances by harp guitar-
ist Andrew Kasab and bands Sound of Scarlet and The Will McBride Group. Kasab, a Raleigh-based musician who has performed on WCOM since 2006, praised the station’s community outreach.
“Over the past 20 years, WCOM has been proud to deliver reliable information, resources, music and entertainment in multiple languages and from a global range of viewpoints,” Menache said. “We are grateful for your support as we look forward to many more years of serving our community.”
Chatham County Aging Services Weekly Activities Calendar
Monday, January 27 Pittsboro Center for Active Living
8:15 a.m. - Total Body Conditioning Exercise
10 a.m. - Strong & Fit
11 a.m. - Bingocize
Noon - Reading Out Loud with Gaines
1 p.m. - Mahjong Mondays; Chess Club; Table Tennis
6 p.m. - Caregiver Virtual Support Group Siler City Center for Active Living
9 a.m. - Strong & Fit
10 a.m. - Cornhole
2 p.m. - Strength & Tone
8:30 a.m. - QiGong
9 a.m. - 3G’s Men’s Group
Tuesday, January 28 Pittsboro Center for Active Living
10 a.m. - Woodcarvers; Cardio Drumming
10:30 a.m. - Gym Orientation
11 a.m. - Bingo with Joe
1 p.m. - Rummikub; Basket Weaving (FULL)
2 p.m. - Zumba Gold Siler City Center for Active Living
8 a.m. - Quilting and Sewing Time
9 a.m. - Cardio Drumming
10 a.m. - Chair Exercises
10:30 a.m. - Tuesdays with Talyse
1 p.m. - Rook, Phase 10 & Rummikub; Garden Club
2 p.m. - Fitness Room Orientation (by appointment only); Line Dancing Wednesday, January 29 Pittsboro Center for Active Living
8:15 a.m. - Cardio & Lower Body Exercise
10 a.m. - Chair Yoga with Liz; Music Jam
11 a.m. - The Chosen with discussion; Dominos
1 p.m. - Table Tennis Siler City Center for Active Living
9 a.m. - Strong & Fit
10 a.m. - Bible Study
1 p.m. - Crafts
2 p.m. - Pickleball & Cornhole Thursday, January 30 Pittsboro Center for Active Living
8:30 a.m.
10
1
2
NC court says trooper can be sued after student killed in ride-along
The student’s mother is suing for gross negligence after the fatal 110-mph crash
By Gary D. Robertson The Associated Press
RALEIGH — The moth-
er of a North Carolina university student killed while on a ride-along in a Highway Patrol cruiser can continue suing for gross negligence the trooper who drove off the road during a high-speed chase, a state appeals court ruled last week.
By a 2-1 decision, judges on the intermediate-level state Court of Appeals reversed a trial court’s ruling that dismissed the lawsuit filed on behalf of the late Michael Higgins seeking damages from Trooper Omar Romero Mendoza.
One night in August 2020, Mendoza — known as Romero in patrol documents — drove off a Pitt County road at a curve after having been traveling over 110 mph, striking a utility pole and two trees. Higgins, 22, an East Carolina University criminal justice major enrolled in a patrol internship program and inside the cruiser with Romero, died from his injuries.
Lisa Higgins, the administrator of her son’s estate, sued in 2022 both Romero and Trooper Brandon Cesar Cruz, who had suggested to her son that he ride with Romero when Cruz lacked the time to do so. Superior Court Judge William Wolfe dismissed in 2023 the lawsuit against both troopers. Cruz was removed from Lisa Higgins’ appeal last year. Higgins had previously participated in two successful ride-alongs with other patrol officers. But neither Romero nor Cruz held the rank or the title required to complete one, and Higgins apparently was unaware that Romero wasn’t authorized to take him along, the majority opinion said.
Romero and Higgins responded to the scene of where a car had driven off the road into a ditch. Cruz also responded to the scene and encouraged Romero to pursue in a high-speed chase an unidentified driver in the area observed with an alcohol odor on her breath, according to trooper statements.
Romero activated his emergency lights and siren and, with Higgins as a passenger, accelerated the vehicle quickly to attempt to catch the driver. Romero stated at a deposition that he believed
the two-lane road that he was traveling on was straight. Then he saw the suspect vehicle breaking to the left, but he couldn’t recall making any related driving adjustments, last Wednesday’s ruling said. A patrol report determined Romero had violated patrol policy in how he initiated the “traffic enforcement response.”
Romero’s lawyer argued that as a government official Romero was exempt in this situation from personal civil liability while pursuing a criminal suspect, and that the state Industrial Commission was where claims against a state employee’s actions could be brought. Commission awards are capped.
In the majority opinion, Court of Appeals Judge John Arrowood wrote that the speed limit exemption in a police pursuit in state law did not protect an officer from the “consequence of a reckless disregard of the safety of others.” And the evidence and testimony suggest there is a genuine issue of material fact that the trooper’s action rose to the level of gross negligence, he added.
“It should be for the jury to determine whether defendant Romero’s actions were needless or manifested a reckless indifference to the rights of Michael,” Arrowood wrote. Court of Appeals Judge Allegra Collins agreed with Arrowood. In a dissenting opinion, Court of Appeals Chief Judge Chris Dillon wrote that in the most favorable light for the plaintiff, the evidence doesn’t show Romero acted with gross negligence.
Though how Romero “exercised his discretion in his pursuit of the suspected drunk driver may have been negligent, it did not rise to the level of ‘wanton conduct,’ done with ‘corruption or malice,’” Dillon added.
The state Supreme Court could agree to hear the case if requested.
A lawyer representing Romero didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Jim White, an attorney representing Lisa Higgins, was pleased with last Wednesday’s ruling, saying too many legal cases had given extreme deference to officers for their actions while wearing a uniform and traveling with blue lights on.
A jury trial would provide “vindication” to the Higgins family, White said, leading to an acknowledgement that “he never should have been in that car.”
the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in Chatham News & Record at obits@chathamrecord.com
DAN REEVES / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Jacques Menache, founder and CEO of WCOM, thanks supporters at Cat’s Cradle’s back room in Carrboro on Jan. 12.
REAL ESTATE
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AUCTIONS
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MANAGER from page A1
several years,” Thompson said. “In the next stages, we will be looking at land use applications in connection with the UDO.”
The county recently updated its Capital Improvement Plan, which includes expanding operations onto property off U.S. 64 for a new county services campus. Thompson said the county plans to seek bond funding in fiscal year 2027.
serving and promoting the rural character of Chatham County” remains a priority, he said.
This growth brings infrastructure challenges, particularly around Pittsboro. “The hope and the anticipation is that the utility challenge will be closer to a solution and less of an issue with capacity, particularly with wastewater,” he said. “That will help our incorporated jurisdictions grow with greater density and types of use intensity.” Thompson emphasized the county’s strong relationship with state government.
Chatham County currently holds AAA rating, the highest possible, from Standard & Poor’s rating agency and an A+ rating from Moody’s. “Our goal when we get rerated prior to the next borrowing is to get triple-A ratings from both agencies,” Thompson said. Thompson identified managing growth while preserving the county’s character as a key challenge. “The balance between the urbanization of the county and concentrating growth, development and density to the urbanized areas while also maintaining, pre-
“We have had and continue to have a really strong relationship with state government, particularly in areas of economic development,” he said.
The county has already named Thompson’s successor as assistant county manager, promoting Budget Director Darrell Butts to the role. Butts, who has served as budget director since August 2020, will continue to be involved in the county’s budget process while taking on broader operational responsibilities.
NOTICE
Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Maria Lapetina, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 3rd day of April 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 2nd day of January 2025. Maria Elena Lapetina, Executor, c/o W. Andrew Fletcher, South Durham Law, 6104 Fayetteville Road, #105, Durham, North Carolina 27713. Publication Dates: Jan 2, 9, 16, 23 2025
NOTICE
ATTENTION: All persons, firms and corporations having claims against Verna Annetha Harris, deceased, of Chatham County, NC, are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before April 14, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 9th day of January, 2025. Dustin Aaron Harris, Executor, c/o Poyner Spruill LLP, 301 Fayetteville Street, Suite 1900, Raleigh, NC 27601.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Edward Wain Hutton a.k.a. Edward Wain Hutton, Jr. CHATHAM File No.: 25E000013-180 ALL PERSONS, firms and corporations having claims against Edward Wain Hutton a.k.a. Edward Wain Hutton, Jr., deceased, of Chatham County, NC, are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before April 28, 2025 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 23rd day of January 2025. Patrick Sean Kaye, Executor, in c/o Kellie Corbett, Attorney, at Carolina Family Estate Planning, 201 Commonwealth Court, Suite 100, Cary, NC 27511.
Publication Dates: January 23, 2025 January 30, 2025 February 6, 2025 February 13, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#24E001673-180 The undersigned, CHRISTOPHER BARNARD POSTON, having qualified on the 13TH Day of DECEMBER, 2024, as EXECUTOR of the Estate of DOROTHY POSTON MCKINNEY, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 2ND Day of APRIL 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 2nd DAY OF JANUARY 2025. CHRISTOPHER BARNARD POSTON, EXECUTOR 54 KENSINGTON DRIVE PITTSBORO, NC 27312 Run dates: J2,9,16,23p
24SP001155-180 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 Reginald Tilley and Rhonda Tilley to Elizabeth F. Malan, Trustee(s), which was dated February 7, 2019 and recorded on February 7, 2019 in Book 02029 at Page 0358, 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 February 6, 2025 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:
TRACT ONE: All that certain tract or parcel of land (all of which lies South of the centerline of SR #1122) shown and designated as Parcel “A”, containing 22.102 acres, more or less, on that plat entitled “Survey for R.G. Hancock Heirs”, dated October 26, 1984, prepared by James D. Hunter, RLS, and recorded as Plat Slide 91-307, Chatham County Registry, Pittsboro, North Carolina, which said plat and the record thereof are by reference incorporated herein and made a part hereof, and to which reference is hereby made for a greater certainty of description of the property hereby conveyed.
MEETING from page A1
In addition, approximately 6.9 acres of the parcel will be donated to the town to be used as the site for a fire station, public park or both.
“This is the first site where I think Chatham Park staff and the fire department are all on the same page with the location,” said Town Manager Jonathan Franklin. However, the commissioners did raise some concerns.
“My greatest concern with all of this is that there is no offer of affordable housing in a crisis situation for affordable housing,”
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Mary Anne Hutton a.k.a. Mary Anne Bridget Hutton a.k.a. Mary Anne Kaye a.k.a. Mary Anne Bridget Koenig CHATHAM File No.: 25E000015-180 ALL PERSONS, firms and corporations having claims against Mary Anne Hutton a.k.a. Mary Anne Bridget Hutton a.k.a. Mary Anne Kaye a.k.a. Mary Anne Bridget Koenig, deceased, of Chatham County, NC, are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before April 28, 2025 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 23rd day of January 2025. Patrick Sean Kaye, Limited Personal Representative, in c/o Kellie Corbett, Attorney, at Carolina Family Estate Planning, 201 Commonwealth Court, Suite 100, Cary, NC 27511. Publication Dates: January 23, 2025 January 30, 2025 February 6, 2025 February 13, 2025
NOTICE
Having qualified as Administrator of the estate of Henry Clay Blymire, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, firms, and corporations, having claims against the said estate to exhibit them duly verified to the undersigned c/o John P. Paschal, Attorney at Law, PLLC, 4904 Waters Edge Drive, Suite 100, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606 on or before the 9th day of April, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate settlement. This the 9th day of January, 2025. Ashely Blymire, Administrator Henry Clay Blymire, Deceased Chatham County Estate File: 24E001687180
PUBLISHED NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having qualified as Ancillary Executor of the Estate of James Ashley Sharpe aka J. Ashley Sharpe, late of Baltimore, Maryland, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at 3000 Galloway Ridge, Apt. J-206, Pittsboro, North Carolina 27312, on or before the 2nd day of April, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 2nd day of January, 2025. William N. Sharpe, Jr. Ancillary Executor File #24E001683-180 1/2, 1/9, 1/16, 1/23 4918-4535-1947, v. 1
Notice to Creditors
ESTATE OF Betty Lucille Riddle FILE NO. 24E001660-180
ALL PERSONS, firms and corporations having claims against Betty Lucille Riddle, deceased, of Chatham County, N.C., are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before (April 25, 2025), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This January 23, 2025. Carl Driver, Executor c/o Gregory S. Davis, Law Office of Gregory S. Davis, PLLC, 525. S. White St, Wake Forest, NC 27587
TRACT TWO: All of that certain lot or parcel of land shown and designated as Parcel “B”, containing 0.22 acres, more or less, as shown on that plat entitled “Survey for R.G. Hancock Heirs”, dated 10/26/1984, prepared by James D. Hunter, RLS, and recorded in Plat Slide 91-307, Chatham County Registry, Pittsboro, North Carolina, which said plat and the record thereof are by reference incorporated herein and made a part hereof, and to which reference is hereby made for greater certainty of description of the property hereby conveyed.
TRACT THREE: BEGINNING at an old P.K. nail in a large rock marking the northwest corner of that triangular-shaped 1.926acre parcel of land conveyed by the R.G. Hancock Heirs to Michael Martin McCain by deed dated June 1, 1977, and recorded in Book 403, Page 864, Chatham County Registry, said point being designated as Point 1 on that plat hereinafter referred to, and running thence South 2 degrees 55’ 21” West along and with McCain’s (or what was formerly McCain’s) western line, first 309.24 feet to an iron stake (Point 7 on the aforesaid plat), and then on another 78.23 feet to another iron stake (Point 8 on said Plat); thence North 86 degrees 30’ 29” West 13.13 feet to an iron stake (Point 3 on the aforesaid plat); and thence North 4 degrees 51’ 21” East, first 52.03 feet to an iron stake (Point 2 on the aforesaid plat) in R.F. Paschal Jr.’s line, and then on with Paschal’s eastern line another 335.08 feet to the place and point of BEGINNING, and containing 0.058 acres, more or less, according to and as shown on and by that plat entitled “Survey for R.G. Hancock Heirs”, dated 10/26/1984, prepared by James D. Hunter, RLS, and recorded in Plat Slide 91-307, Chatham County Registry, Pittsboro, NC, from which said plat the foregoing description was taken and to which said plat and the record thereof reference is hereby made for a greater certainty of description of the property
said Commissioner John Bonitz. “There are lots of needs in Pittsboro that would be designated as community needs,” responded the applicant’s attorney Nick Robertson. “For sure, affordable housing is one of them. Another one of them is transportation and connectivity. You have the need for parks, the need for fire safety, and you can’t meet all those community needs in one project.”
In the end though, the two sides did agree on a condition to provide affordable housing units equal to 7.5% of the number of dwelling units constructed for the development. The other rezoning re -
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS
CHATHAM COUNTY
HAVING QUALIFIED as Administrator CTA of the Estate of Robert Edward Parks, 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 23rd day of April, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 14th day of January, 2025. John L. Klink, Jr., Administrator CTA of the Estate of Robert Edward Parks 1649 W. Third Street Siler City, North Carolina 27344
M OODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE
ATTORNEYS AT LAW BOX 629 SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850 4tp
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#24E001690-180
The undersigned, EDITH T. MITCHELL, having qualified on the 27TH Day of DECEMBER, 2024, as EXECUTOR of the Estate of JANIE HEARN BROWN, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 2ND Day of APRIL 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 2nd DAY OF JANUARY 2025.
EDITH T. MITCHELL, EXECUTOR 756 LOWER THRIFT RD. NEW HILL, NC 27562 Run dates: J2,9,16,23p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#24E001691-180 The undersigned, DAVID DARYL COLLINS, having qualified on the 27TH Day of DECEMBER, 2024, as EXECUTOR of the Estate of JOYCE RAY COLLINS, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 2ND Day of APRIL 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 2nd DAY OF JANUARY 2025. DAVID DARYL COLLINS, EXECUTOR 2262 HANKS CHAPEL RD. PITTSBORO, NC 27312 Run dates: J2,9,16,23p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000007-180 The undersigned, SANDRA COOK, having qualified on the 7TH Day of JANUARY, 2025, as EXECUTOR of the Estate of MAE HICKS STOVALL, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 16TH Day of APRIL 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 16TH DAY OF JANUARY 2025. SANDRA COOK, EXECUTOR 378 BENJIE WILLIAMS RD. STALEY, NC 27355 Run dates: J16,23,30,F6p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000003-180 The undersigned, ROBERT LISLE ROCKETT, having qualified on the 3RD Day of JANUARY, 2025, as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of SHARYN TRACEY ROCKETT, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 16TH Day of APRIL 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 16TH DAY OF JANUARY 2025. ROBERT LISLE ROCKETT, ADMINISTRATOR 186 LINDO JOHNSON RD. PITTSBORO, NC 27312 Run dates: J16,23,30,F6p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#24E001538-180 The undersigned, MICHAEL R. SMITH, having qualified on the 31ST Day of DECEMBER, 2024 as ADMINISTRATOR CTA of the Estate of FRANCES SMITH, 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 23RD Day of APRIL 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 23RD DAY OF JANUARY 2025.
MICHAEL R. SMITH, ADMINISTRATOR CTA 5291 NC HWY 87N PITTSBORO, NC 27312 Run dates: J23,30,F6,13p
herein described and conveyed. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.
Said property is commonly known as 485 Siler City Fire Tower 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 Reginald Tilley and wife, Rhonda Tilley.
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.: 22-09207-FC03
An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice 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 § 4521.16A(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.
quest for 122.5 acres of property bounded on both the east and west by the Chatham Park PDD from RA, RA-2 and R-12 to CMUC-CZ.
“The proposed mixed-uses on this property will support compact design with a variety of housing types and uses and pedestrian oriented building and street design,” said the applicant’s attorney, Patrick Bradshaw. “The potential uses include single-family residences and high-density housing such as apartments and condos. The development will also maintain the scale and character of established neighborhoods while allowing a flexible
range of housing types along with office and commercial uses.”
The property is located between two areas of the Chatham Park PDD that are already approved for similar uses and densities.
Like the prior rezoning, the development also includes the 7.5% affordable housing requirement.
The third hearing dealt with text amendments to the UDO intended to result in better functionality.
“The majority of these deal with removing redundant language from the UDO and to provide greater clarity of stan-
dards,” said Pittsboro Project Analyst Jenna Peterson.
Following each hearing, the board approved the requests. The board was also presented with the findings from their 2023-24 audit report, which came back clean.
“The town once again received an unmodified opinion on its financial statements,” said Jay Sharpe of SharpePatel CPA. “That’s a clean audit opinion, the best possible opinion that the Town can receive and the opinion the Town should strive for year in and year out.”
The Town of Pittsboro Board of Commissioners will next meet Feb. 10.
Suspect in fatal Raleigh restaurant shooting dies
The executive chef at Coquette shot and killed a co-worker
The Associated Press
RALEIGH — A chef at a restaurant in Raleigh whom authorities suspect fatally shot a co-worker and then shot himself has died from his injuries, police announced Sunday.
George Colom Jr., 34, who was listed as the executive chef at Coquette Brasserie, had been in critical condition at a hospital after last Friday morning’s
shootings inside the restaurant.
Police identified Colom in announcing his death. Another employee described by police as a bystander who was wounded in the shooting was treated and released from a hospital.
The shootings appeared to stem from a dispute, according to police. Police said on Sunday that “additional information will be released at the appropriate time.”
Jonathan Aguilar Vega, the Coquette employee who was wounded, told WRAL-TV after the shooting that he still had a bullet in his hand.
“We were having our daily meeting before the shift began. One of our employees had brought in a cake to celebrate a bartender’s birthday. She was cutting the cake, and moments later, I was shot,” said Vega, whom the station referred to as Aguilar. He said that “no one there had any reason to hate (Colom) or dislike him or have anything personal against him.”
The shooting victim who died last Friday was identified by police as Jonathan Mark Schaffer, 26. According to his LinkedIn profile, Schaffer had worked
NC school board member gets prison time after convictions
Ronald Lee Johnson Jr. was convicted of extortion and obstruction
The Associated Press
SMITHFIELD — A Johnston County school board member was sentenced to active prison time after being convicted of extortion and other crimes, with some related to the attempted blackmail of a congressional candidate.
At the close of a trial last Friday, jurors found Ronald Lee Johnson Jr. guilty of four
Melanie Mendoza, of Venezuela, gets emotional as she sees that her 1 p.m. CBP One app appointment was canceled as she and her family wait at the border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, on Monday.
counts. Superior Court Judge Joseph Crosswhite sentenced Johnson to 6 to 17 months in prison for a felony obstruction conviction, court records show. The sentence for a felony extortion count and two counts for the willful failure to discharge his duties included probation.
Crosswhite also ordered that Johnson, 41, be removed from the Johnston County school board, The News & Observer oreported. Johnson, once considered a rising star among Republicans, had narrowly won reelection in November.
Prosecutors said he “has left a wake of destruction behind him.”
The court also revoked Johnson’s law enforcement certification. Johnson is a former Smithfield police officer who was fired in late 2022 on charges of “detrimental personal conduct,” the newspaper reported.
Boz Zellinger, a special state prosecutor who handled the prosecution, told Crosswhite
in the restaurant industry for several years and most recently with Urban Food Group, the parent company of Coquette.
“He was just a kind and beautiful soul,” Katie Carrigan said about her late manager and friend.
Colom’s father, George Colom Sr., released a family statement Saturday in which he anticipated his son’s imminent death and expressed sadness and pain for those who were shot.
“My son will soon pass away and we just want to bury our son in peace. No further questions or comments will be
that Johnson “has left a wake of destruction behind him” and that active prison time was warranted.
Johnson had been accused of threatening in 2022 to release compromising audio involving congressional candidate DeVan Barbour unless Barbour got a woman that they both knew to falsely deny that she was having an extramarital affair with Johnson.
Barbour, an unsuccessful Republican candidate in 2022 and 2024, testified in the trial that concerns about the recording’s release worried him constantly leading to the 2022 GOP primary, and that he repeatedly contacted the woman asking her to deny an affair with Johnson.
While on the witness stand last Thursday, Johnson denied asking Barbour to get a state-
Migrants stranded as appointments to enter United States canceled
280K
People who were attempting daily for the CBP One app’s 1,450 appointment slots
The Trump administration acted swiftly to change the country’s immigration policy
By Julie Watson and Megan Janetsky The Associated Press
TIJUANA, Mexico — They came from Haiti, Venezuela and around the world, pulling small rolling suitcases crammed with clothing and stuffed animals to occupy their children. They clutched cellphones showing that after months of waiting they had appointments — finally — to legally enter the United States. Now, outside a series of north Mexico border crossings where mazes of concrete barriers and thick fencing eventually spill into the United States, hope and excitement evaporated into despair and disbelief moments after President Donald Trump took office. U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Monday that the CBP One app that worked as recently as that morning would no longer be used to admit migrants after facilitating entry for nearly 1 million people since January 2023.
Tens of thousands of appointments scheduled into February were canceled, applicants were told.
That was it. There was no way to appeal and no one to talk to.
In Tijuana, where 400 people were admitted daily on the app at a border crossing with San Diego,
Maria Mercado had to work up the courage to check her phone.
Tears ran down her cheeks after she finally looked. Her family’s appointment was for 1 p.m., four hours too late.
“We don’t know what we are going to do,” she said, standing with her family within view of the United States.
She left Colombia decades ago after it was overrun by drug cartel violence, heading to Ecuador. When cartels besieged her new homeland, the family fled again in June, this time to Mexico, hoping to reach the U.S.
“I’m not asking the world for anything — only God. I’m asking God to please let us get in,” she said.
Immigrants around her hugged or cried quietly. Many stared ahead blankly, not knowing what to do. A nearby sign urged people to get the CBP One app. “This will facilitate your processing,” it said.
CBP One has been wildly popular, especially among Venezuelans, Cubans, Haitians, and Mexicans. Now, they were stranded at the U.S. border or deeper in Mexico.
Jairol Polo, 38, tried getting an appointment for six months from Mexico City before snagging one for Wednesday in Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas. The Cuban man flew Monday from Mexico’s capital to learn at the Matamoros-Brownsville border crossing that his appointment was canceled.
“Imagine how we feel,” he
said dejectedly while smoking a cigarette.
People with morning appointments got through on schedule. By afternoon, the app was down.
CBP One is effectively a lottery system that gives appointments to 1,450 people a day at one of eight border crossings. People enter the U.S. on immigration “parole,” a presidential authority that former President Joe Biden used more than any other president since it was introduced in 1952.
Its demise follows Trump’s campaign promises and will please its critics, who see it as an overly generous magnet attracting people to Mexico’s border with the United States.
Despite a glitchy launch in January 2023, it quickly became a critical part of the Biden administration’s border strategy to expand legal pathways while cracking down on asylum seekers who enter illegally. Supporters say it brought order amid the tumult of illegal crossings.
Many migrant shelters in Mexico are now largely occupied by people who tapped their phones daily hoping for an appointment. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says about 280,000 people try daily for the 1,450 slots.
The demise of CBP One will be coupled with the return of “Remain in Mexico,” a remnant of Trump’s first term that forced about 70,000 asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court.
The shootings appeared to stem from a dispute, according to police.
addressed,” the statement said.
The shootings at North Hills, a popular shopping and restaurant area in north Raleigh, restricted traffic heavily at midday last Friday as police investigated what happened. Some nearby schools also were placed on lockdown after the shootings.
ment from the woman, but rather he let Barbour know about the recording to help him out.
“He didn’t release any recording or make any public statements about Mr. Barbour,” Johnson attorney Amos Tyndall said.
The obstruction of justice charge stems from allegations Johnson removed potential evidence from his office at a gym after the investigation had begun.
The convictions on failure to discharge duties relate to secret recordings of school board sessions closed to the public and allegations that Johnson retaliated against a former friend by trying to get his children transferred to a different school. The school board previously censured Johnson over the recording of closed-session meetings and the attempted transfer.
Durham man tried to board flight to join ISIS
Sulaiman Al-Amriki
By Makiya Seminera The Associated Press
A NORTH CAROLINA man was arrested while trying to board an overseas flight so that he could join the Islamic State group, according to a federal complaint that was unsealed last week.
Alexander Justin White, a U.S. citizen from Durham, is accused of providing, attempting and conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization by federal prosecutors. White’s Dec. 4 arrest came after a monthslong investigation into numerous pro-IS messages that prosecutors say the 29-year-old sent to various Facebook users and an undercover FBI agent.
White, who went by Sulaiman Al-Amriki — which means Sulaiman the American — on social media for part of last year, posted pro-IS content several times on Facebook between June and October 2024, prosecutors said. Some of the content included IS and other Islamic extremist propaganda videos.
During this period, federal prosecutors said White spoke to several social media users who claimed to be from the Middle East and North Africa about his support for IS. He told several users that he wished to travel to Africa to join IS as well, according to court documents. White also lamented missed opportunities to join the militant group in previous trips — such as in a 2018 visit to Egypt — in conversations online, authorities said.
White also conversed frequently with a covert FBI agent over several months, which included several mentions of wanting to join IS, and a staged video call that White believed was with an IS commander’s spokesperson, prosecutors said.
During text conversations with the agent, officials said White expressed his willingness to be a mujahid, the Arabic word for “holy warrior,” and discussed fundraising for detained IS members and their family members. After several months of discussing his plans to travel abroad and join IS, White sent the agent a screenshot of his upcoming travel itinerary, which showed a Dec. 4 flight departing from the Raleigh-Durham International Airport to Rabat, Morocco, court records show. To not raise suspicions about the flight, White purchased a round-trip ticket, prosecutors said.
White later arrived on Dec. 4 with three bags at RDU Airport, where he checked in for his connecting flight to Paris and proceeded through security, authorities said. He was then arrested a few hours later while attempting to board the plane.
A federal public defender who was appointed to represent White declined to comment about the pending case last Wednesday.
Alexander Justin White went by the name
GREGORY BULL / AP PHOTO
CHATHAM SPORTS
Huge third quarter leads Northwood over Bears
Neah Henry led the Chargers with 12 points
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
PITTSBORO — Northwood held Chatham Central to just three points in the third quarter to pull away and beat the Bears 53-31 at home on Jan. 16.
The Bears shot just 1 for 7 in the third quarter, scoring their only basket of the period with six and a half minutes remaining.
“Just being a little more intense on defense and being a little more aggressive,” Northwood coach Kerri Stubbs said. “Picked it up in the second quarter, got that 10-point margin, but then really came out hungry in the second half.”
Northwood junior guard
Neah Henry scored seven of her team-high 12 points in the third quarter, leading the Chargers on a run that saw their 29 -19 halftime lead grow to 45-22 entering the fourth.
“I was just driving,” Henry said. “I was just taking the ball to the basket trying to see what I had open, trying to put points on the board and just get us the win.”
Henry also finished the game with a team-high four assists and three steals.
Junior forward Shaylah Glover also helped break the game open for the Chargers with five third quarter points. While she finished the game with nine points, matching freshman guard Noelle Whitaker and senior forward Sydney Ballard, Glover made most of her impact felt with her seven offensive rebounds. Many of those rebounds resulted in second chance points and extra trips to the free throw line.
“It’s really important for me to do that,” Glover said. “I always just want to help my team out the best way I can.”
Said Stubbs, “She really gets going once she gets the rebounds to be able to get the put-backs in too. I think that’s
“Defensively, that’s what got us going tonight, and our defense has got to continue to pick up as we go throughout the second half of conference play.”
Kerri Stubbs
where her game kind of takes off.”
Northwood actively looked to use its size advantage to start the game. Ballard scored eight first quarter points, mostly from flashing open under the basket and getting clean looks at the rim multiple times.
“Just been preaching to get the ball inside,” Stubbs said.
“The guards were seeing the court better and then were able to push the ball in rhythm to be able to score the post inside.
Sydney did a great job finishing those down low.”
Chatham Central kept the game close in the first quarter by fighting for rebounds down low and going to the free throw line. The Bears were also active
See GIRLS, page B2
Josiah Brown came up big with 11 second half points
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
PITTSBORO — Northwood
junior Cam Fowler scored a career-high 30 points and hit a huge 3 late in the fourth quarter to help the Chargers win a 59-52 thriller over Chatham Central on Jan. 17 and hold onto first place in the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference.
Fowler converted on numerous contested drives to the basket, shooting 61% from the floor and 40% from 3. He became the first Charger to score 30 points in a game since former star forward Drake Powell did it in a win over Richmond on Dec. 29, 2023.
“For me, I felt like the lane was wide open,” Fowler said. “I felt like they weren’t guarding me at all, so I just used my abilities to go to the paint and score,
Gary started Seaforth’s football program in 2021
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
SEAFORTH HIGH School
football coach Terrance Gary has stepped down from his head coaching position, the school announced last Friday.
In a thank-you letter to the school and its community, Gary said it was a “difficult decision.”
“My intentions were to stay on the sidelines for as long as I could, but I must prioritize what is best for my family and myself at this time,” Gary said.
“This decision has not come easily, and I will deeply miss being part of this wonderful team.”
Gary told the Chatham News & Record his decision came down to how he and the sacrifices made to build the program “neglected” his health.
“I was staying up really late,” Gary said. “Waking up really early, and I wasn’t working out, and I wasn’t eating correct-
Terrance Gary said he stepped down as Seaforth football coach, in part because he was neglecting his health.
ly. Just mentally and physically, I didn’t feel well. It just affected other parts of my life. I wasn’t able to separate football from other parts of my life.”
Gary became the school’s
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Northwood’s Cam Fowler (3) drives baseline to score in a win over Chatham Central.
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Northwood junior Shaylah Glover powers to the hoop during the Chargers’ win over Chatham Central.
Seaforth’s White nominated for McDonald’s All American team
The Virginia signee is averaging 19.4 points per game this season
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
SEAFORTH GIRLS’ basketball senior Gabby White is a 2025 McDonald’s All American nominee for the East team.
McDonald’s All American Games announced the boys and girls nominees on Jan. 15. White, a Virginia signee, was one of nine girls from North Carolina nominated for the prestigious prep basketball showcase.
Players could only be nominated by a high school varsity head coach, high school athletic director, a high school principal or the McDonald’s All American Game selection committee. The top 24 girls selected for the final rosters will be announced later in the month. The McDonald’s All American Games will be played on April 1 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
White, a 5-foot-10 guard, is rated as a four-star prospect and ranked 96th in ESPN’s 2025 HoopGurlz Top 100 recruiting rankings. She committed to Virginia in July and signed with the Cavaliers on a financial aid agreement in November.
“Gabby is an extremely high-character kid who is serious about her craft,” Virginia women’s basketball coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton said. “She
with their hands on the defensive end, forcing early turnovers and finishing the game with 12 steals. They just couldn’t overcome a bad shooting night.
The Bears made just nine field goals the entire night, shooting 20% from the floor and 9% from 3. Senior forward Karaleigh Dodson finished as their highest scorer with 11 points.
Northwood wore pink jerseys during the game in support of cancer research awareness on its Play 4 Karen night, honoring former Chatham County teacher and coach Karen Heilman, who died from cancer in 2021.
With the win over Chatham Central, the Chargers took full control over the thirdplace spot in the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference. Still without its standout point guard Nata-
first football coach in 2021, leading the program to a 6-3 record in its inaugural junior varsity season and a 9-21 record across three varsity seasons. Seaforth’s most successful season under Gary came in 2023 when the team finished with a program-best 4-6 overall record and went 4-4 in conference play.
“His hard work, commitment, and passion for the sport laid a strong foundation for the program’s future success,” Seaforth athletic director Jared Worley said in a statement.
Said Worley, “We all know, too well, the amount of heart and grit it takes to lead a program, let alone starting one! The time we take away from our families or ourselves and dedicate to our Seaforth family will never go unnoticed.”
Gary described starting Seaforth’s program from scratch as an “experience.” He recalled having a lot of help in the process as he reached out to numerous coaches for advice, including his mentor Richard Bailey (the first football coach at Jack Britt High School in Fayetteville).
“When I got into the game, one of the things that coaches told me was care about the kids, and everything else would come,” Gary said. “I put a lot of energy into that and also other things in the program which was trying to get people excited about football and teaching football and
is a big, athletic guard who can get downhill and create.”
The two-time all-state selection and three-time Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference player of the year is averaging 19.4 points, eight rebounds and 2.7
lia Whitaker against the Bears, Northwood has remained in position to move up in the standings by dominating the entire conference, except Seaforth and Southeast Alamance, in the first round of conference games. Outside of the losses to the top two conference teams, no other conference opponent has come within 20 points of Northwood this season. After a battle with Southeast Alamance Tuesday, Northwood will have one more regular season chance at knocking off Seaforth on Jan. 31.
“I think to just keep fine tuning what we’ve been working on, continuing to work as a team collectively, continuing to move the basketball and being unselfish and looking inside like we talked about are going to be keys,” Stubbs said. “Defensively, that’s what got us going
all the other things that come with it.”
Said Gary, “The other thing that people don’t see is I had to order jerseys from scratch, and I didn’t know what numbers to get or sizes or how to put them together. We didn’t have a field or weight room at the time, so you have to scramble around that stuff.”
After launching the program on the JV level in 2021, Seaforth went 2-8 in its first varsity season the following year. The Hawks picked up two Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference wins over Jordan-Matthews and Chatham Central but fell just short of their crosstown rival Northwood.
In 2023, Seaforth improved its previous record by two more games, adding wins over Graham and Bartlett Yancey. Although the Hawks won one less game this past season than they did in 2023, they saw improvements to the product on the field and played in more competitive games, like their 9-6 loss to Northwood that came down to the final moments of the game.
Gary said he wants to coach again, but for now, he’s going to remain as a weightlifting teacher at Seaforth until an opportunity opens up.
“I sincerely thank the Seaforth football players and their families for trusting me with your children,” Gary said. “Being on the sidelines with all of you has been a truly rewarding experience, one that I will cherish forever.”
steals per game during her senior season as of Sunday. White has scored in double figures in 13 of Seaforth’s first 14 games, recording a career-high 32 points in a win over Holly Springs on Dec. 20.
tonight, and our defense has got to continue to pick up as we go throughout the second half of conference play.”
Chatham Central now sits at fourth in the conference. Although the Bears are behind in competing for a conference title, they are still in good shape to make the 1A playoffs with North Moore sitting at seventh. The focus for the Bears will be a strong finish to the second half of conference play. Sitting at 17 in the 1A East RPI standings as of Monday, Chatham Central can improve their future playoff situation by beating one of the better teams left on its schedule. The Bears may not be on the level of Seaforth and Southeast Alamance this season, but there’s still some opportunities for good wins against Falls Lake (nonconference) on Feb. 6 and a rematch with Northwood on Feb. 11.
Seaforth’s Gabby White (3) throws a pass during a game against Northwood earlier this month.
Seaforth win at Wakefield on Dec. 14.
Within North Carolina, White is up against Albemarle’s Amari Baldwin (Winston-Salem State signee), Bishop McGuinness’ Adelaide Jernigan (NC State signee), Rolesville’s Caitlyn Jones (Wake Forest signee), Cannon’s Maya McCorkle (East Tennessee State signee), Terry Sanford’s Breonna Roaf (Winston-Salem State signee), Watauga’s Kate Sears (Virginia Tech signee), Mallard Creek’s Elle Stone (Delaware signee) and Cannon’s Khloe Thompson (Winston-Salem State signee) for a spot on the McDonald’s All American team.
White got a chance to play against Jones and outdueled her in a win over Rolesville last season, posting 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Across her four year career, White is averaging 16.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game, playing as the offensive and defensive leader for the Hawks. She’s helped Seaforth reach the playoffs in every season since the school opened in 2021, including a state final appearance in 2023 and a state semifinal appearance last year.
In the loss to North Pitt in the 2024 2A state semifinal, White backed up her postgame statement as being “probably one of the best guards in the country” by recording a 30-point, 11-rebound double-double in a duel with current NC State guard Zamareya Jones, who had 29 points and 10 rebounds in that matchup.
Outside of that performance, White has showed up huge in other big games this season. She poured in 26 points to down Southeast Alamance for first place in the conference on Jan. 7, and she scored 25 points to help
As a sophomore, White tallied 15 points and 11 rebounds in Seaforth’s 2023 2A state championship loss and was selected as the Hawks’ Most Outstanding Player. She also reached 1,000 career points as a junior.
Central Electric sponsoring two youth to attend basketball camp this summer
Central Electric awards two Touchstone Energy Sports Camp Scholarships annually to local students in Chatham, Harnett, Lee, Moore, or Randolph counties. A young man will be selected to attend the Carolina Basketball School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a young woman will be selected to attend the Wolfpack Women’s Basketball Camp at N.C. State University in Raleigh.
To be eligible to apply, the student must be in the sixth or seventh grade during the upcoming school year, have permission from a parent or guardian to attend the overnight camp and must provide their own transportation if selected to attend.
Scan the QR code or visit CEMCPower.com for more information or to apply. The deadline for applications to both camps is March 31.
GARY from page B1
GIRLS from page B1
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD Northwood’s Noelle Whitaker (5) plays defense during the Chargers’ game against Chatham Central.
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
County wrestlers place in Jets Invitational, Dash Classic
By Asheebo Rojas
Chatham News & Record
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Chatham Central, the third-place team in the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference, won a slow, ugly battle over second-place Southeast Alamance 32-31 Friday. Both teams recorded their lowest scoring outputs of the season. The Bears shot just 32% from the floor and went 1 for 15 from 3, but senior Reid Albright still mustered a team-high 18 points (8 for 10 from the free throw line) to split the regular season series with the Stallions and bring Chatham Central closer to second place in the conference.
Chatham Charter, the third-place team in the Central Tar Heel 1A conference, fell to first-place Southern Wake Academy 65-37 in their first meeting of the year. The Knights haven’t beaten Southern Wake Academy since the 2022-23 season. In the Knights’ 73-25 bounce back win over River Mill on Friday, senior Hunter Murphy led the team in scoring with 14 points. Woods Charter won its second and third games in a row with a 59-35 win over Triangle Math and Science on Jan. 14 and a 46-33 victory over Clover Garden School on Friday. Senior Bhuvanesh Senthil recorded a 20-point, 15-rebound double-double against Triangle Math and Science.
Seaforth beat Jordan-Matthews 63-48 on Jan. 16, snapping its two-game skid. That marked the Jets’ fourth loss in a span of five games, but they bounced back with a 55-47 win over Cummings Friday.
Week of Jan. 13 Power Rankings: 1. Northwood; 2. Chatham Central; 3. Seaforth; 4. Woods Charter: 5. Chatham Charter; 6. Jordan-Matthews Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference standings (as of Sunday)(overall, conference): 1. Northwood (15-2, 9-0); 2. Southeast Alamance (12-3, 7-2); 3. Chatham Central (11-2, 6-2); 4. Seaforth (7-8, 4-3); T5. Cummings (4-10, 3-5); T5. Jordan-Matthews (4-9, 3-5); 7. Bartlett Yancey (3-6, 2-5); 8. Graham (2-10, 1-6); 9. North Moore (310, 0-7) Central Tar Heel 1A conference standings (as of Sunday): T1. Southern Wake Academy (14-3, 4-0); T1. Woods Charter (7-4, 4-0); 3. Chatham Charter (12-8, 3-2); T4. Clover Garden School (5-7, 2-3); T4. Triangle Math and Science (3-12, 2-3); 6. River Mill (2-16, 1-4); 7. Ascend Leadership (3-8, 0-4)
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Seaforth extended its win streak to 13 with a 63-17 blowout win over Jordan-Matthews on Jan. 16. The Hawks put on a stellar defensive team effort with senior Peyton Collins grabbing a
team-high five steals to go along with her 11 points. Senior Gabby White led the scoring with 14 points and a team-high four assists.
Northwood junior Neah Henry led the Chargers in scoring for the second night in a row with 12 points in a 68-22 victory over North Moore on Friday. Henry also grabbed a team-high nine of the Chargers’ 27 steals. Northwood won six of its last eight games prior to Tuesday.
Chatham Charter won its third and fourth games in a row, beating Southern Wake Academy 55-8 on Jan. 14 and River Mill 46-5 Friday to stay undefeated in conference play.
Woods Charter dropped two straight games during the week, losing to Triangle Math and Science 32-18 on Jan. 14 and Clover Garden School 50-23 on Friday.
Things have been worse for Chatham Central as the Bears lost their third straight game at Southeast Alamance Friday 49-19.
Week of Jan. 13 Power Rankings: 1. Seaforth; 2. Northwood; 3. Chatham Central; 4. Chatham Charter; 5. Woods Charter; 6. Jordan-Matthews Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Seaforth (13-1, 7-0); 2. Southeast Alamance (13-2, 8-1); 3. Northwood (11-4, 6-2); 4. Chatham Central (8-5, 4-4); T5. Jordan-Matthews (3-11, 3-5); T5. Cummings (3-7, 3-5); 7. North Moore (4-7, 2-5); 8. Graham (3-10, 1-6); 9. Bartlett Yancey (0-10, 0-6)
Central Tar Heel 1A conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Chatham Charter (8-12, 5-0); 2. Triangle Math and Science (8-7, 4-1); 3. Clover Garden School (8-4, 2-2); 4. River Mill (315, 2-3); 5. Woods Charter (5-4, 1-2); 6. Southern Wake Academy (3-6, 1-3); 7. Ascend Leadership (2-11, 0-4) WRESTLING
Boys
Jordan-Matthews hosted its first Jets Invitational on Saturday with 16
JordanMatthews had three wrestlers place in its first Jets Invitational tournament.
other teams in attendance, including Chatham Central. The Jets had three wrestlers place, with Nermiah Page finishing first in the 113-pound bracket, Kaleb Moffitt finishing second in the 285-pound bracket and Jakari Blue finishing third in the 190-pound group.
Chatham Central’s Stephen Silhan III defeated Blue by a 10-6 decision in the 190-pound championship semifinals match, and Silhan finished first in the tournament after a 7-4 decision victory Jackson Valentine from Central Davidson. Carson Williams also earned a firstplace finish for the Bears after defeating Central Davidson’s Ethan Forrest by a 9-7 decision in the 150-pound division.
Seaforth had a successful showing at the Dash Classic hosted by Fuquay-Varina on Friday and Saturday. The Hawks had eight wrestlers place, including Jordan Miller (first, 113 pounds), Gabe Rogers (first, 120), Layne Armstrong (first, 132), Harrison Compton (first, 190), Ethan Kuball (first, 215), Judge Lloyd (second, 175), Caden Brewer (second, 150) and Luke Ayers (third, 106).
Northwood went 3-3 at the Eagle Duals hosted by Western Harnett on Saturday. The Chargers won over Triton twice (35-28 and 42-29) and beat Westover (45-36), but they fell to Gray’s Creek (42-36), Western Harnett (51-20) and defending 1A dual team state champions Uwharrie Charter (84-0).
SWIMMING
Woods Charter’s boys and girls fell short in team losses to East Chapel Hill and Chapel Hill in a multidual meet at the Orange County Sportsplex on Jan. 15.
Freshman Daisy Collins had a standout individual day for the Wolves, finishing first in the girls’ 100-yard butterfly (58.35 seconds) and the girls’ 500-yard freestyle (5:01.33).
Seaforth, wrestling
Seaforth wrestling’s Ethan Kuball earns athlete of the week honors for the week of Jan. 13.
In the 2025 Dash Classic hosted by Fuquay-Varina on Friday and Saturday, Kuball finished first in the 215-pound weight class. After pinning Fuquay-Varina’s Julian Feger in 54 seconds, Kuball went on to pin two more opponents until the final round. He won over Green Level’s William Estes by an 8-3 decision to secure the first-place finish.
With the win, Kuball has now placed in all five of Seaforth’s individual wrestling tournaments during his impressive season. He placed first in four of the tournaments and finished fourth in a highly competitive Knockout Christmas Classic in Kissimmee, Florida, in December.
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
NC State loses 3rd-straight ACC contest
The Wolfpack fell to .500 overall and 2-5 in conference play after a home loss to Cal
By Ryan Henkel
Chatham News & Record
RALEIGH — NC State saw itself on the wrong end of a one-possession game, falling 65-62 to visiting Cal on Saturday night at Lenovo Center.
It was a tight game the whole way, with 11 lead changes — the largest lead getting up to only six points — but in the end, the Wolfpack (9-9, 2-5 ACC) just couldn’t get enough shots to drop allowing Cal (99, 2-5 ACC) to win their first road game of the season.
“Obviously, from where I
from page B1
try to get on the free throw line a little bit, even though they weren’t falling. But I just like to attack.”
The Chargers led 49-47 out of a timeout with a minute and a half left in the fourth quarter when a wide-open Fowler caught an inbound pass from senior Beau Harvey and knocked down a corner 3 to put Northwood up five.
“The original play was to get something going to the basket,” Northwood coach Matt Brown said. “But they decided not to guard Cam. He’s hit a lot of big shots in his career, so I was very confident in putting him in that position.”
Moments after the 3, Fowler hit two big free throws to put Northwood back up five with just over a minute left to play.
Senior Isaiah Blair punched in the finishing touches on the ensuing Chatham Central possession after he swatted an inbound pass into Harvey’s hands and finished with a dunk in transition to put the Chargers up seven. As Fowler couldn’t be slowed down, Northwood sophomore Josiah Brown was also a problem for the Bears. Brown, the Chargers’ second-leading scorer on the night, scored all 11 of his points in the second half, including an early fourth quarter three that sparked a 5-0 run. He hit two 3s in the third quarter, including a flashy behind-the-back crossover into a step-back 3 that put North-
sit, this stinks,” said NC State coach Kevin Keatts. “This is our fourth ACC game decided by one possession. We have to get consistent and mentally and physically tough to finish some of these games.”
The Wolfack went 1 for 10 from beyond the arc, missed five of their free throws and had just five assists in the game.
“We took care of the basketball, but we didn’t shoot it well from 3 at all,” Keatts said. “We made our first 3 and then missed our next nine, but we had some great opportunities.”
NC State is desperately looking for a bit of consistency from a squad with only two players averaging double-digit points on the season: Marcus Hill (13.2) and Jayden Taylor (12.5).
“As a coach, when you go into a game, you want to know you can count on certain dudes,” Keatts said. “This guy is gonna have a high-assist game every game, this guy is going to be a great rebounder every game, but what we’re having is a lot of inconsistent play. It’s leading to one-possession losses.”
Defensively, the team is doing nearly everything you could ask of it.
The Wolfpack forced 11 turnovers — leading to 19 points — had six blocks, six steals, 31 rebounds and held California more than 10 points below their season average, but there were still a few key moments when the team crumbled.
The game-winning basket came just 19 seconds after NC State took its first lead since
the first half as the Wolfpack allowed an easy drive-by layup.
The team also gave up 12 offensive rebounds and failed to come away on a lot of 50/50 balls.
“Toughness is what we’re going to preach,” Keatts said. “That’s not just winning the physical battles. Being mentally tough. If you miss a shot, that’s OK. You have to get back and play some great defense and not let that affect you as you go along throughout the game.”
Keatts also expressed a bit of frustration with his squad’s apparent lack of commitment to team-focused basketball.
“If there’s any team that I’ve coached that needs one another, it’s this team,’ Keatts said. “I have to get some of our guys to
wood up 39-37.
“My teammates were just looking for me in that moment,” Josiah Brown said. “We just needed those 3s to get the momentum up, get the crowd going and get us hyped.”
Said Brown, “It’s nothing new to us. It’s good to see him hit a lot of open shots tonight, and I
think that’s going to carry with him going towards the second half of this conference play.”
For Chatham Central, the story of the game was missed free throws. The Bears went 6 of 14 from the line, including five missed free throws from senior guard Reid Albright. Albright finished the game
with a team-high 19 points. Seniors Luke Gaines, Brennen Oldham and Aiden Johnson poured in 10 points each, marking the first time this season the Bears had four scorers in double figures.
Chatham Central slowed the game down early taking its time on its possessions and
stop worrying about how many points they score and worry about what’s best for NC State., You see so many guys disappointed when a shot doesn’t go in, and nature makes you not be effective defensively when you’re not making shots. We have to do a better job in pushing some guys. I need leadership from those guys.”
Nearly every conference loss for NC State this season has been close. Four of their losses were one-possession defeats, and there have been positive in each of those game. But at the end of the day, close losses are still losses, and there is no consolation in losing.
“We’re playing as hard as we can play, we’re just not playing as smart as we can play,” Keatts said.
passing the ball around for the best look. A late first quarter run ending with a dunk by Oldham gave the Bears a 12-11 lead going into the second quarter. Despite being down 28-26 at halftime, the Bears built a five -point lead halfway through the third quarter before trailing by two once again entering the fourth quarter.
Northwood expanded its win streak to three with the win over Chatham Central, completing the first full round of games against conference opponents with an 8-0 record. This was the Chargers’ fourth game decided by 10 or less points, moving to 2-2 in such contests.
Brown said this year’s team is “different” with how they’re able to stay calm while down or in high-pressure situations.
“It was a good experience for us to be in a close game and to be able to pull out a close game,” Brown said. “Something we weren’t able to do at Washington, so it looked like we grew up a little bit tonight.”
As for Chatham Central, the Bears took their second loss of the season, moving to 0-2 against the conference’s top two teams. It’s nothing to look down on as the Bears had plenty of chances to win both games, but it does bring a heightened urgency to the second half of the regular season if they want to claim the conference’s top spot.
Chatham Central hasn’t beaten Northwood since 2003, but it’ll get another crack at the Chargers at home on Feb. 11.
BOYS
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Northwood’s Josiah Brown (4) and Chad Graves (34) trap a Chatham Central player on the sideline during the Chargers’ win.
SIDELINE REPORT
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
March Madness will pay women’s teams under new structure approved by NCAA Nashville, Tenn.
Women’s basketball teams finally will be paid for playing games in the NCAA Tournament each March just like the men have for years. The vote by NCAA membership was the final step toward a pay structure for women playing in March Madness after the Division I Board of Governors voted unanimously for the proposal in August. Now, so-called performance units that represent revenue will be given to women’s teams playing in the tournament. A team that reaches the Final Four could bring its conference roughly $1.26 million over the next three years.
D-I men’s basketball teams won’t need NCAA waivers for preseason games
Nashville, Tenn.
Division I men’s basketball teams will be able to play two exhibitions against any other four-year schools without needing a waiver that required game proceeds be donated to charity. The men’s basketball oversight committee for Division I approved the proposal taking effect for the 2025-26 season. The change also eliminates the requirement that proceeds be donated to charity, with schools free to choose how to split up the revenue from those exhibitions. The new rule also eliminates the requirement that any preseason practice scrimmages be played in private without official scoring, so-called “secret scrimmages.”
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Stewart scores 1st basket in Unrivaled history in debut of 3-on-3 women’s league
Miami
Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league co-founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, debuted Friday night. The co -founders squared off in the opening game, and fittingly, Stewart scored the first basket in league history on a baseline jumper. Collier’s team got the last laugh, however, rallying to win the inaugural game. The idea for the domestic league was first discussed a couple of years ago. The Miami venue that was created in about six weeks and seats about 850 fans was full.
MLB Blue Jays get OF Straw, $2M in pool space from Guardians
Toronto
The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired outfielder Myles Straw and $2 million in international signing bonus pool allocation from the Cleveland Guardians in a trade. Cleveland will send $3.75 million to the Blue Jays, offsetting some of the $14.75 million Straw is guaranteed for the final two years of a $25 million, five-year contract. The Guardians will receive a player to be named or cash. Toronto boosted its international signing pool to $8,261,600. Straw played 114 games for Buies Creek in 2017.
Darnold should have options if the Vikings don’t keep him
At least five NFL teams are shopping for franchise quarterbacks this offseason
By Rob Maaddi The Associated Press
SAM DARNOLD’S shaky finish shouldn’t ruin his impressive season or impact his future.
Several NFL teams need a franchise quarterback, and Darnold proved he can be that guy in Minnesota, becoming the first quarterback to record 14 wins in his first season with a team. He’s set to become a sought-after free agent unless the Vikings place a franchise tag on him. Despite his struggles in Minnesota’s final two games, including a 27-9 loss to the Rams in a wild-card playoff, Darnold should have plenty of
options in March if he hits the open market.
First, the Vikings have to decide if they want to keep Darnold or use their money to add pieces around J.J. McCarthy, who sat out his rookie season because of a knee injury.
“We got to see Sam play some incredible football for us, won a lot of big games,” general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said. “There were a lot of games where he was a win-because-of type of player. You also have to net that with all of (the games) in totality. I don’t want to give you the stock answer, but it really is. ... ‘What’s the team around him going to look like? (How) does this piece fit into our whole championship equation?’ We’ll do those exercises like we did last offseason.”
Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick by the New York Jets in 2018, finally lived up to expectations in his seventh season
Bob Uecker, Brewers announcer, dies at 90
A former player and TV celebrity, he called Milwaukee games for 53 seasons
By Steve Megargee The Associated Press
MILWAUKEE — Bob Uecker, who parlayed a forgettable playing career into a punch line for movie and TV appearances as “Mr. Baseball” and a Hall of Fame broadcasting tenure, died at 90.
Uecker’s family said he had battled small cell lung cancer since early 2023.
“Bob was the genuine item: always the funniest person in any room he was in, and always an outstanding ambassador for our national pastime,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “We are grateful for this baseball life like no other, and we will never forget him.”
Uecker was best known as a colorful comedian and broadcaster whose sense of humor and self-deprecating style earned him fame and affection beyond his .200 batting average. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Uecker was a beloved member of the community and a pillar of the sport. He broadcast Brewers games for the last 54 seasons.
Uecker signed his first professional contract with the Milwaukee Braves in 1956 and reached the majors in 1962. He’d last six seasons in the big leagues as a backup catcher, finishing with a .200 average and 14 homers.
He won a World Series ring with St. Louis in 1964 and also played for Atlanta and Philadelphia.
“Career highlights? I had two,” Uecker often joked. “I got an intentional walk from Sandy Koufax and I got out of a rundown against the Mets.”
Uecker became the voice of the Brewers in 1971, in the second year after the team moved from Seattle. Uecker remained with the club from that point on.
He got his big break off the field after opening for Don Rickles at Al Hirt’s nightclub in Atlanta in 1969. That performance caught Hirt’s attention, and the musician set him up to appear on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson. He became one of Carson’s favorite guests, making more than 100 appearances. Carson was the one who dubbed Uecker “Mr. Baseball.” And the name stuck.
Even as his celebrity status grew nationwide, Uecker savored the opportunity to continue calling games in his hometown.
with his fourth team. Signed to a $10 million, one-year deal to be a bridge quarterback, Darnold became the starter when McCarthy went down in training camp. Under coach Kevin O’Connell’s guidance, the 27-year-old Darnold thrived.
He threw for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, 12 interceptions with a passer rating of 102.5.
Darnold also became the fourth player in NFL history with 12 games with multiple touchdown passes and a passer rating of 100-or-higher in a season, joining Aaron Rodgers (14) Patrick Mahomes (13) and Matt Ryan (12).
But Darnold, who was picked for the Pro Bowl, had two of his worst games back to back when Minnesota needed him most.
The Vikings had a chance to earn the NFC’s No. 1 seed but lost 31-9 to Detroit in Week 18. They ended up as the No. 5
seed and were dominated by the Rams, who sacked Darnold nine times.
That led some analysts to speculate about Darnold’s future and whether two bad games cost him a bigger contract. The projected franchise tag for quarterbacks is $41.3 million, and Darnold is still expected to get a multiyear deal with an average annual salary of at least $40 million.
“Sam should be very proud about the season he put together from start to finish,” O’Connell said. “He answered the bell day in and day out with his preparation. And really, I think he learned a lot about what he can be in this league. And I think he proved to the whole league that he can play a winning level at quarterback.”
Five teams besides the Vikings where Darnold would be a fit include the Steelers, Giants, Raiders, Browns and Colts.
Bob Uecker throws the ceremonial first pitch before Game 1 of the National League wild card game in 2023 in Milwaukee.
“To be able to do a game each and every day throughout the summer and talk to people every day at 6:30 for a night game, you become part of people’s families,” Uecker once said.
Uecker was honored by the Hall of Fame with the Ford C. Frick Award in 2003.
Uecker’s comedy was just a part of his abilities. His warm storytelling and delivery made him a natural to become one of the first color commentators on network TV broadcasts in the 1970s with ABC. In the ’90s, he teamed up with Bob Costas and Joe Morgan for the World Series.
From there, Uecker reached most households as one of the Miller Lite All-Stars in pop-
ular commercials for the beer brand based out of Milwaukee and Uecker later launched his TV acting career in 1985 on the ABC sitcom “Mr. Belvedere.”
Uecker also played a prominent role in the movies “Major League” (1989) and “Major League II” (1994) as crass announcer Harry Doyle.
His wry description of a badly wayward pitch — “Juuuust a bit outside!” — in the movie is still often-repeated by announcers and fans at ballparks all over.
“He brought out the best in all of us,” Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio said. “He’s really the heart of Milwaukee baseball — Mr. Baseball. He’ll forever be in our hearts.”
MORRY GASH / AP PHOTO
RICK SCUTERI / AP PHOTO
Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jared Verse applies pressure to Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) during the second half of the NFL wild card playoff game.
Conan O’Brien to receive Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement in comedy
O’Brien leaped into the spotlight from near-total obscurity in 1993
By Ashraf Khalil The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Come -
dian and host Conan O’Brien was named the newest recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement in comedy last Thursday.
O’Brien, 61, has carved out an improbable decadeslong career arc, moving from goofy television interloper to comedic elder statesman. Along the way, he survived one of the most public failures in the history of television on “The Tonight Show” — only to launch a successful, and sustained, next act.
His travel series “Conan O’Brien Must Go” sparked popular and critical acclaim, with a second season coming.
In March, O’Brien will host the Academy Awards three weeks before his own Mark Twain ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Deborah Rutter, president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in a statement called O’Brien “a master of invention and reinvention, consistently pushing the envelope in search of new comedic heights.”
O’Brien offered his own tongue-in-cheek assessment, saying in the Kennedy Cen-
“(I will be) the first winner of the Mark Twain Prize recognized not for humor, but for my work as a riverboat pilot.”
Conan O’Brien
ter statement that he would be “the first winner of the Mark Twain Prize recognized not for humor, but for my work as a riverboat pilot.” He will be honored on March 23 in a special ceremony in which he will receive a bronze bust of Twain, the iconic American writer and satirist whose real name was Samuel Clemens.
Mark Twain recipients are honored with a night of testimonials and video tributes, often featuring previous award winners. The ceremony will stream on Netflix at a later date yet to be announced.
O’Brien leaped into the spotlight from near-total obscurity in 1993 when he was chosen to replace the legendary David Letterman as host of “Late Night” despite no significant on-camera experience.
The former Harvard Lampoon editor had spent the previous years as a writer for “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons,” appearing on camera only as an occasional back-
ground extra in “SNL” skits. Bringing a skittish, awkward energy that contrasted with Letterman’s deadpan persona, O’Brien constantly made fun of his own gangly appearance and inappropriateness for the job. He went on to host “Late Night” for 16 years, longer than any other host.
In 2009, O’Brien’s career and persona took a turn. He became the man who publicly gained and lost his dream job while America watched.
O’Brien was tapped to replace Jay Leno as host of “The Tonight Show” despite public warnings from his own guests that Leno wasn’t ready to cede the throne. After seven months of declining ratings, NBC executives brought Leno back for a new show that would bump “The Tonight Show” back. O’Brien refused to accept the move, leading to a public spat that ended with a multimillion-dollar payout for O’Brien and his staff to exit the network in early 2010. The aftermath split the comedy world, with Leno cast as the villain and O’Brien as the victim who was set up to fail. In an emotional goodbye on his final “Tonight Show,” O’Brien described himself as lucky and refused to sound bitter.
“Every comedian dreams of hosting ‘The Tonight Show,’ and for seven months I got to do it.”
JORDAN STRAUSS / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Conan O’Brien will be honored on March 23 in a special ceremony that will stream on Netflix at a later date.
this week in history
California’s gold rush began, Mozart was born, J.D. Salinger died, “Dr. Strangelove” premiered
JAN. 23
1368: China’s Ming dynasty, which lasted nearly three centuries, began.
1789: Georgetown University was established in present-day Washington, D.C.
1849: Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States.
1870: Approximately 200 Piegan Blackfoot tribe members were killed by U.S. Army troops under the command of Maj. Eugene Mortimer Baker in Montana in what became known as the Baker Massacre.
JAN. 24
1848: James W. Marshall found a gold nugget at Sutter’s Mill in northern California, a discovery that sparked the California gold rush.
1989: Confessed serial killer Ted Bundy was executed in Florida’s electric chair.
JAN. 25
1924: The first Winter Olym-
pic Games opened in Chamonix, France.
1961: President John F. Kennedy held the first live televised presidential news conference.
1971: Charles Manson and three of his followers were convicted in Los Angeles of murder and conspiracy in the 1969 slayings of seven people, including actor Sharon Tate.
JAN. 26
1788: The first European settlers in Australia, led by Capt. Arthur Phillip, landed in present-day Sydney.
1988: The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical “Phantom of the Opera” opened at Broadway’s Majestic Theater and went on to become the longest-running show in Broadway history.
2020: NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others were killed when their helicopter crashed in dense morning fog in Southern California; the former Lakers star was 41.
JAN. 27
1756: Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria.
1888: The National Geographic Society was incorporated in Washington, D.C.
VIII died; he was succeeded by his 9-year-old son, Edward VI. 1813: The novel “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen was first published anonymously in London.
1915: The United States Coast Guard was created under President Woodrow Wilson
1956: Elvis Presley made his first national TV appearance on “Stage Show,” a CBS program hosted by Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey.
1980: Six U.S. diplomats who had avoided being taken hostage at their embassy in Tehran flew out of Iran with the help of Canadian diplomats.
1944: During World War II, the Soviet Union announced the complete end of the deadly German siege of Leningrad, which had lasted for more than two years.
1973: A ceasefire officially went into effect in the Vietnam War a day after the signing of the Paris Peace Accords by the United States, North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
2010: J.D. Salinger, the reclusive author of “The Catcher in the Rye,” died at age 91.
JAN. 28
1547: England’s King Henry
1986: The space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, killing all seven crew members, including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe.
JAN. 29
1936: The first inductees of baseball’s Hall of Fame, including Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, were named in Cooperstown, New York.
1963: Poet Robert Frost died in Boston at age 88.
1964: Stanley Kubrick’s nuclear war satire “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” premiered.
Sting, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, to perform at FireAid Benefit Concert
Dave Matthews and John Mayer will perform live together for the first time
By Maria Sherman The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Sting, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga and the Red Hot Chili Peppers are among the performers slated to take the stage at FireAid, a benefit concert for Los Angeles-area wildfire relief.
Announced last week, FireAid was originally scheduled to take place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. It will now take place in two venues: the Intuit Dome and the adjacent Kia Forum on Jan. 30. It will be broadcast and streamed live on Apple Music, Apple TV, Max, iHeartRadio, KTLA+, Netflix/Tudum, Paramount+, Prime Video, the Amazon Music Channel on Twitch, SiriusXM, Spotify, SoundCloud, Veeps and YouTube. It will also be shown at select AMC Theatre locations in the U.S. According to a press release, contributions to FireAid will “be distributed under the advisement of the Annenberg Foundation, for short-term relief efforts and long-term initiatives to prevent future fire disasters. ... All proceeds from the FireAid benefit concert at Intuit Dome and Kia Forum will go
Sting, Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish are among the many
The lineup also includes Joni Mitchell, Katy Perry, Lil Baby, Pink, Rod Stewart, Gwen Stefani, Green Day, Jelly Roll, Gracie Abrams, Stephen Stills, Stevie Nicks, Tate McRae and Earth, Wind & Fire.
FireAid press release
directly to the event’s designated beneficiaries.”
The lineup also includes Joni Mitchell, Katy Perry, Lil Baby, Pink, Rod Stewart, Gwen Stefani, Green Day, Jelly Roll, Gra-
cie Abrams, Stephen Stills, Stevie Nicks, Tate McRae and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Dave Matthews and John Mayer will perform live together for the first time.
More artists will be announced at a later date. Tickets went on sale Wednesday via Ticketmaster.
The event is being held by Shelli and Irving Azoff and their family with Live Nation and AEG Presents. Since the wildfires started, celebrities and entertainment organizations have pledged millions to help those who have been displaced or lost their homes, including a $2.5 million contribution from Beyoncé to a newly launched LA Fire Relief Fund created by her charita-
ble foundation, BeyGOOD.
Last week, the Recording Academy and MusiCares launched the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort with a $1 million donation. Thanks to additional contributions, they’ve already distributed $2 million in emergency aid.
The 67th annual Grammy Awards will still take place Feb. 2, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles — though the Recording Academy has refocused its aim to support relief efforts following the devastating Los Angeles-area wildfires.
VIANNEY LE CAER / JORDAN STRAUSS / INVISION / AP PHOTOS
musicians set to perform for FireAid.
SCHOOL OF VERONA, ATTRIBUTED TO GIAMBETTINO CIGNAROLI VIA WIKIPEDIA Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, portraited at age 13 in Verona, Italy, was born on Jan. 27, 1756.
famous birthdays this week
Neil Diamond is 84, Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky turns 64, Oprah is 71, Alan Alda hits 89
THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week:
JAN. 23
Football Hall of Famer Jerry Kramer is 89. Jazz musician Gary Burton is 82. Actor Gil Gerard is 82. Actor Richard Dean Anderson is 75. Rock singer Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) is 72. Actor Tiffani Thiessen is 51.
JAN. 24
Cajun musician Doug Kershaw is 89. Singer-songwriter Ray Stevens is 86. Singer-songwriter Neil Diamond is 84. Singer Aaron Neville is 84. Comedian Yakov Smirnoff is 74. Actor Ed Helms is 51.
JAN. 25
Football Hall of Famer Carl Eller is 83. Actor Leigh Taylor-Young is 80. Actor Jenifer Lewis is 68. Actor Mia Kirshner is 50. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is 47. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys is 44. JAN. 26
Actor Richard Portnow is 78. Actor David Strathairn is 76. Actor-comedian-talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is 67. Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky is 64.
JAN. 27
Actor James Cromwell (“Murder in the First,” “Babe”) is 85. Dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov is 77. Actor Mimi Rogers is 69. Actor Bridget Fonda is 61. JAN. 28
Actor Alan Alda is 89. Actor Susan Howard is 83. Actor Marthe Keller is 80. Singer Sarah McLachlan is 57.
JAN. 29
Actor Katharine Ross is 85. Actor Tom Selleck is 80. Actor Ann Jillian is 75. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey is 71. Actor Heather Graham is 55.
CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO Talk show host Oprah Winfrey celebrates 71 on Wednesday.
MATT LICARI / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Actor Alan Alda, pictured in 2017, turns 89 on Tuesday.
CHRIS PIZZELLO / INVISION / AP PHOTO Singer Neil Diamond turns 84 on Friday.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Morris Chestnut,
‘The Wild Robot’ and ‘The Night
Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut “Blink Twice” is a #MeToo-era thriller
The Associated Press
A MEDICAL procedural that is mixed with tales of Sherlock Holmes on CBS’ “Watson” and Zoë Kravitz’s stylish directorial debut “Blink Twice” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also, among the streaming offerings worth your time: The animated charmer “The Wild Robot” begins streaming on Peacock, the FBI thriller “The Night Agent” returns for more adventures and recent Grammy-nominee Jordan Adetunji has a new mixtape, “A Jaguar’s Dream” MOVIES TO STREAM
“The Wild Robot” begins streaming Friday on Peacock. Writer-director Chris Sanders adapted Peter Brown’s middle grade novel about a smart robot (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o) who gets stranded in the wild and becomes caretaker for a young gosling. In his review for The Associated Press, critic Mark Kennedy wrote that it is an “absolute movie triumph, a soulful sweet-sad animated journey that may have your kids asking why you’re tearing up so much.” He also noted the striking visuals, “a textured world that is almost painterly. You can see snowflakes settle on mottled fur, moss on rocks, individual leaves in a den.” It’s a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination.
Kravitz’s directorial debut “Blink Twice” is now free to stream on Prime Video. Channing Tatum plays a tech mogul who flies cocktail waitress Friday (Naomi Ackie) out to a private island where strange things start happening. The AP’s Jocelyn Noveck called it a “stylish, ambitious, buzzy film that seems to aspire to be a gender-themed ‘Get Out,’ or a #MeToo-era thriller with echoes of ‘Promising Young Woman.’” Kravitz, she added, “almost pulls it off.”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays a New York writer who accidentally overhears her loving husband’s (Tobias Menzies) brutally honest assessment of her new book in “You Hurt My Feelings,” which comes to Netflix on Sunday. It’s one of several comedic dramas that play out in the film, written and directed by Nicole Holofcener, which co-stars Michaela Watkins as her sister, Jeannie Berlin as her mother and Arian Moayed of “Succession” as her brother-in-law. In his review, AP Film Writer Jake Coyle wrote that, “for Holofcener, something
Agent’
as commonplace as little white lies between a married couple is just as fertile territory as, say, time travel is to Christopher Nolan. To her, such a minefield of insecurity is a playground. And in “You Hurt My Feelings,” it’s glorious — albeit in a profoundly awkward way that can be mortifying — to watch her at play.”
MUSIC TO STREAM
Adetunji, a recent Grammy-nominee is best known for the viral “Kehlani,” an ode to the bright alt-R&B star. She later hopped on a remix, perhaps eclipsing the original but certainly putting the world on to Adetunji’s charms, which weave hip-hop and hyperpop, R&B and Afrobeats. The Belfast, Northern Ireland-based artist’s new mixtape, “A Jaguar’s Dream” expands on the initial excitement. These are transformative songs about love and lust.
Rapper Central Cee has become a figurehead in the London scene that pulls from the Chicago-bred musical style, and, as Vogue put it, “may very well be the first British rapper in history to clock up more than one billion streams.” He’s landed features with 21 Savage, J Cole, Ice Spice and Lil Baby, delivering tight raps in his unmistakable accent. And on Friday, he will release his debut album, “Can’t Rush Greatness,” just in time for the rest of the world to get on board.
SHOWS TO STREAM
The math doesn’t add up in global conspiracy thriller “Prime Target,” when strange things start happening to Cambridge university student Edward Brooks, played by Leo Woodall of “One Day.” Quintessa Swindell’s NSA agent soon calculates that something is wrong, and together they go on the run
in this new Apple TV+ eight-episode mini-series from former math teacher Steve Thompson. “Prime Target” is available on Apple TV+.
“The Night Agent,” based on a novel by Matthew Quirk, was a surprise hit when it debuted on Netflix in 2023. The story — about a young FBI agent (Gabriel Basso) who discovers there’s a mole in the U.S. government — immediately captivated viewers. The show returns for its second season Thursday. Filming is underway for a third season, too.
Two TV favorites get blended when “Watson” debuts on CBS on Sunday: A medical drama and Sherlock Holmes. Morris Chestnut stars in the modern-day procedural, which follows Dr. Watson after the death of his crime-solving partner as he shifts focus to medical mysteries. He is head of a clinic treating rare disorders, so every week
there is a new case along with the series-long fallout from Holmes’ death. Fans of both Sherlock and “House” will say: “The game’s afoot!”
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
It’s 2222 in Bandai Namco’s Synduality: Echo of Ada, and what’s left of humanity has been driven underground by toxic rain and the nasty creatures it has spawned. The good news? You get to tool around on the surface in a big ol’ mech — here called a “CradleCoffin” — while you collect resources and blast the mutants. Still, you’re not the only player on the planet, and you’ll have to decide whether to team up with competing mechs or try to gun them down. If you’ve always dreamed of building and riding around in your own giant robot, you can start tinkering Friday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.
“You Hurt My Feelings,” “The Wild Robot” and “Blink Twice” land on a screen near you this week.