North State Journal Vol. 9 Issue 5

and a ordable housing in other areas of the state. Concord received $25 million in revenue bonds for water, wastewater, and electric system improvements; Beaufort was approved for $18 million in interim nancing for infrastructure improvements; Charlotte will get nearly $4 million in nancing to consolidate Charlotte Water operations; Pembroke will receive $2.3 million in nancing, $865,625 of which will pay for a maintenance contract for radio-controlled water meters and meterreading equipment and $1.4 million will go to loan re nancing of a recreation complex; Kernersville was approved for $2.5 million in installment purchase for various projects; and Forest City will get a $650,000 lease-to-purchase agreement for a ood-reducing truck.

Additionally, the N.C. Housing Finance Agency was approved for $13.2 million in revenue bonds for a ordable housing development in Kannapolis. Inlivian Housing Authority was also granted approval for $11.5 million in conduit revenue bonds for a ordable housing development in Charlotte. The nancing will be provided to Ballantyne Housing for a 60 -unit multifamily rental housing development.

Wray drops protests, concedes defeat

Halifax Ten-term Rep. Michael Wray announced he wouldn’t ask the State Board of Elections to review the decisions by elections boards in Warren, Northampton and Halifax counties, dismissing his formal protests in the 27th House District primary race. Wray also had asked each board to conduct recounts, the nal one of which was completed Monday. But the recounts in all three counties resulted in no changes to the tallies, board o cials said. Rodney Pierce nished 34 votes ahead of Wray after nearly 12,000 ballots were cast. Since there is no Republican challenger for the seat, Pierce, a schoolteacher in Northampton County, will replace Wray, who had held the seat since 2005.

How sweet it is!

All three Triangle teams advanced to the Sweet 16, winning their rst two NCAA Tournament games last week. DJ Burns

and NC State, the South Region’s 11th seed, will face second-seeded

Friday

Looking back at pandemic school closures

North Carolina students are still battling the e ects of the COVID-19 shutdown four years later

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

NC legislators celebrate Howard Coble Day

Much of the state’s Congressional delegation decked out in plaid to honor the late politician

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — Members of both parties of North Carolina’s congressional delegation came together to celebrate late colleague Howard Coble.

“I’m proud to join my colleagues to honor the life and legacy of the former Dean of the North Carolina Delegation, Congressman Howard Coble,” said Rep. Richard Hudson (R-09) in a statement.

“Howard dedicated his life to serving North Carolina, doing so with kindness, humility, and integrity.”

Rep. Richard Hudson (R-09)

“Howard dedicated his life to serving North Carolina, doing so with kindness, humility, and integrity. He was a passionate leader, guided by his conservative principles and values. He set the standard for constituent service, working every day on behalf of the people of North Carolina. Howard was a mentor for me and so many others and left a lasting impact that we will never forget.”

Coble was also widely known for his penchant for snazzy plaid jackets.

To honor Coble’s memory, Hudson and other members of the North Carolina delegation have continued a tradition of wearing madras or plaid blazers around Coble’s birthday each year.

A North Carolina native, Coble was born in Greensboro on March 18, 1931, and passed away on Nov. 3, 2015.

Coble, a Republican, served the citizens of the 6th District from 1985 to 2015. Before his role as a congressman, Coble served in the House of North Carolina General Assembly starting in 1979.

RALEIGH — Earlier this month, the anniversary of one of the most impactful and controversial decisions in North Carolina education history passed without so much as a mention from state o cials.

On March 10, 2020, Gov. Roy Cooper issued executive order No. 116, declaring a state of emergency because of the emerging COVID-19 pandemic. Four days later, Cooper followed that with executive order No. 117, which prohibited mass gatherings and also closed public schools through the end of the month.

Just over six weeks later, Cooper announced all schools would remain closed through the rest of the school year.

N.C. Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) Secretary Mandy Cohen, now director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the Biden administration, unveiled the “Strong Schools Toolkit” in June 2020 to provide guidance during the pandemic.

The 26-page Toolkit contained requirements for school

operations, including masking, infection screening, personal protective equipment, as well as ventilation and water safety. The state’s districts would defer to the Toolkit for school reopening and masking throughout the pandemic.

Cooper and Cohen relied heavily on CDC guidance, as did the Toolkit, yet that guidance would come into question a little under two years when a Congressional committee found the CDC had allowed the American Federation of Teachers to rewrite key portions of school reopening guidance that had kept most schools closed. In some cases, the CDC had used AFT’s suggestions nearly verbatim.

In mid-July, Cooper held a press conference unveiling plans for schools to reopen while implementing moderate social distancing with 50% rotating attendance capacity and “blended learning.”

As the 2020-21 school year began, Republican lawmakers pressed Cooper to end all remote instruction and return children to the classroom. Senate Majority Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden), former Lt. Gov. Dan Forest and State Superintendent candidate Catherine Truitt held a press conference during which Berger called remote learning “a slow-motion train wreck.”

See PANDEMIC, page A8

Robinson, GOP leaders want answers on terror suspect

lowing a four-hour stando with police.

By

“I applaud Gates County Sheri Ray Campbell and his team for getting this dangerous criminal o the street,” Robinson said in a statement. “Our brave law enforcement professionals are a credit to the people of North Carolina. Their willingness to put themselves in harm’s way to keep our com-

See TERROR, page A2

on March 11 may be on the terror watch list. Robinson said during the press conference that he sent a letter to President Joe Biden demanding answers from his administration about Awet Hagos, who was arrested fol-

From left to right, Reps. Don Davis, Deborah Ross, David Rouzer, Richard Hudson, Alma Adams, Chuck Edwards, Je Jackson and Patrick McHenry of North Carolina pose for a photo to honor late Congressman Harold Coble in Washington, D.C.

Jr. (left)

Marquette on

night. Armando Bacot (center) and West No. 1 seed UNC play fourth-seeded Alabama in Los Angeles, while Jared McCain (right) and Duke — the fourth seed in the South — play Friday after the Wolfpack in Dallas against top-seeded Houston. See more in Sports

Walking humbly with God is the essence of the spiritual law. The Ten Commandments are an enlargement of this verse. The law touches the thoughts, the intents, the emotions, the words, the actions; but specially God demands the heart.

That which the law requires the gospel gives. “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth.” (Romans 10:4) In Him we meet the requirements of the law, rst, by what he has done for us; and next, by what he works in us. He conforms us to the law of God. He makes us, by his Spirit, not for our righteousness, but for his glory, to render to the law the obedience which we could not present of ourselves. We are weak through the esh, but when Christ strengthens us, the righteousness of the law is ful lled in us, who walk not after the esh, but after the Spirit.

Only through faith in Christ does a man learn to do righteously, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God; and only by the power of the Holy Spirit sanctifying us to that end do we ful ll these three divine requirements. These we ful ll perfectly in our desire; we would be holy as God is holy, if we could live as our heart aspires to live, we would always do righteously, we would always love mercy, and we would always walk humbly with God. This the Holy Spirit daily aids us to do by working in us to will and to do of God’s good pleasure; and the day will come, and we are pining for it, when, being entirely free from this hampering body, we shall serve him day and night in his temple, and shall render to him an absolutely perfect obedience, for “they are without fault before the throne of God.”

Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) is one of the most widely read preachers in history and is known by many as the Prince of Preachers. Spurgeon was pastor of the New Park Street Chapel (later the Metropolitan Tabernacle) in London. His works are now in the public domain.

Masking petitions rejected by NC Department of Labor

Several workers’ right groups led the requests

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — North Carolina Commissioner of Labor Josh Dobson rejected two petitions aimed at reinstating mask mandates and distancing requirements for businesses.

Dobson made the decision after reviewing the petitions, public comments and considering his agency’s rulemaking authority.

“After thoughtful consideration of the petitions … (I) have made the decision not to adopt either of the proposed rules,” Dobson said.

Luke Farley, the Republican

“After thoughtful consideration of the petitions … (I) have made the decision not to adopt either of the proposed rules.”

Labor Commissioner

Josh Dobson

nominee for labor commissioner, supported Dobson’s decision, stating the rules were “burdensome” for workers and businesses. One of the petitions involved masking requirements for “general industry/construction work-

ers” and the other for “migrant housing.” The petitions were led by workers’ rights groups to prevent the spread of airborne infectious diseases during public health emergencies. The groups involved included the NC NAACP, the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry, NC State AFL-CIO, the Union of Southern Service Workers, the Western North Carolina Workers’ Center and the Hispanic Liaison of Chatham County/El Vinculo Hispano.

Public hearings on the matter were held in January. More than 665 emailed comments were received, with the majority condemning government overreach; 47 of the 53 who gave public comments during the hearings opposed the petition.

Agreement renews NC’s bilateral partnership with Moldova

The state and the former Soviet Republic have had a relationship for 25 years

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — North Carolina and Moldova have rea rmed their bilateral partnership with the signing of a renewed ve-year agreement, marking the 25th anniversary of their enduring relationship.

Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall, who leads the North Carolina-Moldova Bilateral Committee, signed the agreement in Moldova’s capital, Chisinau, along with Moldova Prime Minister Dorin Recean and Minister of Foreign A airs Mihai Popsoi.

“We’re marking the 25th anniversary of this unique and enduring Partnership this year,” Marshall said in a press release.

“The North Carolina-Moldova Partnership is recognized by many as the strongest relationship to emerge from the Partnership for Peace, and the people-to-people diplomacy at its heart has never been more important than at this perilous moment in history.”

Moldovan President Maia Sandu honored Marshall with the Order of the Republic for her leadership in the partnership, acknowledging her significant contributions.

Moldova, situated between Ukraine and Romania, has faced challenges exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including hosting a signi cant number of Ukrainian refugees.

Marshall, who led a delegation from North Carolina to meet with Moldovan leaders and U.S. Ambassador Kent Logsdon, emphasized the importance of people-to-people

PUBLIC DOMAIN

“The Good Samaritan (after Delacroix)” by Vincent van Gogh (1890) is a painting in the collection of the Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, The Netherlands.

TERROR from page A1

munities safe deserves more cooperation from federal agencies that ought to be partnering with state and local law enforcement to prevent situations like this to begin with.

“I hope that the Biden Administration will act urgently to be more forthcoming regarding this potential terrorism suspect.”

In his letter, Robinson asks Biden to con rm that Hagos is on the terror watch list and, if so, why he is on that list. Robinson also inquired whether or not the Biden administration knew Hagos was in the country, if federal ofcials have determined how he got into the country and if Hagos has known associates who may also be in the country. Additionally, Robinson asked Biden if the federal government is aware of any other potential terrorist suspects in North Carolina and whether they have ties to Hagos.

The lieutenant governor’s letter to Biden was also signed by Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden), House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain) and Gates County Sheri Ray Campbell.

Prime Minister

Dorin Recean signed a new ve-year bilateral partnership between the state and the former Soviet republic.

diplomacy, especially in turbulent times.

This partnership, initially formed through the Partnership for Peace, has evolved into one of the strongest relationships between a U.S. state and a former Soviet Union republic, with the N.C. National Guard maintaining one of the longest-running partnerships with Moldova within the U.S. Department of Defense.

The partnership has facilitated various exchanges, including academic, medical, cultural and agricultural collaborations.

At a White House press briefing held later on the same day as the lieutenant governor’s announcement, Biden’s Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said she “had no information about it” when a reporter asked about Robinson’s letter. The incident involving Hagos began following a report of gun re made to the Gates County Sheri ’s Ofce. Deputies were sent to U.S. 13 South and Bareld Road where a man was observed ring a gun outside of Carolina Quick Stop. The man was later identi ed as Hagos. When deputies engaged Hagos to arrest him, they said he became “extremely combative” and “at one point attempted to disarm a deputy of their rearm” before he ed into his residence. After a four-hour stando , Hagos was arrested and charged with three counts of assault on a government ocial, three counts of resisting a public o cer and one count of carrying a concealed weapon.

“I hope that the Biden Administration will act urgently to be more forthcoming regarding this potential terrorism suspect.”

Lt. Gov.

prints revealed he was on the U.S. terrorist watch list. Campbell said Immigration and Customs Enforcement contacted his o ce to keep Hagos detained until federal agents could pick him up following his adjudication hearing. Until then, Hagos remains in the Albemarle District Jail under a $100,000 bond. Robinson’s letter to Biden says Hagos is from an area near the Yemen border that is “a known hotbed of anti-American terrorist activity,” and that Hagos came to the U.S. after living in Haiti. Campbell indicated Hagos was brought to the area by the Carolina Quick Stop owner and had been living nearby for around six months.

Mark Robinson

More than 6.5 million migrants are estimated to have crossed illegally over the U.S. southern border since Biden took o ce. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CPB) data for Fiscal year 2023 shows 736 encounters with known or suspected terrorists at ports of entry on the U.S. northern and southern borders. CPB’s data for 2023 includes 1.7 million “gotaways,” which are individuals who crossed the border without being encountered by U.S. border o cials.

According to Campbell, the processing of Hagos’ nger-

On the southern border, 80 individuals with such ties were encountered at o cial ports of entry and another 169 between ports of entry for Fiscal Year 2023. There were 487 encounters recorded at o cial ports of entry on the northern border and between those o cial entry locations.

PHOTO COURTESY

THE NORTH CAROLINA SECRETARY OF STATE’S OFFICE

PHOTO COURTESY GATES COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE Awet Hagos was arrested by the Gates County Sheri ’s O ce following a four-hour stando earlier this month.

North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, left, and Moldova

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EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

The next frontier in college athletics

Legalized gambling is controlled by the state legislature, not university presidents or athletic directors.

SINCE COLLEGE and university presidents and athletic directors and o cials at the NCAA can’t make up their minds about a fair distribution of money from television and NIL contracts for all universities and all student-athletes, the free market may be poised to take over and make those decisions for them.

College athletics is supposed to be a way to build the physical stature of students while developing their leadership skills. The Duke of Wellington has been attributed, incorrectly as it turns out, as saying, “Waterloo was won on the playing elds of Eton.” Such sentiment still rings true today. Perseverance through trials and determination to succeed against all odds are qualities Americans most admire, both of which are on full display in this year’s March Madness.

College athletics was not supposed to make coaches and the best players wealthy under the protection of nonpro t statutes. Professional leagues were established for that purpose. Unless college presidents and athletic directors can gure out how to put that genie back in the bottle, it is time to recognize college football as the big business it really is and treat every Division I College Football Playo team as a standalone, fully taxable private business.

If a university decides it wants to keep playing football under its current nonpro t status, it can drop out of CFP and schedule games against other non-CFP teams. Villanova, for example, won two NCAA men’s basketball championships in 2016 and 2018, but its football team competes in the FCS subdivision, proving winning in other sports without big-time football revenues can be done.

The most successful football programs in the SEC (Alabama, Georgia, LSU

EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS

Spring has sprung

People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.

I CAN’T SPEAK for other parts of the country, but here in Charlotte, we saw what, in my opinion, was one of the mildest winters in recent memory, with temperatures rarely getting low enough that one needed more than a zip-up eece jacket to keep warm outside.

That said, the winter months were typical in other ways, windy and not leaving much in the way of color on the trees, bushes and ground outside of the faded shades of brown, orange and red that the autumn months left behind.

This is one of those winters where Punxsutawney Phil was right in his “prediction” that we’d have an early spring, with several days in February reaching into the high 60s and going into the low 70s. March has already seen an 80-plus-degree day.

Because of that, the spring blooms also started early, with the redbuds and cherry trees already bursting with color, and the azaleas (which my dad planted many years ago) and Japanese maples not far behind. Flower gardens full of thrift, da odils and other owers in a neighbor’s yard are also sprouting nicely, with the pink magnolias doing their thing, presenting like an image straight out of Southern Living magazine.

and then everyone else) and Big Ten (Michigan, Ohio State and then everyone else) understandably don’t want to share any of the massive television revenue their conferences have negotiated for good reason: Their teams attract much larger audiences and generate far more ad revenue for the networks. Based purely on free market principles, each team should reap the rewards of its success just like any other person in any other endeavor of American life.

So why keep conferences at all? Hardly anyone would watch Vanderbilt play Missouri on the SEC Game of the Week if that was all that was o ered. Why not treat every one of the 134 CFP teams as if they are independent, just like Notre Dame has operated for their entire history, and let them schedule whoever they want to play and get paid according to the in-game attendance and television revenues each game generates?

The free market would determine each team’s annual revenues, not a convoluted conference agreement.

As a stand-alone business, each football program could keep whatever revenues it generates as long as it is fully taxable and complies with all labor laws. College presidents and athletic directors should be able to work out a deal with the new semiprofessional football program bearing the university’s name whereby the football program can make an annual contribution to support the nonrevenue and Title IX teams and receive a tax deduction just like any other private entity would receive ― and then keep the rest.

There is one other stream of revenue that could provide public universities in North Carolina more than enough revenue to compete nancially with the big boys and

stay right where they are today in the ACC, and that is legalized gambling.

Legalized gambling became o cial in North Carolina on March 11. Legalized gambling is controlled by the state legislature, not university presidents or athletic directors. The state legislature controls the bulk of funding for all 17 public universities in North Carolina. While some of the tax revenue expected to be generated from legalized gambling will go to help college athletic programs in some limited way, it is just a matter of time before an enterprising state legislator gures out how to create a robust revenue-sharing stream from the gambling industry to support the athletic programs of public universities such as UNC, NC State, Appalachian State and UNC Charlotte to start with. There is a symbiotic relationship between gambling concerns and college athletics which has never existed before in North Carolina, and both will need each other to survive and ourish.

Athletic conferences come and go. The Southern Conference had 24 members in 1930 before it spawned the SEC in 1933 and the ACC in 1953. The free market is about to decide how and where current ACC teams will play in the very near future, and fans will continue to follow and support their favorite teams regardless.

Under no circumstances should their football teams be allowed to do so under the protection of nonpro t statutes. The time to choose between for-pro t and foreducational bene t has come.

As I’ve said many times before, the arrival of spring and all that comes with it gives people a renewed sense of purpose and gets them motivated to reconnect with family, neighbors, their community and nature.

Along with this has been the reemergence of our male and female cardinals, which we didn’t see much of in the wintertime but who we see now several times a day at our bird feeders, with one of the female ones looking pu y like maybe she’s about ready to lay an egg or two. The chickadees, red-headed sparrows, fox sparrows and wrens have also been present, but the bluebirds? Not so much. We miss them and hope to see them and their beautiful plumage around very soon.

A year ago when I wrote my previous spring column, my mom was getting ready to nish the last of her scheduled rounds of chemotherapy for colon cancer, and we made plans at the time to spruce up the front patio with some new furniture and plants. We even contemplated having a ower bed put in.

While the ower bed idea was put on hold for the time being, we did x up the patio, and pretty soon there will be new furniture, which will complete the outdoor projects we started last year. This is one of Mom’s favorite times of the year, and my goal is to take full advantage of it so she can enjoy every moment of the season, much like my dad did when he was still with us and when he could still walk out to the wooden yard swing.

It’s also a time for people who spend more time working than playing to take a pause, a breather, to sit back and enjoy, to be amazed at God’s artwork, and to understand that there is so much more to life than just work.

Ernest Hemingway once wrote “When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest. The only thing that could spoil a day was people, and if you keep from making engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.”

That’s a quote to keep in mind not just this time of year but year-round.

North Carolina native Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah, and she is a media analyst and regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.

Biden’s tax plan that puts America last

This is like a Head Start program for all the countries we compete with.

I AM OFTEN ASKED if President Joe Biden is intentionally trying to dismantle the American economy with his imbecilic energy, climate change, crime, border, inflation and debt policies. But I’ve always believed these policies are driven by a badly mistaken ideology — not malice.

Then I watched Biden’s State of the Union speech. When Biden thundered that he was going to make corporations “pay their fair share,” the Democrats in Congress leapt to their feet in applause.

When I read through the details of Biden’s new multitrillion-dollar tax plan, it’s hard to come up with any plausible explanation other than that he’s trying to make American industry less competitive. Biden’s tax scheme would hobble United States businesses with nearly the highest corporate tax rate in the world — higher than our primary competitors.

They’re the big winners here if (God forbid) these policies were adopted. Even China and Russia — one communist nation and one autocratic nation — would have LOWER tax rates on their businesses than we would on ours.

This will lead to an outmigration of capital from the U.S. to our rivals as sure as river water flows downstream.

One of my first meetings with former President Donald Trump was in early 2020 when I showed him a chart that indicated the U.S. had the highest tax rate of all our competitors. When Trump saw the chart, he instantly remarked, “This is like a Head Start program for all the countries we compete with.” His goal was to empower American businesses with the lowest rate in the world. We didn’t get the rate down to 15%, but we did lower it to 21%.

This helped attract more than $1 trillion back into the United States from all corners of the globe — from Switzerland to Bermuda to Euroland. It helped raise incomes for working-class Americans despite being disparaged as a “tax cut for the rich.” As Trump once put it, because

COLUMN | MICHAEL MUNGER

Many politicos believe their Rube Goldberg systems of rules, regulations and “best practices” are better than market competition.

of the lower tax rates and other progrowth reforms, for the first time in decades factories moved from Mexico to Maryland rather than the other way around.

Meanwhile in Ireland, the 12.5% corporate tax rate has helped make that nation the fastest-growing land in all of Europe. They even have a budget surplus. That’s right: The lower tax rates have ushered in revenue. But Biden and the Democrats would rather bash big business for not paying “their fair share” than fix the problem sensibly. Ironically, the one industry in America that pays virtually no business tax is the green energy colossus. Why don’t we start with making THEM pay their fair share, which clearly isn’t zero?

The White House estimates their plan will raise $500 billion over a decade from corporations. Of course, corporations are owned by 130 million Americans with 401(k) plans and other retirement packages.

Not just the top 1% are going to get zapped here. Economist Kevin Hassett, who was Trump’s chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, has shown corporate tax rates are statistically inversely related to worker wages. Lower tax rates mean higher worker pay.

So blue-collar America will pay a large share of the Biden tax hike’s burden. But the Biden economics team is in denial on the science. They reject the real-world evidence that high tax rates deter job growth and investment, they ignore the Ireland experience, and they pretend the rich will bear all the burden of a tax that will hurt all American workers and consumers while benefiting our global competitors. These inane tax-hike policies will put America last — literally and figuratively.

Stephen Moore is a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a senior economic adviser to Donald Trump.

Regulation II: the worst of all credit card controls

IN MARKET SYSTEMS, rms pursue pro ts but are disciplined by competition. Surprisingly, to ensure low prices, we must allow high prices and let market forces do the rest. But our political leaders have increasingly chosen the worst of all possible worlds where they regulate competition but then impose rules to control fees and prices. It’s a mess, and it’s about to get worse.

To be fair, many politicos and credentialed “experts” honestly believe their Rube Goldberg systems of rules, regulations and “best practices” are better than market competition. But that failure of judgment is all the more reason North Carolinians should demand that regulators allow commerce and entrepreneurship to open up our nancial system to the scolding winds of innovation.

Prices are estimates of the value of an activity. A high price signals to outsiders: “There are opportunities here! Enter this industry and compete!” But in nancial markets, we have moved toward central state “control” of price under the pretext that this protects consumers. The problem is more than 120,000 families in our state are unbanked and over 570,000 are “underbanked,” using nancial intermediaries that don’t meet their needs.

There are many reasons for this, but one big factor was the decision in 2011 to cap the fee that large corporate entities pay nancial institutions to process debit card transactions. The cap has had two e ects: rst, the Walmarts and Amazons of the world are able to gobble up enormous savings on myriad transactions because their costs are arti cially limited by a corrupt bargain with regulators. The di erence is negligible on any one transaction, but taken together, the arti cial savings for big retailers are enormous. Second, poor families — who lack the political power of large retailers — are forced to subsidize the nancial industry by paying higher fees for banking. Many small banks will be unable to o er accounts with fees low

enough for poor families to use those services. By putting a thumb on the scale, regulators have forced the poorest to pay for the services enjoyed by the biggest and strongest or to forego banking services entirely.

To their credit, some Federal Reserve analysts had misgivings about the 2011 big-box giveaway. They labeled it a “challenge” and noted that its implementation was “likely to increase banking costs for consumers.” But now the central bank’s leadership has proposed Regulation II, which will force the price cap even lower. The idea is that lowering the swipe fees businesses must pay will bene t the economy.

The problem is that that is simply not true: Forcing transaction fees below the market price just makes the regulated rms try to cover their costs on other margins. The change will bene t a few large companies, but it will hurt existing nancial institutions and increase the costs that thousands of regular North Carolinians must pay at the same time. Worst of all, the arti cially low price will signal potential new competitors that they should stay out: “No reason to do business here!”

As Lisa L. Cole Martin, an adjunct instructor at North Carolina AT&T State University, put it, Regulation II “appears poised to exacerbate” North Carolina’s “inequities, bene ting large retailers rather than addressing the needs of those in greatest need.” Bank fees and interest rates will go up — and that’s for the residents who manage to keep bank accounts at all. Many people will become unbanked, a harm whose impact is hard to quantify but very real. North Carolina has already su ered under this policy when it was implemented in 2011. We shouldn’t have to get hit by a second wave. The Federal Reserve should pump the breaks on Regulation II while it still can.

Michael Munger is a professor of economics and political science at Duke University.

Gov. Al Smith

and the Anti-Trump Republicans

AS I’VE WATCHED SOME of President Donald Trump’s former appointees and allies say they can’t support him in 2024, I was reminded of a similar scenario in American history.

In 1936, former New York Gov. Al Smith decided that he could not support President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s reelection.

Smith was a popular reform Democrat who had been elected governor of New York four times. In 1928, he became the rst Catholic ever nominated for president by a major party. To strengthen his campaign, Smith convinced Roosevelt, who was then recovering from polio at Warm Springs, Georgia, to come back and run for governor. Smith lost the presidential race to Herbert Hoover, but Roosevelt became governor of New York.

When Roosevelt’s New Deal embraced government activism, powerful measures of intervening in the economy, and creating government programs for the poor and unemployed, Smith was alienated. He had been part of the eastern conservative wing of the Democratic Party, which had fought against William Jennings Bryan and his Western populism.

Smith was closer to the business establishment than to radical college professors.

Finally, Smith could no longer support the man he had previously recruited. On Jan. 26, 1936, Smith said at the American Liberty League Dinner:

“I must make a confession. It is not easy for me to stand up here tonight and talk to the American people against the Democratic administration. This is not easy. It hurts me. But I can call upon innumerable witnesses to testify to the fact that during my whole public life I put patriotism above partisanship. And when I see danger — I say ‘danger,’ that is, the ‘Stop, look and listen’ to the fundamental principles upon which this government of ours was organized — it is di cult for me to refrain from speaking up.”

Despite Smith’s defection, the Roosevelt New Deal coalition was massive (Roosevelt defeated Republican Kansas Gov. Alf Landon by 523 electoral votes and received 60.8% of the vote). Landon carried only Maine and Vermont.

I tell that story to say this: The anti-Trump Republicans resemble the anti-Roosevelt Democrats of 1936. They yearn for a party which has disappeared. They advocate policies which are no longer realistic or viable. They are repelled by Trump’s aggressive style and his dramatic shifts in policy.

They are rapidly becoming a fossilized reminder of a party which no longer exists — and wants to operate in a world which no longer exists.

Some have begun to harken back to the President Ronald Reagan years as a golden time. They wish the GOP could return to them. It is impossible to return to the 1980s because the world has changed. The problems have changed. The politics have changed. And the institutions are sicker and more destructive than they were under Reagan.

I rst spent time with then-Gov. Reagan in 1974. I worked to create the rst Capitol Steps event for candidate Reagan in 1980. For eight years, I served in the House as an active ally of President Reagan on nearly every issue. Reagan was bold in his visionary approach but careful and cautious in taking risks. While he said the ultimate outcome of the Cold War would be “we win, they lose,” he did not risk military confrontation with the Soviet Union.

Reagan would have been appalled at a 22-year war in Afghanistan, which the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs admitted this week was a strategic defeat. Reagan warned in his farewell address that we were losing ground to a cultural e ort to undermine our history, destroy the spirit of patriotism and eliminate learning what it meant to be an American. He would be much bolder and more radical today — faced with collapsing inner-city schools and radical anti-Americanism on college campuses. The Gov. Reagan who took on the counterculture at Berkeley was a much tougher and more intense opponent than the Morning in America Reagan from the 1984 campaign.

People who object to Trump’s aggressiveness and hide behind a sanitized, phony memory of Reagan forget that it was Gov. Reagan who said of the Berkeley protests, “If it takes a bloodbath, let’s get it over with, no more appeasement.”

As Matthew Continetti recently wrote for National Review, “If Donald Trump is elected president in November, he will have assembled a coalition unlike any Republican nominee in my lifetime.”

Citing research from the American Enterprise Institute, Continetti pointed out that Trump’s favorability is growing. His popularity is now at its highest point since he left o ce, and he is making steady gains with white and black Americans — and big gains with Hispanic Americans.

Continetti captured the current challenge for the anti-Trump Republicans: “We aren’t used to a politics where the party of the ‘Left’ represents the establishment, and the party of the ‘Right’ represents an insurgent movement against the settled way of doing things.”

In short, traditional Republicans who wanted to be part of the establishment are being alienated by new Republicans who want to change that establishment.

The traditional Republican leadership (largely the Bush wing of the party) came from Yale, Harvard, and Princeton, and had similar pedigrees. They see themselves as governing within the right wing of the old order. They are naturally repelled by the boisterous, noisy emergence of a working-class Republican movement which includes Latinos, African Americans, and blue-collar whites. It doesn’t help that the new Republicans want to shatter the old order — not join it.

Think of the anti-Trump Republicans as the Al Smith branch of the GOP. Their complaints will tell you more about them than Trump — and they will also lose.

sponsored

Jones & Blount

potential solution to funding challenges for citywide improvements.

WGHP

convicted in 2021 for a similar crime committed when he was 16 years old in 2016.

FOX8

Fence scheme suspect arrested

1 dead, 3 hurt in Thomasville shooting

A father of four was killed in a weekend shooting in Thomasville that also injured three others. Bobby Jarrel Brown, 35, was found dead after police responded to reports of a shooting Saturday on Hunter Street. Brown was identi ed by a family member. Brown is survived by three daughters and a son. Two other victims in the shooting are in critical condition, and another was treated and released from the hospital. Thomasville police are still trying to identify a suspect in the shooting.

WGHP

Guilford County

A man who is alleged to have convinced customers to pay for fence installations but never completed the work turned himself into Guilford County authorities Monday.

Milton Gray Jr, who is also wanted in Alamance and Mecklenburg counties, is facing several charges. WXII spoke to a Spokesdale man earlier this month who said he paid Gray, 53, half of the cost of a fence for his yard, $7,500, but the work was never completed. Gray has outstanding warrants from 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2023 in the three counties.

WXII

grateful to everyone who helped him go as far as he did in the contest.

WNCT

O cials scramble with budget after ruling

DAILY ADVANCE

More beach closed due to petroleum smell, sheen

Dare County The Buxton Beach Access along with an additional stretch of beach on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore was closed due to reports of petroleum odors and sheen on the coastal waters. Two-tenths of a mile of beach near a former Navy and Coast Guard site have been closed since September for similar reasons. The Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers plan to meet with the Seashore in the coming days, after which an update will be issued to the public.

OBX TODAY

Currituck County

After a North Carolina Court of Appeals ruling found Currituck County misused millions of dollars in tax revenue, county commissioners are planning to meet this week to gure out how to allocate money in the county’s budget. The court ruled that Currituck County had used occupancy tax revenue to fund police, re, EMS and more. The money is only supposed to be used to promote tourism. The county plans to appeal the ruling but must, in the meantime, reallocate funds and make budget cuts to follow the ruling.

WTKR

Applications for the Opportunity Scholarships program grew six-fold this year

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — Funding for the expansion of the Opportunity Scholarship program could be a topic for the General Assembly’s short session that begins on April 24.

The number of applicants for the Opportunity Scholarship program (OSP) that gives students grants to attend the private school of their choice is on track to outstrip current funding levels.

The North Carolina Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA) indicated it received around 72,000 new applications this year. That’s six times the 12,000 who applied in 2023.

Last year’s OSP enrollment landed at just north of 32,000 students. If even half of those students renew, it could cut into awards for the tiers, resulting in tens of thousands of applicants ending up on a waitlist. Recent trends, however, indicate at least 80-90% of those current students will reenroll with an Opportunity Scholarship. Per the NCSEAA’s data, 884 private schools were operating in North Carolina serving 126,768 students during the 2023-24 school year.

According to Senate Leader Phil Berger’s (R-Eden) o ce, that’s a good problem to solve.

“The surge in Opportunity Scholarship applications is the latest sign that North Carolina families value having choice in education,” Berger’s o ce said in a statement to North State Journal. “Just like any other budget item, legislators will discuss potential funding changes as they make budget revisions during the short session.”

The scholarships, ranging from $3,360 to $7,468 depending on certain criteria, were expanded during the past legislative session to include all families in North Carolina.

That expansion included $293.5 million in funding in

the most recent state budget. Despite previously unused funds, the General Assembly has consistently increased funding for the program, and it is expected to reach more than $500 million annually by 2031.

The number of members in a household, overall household income, and eligibility level for free and reduced government lunch subsidies are some of the criteria used to determine tier levels.

The scholarship awards are issued through a four-tiered system and are prioritized with current recipients and applicants from lower-income families in Tier 1 getting an award rst. Given the number of applicants, a lottery system may have to be implemented to determine distribution of additional awards for other tiers.

Of the 72,000 new applicants, Tier 1 (maximum scholarship amount of $7,468) had 13,680 applicants, Tier 2 (up to $6,722) had 18,720, Tier 3 (up to $4,480) had 26,640, and Tier 4 had 12,960 (up to $3,360).

The full eligibility guidelines can be found at ncseaa.edu.

Despite the increase in applicants, North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper called for a moratorium on the program during a recent unannounced visit to the North Carolina State Board of Education.

Cooper called the program “unaccountable” and a “reckless, reckless waste of taxpayer money.”

The governor also claimed “most private schools are not better than public schools” and said the program could “divert $200 million” from public schools.

Even at increased funding levels, the OSP would be a very small portion of education spending in North Carolina.

In Fiscal Year 2021-22 the state allocated a total of $152.1 million for the OSP, Education Student Accounts Program and the Disabilities Grant. The state’s overall K-12 education spending that year, including state, federal and local funds, was more than $16.7 billion — meaning the three aforementioned programs accounted for just 0.9% of the total.

Guns, sneakers seized from man accused of killing pregnant Amish woman in Pa.

A truck driver has been charged in the death

By Mark Scolforo

The Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Police investigating the killing of a pregnant Amish woman in rural Pennsylvania seized six guns, a variety of ammunition and a pair of sneakers that may match tread marks left at the crime scene during searches of the suspect’s home and vehicle, documents show.

Search warrant documents released over the weekend said 23-year-old Rebekah Byler suffered “multiple sharp force wounds” to her neck and was shot in the head during the Feb. 26 attack at her home.

Two counts of homicide and other charges against truck driver Shawn Christopher Cranston were forwarded to county court for trial after a preliminary hearing on March 15.

In a newly released search warrant a davit, a state trooper said Rebekah Byler’s 2-yearold daughter and 3-year-old son were present during the killing and the boy told investigators a man wearing sneakers had killed his mother.

Rebekah Byler’s husband, Andy Byler, and a woman who had been driving him and another man to look at roo ng jobs returned to the Byler home around lunchtime to discover her body

zeroing in on Cranston within a day of Byler’s killing and soon seized his trash, where they found a glove that resembled a piece of glove found at the homicide scene.

Neighbors in Corry told police that Cranston’s nickname is “Rumble” and he has been the sergeant-at-arms for a motorcycle club in Erie. One neighbor said Cranston usually carried a small, black pistol.

Andy Byler told police that about two weeks before his wife was killed, a man matching Cranston’s general description showed up at their home after 9 p.m. and inquired about buying the house, according to an adavit.

Former NFL exec accused of choking

Charlotte neighbor

Charlotte

in the living room. The children were unharmed. During the preliminary hearing, Trooper Shea Sedler testi ed that red and black Nike sneakers were found under a mattress inside a camper at Cranston’s residence in Corry. Sedler said the shoe pattern was similar to what he photographed inside Rebekah Byler’s home. Police also took DNA and ngerprints from Cranston, who has been jailed without bail since his March 2 arrest.

Cranston’s public defender, Gary Alan Kern, has not returned messages seeking comment. At the preliminary hearing, Kern argued prosecutors had not identi ed a motive

or produced a murder weapon.

Tire treads from Cranston’s Jeep appeared to match tire impressions collected from muddy ground at the crime scene, police said.

A camera on a business across the street from Cranston’s home recorded someone tting his description carrying items to the camper and starting a re in the hours after Rebekah Byler was killed, police said. Detectives said they hoped to remove “burn pile remnants” from Cranston’s home.

Along with two counts of homicide, Cranston, 52, also faces burglary and trespassing charges.

Police wrote that they were

Police said people who live several miles from the Byler home told them they had odd experiences since early December with a driver named Shawn whose phone number led investigators to Cranston. They told them Shawn, dressed in all black and with a small, black pistol in a belt holder, parked a Jeep in their driveway.

He “was walking around their property looking aimlessly into their elds and his speech made no sense,” Trooper Samuel Hubbard wrote two days after Cranston’s arrest. They said “Shawn” was about 50 years old, tall and heavy-set with gray hair.

“He was inquiring as to when and where they attend church and that he wished to go with them,” Hubbard wrote.

Feds search Combs’ properties in sex tra cking probe

The rapper and producer known as Diddy has had several lawsuits led against him in recent months

By Michael Balsamo and Colleen Long

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Two properties belonging to rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs in Los Angeles and Miami were searched Monday by federal Homeland Security Investigations agents and other law enforcement as part of an ongoing sex tra cking investigation by federal authorities in New York, two law enforcement o cials told The Associated Press.

It’s not clear whether Combs was the target of the investigation. The o cials were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

PANDEMIC from page A1

The day after the press conference, on Sept. 17, 2020, Cooper said districts could opt to open elementary schools for in-person instruction. A month after Cooper’s suggestion for elementary schools, the majority of the state’s 115 districts remained in remote instruction mode. On Feb. 2, 2021, Cooper encouraged districts to move to in-person instruction.

By the end of that month, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 37 with bipartisan support to reopen the state’s schools for in-person learning to all students, not just those in elementary grades.

A Cooper veto was followed by negotiations with legislators, and it led to a deal to reopen schools. The press conference announcing the deal — which featured Cooper, Truitt and legislative leaders — came exactly a year after Cooper declared his initial state of emergency, which ended up lasting 888 days.

In a statement, Homeland Security Investigations said it “executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners.”

A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s o ce in Manhattan declined to comment.

Messages to Combs’ lawyers and other representatives seeking comment were not immediately returned.

A police line was set up around the Los Angeles house in the wealthy Holmby Hills neighborhood near Beverly Hills. Helicopter video from KABC-TV showed a group of agents with vests that indicated they were from Homeland Security Investigations gathered in the home’s backyard near the pool.

There have been several sexual assault lawsuits led against Combs in recent months.

In February a music producer led a lawsuit alleging Combs coerced him to solicit prosti-

The impact on students lasted much longer. “When I assumed o ce in January 2021, North Carolina public schools were still closed because of the pandemic,” Truitt told North State Journal. “Ensuring the health and safety of students and school sta remained a top priority, but our team was working diligently to reopen schools because we knew it was best for student learning and mental health. We knew that in-person learning was really imperative, and with the proper supports in place, we were con dent we could safely reopen schools for all.

“The rst few months in o ce during the pandemic were challenging for a myriad of reasons, but I was determined to use that blip in time to rewrite the public school playbook.”

Nationwide, the closures had led more families to look for alternatives to public schools, with interest in homeschooling, charter schools and private schools growing signi cantly. At the same time, teachers threat-

“I did not do any of the awful things being alleged.”

Sean Combs

tutes and pressured him to have sex with them. Combs’ attorney Shawn Holley has said of those allegations that “we have overwhelming, indisputable proof that his claims are complete lies.”

Combs’ former protege and girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, sued him in November alleging years of sexual abuse, including rape. The lawsuit said he forced her to have sex with male prostitutes while he lmed them. The suit was settled the day after it was led.

Another of Combs’ accusers was a woman who said the rap producer raped her two decades ago when she was 17.

Combs had said in a December

ened to quit, school boards found themselves the focus of protests and student achievement plummeted to a 30-year low across the country.

North Carolina students were later estimated to be 15 months behind. Students with special needs in the state were hardest hit as remote instruction failed to meet their needs. Two years after the closures, those students were showing a steep decline in academic performance and increased behavioral issues.

Truitt said, post-pandemic, she knew there was an “appetite for change.”

“There was a widespread desire to really rethink the way the K-12 system operated,” she said, “and this was the glass-half-full mentality we charged ahead with when crafting Operation Polaris and putting a four-year vision in place to better serve students, teachers and parents. Four years later, I’m really proud of what has been accomplished.”

Academic achievement has improved in North Caroli-

Former Arizona Cardinals front-o ce executive Terry McDonough has been accused of choking a neighbor in Charlotte and has an April 11 court date to answer simple assault charges. According to Mecklenburg County court documents, a neighbor reported that McDonough chest-bumped him and then put his hands around his neck and tried to choke him. The neighbor also reported that McDonough shouted obscenities and derogatory terms during the incident on March 12. McDonough worked 10 seasons for the Cardinals’ front o ce. He led an arbitration claim against the Cardinals last April accusing owner Michael Bidwill of cheating.

Chick- l-A backtracks no antibiotics pledge

Atlanta

statement, “I did not do any of the awful things being alleged.”

Combs is among the most inuential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades. Formerly known as Pu Daddy, he built one of hip-hop’s biggest empires, blazing a trail with several entities attached to his famous name. He is the founder of Bad Boy Records and a three-time Grammy winner who has worked with a slew of top-tier artists including Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112.

Combs created the fashion clothing line Sean John, launched the Revolt TV channel with a focus on music, and produced the reality show “Making the Band” for MTV. His latest album, “The Love Album - O the Grid,” was released last year days after Combs was honored at the MTV VMAs. It was nominated for best progressive R&B album at February’s Grammy Awards, which the rapper-mogul did not attend.

na, especially in K-3 literacy — post-pandemic, students in the state have outperformed the nation. Truitt credited the success to the implementation of the phonics-based reading program called Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS). “North Carolina has seen two years consecutive years of post-pandemic academic recovery across virtually all subjects and all grades,” said Truitt. “Our K-3 students have achieved double-digit gains greater than the rest of the nation on early literacy assessments, and the number of career and technical education credentials students earn before completing high school is the highest in state history.” It’s still just the start of the recovery from the pandemic shutdown. “There is always more that can and should be done,” said Truitt, who lost her bid for reelection in last month’s Republican primary, “and I look forward to the work to come in the remainder of 2024.”

Chick- l-A backtracked from its decade-old “no antibiotics ever” pledge intended to help prevent human antibiotic resistance linked to the rampant use of the drugs in livestock production. Instead, the fast-food chain said in a statement that it will embrace a standard known as “no antibiotics important to human medicine,” often abbreviated as NAIHM, which entails the avoidance of medications commonly used to treat people and limits the use of animal antibiotics to cases of actual animal illness. Livestock producers have long used antibiotics to boost rapid weight gain in animals such as chickens, pigs, cows and sheep, improving the pro tability of their businesses.

Harris meets with Guatemalan president Washington, D.C.

Vice President Kamala Harris met with President Bernardo Arévalo of Guatemala to praise the newly elected leader on his battle against corruption. The meeting came as the U.S. grapples with an in ux of migrants at its southern border, including thousands from Guatemala and other nations in Central America. Harris announced that her work on improving conditions in the region has generated $5.2 billion in private sector investments. The two leaders also discussed the use of socalled safe mobility o ces that are designed to streamline the U.S. refugee process so migrants apply where they are and avoid paying smugglers to make the journey north.

Death of Missouri student appears accidental

Nashville, Tenn.

The death of Riley Strain, a University of Missouri student who went missing in Tennessee’s capital for nearly two weeks, appears to be accidental, police said. Metro Nashville Police Department spokesperson Kris Mumford said a detective attended the autopsy examination and Strain’s death “continues to appear accidental,” The Tennessean reported Sunday. Mumford said toxicology results were pending, but there is no apparent foul play. A nal autopsy won’t be complete until all testing is nished. Police announced Friday that Strain had been found dead in the Cumberland River about 8 miles west of downtown and foul play was not suspected.

GENE J. PUSKAR / AP PHOTO

A group of Amish gather outside the Crawford County Judicial Center in Meadville, Pennsylvania, following a March 15 preliminary hearing for Shawn C. Cranston, who is accused of killing an Amish woman and her unborn child on Feb. 26.

catastrophe

questions about when normal

shelter-in-place or stay-at-home majority of Americans normal.” end of this month.

How China will pay for this COVID-19

we begin to get back to normal

The comfort

The 3 big questions nobody

China lied about the origin of the tried to tell the world there were only worldwide panic, economic collapse and being thrown out of work. taxpayer at least $2.4 trillion in added Reserve backup liquidity to the the U.S. dollar were not the reserve fund any of these emergency of rampant in ation and currency aberrant ways and decisions through Diplomacy has obviously not worked world of 21st century health, hygiene communist regimes never take the blame remorse, because that is not what take advantage of every weakness pushing until they win or the event happens such as the Chernobyl believe that event, not the Star Wars the dissolution of the Soviet Union Chernobyl.

Cooper stated during know yet” if the asked as to the vague ones like “we of this state who undetermined thousands of cases asked and then questions about asked, there is people to treat those start getting back are people who sick. levels become a bad society were supposed course, is my family. I’m worried I will. After 2009 pandemic, of this brings up prefer not to repeat. most everyone has

WALTER E. WILLIAMS

WITH MOST STATES under either shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders thanks to local or state governments, a majority of Americans are having to adjust to what is being called the “new normal.”

ONE THING IS CERTAIN; after this COVID-19 virus dissipates around the globe and in the United States, China will pay for this catastrophe one way or another.

fallen into place. I understand the seriousness of the virus and the need to take precautions, but I’m uneasy with how people who simply ask questions about the data, and when things can start getting back to normal are treated in some circles with contempt.

Perhaps COVID-19 is China’s Chernobyl.

They’re treated as though we as a society simply must accept without question what the government tells us about when it’s safe to begin the process of returning back to normalcy.

Fixing college corruption

AMERICA’S COLLEGES are rife with corruption. The nancial squeeze resulting from COVID-19 o ers opportunities for a bit of remediation. Let’s rst examine what might be the root of academic corruption, suggested by the title of a recent study, “Academic Grievance Studies and the Corruption of Scholarship.” The study was done by Areo, an opinion and analysis digital magazine. By the way, Areo is short for Areopagitica, a speech delivered by John Milton in defense of free speech.

business & economy

No. The government works for us, and we have the right to ask those questions. And the longer stay-at-home orders are in place all over the country, and the stricter some of them get in states, such as Michigan, the more people, sitting at home feeling isolated and/or anxious about when they can get back to providing for their families, will demand answers.

Sponsored by App oved Logos

Sponsored by

already talking about the possibility debt we owe them as one way to get they have caused the US. Don’t hold your “Jubilee” to happen but ask your elected accountable in tangible nancial ways for expected to operate as responsible citizens of nation.

In order to put the crisis caused by China in perspective, zero worldwide pandemics can trace their source to the United States over our 231-year history. At least four in the 20th century alone can be directly traced to China: 1957 “Asian u,” 1968 “Hong Kong u,” 1977 “Russian u” and the 2002 SARS outbreak. There is evidence that the massive 1918 “Spanish u” pandemic also had its origins in China.

Leaders at the local and state levels should be as forthcoming as they can be with those answers — and again, not vague answers, but answer with details that give their statements believability.

We should all continue to do what we can to keep our families, ourselves, and our communities safe. But we should also still continue to ask questions about the data, because while reasonable stay-at-home measures are understandable, they should also have an expiration date.

Not one little bit.

Authors Helen Pluckrose, James A. Lindsay and Peter Boghossian say that something has gone drastically wrong in academia, especially within certain elds within the humanities. They call these elds “grievance studies,” where scholarship is not so much based upon nding truth but upon attending to social grievances. Grievance scholars bully students, administrators and other departments into adhering to their worldview. The worldview they promote is neither scienti c nor rigorous. Grievance studies consist of disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, gender studies, queer studies, sexuality and critical race studies.

and increased 50,979 over the year. The number of people unemployed decreased 1,265 over the month to 184,472 and increased 6,541 over the year. Seasonally

In 2017 and 2018, authors Pluckrose, Lindsay and Boghossian started submitting bogus academic papers to academic journals in cultural, queer, race, gender, fat and sexuality studies to determine if they would pass peer review and be accepted for publication. Acceptance of dubious research that journal editors found sympathetic to their intersectional or postmodern leftist vision of the world would prove the problem of low academic standards.

seriousness of the virus and the need uneasy with how people who simply ask when things can start getting back to with contempt. a society simply must accept without tells us about when it’s safe to begin the normalcy.

us, and we have the right to ask those stay-at-home orders are in place all over the them get in states, such as Michigan, feeling isolated and/or anxious about providing for their families, will demand levels should be as forthcoming as they again, not vague answers, but answer statements believability.

Since when did questioning government at all levels become a bad thing? That is what free citizens living in a free society were supposed to do, last I checked.

This is all new to Americans, and it is not normal. Not in any way, shape, or form. So while we should remain vigilant and stay safe, at the same time we shouldn’t get comfortable with this so-called “new normal.”

Several of the fake research papers were accepted for publication. The Fat Studies journal published a hoax paper that argued the term bodybuilding was exclusionary and should be replaced with “fat bodybuilding, as a fat-inclusive politicized performance.” One reviewer said, “I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article and believe it has an important contribution to make to the eld and this journal.”

Major industries experiencing decreases were construction, 900; manufacturing, 900; leisure and hospitality services, 200; and mining and logging, 100.

what we can to keep our families, safe. But we should also still continue because while reasonable stay-at-home they should also have an expiration date. and it is not normal. Not in any way, should remain vigilant and stay safe, at comfortable with this so-called “new

Leith acquired by Holman

A New Jersey-based automotive company has acquired a long-time Raleigh dealership chain.

under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah RedState and Legal Insurrection.

Virginia’s stay-at-home orders go into June.

Holman, based in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, has completed its acquisition of the North Carolina-based Leith Automotive Group. The purchase is the largest retail acquisition in Holman’s 100-year history.

Holman receives the large Triangle footprint of Leith, founded in Raleigh in 1969. Holman’s portfolio now features 58 dealerships, 34

“THIS IS in it”

(Psalm

Some of these orders extend at least through the end of this month.

The cavalier manner in virus, covered up its spread 3,341 related deaths has millions of Americans needlessly

THIS WEEK, according to members of and state and local governments, Americans the curve in the novel coronavirus outbreak. muted — after all, trends can easily reverse have abided by recommendations and orders. to stay at home; they’ve practiced social distancing; they’ve donned masks.

Here in North Carolina, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper stated during a recent coronavirus press brie ng that “we just don’t know yet” if state’s stay-at-home orders will extend into May.

There is 100% agreement, outside of China, that COVID-19 originated in Wuhan Province probably from the completely unregulated and unsanitary wet markets. Some believe it came out of a biowarfare lab run by the communist Chinese army.

Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah and is a regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.

Since when did questioning government at all levels become a bad thing?

The state Supreme Court also ruled a challenge to a Buncombe County removal lacked standing

“Our Struggle Is My Struggle: Solidarity Feminism as an Intersectional Reply to Neoliberal and Choice Feminism,” was accepted for publication by A lia, a feminist journal for social workers. The paper consisted in part of a rewritten passage from Mein Kampf. Two other hoax papers were published, including “Rape Culture and Queer Performativity at Urban Dog Parks.” This paper’s subject was dog-on-dog rape. But the dog rape paper eventually forced Boghossian, Pluckrose and Lindsay to prematurely out themselves. A Wall Street Journal writer had gured out what they were doing.

By Gary D. Robertson The Associated Press

That is what free citizens living in a free society were supposed to do, last I checked.

RALEIGH — A North Carolina appeals court ruled Tuesday that local leaders who refused calls to remove a Confederate monument from outside a county courthouse acted in a constitutional manner and kept in place the statue at its longtime location in accordance with state law.

Some papers accepted for publication in academic journals advocated training men like dogs and punishing white male college students for historical slavery by asking them to sit in silence on the oor in chains during class and to be expected to learn from the discomfort. Other papers celebrated morbid obesity as a healthy life choice and advocated treating privately conducted masturbation as a form of sexual violence against women. Typically, academic journal editors send submitted papers out to referees for review. In recommending acceptance for publication, many reviewers gave these papers glowing praise.

The three-judge panel unanimously upheld a trial court judge’s decision to side with Alamance County and its commissioners over the 30-foot-tall stat-

Political scientist Zach Goldberg ran certain grievance studies concepts through the Lexis/Nexis database, to see how often they appeared in our press over the years. He found huge increases in the usages of “white privilege,” “unconscious bias,” “critical race theory” and “whiteness.” All of this is being taught to college students, many of whom become primary and secondary school teachers who then indoctrinate our young people.

Lenten and Easter seasons provide a message of

I know that working from be glad” as the and dad, the have to be thankful pandemic.

If he does decide to extend it, questions should be asked as to the justi cation for it. And the answers should not be vague ones like “we must do this out of an abundance of caution.”

Until China adopts rigorous veri able policing and regulation of their food safety and health protocols, American business has no other choice than to build redundant manufacturing plants elsewhere purely for national security and safety reasons as well as supply and delivery reliability concerns.

The crisis has cost the debt plus trillions more in markets and nancial outlets. currency, we would not be measures without immediate depreciation.

The result: a reduction in expected hospitalization

Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University.

We need transparency and honesty from our scienti c experts — we need to know what they know, what they don’t and when they hope to know what they don’t.

According to the University of Washington Metrics and Evaluation model most oft cited Trump administration, the expected need peak outbreak was revised down by over 120,000, ventilators by nearly 13,000 and the number August by nearly 12,000.

For me, my making. As Corinthians a iction, so a iction, with God.”

It will need to be explained in detail to the people of this state who are being told to remain jobless and at home for an undetermined amount of time why models predicting hundreds of thousands of cases are reliable.

The most direct way to make China “pay” for this disaster is to o er U.S. tax credits to companies who will source at least half of their production back in the United States. There is approximately $120 billion worth of American direct investment in plants and equipment in China. Chinese direct investment in the U.S. is about $65 billion by comparison.

China has to pay for their economic and nancial means. to bring China into the civilized and fair trade. Totalitarian or express sincere regret totalitarian governments they nd in adversaries and adversaries push back.

Justices Allison Riggs and Anita Earls dissented from the opinion

By Gary D. Robertson

The Associated Press

I doubt whether the coronaviruscaused nancial crunch will give college and university administrators, who are a crossbreed between a parrot and jelly sh, the guts and backbone to restore academic respectability. Far too often, they get much of their political support from campus grievance people who are members of the faculty and diversity and multicultural administrative o ces.

The best hope lies with boards of trustees, though many serve as yes-men for the university president. I think that a good start would be to nd 1950s or 1960s catalogs. Look at the course o erings at a time when college graduates knew how to read, write and compute, and make them today’s curricula. Another helpful tool would be to give careful consideration to eliminating all classes/majors/minors containing the word “studies,” such as women, Asian, black or queer studies. I’d bet that by restoring the traditional academic mission to colleges, they would put a serious dent into the COVID-19 budget shortfall.

Here’s the problem: We still don’t know questions that will allow the economy to reopen.

To date, I’ve gone along with what the state has asked and then mandated that we do, but along the way I’ve also had questions about the data. State Republican leaders have, too.

An investment tax credit of 30% on half of U.S. investment in China today, or $60 billion, applied to repatriated American manufacturing investment to the U.S. would cost the U.S. Treasury $18 billion in tax revenue spread over a few years. $18 billion in lost revenue is decimal dust compared to the $6 trillion+ Marshall Plan we are now undertaking to save our own economy, not of defeated enemies as in the past.

RALEIGH — A tenant severely burned by a natural gas explosion inside his Durham rental home can’t sue the landlord for negligence or other claims because there is no evidence the owner was made aware about needed house repairs and a possible gas leak inside, the state Supreme Court ruled on Friday.

By a 5-2 decision, the justices reversed a split 2022 Court of Appeals panel that had declared civil claims led by Anthony Terry could be tried before a jury alleging in part that William V. Lucas failed in his duty to make home repairs and use reasonable care to inspect and maintain the property.

An explosion occurred in April 2017 when Terry turned on the light in the bathroom of his three-bedroom Durham home, setting him on re. He was in a coma for four months and wasn’t released from medical care until

Unfortunately, when certain types of questions get asked, there sometimes a disturbing tendency among some people to treat those simply questioning the data and asking when we can start getting to normal as though they are conspiracy theorists or are people who otherwise don’t care if they get themselves or others sick.

hope that we will once again enjoy sporting events, concerts, family gatherings, church services and many more after our own temporary sacri ces are over.

That is, unless an exogenous meltdown in 1986. Some program of Reagan, led directly in 1989.

First, what is the true coronavirus fatality important because it determines whether be open or closed, whether we ought to pursue more liberalized society that presumes wide ought to lock down further.

If you are re ect on this God’s example this di cult con dent we In this same neighbors helping In Concord, money to buy health care workers

Perhaps COVID-19 is China’s Senators in Washington of China forgiving $1.2 trillion China to “pay” for the damage breath waiting for a Chinese representatives to hold China this disaster.

Nor th State Jour na l for Wednesday, Apr il 15, 2

Since when did questioning government at all levels become a bad thing? That is what free citizens living in a free society were supposed to do, last I checked.

My rst concern as we go along in all this, of course, is my family. worried about them catching the virus, and I’m worried I will. After su ering from the H1N1 virus (swine u) during the 2009 pandemic, I’ve been trying to take extra precautions, because all of this brings way too many memories of a painful experience I’d prefer not to repeat.

We’ve seen case fatality rates — the number the number of identi ed COVID-19 cases and the denominator are likely wrong. We people have actually died of coronavirus. number has been overestimated, given that of death, particularly among elderly patients, sources suggest the number is dramatically many people are dying at home.

China has been cheating, stealing, pirating and pillaging American business now for the past 30 years. They have made no secret that they intend to replace the U.S. as the premier superpower in the world and replace the dollar as the reserve currency with their renminbi.

It is about time they are the world like any other modern

But what also makes me lose sleep is how easily most everyone has

Even more importantly, we have no clue actually have coronavirus. Some scientists of identi ed cases could be an order of magnitude number of people who have had coronavirus

COLUMN | REP. RICHARD

HUDSON

It’s okay to ask questions about when we begin to get back to normal

The comfort and hope

WITH MOST STATES under either shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders thanks to local or state governments, a majority of Americans are having to adjust to what is being called the “new normal.”

“THIS IS THE DAY the lord has made, in it” (Psalm 118:24).

Some of these orders extend at least through the end of this month. Virginia’s stay-at-home orders go into June.

Here in North Carolina, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper stated during a recent coronavirus press brie ng that “we just don’t know yet” if the state’s stay-at-home orders will extend into May.

fallen into place. I understand to take precautions, but I’m questions about the data, normal are treated in some

Court rules Alamance commissioners followed state law on monuments

I know that during this challenging time working from home or losing a job, it may be glad” as the Bible tells us to do. However, and dad, the Easter holiday has reminded have to be thankful and hopeful for, even pandemic.

If he does decide to extend it, questions should be asked as to the justi cation for it. And the answers should not be vague ones like “we must do this out of an abundance of caution.”

ue, which features a Confederate infantryman perched at the top. The state NAACP, the Alamance NAACP chapter, and other groups and individuals had sued the county and its leaders in 2021 after the commissioners rejected calls to take the statue down.

exercising discriminatory intent to protect a symbol of white supremacy outside the historic Alamance County Courthouse, thus creating the appearance of racial prejudice there.

It will need to be explained in detail to the people of this state who are being told to remain jobless and at home for an undetermined amount of time why models predicting hundreds of thousands of cases are reliable.

They’re treated as though question what the government process of returning back No. The government works questions. And the longer country, and the stricter the more people, sitting at when they can get back to answers.

For me, my faith is an important part of making. As I celebrated Easter with my family, Corinthians 1:4, which reminds us our Lord a iction, so that we may be able to comfort a iction, with the comfort which we ourselves God.”

To date, I’ve gone along with what the state has asked and then mandated that we do, but along the way I’ve also had questions about the data. State Republican leaders have, too.

to ensure state courts are open to the public doesn’t prohibit the placement of objects of historical remembrance in and around a courthouse. The courthouse monument was dedicated in 1914.

If you are celebrating the Easter season, re ect on this message and be comforted, God’s example and comfort all those in need this di cult time. Through faith and by helping con dent we will emerge out of this pandemic

Confederate monuments in North Carolina, as elsewhere nationwide, were a frequent focal point for racial inequality protests in the late 2010s, and particularly in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police o cer. North Carolina legislators enacted a law in 2015 that limits when an “object of remembrance” such as a military monument can be relocated.

Lenten and Easter seasons provide a message of hope that we will once again enjoy sporting events, concerts, family gatherings, church services and many more after our own temporary sacri ces are over.

Unfortunately, when certain types of questions get asked, there is sometimes a disturbing tendency among some people to treat those simply questioning the data and asking when we can start getting back to normal as though they are conspiracy theorists or are people who otherwise don’t care if they get themselves or others sick.

In the opinion, Court of Appeals Chief Judge Chris Dillon wrote that the county commissioners lacked authority under the 2015 law to remove the statue. He also said the county manager’s email to commissioners in June 2020, in which he asked them to consider removing the monument out of concern for protesters’ safety, did not qualify for an exception to that law.

Leaders at the local and can be with those answers with details that give their We should all continue ourselves, and our communities to ask questions about the measures are understandable,

In this same spirit, I continue to be inspired neighbors helping neighbors.

“Indeed, in many courthouses and other government buildings across our State and nation, there are depictions of historical individuals who held certain views in their time many today would nd o ensive,” Dillon wrote.

Since when did questioning government at all levels become a bad thing? That is what free citizens living in a free society were supposed to do, last I checked.

The lawsuit’s plainti s said the county and the commissioners violated the state constitution by

In Concord, a high school senior named money to buy a 3-D printer and plastic to health care workers out of his own home.

This is all new to Americans, shape, or form. So while the same time we shouldn’t normal.”

Judges Donna Stroud and Valerie Zachary joined in the opinion.

My rst concern as we go along in all this, of course, is my family. I’m worried about them catching the virus, and I’m worried I will. After su ering from the H1N1 virus (swine u) during the 2009 pandemic, I’ve been trying to take extra precautions, because all of this brings up way too many memories of a painful experience I’d prefer not to repeat.

Not one little bit.

Stacey Matthews has also and is a regular contributor

“At all times, the Monument Protection Law required the County to leave the Monument in its current place,” Dillon wrote. He added that a provision in the state constitution intended

Even with the 2015 law, Confederate monuments in North Carolina have been taken down in recent years, sometimes through force.

But what also makes me lose sleep is how easily most everyone has

See MONUMENT, page A10

NC Supreme Court rules landlord had no repair duty before explosion

the end of 2018, and years later still su ered constant pain and was bedbound most of the time, the prevailing Court of Appeals opinion said. There was a water leak in the bathroom that an expert said had caused a hole in the oor and for about seven years had corroded and rusted pipe in the crawlspace that supplied natural gas to the furnace. In the months before the explosion, the natural gas company and re department came to the home twice to respond to reports of the smell of gas, Friday’s ruling said.

In the majority opinion that sided with then-Durham County Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson’s ruling to dismiss Terry’s lawsuit, Associate Justice Tamara Barringer said the common law created no duty for a landlord to inspect a leased property. Lucas hadn’t inspected the furnace or other portions of the property since Terry and his family occupied it, she wrote. Terry’s wife signed a lease for the home in the mid-2000s.

However, the state’s Residential Rental Agreements Act, enacted in 1977, requires a landlord to make repairs, but only after

receiving notice of the problem or acquiring actual knowledge about the condition. Terry never provided notice to Lucas about the hole or the water leak or told Lucas about the times re ghters or the gas company had come to investigate gas leak reports, she added.

Terry’s attorneys argued Lucas had a duty to comply with local housing codes. But, the court found Terry presented no evidence the landlord knew there

was a problem with the ooring or “should have known there was a violation of the housing code.”

“The record reveals that defendant had no knowledge of and received no notice that there was an issue with the furnace or the ooring, a ording him no opportunity to take reasonable steps to remedy a violation,” wrote Barringer in the opinion.

In her opinion, Barringer said the lack of notice about issues a orded “him no opportunity to take reasonable steps to remedy a violation,” Barringer wrote.

Associate Justice Allison Riggs, who wrote a dissenting opinion, said she would have allowed the case to go before a jury, saying the 1977 law does create a duty for a landlord in part to maintain a property’s facilities and appliances “in good and safe working order.”

The case record “demonstrates genuine issues about whether this landlord was negligent in the duty to maintain in ‘good and safe’ working order the gas- red furnace and associated gas piping,” Riggs wrote. Associate Justice Anita Earls joined in Riggs’ opinion.

Natural gas provider Public Service Co. of North Carolina was a lawsuit defendant but claims against it were dismissed. The case attracted legal briefs from lawyers for several advocacy groups for the poor and for the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys.

Jason

GERRY BROOME / AP PHOTO

A Confederate monument stands outside the Alamance County Courthouse in Graham.

PHOTO

Trump wins signi cant victory in NY case

The former president won’t have to put up the entire judgment amount or be barred from business leadership

By Jennifer Peltz and Michael R. Sisak The Associated Press

NEW YORK — A New York appeals court on Monday agreed to hold o collection of former President Donald Trump’s more than $454 million civil fraud judgment — if he puts up $175 million within 10 days.

If he does, it will stop the clock on collection and prevent the state from seizing the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s assets while he appeals. The appeals court also reversed other aspects of a trial judge’s ruling that had barred Trump and sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., the family company’s executive vice presidents, from serving in corporate leadership for several years.

In all, the order was a signicant victory for the ex-president as he defends the real estate empire that vaulted him into public life. The development came just before New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, was expected to initiate e orts to collect the judgment.

Trump, who was attending a separate hearing in his criminal hush money case in New York, hailed the ruling and said he would post a bond, securities or cash to cover the $175 million sum in the civil case. Speaking in a courthouse hallway, Trump revisited his oft-stated complaints about civil trial Judge Arthur Engoron and the penalty he imposed. ”What he’s done is such a disservice and should never be allowed to happen again,” said Trump, who argues that the fraud case is discouraging busi-

ness in New York.

Trump’s lawyers had pleaded for a state appeals court to halt collection, claiming it was “a practical impossibility” to get an underwriter to sign o on a bond for such a large sum, which grows daily because of interest.

The Trump attorneys had earlier proposed a $100 million bond, but an appellate judge had said no late last month.

Monday’s ruling came from a

ve-judge panel in the state’s intermediate appeals court, called the Appellate Division, where Trump is ghting to overturn Engoron’s Feb. 16 decision.

Siding with the attorney general after a monthslong civil trial, Engoron found that Trump, his company and top executives lied about his wealth on nancial statements. The statements valued Trump’s penthouse for years as though it were nearly three

times its actual size, for example.

Trump and his co-defendants denied any wrongdoing, saying the statements actually lowballed his fortune, came with disclaimers and weren’t taken at face value by the institutions that lent to or insured him. The penthouse discrepancy, he said, was simply a mistake made by subordinates.

Engoron ordered Trump to pay $355 million, plus interest. Some co-defendants, including Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, were ordered to pay far smaller amounts. Monday’s ruling also puts those on hold if the $175 million bond is posted.

After James won the judgment, she didn’t seek to enforce it during a legal time-out for Trump to ask the appeals court for a reprieve from paying up.

That period ended Monday, though James could have decided to allow Trump more time.

James told ABC News last month that if Trump did not pay, she would seek to seize his assets. She didn’t detail the process or specify what holdings she meant, but her o ce has led notice of the judgment, a technical step toward potentially moving to collect.

Trump maintained on social media Friday that he has almost $500 million in cash but intends to use much of it on his presidential run. He has accused James and Engoron, who’s also a Democrat, of seeking ”to take the cash away so I can’t use it on the campaign.”

World of co ee being reordered by EU conservation laws

A European law will outlaw sales of products like co ee if companies can’t prove they are not linked with deforestation

By Aniruddha Ghosal The Associated Press

BUON MA THUOT, Vietnam

— A new European Union law may determine the fortunes of small co ee farmers across the globe.

The European Deforestation Regulation or EUDR will outlaw sales of products like co ee from Dec. 30, 2024, if companies can’t prove they are not linked with deforestation. The new rules don’t just seek to reduce risks of illegal logging and its scope is wide: It will apply to cocoa, coffee, soy, palm oil, wood, rubber and cattle. To sell those products in Europe big companies will have to provide evidence showing they come from land where forests haven’t been cut since 2020. Smaller companies have till July 2025 to do so.

Europe ranked second behind China in the amount of deforestation caused by its imports in 2017, according to a 2021 World Wildlife Fund report. If implemented well, the EUDR could help reduce this, especially if the more stringent standards for tracing where products come from become the “new normal,” Helen Bell eld a policy director at Global Canopy told The Associated Press in an interview.

Already, orders for Ethiopian-grown co ee have fallen. And Peru lacks the capacity to provide information needed for co ee and cocoa grown in the Peruvian Amazon. This is on top of other challenges, which in Vietnam include worsening droughts and receding groundwater levels.

“There will be winners and losers,” said Bell eld.

Vietnam can’t a ord to lose — Europe is the largest market for its co ee, comprising 40% of its co ee exports. Six weeks

It’s not failsafe. Companies can just sell products that don’t meet the new requirements elsewhere, without reducing deforestation. Thousands of small farmers unable to provide the potentially expensive data could be left out. Much depends on how countries and companies react to the new laws, Bell eld said. Countries must help smaller farmers by building national systems to ensure their exports are traceable. Otherwise, companies may just buy from very large farms that can prove they have complied.

MONUMENT from page A9

In 2018, protesters tore down a Confederate statue known as “Silent Sam” at the University of North Carolina campus at Chapel Hill. Statues of soldiers from the North Carolina Confederate Monument on the old Capitol grounds in Raleigh came down in June 2020. Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper, citing public safety, directed that the remainder of the monument and two others on Capitol grounds be removed.

On Friday the state Supreme Court declined to revive a challenge to the removal in 2021 of a downtown monument honoring former state Gov. Zebulon Vance. The state Supreme Court agreed unanimously that it had been appropriate to dismiss legal claims led by a historic preservation group that had helped raise money to restore the 75-foot-tall Zebulon Vance obelisk in the 2010s. The Society for the Historical Preservation of the 26th North

after the EUDR was approved, Vietnam’s agriculture ministry started working to prepare coffee-growing provinces for the shift. It has since rolled out a national plan that includes a database of where crops are grown and mechanisms to make this information traceable.

Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer, is better placed, said Bell eld of Global Canopy, since its co ee grows on plantations that far are away from forests and it has a relatively well-organized supply chain. Also, Brazilian-grown co ee is most likely to meet the EUDR requirements, according to a 2024 Brazilian study, because

Carolina Troops opposed the removal and sued, but a trial judge dismissed the lawsuit. The obelisk was dismantled before the Court of Appeals told the city and Buncombe County to stop the demolition while appeals were heard. But the monument base has stayed in place. Friday’s decision would likely allow the base to be removed. Associate Justice Phil Berger Jr., writing Friday’s opinion, did take issue with the Court of Appeals ruling that the society’s

much of it is exported to the EU, Brazil has fewer small farmers, and about a third of its coffee-growing acreage already has some kind of sustainability certi cation.

The EUDR has acknowledged concerns for less well-prepared suppliers by giving them more time and said the European government will work with impacted countries to ”enable the transition” while ”paying particular attention” to the needs of small holders and Indigenous communities. In Peru, collecting information about hundreds of thousands of small farmers is di cult given the country’s weak institutions and the fact that

breach of contract claim should be dismissed because the group lacked legal standing to initiate it. But because the society failed to argue the merits of its contract claim to the justices, the issue was considered abandoned, Berger added. “Therefore, plainti has failed to assert any ground for which it has standing to contest removal of the monument,” Berger wrote while a rming Thornburg’s dismissal of the society’s remaining claims.

most farmers lack land titles, according to a study of EUDR impacts by the Amazon Business Alliance, a joint-initiative by USAID, Canada and the nonpro t group Conservation International.

Ethiopia, where co ee makes up about a third of total export earnings according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report, has been slow to react. The national plan it rolled out in February 2024 fails to resolve the fundamental issue of how to gather required data from millions of small farmers and provide that information to buyers, said Gizat Worku, head of the Ethiopian Co ee Exporters Association.

Vance, who was born in Buncombe County, served as governor from 1862-65 and 1877-79. He was also a Confederate military o cer and U.S. senator. A statue of Vance still stands on the grounds of the State Capitol in Raleigh along with a statue of Gov. Charles Brantley Aycock. Both men also have statues in the U.S. Capitol. In 2015, N.C. lawmakers passed legislation to replace Aycock’s statue in Washington with a statue of evangelist Billy Graham.

A worker transports bags of co ee beans at a co ee factory in Dak Lak province, Vietnam, on Feb. 1.

MARY ALTAFFER / AP PHOTO

Former President Donald Trump holds up a copy of a story featuring New York Attorney General Letitia James while speaking during a news conference on Jan. 11.

Reddit goes public

The “front page of the internet” soars in Wall Street debut

By Michael Liedtke and Wyatte Grantham-Philips

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Reddit’s stock soared in its Wall Street debut as investors pushed the value of the company close to $9 billion seconds after it began trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Reddit, which priced its IPO at $34 a share, debuted Thursday afternoon at $47 a share. At the close of trading, it was up 48% at $50.44, backing o a peak of $57.80.

“This volatility is not surprising because there has been a lot of buzz around Reddit,” Reena Aggarwal, director of Georgetown University’s Psaros Center for Financial Markets and Policy, noted.

When Reddit’s price initially jumped, she explained, some investors who got an allocation may have sold their shares to cash in on the gains, bringing it back down. She noted that this could continue in the stock’s early days.

The interest surrounding Reddit stems largely from a large audience that religiously visits the service to discuss a potpourri of subjects that range from silly memes to existential worries, as well as get recommendations from like-minded people.

About 76 million users checked into one of Reddit’s roughly 100,000 communities in December, according to the regulatory disclosures required before the San Francisco com-

pany goes public. Reddit set aside up to 1.76 million of 15.3 million shares being o ered in the IPO for users of its service.

The remaining shares are expected to be bought primarily by mutual funds and other institutional investors betting Reddit is ready for prime time in nance, which is typical of IPOs.

Reddit’s moneymaking potential also attracted prominent supporters, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, an early investor and one of the company’s largest shareholders. Altman owns 12.2 million shares of Reddit stock, according to the company’s IPO disclosures.

By the tech industry’s standards, Reddit remains small. Thursday’s opening debut valuation of $9 billion is far below the $1.2 trillion market value boasted by Meta Platforms — whose biggest social media service, Facebook, was started just 18 months earlier than Reddit.

Reddit has never pro ted from its broad reach while piling up cumulative losses of $717 million. That number has swollen from cumulative losses of $467 million in December 2021 when the company rst led papers to go public before aborting that attempt.

In the recent documents led for its revived IPO, Reddit attributed the losses to a fairly recent focus on nding new ways to boost revenue.

Not long after it was born, Reddit was sold to magazine publisher Conde Nast for $10 million in deal that meant the company didn’t need to run as a standalone business. Even after Conde Nast parent Advance Magazine Publishers spun o Reddit in 2011, the company said in its IPO ling that it

didn’t begin to focus on generating revenue until 2018.

Those e orts, mostly centered around selling ads, have helped the social platform increase its annual revenue from $229 million in 2020 to $804 million last year. But the San Francisco-based company also posted combined losses of $436 million from 2020 through 2023.

Reddit outlined a strategy in its ling calling for even more ad sales on a service that it believes companies will be a powerful marketing magnet because so many people search for product recommendations there.

The company also is hoping to bring in more money by licensing access to its content in deals similar to the $60 million that Google recently struck to help train its arti cial intelligence models. That ambition, though, faced an almost immediate challenge when the U.S. Federal Trade Commission opened an inquiry into the arrangement.

Since last Thursday marked Reddit’s rst day on the public market, Aggarwal stressed that

the rst key measure of success will boil down to the company’s next earnings call.

“As a public company now they have to report a lot more ... in the next earnings release,” she said. “I’m sure the market will watch that carefully.”

Reddit also experienced tumultuous bouts of instability in leadership that may scare o prospective investors. Company co-founders Steve Hu man and Alexis Ohanian — also the husband of tennis superstar Serena Williams — both left Reddit in 2009 while Conde Nast was still in control, only to return years later.

Hu man, 40, is now CEO. Although his founder’s letter leading up to this IPO didn’t mention it, Hu man touched upon the company’s past turmoil in another missive included in a December 2021 ling attempt that was subsequently canceled.

“We lived these challenges publicly and have the scars, learnings, and policy updates to prove it,” Hu man then wrote. “Our history in uences our future. There will undoubtedly be more challenges to come.”

TikTok bill faces uncertain fate in the Senate

The bill would force a Chinese company to sell its stake in the popular social media app

By Mary Clare Jalonick

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The young voices in the messages left for Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) were laughing, but the words were ominous.

“OK, listen, if you ban TikTok I will nd you and shoot you,” one said, giggling and talking over other young voices in the background. “I’ll shoot you and nd you and cut you into pieces.” Another threatened to kill Tillis, and then take their own life.

Tillis’ o ce says it has received around 1,000 calls about TikTok since the House passed legislation this month that would ban the popular app if its China-based owner doesn’t sell its stake. TikTok has been urging its users — many of whom are young — to call their representatives, even providing an easy link to the phone numbers.

Tillis, who supports the House bill, reported the call to the police. “What I hated about that was it demonstrates the enormous in uence social media platforms have on young people,” he said in an interview.

While more aggressive than most, TikTok’s extensive lobbying campaign is the latest attempt by the tech industry to head o any new legislation — and it’s a ght the industry usually wins.

Some see the TikTok bill as the best chance for now to regulate the tech industry and set a precedent, if a narrow one focused on just one company. President Joe Biden has said he would sign the House bill, which overwhelmingly passed 36265 this month after a rare 50-0 committee vote moving it to the oor.

But it’s already running into roadblocks in the Senate, where there is little unanimity on the best approach to ensure that

China doesn’t access private data from the app’s 170 million U.S. users or in uence them through its algorithms.

Other factors are holding the Senate back. The tech industry is broad and falls under the jurisdiction of several di erent committees. Plus, the issues at play don’t fall cleanly on partisan lines, making it harder for lawmakers to agree on priorities and how legislation should be written. Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., has so far been reluctant to embrace the TikTok bill, for example, calling for hearings rst and suggesting that the Senate may want to rewrite it.

Warner, on the other hand, says the House bill is the best chance to get something done after years of inaction. He says that the threatening calls from young people are a good example of why the legislation is needed: “It makes the point, do we really want that kind of messaging being able to be manipulated by the Communist Party of China?”

Warner says “the debate has shifted” from talk of an outright

ban a year ago to the House bill which would force TikTok, a wholly owned subsidiary of Chinese technology rm ByteDance Ltd., to sell its stake for the app to continue operating.

Republicans are divided. While most of them support the TikTok legislation, others are wary of overregulation and the government targeting one speci c entity.

“The passage of the House TikTok ban is not just a misguided overreach; it’s a draconian measure that sti es free expression, tramples constitutional rights, and disrupts the economic pursuits of millions of Americans,” Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Hoping to persuade their colleagues to support the bill, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) have called for intelligence agencies to declassify information about TikTok and China’s ownership that has been provided to senators in classi ed brie ngs.

“It is critically important that the American people, especially TikTok users, understand the

Management shakeup at Boeing Arlington, Va.

Boeing CEO David Calhoun will step down from the embattled plane maker at the end of the year as part of a broad management shakeup Monday after a series of mishaps at one of America’s iconic manufacturers. Boeing has been under intense pressure since early January when a panel blew o a brandnew Alaska Airlines 737 Max. Fallout from the Jan. 5 blowout has raised scrutiny of Boeing to its highest level since two Boeing 737 Max jets crashed in 2018 in Indonesia and 2019 in Ethiopia. In all, the crashes killed 346 people.

Smaller businesses may be a ected most if TikTok goes away

Washington, D.C. A lot of “What ifs” still surround a bill the U.S. House passed last week that would mandate TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company to sell its stake in the platform or face a nationwide ban. Big brands that have relied on TikTok videos to reach younger consumers do not appear to be panicking as they wait to see what happens. But they have started planning. Some are retooling promotional campaigns originally intended just for TikTok. To mitigate any risks, many companies are researching alternatives and prioritizing in uencers who have sizable followings on multiple social media networks. Industry analysts say it will be more di cult for smaller rms and solo entrepreneurs to rebound if TikTok goes away.

Apple, Google, Meta targeted under new EU law

national security issues at stake,” the senators said in a joint statement.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has said very little about the TikTok bill or whether he might put it on the Senate oor.

“The Senate will review the legislation when it comes over from the House,” was all he would say after the House passed the bill.

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) says the classi ed brie ngs “convinced the vast majority of members” they have to address the collection of data from the app and TikTok’s ability to push out misinformation to users.

“I think it’s a clear danger to our country if we don’t act,” he said. “It does not have to be done in two weeks, but it does have to be done.”

Tillis says senators may have to continue laying the groundwork for a while and educating colleagues on why some regulation is needed, with an eye toward passing legislation in the next Congress. “It can’t be the wild, wild west,” Tillis said.

Brussels European Union regulators have opened investigations into Apple, Google and Meta, in the rst cases under a sweeping new law designed to stop Big Tech companies from cornering digital markets that took e ect earlier this month. The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm, said Monday it was investigating the companies for “noncompliance” with the Digital Markets Act. It’s a broad rulebook that targets Big Tech “gatekeeper” companies forcing them to comply with a set of do’s and don’ts, under threat of hefty nancial penalties or even breaking up businesses. The rules have the broad but vague goal of making digital markets “fairer” and “more contestable.”

Trump’s social media company to start trading on the Nasdaq New York

Trump Media & Technology Group, whose agship product is social networking site Truth Social, began trading on the Nasdaq stock market Tuesday. Shareholders of Digital World Acquisition Corp., a publicly traded shell company, approved a deal to merge with Trump’s media business in a Friday vote. The common stock of Trump Media & Technology Group will trade under the ticker symbol “DJT.”

YUKI IWAMURA / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Reddit went public on Thursday, pricing its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange at $34 a share.

Mini Cooper S Clubman

Sparking joy

By Jordan Golson North State Journal

BOSTON — I’ve long had an a nity for Mini. It probably stems from the delightfully silly 2003 movie “The Italian Job,” where the new Mini was the star of the show.

Back in the mid-2000s, climbing inside the “new” Mini — to distinguish it from the “old” Mini, which, unbelievably, was sold until October 2000 — was an eye-popping experience.

Tiny by modern standards, especially for Americans not used to wee European city cars, there were surprise-and-delight moments everywhere. A giant circular speedometer sat high atop the center of the dash, an homage to the car’s rally racing heritage, and all the switches looked like old-timey toggles from a ‘60s airliner.

The starter switch, a glowing red toggle, sat low in the middle of the center stack, while controls for the sunroof and reading lights sat above you, reinforcing the aviation feel. Even better, it had one of the rst ambient light setups, with a switch that you could hold to cycle through all the di erent color options.

It was a car full of whimsy and an e ective entry into the world of BMW (Mini’s owner, though the car is still built in England, much like Rolls-Royce). I tried to buy a Mini Cooper S in British Racing Green around 2005 but couldn’t a ord the $28,000 price tag.

Interestingly, $28k in 2005 is equivalent to around $44,500 in 2024 dollars—the same as the price of my test car this week, the 2023 Mini Cooper S Clubman All4.

Every Mini I’ve driven has been a joy — in early 2022 I called the hot hatch Mini John Cooper Works a “grin-inducing go kart on steroids” — but this Clubman might be my favorite yet. It’s the perfect balance of practicality and grin-induction.

The Clubman is basically the standard Mini Cooper (which

comes in three-door, ve-door and convertible guise; Clubman has no coupe or drop-top edition) stretched out a bit to have additional cargo space in the boot. It’s not taller or bigger, like the larger Countryman; it’s just a touch longer, so you can t more stu in the back.

Otherwise, it’s the same spirited hot hatch as the regular Cooper. My tester was the S variant, tted with a 2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, making 189 horsepower and 207 torque. That’s not a ton, to be fair, but with a quick-shifting 8-speed transmission (and the driving mode changed to Sport) the Clubman was happy to rocket around like a go kart.

The Mini’s wheels are pushed way out to the corners, improving handling and stability and adding to that go-kart-esque drive. The steering wheel is big and chunky, again a throwback to the old Mini.

I love the interior, though it’s not quite the throwback it once was. There’s still a circular center display, but it’s not the giant physical speedometer it once was. Instead, there’s a rectangular digital display that supports wireless CarPlay and Android Auto and a less-than-spectacular nav and infotainment system that is due for an upgrade.

Another screen sits above the steering wheel, showing a tachometer and digital speedometer — it certainly has a unique feel. Still, it’s much less charming than the Mini of 20 years ago that I pined for, which had a physical tach in front of the wheel.

But we still have the bright silver toggle switches, knobs to control the dual-zone climate control, and a weird knob control for the infotainment that’s almost the same distance away from the driver as the screen itself.

But my favorite part of the Clubman is the split-open rear doors. They pop open like a delivery van, only a teeny tiny one. I can’t quite put my nger

on why they bring me so much joy. Perhaps it’s the satisfying “clunk” it makes when you pull on the door handle or the double “thunk” it makes when you close the doors one after another. I can’t think of another automobile with doors like these, and that’s probably why I love it so much. It’s di erent. It’s unusual. It’s fun.

That’s what Mini is all about. You can customize the mirror caps with black-and-white checkered ag colors, and the taillights have a subtle Union Jack that you might not notice the rst time you see them. And the key fob is this weird circular thing for no reason in particular.

Sadly, the Clubman has been discontinued to make room at the factory for future electric car production (something the Mini will be perfect for), though the three- and ve-door gas-powered models will continue through the end of the decade.

But the fun is still alive and well at Mini. Thirty-four years passed between the 1969 and 2003 Italian Job movies. That means we have 13 years before the next remake, right?

PHOTOS

Don’t tell UNC the ACC is down, B4

More Madness

The NCAA Tournament isn’t the only game in town. Three other North Carolina teams received bids to postseason events. Above, Wake Forest guard Hunter Sallis (23) drives the lane against Appalachian State during the rst round of the NIT. Wake eliminated the Mountaineers but lost to Georgia in the next round. High Point is still alive in the CBI.

Seven scoops: Wolfpack defying odds, still dancing in Sweet 16

NC State has won seven straight games and are now set for a historic rematch

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

SOMEHOW, SOME WAY, the NC State Wolfpack has found their way into the Sweet 16.

The Wolfpack, who ended their regular season on a fourgame losing streak, weren’t even supposed to be in the NCAA Tournament.

But they went to Washington, D.C., and stole a bid by winning ve games in ve days to secure the program’s rst ACC title since 1987.

Then in Pittsburgh, the Wolfpack upset the Texas Tech Red Raiders 80-67 and then fended o the Oakland Grizzlies 79-73 in an overtime thriller.

Baltimore

owner Peter Angelos has died at the age of 94. His family announced in a statement that Angelos, who had been ill for several years, died Saturday. He was owner of an Orioles team that endured long losing stretches and a shrewd proprietor of a law rm that won high-pro le cases against industry titans such as tobacco giant Philip Morris. Angelos’ death comes as his son, John, is in the process of selling the Orioles to a group headed by Carlyle Group Inc. co-founder David Rubenstein.

NCAA WRESTLING

Three NC State wrestlers named All-Americans

Kansas City NC State sent wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in all 10 weight classes, and three went on to earn All-America status with their performance at the national meet. At 197 pounds, Trent Hidlay made it to the national championship match for the second time in his career, nishing second in the country after a 6-1 loss, his only defeat of the season. Ryan Jack nished seventh at 141 pounds, while Kai Orine nished eighth at 133 pounds. Overall, the Wolfpack tied for eleventh in the team standings.

The Blue Devils have had strong performances on defense and o ense after surviving a rough patch

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

DUKE BASKETBALL in recent weeks has been like spring weather in North Carolina. If you don’t like what you see, just wait a little while. During the second half of the ACC schedule through the rst weekend of the NCAA Tournament, Blue Devil fans have been ditching their jacket mid-morning and wearing out the thermostat, switching between A/C and heat.

Coach Jon Scheyer appeared to have the Blue Devils on a roll, winning ve straight until an inexplicable loss at Wake Forest where the Duke defense suddenly vanished, allowing season worsts in defensive e ciency and opponent shooting allowed.

This season turned on a dime for the Oak City natives. From a struggling team whose coach was on the hot seat to a squad that will now go down in program history.

For the rst time since 2015, they’re dancing in the Sweet 16.

“It’s been impressive, this run that we’re on,” said NC State coach Kevin Keatts. “All the credit has to go to the hard work that the players have put in and they’re receiving the fruits of their labor because of that. I’m so excited for our guys. We’re going to the Sweet Sixteen and this was a team that most people didn’t even think we could make it out of D.C. But I’m proud of their ght, proud of who they are and how we’ve really grown as a team.

“I think we’ve just come together. We’ve been a good team all year long, we just didn’t stack games or opportunities. A lot of people put so much into our last four games and they didn’t talk about our rst six games. We were 5-1. We had a tough schedule and when we look back at it, it wasn’t so much about the teams that we played, See NC STATE , page B4

After getting court stormed in Winston-Salem, Duke appeared to be back on track, winning three in a row, all by comfortable margins, before, again, the defense dissolved in

the season nale against North Carolina, with a share of the ACC regular season title at stake. Then, Duke seemed to sleepwalk through its ACC Tourna-

ment game against NC State, failing to stop the Wolfpack momentum and getting swept out of D.C. in just one game.

Question marks dotted the roster as Duke traveled to Brooklyn for the rst two rounds of March Madness, but it turned out some unfamiliar opponents were just what the doctor ordered for the Blue Devils.

There were some tight moments early against Vermont, but the Blue Devils pulled away for a 64-47 win that showed that the reported demise of Duke’s defense were premature. Duke held the Catamounts to 25 points below their season scoring average.

“I thought the defense was terri c for us,” Scheyer said. “I thought the collective e ort and focus was there. Are there some breakdowns of things that you have to clean up? Sure, like, of course. But Vermont is a tough team to guard, the way they spread you, their movement.”

After Vermont went on a second-half run to cut into Duke’s lead, the Blue Devils responded on defense, shutting out Vermont for the nal four minutes of the game. It was a lesson

GENE J. PUSKAR / AP PHOTO

The NC State bench begins to celebrate in the nal minute of a 79-73 overtime win over Oakland that sent the Wolfpack to the Sweet 16.

TRENDING

William Byron:

The Daytona 500 winner earned his second victory of the season in the NASCAR Cup Series’ rst road race of the year at Circuit of the Americas on Sunday. Byron delivered the fourth win in six races for Chevrolet after starting on pole and delivering a dominant drive.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver led 42 of 68 laps, earning career win No. 12.

Armando Bacot:

The UNC center had a new national commercial, for TurboTax income tax ling software, debut during March Madness.

Bacot, who has also appeared in the Net ix series “Outer Banks,” lmed the ad in February. “I thought he killed it,” said teammate Cormac Ryan. “I think he’s got a future in acting. I mean, he really turned on the charm. The big fella, he’s got it. He’s got some juice.”

Jim Phillips:

The ACC commissioner is now dealing with two lawsuits from league members. Florida State sued in December to try to leave the league without paying a $140 million penalty. The ACC countersued for breach of contract. The rst hearings in that case took place in North Carolina last week.

Now, Clemson has led a similar suit in South Carolina to try to leave the league.

Beyond the box score

POTENT QUOTABLES MLB

ADAM HUNGER/ AP PHOTO

“‘There’s no pretense anymore. Now, we’re dealing with professional athletes.”

St. John’s coach Rick Pitino on NIL rules

“People are yelling at me to leave guys in so we can cover the spread, it’s ridiculous”

Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickersta on being harassed and threatened by gamblers

PRIME NUMBER

28

Number of NCAA Tournament rst-round games the nal three perfect brackets picked correctly before getting one wrong. ESPN had 22 million brackets and CBS millions more. Fewer than 2,000 survived the rst day without a loss. James Madison beating Wisconsin eliminated the nal unbeaten hopefuls.

Shohei

the Dodgers

reports of alleged ties to an illegal

He initially claimed Ohtani paid his gambling debts, but he and Ohtani’s lawyers now say the MVP had no knowledge of Mizuhara’s debts, and the payments were part of a “massive theft” of Ohtani’s money.

court. Ingram has averaged 20.9 points this season.

NCAA BASKETBALL

Former Alabama head coach and Carolina Panthers o ensive coordinator Mike Shula joined South Carolina as an o ensive analyst. The son of Hall of Fame coach Don Shula was with the team for spring practice this week. Shula was quarterbacks coach for Carolina in 2011-12 and o ensive coordinator from 2013-17.

Michigan State assistant coach Doug Wojcik, a UNC assistant from 2000 to 2003, handled the scouting report for the Spartans’ second-round game against the Tar Heels. His son Paxson plays for Carolina. “He’s on the report,” dad said. “He is their ninth man. Good cutter, 3-point shooter, post feeder, alert defender. That’s what we put.”

Ohtani (left) and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara (right) are part of an MLB investigation into illegal gambling and theft allegations. Mizuhara was red by

following

bookmaker.

Brandon Ingram was diagnosed with a bone bruise in his left knee and is expected to be sidelined for at least two weeks. The Kinston native, former Duke star and New Orleans Pelicans forward hyperextended his knee during a game and was helped o the

NBA NCAA FOOTBALL

PHELAN M. EBENHACK / AP PHOTO

CARLOS OSORIO / AP PHOTO

PATRICK SEMANSKY | AP PHOTO

SUE OGROCKI / AP PHOTO

ASHLEY LANDIS / AP PHOTO

Jarvis’ price rising daily for Hurricanes

Carolina’s star winger is due a new contract after this season

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal

RALEIGH — Seth Jarvis picked the perfect time to have his breakout season.

The Hurricanes’ 22-year-old right wing saw his six-game goal streak come to an end Sunday in a 2-1 win against visiting Toronto, but he’s still put together a brilliant third season. Through 72 games, Jarvis has 27 goals and 30 assists for 57 points, is a top penalty-killing forward and plays on the team’s No. 1 power play.

All that sets up Jarvis, in the nal season of his three-year entry-level contract, for a big payday.

Jarvis will not have arbitration rights this summer, but his play gives him leverage. While Carolina would certainly like to lock Jarvis up to an eight-year deal — as the team did with Andrei Svechnikov and Jesperi Kotkaniemi before either reached arbitration eligibility — he may want to bet on himself with a bridge deal that would pay him less now but could set him up for a bigger payout in two or three years.

What could a new deal for Jarvis look like? Let’s break it down.

Long-term deal

A good way to nd a starting point for pricing Jarvis’ next contract is to look at similar-

Two

women’s

NC State and Duke advanced to the Sweet 16

By Asheebo Rojas North State Journal

AFTER THE OPENING weekend in the highly anticipated women’s NCAA Tournament, two North Carolina teams are still dancing.

NC State and Duke both secured a spot in the Sweet 16 after winning their respective round of 32 games. All three teams, the other being North Carolina, advanced to the second round, but the Tar Heels’ season ended Sunday.

From judging each team’s performances, it’s safe to say that one team impressed, the other survived and the last one disappointed. Here’s a recap of how the North Carolina women’s teams did over the weekend and where they’ll be headed for the next round.

NC State

No. 3 seed NC State punched its ticket to the Sweet 16 after defeating No. 14 seed Chattanooga, 64-45, in the rst round and No. 6 seed Tennessee, 79-72, in the second round.

Other than a rough shooting performance, the Wolfpack had little problems with the Mocs, holding them to under 10 points in each of the rst three quarters of the game. Three NC State players, Aziaha James, Saniya Rivers and River Baldwin, scored double-digit gures despite the team shooting at a 33% clip.

However, stretches of poor offensive production coupled with the inability to get stops troubled the Wolfpack against the Vol-

DUKE from page B1 learned the hard way—through back-to-back losses to Carolina and State. “That’s what we talked about the last week,” Mark Mitchell said. “When we get in these tight moments to go deeper, get stops and we did that.”

“We stayed poised down the stretch,” Jared McCain agreed. “They hit tough shots and we stayed poised. And we worked on it all week, get defensive stops, defense is going to win these games. We have the talent

in 222 career games with 10 games remaining in the season.

The Boldy deal counted for 8.48% of the NHL’s cap ceiling at the time of its signing, according to CapFriendly.com, while Cau eld’s deal came in at 9.52%.

That’s signi cant because the NHL’s salary cap is expected to be $87.7 million next season, climbing $4.2 million.

Unless Jarvis’ point production dries up in the season’snal 10 games, he and his agent should be able to claim that he outperformed both Boldy and Cau eld during their ELCs. As mentioned, the salary cap will also be going up — and that factors into negotiations.

Boldy’s deal being seven years instead of eight brings down its cost since that eighth year is a season during which the player could be an unrestricted free agent.

bigger extension down the road.

So what might that look like for Jarvis?

Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras, the ninth overall pick in 2019, had 49 goals and 139 points in 180 games during his rst three NHL seasons. He had back-toback 20-goal, 60-point seasons the last two years and, after prolonged negotiations, inked a three-year $5.75 million bridge deal with the Ducks before this season.

Going a little further back, Elias Pettersson had 66-, 68and 66-point seasons in his rst three years with Vancouver and was rewarded with a three-year, $7.35 million bridge deal before the 2021-22 season. He then parlayed that into a new eightyear, $11.6 million contract that will kick in next season.

ly aged players and the deals they’ve received.

One comparable is Wild winger Matthew Boldy, who is in the rst season of a seven-year, $49 million contract. Boldy was the 12th overall pick by Minnesota in 2019 — one year before Jarvis was picked 13th by Carolina — and put up 31 goals and 32 assists in the nal season of his ELC.

Boldy bene ted from having the rst season of his initial three-year deal burned in 2020-21 by playing 14 games with the Wild’s AHL a liate. He also signed his extension in late January 2023, before he had a 12-goal, 17-point March that would’ve likely further boosted his $7 million annual cap hit.

Goals in 72 games this season for Hurricanes winger Seth Jarvis

Montreal’s Cole Cau eld, drafted seven picks after Boldy in 2019, is also a reasonable benchmark for Jarvis. The Canadiens’ diminutive winger scored 53 goals and 84 points in his rst 123 NHL games, and he signed an eight-year contract with a $7.875 annual cap hit last summer. Compatively, Jarvis has 58 goals, 78 assists and 136 points

If the Hurricanes can get Jarvis to consider an eight-year deal — and I’m sure that’s the organization’s preference if the price is right — they’d probably like to keep him under Svechnikov’s $7.75 million AAV. Jarvis’ camp probably sees $8.35 million as a reasonable ask.

Is there a middle ground, whether it’s a compromise on the AAV or taking it down to seven years?

Bridge deal

Let’s say the two sides can’t agree on a long-term deal. Enter a bridge deal. A bridge deal buys a team time before committing to a long-term deal while also allowing the player to bet on himself and perhaps land an even

Zegras’ contract has a cap ceiling percentage of 6.89%, while Pettersson’s was 9.02%, and at next year’s $88.7 million cap, that would put the range at just over $6.1 million to $7.9 million.

Neither of those is very palatable, but it is worth mentioning that both are centers, which usually land bigger contracts. The Hurricanes could get that number lower with a two-year bridge deal, perhaps pushing Jarvis into the $5 million range. But is it worth saving perhaps $3 million annually for two years if Jarvis’ third contract costs $2 million or more extra from what the long-term deal would cost now?

No matter the direction the two sides go, the Hurricanes are going to have to shell out big money to keep their rising star.

teams remain after rst weekend of March Madness

unteers. After a back and forth shootout in the rst quarter, NC State exploded to a 49-31 lead at halftime and looked to be in complete control of the game.

A at third quarter, in which NC State shot just under 24% from the oor and gave up 19 points, quickly changed all of that. Going into the fourth quarter, the Vols were only down eight, and on the back of a 33-point performance from Rickea Jackson, Tennessee cut the de cit to two with just over four minutes left. With the help of some crucial defensive stops and a couple of huge buckets from James, the Wolfpack survived the upset.

They’ll see No. 2 seed Stanford at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon Friday. NC State will have to win the battle in the paint as Stanford forwards Kiki Iriafen and Cameron Brink are both averaging over 17 points per game.

Duke

No. 7 seed Duke is letting its defense do the talking so far in its tournament run.

After beating No. 10 seed Richmond, 72-61, in the rst round and No. 2 seed Ohio State, 75-63, in the Buckeyes’ house, the Blue Devils are the lowest seed in this year’s Sweet 16. Duke had arguably the most impressive win of the weekend by holding Ohio State, which scores 79 points per game, to just 63 points and an abysmal 9.1% three-point shooting clip. Ohio State guard Celeste Taylor, who played at Duke for two seasons, struggled heavily, making only three shots and fouling out with just over six minutes left in the game.

for o ense; it’s going to be defense.” That brought the Blue Devils into a second-round matchup against a physical, defense- rst team—the same type of team that ended their 2022-23 season in the round of 32 a year ago. It wouldn’t be a repeat of the Tennessee game from the previous season, however, because a change in the weather was on the horizon for Duke. Instead of leaning on their newfound defensive prowess, Duke turned into an o ensive machine, torching JMU, one of the top

Junior guard Reigan Richardson is looking sharp for the Blue Devils as she has averaged 26.5 points per game so far in the tournament. She scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to go along with a steal to help Duke close out the Buckeyes Sunday. Duke will face No. 3 seed UConn at the Moda Center in Portland Saturday. UConn is playing some of its best basketball of the season with star Paige Bueckers leading the Huskies on another deep tournament run. Going up against a team averaging 80 points per game, Duke’s best attribute will be its best friend, but

ve perimeter defenses in the nation, from three-point range. McCain hit a three 14 seconds into the game and gave a smirk to the James Madison section of the crowd. Five more made threes later, he gave a Michael Jordan type shrug.

“I don’t know what I did out there, to be honest with you,” McCain said, looking like a cat brushing canary feathers from his mouth. “Yeah, I don’t know what I was doing. I wasn’t really conscious out there.”

When the dust cleared, McCain had hit 8-of-11 from three

another stellar performance from Richardson and the Blue Devils’ o ense will help even more.

North Carolina

No. 8 seed North Carolina came into the postseason with a short-handed roster, missing some key players in its backcourt, but the Tar Heels still managed to win a tournament game. Behind a 17-point performance from Maria Gakdeng, UNC grinded out a 59-56 win over No. 9 seed Michigan State in the rst round.

But, against No. 1 seed South

for 30 points. As a team, Duke hit 14-of-28 from beyond the arc, setting a team high, as well as shattering previous season bests for JMU opponents. Duke also turned it over less than 10% of the time, just the second team to accomplish that against James Madison in three months, and the Blue Devils’ 1.44 points per possession also far exceeded the previous best mark achieved by a JMU foe.

Now, Duke heads to Dallas to face Houston, the top seed in the region and the consensus top defense in the country. The

Carolina two days later, the Tar Heels fell completely at in an 88-41 defeat. The Gamecocks were at out better than UNC in every aspect of the game, including shooting, rebounding and defense. South Carolina dominated UNC down low, scoring 38 points in the paint to the Tar Heels’ 19 and scoring 21 second chance points to UNC’s ve. The disappointing part was that UNC’s stars, Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby, were virtually non-factors, combining for six made eld goals on 29 attempts. As a team, UNC shot 23.8% from the oor the entire game.

Cougars rank rst overall in defensive e ciency and top three in opponent shooting, turnover rate and blocked shot rate. They also slow the pace and choke out opponents. At the other end of the oor, they’re No. 13 in offensive e ciency. The winner of that game will get either No. 2 Marquette or NC State, still riding its amazing March magic run.

The weekend presents a variety of challenges to the Blue Devils, but variety has been the hallmark of Duke’s last month and a half.

FRANK GUNN / THE CANADIAN PRESS VIA AP

Seth Jarvis is having a breakthrough campaign in his third NHL season, approaching 30 goals while playing on the team’s top power play and penalty kill units.

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO North Carolina State’s River Baldwin (1) sheds a tear as she walks o the court with teammate Mimi Collins, right, after defeating Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Tar Heels look to reverse narrative of ‘down ACC’ … again

For the second time in three years, UNC and its ACC neighbors are confounding experts

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

ONCE AGAIN, North Carolina is standing up for the ACC’s honor in late March. And once again, the Tar Heels are not alone.

The ACC has long been the gold standard in March Madness. The league has the highest NCAA Tournament winning percentage (.655), total tourney wins (475) and years with a winning record in the tournament (42 of the 44 tournaments where multiple teams from a conference could get bids). This isn’t a relic of a bygone age—with current teams riding on the reputation built by Dean Smith, Coach K and Jimmy V. Over the last eight tournaments, the ACC has won at a .656 clip—one percentage point higher than its all-time record in the Big Dance, and ACC teams have won 99 games, 23 more than any other conference.

Still, with hours of airtime to ll, nothing seems to delight TV commentators and talking heads more than talking about how bad the ACC is. The league is down. The SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East are all better, and, with most of the other leagues adding high-pro le members next year, the disparity is only going to get worse. The fact that Clemson and Florida State are suing to leave the league—despite not being the driving force behind the league’s NCAA Tournament dominance—further underscores the narrative. Bad league. Past its sell-by date. Yesterday’s news.

The last time the outcry against the ACC was this loud was two seasons ago, when a

mere ve ACC teams made the tournament. The Big Ten had nine. The Big 12, Big East and SEC all had more as well.

Once they started playing games in March, however, something unexpected—at least to the so-called experts— happened. The ACC kept winning. The league went 14-5 in the tournament, winning more games than any other conference. The SEC went 5-6 and nished play in the Elite Eight. The Big Ten went 9-9 and was gone by the Sweet 16. the Big East 7-6.

The ACC, meanwhile, made up half of the Final Four, with UNC and Duke stealing the show in New Orleans.

Fast forward two seasons, and the ACC is even more terrible, if that’s possible. The league only placed ve teams in the tournament and one of them—Virginia—was eliminated in the First Four. Any bubble team—from Virginia Tech to Wake Forest to Syracuse to Pitt—was vetoed by the selection committee.

“Just personally, that just doesn’t make sense at all,” said UNC coach Hubert Davis, who beat Pitt in the ACC Tournament. “I don’t care what metric, whatever you look at. There’s no way that you can look at this game and look at Pitt and not say it’s de nitively an NCAA Tournament team, and not just an NCAA Tournament team, a team that could go far in the tournament.”

Davis knows something about going far in the tournament. He led the Heels to the national championship game in 2022, his rst year on the bench. Now he’s back, and winning again.

The Big 12 and SEC each placed eight teams, and raised concerns about how they’ll be able to get even more deserving teams in after next year’s expansion. The Big Ten had more teams than the ACC.

“Just personally, that doesn’t make any sense at all. I don’t care what metric you look at.”

UNC coach Hubert Davis on the lack of respect for the ACC

So did the Mountain West. Those other four leagues have combined for 21 tournament losses. The ACC has one—Virginia’s First Four loss. The rest of the teams have gone 8-0 and make up a quarter of the Sweet 16.

Which brings us to Los Angeles, site of the West Regional. The Tar Heels, on the strength of winning that terrible league’s regular season, is the top seed and will face Alabama, one of two remaining SEC teams in the eld. The winner will face the winner of Clemson-Arizona for a trip to the Final Four. With Duke and NC State on opposite sides of the South Region bracket, it’s possible that the only teams that will be able to knock o an ACC team once the tournament got fully underway will be another ACC team.

The game between the Crimson Tide and Tar Heels will match one of the most e cient o enses in the country—Alabama ranks No. 4— against one of the most ecient defenses—the Heels are No. 11. The game may come down to the other end of the oor. Alabama is middle of the pack on defense, while the Heels are a top 15 o ense.

Of course, those are just numbers, which, like narratives, can sometimes be twisted to say whatever we want.

Luckily for UNC and its conference neighbors, they play the games. And we’ll get to see which leagues are really down.

which were very good, it was what we didn’t do. You look at those games, we were in all of them and had the opportunity to win them. I think we’ve just cut down on our mistakes and most of them are on the defensive end. One of the biggest things is we believe and trust in one another. If you’re not having a good night, then you have to trust your brother beside you and I think that’s one of the things we matured in.”

The Wolfpack is also back to doing what they found success with at the beginning of the year: getting contributions up and down the lineup.

“That’s the strength of our team and at one point it wasn’t,” Keatts said. “Early on it was either DJ Horne or maybe (Jayden Taylor) could have a good night. I think one of the things if you look back on the seven games we won in a row is that everyone has really stepped up in di erent ways

and every night there’s someone else.” Since the start of the ACC Tournament, the Wolfpack has had ve di erent leading scorers across those seven games. Everyone is stepping up and playing a role.

Big man DJ Burns has turned it up to another level at the NCAA Tournament, averaging 20 points across his last two games. And enough can’t be said about Mo Diarra, who’s now gone six straight games with double-digit rebounds and had three straight double-doubles.

But NC State’s biggest challenges are still ahead of them.

Facing the Pack in Dallas will be the Marquette Golden Eagles, the South Region’s two-seed and the Wolfpack’s nal opponent 50 years ago when they captured their rst ever NCAA title.

The two teams will square o on Friday with a 7:15 p.m. tipo time on CBS.

The Golden Eagles have re -

New Panthers have a bit of dog in them

Carolina is focused on attitude and grit to ll roster holes in free agency

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

PRIOR TO THE START of NFL free agency, new Carolina GM Dan Morgan discussed his vision for rebuilding the 2-15 Panthers.

The team had the worst record in the league, a disinterested fanbase that produced some embarrassing home-game environments for visiting teams over the past two years, and very little draft capital after a series of trades as the previous regime tried to nd a quarterback to build around. All-in-all, it was a bleak situation facing the former Panthers linebacker as he took the reins. But he knew what it would take to turn things around.

“I wanted to talk about the type of players that we wanted to bring in here, just DNAwise,” Morgan said. “We need to nd leaders. We need to nd those competitors, those dogs.”

Wonnum, Chaisson and Jewell will help mitigate the loss of Burns. While none of them may be able to replicate Burns’ sack total on their own, they’ll amp up the pressure from both inside and out.

“I’m not looking to replace anybody,” Wonnum said. “I can be an every-down guy. I can be a starter. I can do whatever the coaches want. … We needed a couple defenders that can stop the run and pass rush.”

The defenders will also be able to step right in. Most of the new Panthers defensive players either played for coordinator Ejiro Evero or have played in a scheme similar to his.

“I’m familiar with the system,” Wonnum said. “I’ve played in this system before.”

“I’m gonna be the tone setter. I want to put your face in the ground.”

Damien Lewis

“We need some dogs,” Morgan concluded. “We need to get some guys that are passionate about football, that love football. They want to come out and compete on the practice eld and weight room. We need competitors. We need to bring that back here, to Bank of America Stadium. We need to get it to where people get excited about coming to see our team. We want players with grit, like Steve Smith, with a chip on their shoulder. No holds barred. Not taking any prisoners.”

lied upon guard combo Kam Jones (17.1 points) and Tyler Kolek (15.3 points) for much of this season and on top of each having size — Jones is 6-foot-5 and Kolek is 6-foot-3 — both are shooting nearly 40% from beyond the arc. That doesn’t bode well for an NC State team ranked 231st in the NCAA in terms of 3-point defense. But everybody’s been betting against the Wolfpack all season and all they’ve done is defy the odds.

“They didn’t really believe in us and they probably still don’t, but that doesn’t matter to us,” Burns said. “We’re just going to stay together. If you’re supporting us, thank you. If not, then that’s what it is.”

Because when it comes down to it, all that matters is just that one game. Nothing that happened before matters.

All that matters is to survive and advance. “That’s what March is all about.”

Just over a month later, it may not be a full- edged dog pound in Charlotte just yet, but there’s de nitely more barking going on at the stadium.

Morgan addressed many of the team’s issues in a urry of free agent moves. He dealt Brian Burns, who had been unhappy with his contract situation for more than two years, recouping some of the draft picks the Panthers have lost. He then added a pair of guards to an o ensive line that too often failed to protect quarterback Bryce Young, signing Miami’s Robert Hunt and Seattle’s Damien Lewis. Morgan also traded for Pittsburgh receiver Diontae Johnson, adding a big-play target for Young to throw to.

The Panthers also added a host of defensive players, including tackle A’Shawn Robinson, linebacker Josey Jewell and edge rushers K’Lavon Chaisson and D.J. Wonnum, corner Dane Jackson and safety Jordan Fuller.

“There’s guys here that are dogs,” said Wonnum. “That have done big things in the league.”

“It wasn’t a necessity that EJ’s been with them before,” Morgan said. “It just worked out that way. We wanted to get really good football players our sta is famliar with, where there’s not going to be a steep learning curve.”

On o ense, meanwhile, the key goal was to protect Carolina’s young quarterback. Morgan signed two of the top guards on the market, which freed up Austin Corbett to move to center. The team also added tackle depth, signing Yosh Nijman.

Morgan lumped the Hunt, Lewis and Nijman in with Robinson, the defensive tackle signed from the Giants.

“We feel good about it,” Morgan said. “We want to dominate both sides of the line of scrimmage. That’s what it takes to win in this league.”

And that starts with keeping the quarterback upright.

“Bringing the guards in and moving Corbett to center builds a wall up front,” he said.

And some of the blocks in that wall are likely to gnaw on bones and growl at intruders.

“On the o ensive line, you want to run the ball,” Lewis said in his rst press conference as a Panther. “We want to run straight at you, bringing that mean, nasty, tough mentality toward the team. I’m going to punish you every day. I’m gonna be the tone setter. I want to put your face in the ground.”

Lewis, who grew up in Louisiana, credits surviving Hurricane Katrina as a child for instilling that tough attitude. “It’s been in all my life,” he said. “Ever since I’ve been in Katrina in 2005, I said, ‘I’ve got to get us out.’ It’s me against you. I’ve got to be better in everything I do. If I’ve got to keep running through your face, then you’re going down.”

Somewhere nearby, the newest Panther’s general manager was smiling at what he heard.

CHRIS CARLSON / AP PHOTO

1. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” $45.2 million.

2.

3.

4. “Immaculate,” $5.4 million.

5. “Arthur the King,” $4.4 million.

6. “Late Night With the Devil,” $2.8 million.

7. “Imaginary,” $2.8 million.

8. “Love Lies Bleeding,” $1.6 million.

9. “Cabrini,” $1.4 million.

10. “Bob Marley: One Love,” $1.1 million.

Box o ce: ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ is No. 1

Sony Pictures willhope for sustained business over spring break for the newest lm in the franchise that started in the 1980s

By Jake Coyle The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Ghost busting is still a good business.

“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” collected $45.2 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, handing Sony Pictures the studio’s rst No. 1 lm since last summer.

The opening weekend for “Frozen Empire,” in 4,345 theaters, was nearly exactly the same as the $44 million launch for “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” in 2021. “Afterlife” rebooted the franchise with a sequel built around the descendants (Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace) of Harold Ramis’ Egon Spengler, along with Paul Rudd’s seismologist Gary Grooberson. Neither lm has been a hit with critics, but audiences have been more receptive. “Frozen Empire” garnered a B+ CinemaScore from moviegoers, a tick down from the A- score for “Afterlife.” “Frozen Empire” isn’t assured of pro tability, but it will hope for sustained business over

spring break.

“Ghostbusters” lms tend to make a low impact internationally. In 25 overseas markets, “Frozen Empire” added $16.4 million.

The latest “Ghostbusters” cost about $100 million to make. After Jason Reitman took over directing duties from his father, Ivan Reitman, to helm “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” “Frozen Empire” is directed by Gil Kenan, co-writer of “Afterlife.”

Those two sequels took “Ghostbusters” in a more family-oriented, albeit PG-13 rated, direction, with original cast members Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Bill Murray returning in supporting roles. After the

How to make an Easter ham last all week

“There are ham sandwiches, and there are Ham

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served from your leftovers

By Katie Workman The Associated Press

THE BEAUTY of making a baked ham for Easter (or any holiday or large gathering) is there are bound to be leftovers.

Leftover ham, which will last up to ve days in the fridge, can be a springboard for other meals during the week. Of course you’ll want a sandwich or two, but there are many other ways to put that porky, smoky avor to good use.

Freezing it

First o , you can always freeze leftover ham if you can’t use it all within several days. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or some type of reusable wrap that really clings to it. Place the wrapped ham in a freezer-proof bag. Press out any excess air from the bag, seal and freeze for up to six months.

You can also slice or dice your ham before freezing. Diced or sliced ham will also need to be well wrapped before freezing and is best when used within four months. Don’t forget to label your ham with the date.

To defrost frozen cooked ham, transfer it to the fridge and let it defrost. Small pieces of cubed ham will take about a day to defrost. A larger piece of ham may take up to two days. Do not defrost ham at room temperature, which can allow bacteria to form.

Best ham sandwich

There are ham sandwiches, and there are Ham Sandwich Masterpieces. My favorite version is made with toasted sourdough or country white bread, lots of crunchy lettuce, slices of an assertive rm cheese (like provolone or sharp cheddar), coarse or grainy mustard (like Maille), mayonnaise, some verrrrrrryyyyy thinly sliced onion and maybe a slice of tomato, if they are in season. Simple and classic. Also, layer some ham into a grilled cheese sandwich — its own perfect kind of pleasure.

A versatile addition

Diced or chopped ham is a great addition to salads: Try adding a cup or so to macaroni salad, Cobb salad, potato salad or kale salad. Or make a simple

ham salad with chopped ham, mayo, minced celery and onion, and a bit of mustard and relish, along with salt (be judicious — most hams are salty) and pepper. You can also give a casserole a boost with leftover ham. Add it to dishes like baked tortellini or baked macaroni and cheese. Diced ham is a good addition to vegetable gratins and potato dishes of all kinds, such as scalloped potatoes. Try it in quiches, soups, stir-fried rice and more. And don’t forget about braised greens like collards or mustard greens.

If a recipe calls for bacon, consider using ham. Eggs are always a perfect partner to ham, whether scrambled, in an egg sandwich or as part of Eggs Benedict. A classic Denver omelet is a perfect way to enjoy ham in a new guise. Not wasting food has never tasted so good.

2016 female-led “Ghostbusters” prompted a backlash, Sony rebooted the franchise. The weekend’s other new wide release was “Immaculate,” the horror lm starring Sydney Sweeney as an American nun at a remote Italian convent. The lm, released by Neon following a premiere at SXSW, debuted with $5.4 million on 2,354 screens. Sweeney’s ascending star power helped make “Anyone But You” one of the most successful rom-coms in years. But “Immaculate,” an independent production that cost less than $10 million make, isn’t getting the same bounce.

“The movie features the popular Sydney Sweeney, but horror movies are not cast-driven,” wrote David A. Gross for the consulting rm Franchise Entertainment Research. “They’re driven by the hook: the evil doll, the wicked smile, the invisible or silent presence, the found footage, the possessed child. That’s

See BOX OFFICE, page B7

The classic Denver omelet

2 or 3 large eggs Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided 3 tablespoons chopped cooked ham

2 tablespoons chopped onion

2 tablespoons chopped bell pepper (any color or mix of colors)

2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions: Whisk the eggs with salt and pepper in a small bowl and set aside. Melt half of the butter in an 8-inch omelet pan or shallow skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat. Add the ham and cook, stirring occasionally until it starts to brown on the edges, about two minutes. Add the onion and bell pepper and stir occasionally for another three minutes until the vegetables soften slightly. Transfer the ham and vegetables to a small bowl.

Return the pan to the heat and add the rest of the butter. Let it melt and swirl the pan so that the butter coats the bottom evenly. Pour the eggs into the pan and quickly shake and swirl it so the eggs cover the entire bottom of the pan. Let the eggs rm up on the bottom, about 30 seconds, then use a rubber spatula to lift the edges of the omelet so any uncooked egg on the top runs underneath.

Sprinkle half of the eggs with the sauteed vegetables and ham and the cheese, if using, and let it cook for another 30 seconds; the top should be moist but not quite runny (unless you like it runny). Flip the untopped side of the eggs over the lling, and slide it onto a plate.

Katie Workman has written two cookbooks focused on family-friendly cooking, “Dinner Solved!” and “The Mom 100 Cookbook.” She blogs at themom100.com.

A Denver omelet is a great option for leftover ham.

CHEYENNE

JAAP BUITENDIJK / COLUMBIA PICTURES / SONY

From left, Mckenna Grace, Logan Kim, Dan Aykroyd and Patton Oswalt in a scene from “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.”

Sandwich Masterpieces.”

BOX OFFICE from page B5

what

The

The No. 2 spot went to “Dune: Part Two,” which continues

to hold well. The Denis Villeneuve-directed sci- sequel starring Timothée Chalamet added $17.6 million in its fourth weekend of release, bringing the Warner Bros. release’s domestic total to $233.4 million. Over-

seas sales are just as strong, adding up to a $574.4 million worldwide haul.

After two weeks atop the box o ce, Universal’s “Kung Fu Panda 4” slid to third place with $16.8 million over its third

weekend. The well-performing DreamWorks animated sequel is up to $133.2 million domestic. It debuted with $25.7 million in China, where the movies have historically been popular. When the 2008 “Kung Fu Panda” was

released, its success partly inspired China to expand its own lm production. Estimated ticket sales are for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore.

Ernie Hudson, from left, Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, McKenna Grace and director Gil Kenan at the photo call for the lm “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” on March 21.

CUMBERLAND

LAST WEEK

He gets on base

Albemarle City Council approves rst downtown bar

Badin Brews received a special use permit in a 4-3 vote

By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal

ALBEMARLE — A special use permit has been approved for an existing Albemarle establishment attempting to operate as a bar.

The Albemarle City Council voted 4-3 on March 18 to approve a permit for Badin Brews, making it the rst business within downtown Albemarle’s Central Business District to be classi ed as a bar.

Mayor Pro-Tem Martha

Wadesboro resident Jamoszio Burch was arrested March 14

Stanly County Journal Sta

ALBEMARLE — The Stanly County Sheri ’s O ce announced last week that it is involved in the criminal investigation of a youth basketball coach from Wadesboro.

According to the Anson County Sheri ’s O ce, 30-yearold Jamoszio Burch was arrested on March 14 on one count of human tra cking of a child and two counts of indecent liberties with children. He was booked into the Anson County Jail on a $250,000 bond. Burch is accused of transporting a juvenile under the age of 16 to be held in sexual servitude in 2022. The Anson Sheri ’s O ce

Sue Hall and Councilmembers

Dexter Townsend, Chris Whitley and Benton Dry voted for the permit’s approval, while Chris Bramlett, David Hunt and Bill Aldridge opposed it.

Back on Feb. 19, the council voted 4-3 — across the very same voting lines by member — to approve a text amendment to the city’s code of ordinances that would allow bars in downtown Albemarle under a special use permit with a 200-foot separation requirement.

The city previously only permitted full-service restaurants to sell liquor in its Central Business District while also prohibiting liquor sales at breweries and taprooms.

Before the council’s latest vote last week, Badin Brews owner Joshua Hicks provided the councilmembers his thoughts on the situation, stating he would be grateful and cautious if his business received the special use permit in question.

Last May, he lobbied for an ordinance to change the terminology of “pro t clubs” to “bars.” However, the initial language did not contain the separation requirement that was later successfully added, and it failed to pass in a vote.

“I don’t really know what to say at this point other than I run a tight ship. I will not allow this to become a black eye

on downtown,” Hicks said.

“People know that I will ban them if they get out of line because that’s not what I want for this town. I want this to be a respectable establishment. I want the town to want it here. I want people to want to be at my business and feel safe in my business.”

Aldridge asked Hicks how he would handle a potential situation where a customer is overindulging in alcohol usage.

“Just like at any restaurant downtown, if they are noticeably drunk, we have the right to refuse them anything, and we do,” Hicks said. “We have had

See BAR , page 2

said it is working with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the case is still being investigated with additional charges pending.

Five days after the arrest, the SCSO revealed that its internal investigators had information indicating that some of Burch’s crimes had occurred within Stanly County.

“The Stanly County Sheri ’s

O ce has received information about potential crimes that occurred in Stanly County at the hands of 30-year-old Jamoszio Burch,” the SCSO said in a social media post. “This is an active investigation and The Sheri ’s O ce is asking anyone who is a victim or knows someone who is a victim to please reach out to the Sheri ’s O ce at 704-9863714 or through Facebook Messenger. All information reported will be kept con dential.”

Burch had recently been the coach of the AAU-a liated NC Jayhawks as well as an assistant varsity coach for the Union Academy Cardinals’ high school team in Monroe.

While at Union Academy, his teams participated in the Yadkin Valley Conference with four Stanly County schools: Albemarle, North Stanly, South Stanly and Gray Stone Day. Union Academy released a statement regarding its former coach.

“UA Families: I am writing to inform you that we are aware of the recent arrest of former varsity basketball assistant coach Jamoszio Burch in Anson County,” the statement reads. “Mr. Burch’s contract expired at the end of the recent basketball season and was not renewed. He is no longer a liated with UA.

“We understand that news like this can be concerning, especially when it involves someone who was previously associated with our school. Please rest assured that the safety and well-being of our students are always our top priority, and we remain committed to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for all. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.”

West Stanly sophomore Sam Carpenter knocks a single in the Colts’ March 18 away game against South Stanly. West defeated South 13-1.

PJ WARD-BROWN / STANLY COUNTY JOURNAL

“Join

accolades

West Stanly Middle School

Honor Roll Quarter 3 2023-2024

6th Grade

Maggie Aldridge, Pierson Aldridge, London Alphin, Ansley Andrew, Kristiana Ashbrook, Jephte Assie, Paislee Austin, Breylon Barbee, CJ Blackman, Rylee Blakely, Payton Blalock, Wensley Brosseau, Destiny Burkhalter, Kylie Burleson, Jacob Burns, Jessica Burns, Johnathen Burris, Janaeya Caesar, Parker Campbell, Adalyne Carbajal, Jodell Chenuna Ngum, Kable Clark, JD Cleaver, Talan Coble, Mason Coppedge, Kayne Deaton, James Dennis, Daniel Dorokhov, Theodore Doyle, Bryson E rd, Megan Elkins, Colton Eudy, Brentley Fudge, Tyler Gannuscio, Yael Garcia Sanchez, Grace Gatz, Norah Gillen, Eli Goldman, Aden Green, McCants Grice, Jacob Guarino, Brynlee Hamilton, Lillian Hantz, Jaxan Hargett, Donna Harris, Kilee Harris, Andrew Harwood, Saylor Harwood, Audrey Hathcock, Harper Hatley, Ava Heinen, Patrick Hill, Lillian Honeycutt, Bryson Huneycutt, London Huneycutt, Kaylynn Huntley, Lizbella Jaimes Cervantes, Kendall Jenkins, Claire Kesegich, Light Kianduelo, Ryder King, Logan Kirkland, Lauren L’esperance, Issac La erty, Kinley Lambert, Edith Lino Anastasio, Tatum Little, Harper Lovin, Braden Marks, Addison Mathews, Liam McCall, Daniel Mendoza, Sara Milke, Veronica Mora Alvear, Ainsley Moucka, Chelsea Nelson, Xander Nolan, Anson Owens, Tenley Palmer, Holden Parke, Ruby Pearson, Allie Perry, ScottLynn Pickler, Reagan Pietrus, Jeykin Portillo Ramos, Aubry Prymock, James Queen, Emma Rector, Tanner Rivera, Berkley Russell, Enmanuel Salazar, Daisy Sanchez Gonzalez, Kimberly Sanchez-Espinoza, Terry Schuyler, Maksen Sides, Mason Spellman, Kyleigh Stamper, Madeln Stancil, Colten Starnes, Asher Stringer, Molly Surratt, Layla Taylor, Stella Thao, Aria Thompson, Avery Toole, Rylan Torrence, Laney Tucker, Kylie Turner, Anastasia Vang, Nicole Vega Huerta, Axel Velasquez Conde, Rylee Wade, Steele Waksmunski, Emma Watkins, Easton Watson, Joseph Welsh, Cameron Whitley, Harper Whitley, Kendall Whitley, Peyton Williams, Asher Wright, Brooklyn Xiong, Josiah Yarbrough, Brennan Yow, Fernando Zeledon Aragon

7th Grade

Cayden Austin, Maci Bailey, Caroline Barbee, Kallie Barbee, Liam Barbee, Miciah Barringer, Kloey Basford, Bryson Beechy, Leland Bennett, Megan Blaney, Lilly Boone, Grayson Boysworth, Aiden Brown, Kaylin Burleson, Kalyn Butler, Lily Canup, Cwentin Carlson, Alivia Clark, Cameron Cochran, Hunter Coley, Hali Denton, Christina Duren, Max E rd, Sophia E rd, Noah Elliott, Luke Faile, Bryce Fetzer, Maddison Flowe, Matthew Francisco, Carsen Funk, Kaylin Furr, Isarael Garcia Hernandez, Kinslee Gardner, Abigail Geddings, Eli Glazier, Sophia Granados, Silas Greene, Davis Gri n, Baylee Haigler, Lena Hailey, Mason Hall, Lilly Harrington, Tenley Harris, Haleigh Hart, Paisley Hartsell, Brayden Hatley, Cooper Hatley, Eli Hatley, Gavin Hill, Taylor Hinson, Riley Honeycutt, Ryan Honeycutt, Rylee Hullett, Aunna Huntley, Christian Jaimes-Osorio, Aiden Jean, Chloe Jenkins, Nathaniel Johnson, Brooke Kennedy, Gavin Konopka, Kaydence Konopka, Mavryc Lewis, Kara Lisk, Deegan Little, Hayley Lopez, Aiden Lovin, Austin Manning, Jasmine Martinez, Mason Maske, Carson Mauldin, Allison McDaniel, Elijah McGowan, Braxtyn McGuirt, Turner Meehan, Gabriella Mendoza, Jeyla Meza Salazar, Jenna Middebrook, Abigail Miranda, Wyatt Morgan, Harper Morrison, Jayde Morton, Summer Mosley, Kirby Mullis, Gracie O’Dell, Luke Oliver, Mariana Ortiz Luna, Riley Owen, John Pasquarello, Addison Perkins, Gavin Pfund, Lily Pierce, Ava Pinzon, Andrew Pollard, Annabell Rackley, Kyle Rhodes, Grant Robinson, Lucia Rodriguez, Carolina Roldan Sarabia, Bailey Russell, Cali Russell, Arseleine Saka, Reilly SavageCarlough, Rukia Schweinsberg, Maggie Skeen, Anthony Smith, Emmalyn Smith, Isabella Smith, Lawson Smith, Layton Smith, Summer Strain, Peyton Tarlton, Charisma Temmermand, Autumn Thompson, Luna Torres Cortes, Carson Tucker, Kasen Turner, Hannah Vang, Emma Vaughan, Shelby Walker, Elizabeth Wallace, Ryan Watts, Elam Wayne, Adalie Wheatley, Carissa Whitley, Kaleb Whitley, Khloe Whitley, Malia Whitley, Kenneth Williams, Ava Yandle, Emmett Yow, Logan Yow, Melaina Yow, Nia Zelaya

8th Grade

Maddyn Aldridge, Itzel Alvear Espinoza, Ana Anaya Guzman, Angela Ayala, Brennan Barbee, Bryson Barbee, Cole Barbee, Maddex Barbee, Treyton Barbee, Lauren Brice, Braylen Brooks, Dylan Burns, Ashley Chen, Karel Chenuna Singwa, Brody Clontz, Madison Conley, Alan Rangel Cruz, Lisandra Cruz-Herrera, Madison Deaton, Kadyn Deese, Josiah Deme, Amelia Dennis, Colton Elwood, Logan Eudy, Zain Eudy, Jorja Eury, Cameron Evans, Vegas Floyd, Ayla Green, Knox Grice, Elan Hagerty, Emerie Hartsell, Hunter Harvell, Averie Hatley, Tulah Hatley, Brianna Holsclaw, Rylee Honeycutt, Brody Hudson, Olivia Hughes, Kollyn Huneycutt, Tate Huneycutt, Luke Jacobi, Franco Jaimes Cervantes, Juleigh Jordan, Liam Keesee, Addyson Kiker, Katelyn Kiker, Lorelei King, Madison Kirkland, Eli Kissel, Lilly Knotts, Amber Leavitt, Axel Lino Anastasio, Ariel McLester, Addie Miller, Anthony Muller, Aubry Osborne, Dax Osborne, Braeden Penrose, Avery Pilkinton, Ethan Pipkin, Noah Polzin, Di’ana Ponce Guzman, Holden Pope, Gavin Potts, Lonnie Preslar, Kaylee Price, Caydence Queen, Keono Quichocho, Kannon Rhodes, Antonio Rodriguez Castillo, Jasmin Rodriguez Castillo, Jadyn Salyer, Georgia Sarris, Cayden Severtson, Rilyn Severtson, Piper Shell Cline, Lindsey Shoe, Troy Simnick, Bryson Smith, Josephine Smith, Journey Speights, Miles Spellman, Cara Stephens, Abigail Stilwell, Jacob Stogner, Brianna Suhr, Kiaghan Swigert, Caleb Thompson, James Thompson, Rickey Torrence, Laney Tucker, Presley Tucker, Raeleigh Tucker, Cameron Underwood, Nolan Vang, Kaden Whitley, Paetyn Whitley, Kinsley Wilson, Brody Wolfarth, Fernanda Zeledon, Kelly Zoo Lee

March 19

Jervon Kendrick Wilks (64 years-old) was arrested by the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office on a charge of failing to register as a sex offender.

March 20

James Dakota Martin (35 years-old) was arrested by the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office on charges of second-degree forcible rape, incest, seconddegree sexual exploitation of a minor, and a sex offense.

Ebone Monee Holt (34 yearsold) was arrested by the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office on charges of assault by pointing a gun and assault with a deadly weapon.

March 21

Ashley Lynn Davis (30 yearsold) was arrested by the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office

multiple people come in that have been drinking somewhere else, and we refuse to serve them because that falls on us as a liability. If we serve them, I have it on my cameras. If something happens to them, it can come back on me.”

Albemarle Mayor Ronnie Michael provided some history on how the current situation had evolved over the past 26 years.

on charges of possessing methamphetamine, possessing drug paraphernalia, and failing to appear on two release orders.

Michael Ray Mauldin (53 years-old) was arrested by the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office on charges of communicating threats and cyberstalking.

Cody Matthew Dixon (19 yearsold) was arrested on a charge of assault on a female.

March 22

Devin Eugene Lowder (36 yearsold) was arrested on charges of assault causing serious bodily injury, assault by strangulation, and two counts of assault causing injury with a minor present.

Sabrina Robin Lowder (34 years-old) was arrested on charges of simple assault and failing to report a crime against a juvenile.

March 23

Kenneth Paul Miller (49 yearsold) was arrested on charges of simple assault, communicating threats, injury to personal property, and second-degree trespass.

Teresa Sawyer Miller (51 yearsold) was arrested on charges of simple assault, communicating threats, injury to personal property, and second-degree trespass.

Jessie James Watkins (40 years-old) was arrested on a charge of possession of a firearm by a felon.

Richard Eli`jah Clark (24 years-old) was arrested on charges of felony possession of cocaine and possessing drug paraphernalia.

March 24

Whitley Marcel Jacobi (32 years-old) was arrested by the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office on charges of possessing a felony amount of Schedule II controlled substance, possessing drug paraphernalia, possessing a firearm as a felon, and carrying a concealed firearm.

Hartsell Charles Shane (43 years-old) was arrested by the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office on charges of repeatedly stealing property, stealing property, obtaining property through false pretenses, violating the terms of misdemeanor probation, and failing to appear after being released.

Hatter Dwayne Phillip (52 years-old) was arrested by the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office on charges of possessing a controlled substance in a prison or jail.

“As for myself, a lot of people think, ‘Wow, why would I vote for it since I don’t drink?’ but I would not put my preferences in front of anybody else,” he added. “They all have the chance to do what they wish to do. And I would hope I would make the right decisions. I mean, we can’t control what somebody does walking in and drinking.”

The next Albemarle City Council meeting is set for April 1 at the City Hall Council Chambers.

“When we adopted the ABC laws and the mixed beverage laws back in 1998, there was no mention of bars in that language that was passed,” Michael said. “So when the state legislature changed the law and added bars to many of these categories, we had to bring our denitions into compliance with what the state requirement was for their state statute.” Michael then indicated that he favored granting the special use permit on the basis of freedom and individuality for the establishment and clientele.

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

COLUMN | MARY ZAHRAN

A tale of two Bidens

It made me look at Biden and see a second-rate Vincent Price who didn’t know when to leave the stage.

THE BIDENS have a new addition to their family and he made his rst public appearance recently when he delivered the State of the Union address.

O cially named Joe Biden, he should be called Angry Joe Biden because of his overthe-top manner of speech that evening. Instead of attempting to unite our country, a promise he made countless times during his 2020 presidential campaign, he castigated many Americans by accusing Donald Trump (referred to only as “my predecessor”) and MAGA Republicans of being a threat to democracy.

In all honesty, Angry Joe, or some version of him, has appeared in public before, but without the extreme aggression or menacing tone that was on display when he addressed Congress. Biden yelled non-stop for over an hour, attempting to project an image of a strong and con dent leader.

While it is a mystery to me where he found this sudden energy, it seemed, at least for the evening, that he was a new man.

One early prototype of Angry Joe is Dark Brandon, a gure in numerous memes in which the president looks simultaneously demonic and heroic. This image was created by Biden supporters as a response to a conservative anti-Biden chant, “Let’s Go,

Brandon,” whose meaning contains profanity unsuitable for publication. What was originally meant to be an insult was turned into an avatar that represented a tough and fearless leader. Dark Brandon is the visual equivalent of the Hell re and Brimstone orator delivering the State of the Union address.

A second prototype emerged in September of 2022 right before the midterm elections when Biden delivered a speech in Philadelphia in which he predictably accused the MAGA Republicans of being a threat to democracy. This version of Biden was a kind of Dark Brandon redux, only with a scarier background. Speaking in front of Independence Hall, of all places, Biden looked like a creature from the underworld with blood-red lighting designed to make him look frightening and powerful.

This backdrop did not frighten me. It made me look at Biden and see a second-rate Vincent Price who didn’t know when to leave the stage.

This Joe Biden, Angry Joe, should not be confused with the other Joe Biden, someone I call “Addled Joe” because of his di culty exiting the stage after a speech or his curious habit of discussing recent telephone conversations with world leaders who have been dead for decades. I wouldn’t be surprised if he announced that he soon has a lunch date with Winston Churchill.

Addled Joe may have trouble remembering

names or keeping his balance, but he does have one area of expertise — he knows how to enjoy his ice cream in public. This skill is especially impressive when he is discussing foreign a airs with a journalist while savoring his frozen treat.

When I think of American presidents, I think of George Washington crossing the Delaware during the Revolutionary War, Abraham Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address, or George W. Bush standing atop a pile of rubble at Ground Zero shortly after 9/11 and assuring the world they would hear us as we defeated our enemy. I do not think of a president whose most memorable image reminds us of a six-year-old at a birthday party wiping ice cream o his lips.

Joe Biden may have two di erent public personas, the Tough Guy and the Blundererin-Chief, but he isn’t fooling anyone about his inability to be a good leader. He isn’t fooling members of his own party, who simply deny his shortcomings to create the impression that all is well. He isn’t fooling conservatives who know his policies are disastrous for this country. And he certainly isn’t fooling our adversaries, who see a weak man willing to tolerate their malign behavior.

And no amount of yelling, inexplicable energy, or ice cream will change the fact that neither one of the two Bidens is a good president.

Mary Zahran lives in Fayetteville.

COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO

Why I’m co-hosting a Trump fundraiser

Joe Biden is the worst president of my lifetime.

UNSURPRISINGLY to those who follow this space, I plan to vote for Donald Trump in November. Not just that. Last week, I cohosted a fundraiser for him.

So, how precisely did a conservative who didn’t vote for president in 2016 and didn’t support Donald Trump during the Republican primaries become a Trump donor? The answer is obvious: Donald Trump’s opponent is Joe Biden. And Joe Biden is the worst president of my lifetime.

Because Donald Trump is the nominee against Joe Biden, I won’t just vote for him. I’ll go into my own pocket to support him. Which is what I’m doing.

My calculus is simple: America was better o under Donald Trump than it is in under Joe Biden.

At home, America was safer and more prosperous. When Donald Trump was president, we did not have an open border. We were not ooding our country with at least 7 million illegal immigrants, overwhelming our cities, leaving our country wide open to the plague of Chinese- and Mexican drug cartelbacked fentanyl poisoning.

When Donald Trump was president, we did not have a president who tried to use the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to force 80 million Americans to take a vaccine or lose their jobs — and my company didn’t have to sue to stop it.

When Donald Trump was president, we did not have 40-year highs in in ation and decreasing real wages.

When Donald Trump was president, we did not have a federal attempt to teach children that boys can be girls and vice versa, or to force taxpayers to subsidize abortion,

or to target religious institutions for the great crime of upholding traditional JudeoChristian values.

When Donald Trump was president, we did not have an administration hell-bent on stymying the police in their attempts to ght crime, or an administration that values diversity and inclusion and wokeness above military readiness, all in the name of “equity.”

When Donald Trump was president, we did not have American businesses preparing to have their incomes robbed from them in the name of the biggest spending programs in American history.

When Donald Trump was president, we did not have unconstitutional attempts to simply wipe away student loan debt, or a Department of Justice dedicated to the targeting of political opposition.

When Donald Trump was president, the world was not on re.

When Donald Trump was president, we did not cut and run in the face of 8th-century barbarians in Afghanistan, who blew up 13 American soldiers, hunted down our allies, and reestablished al-Qaida bases.

When Donald Trump was president, peace was breaking out in the Middle East between Arab nations and Israel, and Iran was in a box. We certainly didn’t have a multi-front hot war between Iranian proxies and American allies — or American soldiers directly — and we weren’t trying to pay billions in bribes to the Iranian mullahs.

When Donald Trump was president, we didn’t have war in Ukraine.

When Donald Trump was president, we didn’t have China threatening imminent blockade of Taiwan.

When Donald Trump was president, America was better o .

I’ll always be honest with you about Donald Trump. He wasn’t my rst choice in the primaries; he’s a deeply awed man. I’ve been open in my criticisms of Trump on both character and policy. And I’m not going to stop criticizing Donald Trump when I disagree with him. I always have, and I always will. That’s my job, and the job of all Americans.

But Donald Trump is the man standing between America and a second Joe Biden term. And a second Joe Biden term means America in dire, dire trouble.

It’s that simple.

It’s Trump or Biden.

Unlike in 2016, we don’t have to guess at what a Trump administration will be. And we don’t have to guess what a Biden administration will be either. We know. America cannot a ord another Joe Biden term.

Or, perhaps more realistically, a Kamala Harris term.

Joe Biden is here to nish the job that Barack Obama started, of fundamentally transforming America into the image of the left. That cannot happen. That’s why I’m not just giving Donald Trump my vote, I’m giving him my money. Because this election matters. And Donald Trump must be the next president of the United States.

Ben Shapiro, 39, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and co-founder of Daily Wire+.

STANLY SPORTS

Uwharrie Wampus Cats seeking host families for summer roster

“This

Uwharrie Wampus Cats

The team also announced internship and partnership opportunities

By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal

ALBEMARLE — The Uwharrie Wampus Cats recently announced that they are in need of host families for their players as they work to complete their 2024 summer roster.

This will be the team’s second season after last year’s inaugural campaign.

“Our host families receive season tickets to the Wampus Cats’ 25 home games this summer for their household and will also receive a signed ball by our 2024 team,” the woodbat collegiate baseball team said in a social media post.

“This is an exciting way to form a bond with a collegiate baseball player, as well as a great way to be involved with the Albemarle community. If you may be interested, please let us know.”

Anyone interested in becoming a host family can contact Greg Sullivan at

greg@wampuscatsbaseball.com or call 706-2555539. The team also announced that it is seeking business partnership opportunities and o ering internship opportunities.

At the end of January, the Cats revealed they joined the Southern Collegiate Baseball League for this upcoming season and will begin play in their new Major League Baseball-supported circuit from late May to late July.

Jayson James will serve as the team’s new head coach, while Jayson James was later announced as the new Uwharrie general manager.

“I feel beyond blessed and excited for the opportunity to work with the Wampus Cats as general manager,” James said in a team press release. “I’m looking forward to the success I know we’ll have as a team, and I’m excited to help grow the team and make sure it’s a staple in the community for years to come.”

Over the past two months, the Wampus Cats have locked in some returns and new additions to their

2024 summer roster.

In February, the team announced newcomer Lenoir Community College pitcher Bryson Butler, and welcomed back St. Andrews University inelder Aiden Wilson, Williams College pitcher JH Vaughan, Wake Technical Community College pitcher Sawyer Smith, and Erskine College in elder Kipp Thornton.

Uwharrie also brought back USC-Sumter in elder BJ Williams, who led the Cats in batting average (.347) and home runs (4) last summer in 75 at-bats; Williams recently committed to Jackson State where he will play at the NCAA Division I level.

In March, the team added three more newcomers: Gardner-Webb pitcher Burton Rawlings, St. Lawrence University pitcher Jared Brenner, and Cleveland Community College out elder Luke Chantry.

Last season, over 6,000 fans attended home games at Albemarle’s Don Montgomery Park as the Cats managed to put together an 18-17 winning record in their rst season.

Jett Thomas

year

going 2-1 last week against crosstown rivals. West blew out South Stanly, 13-1, then beat North Stanly, 6-2, before dropping the rematch, 6-0.

Thomas has been outstanding for West Stanly in the eld and on the mound so far this season. Shown here making a play in the in eld against South Stanly, he also earned a win in the North Stanly game with a dominant performance on the mound. He has made four pitching appearances for the Colts this year, including ve no-hit innings two weeks ago against East Forsyth.

Judge expects ruling on ACC-Florida State ght before April 9

The rst hearing was held in Charlotte last week

By Steve Reed

The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE — The Atlantic Coast Conference and Florida State squared o in a courtroom for the rst time last Friday, following the member school’s push to exit the conference and explore a more lucrative landing spot elsewhere.

During a four-hour hearing at Mecklenburg County courthouse, attorneys from both sides argued about jurisdiction over dueling lawsuits from last December and whether documents pertaining to broadcasting rights between the ACC and ESPN should be unsealed.

No resolution was reached Friday.

Judge Louis A. Bledsoe III indicated he would take arguments into advisement and have a written ruling on where the case should be held and whether to unseal documents before April 9 — the date Florida State’s lawsuit against the conference is scheduled to be heard in Florida.

The ACC wants the case to be heard in Charlotte, where its headquarters are located, and doesn’t want the broadcasting contract with ESPN made public. Florida State wants to move the venue to Florida and prefers the documents to be unsealed for transparency.

Attorneys for ESPN also weighed in Friday, urging Bledsoe to keep the broadcasting rights contract sealed because making them public would be nancially detrimental to the sports programming network. “FSU is arguing that North Carolina is a more favorable jurisdiction for the ACC,” said ACC attorney James Cooney. “We are not here because this is more favorable; we are here because it is the right jurisdiction.”

Florida State Board of Trustees in North Carolina in last December, asking a court to uphold the conference’s grant of rights as a valid and enforceable contract after catching wind of a forthcoming Florida State lawsuit.

Florida State’s lawsuit came shortly after.

Attorney Bailey King, who is representing Florida State, said the ACC jumped the gun in a “race to the courthouse” and that lawsuit has no merit given that decision was not voted on by the league’s membership committee.

“Forgive the pun, but we believe the ACC jumped o side — and that’s a penalty,” King said. FSU had been signaling discontent for a year about the ACC falling further behind the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference in payouts even while taking in record revenues.

The ACC’s revenue increased to nearly $617 million by the 2021-22 season with an average distribution of nearly $39.5 million per school for full members. Still, that left ACC schools receiving about $10 million less per year than SEC schools — $49.9 million, according to tax documents — even though ESPN is partnered with both leagues on their respective networks.

The ACC initially sued the

At the core of the case is a grant-of-rights agreement signed by league schools that transferred control of each program’s media rights to the ACC through the 2035-36 season. It means the league controls media rights for any school that attempts to leave for the duration of the contract, which is designed to deter defections since a school would not be able to bring TV value to a new league.

MANUEL

SIDELINE REPORT

MLS Charlotte FC gets 2-0 win over Columbus

Charlotte

Ashley Westwood and Patrick Agyemang scored late in the second half and Charlotte FC beat Columbus 2-0, handing the defendingchampion Crew their rst loss of the season.

The two clubs played 16 minutes of rst-half stoppage time because of injuries to the Crew’s Steven Moreira, Rudy Camacho, Christian Ramírez, and Darlington Nagbe, as well as Charlotte’s Scott Ar eld.

Kristijan Kahlina did not have to make a save in earning the clean sheet for Charlotte (2-2-1).

Charlotte and new coach Dean Smith played at home for the rst time since a 1-0 victory over New York City FC in the season opener.

SOCCER

Security issues force cancellation of Israel exhibition match

Sarajevo Israel’s soccer friendly at Bosnia-Herzegovina this week has been canceled.

UEFA said in a statement the Bosnian and Israeli soccer federations agreed not to play ”in light of the current security situation.”

The two men’s teams should have played on Tuesday in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo. The xture was available after both were eliminated on Thursday in qualifying playo s for the European Championship. Israel lost to Iceland 4-1 in a “home” game it had to play in a neutral country because of security concerns during the country’s con ict with Hamas. Israel chose to play in Budapest, Hungary.

MLB Cardinals’ super-fan pleads guilty to storming Capitol

Washington, D.C.

A St. Louis Cardinals super fan who legally changed his name to Rally Runner has pleaded guilty to storming the U.S. Capitol. Rally Runner pleaded guilty to a felony charge of civil disorder and is scheduled to be sentenced in July. The 44-year-old Missouri man was wearing red face paint and a red “Keep America Great” hat when he used a stolen shield to help other rioters attack police o cers at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He is known in St. Louis for running around the Cardinals’ stadium during baseball games while wearing red clothes and red face paint.

NFL Third man now charged with murder in Chiefs Super Bowl rally shooting

Kansas City, Mo.

A third man has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the shooting during the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally. The Feb. 14 shooting killed a mother of two and injured nearly two dozen others. Twentyyear-old Terry Young, of Kansas City, Missouri, also was charged last Thursday with unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action. He is jailed on $1 million bond and doesn’t yet have an attorney. Two others have been charged with seconddegree murder and other crimes. Two juveniles also are in custody. Three other men face weapons-related charges.

Byron dominates Cup Series’ 1st road course race of season

Leads 42 of 68 laps for second win of year

By Jim Vertuno The Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — William Byron won the Daytona 500 with an agonizing nal lap under a caution ag. He took the checkered ag on Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas at full throttle.

Bryon started from pole position and delivered a dominant drive in Cup Series’ rst road course race of the season. The Hendrick Motorsports driver led 42 of 68 laps and built the big lead he needed to hold o a hard-charging run from Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell over the nal two laps.

Bell shaved nearly three seconds o Byron’s lead to create some late drama before Byron slammed the door over the nal corners.

“I was trying to not make mistakes,” Byron said. “I knew that last lap he was going to be pushing hard.”

Even when he was building the lead, Byron said he knew the victory would be tight at the end.

“Everyone is too good, and that car (was) too close,” Byron said.

A self-taught racer who used computer equipment to hone his skills, Byron earned career win No. 12 and his second on a road course.

The Circuit of the Americas, a track built for Formula One, has been the rst road course for the Cup Series each of the last four seasons. And unlike the crash-

lled triple-overtime race of 2023, Sunday’s race was mostly incident free as Byron made easy work of the eld.

Byron led 23 laps of the rst two stages, but found himself quickly dropped to third at the start of the nal stage as Ross Chastain, who won at COTA in 2022, jumped to the front.

Byron fought back to pass him with 25 laps to go and both cars pitted on the same lap. Chastain then got hung up in tra c on the re-entry and fell several cars behind.

That gave Byron the chance to open the gap he needed to keep

Bell behind him at the end. Ty Gibbs, the 21-year-old grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, nished third after getting passed by Bell with three laps to go. “Another lap I would have gotten there for sure,” Bell said. “Passing (Byron) would have been di cult. I needed him to make a mistake and he didn’t make a mistake.”

Penalties

The course had few track limits, but the ones enforced by race o cials brought a hefty penalty for drivers who got caught.

Ford falters

Ford drivers have yet to win this season and did not expect big results on the road course. They delivered on the low expectations. Chris Buescher was the top Ford driver on Sunday in eighth.

Coming back to COTA

The Circuit of the Americas is the only track to host both NASCAR and F1, and all signs point to the stock cars coming back

Chase Elliott, who won here in 2021 and leads active drivers with seven road course wins, was running sixth early in the nal stage before driving out of bounds in the s-curve section of the racetrack. That forced him do to a pit lane drive-thru and took him out of contention when he rejoined in 16th. Elliott, a former Cup Series champion, hasn’t won since 2022.

next year. Circuit of the Americas President Bobby Epstein said this week he has a deal for NASCAR to return in 2025, but provided no details. Marcus Smith, president of Speedway Motorsports, which runs the event and rents the track for the week, said he also plans a return.

“We love bringing NASCAR to Austin,” Smith said. “Nothing is nal until the o cial NASCAR schedule comes out, but we’re planning for another big event in Austin at COTA in 2025.”

Up next

The series moves to short track racing next Sunday at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia.

MLB investigating gambling, theft allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and interpreter

Dodgers red an interpreter after reports of millions in payments to a bookmaker

By Ronald Blum The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Major League Baseball has opened a formal investigation into illegal gambling and theft allegations involving Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. Mizuhara was let go from the team Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and claims from Ohtani’s attorneys that the two-way Japanese star had been the victim of a “massive theft.”

“Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei (Mizuhara) from the news media,” the commissioner’s o ce said in a statement Friday. “Earlier today, our Department of Investigations began their formal process investigating the matter.”

Ohtani and the Dodgers were in Seoul, South Korea, for their opening series against the San Diego Padres when reports were published about alleged ties between the 39-year-old Mizuhara and an illegal bookmaker. The teams returned to the U.S. after Thursday night’s game and MLB did not make a public comment until announcing the investigation on Friday.

The IRS con rmed Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field O ce.

Ohtani is baseball’s biggest star, an unprecedented twoway player who has excelled at the plate and on the mound. He was a two-time AL MVP with the Los Angeles Angels before leaving as a free agent to sign a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December.

Ohtani has not issued any statements and did not speak to reporters in the Dodgers clubhouse after Thursday night’s game.

The Dodgers are set to resume the regular season with their home opener next Thursday.

Mizuhara, Ohtani’s personal

interpreter and close friend, told ESPN on Tuesday that his bets were on international soccer, the NBA, the NFL and college football. MLB rules prohibit players and team employees from wagering — even legally on baseball — and also ban betting on other sports with illegal or o shore bookmakers.

“I never bet on baseball,” Mizuhara told ESPN. “That’s 100%. I knew that rule ... We have a meeting about that in spring training.”

Diane Bass, Bowyer’s attorney, told the AP Mizuhara was placing bets with Bowyer on international soccer, but not baseball. Bass also said Bowyer had no contact with Ohtani.

The MLB gambling policy is posted in every locker room. Betting on baseball — legally or not — is punishable with a

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, right, and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, attend at a news conference in Seoul, South Korea, last week. Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend has been red by the Dodgers following allegations of illegal gambling and theft from the Japanese baseball star.

one-year ban from the sport. The penalty for betting on other sports illegally is at the commissioner’s discretion. Sports gambling is illegal in California.

Mizuhara told ESPN Ohtani had paid his gambling debts — which totaled well over $1 million — at Mizuhara’s request. After the statement from Ohtani’s attorneys saying the player was a victim of theft, ESPN says Mizuhara changed his story and claimed Ohtani had no knowledge of the gambling debts and had not transferred any money to bookmakers.

“I’m terrible (at gambling). Never going to do it again. Never won any money,” Mizuhara said. “I mean, I dug myself a hole and it kept on getting bigger, and it meant I had to bet bigger to get out of it and just kept on losing. It’s like a snowball e ect.”

DARREN ABATE / AP PHOTO

William Byron steers through Turn 10 during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race on Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

UN demand for Gaza cease- re raises tensions between US, Israel

The U.S. abstained from the vote, allowing it to pass

By Edith M. Lederer The Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations Security Council on Monday issued its rst demand for a cease- re in Gaza, with the U.S. angering Israel by abstaining from the vote. Israel responded by canceling a visit to Washington by a high-level delegation in the strongest public clash between the allies since the war began.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the U.S. of “retreating” from a “principled position” by allowing the vote to pass without conditioning the cease- re on the release of hostages held by Hamas.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the administration was “kind of perplexed” by Netanyahu’s decision. He said the Israelis were “choosing to create a perception of daylight here when they don’t need to do that.”

Kirby and the American ambassador to the U.N. said the U.S. abstained because the resolution did not condemn Hamas.

The 15-member council approved the resolution 14-0 after the U.S. decided not to use its veto power on the measure, which also demanded the release of all hostages taken captive during Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel. The chamber broke into loud applause after the vote.

The U.S. vetoed past Security Council cease- re resolutions in large part because of the failure

to tie them directly to the release of hostages, the failure to condemn Hamas’ attacks and the delicacy of ongoing negotiations. American o cials have argued that the cease- re and hostage releases are linked, while Russia, China and many other council members favored unconditional calls for cease- res.

The resolution approved Monday demands the release of hostages but does not make it a condition for the cease- re for the month of Ramadan, which ends in April.

Hamas said it welcomed the U.N.’s move but said the ceasere needs to be permanent.

“We con rm our readiness

to engage in an immediate prisoner exchange process that leads to the release of prisoners on both sides,” the group said. For months, the militants have sought a deal that includes a complete end to the con ict.

The U.S. decision to abstain comes at a time of growing tensions between President Joe Biden’s administration and Netanyahu over Israel’s prosecution of the war, the high number of civilian casualties and the limited amounts of humanitarian assistance reaching Gaza. The two countries have also clashed over Netanyahu’s rejection of a Palestinian state, Jewish settler violence against Palestinians in

the occupied West Bank and the expansion of settlements there.

In addition, the well-known antagonism between Netanyahu and Biden — which dates from Biden’s tenure as vice president — deepened after Biden questioned Israel’s strategy in combating Hamas.

Then Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Biden ally, suggested that Netanyahu was not operating in Israel’s best interests and called for Israel to hold new elections. Biden signaled his approval of Schumer’s remarks, prompting a rebuke from Netanyahu.

During its U.S. visit, the Israeli delegation was to present

White House o cials with its plans for a possible ground invasion of Rafah, a city on the Egyptian border in southern Gaza where more than 1 million Palestinian civilians have sought shelter from the war.

The vote came after Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution Friday that would have supported “an immediate and sustained ceasere” in the Israeli-Hamas conict. That resolution featured a weakened link between a ceasere and the release of hostages, leaving it open to interpretation, and no time limit.

The United States warned that the resolution approved Monday could hurt negotiations to halt the hostilities, raising the possibility of another veto, this time by the Americans. The talks involve the U.S., Egypt and Qatar.

Because Ramadan ends April 9, the cease- re demand would last for just two weeks, though the draft says the pause in ghting should lead to “a sustainable cease- re.”

The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greeneld, said the resolution “spoke out in support of the ongoing diplomatic e orts,” adding that negotiators were “getting closer” to a deal for a cease- re with the release of all hostages, “but we’re not there yet.”

She urged the council and U.N. members across the world to “speak out and demand unequivocally that Hamas accepts the deal on the table.”

Thomas-Green eld said the U.S. abstained because “certain edits” the U.S. requested were ignored, including a condemnation of Hamas.

Putin says Islamic extremists raided Moscow concert hall

Four have been arrested, but Russian authorities are still investigating who orchestrated the attack

By Dasha Litvinova

The Associated Press

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT

Vladimir Putin said Monday that the gunmen who killed 139 people at a suburban Moscow concert hall are “radical Islamists,” but he repeated his accusation that Ukraine could have played a role despite its strong denials.

Speaking in a meeting with government o cials, Putin said the killings were carried out by extremists “whose ideology the Islamic world has been ghting for centuries.”

Putin, who declared over the weekend that the four attackers were arrested while trying to es-

cape to Ukraine, said investigators haven’t determined who ordered the attack, but that it was necessary to nd out “why the terrorists after committing their crime tried to ee to Ukraine and who was waiting for them there.”

The Islamic State group’s Afghanistan a liate claimed it carried out the attack, and U.S. intelligence said it had information con rming the group was responsible. French President Emmanuel Macron said France has intelligence pointing to “an IS entity” as responsible for the attack.

“We are seeing that the U.S., through various channels, is trying to convince its satellites and other countries of the world that, according to their intelligence, there is allegedly no Kyiv trace in the Moscow terror attack — that the bloody terrorist act was committed by followers of Islam, members of the Islamic State

group,” Putin said during a meeting with top law enforcement ofcials.

He added that “those who support the Kyiv regime don’t want to be accomplices in terror and sponsors of terrorism, but many questions remain.”

Putin went on to declare that Ukraine has sought to de ect attention from its battle eld setbacks by waging cross-border attacks on various Russian regions, adding that “bloody intimidation acts like the Moscow terror attack look like a logical part of this chain.”

The attack Friday night at the Crocus City Hall music venue on the western outskirts of Moscow left 139 people dead and more than 180 injured, proving to be the deadliest in Russia in years. About 100 people remained hospitalized, o cials said. Putin warned that more at-

tacks could follow, alleging possible Western involvement. He didn’t mention the warning about imminent terror attacks that the U.S. con dentially shared with Moscow two weeks before the raid or the public.

Three days before the attack, Putin denounced the March 7 U.S. Embassy notice urging Americans to avoid crowds in Moscow, including concerts, as an attempt to frighten Russians and “blackmail” the Kremlin ahead of the presidential election. The four suspected attackers, all of them nationals of Tajikistan, were charged by a Moscow court Sunday night with carrying out the attack and ordered to remain in custody pending ocial probe. Russian media reported that the four were tortured while being interrogated, and they showed signs of being severe-

ly beaten during their court appearance. Russian o cials said all four pleaded guilty to the charges, which carry life punishment, but their condition raised questions about whether their statements might have been coerced.

Russian authorities reported that seven other suspects have been detained, and three of them were remanded by the court Monday on charges of being involved in the attack.

As they mowed down concertgoers with gun re, the attackers set re to the vast concert hall, and the resulting blaze caused the roof to collapse.

The search operation will continue until at least Tuesday afternoon, o cials said. A Russian Orthodox priest conducted a service at the site Monday, blessing a makeshift memorial with incense.

Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, a suspect in Friday’s Crocus City Hall shooting, sits in a glass cage in the Basmanny District Court in Moscow on Sunday.

CRAIG RUTTLE / AP PHOTO

Linda Thomas-Green eld, United States ambassador and representative to the United Nations, speaks Monday after a vote to abstain as the United Nations Security Council passed a cease- re resolution in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, its rst demand to halt ghting.

Barbara Jean (Taylor) Drye

Polly Hathcock Little

April 17, 1936 ~ January 14, 2023

August 24, 1943 — March 21, 2024

Barbara Jean Taylor Drye, 86, of Oakboro, passed away Saturday, January 14, 2023 at her home.

Barbara was born April 17, 1936 in North Carolina to the late Robert Lee Taylor and the late Eva Belle Watts Taylor. She was also preceded in death by husband of 61 years, Keith Furr Drye, and brothers, Robert Lee Taylor, Jr. and George Kenneth Taylor.

Survivors include children, Debbie (Mike) Williams of Albemarle, Teresa (Tom) Curry of Oakboro, Douglas (Tammy) Drye of Oakboro; grandchildren, Melissa (Don) Parrish of Albemarle, Samantha (Destiny) Smith of Oakboro, Bradley Smith of Oakboro, Jonathan Stover of Peachland, and Jessie Stover of Lylesville; sisterin-law, Beatrice Goodman; many nieces and nephews; and her beloved cats, Bo and Gar eld.

Barbara was a member of Oakboro Baptist Church for over 60 years. She worked over 30 years at Stanly Knitting Mills. After just two years of retirement, she began managing the Oakboro Senior Center and did that for 18 years until this past week. Barbara was known for her good cooking and always taking care of others. She also loved going on day long shopping trips - she could out walk and out shop people half her age. She kept her mind and body active through gardening, word searches, and various other hobbies.

Polly Carlene Hathcock Little, 80, of Stan eld, passed away Thursday, March 21, 2024, at Atrium Health Pineville in Charlotte. Polly was born August 24, 1943 in Stan eld to the late Thomas Burton Hathcock and the late Bertha Elizabeth Hathcock. Survivors include husband, Zeb Dou1943,, "Doug" Little of Stan eld, NC; daughter, Stephanie (Constance) of Raleigh, NC; son, Mark of Stan eld, NC; sister, Rachel Hudson, Albemarle, NC; sister, Margaret Almond (Tommy) of Matthews, NC; brother, Blane Hathcock (Margaret) of Albemarle, NC. Polly was a proli c cook and self-published her own cookbook in 2008. She retired in 2004 from S&D Co ee after a distinguished career in payroll and bene ts.

Faye Carol Eudy

October 12, 1939 — March 21, 2024

Faye Roberts Eudy, 84, of Rich eld, passed away Thursday, March 21, 2024, at her residence in Rich eld, NC. Mrs. Eudy was born October 12, 1939, in Cleveland County, North Carolina to the late Elias Melvin Roberts and the late Mattie Louise Palmer Roberts. She was also preceded in death by brothers, Rollins Roberts, Emmett Roberts and sister, Deane McDaniels. Survivors include husband, Jimmy Lee Eudy of Rich eld, NC, daughter, Rhonda (Todd) Smith of Albemarle; sons, Robert (Karen) Eudy of Rich eld and Terry (Diane) Eudy of Norwood; grandchildren, Brittne Roberts, Emmettr, Garrett (Taylor) Eudy Hannah Smith and Austin Eudy great grandchildren Skylin Carter, Harlie Eudy and two brothers, Kenneth (Judy) Roberts and Gilbert “Peanut” (Janice) Roberts. Memorials may be made to Tillery Compassionate Care ( https:// tillerycompassionatecare. org/ ) or Stanly County Humane Society ( https:// stanlycountyhumanesociety. org/ )Hartsell Funeral Home of Albemarle is serving the Eudy family.

Dwight Farmer

James Roseboro

John B. Kluttz

Doris Jones

Vann Stephen Rowell

January 24, 1939 ~ January 15, 2023

Dwight Britten Farmer Sr., 83, of Norwood died Sunday morning, January 15, 2023 at Forrest Oakes.

December 12, 1971 — March 20, 2024

Dwight was born January 24, 1939 in Stanly County to the late Walter Virgil and Martha Adkins Farmer. He was a 1957 graduate of Norwood High School and was a United States Army Veteran. He was a member of Cedar Grove United Methodist Church where he had served as church treasurer and choir member. He began his career with the Stanly County Sheri ’s Department moving to the Norwood Police Department and retiring as Chief of Police with the Town of Norwood after many years of service.

Dwight was an avid gardener, bird watcher and Carolina fan.

He is survived by his wife Hilda Whitley Farmer; one son D. Britten Farmer Jr. (Mary) of McLeansville, NC; one daughter Sharon Farmer Lowe (David) of Norwood; one sister Geraldine Dennis of Troy; two grandchildren, Dwight Britten “Dee” Farmer III and Whitley Rose Hui Lowe.

He was preceded in death by his son Alex, brothers, Tommy and Jimmy, sisters, Nancy, Cornelia Annabell, Glennie Mae, and Betty.

Memorials may be made to Cedar Grove United Methodist Church, Cemetery or Choir Fund c/o Pam Smith 36071 Rocky River Springs Road, Norwood, NC 28128.

Vann "Yella" Stephen Rowell, 52, of Charlotte, NC, departed this life on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, at Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center in Charlotte. Vann was born December 12, 1971 in Charlotte to the late Gary Lee Rowell and Mary Elizabeth Stewart Rowell. Vann was preceded in death by his father and son, Jamal Smith. Survivors incl1971,beloved wife of 22 years, Casinta Rowell of Charlotte; mother, Mary (Jack) Howard of Locust; ve sons (all of Charlotte), Big Josh (Marquisha) Smith, Jacobey Crowder, Little Josh (Dominique) Key, Chris Jackson, and Jordan Rowell; eleven grandchildren, Jamir, Aiden, Carter, Karmen, Kaleb, Ja'Lea, Denver, Jacobey Jr., Braylen, Kalani, and Alivia; brothers, Stephen (Angie) Howard of China Grove, and Mark (Lisa) Howard of Stan eld; sister, Andrea (Aaron) Nicely of West Virginia; and a host of nieces, nephews, extended family and friends. He was a big man with an even bigger heart. Most of all, Vann was a loving husband, devoted dad of 6 sons, and proud paw paw of 11 grandchildren.

Robert Lee Woodle, Jr.

July 18, 1960 — March 20, 2024

Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in SCJ at obits@stanlyjournal.com

Robert Lee Woodle, 63, of Albemarle, passed away Wednesday, March 20, 2024, at his home. Robert was born July 18, 1960, in North Carolina to the late Robert Lee Woodle and the late Rosa Mae Mason Woodle. He was also preceded in death by sisters, Connie Mae Woodle and Patricia Ann Russell. Survivors include son, Jeremy Lee Woodle and wife, Krystal of Stan eld, NC; grandchildren, Gabriel, David, Lila, Jeremiah, and AllieMae; brother-inlaw, James Russell; nieces, Stacie Strickland (William, Hope), Savannah Cox, (Parker, McKenna) and Hannah Russell.

Evelyn Furr Hartsell

June 23, 1967 ~ January 10, 2023

James Arthur Roseboro, 55, of Albemarle, passed away Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at Anson Health and Rehab.

April 16, 1923 — March 20, 2024

Mr. Roseboro was born on June 23, 1967 to the late Robert and Delena Shipp Roseboro. He graduated from South Stanly High School and was employed by Triangle Brick. He enjoyed watching football and basketball, especially the Carolina TarHeels and Miami.

In addition to his parents he is preceded in death by his brothers and sisters: Barbara Lee Roseboro, Dorothy Brown, Verna Roseboro, Henrietta Ingram, and Harold Roseboro.

He is survived by his sisters: Helen (James) Roseboro Edwards of Albemarle, Mary Roseboro of Washington DC, and Marion Morrison of Albemarle; brothers: Thomas D. Roseboro of Charlotte, Robert Roseboro (Patricia) of Norwood, and Van Horne; a special friend of over 40 years, Michelle McLendon of the home; special nieces: Nybrea Montague, Knya Little, and Laquanza Crump; special nephews: Robert Jr., Desmond Roseboro, and Marcus Lilly; and God daughter, Daphne Johnson; and special friends, Vetrella Johnson and Ben McLendon.

Evelyn Furr Hartsell, 100 years of age, of Midland, died at her home on Wednesday March 20, 2024. Ms. Hartsell was born April 16, 1923, in Stanly County to the late John Lee Furr and Dora Francess Furr. She is preceded in death by her husband, J Lee Hartsell, son Alvin Thomas Hartsell, two sisters and four brothers. She is survived by her sons, Jerry Hartsell (Jeanette) of Midland, Je rey Hartsell of Mint Hill, and two granddaughters Jennifer Butler (Tom) and Elizabeth Kittleson (Chris), and one great granddaughter, Brooke Butler. She is also survived by sisters Ruth Brooks of Midland and Hazel Coale of Carolina Beach. She enjoyed cooking and sharing her bounty with friends and neighbors. She also enjoyed watching the UNC Tarheels and Atlanta Braves baseball. In her later years she kept busy working jigsaw puzzles.

Darrick Baldwin

January 7, 1973 ~ January 8, 2023

Royce Vance Austin

June 28, 1948 — March 18, 2024

Darrick Vashon Baldwin, age 50, entered eternal rest, Sunday, January 8, 2023, Albemarle, North Carolina. Born January 7, 1973, in Stanly County, North Carolina, Darrick was the son of Eddie James Baldwin Sr. and the late Phyllis Blue Baldwin. Darrick enjoyed life, always kept things lively and enjoyed making others smile. His presence is no longer in our midst, but his memory will forever live in our hearts.

He was educated in the Stanly County public schools and attended Albemarle Senior High School, Albemarle.

He was a great conversationalist and loved meeting people. Darrick never met a stranger and always showed love and compassion for his fellowman. He also loved his dog, Rocky.

He is survived by his father, Eddie J. Baldwin Sr.; sisters: Crystal (Eric) Jackson, LaFondra (Stoney) Medley, and Morgan Baldwin; brothers: Eddie Baldwin Jr., Anton Baldwin, and Lamont Baldwin; a host of other relatives and friends. A limb has fallen from our family tree. We will not grieve Darrick’s death; we will celebrate his life. We give thanksgiving for the many shared memories.

Royce Vance Austin, 75, of Marshville, passed away on Monday, March 18, 2024. Mr. Austin was born on June 28, 1948, to the late David and Jewel Austin. In addition to his parents, he was also preceded in death by his son, Michael D. Austin. Royce retired from Allvac after 48 years. His time was spent with grandchildren watching cartoons. Survivors include wife of 51 years, Cynthia Austin; son, Ricky Austin and wife, Amy; daughter, Alana Payne and husband, Bradley; daughter-in-law, Lisa Greene; grandchildren, Kayla Pennington and husband, Kyle, Drake Austin, Colton Austin, Alyssa (Sam) Austin, Michael Austin, Dylan Payne, Kelsi Payne, Alyssa Little, Jordyn Little; great-grandchildren, Jenni Jacquez, Vada Cruz; brothers, Boyce Austin, Charles Timothy Austin; sisters, Patricia Mullis, Angel Tarleton.

Madge W. Whitley

Coleman

March 23, 1935 - January 9, 2023

July 15, 1927 — March 19, 2024

John grew up in the Millingport community where he drove a school bus and worked at the local gas station during his High School years. He graduated from Millingport High in 1954 and entered into service with the US Airforce immediately afterward. Upon return from the service, he and his high school sweetheart Julie were married in 1956. He graduated from Nashville Auto Diesel College later in 1959 and began his career as a diesel mechanic at Mitchell Distributing Company, moving his growing family to Charlotte where they lived until their retirement.

When John purchased his rst Model A Ford at the age of 17, he said that he took the car to the community mechanic when he had a small problem.The mechanic told him that if he was going to keep the car, he needed to learn to work on it. This is when John’s passion for Model A Fords began and how he spent his happiest days with his best friends from around the globe for the rest of his life!

Madge Cornelia Whitley, 96, of Albemarle, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, at Forrest Oakes Healthcare Center in Albemarle. Madge was born July 15, 1927, in North Carolina to the late James Daniel Whitley and the late Sarah Elenor Whitley. She was also preceded in death by husband, Harley Green Whitley, her sisters: Stella Johnson, Mildred (Polly) Furr, Jewel Purser, and brothers Cletus Whitley, Loys Whitley, Thurman Whitley, James Whitley and Bu ord Whitley. Survivors include son, Melvin Whitley (Carolyn) of Myrtle Beach, SC, son, Harley Green Whitley, Jr. of Albemarle, NC, two granddaughters Cortney Morgan of Albemarle, NC and Lindsey Harward of Myrtle Beach, SC two great grandchildren April and Emily Harward, and sister, Betty Almond of Locust, NC, sister, Patricia Whitley of Albemarle, NC. She is also survived by many cousins, nieces and nephews to cherish her legacy.

At age 50, after years as a Detroit Diesel Mechanic he and Julie decided to take the plunge and open a full Model A Restoration Shop. They thrived at their shop in Cornelius, NC until their retirement in 1998 when they moved back to Cabarrus County. John once again set up shop in his back yard garage where he attracted a loyal group of friends who visited almost daily. While on the farm in Gold Hill, John also began a lifelong love with Alis Chalmers tractors after he restored his Dad’s tractor and began amassing his collection of tractors as well.

Carol Elaine Wishon

July 29, 1951 — March 17, 2024

Carol Elaine Wishon, 72, of Concord passed away peacefully, Sunday, March 17, 2024, at Atrium Cabarrus. Carol was born on July 29, 1951, to the late Dallas E. Wishon and the late Elaine Miller Wishon.

Carol is survived by her brother Hal (Kim) Wishon of Concord, nephews, David (Alana) Wishon of Concord and Brett (Hannah) Wishon of Charlotte; grandniece Walker Wishon and grandnephew Brady Wishon. Also surviving is a special cousin, Joyce Hardin. The family would like to express their appreciation to the sta of Mt. Pleasant House for their love and care for Carol over the past several years.

his own and had the crowning achievement of winning the most prestigious award from MARC, The Henry for a restoration that garnered top points. He was also presented with the Ken Brady Service Awardthe highest award given to members at the national level. This is what John’s Model A Community had to say upon learning of his death: He was an active member of Wesley Chapel Methodist Church where he loved serving as greeter on Sunday mornings. He also belonged to the United Methodist Men. John is survived by his wife Julie Ussery Kluttz, for 66 years of the home. He is also survived by a son John David Kluttz (Kim) of Oakboro, NC; two daughters, Sally Simerson of Denver, CO and Betsy Tusa (John) of Lafayette, CO; three grandchildren, Bonnie Kluttz Sammons (Ben) of Rich eld, NC John Alexander McKinnon (Sarah) of Asheville, NC and Seth William McKinnon (Amanda) of Germany; ve great-grandchildren, Charlotte, Meredith, Grant, Victoria and Ronan. John is also preceded in death by his parents, J.S. Kluttz and Mary Wyatt Clayton Kluttz; a large and loving group of brothers and sisters, Jack Methias Kluttz, Annie Lou Kluttz Honeycutt, Jake Nelson Kluttz, Julius Kluttz, Mary Patricia Phillips and a grandson, Kevin Fowler Kluttz.

Casey Lynnette Sedberry

October 11, 1944 - January 10, 2023

July 10, 1981 — March 17, 2024

Casey Lynnette Parnell

Doris Elaine Jones Coleman, 78, went home into God’s presence on January 10 after a sudden illness and a valiant week-long ght in ICU. Doris was born on October 11, 1944, in the mountains of Marion, NC while her father was away ghting in the US Navy during World War II. Raymond Jones was so proud to return after the war and meet his little girl! Doris grew up in Durham, NC and graduated from Durham High School. She furthered her studies at Watts Hospital School of Nursing in Durham and graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1966.

Sedberry, 42, of Mount Gilead, passed away on Sunday, March 17, 2024.Mrs. Sedberry was born on July 10, 1981, to Edgar LeRoy and Ruby Morton Parnell. Casey was preceded in death by her brother, Derek Parnell; grandparents, Leroy and Elgie Parnell and Martha and Wayne Morton. Casey loved the outdoors where she would swim, garden or just ride in the boat. She enjoyed riding the golf cart with Toby and crafting in her spare time and was a great cook and baker. Above all, she was most proud of being a mother and loved her daughters dearly. In addition to her parents, she is also survived by daughters, Aubrey Morales and husband, Martin, Carley Rae Sedberry, Josie Mae Sedberry; former husband, Dustin Sedberry and wife, Shannon and her beloved four-legged friend Toby.

Sarah Katherine "Kathy" Taylor

March 13, 1946 — March 17, 2024

Doris married Rev. Dr. Ted Coleman in 1966 and had two daughters Amy and Laura. Doris raised Amy and Laura in North Augusta, SC. Doris was an incredible neonatal intensive care nurse for most of her career, and this was her passion. The Augusta Chronicle did a feature on her in 1985. She was a clinical nurse manager in Augusta, Georgia at University Hospital NICU and worked there for 20 years. During this time, Doris mentored young nurses and assisted in saving the worked for Pediatrician Dr. William years prior to her NICU career. Doris retired from the mother/baby area at Atrium Stanly in 2007 after over 40 spirit and loved her Lord. She never met a stranger, and she always left with her. She would often claim that she had “adopted” friends into her immediate family, and honestly, she never made a distinction between the two. Positivity radiated from her like sunlight. She was sel ess, funny, smart, and sentimental. During her lifetime she was an active member of First Baptist Church of Durham, First Baptist Church of Augusta, Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Augusta, and Palestine United Methodist Church in Albemarle. She especially loved helping at church with older adults, youth, and children.

She was especially talented at sewing from a young age and made gifts for friends, Christmas ornaments, Halloween Costumes, doll clothes, pageant dresses, prom dresses, coats, tote bags, scarves, out ts for Amy and Laura, and Christening gowns for each of her grandchildren.

Doris was preceded in death by her father Arthur Raymond Jones, her mother Mary Ellen Cameron Jones, and her sister Maryanne Jones Brantley.

Sarah Katherine "Kathy" Taylor, 78, of Troy, left us too soon on Sunday, March 17, 2024, at Randolph Hospice House in Asheboro. Kathy was born March 13, 1946 in Monroe, North Carolina to the late Charles Priles and the late Louise Helms Priles. She was also preceded in death by husband, Roy Thomas Taylor; brother, Pete Priles; grandmother, Ethel Price Helms; and grandfather, Carl Helms. Survivors include daughter, Sarah Angelia "Angie" Callicutt (Kevin) of Troy, NC; son, Carl Thomas Taylor (Angie) of Thomasville, NC; grandchildren, Drake Simmons, Hunter Simmons, and Kimberlee Taylor; siblings, Tommy Priles and George Priles; nephew, Robbie Priles; and cousin, Donna Ennis. Kathy loved to sew - especially making quilts, reading, and watching the lawn mower man and magnet shing on YouTube.

Survivors include her two precious daughters: Amy Cameron Coleman (partner Dr. Edward Neal Chernault) of Albemarle, NC, and Laura Lindahl Coleman Oliverio (husband David) of Cincinnati, Ohio; seven grandchildren: Cameron David Oliverio, Stephanie Jae Dejak, Luca Beatty Oliverio, Coleman John Dejak, Carson Joseph Oliverio, Ryan Nicholas Dejak, and Jadon Richard Oliverio; and numerous in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, and loved ones.

STATE & NATION

Biden signs $1.2T funding package, ending shutdown threat

The president signed the bills Saturday, hours after it passed in the Senate

The Associated Press

WILMINGTON, Del. — President Joe Biden on Saturday signed a $1.2 trillion package of spending bills after Congress had passed the long overdue legislation just hours earlier, ending the threat of a partial government shutdown.

“This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted,” Biden said in a statement. “But it rejects extreme cuts from House Republicans and expands access to child care, invests in cancer research, funds mental health and substance use care, advances American leadership abroad, and provides resources to secure the border. ... That’s good news for the American people.”

It took lawmakers six months into the current budget year to get near the nish line on government funding, the process slowed by conservatives who pushed for more policy mandates and steeper spending cuts than a Democratic-led Senate or White House would consider. The impasse required several short-term spending bills to keep agencies funded.

from a large assistance package for Ukraine and Israel that is bogged down on Capitol Hill.

Biden, in his statement, again pressed Congress to pass additional aid.

“The House must pass the bipartisan national security supplemental to advance our national security interests. And Congress must pass the bipartisan border security agreement — the toughest and fairest reforms in decades — to ensure we have the policies and funding needed to secure the border. It’s time to get this done.”

A bipartisan border package collapsed last month when Republican senators scuttled months of negotiations with Democrats on legislation intended to cut back record numbers of illegal border crossings.

The spending package largely tracks with an agreement that then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California worked out with the White House in May 2023, which restricted spending for two years and suspended the debt ceiling into January 2025 so the federal government could continue paying its bills.

Prospects for a short-term government shutdown had appeared to grow Friday evening after Republicans and Democrats battled over proposed amendments to the bill. But shortly before midnight, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced a breakthrough.

“It is good for the country that we have reached this bipartisan deal. It wasn’t easy, but tonight our persistence has been worth it,” Schumer said.

The House passed the legislation Friday morning by a vote of 286-134, narrowly gaining the two-thirds majority needed for approval.

But the White House had sent out a notice shortly after the deadline announcing that the O ce of Management and Budget had ceased shutdown preparations because there was a high degree of con dence that Congress would pass the legislation and the Democratic president would sign it Saturday.

The rst package of full-year spending bills, which funded the departments of Veterans A airs, Agriculture and the Interior, among others, cleared Congress two weeks ago with just hours to spare before funding expired for

The White House said Biden signed the legislation at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, where he was spending the weekend. It had cleared the Senate by a 7424 vote shortly after funding had expired for the agencies at midnight.

those agencies. The second covered the departments of Defense, Homeland Security and State, as well as other aspects of general government.

When combining the two packages, discretionary spending for the budget year will come to about $1.66 trillion. That does not include programs such as Social Security and Medicare, ornancing the country’s rising debt.

On Ukraine aid, which Biden and his administration have argued was critical and necessary to help stop Russia’s invasion, the package provided $300 million under the defense spending umbrella. That funding is separate

Fla. Gov. DeSantis signs social media restrictions for minors

Children under 14 would not be allowed to have accounts

By Brendan Farrington The Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida will have one of the country’s most restrictive social media bans for minors — if it withstands expected legal challenges — under a bill signed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday.

The bill will ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for 15- and 16-year-olds. It was slightly watered down from a proposal DeSantis vetoed earlier this month, a week before the annual legislative session ended.

The new law was Republican Speaker Paul Renner’s top legislative priority. It takes e ect Jan. 1.

“A child in their brain development doesn’t have the ability to know that they’re being sucked into these addictive technologies and to see the harm and step away from it, and because of that we have to step in for them,” Renner said at the bill-signing ceremony held at a Jacksonville school.

The bill DeSantis vetoed would have banned minors under 16 from popular social media platforms regardless of parental consent. But before the veto, he worked out compromise language with Renner to alleviate the governor’s concerns and the Florida Legislature sent DeSantis a second bill.

Several states have considered similar legislation. In Arkansas, a federal judge blocked enforcement of a law in August that required parental consent for minors to create new social media accounts.

Supporters in Florida hope the bill will withstand legal

challenges because it would ban social media formats based on addictive features such as noti cation alerts and auto-play videos, rather than on their content.

Renner said he expects social media companies to “sue the second after this is signed. But you know what? We’re going to beat them. We’re going to beat them and we’re never, ever going to stop.”

DeSantis also acknowledged the law will be challenged on First Amendment issues, and bemoaned the fact the “Stop Woke Act” he signed into law two years ago was recently struck down by an appeals court with a majority of Republican-appointed judges. They ruled it violated free speech rights by banning private business from including discussions about racial inequality in employee training.

“Any time I see a bill, if I don’t think it’s constitutional, I veto it,” said DeSantis, a lawyer, ex-

To win over support from Republicans, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., pointed to some of the spending increases secured for about 8,000 more detention beds for migrants awaiting their immigration proceedings or removal from the country. That’s about a 24% increase from current levels. Also, GOP leadership highlighted more money to hire about 2,000 Border Patrol agents.

Democrats are boasting of a $1 billion increase for Head Start programs and new child care centers for military families. They also played up a $120 million increase in funding for cancer research and a $100 million increase for Alzheimer’s research.

The vote tally in the House re ected anger among Republicans over the content of the package and the speed with which it was brought to a vote. Johnson brought the measure to the oor even though a majority of Republicans ended up voting against it. He said afterward that the bill “represents the best achievable outcome in a divided government.”

In a sign of the conservative frustration, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., initiated an e ort to oust Johnson as the House began the vote but held o on further action until the House returns in two weeks. It’s the same tool that was used last year to remove McCarthy.

The vote breakdown showed 101 Republicans voting for the bill and 112 voting against it. Meanwhile, 185 Democrats voted for the bill and 22 against.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Monday that bans social media accounts for children under 14 and requires parental consent for 15- and 16-year-olds to create accounts.

pressing con dence that the social media ban will be upheld. “We not only satis ed me, but we also satis ed, I think, a fair application of the law and Constitution.”

The bill overwhelmingly passed both chambers, with some Democrats joining a majority of Republicans who supported the measure. Opponents argued it is unconstitutional and government shouldn’t in-

terfere with decisions parents make with their children.

“This bill goes too far in taking away parents’ rights,” Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani said in a news release. “Instead of banning social media access, it would be better to ensure improved parental oversight tools, improved access to data to stop bad actors, alongside major investments in Florida’s mental health systems and programs.”

J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE / AP PHOTO

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., faced backlash from his own party after he worked with Democrats to secure enough votes to end the threat of a government shutdown.

Randolph record

Flapjacks

Rick Cox ips a pancake at the 75th annual Kiwanis Pancake Day at the National Guard Armory in Asheboro on March 19.

has work to do beyond running ber

By Scott Pelkey Randolph Record

ASHEBORO — Brightspeed held an event last week at its Asheboro o ce o cially launching its new ber network, but the company has work to do, not only running more ber but with the community itself.

“We want to assure them that when they choose Carolina, they will be able to a ord it by providing them with their full nancial aid and scholarship package,” said Rachelle Feldman, vice provost of enrollment at UNC-Chapel Hill. “We don’t want anyone to be in a position where they’re making that decision blind to their nancial position.”

The standard admission deadline is May 1.

Biden, Harris in NC President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris teamed up in Raleigh on Tuesday for an event focused on promoting their health care agenda. North Carolina is the nal stop on Biden’s tour of battleground states since his State of the Union earlier this month. Polls show Democrats have an advantage over Republicans on health care, and Democrats are looking to push their advantage as Biden faces a likely rematch with Donald Trump this year.

While in North Carolina, Biden and Harris also attended a campaign fundraiser.

Brightspeed, a subsidiary of private equity rm Apollo Global Management, was founded in 2021 by three former Verizon executives. In October 2022, the company acquired Lumen Technologies, including its DSL and landline phone services across 20 states, as part of a $7.5 billion deal.

Locally, that sale included CenturyLink, its infrastructure, customers and services, but Brightspeed doesn’t plan to offer just phone and DSL services. The company is rolling out its new agship service, high-speed ber internet with upload and download speeds up to 1 gigabit per second.

The new ber-to-the-home (FTTH) service includes a mix of two technologies, GPON, a typical FTTH o ering, and XGS-PON, a newer technology which can theoretically support much higher speeds, up to 10 gigabits per second.

In addition to the regularber service, available to both residences and businesses, larger enterprise customers will be able to purchase dedicated internet access or DIA from

Brightspeed, o ering service level agreements and faster response to outages. Brightspeed will be investing “$2 billion in deploying next-generation ber-optic technology to build a more reliable, super-fast broadband internet network that will reach more than three million homes and businesses across 20 states,” the company said in a press release. That includes 800,000 homes and businesses in North Carolina, which ranked 29th in the nation for internet coverage, speed and availability according to BroadbandNow. In Randolph County, Brightspeed is well on its way to its goal of reaching 18,000 locations. Construction has been completed on approximately

Changes coming in large doses for Asheboro/Randolph Chamber

A search rm will be used to nd a new president

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

ASHEBORO – Changes are in the works for the Asheboro/ Randolph Chamber, with a search rm hired to assist in the selection of a new president.

“It’s going to take someone who’s coming in with a vision,” said HR Gallimore, who’s chair of the Chamber’s executive committee. “We’re looking forward to nding the right person.”

Linda Brown left her post as president of Asheboro/Randolph Chamber months ago to take a job at Randolph Community College.

Kelly Heath, a past chair of the Asheboro/Randolph Chamber, is holding the position of interim president. Heath is also

a member of the Asheboro City Council.

Two Chamber sta members are also leaving the organization next month. Rhoda Workman, vice president of nance and operations, and Amy Rudisill, vice president of membership and events, are on their way out.

“Sometimes nonpro ts, and particularly smaller nonpro ts like the Chamber, go through this,” Heath said. Gallimore, an owner of ReMax Central Realty, said it’s not just a time of change for the Chamber, but for the county as a whole.

“It’s a transition for our community,” he said. “Randolph County isn’t going to look the same in 10 years.”

With new industries moving in that should provide numerous employment opportunities, Gallimore said the Chamber wants to be in tune with the changes that will accompany that.

Last week, Gallimore said the search for a new president could take an additional 90-120 days.

“We are a few weeks in, so we’re hopeful to have someone in place by June,” he said. Heath said it will be good to have “fresh eyes” in key Chamber seats with the evolving landscape. In a memo to Chamber members, Gallimore pointed out the need for more direct contact between Chamber personnel and Chamber members. “Our long-term goal is to focus on the services we provide to you,” he wrote.

With that, Chamber members have been noti ed that the o ce sta ng will be limited from April 8 through June.

“We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate through this,” Gallimore wrote. “While our service levels to you may not be as they

16,000 of those, and 12,200 are open for sale. The company says it currently has more than 500 early Brightspeed ber internet customers in Asheboro and Randolph County.

“Brightspeed’s high-speed internet is not just connecting our small business, it’s propelling us forward to better serve our customers and position my company for the future,” Scott Rusch, one of Brightspeed’s early customers and owner of Antiques & Geeks in downtown Asheboro, said in the press release. Rusch attended last week’s event and said he is getting the promised 1 gigabit per second speed and is happy with the service and price, especially when compared to his previous internet service provider.

See BRIGHTSPEED, page 2

usually are, please know that our commitment to you will not wane.”

Gallimore said that it’s encouraging that many Chamber members have come forward to o er services. That has helped ll in the gaps, particularly in certain areas of expertise.

“That’s a good sign,” he said. A process to choose a new president was initiated in the fall, but that didn’t result in a hire. Several months later, it was determined to re-launch that endeavor.

Heath said using a search rm that specializes in chamber-type hires is a bonus.

“We’re excited to be able to tap into that process,” she said.

Heath had been a special assistant to the president at Ran-

The company acquired CenturyLink in 2022

PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD

WEDNESDAY MAR 27

THURSDAY MAR 28

FRIDAY MAR 29

SATURDAY MAR 30

SUNDAY MAR 31

Foster care prevention program expands to Randolph

The Homebuilders program could help as many as 170 North Carolina families per year

By Robert Owens

For

Randolph Record

AN ORGANIZATION dedicated to keeping children out of the state’s foster care system is expanding its reach to Randolph County, thanks to a new state contract.

The Homebuilders program puts trained sta within a family’s home for three to ve days a week, a total of 10

CHAMBER from page 1

hours, to help improve child safety and help kids stay at home by removing risk rather than removing the child.

Crossnore Communities for Children is the company behind the program, which has seen success in pilots since 2021. The company says it has served 62 children and families, with a 96% success rate in avoiding foster care for children who were at imminent risk of entering that system.

The program was trialed in Davidson, Forsyth, Guilford and Surry counties and will be expanding to 11 more, including Chatham and Randolph. The North Carolina Depart-

dolph Community College, where she worked for 14½ years, prior to her retirement in August. Before that, she was with the Randolph County Partnership for Children in Asheboro. While she’s not in a fulltime role with the Chamber, Heath was chair of the executive committee in 2020 and 2021 and she has volunteered with the Chamber for 18-plus years. “It was just designed to be for a short period of time,” she said of the interim role. “But this is an organization that has meant so much to me.”

BRIGHTSPEED from page 1

Beyond the work of building a new ber network, Brightspeed also acquired the reputation of CenturyLink’s telephone and DSL services. The company acknowledged it has bridges to mend now that it has taken ownership.

“When Brightspeed acquired legacy telephone and internet business in communities across 20 states, we knew we had to do two things: update a vast network in areas that lack quality, high-speed connectivity options, and, as a new company, improve service for our customers to earn their trust,” said Brightspeed in a statement to the North State Journal. “We know that the second endeavor is a more formidable challenge. Building a reputation isn’t something that we take lightly, and as we build, we ask that our customers in Randolph County give us a chance. Brightspeed is

MONDAY APRIL 1 TUESDAY

ment of Health and Human Services, which o ered the contract, estimates Crossnore will be able to serve as many as 170 families via the Homebuilders program each year.

“I am very excited to see how the initial investment our agency, community, and supporters made in this program has come to fruition and will lead to such a large impact for children and families we will continue to serve,” said Sarah Norris, Crossnore’s Chief Program O cer, in a statement. For more information on the Homebuilders program and how you can help, visit crossnore.org

The Randolph Guide is a quick look at what’s going on in Randolph County.

March 30

Dessert Pot-Luck and Bingo Community Event

5 – 7:30 p.m.

Keeping members abreast of the changes will be among the objectives, Heath said. “We remain incredibly committed to our members,” she said. “It’s just going to be a little di erent for a while.”

committed to simple, secure, reliable connectivity, as well as investing and partnering with our local community.

Those commitments to local investments and partnerships include becoming a corporate sponsor of Downtown Asheboro Inc. and the NC Zoological Society. Brightspeed is sponsoring the local Coastal Plain Baseball team, the Asheboro Zookeepers, as well as local events such as Zoo City StrEAT Fest. Additionally, it has donated directly to the Randolph County Family Crisis Center, a local nonpro t serving local families in crisis through its emergency shelter, 24-hour crisis line, case management and therapy.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed some of the shortcomings of Randolph County’s high-speed internet infrastructure. County schools, for example, parked school buses with Wi-Fi hot spots to allow students to connect to the in-

Receptions are being held next week at the Chamber for Workman on Monday and for Rudisill on Friday. Both are scheduled for 2-4 p.m.

ternet for school and homework while learning remotely.

Roughly one in 10 North Carolina residents are unable to purchase a wired internet plan of at least 25Mbps download and 3Mbps upload speeds, though the Starlink internet service from SpaceX exceeds those speeds for around $100 per month. Brightspeed’s statement that it believes no community should be left behind drew positive comments from elected o cials.

“As we celebrate here today, we’re embarking on a journey that provides the Asheboro community and beyond limitless possibilities,” said state Rep. Brian Biggs. “Empowering our state with Brightspeed’s high-speed internet is not just about connecting people. It’s about providing individuals and small businesses what they need to compete and thrive in this fastpaced and highly connected world.”

The Ulah Volunteer Dire Dept. is calling all senior adults (55 years young and up) to join them for their rst community night for 2024 for a “dessert potluck”. Please bring a dessert (if able) and get ready to play BINGO with the opportunity to win some awesome prizes. If you have any questions call (336) 629-1966, or message Ulah VFD on social media.

March 31

Ramseur Orchard Easter Eggstravaganza

1 – 4 p.m.

Grab your basket and hippity hop over for a fun- lled day at the Orchard. Join the Ramseur Randolph Chamber of Commerce and Millstone Creek Orchards for this free community event held at Millstone Creek Orchards (506 Parks Crossroads Church Rd in Ramseur. Easter Egg Hunts (by age group) starting at 1:30 p.m., bring a decorated egg from home to participate in the decorated egg contest, visit with the Easter Bunny, catch and release shing, spring hayrides, and lawn games. For more information visit millstoncreekorchards. com

April 1

Randolph County Board of Commissioners Meeting

6 p.m.

The meetings are open to the public and held at the Randolph County Historic Courthouse, located at 145-C Worth Street in Asheboro. Pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 153A-52.1, a Public Comment Period will be held at the beginning of every regular business meeting of the Randolph County Board of Commissioners.

April 2

City Of Randleman Board Meeting

6 p.m.

Meetings are held at Randleman City Hall, located at 204 S Main St in Randleman, starting at 6 p.m. Find out more at cityofrandleman.com

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

COLUMN | MARY ZAHRAN

A tale of two Bidens

It made me look at Biden and see a second-rate Vincent Price who didn’t know when to leave the stage.

THE BIDENS have a new addition to their family and he made his rst public appearance recently when he delivered the State of the Union address.

O cially named Joe Biden, he should be called Angry Joe Biden because of his overthe-top manner of speech that evening. Instead of attempting to unite our country, a promise he made countless times during his 2020 presidential campaign, he castigated many Americans by accusing Donald Trump (referred to only as “my predecessor”) and MAGA Republicans of being a threat to democracy.

In all honesty, Angry Joe, or some version of him, has appeared in public before, but without the extreme aggression or menacing tone that was on display when he addressed Congress. Biden yelled non-stop for over an hour, attempting to project an image of a strong and con dent leader.

While it is a mystery to me where he found this sudden energy, it seemed, at least for the evening, that he was a new man.

One early prototype of Angry Joe is Dark Brandon, a gure in numerous memes in which the president looks simultaneously demonic and heroic. This image was created by Biden supporters as a response to a conservative anti-Biden chant, “Let’s Go,

Brandon,” whose meaning contains profanity unsuitable for publication. What was originally meant to be an insult was turned into an avatar that represented a tough and fearless leader. Dark Brandon is the visual equivalent of the Hell re and Brimstone orator delivering the State of the Union address.

A second prototype emerged in September of 2022 right before the midterm elections when Biden delivered a speech in Philadelphia in which he predictably accused the MAGA Republicans of being a threat to democracy. This version of Biden was a kind of Dark Brandon redux, only with a scarier background. Speaking in front of Independence Hall, of all places, Biden looked like a creature from the underworld with blood-red lighting designed to make him look frightening and powerful.

This backdrop did not frighten me. It made me look at Biden and see a second-rate Vincent Price who didn’t know when to leave the stage.

This Joe Biden, Angry Joe, should not be confused with the other Joe Biden, someone I call “Addled Joe” because of his di culty exiting the stage after a speech or his curious habit of discussing recent telephone conversations with world leaders who have been dead for decades. I wouldn’t be surprised if he announced that he soon has a lunch date with Winston Churchill.

Addled Joe may have trouble remembering

names or keeping his balance, but he does have one area of expertise — he knows how to enjoy his ice cream in public. This skill is especially impressive when he is discussing foreign a airs with a journalist while savoring his frozen treat.

When I think of American presidents, I think of George Washington crossing the Delaware during the Revolutionary War, Abraham Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address, or George W. Bush standing atop a pile of rubble at Ground Zero shortly after 9/11 and assuring the world they would hear us as we defeated our enemy. I do not think of a president whose most memorable image reminds us of a six-year-old at a birthday party wiping ice cream o his lips.

Joe Biden may have two di erent public personas, the Tough Guy and the Blundererin-Chief, but he isn’t fooling anyone about his inability to be a good leader. He isn’t fooling members of his own party, who simply deny his shortcomings to create the impression that all is well. He isn’t fooling conservatives who know his policies are disastrous for this country. And he certainly isn’t fooling our adversaries, who see a weak man willing to tolerate their malign behavior.

And no amount of yelling, inexplicable energy, or ice cream will change the fact that neither one of the two Bidens is a good president.

Mary Zahran lives in Fayetteville.

COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO

Why I’m co-hosting a Trump fundraiser

Joe Biden is the worst president of my lifetime.

UNSURPRISINGLY to those who follow this space, I plan to vote for Donald Trump in November. Not just that. Last week, I cohosted a fundraiser for him.

So, how precisely did a conservative who didn’t vote for president in 2016 and didn’t support Donald Trump during the Republican primaries become a Trump donor? The answer is obvious: Donald Trump’s opponent is Joe Biden. And Joe Biden is the worst president of my lifetime.

Because Donald Trump is the nominee against Joe Biden, I won’t just vote for him. I’ll go into my own pocket to support him. Which is what I’m doing.

My calculus is simple: America was better o under Donald Trump than it is in under Joe Biden.

At home, America was safer and more prosperous. When Donald Trump was president, we did not have an open border. We were not ooding our country with at least 7 million illegal immigrants, overwhelming our cities, leaving our country wide open to the plague of Chinese- and Mexican drug cartelbacked fentanyl poisoning.

When Donald Trump was president, we did not have a president who tried to use the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to force 80 million Americans to take a vaccine or lose their jobs — and my company didn’t have to sue to stop it.

When Donald Trump was president, we did not have 40-year highs in in ation and decreasing real wages.

When Donald Trump was president, we did not have a federal attempt to teach children that boys can be girls and vice versa, or to force taxpayers to subsidize abortion,

or to target religious institutions for the great crime of upholding traditional JudeoChristian values.

When Donald Trump was president, we did not have an administration hell-bent on stymying the police in their attempts to ght crime, or an administration that values diversity and inclusion and wokeness above military readiness, all in the name of “equity.”

When Donald Trump was president, we did not have American businesses preparing to have their incomes robbed from them in the name of the biggest spending programs in American history.

When Donald Trump was president, we did not have unconstitutional attempts to simply wipe away student loan debt, or a Department of Justice dedicated to the targeting of political opposition.

When Donald Trump was president, the world was not on re.

When Donald Trump was president, we did not cut and run in the face of 8th-century barbarians in Afghanistan, who blew up 13 American soldiers, hunted down our allies, and reestablished al-Qaida bases.

When Donald Trump was president, peace was breaking out in the Middle East between Arab nations and Israel, and Iran was in a box. We certainly didn’t have a multi-front hot war between Iranian proxies and American allies — or American soldiers directly — and we weren’t trying to pay billions in bribes to the Iranian mullahs.

When Donald Trump was president, we didn’t have war in Ukraine.

When Donald Trump was president, we didn’t have China threatening imminent blockade of Taiwan.

When Donald Trump was president, America was better o .

I’ll always be honest with you about Donald Trump. He wasn’t my rst choice in the primaries; he’s a deeply awed man. I’ve been open in my criticisms of Trump on both character and policy. And I’m not going to stop criticizing Donald Trump when I disagree with him. I always have, and I always will. That’s my job, and the job of all Americans.

But Donald Trump is the man standing between America and a second Joe Biden term. And a second Joe Biden term means America in dire, dire trouble.

It’s that simple.

It’s Trump or Biden.

Unlike in 2016, we don’t have to guess at what a Trump administration will be. And we don’t have to guess what a Biden administration will be either. We know. America cannot a ord another Joe Biden term.

Or, perhaps more realistically, a Kamala Harris term.

Joe Biden is here to nish the job that Barack Obama started, of fundamentally transforming America into the image of the left. That cannot happen. That’s why I’m not just giving Donald Trump my vote, I’m giving him my money. Because this election matters. And Donald Trump must be the next president of the United States.

Ben Shapiro, 39, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and co-founder of Daily Wire+.

RandolpH SPORTS

Mid-Piedmont Conference all-conference athletes

Randolph Record Sta

HERE’S A LIST of the Mid-Piedmont Conference’s major award winners plus Asheboro’s all-conference selections for winter sports:

Boys’ basketball

Player of the Year: Jerquarius Stanback (Asheboro)

Defensive Player of the Year: Kamauri Manuel (North Davidson)

Coach of the Year: Dustin

Tysinger (Central Davidson)

Asheboro: Jerquarius Stanback, Camden Walker, Elijah Woodle

Girls’ basketball

Player of the Year: Trista

Charles (Oak Grove)

Co-Defensive Players of the Year: Cora Hadley (Oak Grove), Keelan Moore (North Davidson)

Coach of the Year: Danasia

Dumas (Montgomery Central)

Asheboro: Sion Murrain

Boys’ swimming

Swimmer of the Year: Jake

Meuser (North Davidson)

Coach of the Year: Rachel Greene (Oak Grove)

Asheboro: Tyler Smith

Girls’ swimming

Swimmer of the Year: Brea White (Ledford)

Coach of the Year: Jennifer Brinkley (North Davidson)

Asheboro: Maci Columbia

Wrestling

Wrestler of the Year: Nathan McCartney (Central Davidson)

Coach of the Year: Jake Smith (Central Davidson)

Asheboro: Diego Gutierrez, Sammy Salinas, Oscar Zelaya, Adam Curry, Guillermo Santos

Randleman baseball makes early Piedmont Athletic push

Southwestern Randolph and UCA softball have both had strong stretches

Randolph Record sta

RANDLEMAN was the only baseball team in the Piedmont Athletic Conference without a league loss entering this week.

Randleman whipped visiting Southwestern Randolph 13-3 with Seth Way striking out nine from the mound and hitting a home run. Braxton Walker added three hits, including a double.

Earlier in the week, Randleman won 9-5 against the Cougars with Jake Riddle pitching and Tate Andres and Way leading the o ense.

Those outcomes pushed the Tigers to a 6-0 PAC record halfway through conference play.

• Wheatmore defeated Eastern Randoph twice, topping the Wildcats Eastern Randolph 6-4 at home behind the pitching from Sean Jennison and Ayden Byrd, while Lukas Usterbowski drove in three runs. Then came an 8-3 road victory with Jennison knocking in four runs, boosted by two doubles, and Parker Kines notching the pitching victory.

• Trinity and Uwharrie Charter Academy split two PAC games with the road team winning both times. Trinity won 7-6, while UCA avenged that outcome by winning 6-4 later in the week.

• UCA scored in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat Asheboro 4-3 in a non-conference game. Troy Carver was the winning pitcher in relief. Camden Walker scored two runs for Asheboro.

• Asheboro won a Mid-Piedmont Conference game by edging visiting Oak Grove 3-2 be-

hind Mason Kotlowski’s pitching to reverse an outcome from earlier in the week on the road.

In three games in the week, Ben Luck of Asheboro had six total hits.

• Providence Grove posted a 5-4, eight-inning victory against visiting East Davidson, with Jayten Beasley pitching the seventh and eighth innings.

Softball

Southwestern Randolph needed nine innings to upend host Eastern Randolph 5-1.

Haleigh Thompson drove in two runs. Macie Crutch eld struck out eight in the complete game.

Hailey Ritter’s RBI in the seventh inning for Eastern Randolph extended the game.

Southwestern Randolph’s Lileigh Payne had four hits and Alyssa Harris, who smacked a home run, knocked in three runs when host Southwestern Randolph defeated Wheatmore 14-4.

• Eastern Randolph had three hits from winning pitcher Ziera Watson in a 12-0 cruising past host Trinity.

• UCA’s 1-0 victory against visiting Eastern Randolph with the only run coming via an error in the seventh inning. Katelyn West doubled and later scored. UCA pitcher Molly Bulla struck out 12, while losing pitcher Addie Flinchum fanned 16.

UCA’s 15-1 PAC victory against host Wheatmore included four hits from Kenzie Hill and three hits from Mollie Bulla.

In a non-league game, Reece Thompson had four hits for UCA in an 11-1 home romp past Chatham Charter.

Those results kept UCA undefeated through last week.

BEST OVERALL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Kinzie Ivey

Randleman, softball

Kinzie Ivey had been strong in the pitching circle for Randleman.

• Randleman’s Kadie Green drove in three runs in a 15-0 victory against visiting Trinity in a PAC game.

The Tigers also defeated host Providence Grove 8-2, with Kinzie Ivey notching the pitching victory and also scoring two runs.

• Wheatmore’s 10-9, nine-inning non-conference conquest of visiting West Davidson came with ve runs batted in from Adalyn Boles

Girls’ soccer

Nathalie Bowman had three goals when Wheatmore defeated visiting Randleman 5-0.

Bowman then tallied eight goals to go with an assist in a 9-0 domination of host Eastern Randolph.

• Jazmin Palma had one goal and two assists when UCA defeated visiting Providence Grove 3-0.

Palma had three goals and Reese Craven provided a goal and three assists when UCA defeated host Trinity 5-0.

• Trinity and Southwestern Randolph tied 2-2. Both games for host Southwestern Randolph were scored by Alma Garcia.

• Karen Cox had the only goal when Asheboro defeated visiting Southeast Guilford 1-0. Goalkeeper Emma Little made six saves, including one on a penalty kick.

Asheboro’s 4-2 victory against visiting Richmond Senior was highlighted with two goals apiece from Gigi Flores and Jaira Arellano.

• Providence Grove’s Anaelia Puente Garza and Taryn Waugh each notched two goals when Providence Grove shut out visiting Central Davidson 6-0.

Ivey has made quite an impression as a pitcher and batter in the opening weeks of her freshman season for Randleman.

The left-handed pitcher rolled up four victories in her rst ve decisions. She recorded 39 strikeouts in 31 innings.

She also has come through with key hits for the Tigers, who won seven of their rst eight games. Ivey posted two of the team’s rst three home runs this season.

Ward holds strong for Caraway victory

RACING Penalties were sorted out from an incident earlier in the month

Randolph Record sta

SOPHIA — Dean Ward was the top quali er and rode the pole position to victory in Sunday’s Late Models feature at Caraway Speedway. Ward was in control in the 60-lap event, with Jamie York the runner-up, followed by Camden Thomas, Brody Duggins and Colby Fogleman.

• There were 14 entrants in Challengers, with Austin Harris the winner after sitting in the fourth position for a top-six redraw. Michael O’Brian was in second place with Duggins in third spot, followed by former NASCAR Cup Series driver Jeremy May eld in fourth. Then came Gary Ledbetter, Nate Gregg and Christian Henderson.

• In Modi eds, Billy Gregg passed Tony Manetti for the early lead on the way to victory. Dean Lowder contended for the lead before nishing second, with Jaxson Casper in third and Jacob Creed fourth.

• In UCARs, Steven Collins prevailed in the 15-lap race with Daniel Hughes the second-place nisher in a eld of a dozen cars. Tito Clapp, Jeremy Moose and Justin Smith rounded out the top ve. Jason Richmond was sixth.

Meanwhile, there was fallout in the UCARs division from the previous weekend. Track promoter Darren Hackett said that after looking at several videos, track

o cials accessed additional penalties as well as looked at the penalties already handed

out in the division. The penalty of Jeremy Kidd’s car for deliberately wrecking the car of Josh Phillips was deemed appropriate by track o cials. Race control’s penalty of black- agging Phillips for bumping Kidd’s car under caution resulting in a stop-and-go penalty was deemed appropriate. Race control’s penalty of holding Phillips for passing the pace car was deemed appropriate.

Sammy Bullins, Lisa Collins, Kidd, Allen Vance, Jamie Vance and Mason Vance all received a one-race suspension as well as being placed on probation until Dec. 31. Phillips was placed on probation until May 31 due to the involvement of his crew in the altercation.

• Jimmy Crigger took the Mod 4 feature ahead of Jason Garwood, Tommy Raino, Corey Rosa and Rudy Hartley.

• In Bootleggers, Dustin Wilson, making a Caraway Speedway debut, edged Dennis Wilson for the win in the Bootleggers feature. Bentley Black nished third ahead of Dalton Miller, Kyle Dubeau and Bobby Bescher.

• In Legends, Traye Walker Scott came out in rst place in the 25-lap event ahead of Benjamin Morabito, with the next three spots held by Ethan Truell, Nicholas Bulkeley and Kaleb Bradley.

• Rylan Lowder won the Bandoleros feature ahead of Jay Hemenway, Rylan Speight, James Monolo, Delaney Grey and Jaxson Scoggins. This weekend, the track’s Easter Extravaganza is scheduled with Late Models, Challengers, Modi eds, UCARs, Bootleggers and Mini Stocks on Saturday night.

MLB involving

PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD

PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD

PREP SPORTS ROUNDUP

Asheboro’s Jerquarius Stanback, here dunking against Oak Grove, was named Player of the Year for boys’ basketball in the MidPiedmont Conference.

a of her hits for eight rst

Byron dominates Cup Series’ 1st road course race of season

Leads 42 of 68 laps for second win of year

By Jim Vertuno The Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — William Byron won the Daytona 500 with an agonizing nal lap under a caution ag. He took the checkered ag on Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas at full throttle.

Bryon started from pole position and delivered a dominant drive in the Cup Series’ rst road course race of the season.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver led 42 of 68 laps and built the big lead he needed to hold o a hard-charging run from Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell over the nal two laps.

Bell shaved nearly three seconds o Byron’s lead to create some late drama before Byron slammed the door over the nal corners.

“I was trying to not make mistakes,” Byron said. “I knew that last lap he was going to be pushing hard.”

Even when he was building the lead, Byron said he knew the victory would be tight at the end.

“Everyone is too good, and that car (was) too close,” Byron said.

A self-taught racer who used computer equipment to hone his skills, Byron earned career win No. 12 and his second on a road course.

The Circuit of the Americas, a track built for Formula One, has been the rst road course for the Cup Series each of the last four seasons. And unlike the crash- lled triple-overtime race of 2023, Sunday’s race was mostly incident free as Byron made easy work of the eld.

Byron led 23 laps of the rst two stages, but found himself quickly dropped to third at the start of the nal stage as Ross Chastain, who won at COTA in 2022, jumped to the front.

Byron fought back to pass him with 25 laps to go and both cars pitted on the same lap. Chastain then got hung up in

tra c on the re-entry and fell several cars behind.

That gave Byron the chance to open the gap he needed to keep Bell behind him at the end. Ty Gibbs, the 21-year-old grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, nished third after getting passed by Bell with three laps to go.

“Another lap I would have gotten there for sure,” Bell said. “Passing (Byron) would have been di cult. I needed him to make a mistake and he didn’t make a mistake.”

Penalties

The course had few track limits, but the ones enforced by race o cials brought a hefty penalty for drivers who got caught.

Chase Elliott, who won here in 2021 and leads active drivers

with seven road course wins, was running sixth early in the nal stage before driving out of bounds in the s-curve section of the racetrack. That forced him do to a pit lane drive-thru and took him out of contention when he rejoined in 16th. Elliott, a former Cup Series champion, hasn’t won since 2022.

Ford falters

Ford drivers have yet to win this season and did not expect big results on the road course. They delivered on the low expectations. Chris Buescher was the top Ford driver on Sunday in eighth.

Coming back to COTA

The Circuit of the Americas is the only track to host both

NASCAR and F1, and all signs point to the stock cars coming back next year. Circuit of the Americas President Bobby Epstein said this week he has a deal for NASCAR to return in 2025, but provided no details. Marcus Smith, president of Speedway Motorsports, which runs the event and rents the track for the week, said he also plans a return.

“We love bringing NASCAR to Austin,” Smith said. “Nothing is nal until the o cial NASCAR schedule comes out, but we’re planning for another big event in Austin at COTA in 2025.”

Up next

The series moves to short track racing next Sunday at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia.

MLB investigating gambling, theft allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and interpreter

The Dodgers red an interpreter after reports of millions in payments to a bookmaker

By Ronald Blum The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Major League Baseball has opened a formal investigation into illegal gambling and theft allegations involving Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara.

Mizuhara was let go from the team Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and claims from Ohtani’s attorneys that the two-way Japanese star had been the victim of a “massive theft.”

“Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei (Mizuhara) from the news media,” the commissioner’s o ce said in a statement Friday. “Earlier today, our Department of Investigations began their formal process investigating the matter.”

Ohtani and the Dodgers were in Seoul, South Korea, for their opening series against the San Diego Padres when reports were published about alleged ties between the 39-year-old Mizuhara and an illegal bookmaker. The teams returned to the U.S. after Thursday night’s game and MLB did not make a public comment until announcing the investigation on Friday.

The IRS con rmed Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the

alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field O ce.

Ohtani is baseball’s biggest star, an unprecedented twoway player who has excelled at the plate and on the mound. He was a two-time AL MVP with the Los Angeles Angels before leaving as a free agent to sign a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December.

Ohtani has not issued any statements and did not speak to reporters in the Dodgers clubhouse after Thursday night’s game.

The Dodgers are set to resume the regular season with their home opener next Thursday.

Mizuhara, Ohtani’s personal interpreter and close friend, told ESPN on Tuesday that his bets were on international soccer, the NBA, the NFL and college football. MLB rules prohibit players and team employees from wagering — even legally on baseball — and also ban betting on other sports with illegal or o shore bookmakers.

“I never bet on baseball,” Mizuhara told ESPN. “That’s 100%. I knew that rule ... We have a meeting about that in spring training.”

Diane Bass, Bowyer’s attorney, told the AP Mizuhara was placing bets with Bowyer on international soccer, but not baseball. Bass also said Bowyer had no contact with Ohtani.

The MLB gambling policy is posted in every locker room. Betting on baseball — legally or not — is punishable with a one-year ban from the sport.

The penalty for betting on other sports illegally is at the commissioner’s discretion. Sports gambling is illegal in California. Mizuhara told ESPN Ohtani had paid his gambling debts — which totaled well over $1 million — at Mizuhara’s request. After the statement from Ohtani’s attorneys saying the player was a victim of theft, ESPN says Mizuhara changed his story and claimed Ohtani had no knowledge of the gambling debts and had not transferred any money to bookmakers. “I’m terrible (at gambling). Never going to do it again. Never won any money,” Mizuhara said. “I mean, I dug myself a hole and it kept on getting bigger, and it meant I had to bet bigger to get out of it and just kept on losing. It’s like a snowball e ect.”

SIDELINE REPORT

MLS Charlotte FC gets 2-0 win

Charlotte

Ashley Westwood and Patrick Agyemang scored late in the second half and Charlotte FC beat Columbus 2-0, handing the defendingchampion Crew their rst loss of the season.

The two clubs played 16 minutes of rst-half stoppage time because of injuries to the Crew’s Steven Moreira, Rudy Camacho, Christian Ramírez, and Darlington Nagbe, as well as Charlotte’s Scott Ar eld. Kristijan Kahlina did not have to make a save in earning the clean sheet for Charlotte (2-2-1).

Charlotte and new coach

Dean Smith played at home for the rst time since a 1-0 victory over New York City FC in the season opener.

SOCCER

Security issues force cancellation of Israel exhibition match

Sarajevo

Israel’s soccer friendly at Bosnia-Herzegovina this week has been canceled. UEFA said in a statement the Bosnian and Israeli soccer federations agreed not to play ”in light of the current security situation.” The two men’s teams should have played on Tuesday in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo. The xture was available after both were eliminated on Thursday in qualifying playo s for the European Championship. Israel lost to Iceland 4-1 in a “home” game it had to play in a neutral country because of security concerns during the country’s con ict with Hamas. Israel chose to play in Budapest, Hungary.

MLB

Cardinals’ super-fan pleads guilty to storming Capitol Washington, D.C.

A St. Louis Cardinals super fan who legally changed his name to Rally Runner has pleaded guilty to storming the U.S. Capitol. Rally Runner pleaded guilty to a felony charge of civil disorder and is scheduled to be sentenced in July. The 44-year-old Missouri man was wearing red face paint and a red “Keep America Great” hat when he used a stolen shield to help other rioters attack police o cers at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He is known in St. Louis for running around the Cardinals’ stadium during baseball games while wearing red clothes and red face paint.

NFL

Third man now charged with murder in Chiefs Super Bowl rally shooting Kansas City, Mo. A third man has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the shooting during the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally. The Feb. 14 shooting killed a mother of two and injured nearly two dozen others. Twentyyear-old Terry Young, of Kansas City, Missouri, also was charged last Thursday with unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action. He is jailed on $1 million bond and doesn’t yet have an attorney. Two others have been charged with seconddegree murder and other crimes. Two juveniles also are in custody. Three other men face weapons-related charges.

DARREN ABATE / AP PHOTO

William Byron steers through Turn 10 during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

UN demand for Gaza cease- re raises tensions between US, Israel

The U.S. abstained from the vote, allowing it to pass

By Edith M. Lederer

The Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations Security Council on Monday issued its rst demand for a cease- re in Gaza, with the U.S. angering Israel by abstaining from the vote. Israel responded by canceling a visit to Washington by a high-level delegation in the strongest public clash between the allies since the war began.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the U.S. of “retreating” from a “principled position” by allowing the vote to pass without conditioning the cease- re on the release of hostages held by Hamas.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the administration was “kind of perplexed” by Netanyahu’s decision. He said the Israelis were “choosing to create a perception of daylight here when they don’t need to do that.”

Kirby and the American ambassador to the U.N. said the U.S. abstained because the resolution did not condemn Hamas.

The 15-member council approved the resolution 14-0 after the U.S. decided not to use its veto power on the measure, which also demanded the release of all hostages taken captive during Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel. The chamber broke into loud applause after the vote.

The U.S. vetoed past Security Council cease- re resolutions in large part because of the failure to tie them directly to the release of hostages, the failure to condemn Hamas’ attacks and the

delicacy of ongoing negotiations. American o cials have argued that the cease- re and hostage releases are linked, while Russia, China and many other council members favored unconditional calls for cease- res. The resolution approved Monday demands the release of hostages but does not make it a condition for the cease- re for the month of Ramadan, which ends in April. Hamas said it welcomed the U.N.’s move but said the ceasere needs to be permanent. “We con rm our readiness to engage in an immediate

prisoner exchange process that leads to the release of prisoners on both sides,” the group said. For months, the militants have sought a deal that includes a complete end to the con ict.

The U.S. decision to abstain comes at a time of growing tensions between President Joe Biden’s administration and Netanyahu over Israel’s prosecution of the war, the high number of civilian casualties and the limited amounts of humanitarian assistance reaching Gaza. The two countries have also clashed over Netanyahu’s rejection of a Palestinian state, Jewish settler

violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the expansion of settlements there.

In addition, the well-known antagonism between Netanyahu and Biden — which dates from Biden’s tenure as vice president — deepened after Biden questioned Israel’s strategy in combating Hamas.

Then Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Biden ally, suggested that Netanyahu was not operating in Israel’s best interests and called for Israel to hold new elections. Biden signaled his approval of Schumer’s remarks, prompting a rebuke

from Netanyahu.

During its U.S. visit, the Israeli delegation was to present White House o cials with its plans for a possible ground invasion of Rafah, a city on the Egyptian border in southern Gaza where more than 1 million Palestinian civilians have sought shelter from the war.

The vote came after Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution Friday that would have supported “an immediate and sustained ceasere” in the Israeli-Hamas conict. That resolution featured a weakened link between a ceasere and the release of hostages, leaving it open to interpretation, and no time limit.

The United States warned that the resolution approved Monday could hurt negotiations to halt the hostilities, raising the possibility of another veto, this time by the Americans. The talks involve the U.S., Egypt and Qatar.

Because Ramadan ends April 9, the cease- re demand would last for just two weeks, though the draft says the pause in ghting should lead to “a sustainable cease- re.”

The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greeneld, said the resolution “spoke out in support of the ongoing diplomatic e orts,” adding that negotiators were “getting closer” to a deal for a cease- re with the release of all hostages, “but we’re not there yet.”

She urged the council and U.N. members across the world to “speak out and demand unequivocally that Hamas accepts the deal on the table.”

Thomas-Green eld said the U.S. abstained because “certain edits” the U.S. requested were ignored, including a condemnation of Hamas.

Putin says Islamic extremists raided Moscow concert hall

Four have been arrested, but Russian authorities are still investigating who orchestrated the attack

By Dasha Litvinova

The Associated Press RUSSIAN PRESIDENT

Vladimir Putin said Monday that the gunmen who killed 139 people at a suburban Moscow concert hall are “radical Islamists,” but he repeated his accusation that Ukraine could have played a role despite its strong denials.

Speaking in a meeting with government o cials, Putin said the killings were carried out by extremists “whose ideology the Islamic world has been ghting for centuries.”

Putin, who declared over the weekend that the four attackers were arrested while trying to es-

cape to Ukraine, said investigators haven’t determined who ordered the attack, but that it was necessary to nd out “why the terrorists after committing their crime tried to ee to Ukraine and who was waiting for them there.”

The Islamic State group’s Afghanistan a liate claimed it carried out the attack, and U.S. intelligence said it had information con rming the group was responsible. French President Emmanuel Macron said France has intelligence pointing to “an IS entity” as responsible for the attack.

“We are seeing that the U.S., through various channels, is trying to convince its satellites and other countries of the world that, according to their intelligence, there is allegedly no Kyiv trace in the Moscow terror attack — that the bloody terrorist act was committed by followers of Islam, members of the Islamic State

group,” Putin said during a meeting with top law enforcement ofcials.

He added that “those who support the Kyiv regime don’t want to be accomplices in terror and sponsors of terrorism, but many questions remain.”

Putin went on to declare that Ukraine has sought to de ect attention from its battle eld setbacks by waging cross-border attacks on various Russian regions, adding that “bloody intimidation acts like the Moscow terror attack look like a logical part of this chain.”

The attack Friday night at the Crocus City Hall music venue on the western outskirts of Moscow left 139 people dead and more than 180 injured, proving to be the deadliest in Russia in years. About 100 people remained hospitalized, o cials said.

Putin warned that more at-

tacks could follow, alleging possible Western involvement. He didn’t mention the warning about imminent terror attacks that the U.S. con dentially shared with Moscow two weeks before the raid or the public. Three days before the attack, Putin denounced the March 7 U.S. Embassy notice urging Americans to avoid crowds in Moscow, including concerts, as an attempt to frighten Russians and “blackmail” the Kremlin ahead of the presidential election.

The four suspected attackers, all of them nationals of Tajikistan, were charged by a Moscow court Sunday night with carrying out the attack and ordered to remain in custody pending ocial probe. Russian media reported that the four were tortured while being interrogated, and they showed signs of being severe-

ly beaten during their court appearance. Russian o cials said all four pleaded guilty to the charges, which carry life punishment, but their condition raised questions about whether their statements might have been coerced.

Russian authorities reported that seven other suspects have been detained, and three of them were remanded by the court Monday on charges of being involved in the attack.

As they mowed down concertgoers with gun re, the attackers set re to the vast concert hall, and the resulting blaze caused the roof to collapse.

The search operation will continue until at least Tuesday afternoon, o cials said. A Russian Orthodox priest conducted a service at the site Monday, blessing a makeshift memorial with incense.

CRAIG RUTTLE / AP PHOTO

Linda Thomas-Green eld, United States ambassador and representative to the United Nations, speaks Monday after a vote to abstain as the United Nations Security Council passed a cease- re resolution in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, its rst demand to halt ghting.

Roger Brewer

February 25, 1955 — March 23, 2024

Roger Brewer, 69, went Home to be with the Lord on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital. Roger was born on February 23, 1955, to Allen Fuller Brewer Jr. and Betty Irene Hussey Brewer.

He gave many thanks to the Lord for his loving wife, children, and grandchildren in which he was extremely proud of. Roger was a Godly man who was full of life. He was known for helping others and always lending a listening ear. His family remembers him as being a devoted and loving man with a colorful personality. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Karen McNeill Brewer, of the home. He is survived by his son, Chris Brewer and wife Emily Brewer of Asheboro, along with their children: Dylan Underwood, Kynley Brewer and Jackson Brewer. He is also survived by his daughter, Caitlin Stout and husband Caleb Stout of Asheboro, and their children: Ella Cate Stout and Evan Stout. Roger is additionally survived by his father, Allen Fuller Brewer Jr. of Asheboro, his brother, Larry Brewer and his wife Bertie, his brothers in law: Stewart McNeill (Linda) of Seagrove, Brent McNeill (Debra) of Asheboro, and Mark McNeill (Shelby) of Seagrove. He is survived by 1 niece, 6 nephews, and 8 great nephews. Roger was preceded in death by his mother, Betty Irene Hussey Brewer, his fatherin-law and mother-in-law, Page and Maie McNeill, his sister-in-law, Brenda McNeill, and his great nephew, Cort McNeill.

Mattie (Madlynn)

Jane Shaw

December 29, 1931 — March 17,

2024

Madlynn "Mattie" Edwards Shaw, 92, of Randleman passed away Sunday, March 17, 2024. Ms. Shaw was born December 29, 1931 in Wake County, daughter of William and Oma Pierce Edwards and was the 8th of 10 children. In addition to her parents, Mattie was preceded in death by husband Robert Shaw; siblings, Mary Blanche, Columbus Carson "Snipes", Lazzie Estelle, Rosa Bell, Hillery William, Joseph Samuel "Sam", Robert Lee "Knott", Rosa Mae "Dink", Oma Grey "Pete". Ms. Shaw is survived by her children; Phyllis Younts, Rickie (Joyce) Privette, Tommy (Cathy) Privette, Arthur (Linda) Privette, Michael (Gloria) Privette, Linda (Harrison) McCampbell. 13 grandchildren, 30 great grandchildren and 17 great great-grandchildren.

Bobby Leon Saunders Sr.

August 23, 1939 — March 17, 2024

Bobby Leon Saunders, Sr., age 84 of Troy, NC passed away peacefully at his home on Sunday, March 17, 2024. Bobby was born on August 23, 1939, in Randolph County to the late John Wayne Saunders and Alice Mae Richardson. He was an electrician on Battleships in the Navy, serving his country in the Vietnam War. He served on the gunboat, the USS Antilope. He later worked as a supervisor in the textile industry. He loved to sh and hunt and loved his family. Bobby is survived by his sons: Tyler Saunders of Seattle WA, Bobby Jr. (Susan) of Montross VA, Tim Saunders (Marie) of Star, NC; daughter: Jennifer Saunders (Daniel) of Troy; four grandchildren: John, Justin, Riley, and Jasper; four great grandchildren:

Wyatt, Rainer, Oakley, and Noah; brother: Dale Kennedy (Frances) of Asheboro; sister: Bonnie Kennedy of Asheboro; nephew Greg Evans (Annette) of Locust and niece Kelly Evans; many other family members including cousins, nieces and nephews. Bobby was preceded in death by his wife of almost 50 years, Shirley Saunders and two brothers, Barry Richardson and Winfred "Tiny" Kennedy, and grandson, Jonathan Saunders.

Jerry Wayne

DeHart

May 17, 1964 — March 17, 2024

Jerry Wayne DeHart, age 59, of Asheboro passed away on March 17, 2024. Mr. DeHart was born in Randolph County on May 17, 1964. He was a jack of all trades, and was formerly employed as a truck driver, with the City of Asheboro, Lowe’s Hardware, and as a farmhand working in tobacco. Jerry was preceded in death by his brother, Brian Kidd, and sister, Tamara Kidd. Jerry was a humble and kind gentleman. His love for his son over owed and was boundless. He was very friendly and positive. He always kept his heart on his sleeve and would give his shirt o his back to those in need. With a smile that could light up a room, he had a way of chatting with anyone, turning strangers into friends by the time they said goodbye. Jerry enjoyed playing golf and traveling to the beach and White Lake. Whenever a free moment occurred you could catch him enjoying a game or 3 of Galaga. He is survived by his son, Cole DeHart (Shelby Calderon) of Dallas, NC; ancée, Myressa Rich of Asheboro; and mother, Eva Frances DeHart Kidd of Asheboro.

Lacy Eugene "Monk"

Gallimore

January 14, 1940 — March 17, 2024

Lacy was born in Yanceyville, NC on January 14, 1940, to Mose and Easter Tysinger Gallimore. He was preceded in death by his wife of 41 years, Carrie Bost Gallimore (2001) and his wife of 12 years, Barbara Trogdon (2016). He was also preceded in death by brothers Ernest Duke, Sammy Gallimore, Gurnie Duke; sisters Gladys Hill, Edna Hill, Macy Haithcock, Barbara Allred, Ruby Ann Gallimore, Mozzell Gallimore; and grandson Avra Neil Mitra.

In his retirement, he enjoyed restoring antique furniture, attending stock car races or high school sports events, and singing with the Golden Ages gospel group. He also developed a love for dogs, especially his chihuahua, Candy. He was always willing to lend a helping hand, whether it was unclogging a drain or holding a grandchild. In fact, Daddy could x almost anything cheaply and e ciently. There are many things still working today that he rigged together with a re-straightened nail or, even, a sandwich bread tie.

He leaves behind his six children, Sandy Young (Eric), Wanda Lo in (Keith), Tammy Gallimore, Lacy Gallimore Jr., Rapsody Dawn Mitra (Amlan), and Mark Gallimore (Shelly); one sister, Rachel Reeder, 14 grandchildren, 27 greatgrandchildren, and 4 greatgreat-grandchildren.

Ray Rogers Hall

August 21, 1951 — March 18, 2024

Ray Rogers Hall, age 72, of Asheboro passed away on March 18, 2024, at his home. Mr. Hall was born in Burlington, NC on August 21, 1951, to Bugg and Daisy West Hall.

In addition to his parents, Ray was preceded in death by his children, Tabitha Olivar and Roy Rogers Duggins, and stepson, Dean Pitchford. Ray was a very special, caring, and hard-working man. He was a private person who loved all of his children and stepchildren and liked to cut up with his family. He enjoyed woodworking and ying RC airplanes. He could operate any piece of equipment and could build anything. He is survived by his wife, Sandra Ford Hall; daughter, Tabatha (Jose) of Burlington, Sabrina (Ricardo) of Burlington, and Crystal Hall of Florida; stepsons, Ron Brady of McLeansville, Mike Brady of Phoenix, AZ, Tim Brady of Durham, and Johnny Pitchford of Randleman; 11 grandchildren; 3 great grandchildren; 2 brothers; and 1 sister.

Pamela Wood Steed

April 24, 1958 — March 19, 2024

Pamela Wood Steed, 65, of Randleman passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. She was born April 24, 1958, in Greensboro, NC to Robert Carlton Wood and Betty Jo Pugh Wood. Pamela was a beloved wife, stepmother, step-grandmother, loving daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. She was a 1976 graduate of Randleman High School and attended Appalachian State University, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business. Pamela is remembered as a spunky soul with a big heart and always supporting those in need. Always putting family rst, she spent countless hours caring for her mother and father. She loved to pass the time crocheting. She is well known for her love of shopping, especially nding the best items at yard sales and the local consignment shops. Pamela is survived by her husband of 10 years, James “Jim” Steed of the home; stepdaughter, Paige Elliott (Brad) of Wake Forest; brother, Robert “Tony” Wood (Donna) of Climax; grandchildren, Lanie Elliott of Wake Forest, Jace Steed of Asheboro, Blakeley Elliott of Wake Forest, Ainsley Elliott of Wake Forest; parents, Robert and Betty Jo Wood of Climax; nephews, Chip Wood, Matthew Wood, and Justin Wood. She is preceded in death by her stepson, Jared Steed and inlaws, James and Rita Steed.

Alberto Cisneros

Gaspar

December 7, 1940 — March 22, 2024

Alberto Cisneros Gaspar, age 83, of Asheboro, passed away Friday, March 22, 2024, at Randolph Hospital. Alberto was born December 7, 1940, in Mexico and is preceded in death by his parents, Eulalio Cisneros-Martinez and Jovita Gaspar Lopez. He loved spending time with his family and they were his top priority. Alberto was a great husband, father, grandfather, brother and son. He enjoyed the outdoors especially working in his gardens. Alberto was a straight forward man who enjoyed getting up early and loved McDonald's co ee.

Roy Allen Lowdermilk

September 17, 1942 — March 21, 2024

Roy Allen Lowdermilk, 81, of Randleman passed away on Thursday, March 21, 2024. He was born September 17, 1942, in Randolph County, NC to Paul D. Lowdermilk and Lois Mae Cox Lowdermilk. Roy was a caring and loving husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He was a faithful and loyal church member, having served on the board; being remembered as a leader and beloved Sunday school teacher at Randleman First Wesleyan Church and Mountain View Independent Methodist Church. Roy could often be heard playing his guitar and harmonica with the church band. He was an avid deer hunter, having several trophies for his accomplishments. Roy served as part of the National Guard Riot Control while on active duty. He was an electrician by trade and partnered in his father’s business, New Salem Electric, before taking over. Roy will be remembered for his love of his family, his faith, and animals, especially his pets. A man who was witty with words, had a love of reading, and a sweet tooth for ice cream and nutty bars. Roy is survived by his daughters, Jackie Mullins (Je ) of Randleman and Jeanette King (Butch) of Annadale, VA; sister, Juanita Bullard (Allen) of Asheboro; grandchildren, Ellen Mullins, Anna King, Austin King. In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his wife of 55+ years, Phyllis Lowdermilk.

John Jason Hill

January 25, 1929 — March 22, 2024

John Jason Hill, age 95 of Asheboro, passed away on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Randolph Hospice House, Asheboro. John was born on January 25, 1929, in Randolph County to Chester and Jennie Robbins Hill. He was a lifelong resident of Randolph County and graduated from Farmer High School.

In addition to his parents, John is preceded in death by his three brothers, Henry Linthicum, Charles Hill, and Earl Hill; and one infant sister. John is survived by his wife of 77 years, Mary S. Hill of the home; daughter, Vickie Smith (Frank) of Denton; grandson, Jason F. Smith (LeAnn) of Denton; brother, Robert C. “Bobby” Hill of Asheboro; and sister, Margaret Hogan (Thurman) of Asheboro.

The family would like to o er a very special thank you to John’s caregivers, Susie, Connie, Angie, Tammy, and Kathy for the love, support, and care they provided.

STATE & NATION

Biden signs $1.2T funding package, ending shutdown threat

The president signed the bills Saturday, hours after it passed in the Senate

The Associated Press

WILMINGTON, Del. — President Joe Biden on Saturday signed a $1.2 trillion package of spending bills after Congress had passed the long overdue legislation just hours earlier, ending the threat of a partial government shutdown.

“This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted,” Biden said in a statement. “But it rejects extreme cuts from House Republicans and expands access to child care, invests in cancer research, funds mental health and substance use care, advances American leadership abroad, and provides resources to secure the border. ... That’s good news for the American people.”

It took lawmakers six months into the current budget year to get near the nish line on government funding, the process slowed by conservatives who pushed for more policy mandates and steeper spending cuts than a Democratic-led Senate or White House would consider. The impasse required several short-term spending bills to keep agencies funded.

from a large assistance package for Ukraine and Israel that is bogged down on Capitol Hill.

Biden, in his statement, again pressed Congress to pass additional aid.

“The House must pass the bipartisan national security supplemental to advance our national security interests. And Congress must pass the bipartisan border security agreement — the toughest and fairest reforms in decades — to ensure we have the policies and funding needed to secure the border. It’s time to get this done.”

A bipartisan border package collapsed last month when Republican senators scuttled months of negotiations with Democrats on legislation intended to cut back record numbers of illegal border crossings.

The spending package largely tracks with an agreement that then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California worked out with the White House in May 2023, which restricted spending for two years and suspended the debt ceiling into January 2025 so the federal government could continue paying its bills.

Prospects for a short-term government shutdown had appeared to grow Friday evening after Republicans and Democrats battled over proposed amendments to the bill. But shortly before midnight, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced a breakthrough.

“It is good for the country that we have reached this bipartisan deal. It wasn’t easy, but tonight our persistence has been worth it,” Schumer said.

The House passed the legislation Friday morning by a vote of 286-134, narrowly gaining the two-thirds majority needed for approval.

But the White House had sent out a notice shortly after the deadline announcing that the O ce of Management and Budget had ceased shutdown preparations because there was a high degree of con dence that Congress would pass the legislation and the Democratic president would sign it Saturday.

The rst package of full-year spending bills, which funded the departments of Veterans A airs, Agriculture and the Interior, among others, cleared Congress two weeks ago with just hours to spare before funding expired for

The White House said Biden signed the legislation at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, where he was spending the weekend. It had cleared the Senate by a 7424 vote shortly after funding had expired for the agencies at midnight.

those agencies. The second covered the departments of Defense, Homeland Security and State, as well as other aspects of general government.

When combining the two packages, discretionary spending for the budget year will come to about $1.66 trillion. That does not include programs such as Social Security and Medicare, ornancing the country’s rising debt.

On Ukraine aid, which Biden and his administration have argued was critical and necessary to help stop Russia’s invasion, the package provided $300 million under the defense spending umbrella. That funding is separate

Fla. Gov. DeSantis signs social media restrictions for minors

Children

By Brendan Farrington The Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida will have one of the country’s most restrictive social media bans for minors — if it withstands expected legal challenges — under a bill signed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday.

The bill will ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for 15- and 16-year-olds. It was slightly watered down from a proposal DeSantis vetoed earlier this month, a week before the annual legislative session ended.

The new law was Republican Speaker Paul Renner’s top legislative priority. It takes e ect Jan. 1.

“A child in their brain development doesn’t have the ability to know that they’re being sucked into these addictive technologies and to see the harm and step away from it, and because of that we have to step in for them,” Renner said at the bill-signing ceremony held at a Jacksonville school.

The bill DeSantis vetoed would have banned minors under 16 from popular social media platforms regardless of parental consent. But before the veto, he worked out compromise language with Renner to alleviate the governor’s concerns and the Florida Legislature sent DeSantis a second bill.

Several states have considered similar legislation. In Arkansas, a federal judge blocked enforcement of a law in August that required parental consent for minors to create new social media accounts.

Supporters in Florida hope the bill will withstand legal

challenges because it would ban social media formats based on addictive features such as noti cation alerts and auto-play videos, rather than on their content.

Renner said he expects social media companies to “sue the second after this is signed. But you know what? We’re going to beat them. We’re going to beat them and we’re never, ever going to stop.”

DeSantis also acknowledged the law will be challenged on First Amendment issues, and bemoaned the fact the “Stop Woke Act” he signed into law two years ago was recently struck down by an appeals court with a majority of Republican-appointed judges. They ruled it violated free speech rights by banning private business from including discussions about racial inequality in employee training.

To win over support from Republicans, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., pointed to some of the spending increases secured for about 8,000 more detention beds for migrants awaiting their immigration proceedings or removal from the country. That’s about a 24% increase from current levels. Also, GOP leadership highlighted more money to hire about 2,000 Border Patrol agents.

Democrats are boasting of a $1 billion increase for Head Start programs and new child care centers for military families. They also played up a $120 million increase in funding for cancer research and a $100 million increase for Alzheimer’s research.

The vote tally in the House re ected anger among Republicans over the content of the package and the speed with which it was brought to a vote. Johnson brought the measure to the oor even though a majority of Republicans ended up voting against it. He said afterward that the bill “represents the best achievable outcome in a divided government.”

In a sign of the conservative frustration, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., initiated an e ort to oust Johnson as the House began the vote but held o on further action until the House returns in two weeks. It’s the same tool that was used last year to remove McCarthy.

The vote breakdown showed 101 Republicans voting for the bill and 112 voting against it. Meanwhile, 185 Democrats voted for the bill and 22 against.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Monday that bans social media accounts for children under 14 and requires parental consent for 15- and 16-year-olds to create accounts.

“Any time I see a bill, if I don’t think it’s constitutional, I veto it,” said DeSantis, a lawyer, expressing con dence that the social media ban will be upheld. “We not only satis ed me, but we also satis ed, I think, a fair application of the law and Constitution.”

terfere with decisions parents make with their children.

The bill overwhelmingly passed both chambers, with some Democrats joining a majority of Republicans who supported the measure. Opponents argued it is unconstitutional and government shouldn’t in-

“This bill goes too far in taking away parents’ rights,” Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani said in a news release. “Instead of banning social media access, it would be better to ensure improved parental oversight tools, improved access to data to stop bad actors, alongside major investments in Florida’s mental health systems and programs.”

J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE / AP PHOTO

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., faced backlash from his own party after he worked with Democrats to secure enough votes to end the threat of a government shutdown. AP

pen & paper pursuits

this week in history

Intel launches Pentium, Dorsey launches Twitter

NATO attacked a sovereign nation for the rst time in 1999

The Associated Press

‘This Week’ looks back at the key events from this week in history.

MARCH 21

1685: Composer Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany

1935: Persia o cially changed its name to Iran.

2006: The social media website Twitter was established with the sending of the rst “tweet” by co-founder Jack Dorsey, who wrote: “just setting up my twttr.”

MARCH 22

1765, the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act to raise money from the American colonies, which ercely resisted the tax. (The Stamp Act was repealed a year later.)

1882: President Chester A. Arthur signed a measure outlawing polygamy.

1894: Hockey’s rst Stanley Cup championship game was played; home team Montreal Hockey Club defeated Ottawa Hockey Club, 3-1.

1993: Intel Corp. unveiled the original Pentium computer chip.

MARCH 23

1775: Patrick Henry delivered an address to the Virginia Provincial Convention in which he is said to have declared, “Give me liberty, or give me death!”

1998: “Titanic” tied an Academy Awards record by winning 11 Oscars, including best picture, best director for James Cameron and best original song for “My Heart Will Go On.”

1919: Benito Mussolini founded his Fascist political movement in Milan, Italy.

MARCH 24

1765: Britain enacted the Quartering Act, requiring American colonists to provide temporary housing to British soldiers.

1989: The supertanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on a

reef in Alaska’s Prince William Sound and began leaking an estimated 11 million gallons of crude oil.

1882: German scientist Robert Koch announced in Berlin that he had discovered the bacillus responsible for tuberculosis.

1999: NATO launched airstrikes against Yugoslavia, marking the rst time in its 50year existence that it had ever attacked a sovereign country.

MARCH 25

1915: The U.S. Navy lost its rst commissioned submarine as the USS F-4 sank o Hawaii, claiming the lives of all 21 crew members.

1954: RCA announced it had begun producing color television sets at its plant in Bloomington, Indiana.

1960: Ray Charles recorded “Georgia on My Mind” as part of his “The Genius Hits the Road” album in New York.

MARCH 26

1827: Composer Ludwig van Beethoven died in Vienna at age 56.

1962: The U.S. Supreme Court, in Baker v. Carr, gave

federal courts the power to order reapportionment of states’ legislative districts.

1973: The soap opera “The Young and the Restless” premiered on CBS-TV.

1997: The bodies of 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate techno-religious cult who committed suicide were found inside a rented mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California.

2018: A toxicology report obtained by The Associated Press revealed that the late pop superstar Prince had levels of fentanyl in his body that multiple experts described as “exceedingly high.”

MARCH 27

1513: Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon sighted present-day Florida.

1625: Charles I acceded to the English throne upon the death of James I.

1912: First lady Helen Taft and the wife of Japan’s ambassador to the United States, Viscountess Chinda, planted the rst two of 3,000 cherry trees given to the U.S. as a gift by the mayor of Tokyo.

1973: “The Godfather” won the Academy Award for best picture of 1972.

BEBETO MATTHEWS / AP PHOTO

Yugoslavia Ambassador to the United Nations Vladislav Jovanovic elds questions after a press brie ng at the United Nations, March 24, 1999. NATO launched airstrikes against Yugoslavia later in the day.

SUSAN STERNER / AP PHOTO

Top, James Cameron reacts after accepting the Best Director Oscar for “Titanic” at the 70th Academy Awards on March 23, 1998.

Below, Intel Corp. CEO Andrew Grove, left, and Intel design team members Avtar Saini, right, and Andy Grove, center, watch a demonstration of the new Pentium chip in Santa Clara, California, on March 23, 1993.

‘Newshawks in Berlin’ reveals tough choices for media during war

The book is written by two veteran AP

journalists

By Andrew DeMillo

The Associated Press

JOURNALISM is often referred to as the rst draft of history, especially when covering war and international conicts.

“Newshawks in Berlin: The Associated Press and Nazi Germany” explores the challenges the world’s largest news organization faced in trying to balance journalistic ethics with ability to cover World War II within the con nes of a dictatorship. The book is a fair but blunt assessment of AP’s work during that time.

The book is written by two veteran AP journalists — Randy Herschaft and the late Larry Heinzerling — along with Columbia Journalism School professor emerita Ann Cooper.

It follows up on a 2017 indepth review Herschaft and Heinzerling authored for the AP looking at the news organi-

‘The

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS

“Newshawks in Berlin: The Associated Press and Nazi Germany” was written by Larry Heinzerling and Randy Herschaft, with Ann Cooper.

zation’s operations in Nazi Germany. That review was prompted by an academic paper a year earlier that asserted the AP ceded in uence to Nazi propagandists over the production of its German photo service.

“Newshawks,” however, goes beyond looking at the photos operations that were the focus of the 2017 review. It richly mines AP’s vast archives and other sources to provide a fascinating inside account of a journalistic era that’s completely di erent from now but poses many of the same questions.

It examines the role of the organization’s top journalists who steered its coverage and stoked controversy along the way, including Berlin bureau chief Louis Lochner and AP general manager Kent Cooper.

The challenges AP and other news organizations face battling misinformation seem all too familiar. A discarded “rumor de ator” brie y launched by AP to address outlandish stories during the war was a precursor to the fact checks and accountability pieces that are commonplaces throughout today’s journalism.

The book richly illustrates journalistic con icts that resonate today, as reporters risk their lives to cover the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars.

Rumor Game’ in divided nation draws parallels to today

It’s 1943, a quarter century after the armistice that ended the so-called Great War, and Americans are once again ghting in foreign lands, battling the ascendant Empire of Japan in the Paci c and confronting Germany’s Afrika Corp along the southern rim of the Mediterranean Sea.

The country had been divided over whether to enter the war. Isolationists opposed sacri cing American lives to save the democracies of Western Europe. And thousands of Nazi sympathizers openly trumpeted support for Adolf Hitler. Japan’s sneak attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 unleashed a patriotic fervor that seemed to settle the question, but in some quarters, opposition to the war still ran deep.

In Boston, a city long torn by ethnic and religious hatreds, antisemitism, racism and xenophobia ran rampant. Yankee Protestants despised the city’s teeming population of Irish immigrants. The Irish saw no reason to aid of England.

Such is the setting for Thomas Mullen’s “The Rumor Game,” a disturbing yarn about a divided, rumor-riddled nation that o ers apt but unstated parallels to present-day

America.

The plot is driven by Anne Lemire, a young reporter for the Boston Star, and Devon Mulvey, an FBI agent assigned to protect war production from in ltration and sabotage. Lemire writes the Rumor Clinic, a column debunking the ood of Nazi propaganda and other destructive rumors ooding the city.

Meanwhile, Mulvey struggles to unravel a mystery that includes a murder and the theft of military ri es from a Boston munitions plant.

Both are obstructed by the Irish-dominated Boston police, the pro-Nazi Christian League and federal o cials who think left-wing agitators pose a greater threat. Eventually, Mulvey, an Irish Catholic, and Lemire, raised Catholic but born Jewish, join forces as their investigations merge.

Mullen’s eighth novel draws heavily on research and the tale begins as a slow burn and then races at a breakneck pace to a dramatic conclusion.

MINOTAUR / AP

The Cover of “The Rumor Game” by Thomas Mullen.

famous birthdays this week

The Associated Press

March 24

Actor Lara Flynn Boyle is 54. Actor Jim Parsons (“The Big Bang Theory”) is 51. Actor Jessica Chastain (“Zero Dark Thirty,” “The Help”) is 47.

March 25

Musician Elton John is 77. Actor Sarah Jessica Parker is 59. Actor Lee Pace ( lm’s “The Hobbit,” TV’s “Pushing Daisies”) is 45. Singer-actor Katharine McPhee (“Smash,” ″American Idol”) is 40.

March 26

Singer Diana Ross is 80. Singer Steven Tyler of Aerosmith is 76. Singer-actor Vicki Lawrence is 75 Actor Martin Short is 74. Actor Jennifer Grey is 64. Country singer Kenny Chesney is 56. Actor Leslie Mann (“Knocked Up,” ″This Is 40″) is 52.

March 27

Movie director Quentin Tarantino is 61. Actor Elizabeth Mitchell (“V,” ″Lost”) is 54. Actor Nathan Fillion (“The Rookie,” “Castle”) is 53. Singer Fergie of Black Eyed Peas is 49.

March 28

Harmonica player Charlie McCoy (“Hee Haw”) is 83. Country singer Reba McEntire is 69. Rapper Salt of Salt-N-Pepa is 58. Actor Vince Vaughn is 54. Actor Julia Stiles is 43. Singer Lady Gaga is 38.

March 29

Actor Marina Sirtis (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) is 69. Singer Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction is 65. Comedian Amy Sedaris is 63. Model Elle Macpherson is 61. Singer John Popper of Blues Traveler is 57. Actor

Lucy Lawless (“Xena: Warrior Princess”) is 56.

premiere of “A Real Pain” Jan. 20, 2024.

MICHAEL

the stream

Beyoncé tops the Country charts and ‘South Park’ gets a snow day

Sheryl Crow said she was done with albums but is back with “Evolution”

The Associated Press

BEYONCÉ’S COUNTRY album, a new “Southpark” video game and Steve Martin documentary are some of the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you.

Movies to stream

Oscar-winning documentarian Morgan Neville dives into the life of a personal idol, Steve Martin, in “STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces,” coming to Apple TV+ on Friday, March 29. Neville essentially created two di erent movies, one about Martin’s beginnings and one about the present. Martin has told his story many times, but the Neville movies o er unprecedented access to him re ecting on successes, failures and nding happiness. He assures viewers that they can be watched in any order. And yes, there will be banjos. Bill Nighy leads a charming crowd-pleaser on Net ix, “The Beautiful Game,” in which he plays an English soccer manager taking a team to the Homeless World Cup in Rome. Michael Ward co-stars as an especially talented player, Vinny, who reluctantly joins the team. The story, written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce and directed by Thea Sharrock is loosely inspired by the real thing (Cottrell-Boyce worked with the Homeless World Cup Foundation to develop the characters) but at heart is very much a movie, tidy and feel-good in the vein of “Ted Lasso.” It starts streaming on Friday, March 29.

Music to stream

This ain’t a country album, it’s a Beyoncé album. At least, that phrase was brie y projected onto the exterior of some of New York City’s most famous museums, the Guggenheim, Whitney, New Museum, and the Museum of Arts and Design, in the week leading up to her highly anticipated new album, “Act ll: Cowboy Carter.” The album was rst announced last month, after a Verizon commercial starring Beyoncé aired during the Super Bowl ended with the superstar saying, “They ready, drop the new music.” A cryptic Instagram tease later, and Bey surprised release two singles, the country stomp “Texas

Hold ’Em,” and the soulful slow burn “16 Carriages.” A few weeks ago, the superstar singer became the rst Black woman to top Billboard’s country music chart. The album drops Friday, March 29.

Also on Bey Day (or however the culture has decided to describe the uno cial holiday), Sheryl Crow will release “Evolution,” her 12th studio album and rst in half a decade. After 2019’s “Threads” was released, Crow said she would not release an-

other full-length. Time changes things, as any artist will let you know, and it’s a great thing. One listen of her cover of Peter Gabriel’s 1992 track “Digging in the Dirt,” recorded with Gabriel, guarantees it. With members of the K-pop group BTS currently participating in South Korea’s mandatory military service, it’s hard not to miss them. But there is a balm: an Amazon Prime docuseries about member J-Hope titled

“Hope on the Street.” The show follows J-Hope’s story — can’t miss viewing for the superfans in your life.

Shows to stream

In time for Easter Sunday, Net ix o ers a new docudrama in the faith-based genre with “Testament: The Story of Moses.” It follows the Biblical story of Moses and his journey from Egyptian prince to being given the Ten Commandments by God. Charles Dance narrates and Avi Azulay plays Moses, and the three-parts also features interviews with religion experts. “Testament” premieres Wednesday.

A new limited drama series on “Hulu” called “We Were the Lucky Ones” follows the members of the Kurc family, who get separated during World War II after the Nazi’s invaded Poland. It’s based on a book by Georgia Hunter who discovered her own Jewish ancestry and that her grandfather was actually a Holocaust survivor while writing a report for school. The series stars Logan Lerman as her grandfather Addy and Joey King as his sister. “We Were the Lucky Ones” debuts Thursday.

Prime Video introduces “The Baxters” on Thursday. The Christian-based series stars Roma

Downey and Ted McGinley as John and Elizabeth Baxter, who have ve adult children. The family’s faith is tested when one of the Baxter daughters learns her husband has had an a air. It’s based on a book series by Christian author Karen Kingsbury. Cassidy Gi ord (daughter Frank Gi ord and Kathy Lee Gi ord) also plays one of the Baxter daughters. Beloved for playing Gus Fring on “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” Giancarlo Esposito executive produces and stars in his own series called “Parish” for AMC. Esposito plays Gracian “Gray” Parish, who is drawn back into the crime world after a family tragedy. “Parish” is a passion project for Esposito, who worked to get it developed for eight years. Skeet Ulrich co-stars and Bradley Whitford has a recurring role. “Parish” is based on a BBC One show called “The Driver” and debuts Sunday, March 31 on AMC and AMC+.

Video games to play

“South Park” has been around for so long that Cartman, Stan, Kyle and Kenny should be old enough to have kids of their own. Fortunately, the boys are still stuck in elementary school purgatory, so they’re just the right age to go nuts for THQ Nordic’s South Park: Snow Day! The town has been shut down by a massive blizzard, so the gang is free to get outside and create all sorts of mayhem. Your character is the “New Kid,” and you can play solo or join forces with up to three friends in battles that go way beyond a neighborhood snowball ght. Break open the Cheesy Poofs on Tuesday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Annapurna Interactive’s Open Roads begins with teenager Tess Devine and her mother, Opal, discovering a stash of old letters that hint at dark secrets — and maybe a hidden treasure. So the two of them hit the road in their station wagon on a mission to visit some long neglected family properties. It might not be the best idea for a mother-daughter road trip, since Opal might revive some memories she’s spent years trying to forget. Open Roads comes from some of the creators of the much-admired 2013 mystery Gone Home, and features the voices of Keri Russell and Kaitlyn Dever. The drive begins Thursday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Cover images for “Act ll: Cowboy Carter” by Beyonce, left, and “Evolution” by Sheryl Crow, right. AMY

Sheryl Crow performs during the

Something shy this way comes

Tom Allan (left) and Clayton Luce

behind the counter) serve up slaw, beans, hushpuppies and more to hungry attendees at the First Baptist Church of Raeford Brotherhood Fish Fry last Friday. The event saw more than 500 pieces of sh served, raising some $2,500 for the Church.

The EFSP grant will be utilized to assist with utility payments for 42 households in Hoke County

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

THE HOKE COUNTY Board of Commissioners met Monday, March 18, starting with the approval of a $10,500 Emergency Food and Shelter Program grant.

want to assure them that when they choose Carolina, they will be able to a ord it by providing them with their full nancial aid and scholarship package,” said Rachelle Feldman, vice provost of enrollment at UNC-Chapel Hill. “We don’t want anyone to be in a position where they’re making that decision blind to their nancial position.”

The standard admission deadline is May 1.

Biden, Harris in NC President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris teamed up in Raleigh on Tuesday for an event focused on promoting their health care agenda. North Carolina is the nal stop on Biden’s tour of battleground states since his State of the Union earlier this month. Polls show Democrats have an advantage over Republicans on health care, and Democrats are looking to push their advantage as Biden faces a likely rematch with Donald Trump this year.

While in North Carolina, Biden and Harris also attended a campaign fundraiser. HAL

“The funding will address assisting with utility payments for those experiencing nancial hardships,” said emergency management administrative assistant Michelle Payne. “By utilizing the EFSP funds, we aim to provide timely relief to 42 households by applying $250 to one of their household utilities: either lights, water or gas.”

According to Grants Manager Andrew Jacobs, the grant will be assessed on a rst come, rst served basis, although the coun-

ty will set up an income standard to be approved for funding. A household can only receive funding from the grant once.

The board approved two Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (JCPC) matters: the 2024-25 funding request and the appointment of Michael Davis to the JCPC Board as the DJJ Supervising Court Counselor.

The JCPC was approved for a $165,302 budget which will cover the JCPC administration fees ($9,700), Hoke County Teen Court ($50,000), Molding Young Moguls Leadership Development Program ($55,000), Maggie’s Outreach Rebuilding the Dream Structured Day Program ($10,602) and Maggie’s Outreach Y.E.S. Community Service and Restitution Program ($40,000).

“We’re requesting that you include in your special appropriations for your budget another $10,000 for the Structured Day Program to help them along with that,” said JCPC Coordinator Lorraine Landry. “We have

a risks and needs assessment committee that pretty much says, ‘What does Hoke County need?’ What are the problems we have, what do we need and what are the gaps? Out of 21 different kinds of youth programs that you can broadcast your nets out and receive applications for, they ne tune it. I think we advertised for seven programs and we did deny funding to one. The money can only go so far.”

The board also approved several health department matters including the consolidated agreement between NC Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child and Family Well-Being, the Division of Public Health and the Hoke County Health Department in order to receive state funding and the appointment of Shirleta Lowery and the re-appointment of James Davis to the Hoke County Board of Health.

The board was also presented with the monthly tax collection report. “The total collected for the

month of February, current year, was $893,839.49 at a 93.14% rate compared to a 94.55% rate in the prior year,” said tax collector Daphne Dudley.

In addition, the board approved the reassignment of government-owned property as surplus for the intention of selling it.

“We had a bid where they paid the deposit, but never came back and paid the balance,” Daphne said. “According to our policy, he had 60-days to do that and it’s way past that time. It was brought to our attention because we have buyers who’d like to buy it now.”

The property, located at 331 Windlock Drive, was originally won through a bid for a nal price of $4,210 in 2017, but after paying a deposit of $207, the winning bidder never paid the deposit. The property will now be relisted at $3,963.30 on the county’s website.

The Hoke County Board of Commissioners will next meet April 1.

A mayday call by the ship allowed authorities to stop tra c before the collapse

By Lea Skene The Associated Press

BALTIMORE — A cargo ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, destroying the span in a matter of seconds and plunging it into the river in a terrifying collapse that could disrupt a vital shipping port for months. Six people were missing and presumed dead.

The ship’s crew issued a mayday call moments before the crash took down the Francis Scott Key Bridge, enabling authorities to limit vehicle tra c on the span, Maryland’s governor said.

The ship struck one of the bridge’s supports, causing the structure to collapse like a toy. A section of the span came to rest on the bow of the vessel, which caught re, and thick, black smoke billowed out of it.

With the ship barreling toward the bridge at “a very, very rapid speed,” authorities had just enough time to stop cars from coming over the bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said.

“These people are heroes,” Moore said. “They saved lives last night.”

The crash happened in the middle of the night, long before the busy morning commute on the bridge that stretches 1.6 miles (2.6 km) and was used by 12 million vehicles last year.

The six people still unaccounted for were part of a construction crew lling potholes on the

bridge, said Paul Wiedefeld, the state’s transportation secretary.

A senior executive at the company that employed the workers said Tuesday afternoon that they were presumed dead, given the water’s depth and the length of time since the crash.

Je rey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, said the crew was working in the middle of the bridge when it came down. No bodies have been recovered, and rescue crews continued the search into the late afternoon.

Rescuers pulled two people out of the water. One person was treated at a hospital and discharged hours later. Multiple vehicles also went into the river, although authorities did not believe anyone was inside.

A police dispatcher put out a call just before the collapse say-

ing a ship had lost its steering and asked o cers to stop all tra c, according to Maryland Transportation Authority rst responder radio tra c obtained from the Broadcastify.com archive.

One o cer who stopped trafc radioed that he was going to drive onto the bridge to alert the construction crew. But seconds later, a frantic o cer said: “The whole bridge just fell down. Start, start whoever, everybody ... the whole bridge just collapsed.”

(right,

March 20

Ellis Dwayne Love, aged 35, was booked into the Hoke County Jail on charges of simple possession of a Schedule II controlledsubstance and possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or distribute cocaine, with a bond amount set at $7500.

March 21

Chasity Dawn Slaughter, aged 34, was booked into the Hoke County Jail on a charge of possessing drug paraphernalia (excluding marijuana), with bond denied or not set.

Dalton Ray Hamlett, aged 27, was booked into the Hoke County Jail for violating a domestic violence protective order, with bond denied or not set.

Gregory Allen Walker, aged 59, was booked into the Hoke County Jail for defrauding a drug/alcohol screening test, with bond denied or not set.

March 22

William Zackery McMillian, aged 40, faces charges of misdemeanor larceny and failure to appear/failure to comply, with a bond amount set at $2000.

Louis Mondrequez, aged 36, was booked into the Hoke County Jail on a charge of attempted common law robbery, with a bond amount set at $25000.

March 23

Jamarkis Johnnie Jordan, aged 26, was booked into the Hoke County Jail as a fugitive from justice, with a bond amount set at $100000.

Dan Edgar Bryant, aged 31, was booked into the Hoke County Jail on charges of assault on a female and simple assault, with a bond amount set at $1500.

March 24

Trestin Miguel Everette, aged 24, was booked into the Hoke County Jail on multiple charges, including fleeing or eluding arrest with a motor vehicle (felony), possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or distribute Schedule II controlled substance, possession of marijuana (less than ½ oz), driving while license revoked (not impaired), possession of drug paraphernalia (excluding marijuana), and possession of marijuana paraphernalia, with a bond amount set at $250000.

March 25

Pedro Coco, aged 38, was booked into the Hoke County Jail on a charge of assault inflicting serious injury, with a bond amount set at $7500.

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

COLUMN | MARY ZAHRAN

A tale of two Bidens

It made me look at Biden and see a second-rate Vincent Price who didn’t know when to leave the stage.

THE BIDENS have a new addition to their family and he made his rst public appearance recently when he delivered the State of the Union address.

O cially named Joe Biden, he should be called Angry Joe Biden because of his overthe-top manner of speech that evening. Instead of attempting to unite our country, a promise he made countless times during his 2020 presidential campaign, he castigated many Americans by accusing Donald Trump (referred to only as “my predecessor”) and MAGA Republicans of being a threat to democracy.

In all honesty, Angry Joe, or some version of him, has appeared in public before, but without the extreme aggression or menacing tone that was on display when he addressed Congress. Biden yelled non-stop for over an hour, attempting to project an image of a strong and con dent leader.

While it is a mystery to me where he found this sudden energy, it seemed, at least for the evening, that he was a new man.

One early prototype of Angry Joe is Dark Brandon, a gure in numerous memes in which the president looks simultaneously demonic and heroic. This image was created by Biden supporters as a response to a conservative anti-Biden chant, “Let’s Go,

Brandon,” whose meaning contains profanity unsuitable for publication. What was originally meant to be an insult was turned into an avatar that represented a tough and fearless leader. Dark Brandon is the visual equivalent of the Hell re and Brimstone orator delivering the State of the Union address.

A second prototype emerged in September of 2022 right before the midterm elections when Biden delivered a speech in Philadelphia in which he predictably accused the MAGA Republicans of being a threat to democracy. This version of Biden was a kind of Dark Brandon redux, only with a scarier background. Speaking in front of Independence Hall, of all places, Biden looked like a creature from the underworld with blood-red lighting designed to make him look frightening and powerful.

This backdrop did not frighten me. It made me look at Biden and see a second-rate Vincent Price who didn’t know when to leave the stage.

This Joe Biden, Angry Joe, should not be confused with the other Joe Biden, someone I call “Addled Joe” because of his di culty exiting the stage after a speech or his curious habit of discussing recent telephone conversations with world leaders who have been dead for decades. I wouldn’t be surprised if he announced that he soon has a lunch date with Winston Churchill.

Addled Joe may have trouble remembering

names or keeping his balance, but he does have one area of expertise — he knows how to enjoy his ice cream in public. This skill is especially impressive when he is discussing foreign a airs with a journalist while savoring his frozen treat.

When I think of American presidents, I think of George Washington crossing the Delaware during the Revolutionary War, Abraham Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address, or George W. Bush standing atop a pile of rubble at Ground Zero shortly after 9/11 and assuring the world they would hear us as we defeated our enemy. I do not think of a president whose most memorable image reminds us of a six-year-old at a birthday party wiping ice cream o his lips.

Joe Biden may have two di erent public personas, the Tough Guy and the Blundererin-Chief, but he isn’t fooling anyone about his inability to be a good leader. He isn’t fooling members of his own party, who simply deny his shortcomings to create the impression that all is well. He isn’t fooling conservatives who know his policies are disastrous for this country. And he certainly isn’t fooling our adversaries, who see a weak man willing to tolerate their malign behavior.

And no amount of yelling, inexplicable energy, or ice cream will change the fact that neither one of the two Bidens is a good president.

Mary Zahran lives in Fayetteville.

COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO

Why I’m co-hosting a Trump fundraiser

Joe Biden is the worst president of my lifetime.

UNSURPRISINGLY to those who follow this space, I plan to vote for Donald Trump in November. Not just that. Last week, I cohosted a fundraiser for him.

So, how precisely did a conservative who didn’t vote for president in 2016 and didn’t support Donald Trump during the Republican primaries become a Trump donor? The answer is obvious: Donald Trump’s opponent is Joe Biden. And Joe Biden is the worst president of my lifetime.

Because Donald Trump is the nominee against Joe Biden, I won’t just vote for him. I’ll go into my own pocket to support him. Which is what I’m doing.

My calculus is simple: America was better o under Donald Trump than it is in under Joe Biden.

At home, America was safer and more prosperous. When Donald Trump was president, we did not have an open border. We were not ooding our country with at least 7 million illegal immigrants, overwhelming our cities, leaving our country wide open to the plague of Chinese- and Mexican drug cartelbacked fentanyl poisoning.

When Donald Trump was president, we did not have a president who tried to use the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to force 80 million Americans to take a vaccine or lose their jobs — and my company didn’t have to sue to stop it.

When Donald Trump was president, we did not have 40-year highs in in ation and decreasing real wages.

When Donald Trump was president, we did not have a federal attempt to teach children that boys can be girls and vice versa, or to force taxpayers to subsidize abortion,

or to target religious institutions for the great crime of upholding traditional JudeoChristian values.

When Donald Trump was president, we did not have an administration hell-bent on stymying the police in their attempts to ght crime, or an administration that values diversity and inclusion and wokeness above military readiness, all in the name of “equity.”

When Donald Trump was president, we did not have American businesses preparing to have their incomes robbed from them in the name of the biggest spending programs in American history.

When Donald Trump was president, we did not have unconstitutional attempts to simply wipe away student loan debt, or a Department of Justice dedicated to the targeting of political opposition.

When Donald Trump was president, the world was not on re.

When Donald Trump was president, we did not cut and run in the face of 8th-century barbarians in Afghanistan, who blew up 13 American soldiers, hunted down our allies, and reestablished al-Qaida bases.

When Donald Trump was president, peace was breaking out in the Middle East between Arab nations and Israel, and Iran was in a box. We certainly didn’t have a multi-front hot war between Iranian proxies and American allies — or American soldiers directly — and we weren’t trying to pay billions in bribes to the Iranian mullahs.

When Donald Trump was president, we didn’t have war in Ukraine.

When Donald Trump was president, we didn’t have China threatening imminent blockade of Taiwan.

When Donald Trump was president, America was better o .

I’ll always be honest with you about Donald Trump. He wasn’t my rst choice in the primaries; he’s a deeply awed man. I’ve been open in my criticisms of Trump on both character and policy. And I’m not going to stop criticizing Donald Trump when I disagree with him. I always have, and I always will. That’s my job, and the job of all Americans.

But Donald Trump is the man standing between America and a second Joe Biden term. And a second Joe Biden term means America in dire, dire trouble.

It’s that simple.

It’s Trump or Biden.

Unlike in 2016, we don’t have to guess at what a Trump administration will be. And we don’t have to guess what a Biden administration will be either. We know. America cannot a ord another Joe Biden term.

Or, perhaps more realistically, a Kamala Harris term.

Joe Biden is here to nish the job that Barack Obama started, of fundamentally transforming America into the image of the left. That cannot happen. That’s why I’m not just giving Donald Trump my vote, I’m giving him my money. Because this election matters. And Donald Trump must be the next president of the United States.

Ben Shapiro, 39, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and co-founder of Daily Wire+.

HOKE SPORTS

Softball has o ensive outburst in win

North State Journal

HERE’S A LOOK at the week that was in Hoke County sports, including a history-making scoring explosion for softball.

Softball

The Hoke County girls’ softball team stayed over .500 with two wins in three games last week. The Bucks fell at home to Union Pines, 9-4, then found the going much smoother on the road. Hoke blew out Pinecrest in their rst trip of the week, winning 15-3. The following day, they went to Red Springs and won 19-4. Senior Adriana Miller and freshman Niya Jones picked up wins for Hoke on the mound. Jones also got hits in all three games, including a 4-for-4 day with two doubles and 5 RBIs against Red Springs. The 19-run explosion was the biggest scoring day for the Bucks since a 19-2 win over Seventy-First in March 2019. It was their biggest run output on the road since winning at Seventy-First, 26-0 in March 2018. Softball is now 6-4 on the year, 2-4 in the Sandhills Conference. They travel to Jack Britt and Scotland this week, then take part in the Robeson County Slugfest over the weekend.

Baseball

The Hoke County baseball team went 0-3 last week and is still in search of an elusive rst win. The Bucks fell at home to Richmond, 11-1, then hit the road for two games. They lost at

Red Springs, 8-3, then fell in a rematch with Richmond, 155. On the bright side, the verun output matched Hoke’s second-best scoring day of the season, and eight runs in two games matched its best twogame stretch. Athlete of the Week Reynell Capellan Reyes led the way with four RBIs on the week, while junior Owen Autry drove in two. Jacob Bowman and Connor Oldham also had RBIs during the week. Hoke is now 0-10 this season, 0-6 in the Sandhills. The Bucks will have multiple shots to break into the win column this week, with a road game at Jack Britt, a home and home with Southern Lee and an asyet undetermined set of weekend opponents in Lumberton’s Robeson County Slugfest.

Girls’ Soccer

The Bucks lost both games

last week to extend their losing streak to three in a row. Hoke fell, 1-0, in overtime at Richmond to start the week. The following day, the Bucks traveled to Jack Britt and su ered a 3-1 loss. Senior Sachi Mathews scored the lone goal in the Jack Britt game, becoming the rst Bucks girls’ soccer player to nd the back of the net in four games. She also scored one of the Hoke’s two goals in that contest.

The Bucks are now 2-6-2, 1-2 in the Sandhills. They’ll try to get back on a winning track this week with a home game against Red Springs and a road trip to Pinecrest.

Also on the schedule

Boys’ golf played in a meet at Fox re on Monday. Boys’ tennis traveled to Scotland High for a Tuesday match. Track hosts Scotland on Wednesday.

Reynell Capellan Reyes

Hoke County, baseball

Reynell Capellan Reyes is a senior for the Hoke County baseball team. He also played for the Hoke boys’ soccer team in the fall.

Reyes leads the Bucks in batting average (.346), on-base percentage (.419), stolen bases (5), slugging (.384), hits (9) and RBIs (6). He hit in all three Hoke County games last week, going 3-for-8 with 2 runs, 4 RBIs, 2 stolen bases and a sacri ce y.

Clemson becomes second school to sue ACC

Joins FSU in court, seeking to exit conference

By Ralph D. Russo

The Associated Press

Clemson sued the Atlantic Coast Conference in a South Carolina court last Tuesday, joining Florida State in challenging the league’s right to charge schools hundreds of millions of dollars to leave.

The complaint led in Pickens County says the ACC’s “exorbitant $140 million” exit penalty and the grant of rights used to bind schools to a conference through their media rights should be struck down.

“Each of these erroneous assertions separately hinders Clemson’s ability to meaning-

fully explore its options regarding conference membership, to negotiate alternative revenue-sharing proposals among ACC members and to obtain full value for its future media rights,” the school said in the lawsuit.

Clemson said it has not given notice that it is exiting the ACC and remains a member of the conference.

“The ACC remains con dent that its agreements with all its members will be a rmed by the courts,” Virginia President Jim Ryan, chairman of the conference board, said in a statement. “Clemson, along with all ACC members, voluntarily signed and re-signed the 2013 and 2016 Grant of Rights, which is binding through 2036. In addition, Clemson agreed to

the process and procedures for withdrawal. The Conference’s legal counsel will vigorously enforce the agreement and bylaws in the best interests of the ACC’s current and incoming members.”

In December, Florida State’s board of trustees sued the ACC in Florida, making similar claims. The ACC pre-emptively led a lawsuit against Florida State in North Carolina, where the conference o ces are located, saying the school’s actions were a breach of contract.

Clemson is a charter member of the ACC, dating back to its founding in 1953. The school emerged over the last decade as a national college football powerhouse, winning national championships in 2016 and 2018.

Clemson and Florida State are the only ACC schools to reach the four-team College Football Playo since its inception in 2014. With the ACC falling behind the Big Ten and SEC in revenue distribution, mostly tied to media rights deals, some ACC members have grown anxious, worried that schools in those two leagues could soon be bringing in $40 million to $50 million more annually and gain competitive advantages.

In the lawsuit, Clemson maintains the ACC’s interpretation of the grant of rights agreement signed by all 17 members that runs concurrent to the contract with ESPN is wrong. While the conference says the grant of rights allows it to own the media rights to Clemson’s

home games after the school leaves the conference, Clemson disagrees.

“By espousing an inaccurate interpretation of the grant of rights agreements and allowing that interpretation to proliferate throughout the media, the ACC has cast a harmful cloud of doubt on Clemson’s ability to engage in meaningful discussions with other conferences and media providers regarding potential future collaborations and/or to negotiate alternative revenue-sharing proposals among ACC members,” Clemson said in the lawsuit.

The ACC agreed to create a bonus pool to reward schools for postseason success in football and basketball. The conference also expanded last year, adding Stanford, California and SMU, Clemson and Florida State both voted against expansion, along with Miami and North Carolina.

PHOTO BY DAVID SINCLAIR FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Hoke County softball makes a play to get the runner out at third base during the Bucks’ win over Pinecrest

SIDELINE REPORT

MLS Charlotte FC gets 2-0 win over Columbus

Charlotte

Ashley Westwood and Patrick Agyemang scored late in the second half and Charlotte FC beat Columbus 2-0, handing the defendingchampion Crew their rst loss of the season.

The two clubs played 16 minutes of rst-half stoppage time because of injuries to the Crew’s Steven Moreira, Rudy Camacho, Christian Ramírez, and Darlington Nagbe, as well as Charlotte’s Scott Ar eld. Kristijan Kahlina did not have to make a save in earning the clean sheet for Charlotte (2-2-1). Charlotte and new coach Dean Smith played at home for the rst time since a 1-0 victory over New York City FC in the season opener.

SOCCER

Security issues force cancellation of Israel exhibition match

Sarajevo Israel’s soccer friendly at Bosnia-Herzegovina this week has been canceled. UEFA said in a statement the Bosnian and Israeli soccer federations agreed not to play ”in light of the current security situation.” The two men’s teams should have played on Tuesday in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo. The xture was available after both were eliminated on Thursday in qualifying playo s for the European Championship. Israel lost to Iceland 4-1 in a “home” game it had to play in a neutral country because of security concerns during the country’s con ict with Hamas. Israel chose to play in Budapest, Hungary.

MLB Cardinals’ super-fan pleads guilty to storming Capitol

Washington, D.C.

A St. Louis Cardinals super fan who legally changed his name to Rally Runner has pleaded guilty to storming the U.S. Capitol. Rally Runner pleaded guilty to a felony charge of civil disorder and is scheduled to be sentenced in July. The 44-year-old Missouri man was wearing red face paint and a red “Keep America Great” hat when he used a stolen shield to help other rioters attack police o cers at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He is known in St. Louis for running around the Cardinals’ stadium during baseball games while wearing red clothes and red face paint.

NFL

Third man now charged with murder in Chiefs Super Bowl rally shooting Kansas City, Mo. A third man has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the shooting during the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally. The Feb. 14 shooting killed a mother of two and injured nearly two dozen others. Twentyyear-old Terry Young, of Kansas City, Missouri, also was charged last Thursday with unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action. He is jailed on $1 million bond and doesn’t yet have an attorney. Two others have been charged with seconddegree murder and other crimes. Two juveniles also are in custody. Three other men face weapons-related charges.

Byron dominates Cup Series’ 1st road course race of season

Leads 42 of 68 laps for second win of year

By Jim Vertuno The Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — William Byron won the Daytona 500 with an agonizing nal lap under a caution ag. He took the checkered ag on Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas at full throttle.

Bryon started from pole position and delivered a dominant drive in Cup Series’ rst road course race of the season. The Hendrick Motorsports driver led 42 of 68 laps and built the big lead he needed to hold o a hard-charging run from Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell over the nal two laps.

Bell shaved nearly three seconds o Byron’s lead to create some late drama before Byron slammed the door over the nal corners.

“I was trying to not make mistakes,” Byron said. “I knew that last lap he was going to be pushing hard.”

Even when he was building the lead, Byron said he knew the victory would be tight at the end.

“Everyone is too good, and that car (was) too close,” Byron said.

A self-taught racer who used computer equipment to hone his skills, Byron earned career win No. 12 and his second on a road course.

The Circuit of the Americas, a track built for Formula One, has been the rst road course for the Cup Series each of the last four seasons. And unlike the crash-

lled triple-overtime race of 2023, Sunday’s race was mostly incident free as Byron made easy work of the eld.

Byron led 23 laps of the rst two stages, but found himself quickly dropped to third at the start of the nal stage as Ross Chastain, who won at COTA in 2022, jumped to the front.

Byron fought back to pass him with 25 laps to go and both cars pitted on the same lap. Chastain then got hung up in tra c on the re-entry and fell several cars behind.

That gave Byron the chance to open the gap he needed to keep

Bell behind him at the end. Ty Gibbs, the 21-year-old grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, nished third after getting passed by Bell with three laps to go.

“Another lap I would have gotten there for sure,” Bell said. “Passing (Byron) would have been di cult. I needed him to make a mistake and he didn’t make a mistake.”

Penalties

The course had few track limits, but the ones enforced by race o cials brought a hefty penalty for drivers who got caught.

Chase Elliott, who won here in 2021 and leads active drivers with seven road course wins, was running sixth early in the nal stage before driving out of bounds in the s-curve section of

the racetrack. That forced him do to a pit lane drive-thru and took him out of contention when he rejoined in 16th. Elliott, a former Cup Series champion, hasn’t won since 2022.

Ford falters

Ford drivers have yet to win this season and did not expect big results on the road course. They delivered on the low expectations. Chris Buescher was the top Ford driver on Sunday in eighth.

Coming back to COTA

The Circuit of the Americas is the only track to host both NASCAR and F1, and all signs point to the stock cars coming back

next year. Circuit of the Americas President Bobby Epstein said this week he has a deal for NASCAR to return in 2025, but provided no details. Marcus Smith, president of Speedway Motorsports, which runs the event and rents the track for the week, said he also plans a return.

“We love bringing NASCAR to Austin,” Smith said. “Nothing is nal until the o cial NASCAR schedule comes out, but we’re planning for another big event in Austin at COTA in 2025.”

Up next

The series moves to short track racing next Sunday at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia.

MLB investigating gambling, theft allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and interpreter

Dodgers red an interpreter after reports of millions in payments to a bookmaker

By Ronald Blum The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Major League Baseball has opened a formal investigation into illegal gambling and theft allegations involving Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. Mizuhara was let go from the team Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and claims from Ohtani’s attorneys that the two-way Japanese star had been the victim of a “massive theft.”

“Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei (Mizuhara) from the news media,” the commissioner’s o ce said in a statement Friday. “Earlier today, our Department of Investigations began their formal process investigating the matter.”

Ohtani and the Dodgers were in Seoul, South Korea, for their opening series against the San Diego Padres when reports were published about alleged ties between the 39-year-old Mizuhara and an illegal bookmaker. The teams returned to the U.S. after Thursday night’s game and MLB did not make a public comment until announcing the investigation on Friday.

The IRS con rmed Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field O ce.

Ohtani is baseball’s biggest star, an unprecedented twoway player who has excelled at the plate and on the mound. He was a two-time AL MVP with the Los Angeles Angels before leaving as a free agent to sign a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December.

Ohtani has not issued any statements and did not speak to reporters in the Dodgers clubhouse after Thursday night’s game.

The Dodgers are set to resume the regular season with their home opener next Thursday.

Mizuhara, Ohtani’s personal

interpreter and close friend, told ESPN on Tuesday that his bets were on international soccer, the NBA, the NFL and college football. MLB rules prohibit players and team employees from wagering — even legally on baseball — and also ban betting on other sports with illegal or o shore bookmakers.

“I never bet on baseball,” Mizuhara told ESPN. “That’s 100%. I knew that rule ... We have a meeting about that in spring training.”

Diane Bass, Bowyer’s attorney, told the AP Mizuhara was placing bets with Bowyer on international soccer, but not baseball. Bass also said Bowyer had no contact with Ohtani.

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, right, and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, attend at a news conference in Seoul, South Korea, last week. Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend has been red by the Dodgers following allegations of illegal gambling and theft from the Japanese baseball star.

The MLB gambling policy is posted in every locker room. Betting on baseball — legally or not — is punishable with a one-year ban from the sport. The penalty for betting on other sports illegally is at the commissioner’s discretion. Sports gambling is illegal in California. Mizuhara told ESPN Ohtani had paid his gambling debts — which totaled well over $1 million — at Mizuhara’s request. After the statement from Ohtani’s attorneys saying the player was a victim of theft, ESPN says Mizuhara changed his story and claimed Ohtani had no knowledge of the gambling debts and had not transferred any money to bookmakers.

“I’m terrible (at gambling). Never going to do it again. Never won any money,” Mizuhara said. “I mean, I dug myself a hole and it kept on getting bigger, and it meant I had to bet bigger to get out of it and just kept on losing. It’s like a snowball e ect.”

LEE

DARREN ABATE / AP PHOTO

William Byron steers through Turn 10 during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

UN demand for Gaza cease- re raises tensions between US, Israel

The U.S. abstained from the vote, allowing it to pass

By Edith M. Lederer

The Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations Security Council on Monday issued its rst demand for a cease- re in Gaza, with the U.S. angering Israel by abstaining from the vote. Israel responded by canceling a visit to Washington by a high-level delegation in the strongest public clash between the allies since the war began.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the U.S. of “retreating” from a “principled position” by allowing the vote to pass without conditioning the cease- re on the release of hostages held by Hamas.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the administration was “kind of perplexed” by Netanyahu’s decision. He said the Israelis were “choosing to create a perception of daylight here when they don’t need to do that.”

Kirby and the American ambassador to the U.N. said the U.S. abstained because the resolution did not condemn Hamas.

The 15-member council approved the resolution 14-0 after the U.S. decided not to use its veto power on the measure, which also demanded the release of all hostages taken captive during Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel. The chamber broke into loud applause after the vote.

The U.S. vetoed past Security Council cease- re resolutions in large part because of the failure

to tie them directly to the release of hostages, the failure to condemn Hamas’ attacks and the delicacy of ongoing negotiations. American o cials have argued that the cease- re and hostage releases are linked, while Russia, China and many other council members favored unconditional calls for cease- res.

The resolution approved Monday demands the release of hostages but does not make it a condition for the cease- re for the month of Ramadan, which ends in April. Hamas said it welcomed the U.N.’s move but said the ceasere needs to be permanent.

“We con rm our readiness

to engage in an immediate prisoner exchange process that leads to the release of prisoners on both sides,” the group said. For months, the militants have sought a deal that includes a complete end to the con ict.

The U.S. decision to abstain comes at a time of growing tensions between President Joe Biden’s administration and Netanyahu over Israel’s prosecution of the war, the high number of civilian casualties and the limited amounts of humanitarian assistance reaching Gaza. The two countries have also clashed over Netanyahu’s rejection of a Palestinian state, Jewish settler violence against Palestinians in

the occupied West Bank and the expansion of settlements there.

In addition, the well-known antagonism between Netanyahu and Biden — which dates from Biden’s tenure as vice president — deepened after Biden questioned Israel’s strategy in combating Hamas.

Then Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Biden ally, suggested that Netanyahu was not operating in Israel’s best interests and called for Israel to hold new elections. Biden signaled his approval of Schumer’s remarks, prompting a rebuke from Netanyahu.

During its U.S. visit, the Israeli delegation was to present

White House o cials with its plans for a possible ground invasion of Rafah, a city on the Egyptian border in southern Gaza where more than 1 million Palestinian civilians have sought shelter from the war.

The vote came after Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution Friday that would have supported “an immediate and sustained ceasere” in the Israeli-Hamas conict. That resolution featured a weakened link between a ceasere and the release of hostages, leaving it open to interpretation, and no time limit.

The United States warned that the resolution approved Monday could hurt negotiations to halt the hostilities, raising the possibility of another veto, this time by the Americans. The talks involve the U.S., Egypt and Qatar.

Because Ramadan ends April 9, the cease- re demand would last for just two weeks, though the draft says the pause in ghting should lead to “a sustainable cease- re.”

The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greeneld, said the resolution “spoke out in support of the ongoing diplomatic e orts,” adding that negotiators were “getting closer” to a deal for a cease- re with the release of all hostages, “but we’re not there yet.”

She urged the council and U.N. members across the world to “speak out and demand unequivocally that Hamas accepts the deal on the table.”

Thomas-Green eld said the U.S. abstained because “certain edits” the U.S. requested were ignored, including a condemnation of Hamas.

Putin says Islamic extremists raided Moscow concert hall

Four have been arrested, but Russian authorities are still investigating who orchestrated the attack

By Dasha Litvinova

The Associated Press

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT

Vladimir Putin said Monday that the gunmen who killed 139 people at a suburban Moscow concert hall are “radical Islamists,” but he repeated his accusation that Ukraine could have played a role despite its strong denials.

Speaking in a meeting with government o cials, Putin said the killings were carried out by extremists “whose ideology the Islamic world has been ghting for centuries.”

Putin, who declared over the weekend that the four attackers were arrested while trying to escape to Ukraine, said investigators haven’t determined who ordered the attack, but that it was necessary to nd out “why the terrorists after committing their crime tried to ee to Ukraine and who was waiting for them there.”

The Islamic State group’s Af-

ghanistan a liate claimed it carried out the attack, and U.S. intelligence said it had information con rming the group was responsible. French President Emmanuel Macron said France has intelligence pointing to “an IS entity” as responsible for the attack.

“We are seeing that the U.S., through various channels, is trying to convince its satellites and other countries of the world

that, according to their intelligence, there is allegedly no Kyiv trace in the Moscow terror attack — that the bloody terrorist act was committed by followers of Islam, members of the Islamic State group,” Putin said during a meeting with top law enforcement o cials.

He added that “those who support the Kyiv regime don’t want to be accomplices in terror and sponsors of terrorism, but

many questions remain.”

Putin went on to declare that Ukraine has sought to de ect attention from its battle eld setbacks by waging cross-border attacks on various Russian regions, adding that “bloody intimidation acts like the Moscow terror attack look like a logical part of this chain.”

The attack Friday night at the Crocus City Hall music venue on the western outskirts of Moscow left 139 people dead and more than 180 injured, proving to be the deadliest in Russia in years. About 100 people remained hospitalized, o cials said.

Putin warned that more attacks could follow, alleging possible Western involvement. He didn’t mention the warning about imminent terror attacks that the U.S. con dentially shared with Moscow two weeks before the raid or the public. Three days before the attack, Putin denounced the March 7 U.S. Embassy notice urging Americans to avoid crowds in Moscow, including concerts, as an attempt to frighten Russians and “blackmail” the Kremlin ahead of the presidential election. The four suspected attackers,

all of them nationals of Tajikistan, were charged by a Moscow court Sunday night with carrying out the attack and ordered to remain in custody pending ocial probe.

Russian media reported that the four were tortured while being interrogated, and they showed signs of being severely beaten during their court appearance. Russian o cials said all four pleaded guilty to the charges, which carry life punishment, but their condition raised questions about whether their statements might have been coerced.

Russian authorities reported that seven other suspects have been detained, and three of them were remanded by the court Monday on charges of being involved in the attack.

As they mowed down concertgoers with gun re, the attackers set re to the vast concert hall, and the resulting blaze caused the roof to collapse.

The search operation will continue until at least Tuesday afternoon, o cials said. A Russian Orthodox priest conducted a service at the site Monday, blessing a makeshift memorial with incense.

CRAIG RUTTLE / AP PHOTO

Linda Thomas-Green eld, United States ambassador and representative to the United Nations, speaks Monday after a vote to abstain as the United Nations Security Council passed a cease- re resolution in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, its rst demand to halt ghting.

ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO / AP PHOTO

Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, a suspect in Friday’s Crocus City Hall shooting, sits in a glass cage in the Basmanny District Court in Moscow on Sunday.

Althenia Frances (Currie) Hawkins

December 30, 1930 –March 22, 2024

Althenia "Frances" Hawkins, 93, from Raeford, NC passed away peacefully on March 22, 2024, at Scotia Village in Laurinburg. She had been a resident at Scotia Village for 13 years. Frances was the beloved wife of the late Raymond Hawkins with whom she raised four children during 64 years of marriage. Her greatest joy was being a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She delighted in all their accomplishments and visits. Her deep Christian faith guided her throughout life. She was a faithful member of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Raeford. There she volunteered for many years teaching Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and preparing fellowship meals. She was best known for her delicious ten layered chocolate cake! Frances was a preschool teacher at Raeford Kindergarten for many years. All the children loved “Miss Hawkins" as she loved them. She was kind and humble, always seeing the best in everyone. Frances was energized by interactions with people from all walks of life. Thank you to all the sta and friends at Scotia Village for taking such good care of Mama (and Daddy) over the years. Scotia Village truly became their home... they loved all the sta and residents. We feel so fortunate that they were able to spend the last years of their lives in such a loving, compassionate, happy place. The pain of letting go is hard to bear, especially since she was such a loving mother and beautiful soul, but we’ll think of Daddy jingling his change and pacing by the pearly gates welcoming her with open arms. She is survived by children Linda English (Butch), Raymond Eugene “Gene” Hawkins, Jr. (Donna), Kathy Schmidt (John), Kim McGirt (John), grandchildren Jack and Hannah English, Je Schmidt (Caroline), Mallory Wojciechowski (Timothy), Jessie Hawkins (Kathleen), Mollie McGirt and great granddaughters Caroline and Charlotte English, Morgan and Madeline Schmidt, Abigail, Ella and Hallie Wojciechowski.

Robbie Wayne Revels

September 10, 1969 –March 20, 2024

Robbie Wayne Revels of Raeford went home to be with his Lord and Savior on Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at the age of 54. Mr. Revels was born in Cumberland County on September 10, 1969 to AlaFaye Revels Newton. He is survived by his ancée Dana Hagins Wright of Raeford; Michelle Oldham the mother of his two daughters; Alexis Revels & Kayleigh (MiniMe) Revels; and daughter Alise Scott all of Raeford.; a son, Clayton Wheelis of Florida; two grandchildren Delaynee Jacobs & Grayson Revels of Raeford; a brother, Je ery Newton of SC; his special aunt, Theresa Byrd, her husband Robin & son, Austin all of Raeford; and lots of other cousins, aunts, uncles & other relatives he loved dearly.

Gloria (Buie)

Virgil

January 19, 1941 –March 21, 2024

Ms. Gloria Buie Virgil age, 83 went home to rest with her Heavenly Father on March 21, 2024. She leaves to cherish her loving memories her sons: Elvis Buie, Donnie Virgil, Marcus Virgil. She will be immensely missed.

John Clifton Harden Sr.

May 19, 1947 - March 17, 2024

Mr. John C. Harden Sr. age, 76 departed this earthly life to rest with his Heavenly Father on March 17, 2024. He leaves to cherish his loving memories his children: Ti any H. Blue, John C. Harden Jr.; stepdaughters: Phyllis M. Wilson, Violet Stackhouse; four grandchildren along with a host of other family and friends. John will be greatly missed.

Cynthia (McRae)

McPhatter

December 10, 1956 –March 20, 2024

Mrs. Cynthia McPhatter age, 67 went home to rest with her Heavenly Father on March 20, 2024. She leaves to cherish her loving memories her husband John McPhatter, children: Tomeka McRae, Kenyata McRae, Jamari McPhatter; siblings: Janice McDougald, Vivian Parker, Cathy McRae, Larry McRae; along with a host of other family and friends. Cynthia will be greatly missed.

Richard Ross

October 13, 1960 –March 17, 2024

On March 17, 2024, Mr. Richard Ross peacefully entered into the arms of Jesus Christ. We are con dent, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:8

Teresa Faye (Riddle) Watkins

October 25, 1962 –March 15, 2024

Mrs. Teresa Watkins, of Raeford, NC passed away on March 15, 2024 at the age of 61. Teresa was born in Cumberland County on October 25, 1962 to the late Bobby and Bonnie Riddle. Along with her parents, she was preceded in death by her daughter, Natasha Watkins. Teresa was a loving, caring wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and great aunt. She was so much to so many and will truly be missed. The meanest, sweetest wife, mom, grandma, and much more! She is survived by her husband of 45 years, James Dale Watkins; son, John Watkins; daughter, Renee Watkins (Jake Willard); and six grandbrats, Elizabeth, John, Jake, Shianna, Mariana, and Alexis.

Biden signs $1.2T funding package, ending shutdown threat

The president signed the bills Saturday, hours after it passed in the Senate

The Associated Press

WILMINGTON, Del. — President Joe Biden on Saturday signed a $1.2 trillion package of spending bills after Congress had passed the long overdue legislation just hours earlier, ending the threat of a partial government shutdown.

“This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted,” Biden said in a statement. “But it rejects extreme cuts from House Republicans and expands access to child care, invests in cancer research, funds mental health and substance use care, advances American leadership abroad, and provides resources to secure the border. ... That’s good news for the American people.”

It took lawmakers six months into the current budget year to get near the nish line on government funding, the process slowed by conservatives who pushed for more policy mandates and steeper spending cuts than a Democratic-led Senate or White House would consider. The impasse required several short-term spending bills to keep agencies funded.

from a large assistance package for Ukraine and Israel that is bogged down on Capitol Hill.

Biden, in his statement, again pressed Congress to pass additional aid.

“The House must pass the bipartisan national security supplemental to advance our national security interests. And Congress must pass the bipartisan border security agreement — the toughest and fairest reforms in decades — to ensure we have the policies and funding needed to secure the border. It’s time to get this done.”

A bipartisan border package collapsed last month when Republican senators scuttled months of negotiations with Democrats on legislation intended to cut back record numbers of illegal border crossings.

The spending package largely tracks with an agreement that then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California worked out with the White House in May 2023, which restricted spending for two years and suspended the debt ceiling into January 2025 so the federal government could continue paying its bills.

Prospects for a short-term government shutdown had appeared to grow Friday evening after Republicans and Democrats battled over proposed amendments to the bill. But shortly before midnight, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced a breakthrough.

“It is good for the country that we have reached this bipartisan deal. It wasn’t easy, but tonight our persistence has been worth it,” Schumer said.

The House passed the legislation Friday morning by a vote of 286-134, narrowly gaining the two-thirds majority needed for approval.

But the White House had sent out a notice shortly after the deadline announcing that the O ce of Management and Budget had ceased shutdown preparations because there was a high degree of con dence that Congress would pass the legislation and the Democratic president would sign it Saturday.

The rst package of full-year spending bills, which funded the departments of Veterans A airs, Agriculture and the Interior, among others, cleared Congress two weeks ago with just hours to spare before funding expired for

The White House said Biden signed the legislation at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, where he was spending the weekend. It had cleared the Senate by a 7424 vote shortly after funding had expired for the agencies at midnight.

those agencies. The second covered the departments of Defense, Homeland Security and State, as well as other aspects of general government.

When combining the two packages, discretionary spending for the budget year will come to about $1.66 trillion. That does not include programs such as Social Security and Medicare, ornancing the country’s rising debt.

On Ukraine aid, which Biden and his administration have argued was critical and necessary to help stop Russia’s invasion, the package provided $300 million under the defense spending umbrella. That funding is separate

Fla. Gov. DeSantis signs social media restrictions for minors

Children

By Brendan Farrington The Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida will have one of the country’s most restrictive social media bans for minors — if it withstands expected legal challenges — under a bill signed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday.

The bill will ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for 15- and 16-year-olds. It was slightly watered down from a proposal DeSantis vetoed earlier this month, a week before the annual legislative session ended.

The new law was Republican Speaker Paul Renner’s top legislative priority. It takes e ect Jan. 1.

“A child in their brain development doesn’t have the ability to know that they’re being sucked into these addictive technologies and to see the harm and step away from it, and because of that we have to step in for them,” Renner said at the bill-signing ceremony held at a Jacksonville school.

The bill DeSantis vetoed would have banned minors under 16 from popular social media platforms regardless of parental consent. But before the veto, he worked out compromise language with Renner to alleviate the governor’s concerns and the Florida Legislature sent DeSantis a second bill.

Several states have considered similar legislation. In Arkansas, a federal judge blocked enforcement of a law in August that required parental consent for minors to create new social media accounts.

Supporters in Florida hope the bill will withstand legal

challenges because it would ban social media formats based on addictive features such as noti cation alerts and auto-play videos, rather than on their content.

Renner said he expects social media companies to “sue the second after this is signed. But you know what? We’re going to beat them. We’re going to beat them and we’re never, ever going to stop.”

DeSantis also acknowledged the law will be challenged on First Amendment issues, and bemoaned the fact the “Stop Woke Act” he signed into law two years ago was recently struck down by an appeals court with a majority of Republican-appointed judges. They ruled it violated free speech rights by banning private business from including discussions about racial inequality in employee training.

To win over support from Republicans, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., pointed to some of the spending increases secured for about 8,000 more detention beds for migrants awaiting their immigration proceedings or removal from the country. That’s about a 24% increase from current levels. Also, GOP leadership highlighted more money to hire about 2,000 Border Patrol agents.

Democrats are boasting of a $1 billion increase for Head Start programs and new child care centers for military families. They also played up a $120 million increase in funding for cancer research and a $100 million increase for Alzheimer’s research.

The vote tally in the House re ected anger among Republicans over the content of the package and the speed with which it was brought to a vote. Johnson brought the measure to the oor even though a majority of Republicans ended up voting against it. He said afterward that the bill “represents the best achievable outcome in a divided government.”

In a sign of the conservative frustration, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., initiated an e ort to oust Johnson as the House began the vote but held o on further action until the House returns in two weeks. It’s the same tool that was used last year to remove McCarthy.

The vote breakdown showed 101 Republicans voting for the bill and 112 voting against it. Meanwhile, 185 Democrats voted for the bill and 22 against.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Monday that bans social media accounts for children under 14 and requires parental consent for 15- and 16-year-olds to create accounts.

“Any time I see a bill, if I don’t think it’s constitutional, I veto it,” said DeSantis, a lawyer, expressing con dence that the social media ban will be upheld. “We not only satis ed me, but we also satis ed, I think, a fair application of the law and Constitution.”

terfere with decisions parents make with their children.

The bill overwhelmingly passed both chambers, with some Democrats joining a majority of Republicans who supported the measure. Opponents argued it is unconstitutional and government shouldn’t in-

“This bill goes too far in taking away parents’ rights,” Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani said in a news release. “Instead of banning social media access, it would be better to ensure improved parental oversight tools, improved access to data to stop bad actors, alongside major investments in Florida’s mental health systems and programs.”

J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE / AP PHOTO

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., faced backlash from his own party after he worked with Democrats to secure enough votes to end the threat of a government shutdown. AP

No second chances

Wake Forest guard Kevin Miller puts up a fadeaway against Georgia on Sunday in Winston-Salem. It wasn’t enough, as the top-seeded Demon Deacons lost to the 4th-seeded Bulldogs 72-66 in the second round NIT game.

Shontell Robinson had served as deputy county manager for ve years

By Ryan Henkel Twin City Herald

tricky for some students to determine what grants and scholarships they could be eligible for.

“We want to assure them that when they choose Carolina, they will be able to a ord it by providing them with their full nancial aid and scholarship package,” said Rachelle Feldman, vice provost of enrollment at UNC-Chapel Hill. “We don’t want anyone to be in a position where they’re making that decision blind to their nancial position.”

The standard admission deadline is May 1.

Biden, Harris in NC President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris teamed up in Raleigh on Tuesday for an event focused on promoting their health care agenda. North Carolina is the nal stop on Biden’s tour of battleground states since his State of the Union earlier this month. Polls show Democrats have an advantage over Republicans on health care, and Democrats are looking to push their advantage as Biden faces a likely rematch with Donald Trump this year. While in North Carolina, Biden and Harris also attended a campaign fundraiser.

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners met Thursday, March 21, voting to approve the appointment of Deputy County Manager Shontell Robinson as the new county manager, replacing the retiring Dudley Watts.

“I am truly honored, humbled and grateful,” Robinson said. “I appreciate your trust and condence in me. I know I’m coming behind a fantastic county manager in Dudley Watts and have big shoes to ll.” Robinson will start in the new role in July. “I’m thankful for his leader -

ship and support over the last 10 years and I would not be here today if it were not for him and Deputy Manager Damon Sanders-Pratt who hired me in 2014. This is an opportunity that I do not take for granted and do not take lightly. I will work tirelessly for you, the employees and the residents of Forsyth County.” The board then held three public hearings on rezoning requests and tweaks, including an amendment to Uni ed Development Ordinance (UDO) Chapters 4 and 5 to increase the maximum number of attached units allowed per building in the RM-5 residential multifamily district, to increase the maximum building height allowed in the RM-8, RM-12 and RM-18 residential multifamily districts and to review the threshold for required bu er yard standards.

“I will work tirelessly for you, the employees and the residents of Forsyth County.”

County Manager Shontell Robinson

“The amendment is intended to reduce rezoning requests to higher-density multifamily districts by allowing more design exibility in lower-density multifamily districts,” said county planner Chris Murphy. “The purpose is to enable multifamily developments to meet maximum zoning density while accommodating site constraints such as creeks, oodplains and steeper slopes.”

The amendment will change the maximum number of attached units in RM-5 from four to six, increase the maximum height from 40 to 48 feet in RM-8, from 45 to 60 feet in RM-12 and from 60 to 72 feet in RM-18 and will change the bu er yard requirement from applying to multifamily and townhome developments of ve units or more to developments of greater than one acre in size.

That amendment was continued for two months two months in order to gather more information on the potential impacts of higher-density developments on green, open spaces.

A rezoning request for 126 acres on the east side of Shore Road and south of US 52 from RS9 to Light Industrial (LI) special use for the purpose of developing an industrial site was approved.

And a rezoning request for 20 acres at the northwest and southwest intersections of Shore Road and Gri n Road from Agricultural (AG) to General Business (GB-L) was continued until April due to concerns over the amount of potential uses al-

The Homebuilders program is expanding after successful pilot in Forsyth County

By Robert Owens For Twin City Herald

AN ORGANIZATION dedicated to keeping children out of the state’s foster care system is expanding to 11 new counties thanks to a new state contract.

The Homebuilders program puts trained sta within a family’s home for three to ve days a week, a total of 10 hours, to help improve child safety and help

kids stay at home by removing risk rather than removing the child.

Crossnore Communities for Children is the company behind the program, which has seen success in pilots since 2021. The company says it has served 62 children and families, with a 96% success rate in avoiding foster care for children who were at imminent risk of entering that system.

The program was trialed in Davidson, Forsyth, Guilford and Surry counties and will be expanding to 11 more, including Chatham and Randolph. The North Carolina Department of

Health and Human Services, which o ered the contract, estimates Crossnore will be able to serve as many as 170 families via the Homebuilders program each year. “I am very excited to see how the initial investment our agency, community, and supporters made in this program has come to fruition and will lead to such a large impact for children and families we will continue to serve,” said Sarah Norris, Crossnore’s Chief Program Ocer, in a statement.

For more information on the Homebuilders program and how you can help, visit crossnore.org

rate

PJ WARD-BROWN / TWIN CITY HERALD

We

“Join

Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Left

The Democratic left is noisy. The war is hurting Joe Biden.

MANAGER from page 1

lowed in a new zone, as well as how those would impact local single-family developments.

A number of budgetary matters were approved including funds for mental health, $1,500,000 for the purchase of four ambulances, and money for in-home aid services and infectious disease control training.

The county will apply for a $156,000 air monitoring and air quality sensors grant from the EPA, and the board approved an agreement with Greater Winston-Salem to create a co-located workforce training system funded through $800,00 of ARPA funds.

The board also approved a number of contracts including a $225,000 contract with Starpoint for scanning and uploading services, a $343,865 contract with Dell Technologies for the purchase of computing endpoints for the Forsyth County Department of Social Services, a $268,607 contract with NWEV for the purchase of a Class III Type Ambulance, a $91,500 contract with APCO for computer-aided dispatch software, a $55,000 amendment to the contract with The FMRT Group for pre- and post-hire psychological and medical services, a $125,100 amendment to the agreement with Aramark Correctional Services for law enforcement detention center on-site food services, $205,600 contract with Elite Aluminium Corporation for the purchase of a forts fold-out

WHO WAS SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER speaking to when he denounced Benjamin Netanyahu and urged Israel to hold new elections to replace him? And who was he speaking for?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m no fan of Netanyahu’s. Not one bit. When the history of Oct. 7 is nally written, Hamas will rightly be blamed for unspeakable evil. It was their doing and their fault. But is there any doubt that the massive intelligence and political failure that allowed that to happen was due to the malfeasance, shortsightedness and self-interested failings of the Netanyahu administration? Public opinion polls in Israel make absolutely clear that if elections were to be held today, Netanyahu would lose.

But that is for Israelis to decide.

We provide massive support for Israel. As we should. They are staunch allies in a part of the world where we need their support. They are a democracy, deserving of respect. We have the right to try to in uence what they do with the military aid that we supply them.

But there are ne lines to be respected. Americans overwhelmingly support aid to Israel. We recognize that Israel has a right to defend itself from terrorists who slaughter their citizens just as we had the right to defend ourselves after our fellow citizens were slaughtered on 9/11. Innocent civilians were killed when we went after Osama bin Laden and his men, and the world did not turn on us as a result.

So why has the world turned on Israel?

Why has Schumer?

Public opinion polls in Israel show that Israelis overwhelmingly remain committed to winning this war. They have not won, not yet. They continue to live next door to a state run by terrorists who are committed to repeating the sort of slaughter and butchery of Oct. 7. The

Israeli public says never again. Wouldn’t we? Are we to say they must live with the prospect of terror? That they have no right to destroy Hamas?

The Democratic left is noisy. The war is hurting Joe Biden. It’s ironic on all counts. By my lights, Biden has been terri c. He came immediately and forcefully to Israel’s defense. At the same time, he and his administration have been responsive to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, have used every diplomatic resource to try to secure a temporary cease re, to get aid into Gaza, to seek the return of the hostages.

For this, he gets picketed everywhere he goes. And what would Trump do? Try to make hay? Trump attacks Jewish Democrats, saying we hate Israel and hate our religion and that Israel won’t exist if we vote for Biden. Exactly who does the noisy left want to help -- and who do they want to punish?

Schumer is playing to the Democratic left in America. Instead of telling them to stand down, he is standing up with them. And playing into the hands of the Republican senators, who had their own meeting with Netanyahu, to embrace him. They would turn support for Israel into a partisan issue, to help Trump, at the expense of not only Biden but Israel. With the world e ectively turning on Israel’s right to defend itself — and thus its right to exist — plunging Israel further into our partisan divide is bad policy in the service of short-term partisan gain. It is the last thing true friends of Israel should do, which is not what Trump is.

The Israeli public doesn’t need Schumer to tell them what to do. The Democratic left in America does. Biden needs support, not support for the protesters. And Israel needs a united America on its side so it can end this war by winning it and, with it, the right to exist in peace.

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Weekly deadline is Monday at Noon

J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE / AP PHOTO

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., departs the Capitol in Washington, D.C., last Thursday after saying he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “lost his way” and is an obstacle to peace in the region amid a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Forsyth SPORTS

SIDELINE REPORT

MLS

Charlotte FC gets 2-0 win over Columbus

Charlotte

Ashley Westwood and Patrick Agyemang scored late in the second half and Charlotte FC beat Columbus 2-0, handing the defendingchampion Crew their rst loss of the season. The two clubs played 16 minutes of rst-half stoppage time because of injuries to the Crew’s Steven Moreira, Rudy Camacho, Christian Ramírez, and Darlington Nagbe, as well as Charlotte’s Scott Ar eld. Kristijan Kahlina did not have to make a save in earning the clean sheet for Charlotte (2-2-1). Charlotte and new coach Dean Smith played at home for the rst time since a 1-0 victory over New York City FC in the season opener.

SOCCER

Security issues force cancellation of Israel exhibition match

Sarajevo

Israel’s soccer friendly at Bosnia-Herzegovina this week has been canceled. UEFA said in a statement the Bosnian and Israeli soccer federations agreed not to play ”in light of the current security situation.” The two men’s teams should have played on Tuesday in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo. The xture was available after both were eliminated on Thursday in qualifying playo s for the European Championship. Israel lost to Iceland 4-1 in a “home” game it had to play in a neutral country because of security concerns during the country’s con ict with Hamas. Israel chose to play in Budapest, Hungary.

MLB Cardinals’ super-fan pleads guilty to storming Capitol

Washington, D.C.

A St. Louis Cardinals super fan who legally changed his name to Rally Runner has pleaded guilty to storming the U.S. Capitol. Rally Runner pleaded guilty to a felony charge of civil disorder and is scheduled to be sentenced in July. The 44-year-old Missouri man was wearing red face paint and a red “Keep America Great” hat when he used a stolen shield to help other rioters attack police o cers at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He is known in St. Louis for running around the Cardinals’ stadium during baseball games while wearing red clothes and red face paint.

NFL

Third man now charged with murder in Chiefs Super Bowl rally shooting

Kansas City, Mo. A third man has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the shooting during the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally. The Feb. 14 shooting killed a mother of two and injured nearly two dozen others. Twenty-yearold Terry Young, of Kansas City, Missouri, also was charged last Thursday with unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action. He is jailed on $1 million bond and doesn’t yet have an attorney. Two others have been charged with second-degree murder and other crimes. Two juveniles also are in custody. Three other men face weaponsrelated charges.

TENNIS

Byron dominates Cup Series’ 1st road course race of season

Leads 42 of 68 laps for second win of year

By Jim Vertuno The Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — William Byron won the Daytona 500 with an agonizing nal lap under a caution ag. He took the checkered ag on Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas at full throttle.

Bryon started from pole position and delivered a dominant drive in the Cup Series’ rst road course race of the season. The Hendrick Motorsports driver led 42 of 68 laps and built the big lead he needed to hold o a hardcharging run from Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell over the nal two laps.

Bell shaved nearly three seconds o Byron’s lead to create some late drama before Byron slammed the door over the nal corners.

“I was trying to not make mistakes,” Byron said. “I knew that last lap he was going to be pushing hard.”

Even when he was building the lead, Byron said he knew the victory would be tight at the end.

“Everyone is too good, and that car (was) too close,” Byron said. A self-taught racer who used computer equipment to hone his skills, Byron earned career win No. 12 and his second on a road course.

The Circuit of the Americas, a track built for Formula One, has been the rst road course for the Cup Series each of the last four seasons. And unlike the crash- lled triple-overtime race of 2023, Sunday’s race was mostly incident free as Byron made easy work of the eld.

Byron led 23 laps of the rst two stages, but found himself quickly dropped to third at the start of thenal stage as Ross Chastain, who won at COTA in 2022, jumped to the front.

Byron fought back to pass him with 25 laps to go and both cars pitted on the same lap. Chastain then got hung up in tra c on the re-entry and fell several cars behind.

That gave Byron the chance to open the gap he needed to keep Bell behind him at the end. Ty Gibbs, the 21-yearold grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs,

nished third after getting passed by Bell with three laps to go.

“Another lap I would have gotten there for sure,” Bell said. “Passing (Byron) would have been di cult. I needed him to make a mistake and he didn’t make a mistake.”

Penalties

The course had few track limits, but the ones enforced by race o cials brought a hefty penalty for drivers who got caught. Chase Elliott, who won here in 2021 and leads active drivers with seven road course wins, was running sixth early in the nal stage before driving out of bounds in the s-curve section of the racetrack.

That forced him do to a pit lane drive-thru and took him out of contention when he rejoined in 16th. Elliott, a former Cup Series champion, hasn’t won since 2022.

Ford falters

Ford drivers have yet to win this season and did not expect big results on the road course. They delivered on the low expectations. Chris Buescher was the top Ford driver on Sunday in eighth.

Coming back to COTA

The Circuit of the Americas is the only track to host both NASCAR and F1, and all signs point to the stock cars coming back next year. Circuit of the Americas President Bobby Epstein said this week he has a deal for NASCAR to return in 2025, but provided no details. Marcus Smith, president of Speedway Motorsports, which runs the event and rents the track for the week, said he also plans a return.

“We love bringing NASCAR to Austin,” Smith said. “Nothing is nal until the o cial NASCAR schedule comes out, but we’re planning for another big event in Austin at COTA in 2025.”

Up next

The series moves to short track racing next Sunday at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Austin Federspiel

East Forsyth, baseball

Austin Federspiel is a junior for the East Forsyth baseball team. In addition to being one of the top right-handed pitchers in the area, he also plays in eld when not on the mound.

The Eagles are 9-2 on the year, 6-0 in the Central Piedmont Conference and coming o a perfect 4-0 week.

Federspiel earned two wins last week, beating Glenn on the road, then getting another road win over Hough. He leads the East Forsyth pitching sta in victories on the year with three.

Federspiel also plays tight end and defensive end on the East Forsyth football team and has played JV basketball for the Eagles.

MLB investigating gambling, theft allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and interpreter

The Dodgers red an interpreter after reports of millions in payments to a bookmaker

By Ronald Blum The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Major League Baseball has opened a formal investigation into illegal gambling and theft allegations involving Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara.

Mizuhara was let go from the team Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and claims from Ohtani’s attorneys that the two-way Japanese star had been the victim of a “massive theft.”

“Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei (Mizuhara) from the news media,” the commissioner’s o ce said in a statement Friday. “Earlier today, our Department of Investigations began their formal process investigating the matter.”

Ohtani and the Dodgers were in Seoul, South Korea, for their opening series against the San Diego Padres when reports were published about alleged ties between the 39-year-old Mizuhara and an illegal bookmaker. The teams returned to the U.S. after

gering — even legally on baseball — and also ban betting on other sports with illegal or o shore bookmakers.

“I never bet on baseball,” Mizuhara told ESPN. “That’s 100%. I knew that rule ... We have a meeting about that in spring training.”

Diane Bass, Bowyer’s attorney, told the AP Mizuhara was placing bets with Bowyer on international soccer, but not baseball. Bass also said Bowyer had no contact with Ohtani.

The MLB gambling policy is posted in every locker room. Betting on baseball — legally or not — is punishable with a one-year ban from the sport. The penalty for betting on other sports illegally is at the commissioner’s discretion. Sports gambling is illegal in California.

Thursday night’s game and MLB did not make a public comment until announcing the investigation on Friday. The IRS con rmed Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field O ce.

Ohtani is baseball’s biggest star, an unprecedented two-way player who has excelled at the plate and on the mound. He was a two-time AL MVP with the Los Angeles Angels before leaving as a free agent to sign a record $700

million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December.

Ohtani has not issued any statements and did not speak to reporters in the Dodgers clubhouse after Thursday night’s game.

The Dodgers are set to resume the regular season with their home opener next Thursday. Mizuhara, Ohtani’s personal interpreter and close friend, told ESPN on Tuesday that his bets were on international soccer, the NBA, the NFL and college football. MLB rules prohibit players and team employees from wa-

Mizuhara told ESPN Ohtani had paid his gambling debts — which totaled well over $1 million — at Mizuhara’s request. After the statement from Ohtani’s attorneys saying the player was a victim of theft, ESPN says Mizuhara changed his story and claimed Ohtani had no knowledge of the gambling debts and had not transferred any money to bookmakers.

“I’m terrible (at gambling).

Never going to do it again. Never won any money,” Mizuhara said. “I mean, I dug myself a hole and it kept on getting bigger, and it meant I had to bet bigger to get out of it and just kept on losing. It’s like a snowball e ect.”

PHOTO

LEE JIN-MAN / AP PHOTO

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, right, and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, attend at a news conference in Seoul, South Korea, last week. Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend has been red by the Dodgers following allegations of illegal gambling and theft from the Japanese baseball star.

STATE & NATION

Biden signs $1.2T funding package, ending shutdown threat

The president signed the bills Saturday, hours after it passed in the Senate

The Associated Press

WILMINGTON, Del. — President Joe Biden on Saturday signed a $1.2 trillion package of spending bills after Congress had passed the long overdue legislation just hours earlier, ending the threat of a partial government shutdown.

“This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted,” Biden said in a statement. “But it rejects extreme cuts from House Republicans and expands access to child care, invests in cancer research, funds mental health and substance use care, advances American leadership abroad, and provides resources to secure the border. ... That’s good news for the American people.”

It took lawmakers six months into the current budget year to get near the nish line on government funding, the process slowed by conservatives who pushed for more policy mandates and steeper spending cuts than a Democratic-led Senate or White House would consider. The impasse required several short-term spending bills to keep agencies funded.

from a large assistance package for Ukraine and Israel that is bogged down on Capitol Hill.

Biden, in his statement, again pressed Congress to pass additional aid.

“The House must pass the bipartisan national security supplemental to advance our national security interests. And Congress must pass the bipartisan border security agreement — the toughest and fairest reforms in decades — to ensure we have the policies and funding needed to secure the border. It’s time to get this done.”

A bipartisan border package collapsed last month when Republican senators scuttled months of negotiations with Democrats on legislation intended to cut back record numbers of illegal border crossings.

The spending package largely tracks with an agreement that then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California worked out with the White House in May 2023, which restricted spending for two years and suspended the debt ceiling into January 2025 so the federal government could continue paying its bills.

Prospects for a short-term government shutdown had appeared to grow Friday evening after Republicans and Democrats battled over proposed amendments to the bill. But shortly before midnight, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced a breakthrough.

“It is good for the country that we have reached this bipartisan deal. It wasn’t easy, but tonight our persistence has been worth it,” Schumer said.

The House passed the legislation Friday morning by a vote of 286-134, narrowly gaining the two-thirds majority needed for approval.

But the White House had sent out a notice shortly after the deadline announcing that the O ce of Management and Budget had ceased shutdown preparations because there was a high degree of con dence that Congress would pass the legislation and the Democratic president would sign it Saturday.

The rst package of full-year spending bills, which funded the departments of Veterans A airs, Agriculture and the Interior, among others, cleared Congress two weeks ago with just hours to spare before funding expired for

The White House said Biden signed the legislation at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, where he was spending the weekend. It had cleared the Senate by a 7424 vote shortly after funding had expired for the agencies at midnight.

those agencies. The second covered the departments of Defense, Homeland Security and State, as well as other aspects of general government.

When combining the two packages, discretionary spending for the budget year will come to about $1.66 trillion. That does not include programs such as Social Security and Medicare, ornancing the country’s rising debt.

On Ukraine aid, which Biden and his administration have argued was critical and necessary to help stop Russia’s invasion, the package provided $300 million under the defense spending umbrella. That funding is separate

Fla. Gov. DeSantis signs social media restrictions for minors

Children

By Brendan Farrington The Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida will have one of the country’s most restrictive social media bans for minors — if it withstands expected legal challenges — under a bill signed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday.

The bill will ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for 15- and 16-year-olds. It was slightly watered down from a proposal DeSantis vetoed earlier this month, a week before the annual legislative session ended.

The new law was Republican Speaker Paul Renner’s top legislative priority. It takes e ect Jan. 1.

“A child in their brain development doesn’t have the ability to know that they’re being sucked into these addictive technologies and to see the harm and step away from it, and because of that we have to step in for them,” Renner said at the bill-signing ceremony held at a Jacksonville school.

The bill DeSantis vetoed would have banned minors under 16 from popular social media platforms regardless of parental consent. But before the veto, he worked out compromise language with Renner to alleviate the governor’s concerns and the Florida Legislature sent DeSantis a second bill.

Several states have considered similar legislation. In Arkansas, a federal judge blocked enforcement of a law in August that required parental consent for minors to create new social media accounts.

Supporters in Florida hope the bill will withstand legal

challenges because it would ban social media formats based on addictive features such as noti cation alerts and auto-play videos, rather than on their content.

Renner said he expects social media companies to “sue the second after this is signed. But you know what? We’re going to beat them. We’re going to beat them and we’re never, ever going to stop.”

DeSantis also acknowledged the law will be challenged on First Amendment issues, and bemoaned the fact the “Stop Woke Act” he signed into law two years ago was recently struck down by an appeals court with a majority of Republican-appointed judges. They ruled it violated free speech rights by banning private business from including discussions about racial inequality in employee training.

To win over support from Republicans, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., pointed to some of the spending increases secured for about 8,000 more detention beds for migrants awaiting their immigration proceedings or removal from the country. That’s about a 24% increase from current levels. Also, GOP leadership highlighted more money to hire about 2,000 Border Patrol agents.

Democrats are boasting of a $1 billion increase for Head Start programs and new child care centers for military families. They also played up a $120 million increase in funding for cancer research and a $100 million increase for Alzheimer’s research.

The vote tally in the House re ected anger among Republicans over the content of the package and the speed with which it was brought to a vote. Johnson brought the measure to the oor even though a majority of Republicans ended up voting against it. He said afterward that the bill “represents the best achievable outcome in a divided government.”

In a sign of the conservative frustration, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., initiated an e ort to oust Johnson as the House began the vote but held o on further action until the House returns in two weeks. It’s the same tool that was used last year to remove McCarthy.

The vote breakdown showed 101 Republicans voting for the bill and 112 voting against it. Meanwhile, 185 Democrats voted for the bill and 22 against.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Monday that bans social media accounts for children under 14 and requires parental consent for 15- and 16-year-olds to create accounts.

“Any time I see a bill, if I don’t think it’s constitutional, I veto it,” said DeSantis, a lawyer, expressing con dence that the social media ban will be upheld. “We not only satis ed me, but we also satis ed, I think, a fair application of the law and Constitution.”

terfere with decisions parents make with their children.

The bill overwhelmingly passed both chambers, with some Democrats joining a majority of Republicans who supported the measure. Opponents argued it is unconstitutional and government shouldn’t in-

“This bill goes too far in taking away parents’ rights,” Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani said in a news release. “Instead of banning social media access, it would be better to ensure improved parental oversight tools, improved access to data to stop bad actors, alongside major investments in Florida’s mental health systems and programs.”

J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE / AP PHOTO

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., faced backlash from his own party after he worked with Democrats to secure enough votes to end the threat of a government shutdown. AP

Patriotic Patriots

Pinecrest softball

March 20.

Patriots

at UNC-Chapel Hill. “We don’t want anyone to be in a position where they’re making that decision blind to their nancial position.”

The standard admission deadline is May 1.

Biden, Harris in NC

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris teamed up in Raleigh on Tuesday for an event focused on promoting their health care agenda. North Carolina is the nal stop on Biden’s tour of battleground states since his State of the Union earlier this month. Polls show Democrats have an advantage over Republicans on health care, and Democrats are looking to push their advantage as Biden faces a likely rematch with Donald Trump this year. While in North Carolina, Biden and Harris also attended a campaign fundraiser.

The town is aiming to address speeding, also reducing the speed limit on part of Main Street

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

THE ABERDEEN Town Board met

Monday, March 18, voting to approve a new fourway stop at the intersection of South Street and Glasgow Street as an attempt to slow

down through tra c.

According to Director of Public Works Joe Wood, the fourway stop will be installed after the street resurfacing project is nished in the area.

The town had already reduced the speed limit on South Street down to 20 mph and posted new signage indicating such, but the commissioners felt that that still wasn’t doing enough to address the issue, so the four-way stop was a necessary next step.

“Hopefully with the stop signs it will control the speed a little bit,” said commissioner Timothy Helms.

The board also voted to lower the speed limit on Main Street from 35 mph to 25 mph between Pine Street and Highway 211.

The board also approved a pair of annexation requests. to extend the corporate limits of the Town of Aberdeen.

The rst was a voluntary annexation petition for nearly 44 acres across seven parcels of land east of US 15-501 and north of Pee Dee Road.

“The parcels are undeveloped and are adjacent to residential single-family zoned parcels,” said Planning Director John Terziu. “These parcels are currently a mixture of three different zonings: R-10, general commercial and o ce and institutional.”

“Hopefully with the stop signs it will control the speed a little bit.”

Commissioner Timothy Helms

The second was for the voluntary annexation of 0.454 acres located west of US Highway 5 and in the Village of Pinehurst’s ETJ.

“The property is currently in the Village of Pinehurst’s ETJ, directly abutting the Town of Aberdeen’s corporate limits,” Terziu said. “It is currently developed with a residential property as well.”

According to Terziu, Pinehurst already approved the annexation.

The Aberdeen Town Board will next meet April 22.

Baltimore bridge collapses after cargo ship rams it

A mayday call by the ship allowed authorities to stop tra c before the collapse

By Lea Skene The Associated Press

BALTIMORE — A cargo ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, destroying the span in a matter of seconds and plunging it into the river in a terrifying collapse that could disrupt a vital shipping port for months. Six people were missing and presumed dead.

The ship’s crew issued a mayday call moments before the crash took down the Francis Scott Key Bridge, enabling authorities to limit vehicle tra c on the span, Maryland’s governor said.

The ship struck one of the bridge’s supports, causing the structure to collapse like a toy.

A section of the span came to rest on the bow of the vessel, which caught re, and thick,

black smoke billowed out of it.

With the ship barreling toward the bridge at “a very, very rapid speed,” authorities had just enough time to stop cars from coming over the bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said.

“These people are heroes,”

Moore said. “They saved lives last night.” The crash happened in the middle of the night, long before the busy morning commute on the bridge that stretches 1.6 miles (2.6 km) and was used by 12 million vehicles last year.

The six people still unaccounted for were part of a construction crew lling potholes on the bridge, said Paul Wiedefeld, the state’s transportation secretary.

A senior executive at the company that employed the workers said Tuesday afternoon that they were presumed dead, given the water’s depth and the length of time since the crash.

Je rey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, said the crew was working in the middle of the bridge when it came down. No bodies have been recovered,

See SHIP, page 2

players Maggie Drake (left) and Addisyn Stayskal stand during the National Anthem before a game against Hoke County on

The

lost at home 15-3, though it did snap Pinecrest’s four-game scoreless streak.

DAVID SINCLAIR FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL

MARK SCHIEFELBEIN / AP PHOTO

A boat moves past a container ship as it rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday.

March

Chico

COLUMN | MARY ZAHRAN

A tale of two Bidens

It made me look at Biden and see a second-rate Vincent Price who didn’t know when to leave the stage.

THE BIDENS have a new addition to their family and he made his rst public appearance recently when he delivered the State of the Union address.

O cially named Joe Biden, he should be called Angry Joe Biden because of his over-the-top manner of speech that evening. Instead of attempting to unite our country, a promise he made countless times during his 2020 presidential campaign, he castigated many Americans by accusing Donald Trump (referred to only as “my predecessor”) and MAGA Republicans of being a threat to democracy.

In all honesty, Angry Joe, or some version of him, has appeared in public before, but without the extreme aggression or menacing tone that was on display when he addressed Congress. Biden yelled non-stop for over an hour, attempting to project an image of a strong and con dent leader.

While it is a mystery to me where he found this sudden energy, it seemed, at least for the evening, that he was a new man.

One early prototype of Angry Joe is Dark Brandon, a gure in numerous memes in which the president looks simultaneously demonic and heroic. This image was created by Biden supporters as a response to a conservative anti-Biden chant, “Let’s Go, Brandon,” whose meaning contains profanity unsuitable for publication. What was originally meant to be an insult was turned into an avatar that represented a tough and fearless leader. Dark Brandon is the visual equivalent of the Hell re and Brimstone orator delivering the State of the Union address.

A second prototype emerged in September of 2022 right before the midterm elections when Biden delivered a speech in Philadelphia in which he predictably accused the MAGA Republicans of being a threat to democracy. This version of Biden was a kind of Dark Brandon redux, only with a scarier background. Speaking in front of Independence Hall, of all places, Biden looked like a creature from the underworld with blood-red lighting designed to make him look frightening and powerful.

This backdrop did not frighten me. It made me look at Biden and see a second-rate Vincent Price who didn’t know when to leave the stage.

This Joe Biden, Angry Joe, should not be confused with the other Joe Biden, someone I call “Addled Joe” because of his di culty exiting the stage after a speech or his curious habit of discussing recent telephone conversations with world leaders who have been dead for decades. I wouldn’t be surprised if he announced that he soon has a lunch date with Winston Churchill.

Addled Joe may have trouble remembering names or keeping his balance, but he does have one area of expertise — he knows how to enjoy his ice cream in public. This skill is especially impressive when he is discussing foreign a airs with a journalist while savoring his frozen treat.

When I think of American presidents, I think of George Washington crossing the Delaware during the Revolutionary War, Abraham Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address, or George W. Bush standing atop a pile of rubble at Ground Zero shortly after 9/11 and assuring the world they would hear us as we defeated our enemy. I do not think of a president whose most memorable image reminds us of a six-year-old at a birthday party wiping ice cream o his lips.

Joe Biden may have two di erent public personas, the Tough Guy and the Blunderer-in-Chief, but he isn’t fooling anyone about his inability to be a good leader. He isn’t fooling members of his own party, who simply deny his shortcomings to create the impression that all is well. He isn’t fooling conservatives who know his policies are disastrous for this country. And he certainly isn’t fooling our adversaries, who see a weak man willing to tolerate their malign behavior.

And no amount of yelling, inexplicable energy, or ice cream will change the fact that neither one of the two Bidens is a good president.

Mary Zahran lives in Fayetteville.

moore happening

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in and around Moore County:

March 29

Moore County Library: Pre-School Storytime 10 a.m.

The Moore County

in

Saunders

in

at

hosts a free Pre-School Storytime each Friday at 10:00am. For additional information, call 910-9475335.

March 30

Moore County Farmers Market (Downtown Southern Pines)

8 a.m. – 12 p.m.

held each Saturday at the Downtown Southern Pines Park green space. Enjoy shopping for fresh and locally grown produce, meats, honey, eggs, seasonal items and more. Many vendors will be set up each week, some providing free samples. Live music is provided 10am-12pm.

Moore County Farmers Market: Kid’s Easter Egg Hunt

10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Children ages 12 and under are invited to participate in the Moore County Farmers Market Kid’s Easter Egg Hunt. Start at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Be sure to bring your own basket for the hunt. Find out more at moorecountyfarmersmarket. com

Town Of Vass: Easter Egg Hunt And Fest

1 – 3 p.m.

and rescue crews continued the search into the late afternoon. Rescuers pulled two people out of the water. One person was treated at a hospital and discharged hours later. Multiple vehicles also went into the river, although authorities did not believe anyone was inside.

obtained from the Broadcastify.com archive.

A police dispatcher put out a call just before the collapse saying a ship had lost its steering and asked o cers to stop all tra c, according to Maryland Transportation Authority rst responder radio tra c

One o cer who stopped tra c radioed that he was going to drive onto the bridge to alert the construction crew. But seconds later, a frantic ofcer said: “The whole bridge just fell down. Start, start

MOORE CITIZENS FOR FREEDOM

MOORE COUNTY

Remember that we live in the best country, the best state, and by far the best county.

MOORE COUNTY, WHAT A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE!

The Town of Vass welcomes you to join the annual Easter Egg Hunt and Fest. The egg hunts will be separated into di erent age groups (Ages 3 and under hunt at 1pm, Ages 4 to 7 hunt at 1:15pm, Ages 8 to 11 hunt at 1:30pm). There will be games, activities and the Easter Bunny will be joining the celebration. The event is free and open to the public and is held at the Sandy Ramey Keith Memorial Park, located at 3600 US Highway 1 in Vass.

Community Input

Meeting: Sandy Ramey Keith Park-Park Expansion 1 – 3 p.m.

The Town of Vass is holding a Community Input Meeting at the Sandy Ramey Keith Park. Public input is requested for the park expansion project.

Vass is seeking your input on pursuing a NC Parks and Recreation Trust Fund Grant to assist with the development costs of the park.

County baseball teams all enjoy winning streaks

Spring sports roundup

North State Journal Sta Baseball

All three teams in the county entered this week on winning streaks.

North Moore swept a home-andhome series with Jordan-Matthews to extend its winning streak to seven games in a row. The Mustangs won at home, 9-7, over the Jets, then went to Jordan-Matthews to post a 3-1 victory. North Moore is now 8-1 on the year, 5-1 in the Mid-Carolina Conference. The Mustangs continue conference play this week with a home-andhome against Bartlett-Yancey.

Pinecrest bounced back from its rst two losses of the season to sweep Southern Lee in a home-and-home series. The Patriots won 16-4 at home, then took a 15-3 decision at Southern Lee. Pinecrest opened the series with a four-run rst inning, then scored six in both the fth and sixth. Addison Roth’s three-run homer ended the game on the run-rule. In the next game, the Patriots broke open a tight game with nine runs in the seventh. The Patriots are now 7-2, 3-1 in the Sandhills Conference. Pinecrest has a home-and-home league series with Lee County this week.

Union Pines su ered the only loss of the week by a county baseball team, falling 5-3 at Scotland. The Vikings bounced back with a road win over Western Harnett, 8-6, and

a home victory against Scotland, 6-5.

Union Pines is now 4-6 overall, 1-3 in the Sandhills. The Vikings tangle with Richmond in a Sandhills homeand-home series this week.

Softball

North Moore won both games last week to improve to 6-3 on the year, 6-1 in the Mid-Carolina Conference.

The Mustangs beat Northwood at home, 5-3, then went to Graham and earned a 15-0 shutout victory. Logan Maness and Tate Allred both went deep in the win over Graham.

Union Pines won two out of its three games last week. The Vikings won on the road at Hoke County, 9-4, then came home to beat Southern Lee, 20-10. A home game against McLean ended in a 10-1 loss to close the week. The Vikings are now 7-2 overall, 5-1 in the Sandhills.

Pinecrest is still searching for its rst win of the season after dropping back-to-back games last week. The Patriots lost 17-0 at Scotland, then fell at home to Hoke County, 15-3, although the three runs snapped a four-game scoreless streak for Pinecrest. Anjali Williams drove in two of the runs, and Emily Hatcher plated the third. The Patriots are now 0-7 on the year, 0-6 in the Sandhills Conference.

Girls’ soccer

Pinecrest evened its record at 4-4 on the year with its third straight

win. The Patriots shut out Southern Lee, winning 6-0 on the road to improve to 2-0 in the conference. Mia Martin and Jadyn Lamielle each had two goals, while Arden Johnson and Grace Clark also scored. Union Pines won both matches last week. The Vikings shut out Scotland, 12-0, then beat Terry Sanford, 8-0. Union Pines is now 4-2-1 on the year, 1-1 in the Sandhills.

North Moore is still looking for its rst win of the season at 0-4-2 on the year, 0-2-1 in the Mid-Carolina Conference. The Mustangs lost their fourth straight match in a 5-1 home decision against Southeast Alamance, although they scored their rst goal since the opening game. The next time out, North Moore snapped its losing streak with a 1-1 tie against Jordan-Matthews.

Lacrosse

Pinecrest’s boys’ team extended its winning streak to ve with two wins last week. The Patriots posted an 11-7 home win over Jordan, then won at Clayton, 10-3. They’re now 7-2, 3-0 in conference. The Pinecrest girls extended their win streak to seven with a 15-8 win at Apex, to improve to 7-1, 3-0 in conference.

Union Pines lacrosse had the week o . The boys’ team gets back in action this week against Carrboro, trying to improve on a 4-2 record. The girls’ team will play Pinecrest on April 1 as they try to extend their unbeaten start to the season to ve games.

Union Pines girls’ soccer

Grace Queen is a junior striker and mid elder for the Union Pines girls’ soccer team.

The Vikings won both games last week, and Queen had a couple of huge games.

Against Scotland, she scored four goals in ve shots to lead a 12-0 shutout. Against Terry Sanford, she added another two goals, as well as an assist, in a 8-0 win.

Queen is now second on the team in goals and leads in shots.

PHOTO

Pinecrest’s Addison Roth celebrates his threerun walk-o home run with teammates.

DAVID SINCLAIR FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Bridget Nicole Hudson

March 3, 1994 - Friday, March 22, 2024

Bridget Hudson of Ellerbe passed away unexpectedly on March 22, 2024, at the age of 30. Bridget was born on March 3, 1994, to William T. Hudson and Dianna Culley.

She is preceded in death by her father, her grandparents, Ben and Lib Nuttall, Monnie "Marie" Nuttall, Carl and Ruby Hudson, She leaves behind her ancee, Deion Davis, and her children, Aiden, Trinity, Arianna, and Olivia, all of Ellerbe; her mother, Dianna Culley, and her husband, Michael, of Hamlet; her brothers and sisters, William H. Hudson, Jordan Wilson, Makayla Wilson, Jennifer Culley and Matt, Phillip Culley; her grandparents, Donnie Nuttall, Sr. and his wife, Dottie, of Rockingham, James and Louise Culley of Hamlet, Archie and Flo Wilson of Auburn, AL; her great-grandmother, Monnie "Took" McCormick; her uncles, Donnie Nuttall, Jr. and his wife, Shari of Jackson Springs; Robbie Nuttall and his wife, Lisa of Rockingham, Aaron Davis of Mechanicsburg, PA; her mother and father-in-law, Shanta Hicks and Howard Davis.

Sharon L. Wilson

November 7, 1950 - March 19, 2024

Sharon L Wilson of Pinehurst, 73, died at her home on March 19, 2024.

Sharon was born in Somerset County, Pa, the rst child and only daughter of Ivan and Loraine Peck of Con uence.

Sharon is survived in Pinehurst by her loving husband Bob; her 94-year-old mother Loraine Umbel and her mother’s friend Don Harsh, both of Columbus, Ohio.

James Tony

McKenzie

February 7, 1936 - March 21, 2024

James Tony McKenzie, 88, of Pinehurst died March 21, 2024. He was born February 7, 1936 in Pinehurst to the late William Ivey and Maggie Farmer

McKenzie. He graduated from Pinehurst High School as a Four Letter Athlete in 1955. He then began his career as a printer at the Pinehurst Print Shop then moving on to the Moore County News. For many years Tony was owner operator of The Village Printers, Inc. until his retirement. Tony served his community for many years as a volunteer with the Pinehurst Fire Department and was recognized as Fireman of the Year in 1977. He is survived by his brother Marty McKenzie of Pinehurst. He was predeceased by his parents, his son Shane, brothers Bill, Jack, Gene, Fred and his sister Faye.

Vincent Jerome Meads, Jr.

February 5, 1931 - March 20, 2024

Vincent Jerome Meads (Vince), 93, passed away peacefully on Wednesday March 20th.

Vince was predeceased by his loving wife, Peggy, who died in 2013, and his son, Jerry, who died in 2019.

Vince is survived by his two daughters, Margaret Nordlinger, and Sandra Turturro; his son-in-law, Michael Turturro, his six grandchildren: Richard Je ries, Rebecca Plue, Rachel Langer, Mary Kathryn Kruszewski, Lauren Melton, and David Nordlinger, their spouses, and eight great grandchildren. He is also survived by his younger sister, Mary Sue Meads.

Sharon Ann (Hollen) Summers

January 2, 1947 - March 19, 2024

Sharon Ann (Hollen) Summers, age 77 of Pinehurst, passed on Tuesday, March 19, 2024 at her residence. Mrs. Summers was born January 2, 1947 in Philippi, WV to the late Billie Stewart Hollen and Virginia Rose (Schola) Hollen.

Mrs. Summers is survived by her husband of 35years, Lynn Carol Summers, Jr.; a daughter, Susan Taylor of Carthage; step-daughter, Claire DeSpain of Pineblu ; a son, John Walter Cook, III and wife Kelly of Aberdeen; a daughter, Stacie Hancock and husband Bobby of Aberdeen, NC; a step-son, Steven Summers and wife Amy of California; and daughter, Cindy Cook of Aberdeen; a brother, Jody Hollen of West Virginia; two sisters, Mary Grace Cole and husband Charles of West Virginia, and Edie Wilson and husband Tony of West Virginia; fourteen grandchildren, Derek Taylor, Dawson Taylor, Noah DeSpain, Hope DeSpain, Titus DeSpain, Gideon DeSpain, Jackson Cook, Drew Cook, Nevaeh Hancock, Masen Hancock, Laina Summers, Sadie Summers, Lauren Je erson, and Payton Je erson; two great-grandchildren, Wrenley Taylor and Chloe DeSpain.

Robert Hale Heldman

August 18, 1939 - March 17, 2024

Robert H. Heldman, 84, of Southern Pines, passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 17, 2024. He was born on August 18, 1939, in Marietta, OH, to the late Edward and Frances Heldman.

Robert is survived by his wife, Janet Heldman of 59 years; son, Scott Heldman; daughter Kara Hanson and her husband, Phillip Hanson; and ve grandsons, Max, Ty, Jack, Ben and Sam.

Patricia Anne Komorowski

June 4, 1941 - March 17, 2024

Patricia Anne Komorowski, 82, of Woodlake passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 17, 2024 at her residence. She was born June 4, 1941 in East Stroudsburg, PA to the late William and Alma Dykeman Lessig. She is survived by her husband, Frank Komorowski; sons, Christopher Yoder and Bradley Yoder; daughter, Shannon McCall; grandchildren, Hannah Yoder, Madison Yoder, Madelaine McCall, Olivia Yoder and Tyler Yoder; siblings, Tim Lessig of Florida, and Penny Freet of Pennsylvania. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother William Lessig.

William (Bill)

Lockhart Lewis

June 19, 1933 - March 16, 2024

William (Bill) Lockhart

Lewis passed away peacefully on March 16, 2024 at the age of 90 in Pinehurst, NC. He was born in Port Richmond, Staten Island, NY June 19, 1933. He attended Port Richmond High School where he met his lifelong sweetheart Annie Lande in their junior year. He and Annie were married on June 23, 1956 and resided on Staten Island.

William is predeceased by his parents William Thomas Lewis and Minnie Avis Lockhart Lewis and brother Thomas James Lewis. He is survived by his wife Annie Lande Lewis, his son Timothy William Lewis, daughter in law Janice Lewis, grandson Drew Lewis, and granddaughter Stephanie Lewis.

Charles Dickinson (Dick) Showalter

September 3, 1927 - March 17, 2024

Charles Dickinson (Dick) Showalter passed away peacefully on March 17, 2024, in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Dick was born on September 3, 1927, in South Windham, Maine, the son of Arthur H. and Marguerite Dickinson Showalter.

Dick is survived by his ve children, Susan Helander (John), Stephen Showalter (Maria), John Showalter (Nancy), Paul Showalter (Sharon), and Kim Showalter, as well as six grandchildren, Katharine Lange (Christopher), Alexander Rae, Stephanie Payne (Bill), Sarah Showalter, Lindsey Platts (Jordan) and Caroline Showalter (Anthony); nine great-grandchildren, David and Charlotte Lange, Landon and Liv Showalter, Lane and Henry Platts, Christian and Wyatt Payne and Paislee Showalter. He is also survived by his loving companion of 15 years, Sylvia Jansen, her daughter Heidi Spencer (Mark) and nieces Elizabeth Hubbard, Ann Buscemi (Peter), Nancy Clark (Peter) and Judy Slabyk (Steve) and nephew Ed Hubbard (Lynn).

Steven William Osborn

September 25, 1950 - March 19, 2024

Steven W. Osborn, 74 of Wheat Ridge, Colorado departed this earth on March 19, 2024. A man of many words born in Je erson County on September 25, 1950. He is preceded in death by his parents Herbert William and Daphne Green. He leaves to cherish his memory a son, Johnathon Osborn (Heather); a daughter Misty Schillawski (Scott); two brothers, Mitchell Osborn (Linda), Gary Osborn (Erica); four grandchildren, Cassie Kelly, Kiley Osborn, Eden Osborn, Johnathon Paul Osborn; one very special great-grandson, Codak Kelly.