North State Journal Vol. 8, Issue 30

the BRIEF this week

NC Senate schedules public comment sessions ahead of Oct. redistricting

Raleigh

Members of the N.C. Senate’s Redistricting and Elections Committee will hold public comment sessions next week.

The sessions will take place in Elizabeth City, Hickory and Raleigh. Additional information attached to the notices say the purpose of the meetings are to gather public comments for the 2023 redistricting process.

The General Assembly is expected redraw maps for Congress and both state legislative chambers in October.

NSJ STAFF

Washington, D.C.

Ray Epps, a former Marine who became the center of questions regarding his role in the Jan. 6, 2021

U.S. Capitol riot, has been charged with a misdemeanor o ense in connection with protest that day, according to court papers led Tuesday.

Epps, who claimed in a lawsuit led this year that Fox News Channel made him a scapegoat for the Capitol riot, is charged with disorderly or disruptive conduct on restricted grounds, court records show. The charge was led as an information, suggesting a plea deal was worked out ahead of time, and the judge has scheduled a plea agreement hearing for Wednesday.

Messages seeking comment from an attorney representing Epps in his lawsuit against Fox were not immediately returned Tuesday. Epps was featured in more than two dozen segments on former Fox host Tucker Carlson’s prime-time show, the lawsuit said.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Young, restless after loss in primetime home opener

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young leaves the eld after their loss against the New Orleans Saints in an NFL football game Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, in Charlotte. Read more in sports on page B1.

LGC o cially turns control back over to Robersonville

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — At its Sept. 12 meeting, the Local Government Commission (LGC) o cially returned nancial control to the town of Robersonville.

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH —UNC System

President Peter Hans recommended keeping in-state tuition unchanged for an eighth consecutive year, he told the UNC Board of Governors onSept. 14.

In 2016, theFixed Tuition Programfreezing tuition at UNC schools was established, stating all in-state undergraduates entering as a freshman at any UNC System institution will not see tuition rates go up for eight consecutive semesters of enrollment.

“In real dollars, that means tuition at our public universities is lower today — and will be lower next year — than it was at the end of the Obama administration,” said Hans.

“At our four NC Promise

schools, it’s dramatically lower today than it was eight years ago. There’s not a single other state in the country that can claim a similar achievement, and I would like to see us extend this remarkable run to a full decade.”

Under theNC Promise program, tuition is capped at $500 a semester, or $1,000 a year, for undergraduate in-state residents. NC Promise Schools are Elizabeth City State, Fayetteville State, University of North Carolina at Pembroke and Western Carolina.

Not including fees and other costs, thein-state tuitionaverage range at the other UNC System schools is around $4,500 to $4,700. The most expensive UNC institution is UNC Chapel Hill at $7,019

See UNC, page A2

The LCG is housed under the state treasurer’s o ce and is tasked with tracking thenancial well-being of 1,100 local government units while providing guidance on statutory requirements and other assistance.

State Treasurer Dale Folwell, who chairs the LGC, presented the town’s mayor with a symbolic key to the city during a recognition ceremony. The LGC assumed control over the 1,300-person town’s nances in October 2020 after it failed to submit required audits and did not create a plan to rectify various accounting andnance issues.

“We have 549 mayors in North Carolina. Mayor (Tina) Brown stands out because she came before the commission in 2020 and thanked the LGC sta for making a di cult choice that was in the best interest of her town and her constituents,” Folwell said. “We never want to assume nancial control of a town and don’t

take that decision lightly. But we are blessed with great sta that can step in immediately to x broken systems.”

Folwell added that when Brown ran for mayor she had “no idea the town was in the condition it was in” but did the right thing engaging with the LGC.

“We weren’t expecting to have to surrender our town to the state, but I am glad that we went through what we went through because it makes us better and stronger, and it just shows that we are resilient,” Brown said. “And this is just the beginning.”

Deputy Treasurer Sharon Edmundson, who heads DST’s State and Local Government Finance Division, said returning control to the town “doesn’t mean we’re just walking away” and that the state will be available to assist the town going forward.

The towns of Roxboro and Belhaven, which are on the Unit Assistance List due to late audits and nancial issues, were approved for certain vehicle purchases.

Roxboro, located in Person County, was approved for $544,000 to replace a 22-yearold re truck that must be tak-

See LGC, page A3

A&T unveils eet of driverless cars to connect campus to downtown

NC

Chancellor, Greensboro mayor among rst passengers in autonomous shuttle

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

GREENSBORO — While politicians and government ocials like to create jobs, Greensboro mayor Nancy Vaughan’s ride from city hall to NC A&T on Monday was memorable because of the job that had been eliminated—her driver.

Vaughan was one of the rst passengers to test out the eet of driverless shuttles NC A&T is using to connect campus to downtown, about a mile away.

“I must admit, taking a spin on the autonomous vehicle as it transported me from City Hall to this building was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,” Vaughan said at a ribbon cutting ceremony at the school’s Harold L. Martin Sr. Engineering Research and Innovation Complex.

“It reminded me of the Jetsons,” she added. Three autonomous shuttles, or Aggie Autos, will make the round trip from the Martin Engineering building to the Miriam P. Brenner Children’s Museum. The vehicles seat up to ve passengers and use a combination of GPS and LIDAR (Light detection and ranging) to navigate tra c and sense potential obstacles. They can reach a maximum speed of 25 mph, and the A&T

team that developed the project also produced an app that allows potential riders to track the vehicles as they make their trips.

The eet also includes a self-driving van that can reach higher speeds, as well as two autonomous sedans.

The autonomous cars, which are available for members of the public to try out from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM each weekday for the next month, as the development team collects feedback on the experience, allow members of the A&T campus community to make use of the city’s downtown conveniences, eliminating what has become a food desert around the school.

“This advances our connectivity, providing another transit option for our residents, particular-

ly for college students to connect to downtown,” Mayor Vaughan said. “The bene ts of autonomous vehicles are numerous as they enhance mobility options increased productivity as drivers recover time in their day. To support sustainability by reducing fuel and carbon emissions and the vehicles make the overall transportation system safer.”

As school and local govern-

See NC A&T, page A2

Ray Epps, center of Jan. 6 questions, charged with a misdemeanor over Capitol riot

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Psalm 25:18

It is good for us when prayers about our sorrows, are linked with pleas concerning our sins—when, being under God’s hand, we are not wholly taken up with our pain, but remember our o enses against God.

It is good to take both sorrow and sin to the same place. It was to God, that David carried his sorrow—and it was to God, that David confessed his sin.

Even your little sorrows you may turn over to God—for He counts the hairs of your head!

And your great sorrows you may commit to Him—for He holds the ocean in the hollow of His hand!

Go to Him, whatever your present trouble, and you will nd Him both able and willing to relieve you. But we must take our sins to God, too. We must carry them to the cross—that the blood may fall upon them, to purge away their guilt.

We are to go to the Lord with our sorrows and with our sins, in the right spirit: “Look on my a iction and my pain, and forgive all my sins.” Psalm 25:18

David cries, “Lord, as for my a iction and my pain, I will not dictate to Your wisdom. I will leave them to

You; I would be glad if my pain were removed but do as You will. As for my sins, Lord, I must have them forgiven—I cannot endure to lie under their curse for a moment.”

A Christian counts sorrow lighter in the scale than sin. He can bear that his troubles should continue—but he cannot support the burden of his

transgressions. 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.

what prompted the pilot to eject from the aircraft Sunday were under investigation.

The Associated Press NORTH CHARLESTON,

S.C. — The crash site for a stealth ghter jet that went missing during the weekend after its pilot ejected was located Monday in rural South Carolina after the military asked the public for help nding an aircraft built to elude detection.

The debris eld was discovered in Williamsburg County, about 60 miles northeast of Joint Base Charleston. Residents were being asked to avoid the area while a recovery team worked to secure it.

“We are transferring incident command to the USMC this eve-

UNC from page 1

a semester, followed by UNC School of the Arts at $6,497 and NC State University at $6,535.

Per agendamaterialsfor the board’s Committee on Budget and Finance, real-dollar tuition and fee rates when adjusted for in ation have fallen $1,360 since Fiscal Year 2014, which includes a drop of $860 at nonPromise institutions.

The committee’s documents also showed in-state student debt at the time of graduation having fallen from 63% in 201617 to 55% in 2021-22.It is unclear if lowered enrollment following the pandemic has had an impact on the student debt gures. The 2022 enrollment re-

ning, as they begin the recovery process,” the base posted Monday on the X social media platform.

Authorities had been searching for the jet since the pilot, whose name hasn’t been released, parachuted to safety into a North Charleston neighborhood about 2 p.m. Sunday. He was taken to a hospital, where he was in stable condition, Marines Maj. Melanie Salinas said.

“The mishap is currently under investigation, and we are unable to provide additional details to preserve the integrity of the investigative process,” the Marine Corps said in a news release on Monday evening.

portshowed declines in 12 of the 16 schools for the rst time in nine years.

Some members of the budget and nance committee had concerns about the continued tuition freeze and the impact on revenues, with member Joel Ford, a former state legislator, remarking that UNC schools were having to “essentially tighten their belts, nd e ciencies, make adjustments in order to stay in line with their at revenue stream.”

Hans said he had spoken with each of the chancellors in the system and that none had any concerns about continuing the freeze. He also said lawmakers have lled the nancial need by increasing funding.

The Marine Corps announced earlier Monday it was pausing aviation operations for two days after the ghter jet’s crash — the third costly accident in recent weeks.

Gen. Eric Smith, the acting commandant of the Marine Corps, ordered the stand-down while authorities searched near two South Carolina lakes for the missing FB-35B Lightning II aircraft.

It’s the third event documented as a “Class-A mishap” over the past six weeks, according to a Marine Corps announcement. Such incidents occur when damages reach $2.5 million or more, a Department of Defense

“Over the past two years, we’ve received generous increases from the legislature. We’re very optimistic again about increases this year and next as well,” said Hans. “So, that would meet that largest obligation that we have to our faculty and sta through compensation from the state.”

Keeping in-state tuition frozen for at least a decade is something Hans said he would like to see happen. To balance out revenue gaps, the board will review requests from the various institutions to increase out-of-state tuition for undergraduates and graduate students. Additionally, fee increase proposals will be accepted by the board for review, but those requests can’t be more

aircraft is destroyed, or someone dies or is permanently disabled.

Commanders will spend the stand-down reinforcing safe ying policies, practices and procedures with their Marines, according to the Monday release.

The announcement gave no details on the two previous incidents. But in August, three U.S. Marines were killed in the crash of a V-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft during a training exercise in Australia, and a Marine Corps pilot was killed when his combat jet crashed near a San Diego base during a training ight.

Cpl. Christian Cortez, a Marine with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, said the details of

than 3% over theprevious year’s fees.

Hans also addressed the “ever-rising college costs” of a college degree that have “done real damage to the students we need to reach in order to ful ll our mission.”

“Poor and working-class families too often get the message that college is out of reach, that college debt is crushing, that degrees don’t pay o ,” said Hans. “We need to say loudly and clearly that in North Carolina, that simply isn’t true.

“Not only are we holding the line on college costs; we’ve made huge progress on student debt. Far fewer of our students are borrowing to attend college, and those that do are borrowing less

Based on the missing plane’s location and trajectory, the search was initially focused on Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion, said Senior Master Sgt. Heather Stanton at Joint Base Charleston. Both lakes are north of North Charleston.

A South Carolina Law Enforcement Division helicopter joined the search after some bad weather cleared in the area, Stanton said. Military o cials appealed in online posts Sunday for any help from the public in locating the aircraft.

The pilot of a second F-35 returned safely to Joint Base Charleston, Salinas said.

The planes and pilots were with the Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing based in Beaufort, near the South Carolina coast.

today than they did three years ago. We need families across our state to hear that good news.”

Hans also addressed the “falling con dence in colleges and universities,” and that there needed to be paths that don’t require a degree.

“Now, I have said loudly and often that college cannot be — and should not be — the only path to success,” Hans said. “We need good jobs and high-quality training programs that don’t require a degree, at least not immediately, and we need to do far more to help working adults nd new opportunities as the economy shifts and their aspirations change. America is a big and dynamic country, much too big for a single path to a good life.”

ment o cials prepared for the ribbon cutting to set the driverless cars loose on the roads, the tiny six-wheeled food delivery robots the school has been using for more than two years cris-crossed on the sidewalks around the engineering building, yet another reminder of the work A&T is doing to incorporate cutting-edge technology in campus life.

“The launch of this new autonomous shuttlebetween our campus and downtown Greensboroisthe latest exampleof the exciting and innovative research of our faculty and studentsatNorth CarolinaA&T,” said Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. “This research rep-

resentsmore tangible evidence of how the university realizes its mission of improvingthe human condition and facilitatingeconomicgrowth in North Carolina and beyond.Developing groundbreaking, equitableand ecienttransportation solutions enhances the quality of life for all in our communities, especially those inunderservedareas

The ride

Mayor Vaughan was right. The ride is reminiscent of the Jetsons, particularly the burbling hum the vehicles make. For the initial rollout, each shuttle will have a graduate student in the driver’s seat, ready to take over in case there are

any unforeseen glitches.

One occurs right as the vehicle pulls away from the curb. The crowd gathered to watch the maiden driverless trips steps to the curb, cell phones in hand, to record the moment. This seems to confuse the vehicle, which appears to interpret the group movement as a potential obstacle, about to enter the roadway. The vehicle stops, then starts, then stops again. The grad student presses a button to disengage the autopilot and gets the car moving, then turns the driverless function back on. As we pull away, he raises his hands and waves them in the air, demonstrating to all that he’s no longer in control. The vehicle hums along—as

many rst-time riders point out, 25 mph is much faster than one would think. It comes to a stop sign and obeys. The in-car video screen displays the “stop line” on the street, in front of the sign. The car is able to nd a gap in the trafc, which has been stopped by a police o cer providing a human assistance on Day One, and makes a right turn.

When the car reaches a red light, the grad student again takes over. He cryptically explains that they’ve disengaged the functionality that deals with tra c lights.

“The driver has to take over,” he says, with no further information about why or whether this is a temporary situation or will be ongoing.

The car is able to navigate other obstacles, such as a stopped vehicle in its lane.

It’s much like riding with a 16-year-old on their permit. The driving is slow and cautious, with the occasional overreaction. We cut left, then right to move around a small object in the lane that we could have rolled over without incident. We also come to near complete stops on right turns, creeping carefully into the new lane.

The vehicle pulls into the designated drop o spot at the museum, nearly clipping one of the blue tra c poles demarcating the space. The grad student gives the wheel a quick turn to make sure we miss it. Then it’s back to campus, and the future.

“Look on my a iction and my pain—and forgive all my sins.”

PUBLIC DOMAIN

“The Prophet Nathan rebukes King David” by Eugène Siberdt (circa 1866).

O cials nd debris from F-35 ghter jet that crashed in South Carolina after pilot ejected

Former senator Lauch Faircloth dies at 95

By Matt Mercer North State Journal

RALEIGH — One of North Carolina’s titans of 20th century politics died on Thursday, Sept. 14. Former U.S. Sen. Lauch Faircloth, who served from 19931999, died at his Sampson County home at the age of 95.

A conservative Democrat for much of his career, Faircloth was elected in 1992 to the U.S. Senate as a Republican. He served one term in the chamber, losing to Democrat John Edwards in 1998.

His career began as a farmer, businessman and campaign worker for Democrats. He would serve in the U.S. Army in 195455. His business prowess and political connections earned him appointments as the state’s commerce secretary during Gov. Jim Hunt’s two terms in o ce from 1977-1985.

Business was Lauch’s “hobby and passion,” family members said, as he took over the family farm before graduating high school and by the age of 22 had already started other businesses. He ran for governor in 1984, nishing third in the prima-

Cooper releases $8M in federal funds for NC pre-K

Boyette leaves the NCDOT in improved nancial shape

By A.P. Dillon North

State Journal

RALEIGH —North Carolina

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper announced Sept. 13 he would be releasing $8 million in federal funding to support the state’s pre-K program.

The money will come from the federal Emergency Assistance for Non-Public Schools (EANS) funds that have revert-

ed to the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) fund, per the governor’s press release.

Cooper said he was releasing the funds because “we are still waiting on Republican legislators to pass a budget that makes meaningful investments in public education.”

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services will distribute the funding. Each of the 2,098 classrooms across the state will get around $3,860.

The money is a “one-time special allocation” a pre-K pro-

ry. Faircloth almost lost his life during that bid, as a small plane he was traveling in hit water on a grassy runway, crashed through trees and skidded into a river. The Aug. 1983 incident nearly resulted in the deaths of the four on board and those in the crash attested that it was Faircloth who opened the door for them to escape.

He would subsequently run against a former ally, Terry Sanford, in his successful ’92 Senate campaign. Faircloth and Sanford were so close they even shared accommodations during the 1960 campaign of Kerr Scott for governor. After the bitter ‘92 campaign where they faced o , the two did reconcile prior to Sanford’s death.

While in the Senate, was one of the main authors of historic welfare reform including work requirements that President Bill Clinton signed into law in 1996.

Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis said in a statement, “Sen. Faircloth was a dedicated pub-

lic servant and statesman who was the embodiment of Sampson County values. Both Republicans and Democrats came to appreciate him as one of the most skilled political operators North Carolina has ever seen, and he also possessed the ability to make anyone laugh with his sharp sense of humor.”

An obituary for the late senator says in part, “the stories are legendary and far too many to recount here, but most stemmed from either his encyclopedic knowledge of particular moments and gures in history or his youth in a Sampson County that seemed to be a perfect cross of James Thurber and Lil Abner. In both cases he never let the truth stand in the way of a good tale.”

Faircloth, who was divorced, is survived by a daughter, Anne; his son-in-law, Frederick Beaujeu-Dufour; two grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Conference report draft shows investment in rural infrastructure, children’s health

By Matt Mercer North State Journal

en out of service in three years. Belhaven, located in Beaufort County, was approved to buy one police vehicle and three work trucks through a $160,000 installment purchase.

Items on the agenda approved by the LGC included:

Charlotte Douglas International Airport — $475 million in revenue bonds for a major expansion of the terminal, various capital projects and re nancing of existing debt. Also approved was a $280 million bond in anticipation note (BAN) to begin a variety of projects on the airport’s capital improvement plan. BANs are short-term, interest-bearing securities that can be repaid through a long-term bond issue.

Charlotte’s Spectrum Center —

A $110 million in BAN approved for renovations and energy eciency upgrades as well as for improvements to a re station. Durham — $138 million in

limited obligation bonds to fund new facilities and for improvements to streets, parks and recreation, a re station and public safety, sidewalks, IT infrastructure, public works and general facility repairs. The nancing also will refund $5 million in 2013 bonds for savings.

Inlivian Housing Rede ned (Mecklenburg County) — $24.5 million in conduit revenue bonds related to a construction project for a 100-unit housing development for seniors and families.

The Raleigh Housing Authority (Wake County) — $21 million in conduit revenue bonds for a loan to Terrace at Rock Quarry Limited Partnership tonance a portion of the cost to acquire, build and equip a 132-unit, low-income multifamily rental housing development to be called Terrace at Rock Quarry.

Holly Springs (Wake County) — $17 million in limited obligation bonds to build a new re station, purchase a re truck and street work for a new operations

vider can use to upgrade classroom materials, toys, supplies, playground equipment, supplemental curriculum materials, ongoing facility maintenance needs, mental health support for children and sta , professional development for sta , and other needs.

Earlier this month, Cooper announced $1 million in funding to the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles for bus driver training to alleviate bus driver shortages in the state.That money was also allocated from federal funding that has reverted to the GEER fund.

center.

New Bern (Craven County)

— $10 million installment purchase to build a new Stanley White Recreation Center. The city was approved for a separate revenue bond of $6.1 million for sewer system infrastructure.

Town of Maiden (Catawba and Lincoln counties) — $7.5 million installment to build a new re station on Main Street.

Mount Pleasant (Cabarrus County) — $6 million in interim nancing with U.S. Department of Agriculture revenue bonds for a regional pump station and to rehabilitate sewer lines and manholes.

Conover (Catawba County)

— $4.9 million for wastewater treatment equipment.

Oxford (Granville County) — $4.8 million project for wastewater treatment plant improvements and $1.5 million for sewer system improvements.

The town of Apex (Wake County) — $3.46 million to build a new municipal building for the

RALEIGH

— A copy of state budget conference report obtained by North State Journal shows over $1 billion allocated to state capital and infrastructure spending in each of the next two years and a focus on rural infrastructure and children’s health.

The spending plan, which could nally see votes as soon as this week, includes dozens of projects, including construction of a new children’s hospital in the Triangle. The funding includes $3.6 million in 2023-24 and $72.3 million in 2024-25.

The plan also calls for a total authorization of $50 million for the Appalachian State University Hickory campus Phase 1 renovation with $4.1 million allocated in 2024-25.

Gaston College will see funds for capital improvements, including equipment at a health science education and simulation center, totaling $15 million in 2023-24 and $45 million in 2024-25.

The North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro is authorized to spend $60 million for a new aviary exhibit building.

“The Randolph delegation requested funds for a new aviary area at the North Carolina Zoo, a much-needed upgrade from the outdated previous facility. The bird aviary is trendy among visitors to our North Carolina Zoo, so we are honored to have played a role in bringing the funds for this project,” state Rep. Brian Biggs told North State Journal in a statement when asked about the Zoo funding.

Planning and Inspection departments.

Middlesex (Nash County) — $839,000 for rehabilitation of its wastewater collection system.

The long-running debate over New Hanover County’s “Project Grace” continued with LGC members having a discussion only about the project with the county’s commissioners and sta , and a vote is set for the LGC’s October meeting.

Project Grace involves a request for a 95,000-square-foot space to house a museum and library in downtown Wilmington.

Last September, New Hanover County applied for LGC approval of a more than $80 million 20-year lease purchasefor the facility. At that September meeting, the motion to approve the project failed to get a second after a long discussion on the issue by LGC and o cials for New Hanover County.

“There is nothing graceful about Project Grace,” Folwell said during his monthly call with

Also included in the general fund appropriation is $80 million for use in the Care for Women, Children, and Families Act, which passed earlier this year to update the state’s abortion laws.

As North State Journal reported earlier in September, NCInnovation would receive $250 million in each of the next two years as well.

The primary spending focus, as is typically the case, is education, with a total of $17.3 billion net appropriation of the nearly $30 billion total.

As the budget process has moved from summer to fall, the legislation is still likely to not be the nal word.

Letters backed by all 20 Democrats in the state Senate and 40 of the 48 Democrats in the state House criticized a move to link casino legislation and Medicaid expansion. That move, which would take both items from needing to be part of the budget bill to be enacted, is also part of this week’s intrigue.

Part of the Senate letter read, “having lost signi cant support within their own caucuses and constituents for casinos, support it seems they never had, they are linking casinos to the healthcare of hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians, gambling with their health and lives.”

House Democrats, in their letter, said, “Republican leadership — and the public — know we will not be bullied into blindly supporting this bill.”

Following caucus meetings on Tuesday, votes are expected – but far from guaranteed – later this week.

the media.

He went on to say that everything related to Project Grace was “taken from the Zimmer family” and given to Cape Fear Commercial Realty run by Brian Eckel.

“If you follow the trail, there is a pattern of pro ts here of the ve to six or seven transactions that I’ve been involved in in the last seven years with either the City of Wilmington, the community college or the county of New Hanover,” said Folwell. “Brian Eckel’s ngerprint is on every single one of those.”

Folwell also criticized the lack of interest in utilizing surplus properties the county has for sale for Project Grace as well as the actions taken in “sealed bids.”

“When you look at who actually gets the brokerage fees, who does the placement, and, at the end of the day, what you’re going to see is a pattern of pro ts of one individual’s ngerprint on all these transactions,” Folwell said.

FILE PHOTO

Gov. Roy Cooper speaks in this undated le photo.

FILE PHOTO

The late former Sen. Lauch Faircloth is shown in this courtesy photo.

OPINION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

Abolish the impeachment clause

THAT’S IT. Alexander Hamilton was right.

Politicians in Congress have con rmed what he feared most about the impeachment process when he wrote in his Federalist Paper essay on impeachment power “…there will always be the greatest danger, that the decision will be regulated more by the comparative strength of parties than by the real demonstrations of innocence or guilt.”

Duh. Give politicians an important check-and-balance and they will nd ways to abuse it for pure political spite and animus.

The impeachment clause is now the political equivalent of the human appendix — it used to have an important function and purpose, but no longer.

The impeachment clause is now the political equivalent of the human appendix ― it used to have an important function and purpose, but no longer.

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has initiated a “preliminary inquiry” into impeachment proceedings against President Joe Biden. If it proceeds to a full-scale impeachment process, it will suck up all the energy and time of Congress between now and the 2024 elections. Republicans will be no better and no worse than Adam Schi , Nancy Pelosi and the other left-wing maniacs who impeached Donald Trump not once but twice.

The idea of giving Congress impeachment power in the rst place was to hold public o cials accountable for serious breaches of public trust. General Benedict Arnold was a traitor who sought a high commission in the British army by giving them secrets about West Point forti cations on the Hudson River. His diabolical deceit is what the Founders had in mind when they instituted impeachment in the Constitution in 1787.

Not a clumsy sexual encounter in the White House which led to the impeachment of Bill Clinton in 1998. Certainly not a manufactured “crime” such as the “Russian Collusion” hoax perpetrated against Donald Trump.

For whatever stupid and illegal things his son Hunter Biden has done, even if it was laundering money to his old man as vice-president through questionable foreign contracts, impeaching President Biden with one year to go on his (hopefully) only term in the White House is a carnival act and a colossal waste of time and energy.

Alexander Hamilton, writing as Publius in Federalist #65 nailed the downside of putting the impeachment clause in the Constitution: “The subjects of its jurisdiction are those o enses which proceed from the misconduct of public men, or in other words from the abuse

EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS

or violation of some public trust. They are of a nature which may with peculiar propriety be denominated POLITICAL, as they relate chie y to injuries done immediately to the society itself. The prosecution of them, for this reason, will seldom fail to agitate the passions of the whole community, and to divide it into parties, more or less friendly or inimical, to the accused. In many cases, it will connect itself with the pre-existing factions, and will inlist all their animosities, partialities, in uence and interest on one side, or on the other; and in such cases there will always be the greatest danger, that the decision will be regulated more by the comparitive strength of parties than by the real demonstrations of innocence or guilt”.

Both impeachment e orts against Clinton and Trump were purely politically-motivated and hate- lled. Neither resulted in anything close to a conviction which requires 67 votes in the Democratic Senate. Both e orts made the prosecuting parties caricatures of themselves in the process and worse, liars on the face of it.

The worst thing about impeaching a president? It gives everyone in Congress a free pass to avoid doing any of the hard work it takes to balance the budget; reduce the national debt; permanently solve our energy needs; make healthcare less expensive and so on down the line.

“We can’t devote any time to such issues when we are trying to bring down the President of the United States of America!” both sides triumphantly harrumph during their respective witch hunts.

We have a tried-and-true way to remove any elected o cial from o ce: elections. Everyone who voted for Biden solely because they hated Trump intrinsically aided and abetted his nonsensical policies, all of which have led to rampant in ation, high interest rates and a doubling of gas prices. Starting with early voting in just twelve months, they will have the chance to vote Biden out of o ce in 2024 and rectify their mistake.

Defeating candidates with terrible policies at the ballot box is the ultimate impeachment process.

Pandemic takes center stage in GOP presidential race

As I referenced in my last column, there has been an uptick in COVID-19 cases across the country in recent weeks, which means we’re going to hear a lot more reports on the wearing of masks, recommendations on vaccines, and possible lockdown-related measures some parts of the country may either be considering or already implementing.

Trump reacted to criticism that he awarded a presidential commendation to Dr. Anthony Fauci by claiming he didn’t know who gave it to Fauci.

Along with that has come the renewed focus on how the pandemic was managed at the state and national levels at its start and its height, and some very pointed jabs on this issue have been thrown between former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, both of whom are running for the Republican presidential nomination.

For instance, in an interview with Megyn Kelly last week, Trump without evidence alleged that DeSantis locked down Florida “for a lot longer” than the month his 30-day stay-at-home order, issued at the end of March 2020, was entirely in e ect.

Trump also reacted to criticism from the DeSantis camp that he awarded a presidential commendation to Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is not liked at all by most Republicans, by claiming he didn’t know who gave it to Fauci.

DeSantis responded accordingly by pointing to Trump’s previous praise of Fauci and how Trump used to talk about the Florida governor’s “spectacular” handling of the COVID outbreak in the Sunshine State compared to how he has changed his tune on it since DeSantis declared his presidential candidacy. When the subject of COVID-19 is brought up, Trump often complains about the perception of his management of the pandemic.

“I never got, I think, the credit that I deserve on COVID,” Trump said during that same interview.

More recently, Trump asserted that his coronavirus task force’s response was “great … as good as it could be considering nobody knew what it was.”

What that says to some people, including DeSantis, is that Trump wouldn’t handle things much di erently in the event

another pandemic emerged, something the Florida governor has suggested is very concerning considering the mistakes that were made in 2020 under Trump’s watch, some of which were made worse after Joe Biden took o ce.

“He seems to be saying he would do the same thing all over again,” DeSantis said during a discussion of pandemic management styles.

In a radio interview last week with Fox News’ Jimmy Failla, DeSantis pointed out that Trump is “basically saying he did everything right, and I think that means you should understand he would do the same thing all over again if put in that position. And that would be disastrous for our country.”

Though this debate is an extremely important one to have among all GOP presidential candidates, Trump has said that he won’t attend any of the GOP debates because he thinks his poll lead makes it pointless. Because of that, the discussions on this topic between the two top contenders must play out in other ways in the public sphere.

With that in mind, it’s crucial that voters pay close attention to what the candidates say on this issue, read between the lines, and do the research to determine if what they’re claiming is on the up and up.

If it’s not, the next thing those people need to do is to ask themselves why, because for many Republican voters, this is one of those line-in-the-sand type issues where the wrong answers on the critical components will undoubtedly be deal-breakers, as they should be.

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

EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

People of color trending Republican

ARE NON-WHITE VOTERS really moving away from the Democratic Party? To partisan Democrats confronting this question on Twitter (sorry, X), it seems preposterous that the party of former President Donald Trump, whom they routinely call a racist, could be gaining support from blacks, Hispanics and Asians.

But the evidence for eroding non-white support for Democrats is strong. The New York Times’ analyst Nate Cohn, who back in June 2016 was the rst to identify Trump’s appeal to previously Democratic-voting white non-college graduates, noted earlier this month that President Joe Biden was carrying just 53% of non-whites in 2022-23 New York Times/Siena College polls — far under the 70%-plus he was winning among these voters in November 2020.

The drop is pronounced among both blacks and Hispanics, men and women, college graduates and noncollege graduates. It’s concentrated among non-whites under age 45, suggesting a long-range problem for Democrats. That’s in line with the thesis of Republican consultant Patrick Ru ni in his forthcoming book “Party of the People,” which depicts an emerging “multiracial populist” Republican Party.

To the many liberals shrieking that such a trend is impossible, Cohn responded by pointing out that Biden is polling below other Democrats, and below his own 2020 numbers, at this point in the electoral cycle.

Evidently, as The Washington Post’s libertarianleaning columnist Megan McArdle writes, “many folks just can’t emotionally grasp the possibility of a Democratic party that isn’t mostly a coalition of working class/organized labor/nonwhite voters, with a uent liberals a small, if in uential, sideshow.” Similarly, my Washington Examiner colleague Timothy Carney describes the resistance of “economic liberals” to recognize corporate executives’ self-acknowledged trend toward Democrats.

The picture of rich businessmen on one side of the partisan divide and blistered-handed working men on the other may be familiar to writers born in the 1970s, like McArdle and Carney, and it certainly was to one growing up, as I did, in Big Three- and UAW-dominated Michigan in the 1950s. It warms many a liberal heart to see oneself as the unsel sh backer of the toiling masses.1

But this economic partisan divide was just one of several phases, as I argued in my 2017 book “How America’s Political Parties Change (and How They Don’t),” most of which were based on demographics — geography, ethnicity, race, region, religion — more than economics.

A common pattern is that as one demographic group moves toward one party, another group with di erent views moves toward the other. What attracts one group repels another. Sometimes that takes a while. In historic perspective, the question leading o this column might

COLUMN | STEPHEN KENT

better be: Are non-white voters nally moving away from the Democratic Party?

After all, it’s been 59 years since Barry Goldwater voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, when black people started voting near-unanimously Democratic. That’s just a little less than the 70 years after Abraham Lincoln pushed through the 13th Amendment when black people near-unanimously supported Republicans.

Members of demographic groups stop voting nearunanimously when old issues that united them fade and new issues that split them arise. New issues that have been shifting the party allegiances of whites for some time may be swaying non-whites as well.

It’s widely understood now, as I wrote at the time, that white non-college graduates outside a million-plus metro areas who had voted twice for Barack Obama switched to Trump in 2016 in numbers enough to switch the electoral votes of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa.

This movement of downscale voters is also evidenced, as University of Virginia Center for Politics analyst Kyle Kondik wrote this month, by a widening divergence in partisan preference between large- and small-population counties.

There was a similar widening divergence between large and small counties, Kondik writes, in 2000, when downscale Scots-Irish Appalachian whites trending Republican enabled George W. Bush to carry West Virginia, Tennessee and Arkansas, which had twice voted Clinton-Gore. Trump didn’t start the downscale Republican trend; he accelerated it.

Note that those downscale trends were matched by Democratic swings among upscale voters in 2006-08 and 2018-20. The process continues, as race/ethnicity issues fade in importance for some non-whites and they move toward Republicans for reasons much like those of non-college whites.

All of which leaves us closely divided between the two parties, with primary polling showing the two unpopular presidents heading toward renomination and with current polling showing Trump running even with Biden.

That doesn’t guarantee him victory, Cohn argues, since the non-white trend toward Republicans could merely reduce Democratic margins in safe Democratic states, while other trends leave Trump just a little behind in target states, as in 2020. Maybe so. But a reliable Democratic (or Republican) majority seems out of reach, as it has been for most of the 169 years they have been competing.

Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and longtime co-author of The Almanac of American Politics.

Half measures on gambling won’t work well for North Carolina

NORTH CAROLINA is entering a new era with the recent legalization of sports betting statewide, set to take e ect on Jan. 8, 2024. Gov. Roy Cooper signed HB 347 over the summer at Spectrum Center, home of the Charlotte Hornets, but already industry advocates and gamers are wondering if this was a half measure in need of a broader vision for leveraging the potential for gaming in the state.

iGaming, shorthand for online casino-style gaming, was left out of HB 347. State budget negotiations have been slowed by ongoing disagreement over how to incorporate iGaming into the new gambling status quo. NC lawmakers need to be proactive and create a framework for this activity.

There’s a reason Governor Cooper christened the expansion of betting on the Charlotte Hornets home court. Americans are wild for sports, and any con icted feelings people may hold about the proliferation of gambling can be somewhat smoothed over by the love of sports. It’s an easier sell from a cultural perspective, and lawmakers from both parties know that fans see betting as an obvious extension of the sports fan experience.

There is no getting past the nancial bene t for North Carolina either, and Republicans in Raleigh were not gung-ho to turn down an estimated $74.9 million in new revenue from betting taxes and licensing fees for the 2024-25 scal year. Even better, that gure is expected to rise to nearly $100.6 million by 2028. Revenue will come from an 18% sports wagering tax placed on sportsbooks licensed by the North Carolina Lottery Commission and players will have access to mobile betting, as well as in-person wagering.

iGaming is di erent, and it doesn’t have the bene t of association with ultra-popular professional sporting leagues and household names like FanDuel and DraftKings to place bets. This is access to statesanctioned casino apps on a personal device or computer, so consumers and gamers can play the odds wherever they’d like, without having to set foot inside a brick-andmortar casino.

Casinos are a prickly subject in North Carolina, like anywhere else. They’re a hugely consequential from a development and job creation standpoint, as articulated by Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, who said of traditional casinos, they’re “the only form of gaming where you’re going to see a signi cant creation of new jobs to the state, whereas you’re not going to see that

Oh, how I long for the good old days of Watergate

DO YOU REMEMBER WATERGATE?

This infamous chapter of political history all began in June 1972 when several members of President Richard Nixon’s reelection team were caught stealing documents from the Democratic National Committee’s o ce in the Watergate complex.

I remember these events vividly because I spent most of my junior year in high school watching these hearings in my American History class. I remember seeing an endless parade of people take an oath to tell the truth and then being asked a question that became a catchphrase: “What did you know and when did you know it?”

I also remember that many of these people ended up going to prison after being convicted for a variety of crimes, including perjury, obstruction of justice and conspiracy. John Mitchell, G. Gordon Liddy, E. Howard Hunt, Charles Colson, John Dean, John Ehrlichman and H.R. Haldeman all spent months or years behind bars for their misdeeds.

Nixon, who allegedly authorized this burglary hoping to uncover damaging information to use against his political opponents, lied to the American people about having any knowledge of it. He was never arrested and never went on trial for any of his actions. Instead, he resigned from o ce, becoming the rst president in our history to do so, after he was informed by a congressional delegation that he would be removed from o ce if he did not resign.

On Aug.9, 1974, Nixon and his wife Patricia left Washington. I still remember watching the Nixon daughters walk with them to the aircraft that would take their parents away from the White House and back to their home in California. It was a sad day for our country, but there was an overwhelming sense of relief for many Americans that a disturbing and painful chapter of history had been closed and that justice had prevailed.

with something on people’s phones.”

That’s a fair point. For politicians working to strike a balance between practical bene ts to their constituents and moral concerns, casinos represent a bargain they can present as tightly controlled. Mobile gaming comes with more question marks.

Will it undercut investments made in physical casinos? How will iGaming account for age veri cation, an increasingly hot debate happening in state legislatures regarding social media access and pornography?

These questions have been answered in Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, where iCasinos have already been legalized for residents. Consumers like to have options when it comes to bets and gaming, and the argument that casinos would be undercut ignores the fact that they serve a di erent audience than people who enjoy iGaming. Age veri cation of gamers is also accounted for by the business model of gaming apps, where the cost per veri cation is baked into their pro t outlook.

The money generated for state co ers isn’t bad either. Connecticut’s iCasino sector generated $40 million in taxes, compared to a meager $13 million driven by sports betting. New Jersey had the same experience, with iGaming more than tripling revenue from wagers on sports. In both cases, physical casinos still raked in vast sums more than their digital counterparts.

North Carolinians who want to gamble online, will gamble online. An unregulated market for this activity already exists, and the best response is always to create legal frameworks that protect consumers and bene t the state. A gaming commission would need to be established, and North Carolina could start by looking to Maryland as a model for bringing gaming and the lottery under the roof of a single commission.

Half measures don’t make for good policy, and North Carolina opening the spigot on betting revenue should be based both on what consumers want, and what will maximize revenue for the state in return. It would be best to get out in front on iGaming and not have to play catch up on expanding consumer choice. When it comes to responsibly regulated online gambling and sports betting, everyone wins.

Stephen Kent is a Greensboro native and media director for the Consumer Choice Center

Fifty years later, Watergate seems like child’s play compared to the actions of many of our public o cials today. We currently have two political scandals in our country. Former President Donald Trump faces a total of 91 criminal charges, ranging from mishandling classi ed documents to election interference, that were issued by Democrat legal o cials in various jurisdictions. Our current president, Joe Biden, is the subject of an investigation by several Republican-led House committees regarding his possible involvement in illegal activities with other countries when he was vice president.

For many Americans, there is only one scandal — the charges against Trump — because most of the press is not reporting the allegations against the Biden family. Virtually every news outlet covered the Watergate proceedings, but now only a few are reporting anything about the Bidens.

When the president is questioned about his activities or those of his son Hunter, he responds either by denying any wrongdoing, laughing at the question, or remaining silent and walking away.

Another obvious di erence between Watergate and our current political landscape is that there is no bipartisanship regarding the need to investigate our current president. Not only is the press overwhelmingly ignoring a mounting body of evidence against Biden, but so is the Democratic Party. In 1973, following Nixon’s reelection, the Senate voted unanimously to appoint a special committee to investigate abuses in the 1972 presidential campaign. What are the odds that today’s Senate would have a similar vote about investigating Biden?

Instead of a political landscape consisting of public servants with a common goal, we have a scenario even Lewis Carroll could not have imagined. Currently, the two leading contenders for the presidential race are Trump, who could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted of any of the charges against him, and Biden, who may be the most corrupt president in our history.

Suddenly, the idea of ve inept burglars sifting through documents looking for juicy tidbits about political opponents seems almost quaint.

Murphy to Manteo Jones & Blount

Barbecue list ranks NC’s iconic restaurants

Southern Living magazine has released its annual Top 50 Barbecue Joints in the South, and North Carolina was awarded eight spots that highlight our state’s unique styles and tastes. From newcomers with an international air like Knightdale’s Prime Barbecue to the tried and true pillars of Eastern N.C. barbecue heritage such as Ayden’s Skylight Inn BBQ, the “meaty” list was formed to honor the past, present and future of one of the most revered staples of southern cuisine. Restaurants were considered for their setting, sides, method, sauces, desserts and, in some cases, vibrant new spins on regional barbecue classics. Looks like you might have to try them all — for the sake of research!

Path clears for Bishop in AG contest

By Matt Mercer North State Journal

RALEIGH — When Rep.

Dan Bishop decided to trade a Capitol Hill o ce for a chance to become North Carolina’s top law enforcement o cer, candidates who expressed interest in the Republican nomination stepped aside — except for Tom Murry. That changed, however, as the former state legislator and current assistant district attorney is opting for a run for the N.C. Court of Appeals.

The entry of Bishop into the race changed the calculus for Murry, who began campaigning for the post shortly after the 2022 general election. Other rumored candidates who were eyeing the race included Andrew Murray, a former U.S. attorney

and current district attorney in Henderson County, and Sam Hayes, general counsel for House Speaker Tim Moore and former 2020 Republican primary candidate. Support from the national Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) and Club for Growth on Bishop’s behalf combined with raising nearly $1 million upon formally joining the race sent a clear message that Bishop was a heavy favorite in the race. Murry now is poised to join a primary race against current appellate judge Hunter Murphy, who won his rst term on the court of appeals in 2016, and Rockingham County district court judge Chris Freeman, who announced for the seat over the summer.

WEST PIEDMONT EAST

Mother, son in fatal crash involving Hickory Police vehicle Catawba County

A mother and her 12-year-old son died after their minivan was struck by a Hickory Police vehicle Saturday night. The police vehicle was driven by O cer Atia Mohamed Shamseldin, 24, who was pursuing the motorcycle for driving “carelessly and recklessly” and not displaying a license tag. Cynthia Lail, 38, and her 12-year-old son Michael were killed. The o cer and a passenger in the patrol SUV were treated for minor injuries, and investigators with the State Highway Patrol are continuing to investigate the circumstances that led to the crash.

Statesville man arrested after machete attack

Iredell County

A man accused of attacking two others with a machete in Statesville was arrested Saturday night. O cers with the Statesville Police Department said they arrested David Morgan at a homeless camp behind Pump Station Road. The arrest came nine days after police said he was involved in a violent altercation involving a machete that injured two other men. The altercation

led to the lockdown of two schools in the area. Morgan is currently in an area hospital for treatment from injuries sustained during the original altercation. After his release, he’ll face two counts of assault with a deadly weapon in icting serious injuries.

Kannapolis announces holiday event schedule

NSJ

Greensboro high school named number one in US

Guilford County

NSJ

Cabarrus County Events have been announced for the annual Kannapolis Christmas celebration, starting with the o cial tree lighting ceremony at 6 p.m., Saturday, November 18. The Kannapolis Christmas Parade returns on December 9, and the Celebration of Lights runs through December 30. The Celebration of Lights includes thousands of twinkling lights in dozens of displays throughout Village Park. Adults and children can ride the Winterland Express, a g-24 scale replica CP Huntington engine, and view the unique holiday light displays. Manufactured in Italy, the Village Park Double Decker Carousel features 1,800 lights, Brazilian oak decking, and hand painted Venetian murals. As always, kids of all ages will be able to visit Santa and have their photo taken.

The Early College at Guilford has been named the number one public high school in the country by U.S. News and World Report. The Early College at Guilford, with its enrollment of nearly 200 9th-12th graders, scored a perfect 100 on College Readiness, with a 100% graduation rate. Of the nearly 25,000 school considered across the country, the top-ranked schools are those where students exceed outcome expectations in math, science, and reading state test scores, as well as those with a high proportion of qualifying International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement exams.

Wool E. Bull’s Winter Wonderland coming to DBAP Durham County

WBTV

to visit with Santa and Wool E. Claus, a variety of concessions for adults and children, multiple sledding hills (tickets sold separately), a holiday train in the out eld (tickets sold separately), and a locally-sourced gift marketplace. Tickets go on sale September 20 at durhambulls. com.

Bomb threats called into schools across Triad Alamance County

WUNC

The Durham Bulls are introducing Wool E. Bull’s Winter Wonderland – a walkthrough holiday light event. This holiday experience will transform Durham Bulls Athletic Park into a winter wonderland starting on Wednesday, Nov, 22 and select dates through Dec. 31. According to reports, there will be several largescale light installations, an opportunity

NSJ

Several school districts in central North Carolina received bomb threats Monday, according to the Alamance County Sheri ’s O ce. The sheri ’s o ce said it received reports of a bomb threat which was sent by email which stated, “multiple explosives had been placed in a ‘district’ school.” Investigators said they learned other school districts in the state also reportedly received similar threats, and believe the email originated from an out-of-state IP address. School Resource O cers completed security sweeps in all 13 schools within the Alamance Burlington School System. The email threat prompted an evacuation and release of students for the day in neighboring Alleghany County.

Walking trail opens for visually impaired Cumberland County

A new trail has opened in Fayetteville aimed at giving blind and visually impaired people the option to independently exercise. City o cials said the “Braille Trail” is the rst of its kind in North Carolina. The trail was a collaboration between the nonpro t Vision Resource Center and Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks and Recreation. The trail originally launched back in 2019 before the pandemic, but it was not ADA accessible for those who are visually impaired. Modeled after a similar space in Minnesota, the trail was revamped and re–opened last month, with a second phase in development that could include a sensory garden, according to o cials.

Farm worker death likely heatrelated

Nash County

WXII

the North Carolina Growers Association to cover the cost of Mendoza’s funeral and counseling for its employees. While the North Carolina Department of Labor and the farm are investigating the cause of his death, his family says his death was caused by the combination of dehydration and heat stress while working. There are nearly 15,000 H-2A visa holders in the state, harvesting a variety of crops.

New Bern invests in lifesaving rescue technology

Craven County

NSJ

Jose Arturo Gonzalez Mendoza, a 30-year-old seasonal farm worker, died last week working at Barnes Farms in Nash County. Mendoza was working in North Carolina with an H-2A visa, which is for temporary agricultural workers. The Barnes Farming Corporation said they are working with

NSJ

First responders in New Bern have partnered with the Eastern Carolina Council Area Agency on Aging to implement “Project Lifesaver,” an international search and rescue program designed for at-risk individuals who are cognitively impaired and in danger of wandering from familiar, safe surroundings. Clients are given a lightweight wristband that houses a small battery and a radio transmitter. The technology is designed to help rst responders locate clients, namely older adults who su er from cognitive conditions such as autism, Alzheimer’s, dementia, Down Syndrome, and others who may have wandered away from their homes and cannot nd their way back.

Documents: Executive Mansion repair project totaling more than $4.5M

By A.P. Dillon North

State Journal

RALEIGH — Documentation

reviewed by North State Journal for “Project Funding and Costs” involved in the repair of the governor’s Executive Mansion shows $4.502 million in total project funding.

Last month, North State Journal reported the cost of repairs to the governor’s mansion had soared to $4.1 million under Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper following the announcement by the Department of Administration of a contract for another $1.6 million in new repairs.

The Project Funding and Costs document reveals the money coming from two North Carolina taxpayer-funded sources: $1.239 million from the Renovations and Repairs (R&R) General Fund and $3.326 million from theState Capital and Infrastructure Fund (SCIF). Legislative budget information released in February estimated $6.831 million for the SCIF.

WITN

The documentation reviewed con rms a total of $1,645,464 in the new round of repairs as part of the contract awarded earlier this year to CT Wilson Construction Company.

An April 2022 memo issued by the O ce of State Budget and Management listed repairs of $3.263 million labeled as “Executive Residence Foundation, Envelope, and System Renovation.” The governor’s retreat and residence in the western part of the state also was cited in the memo as needing site structure renovations costing $512,000.

NATION & WORLD

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un heads home after Russian journey that raised concern about weapons deals

The Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended a six-day trip to Russia that triggered global concerns about weapons transfer deals between the two countries locked in separate stando s with the West, news outlets reported.

Kim’s armored train departed to the sound of the Russian patriotic march song “Farewell of Slavianka” at the end of a farewell ceremony at a railway station in Artyom, a far eastern Russian city about 124 miles from the border with North Korea, Russia’s state news agency RIA reported.

Senior o cials including Russia’s Minister of Natural Resources Alexander Kozlov and Primorye regional Gov. Oleg Kozhemyako were present at the ceremony, which featured a Russian military band playing both North Korean and Russian national anthems.

It was Kim’s longest foreign travel since he took power in late 2011. Observers said Kim returned to Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, Monday afternoon.

Entering Russia last Tuesday in his rst overseas trip in more than four years, Kim met President Vladimir Putin and visited key military and technology sites, underscoring the countries’ deepening defense cooperation in the face of separate, intensifying confrontations with the U.S. and its allies. Foreign o cials and experts have said North Korea could provide badly needed munitions for Moscow’s war on Ukraine in exchange for sophisticated Russian weapons technology that would advance Kim’s nuclear ambitions.

North Korea may have tens of millions of aging artillery shells and rockets based on Soviet designs that could bolster Russian forces in Ukraine, analysts say, even though its old artillery systems have a reputation for poor accuracy. Both sides have been reportedly ring thousands of artillery rounds a day.

U.N. Security Council resolutions — which Russia, a permanent member, previously endorsed — ban North Korea from exporting or importing any arms.

Observers say Russia’s alleged attempts to receive ammunition and artillery shells from North Korea suggest Moscow’s desperation to re ll its arsenal exhausted in the war with Ukraine.

“Military cooperation between North Korea and Russia is illegal and unjust as it contravenes U.N. Security Council resolutions and various other international sanctions,” South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said in written responses Sunday to questions from The Associated Press. “The international community will unite more tightly in response to such a move.”

In return for supplying conventional arms to Russia, experts say North Korea would seek Russian economic and food aid but also transfers of technologies to build powerful missiles, a nuclear-propelled submarine and a spy satellite. North Korea has publicly sought to introduce such high-tech weapons systems citing what it called intensifying U.S.-led hostilities.

Earlier Sunday, Kim was in a lighter mode, touring a university and watching a walrus show at a Russian aquarium. Russia’s state media released videos of Kim, accompanied by his top of-

cials, talking with Russian ofcials through translators at the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University in Russky Island.

On Saturday, Kim traveled to an airport near Vladivostok, where Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other senior military o cials gave him an upclose look at Russia’s strategic bombers and other warplanes. Kim and Shoigu later in the day went to Vladivostok, where they inspected the Admiral Shaposhnikov frigate.

On Friday, Kim visited an aircraft plant in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur that produces Russia’s most powerful ghter jets.

The Russian warplanes shown to Kim on Saturday were among the types that have seen action in Ukraine, including the Tu-160, Tu-95 and Tu-22 bombers that have regularly launched cruise missiles. During Kim’s visit, Shoigu and Lt. Gen. Sergei Kobylash, the commander of the Russian long-range bomber force, con rmed for the rst time that the Tu-160 had recently received new cruise missiles with a range of more than 4,040 miles.

Shoigu, who had met Kim during a rare visit to North Ko-

Biden’s national security adviser holds talks in Malta with China’s foreign minister

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. —

President Joe Biden’s national security adviser met with China’s foreign minister over the weekend on the Mediterranean island nation of Malta in an effort that the White House said Sunday was intended to “responsibly maintain the relationship” at a time of strained ties and mutual suspicion between the rival powers.

The White House said in a statement that Jake Sullivan and Chinese envoy Wang Yi had “candid, substantive and constructive discussions” as the world’s two largest economies try “to maintain open lines of communication.” Sullivan and Wang last met in May in Vienna for talks. The two o cials spent about 12 hours together over two days in Malta.

Washington and Beijing see themselves as competitors despite an extensive trade partnership. President Joe Biden recently spoke with Chinese Premier Li Qiang while in India at the Group of 20 summit and told reporters afterward that they had talked about “stability” and “it wasn’t confrontational at all.”

Biden has worked to strengthen relations with Japan, South Korea, India, Vietnam and oth-

ers to counterbalance China’s in uence across the Paci c Region. Yet Biden said last Sunday at a news conference in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi that those alliances are not about a “cold war” with China.

“It’s not about containing China,” he said. “It’s about having a stable base” for global economic growth.

Yet the relationship is full of competing pressures.

The Biden administration shot down a Chinese spy balloon that traversed the continental U.S. earlier this year. The Chinese government hacked the emails of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. The U.S. government has restricted the export of advanced computer chips to China. And after Chinese President Xi Jinping centralized his power, the Chinese economy has not rebounded as expected after ending its pandemic lockdowns.

The White House said Sullivan and Wang discussed the relationship between the two countries, global and regional security issues, Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Taiwan Strait. They also discussed arti cial intelligence, counternarcotic efforts and the status of detained U.S. citizens in China.

“The United States noted the importance of peace and sta-

bility across the Taiwan Strait. The two sides committed to maintain this strategic channel of communication and to pursue additional high-level engagement and consultations in key areas between the United States and the People’s Republic of China in the coming months,” according to the statement.

A senior Biden administration o cial who briefed reporters on the talks said the two sides did not discuss the whereabouts of Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu, who has not been seen in public since Aug. 29.

Speculation about Li’s standing comes after Qin Gang was abruptly removed in July as foreign minister, a change announced weeks after he had disappeared from public view earlier in the summer.

Biden’s ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, used a social media posting last week to take note of Li’s situation. “As Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet, ‘Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,’” Emanuel wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Asked why Sullivan did not raise the issue with Wang, the administration o cial, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door meeting, said the talks were focused on the bilateral relationship.

No. 2 House Republican Scalise returns to Capitol after blood cancer diagnosis

Washington, D.C.

Rep. Steve Scalise, the No. 2 House Republican, returned to the U.S. Capitol on Thursday for the rst time since being diagnosed with a blood cancer known as multiple myeloma and told reporters his chemotherapy treatment is underway.

“It’s kind of a few months process. They don’t know yet how long it’s going to be — four months, six months — but they want to continue to evaluate and say, ‘OK, how’s he doing? How’s the treatment?’ The treatments are going well so far,” said Scalise, who was taking precautions to protect his immune system and wore a face mask and stood back from reporters as he entered the Capitol building.

rea in July, also showed Kim another of Russia’s latest missiles, the hypersonic Kinzhal, carried by the MiG-31 ghter jet, that saw its rst combat during the war in Ukraine.

Kim’s summit with Putin was held at Russia’s main space launch site, a location that pointed to his desire for Russian assistance in his e orts to acquire space-based reconnaissance assets and missile technologies. In recent months, two North Korean launches to send a spy satellite into space ended in failure, and the North vowed to conduct a third attempt in October.

During the meeting with Putin, Kim said his country would o er its “full and unconditional support” for Russia’s ght to defend its security interests, in an apparent reference to the war in Ukraine. Kim invited Putin to visit North Korea at “a convenient time,” and Putin accepted.

It was Kim’s second summit meeting with Putin. The previous meeting took place in Vladivostok in April 2019, two months after Kim’s high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with then-U.S. President Donald Trump fell apart during their second summit in Vietnam.

The Sullivan-Wang meeting comes as Biden and other world leaders are set to take part in the annual gathering of the U.N. General Assembly. Biden is scheduled to address the world body on Tuesday and meet with leaders of ve Central Asian nations — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Xi has stepped up his courting of those countries. During his own summit in May with the Central Asian leaders, Xi promised to build more railways and other trade links with the region and proposed jointly developing oil and gas sources.

Sullivan told reporters last week that Biden’s meeting with those leaders should not be seen as an e ort to counterbalance Chinese in uence in the region.

“Look, this summit is not against any country,” Sullivan said, previewing the meeting. “It is for a positive agenda that we want to work through with these countries.”

Xi did not attend last weekend’s G20 summit in New Delhi and is not expected to be in New York for the General Assembly. Biden has said he hopes to soon meet with Xi. The two leaders have not spoken since they met for talks last November in Indonesia, according to the White House.

Sullivan also met with Malta’s prime minister, Robert Abela. They talked about the Mediterranean region’s role in helping to provide “global peace and security,” according to a statement by the Maltese government.

The Louisiana congressman, 57, said he would be able to receive some of the chemotherapy treatment in Washington and continue his work in Congress, where he was limiting his in-person interactions. Later in the day, he traveled the Capitol halls in a motorized wheelchair.

Scalise said his diagnosis came after his wife urged him to visit the doctor three weeks ago when his appetite dropped while he was traveling for political events. He said the diagnosis was made quickly and his wife and he decided they wanted to be “very aggressive” in treating the multiple myeloma.

Carlson erupts into Argentina’s presidential campaign with Milei interview

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Argentinian presidential candidate Javier Milei railed against socialism and praised Donald Trump in an interview with Tucker Carlson that has underlined how global attention is focusing on Argentina since Milei emerged as the frontrunner in the country’s presidential race.

In the interview, the self-described “anarchocapitalist” Milei characterized campaigns to legalize abortion and to place restrictions on economies over climate change as being part of a “socialist agenda.”

Carlson traveled to Argentina to interview Milei, who rocked Argentina’s political establishment when he received the most votes in August primaries that serve as a massive poll of voter preferences ahead of the October election.

During the interview, Milei praised former President Trump and called on him to “continue with his ght against socialism, because he’s one of the few who fully understood that the battle is against socialism, that the battle is against the statists.”

Billionaire businessman Elon Musk, who owns X, commented on Carlson’s post, saying: “Government overspending, which is the fundamental cause of in ation, has wrecked countless countries.”

Milei also harshly criticized Argentine Pope Francis, saying he “has an a nity for murderous communists” claiming he supports “dictators” like the presidents of Cuba and Venezuela. Milei has insulted the pope in the past, leading to protests by priests in Argentina.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

AP PHOTO

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, foreground left, prepares to leave for home at a station in Artyom, near Vladivostok, Russian Far East Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023.

cause when you shut down, you give all your power to the administration,” McCarthy said in a Fox News interview on Sunday.

“How are you going to win your arguments to secure the border if the border agents don’t get paid? How are you going to win the arguments to get wokeism out of the Department of Defense? If even our own troops aren’t being paid? You have no strength there.”

But McCarthy is facing a cadre of Republicans who are prepared to endure a prolonged shutdown. A handful of GOP lawmakers swiftly took to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, shortly after the Sunday call to criticize the proposed package, even with spending cuts and border measures, as woefully insu cient.

One of the Freedom Caucus lawmakers who helped craft the proposal, Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said he answered phone calls coming into his o ce Monday and he heard frustration from people critical of the package, pushing him to hold out for more conservative cuts.

He was also unbothered by the prospect of a shutdown.

“People can live without our government for a period of time,” he said. “The sun comes up every day. People live their lives. Life goes on.”

But the U.S. Chamber of Commerce issued a memo Monday to the business community warning that a prolonged shutdown could cause disruptions across the country.

“Individuals and businesses rely on the discretionary functions of government on a daily basis,” the Chamber wrote. “From passports and permits to clinical trials and contractors, a well-functioning economy requires a functioning government.”

The Biden administration is also highlighting the potential damage from a funding stoppage. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on CNBC Monday, “We’ve got a good, strong economy and creating a situation that could cause a loss of momentum is something we don’t need.”

McCarthy could potentially turn to House Democrats to pass a stopgap measure if he was willing to strip the conservative policy wins out of a funding bill.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Je ries met with McCarthy on Monday, but several right-wing members are threatening to try to oust the speaker if they forge a partnership to pass a continuing resolution.

Je ries said he would only support a “clean” funding bill without the Republican extras, and particularly slammed the GOP idea of funding an “ine ective, medieval border wall” as part of the funding stopgap. He said, “It’s all on Republicans at this moment.”

Carmakers and the United Auto Workers are talking.

of a breakthrough to end the strike

The Associated Press

The United Auto Workers and Detroit’s Big Three carmakers continued talks aimed at ending a now almost weeklong strike, and under the threat that the walkout could soon spread.

Stellantis said it resumed negotiations with the union earlier this week and described the talks as “constructive.” A spokesman for General Motors said representatives of the company and the United Auto Workers also were continuing to negotiate.

However, UAW President Shawn Fain said on NPR, “We have a long way to go,” and if the companies don’t respond to the union’s demands, “then we will escalate action.”

In a video statement late Monday, Fain said more factories could be targeted if “serious progress” toward an agreement isn’t reached by Friday at noon.

“We’re not messing around,” he said.

So far the strike is limited to about 13,000 workers at three factories — one each at GM, Ford and Stellantis, the successor to Fiat Chrysler.

However, the union’s strategy hinges on its ability to escalate the strike quickly, and the carmakers are warning of potential layo s as the limited strike reduces the amount of material needed at plants that remain open.

GM said Monday that 2,000 UAW-represented workers at an assembly plant in Kansas City are “expected to be idled as soon as early this week” because of a shortage of supplies from a GM plant near St. Louis, where workers walked o the job Friday.

Workers at the Kansas City plant build the Chevrolet Malibu and Cadillac XT4.

The strike could begin to a ect suppliers and their em-

ployees too. CIE Newcor told Michigan o cials that it expects a one-month closure of four plants in the state to start Oct. 2 and idle nearly 300 workers.

In a sign of concern of the strike’s potential economic and political fallout, the Biden administration stepped up its response.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said she is hoping for a quick resolution, while adding that is too soon to gauge the strike’s impact. “It’s premature to be making forecasts about what it means for the economy. It would depend on how long the strike lasts and who would be a ected by it,” she said on CNBC.

Yellen said labor activism this year — strikes by Hollywood writers and actors, by workers at about 150 Starbucks locations and walkouts that were narrowly averted at United Parcel Service and West Coast ports — has been driven by a strong labor market and high demand for workers.

President Joe Biden is sending two top administration ofcials to Detroit to meet with both sides. Biden has backed the UAW in brief public comments, saying that the automakers have not fairly shared their record pro ts with workers. An administration o cial said Monday that acting Labor Secretary Julie Su and senior aide Gene Sperling will not serve as mediators — they won’t be at the bargaining table — but are going to Detroit “to help support the negotiations in any way the parties feel is constructive.” The o cial was not authorized to discuss private discussions and spoke anonymously.

Fain said the Biden administration won’t broker a deal

“This is our battle. Our members are out there manning the picket lines,” he said Monday on MSNBC. “This battle is not about the president, it’s not about the former president” — a reference to reports that former President Donald

Trump plans to skip a debate for Republican presidential candidates next week to meet with striking autoworkers in Detroit.

A key feature of the UAW strategy is the threat of escalating the strike if the union is unhappy with the pace of bargaining.

On Monday, Ford workers on a picket line outside a plant in the Detroit suburb of Wayne were joined by members of other unions and the occasional politician.

Tevita Uhatafe, an aircraft-maintenance worker from Arlington, Texas, showed his support and saw what it might look like if UAW members strike against a GM truck plant in his hometown.

“This is a ght that is most likely going to happen in our backyard,” Uhatafe said.

U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., said she walked the picket line because the strike “is showcasing a modern movement for worker justice and worker fairness.”

The Associated Press NORFOLK SOUTHERN announced new details Monday about its plan to compensate East Palestine residents for lost home values since the fiery derailment disrupted life in the eastern Ohio town in February.

The railroad’s program will no doubt be welcomed by some people who want to sell their homes and move away from the town rather than deal with the lingering health worries. But some critics say the railroad should be doing more to address those health concerns instead of worrying so much about economic recovery in the area.

And the details are still tentative because the Ohio Attorney General’s office is still negotiating an agreement that will create a longterm fund to compensate homeowners along with two other funds to pay for any health problems or water contamination issues that crop up down the road. The Attorney General’s office said it’s not clear when those funds will be finalized because of all the unanswered questions at this stage.

Already, the railroad estimates that the cleanup will cost more than $800 million, which includes $74 million that Norfolk Southern has pledged to East Palestine to help the town recover. That total will continue to grow as the cleanup continues, the funds are finalized and various lawsuits move forward. The railroad will also get compensation from its insurers and likely other companies involved in the derailment.

“This is another step in fulfilling our promise to East Palestine to make it right. Norfolk Southern is steadfast in keeping our commitments,

including protecting the home values of the community,” said CEO Alan Shaw, who is working to improve safety on the railroad. “This program aims to give homeowners the reassurance they need.”

The new program will pay homeowners in East Palestine and the surrounding area about five miles around the derailment the difference between the appraised market value of their homes and the sale price. But accepting compensation through the program will require homeowners to forego property damage claims they might eventually collect as part of one of the lawsuits against the railroad.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican, praised the railroad for following through on the commitment it made in the spring. “I intend to keep the pressure on Norfolk Southern

to make things right for the community,” he said.

JD Vance, one of Ohio’s U.S. Senators who proposed a package of railroad safety reforms after the derailment that is still awaiting a vote, said he remains skeptical of Norfolk Southern.

“My expectations that they will deliver on their promises are low,” said Vance, a Republican. “I will continue to hold the railroad and its backers in Congress accountable for the promises they made to Ohioans.”

Longtime East Palestine resident Jami Wallace, who still hasn’t moved back home since the derailment, said she and the Unity Council group she helps lead are much more focused on residents’ health instead of things like home values, even though the government and railroad continue to insist that ongoing tests of the air and water in the

area don’t show concerning levels of chemicals.

Plus, she said “a lot of our most vulnerable are the people that rent,” so this program to help homeowners won’t do much for them.

“Human health should just come first,” Wallace said.

And getting answers to the community’s questions about potential health problems is the priority for Wallace, who is frustrated that she has been unable to persuade the EPA to conduct detailed testing inside her home’s basement.

Besides, people who have lived in town for generations aren’t eager to sell their homes anyway. They just want to know if their homes are safe.

“It’s not just about selling the house and being able to move to another house. We don’t want to move,” Wallace said.

A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern trains, Feb. 6, 2023.

United Auto Workers member Victoria Hall walks the picket line at the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich., Monday, Sept. 18, 2023.

In ection.ai CEO explains how to catch a ride on the ‘coming wave’ of technology

The Associated Press

If you have watched a telecast involving basketball superstar LeBron James during the past 20 years, you probably have heard an announcer declare: “You can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him.” That sentiment sums up how In ection. ai CEO Mustafa Suleyman feels about arti cial intelligence — a technology that he helped advance as a co-founder of DeepMind, which Google acquired in 2014.

After leaving Google last year, Suleyman started In ection with LinkedIn co-founder Reid Ho man in an e ort to create arti cial intelligence, or AI, that won’t veer into racist, sexist or violent behavior. In ection’s rst proof point is an AI-powered assistant named “Pi” that’s touted as a safer alternative to better-known chatbots such as Open AI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard.

Now Suleyman has co-written a book, “The Coming Wave,” focused on AI’s promise and the need to limit its potential perils. He expanded upon his ideas in a recent interview with The Asso-

ciated Press.

Q: How should we be thinking of arti cial intelligence at this juncture?

A: I honestly believe we are approaching an era of radical abundance. We are about to distill the essence of what makes us capable — our intelligence — into a piece of software, which can get cheaper, easier to use, more widely available to everybody. As a result, everyone on the planet is going to get broadly equal access to intelligence, which is going to make us all smarter and more productive.

Q: Isn’t there also a risk that part of the human brain starts to atrophy and we collectively become dumber?

A: I think we are trending in the opposite direction. We are adding masses of new knowledge to the corpus of global knowledge. And that is making everyone, on average, way, way smarter and discerning. These AIs are going to catch and develop your weaknesses. They are going to lift up your strengths. We are going to evolve with these new augmentations. We are going to invent new culture, new habits and new styles to adapt.

If you look at the average American today, it’s actually pretty remarkable how di erent he or she would be to the average American a century ago.

Q: Your book talks a lot about the need to contain AI, but how do we do that?

A: We want to try to maximize the bene ts while minimizing the harms. I think we have overcome this challenge many times before. Look at airline safety. It is unbelievably safe to get inside a tube at 1,000 miles an hour at 40,000 feet. We have made so much progress on every one of these new technologies. I think we should be far more inspired and encouraged by the progress we have made and xate less on the anxiety that everything is going to go wrong. It isn’t going to be easy — it is going to be strange and scary in many ways — but we have done it before and we can do it again.

Q: Should we be worried about the most popular forms of generative AI so far being controlled by Big Tech companies pursuing ever higher pro ts?

A: The commercial pressure is always going to be there, so we have to navigate around it.

This is the rst time in many years that we have seen governments move so quickly and be so proactive. I also think that the commercial prize is going to be enormous. We have to learn the lessons from the social media age and make sure we move quickly when we start to see signs of some potential harms.

Q: Have homo sapiens evolved into the so-called “homo technologicus?”

A: We were always that since we picked up a hand axe or a club or we invented a pair of glasses or burned down a tree. We are a special species because we use tools. We should think of these new AIs as a set of tools that we control, that are accountable to us that we can put boundaries

Instacart goes from the supermarket to the stock market, raising $660 million with its IPO

The Associated Press

Instacart is heading from the supermarket to the stock market.

The San Francisco-based grocery delivery company raised $660 million in its initial public o ering of stock, selling 22 million shares at $30 apiece. Its shares were set to begin trading Tuesday on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the stock symbol “CART.”

The pricing of the IPO gave Instacart a market value of around $10 billion, signi cantly lower than the $39 billion value placed on it after a fund-raising round in 2021.

Instacart provides delivery and pickup from 85% of U.S. grocers, or more than 80,000 stores, using a network of 600,000 freelance shoppers. It also provides in-store technology, like smart carts and electronic shelf tags, and sells online ads to food companies and retailers.

It says it has 7.7 million active customers who spend about $317 per month on the platform.

In a letter to investors earlier this month, Instacart CEO Fidji Simo said grocery delivery has tremendous potential. The U.S. grocery market is a $1.1. trillion industry, but only 12% of sales are made online. She said she expects that to at least double over time.

“We have demonstrated our ability to help our retail partners drive strong growth and stay competitive in a complex and increasingly digital industry,” wrote Simo, a former Facebook executive who became Instacart’s CEO in 2021.

The grocery delivery market boomed early in the pandemic. Growth has stabilized, but the market is still about four times larger than it was in 2019, said David Bishop, a partner and lead researcher with Brick Meets Click, a consulting rm that specializes in online grocery shopping.

That market is also increasingly competitive. Instacart faces growing pressure from companies including Uber Eats and DoorDash, which both began delivering groceries in 2020.

As of August, Instacart controlled 70% of the third-party U.S. grocery delivery market, according to YipitData, a market research rm. DoorDash controls around 10%. This week, DoorDash added more U.S. grocers to its o erings, including Cub, Lowe’s Markets and Eataly.

Instacart also faces pressure from grocers themselves, who sometimes bristle at the higher prices Instacart charges or at the pricing rules it puts in place for grocers using its software to run their own websites, said Instacart orders can cost consumers 15% to 20% more than shopping in stores because of delivery fees and product markups, Bishop said. Some grocers have unwound

partnerships with Instacart or built up their own delivery capability. H-E-B, a Texas chain, encourages customers to shop on its own site, not Instacart’s, if they want lower-cost delivery, Bishop said. Other big grocers, like Walmart and Target, also do their own deliveries.

Bishop said Instacart needs to keep its customers coming back because it relies on them to sell ads.

“It’s increasingly di cult to see how Instacart can do that as its competitors are expanding into grocery and grocers are looking more closely at how they can improve the pro tability of selling online,” he said.

Food price in ation over the last two years has also dampened demand for delivery in favor of curbside pickup, which is less expensive. U.S. grocery pickup orders grew 3% to $10.5 billion in the April-June period this year compared to the same period a year ago, Bishop said. Grocery delivery orders grew

around that we can fundamentally contain. That’s the way they will remain safe and they will remain of service to us and the species.

Q: Should we be worried AI will lead to the end of humans?

A: I worry about a lot of things, but the main things I am focused on are the near-term harms because we have a chance to really a ect those and get those right. I think it’s too easy to imagine what might happen in 50 years. I think a lot of people have gotten caught up in the superintelligence framing of things. They are really thinking about things that may or may not happen that are way beyond my time horizon for prediction, especially in an era of climate change.

just 1% to $7.8 billion.

Instacart’s orders also slowed in the rst half of this year after growing 18% between 2021 and 2022, the company said in its IPO ling.

Still, Instacart’s revenue was up 31% to $1.47 million in the rst six months of this year, largely due to increases in the advertising fees it collects from retailers and food companies. The company reported net income of $242 million in the rst six months of this year.

Among those bullish about Instacart’s prospects is PepsiCo, which agreed to buy $175 million in convertible preferred stock in a private placement.

The IPO is a long-awaited step for Instacart, which was founded in 2012. The company led privately for an IPO in May 2022 but delayed those plans last fall when the markets were roiling due to recession fears. There were just 71 IPOs in the U.S. last year, the lowest number since 2009, according to Renaissance Capital.

But a resurgent market is seeing more IPO activity this year. Last week, shares of U.K. chip maker Arm Holdings rose almost 25% in their stock market debut on the Nasdaq, the largest IPO in nearly two years.

An instacart logo and an instacart webpage are shown in this photo, in New York, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023.

NC Pollinator Plant Festival o ers fall owers

The Juniper Level Botanic Garden in Raleigh is holding its rst North Carolina Pollinator Plant Festival through Sept. 24. The 28-acre garden was established in 1986 and is open to the public two weekends each season, and the festival’s nal three days are this week. The garden of 27,000plus ora is full of blooming plants that welcome bees, butter ies, moths, hummingbird and other pollinators that help with fertilization. The garden will be open to the public this weekend on Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free and there are plants for sale on the grounds.

2023 BMW M240i: A Thundernight to Remember

By Jordan Golson North State Journal

BOSTON — Though it is anathema to a car journalist, I’m not the biggest fan of sports cars. I appreciate a good rip around the track, but they’re inherently compromised on the street. Sti suspension, precise steering, and twitchy engines may be great on the racetrack, but they’re often a recipe for discomfort in daily driving.

At least, that’s how it usually works. The wizards at BMW, home to the self-described Ultimate Driving Machine, have somehow smashed physics into submission when it comes to the new 2023 BMW M240i. My test car came in a glorious purple named Thundernight — one of the best colors I’ve ever seen on a new car — even better, the smile the paint put on my face was quickly broadened by a truly wondrous driving experience.

Fitted with BMW’s buttery smooth 3.0-liter turbo inline 6-cylinder and a quick-shifting 8-speed automatic transmission, the M240i rockets from 0-60 in some 3.6 seconds without much

fuss. Boasting 382 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, this purple rocket not only looks good but seriously performs, putting its kinda-sister car, the Toyota Supra, on notice along with the Nissan Z and Ford Mustang and everything else in the fast-shrinking sports coupe category. Technically, the M240i is a four-seater, but I wouldn’t want to put anyone in the back seats.

My review unit was decked out with 50th-anniversary M division emblems ($200) and illuminated M cabin trim ($200), making it a BMW a cionado’s dream, with BMW’s signature M colors adorning seemingly every surface, and even the ambient light panels on the doors blazing with a splash of the M red/blue/ blue. Like other recent BMWs I’ve

driven, including the X1 crossover and the iX electric SUV, the dash is dominated by a pair of screens, one for the instrument cluster and a touchscreen for the infotainment. With wireless Apple CarPlay and even Apple Maps support in the dash cluster (which almost no other carmaker supports), the tech experience is terri c. BMW’s smartphone app also stands out as one of the more user-friendly options available.

But the tech is almost an afterthought compared to the amazing driving experience. With Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires (the same I use on my personal Volvo V60 wagon), the M240i can hold speed on curvy roads so e ortlessly that it’s alarmingly easy to become complacent and cruise well over the speed limit without any fuss.

The exhaust note is interesting. Inside the car, it’s not the best noise, if I’m honest. But BMW has a solution to that, too.

The IconicSounds feature seamlessly and nearly imperceptibly pipes in a bit of exhaust throb through the stereo. It varies with intensity depending on the

drive mode and can be turned o with an easily accessible toggle in the menus. I tested it for a few days with and without, and I preferred the “enhanced” sound, which surprised me. Purists will lament the arti cial engine noise, but it added just enough burble — tied to throttle input, speed, and engine RPM — to make me forget that it wasn’t real.

The BMW M240i ful lls the ideal of the 90’s era M3, the high school dream car of many a ‘90s kid. The road feel is terri c, with the adjustable electronic power steering o ers comfort and sport options, and compared to the Mustang Dark Horse in particular, the 8-speed automatic is miles beyond what the Ford offers.

As built, the price came to a somewhat reasonable $58,420, which is around where the Ford Mustang Dark Horse starts, and I’d be hard-pressed to pick one. Those two cars make for a fascinating comparison. Do you want an American muscle car or a German sports coupe? Does your heart race at the thought of a big V8, or does a loaded-withtech turbocharged inline-6 get you going? There’s no wrong answer.

What’s clear is this: it only took a single Thundernight for the M240i to completely win me over.

PHOTOS BY CORY LAVALETTE | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

PHOTOS COURTESY BMW

GOLF

Raleigh’s Murray

wins again on Korn Ferry Tour

College Grove, Tennessee

Grayson Murray birdied four of his last ve holes Sunday to close with a 6 -under 66 and win the Simmons Bank Open, securing his return to the PGA Tour next year. Murray — a Raleigh native who played collegiately at Wake Forest, East Carolina and Arizona State — won for the second time this year on the Korn Ferry Tour. He moved to No. 6 in the standings, and the top 30 earn PGA Tour cards for 2024. Murray won the 2017 Barbasol Championship for his lone PGA Tour victory.

SWIMMING

N.C.’s Willis wins

silver at Junior Worlds

Netanya, Israel

Marvin’s Jordan Willis swam a personal-best 2:12.07 in the 200 -meter breaststroke to win silver for Team USA on Sept. 4 at the World Aquatics Junior World Championships in Israel. Willis, 16, had set a personal best in the preliminary heats but topped that by nearly a second and a half in nals, nishing behind only Hong

Kong’s Sai Ting Adam Mak.

“Winning a silver medal in my rst international event and being able to compete alongside some of the best swimmers in the world from Team USA was truly a blessing,” Willis said.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

UNC, Duke move up 3 spots in AP poll

New York

UNC and Duke both picked up wins against Power 5 opponents and climbed three spots in The Associated Press college football poll released Sunday. The Tar Heels moved up to No.17 after beating Minnesota 31-13 on Saturday.

The Blue Devils easily handled Northwestern 38-14 and sit right behind UNC at No. 18.

Four questions entering Hurricanes training camp

Carolina enters the 2023-24 NHL season as one of the Stanley Cup favorites

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal RALEIGH —

The Hurricanes open training camp Wednesday with physicals and testing before hitting the ice Thursday to o cially start the 2023-24 NHL season. A quick glance at sportsbooks across North America shows Carolina along with Colorado as favorites to win the Stanley Cup.

Of course, we’re about eight months away from that being decided, and there will be plenty of questions and answers by June.

But the start of the season, even for a top contender, comes with some uncertainty.

Here are four questions going into training camp as the Hurricanes begin their pursuit of a championship.

Never enough defense

The talk of the o season in Raleigh has been Carolina’s defense. The Hurricanes entered the summer with three blueliners — Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei and Jalen Chat eld — with one year left on their contracts before unrestricted free agency.

The Hurricanes then added more, signing longtime Capitals defender Dmitry Orlov — the top rearguard on the market —

to a two-year deal that will cost $7.75 million against the salary cap — and bringing back Tony DeAngelo on a one-year contract after he spent last season with the Flyers.

With Dylan Coghlan resigned and Caleb Jones added in free agency, Carolina has nine defensemen with multiple seasons of NHL experience.

The problem is, you can play, at most, seven in a game. Furthermore, ve of those players — Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns, Pesce, Skjei and Orlov — have averaged more than 20 minutes per game in their NHL careers, and DeAngelo has logged 19plus.

That logjam of talent is a nice problem to have, but coach Rod

Brind’Amour will need to juggle ice time until the front o ce nds a way to clear the glut of defensemen.

“It’s gonna make for some challenges for sure if everybody’s healthy,” Brind’Amour said last week. “I don’t know how many we’re gonna have, but that’s something I guess we’ll gure out as we go.”

Three-headed goalie

The Hurricanes are in a similar situation in net, with the re-signing of goalies Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta, coupled with last year’s contract extension for “goalie of the future” Pyotr Kochetkov, giving Carolina three netminders to manage. Without an AHL a liate for the season, the Hurricanes could opt to carry all three rather than assign Kochetkov to the minors — he does not need to go through waivers — where his de-

See HURRICANES, page B3

Young goes through growing pains in Panthers’ loss

The rookie quarterback has struggled with deep throws and pressure in his rst two NFL games

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

CHARLOTTE — The Panthers’ Monday Night Football game against the Saints was the 31st game of this young NFL season. So far, there have been 15 games where a quarterback passed for 300 yards, meaning that a starting NFL quarterback basically has a one-in-four chance of passing for three bills in a given game.

Through two NFL games as a starter, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has thrown for 299 yards, combined.

The list of 300-yard passers includes Baker May eld, who started for Carolina for part of last season. It includes two of Young’s predecessors at Alabama — Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones. It also includes CJ Stroud, the rookie who was taken the pick after Young, who went rst overall to the Panthers this past spring.

Young was accurate but cautious on Monday night, completing 22 of 33 passes for 153 yards, seldom looking deep down eld.

Thirteen of his passes were targeted toward tight ends and running backs. He was 11 of 20 when he took a risk and threw to his wide receivers. The Panthers mustered just three eld goals and a late touchdown in a 20-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

The reason for his caution was evident. Young spent much of the night running for his life. He was sacked four times, hit seven times

and under pressure far more than that. Still, the rst overall pick has not wowed the league in his rst two NFL games, both losses to division rivals.

“I can tell you that, certainly, our struggle on o ense is not one person,” said Panthers coach Frank Reich. “I thought Bryce did some really positive things, made some plays with his feet, made some good decisions, made

some good throws, showed plenty of things that we wanted to see.”

In addition to giving Young a vote of con dence, Reich said that he thought the team was close, inadvertently using the phrase that served as former coach Matt Rhule’s epitaph as the team su ered close loss after close loss during the departed coach’s star-crossed tenure with the team.

“We were struggling a little bit,” he said. “We were behind the sticks. … We hit a couple plays, and things looked good, and I thought we were going to snap out of it, and we just couldn’t seem to do that.”

Reich isn’t ready to give up hope, however. “I’ve seen it before,” he said. “We’re not far away.”

Unfortunately for him, Panthers fans have seen it before, too, and they greeted another

See PANTHERS, page B4

AP PHOTO

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young looks to pass while under pressure from Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan during New Orleans’ 20-17 win Monday in Charlotte.

AP PHOTO

Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov will look to impress during training camp and join Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta on the roster.

“Whatever it is, that’s on me.”

Bryce Young, Panthers quarterback

9.20.23

TRENDING

Charlie Manuel: The former major league manager su ered a stroke Saturday while undergoing a medical procedure in a Florida hospital, the Phillies announced. Doctors were able remove a blood clot, and the 79-year-old was showing improvement Sunday. Manuel managed the Phillies for nine seasons and guided them to a World Series title in 2008. He also spent three years as a manager in Cleveland.

Cole Turner: The Clemson receiver is out for the season after he tore three abductor muscles during the Tigers’ 48-14 win over Florida Atlantic on Saturday night. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney announced Turner’s injury on Sunday. Turner, a second-year freshman, missed Clemson’s Week 2 win over Charleston Southern due to lower body injury.

Armand Duplantis: The Swedish pole vaulter set a new world record Sunday with a leap of 20 feet, 5¼ inches at the season-ending Prefontaine Classic track and eld meet. Duplantis, known as Mondo, broke his own record of 20 feet, 4¾ inches that he set earlier this year. It was the second world record set at the two-day meet in Eugene, Oregon — Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay broke the world record in the 5,000 meters.

Beyond the box score

POTENT QUOTABLES NASCAR

Denny Hamlin won Saturday’s Cup Series playo race at Bristol, while former champions Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick were among four drivers eliminated as the eld of postseason contenders was cut from 16 drivers to 12. Hamlin, who is still in search of his rst championship, won for the 51st time in his career. Also eliminated were Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael McDowell.

Duke coach Mike Elko on Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard’s ability to

Stephanie White was named the WNBA’s Coach of the Year on Sunday after guiding the Connecticut Sun to a No. 3 seed in the playo s. The former Indiana Fever and Vanderbilt coach took over a team that reached last years’ nals but lost coach Curt Miller along with key players Jonquel Jones and Jasmine Thomas.

Mike Babcock resigned as coach of the Blue Jackets after just two months on the job following revelations that he asked players to show him photos on their phones. It followed an investigation by the NHL Players’ Association into his conduct. Assistant coach Pascal Vincent was named his replacement.

PRIME NUMBER 15

Receptions for UNC receiver Nate McCollum in the Tar Heels’ 31-13 win over Minnesota on Saturday, one shy of a school record. McCollum, who transferred from Georgia Tech, nished with 165 yards and a touchdown.

Shohei Ohtani will have surgery on the ligament tear in his pitching elbow after the Angels’ two-way star was ruled out for the rest of the season due to an oblique injury. Ohtani, a pending unrestricted free agent, hasn’t played since Sept. 3 because of the oblique injury and his season as a pitcher ended Aug. 23 because of the torn elbow ligament.

WNBA

NHL

CHARLES REX ARBOGAST | AP PHOTO CHRISTOPHER KATSAROV | THE CANADIAN PRESS VIA AP

“Experience is a great teacher.”

Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson on Demon Deacons quarterback Mitch Gri s’ growing pains.

CHUCK BURTON | AP PHOTO

“He’s the ultimate eraser.”

evade sacks.

BEN MCKEOWN | AP PHOTO

WADE PAYNE | AP PHOTO

JEFF CHIU | AP PHOTO

Wolfpack focus on fundamentals ahead of ACC tilt with Virginia

Quarterback Brennan Armstrong and o ensive coordinator Robert Anae make their return to Charlottesville

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

RALEIGH — When NC State heads to Charlottesville on Friday for its Week 4 matchup against Virginia, it’s not just another conference game.

The Wolfpack (2-1) are looking to prove their new-look offense can consistently produce, but facing the Cavaliers ups the ante as quarterback Brennan Armstrong and o ensive coordinator Robert Anae return to face their old team.

The duo spent four seasons together at UVA, from 2018 to 2021. During that time, Armstrong set the school record for all-time career passing yards (9,034) and passing touchdowns (58), single-season passing yardage (4,449, 2021) and touchdowns (31, 2021) records, and the single-game passing yardage record (554, 2021).

“It’s going to be awesome, but I’m going to treat this week just like every other one,” Armstrong said when asked about facing his former team. “Prepare, get ready for them and then just take it all in when I get there. Whatever happens, happens. I’m just there to play a ballgame, but I am going to enjoy the moment. That’s what I’m going to keep my mindset as. Enjoy the moment, but be aware that it’s another game, another important game for the ACC.”

Anae left in 2022 to become Syracuse’s o ensive coordinator, while Armstrong stayed one more season in Virginia. The quarterback struggled without Anae and then entered the

transfer portal and chose to come to NC State.

“Regardless of who he’s playing, that kid is uber-competitive,” NC State coach Dave Doeren said of his veteran quarterback. “He’s going to be that way no matter what. It’s just getting him to understand the process, which he does already. It’s just a game to him once that whistle blows.

“Now, when he gets in that stadium for the rst time though, I’m sure he’s gonna have some feelings. He loved that place, has great friends and memories there, but he’s play-

“I’m just there to play a ballgame, but I am going to enjoy the moment.”

NC State quarterback Brennan Armstrong on facing his former team

ing for our team and he knows that. He’s going in there to win a football game and to make it about us.”

Virginia has been on a down-

ward trajectory since winning the ACC’s Coastal Division in 2019. The Cavaliers followed that season with back-to-back .500 campaigns. Last year in new head coach Tony Elliott’s rst season, they nished 3-7 with a 1-6 conference record.

This season hasn’t gone any better for the Cavaliers, who have started 0-3 with losses to Tennessee, James Madison and Maryland.

Despite that, the Wolfpack are being sure not to look past UVA.

“All games in this league, regardless of where people are in

the standings, are games you really need to play well in,” Doeren said. “Every team is well coached and every team has talented guys, and these games mean a lot. You’ve got to show up, and you’ve got to play extremely hard and extremely well. Every game is up for grabs in this league. That’s the one thing I know being in this conference for my 11th year. Every single game is a one-possession game in this league.”

A key to making sure the Wolfpack starts o conference play right is a commitment to fundamentals.

“The biggest thing is for us to continue to improve and focus on the details of our play,” Doeren said. “There’s a lot of ways you win and lose football games. Execution is all about details and the fundamentals that come with being a better player each week, and that’s really a good recipe for our football team.”

Another key is tightening up the defense — especially the secondary, which has struggled with allowing big plays.

“The explosive pass we gave up, which we had poor eyes on a deep ball, is something we’ve got to work really hard on,” Doeren said. “There are some things we de nitely can continue to get better at and work on defensively.”

A big boost to NC State’s defense will be the return of junior cornerback Aydan White. White missed Saturday’s win over VMI due to a “minor injury,” but Doeren said the veteran should be good to go against UVA.

Despite all the storylines, Doeren is focused on one thing: starting the ACC season with a win.

“It doesn’t matter that [Armstrong] used to go to school there,” Doeren said. “It doesn’t matter that we have coaches that used to coach there or they have coaches that used to coach here. What matters is can we execute? Can we win the ball security battle? Can we strain harder than them? Can we nish plays better than them? That’s what matters. We want to win a football game, so we’re going to focus on the things that matter.”

Charlotte travels to face newly ranked Gators

Florida upset No. 11 Tennessee last week

By Jesse Deal North State Journal

CHARLOTTE — After two straight lopsided losses, the 49ers won’t get a reprieve when they make a trip to Gainsville for the school’s rst with 25thranked Florida.

While Charlotte (1-2) is navigating an identity crisis on o ense as they try to utilize quarterbacks Jalon Jones and Trexler Ivey, the Gators (2-1) are coming o a 29-16 upset over No. 11 Tennessee in which their running backs — led by Trevor Etienne — amassed three touchdowns and nearly 200 yards.

Florida’s 10th straight home win over the Volunteers has ramped up the expectations for the Gators after they started their season with a 24-11 loss to Utah, which is currently ranked 11th in the country.

Charlotte rst-year coach Bi Poggi told reporters after Saturday’s 41-25 home loss to Georgia State that his vision for the team’s o ense is not translating to the eld, implying that

he’d even be willing to take over play-calling duties from o ensive coordinator Mike Miller if necessary.

“If I have to go up in the booth and call them myself, I will,” Poggi said. “I’m telling you right now, I’m on the warpath. I just met with our coaches, and we’re either going to get it done the way I want it done, or I’m not going to be here, or they’re not going to be here. I am not doing this for the rest of the season.”

Poggi has said he favors a run-oriented attack, but he and his sta still want to utilize the talents of their two quarterbacks — Jones’ rushing ability and Ivey’s pocket presence. Charlotte’s defense hasn’t fared much better that the o ense, allowing a total of 1,093 total yards and 79 points in the past two games.

Poggi admitted he is going back to the drawing board this week as he evaluates his players and sta while coming up with a game plan that could knock o Florida.

“They beat Tennessee, which put a bunch of life back in them,” he said. “So how do we do it? I don’t know yet, but we’re going to try.”

ing three.”

velopment would be overseen by another NHL franchise’s sta .

The other side is that the durability of both Andersen and Raanta is a question mark, so having Kochetkov readily available gives the Hurricanes security in net.

“The good news on that: We know those guys and we’ve got a lot of con dence in them,” Brind’Amour said. “That was a smart move to get three of them because there’s a history there. That position’s just too important. So how we gure that out again, that’s gonna be me juggling it around if we end up keep-

Full forward complement

The addition of Michael Bunting and return to health for Andrei Svechnikov gives Carolina plenty of options at forward. The biggest roster battle up front will be at fourth line center where 23-year-old Jack Drury and 21-year-old Vasily Ponomarev — both former second round picks — will compete for a spot.

Drury has 53 games of NHL experience, which includes playing in 13 playo games last season when Carolina reached the Eastern Conference nal.

Ponomarev, meanwhile, has yet

to make his NHL debut but led the AHL’s Chicago Wolves with 24 goals a year ago. For the second straight year, he was one of the Hurricanes’ top players at the pre-camp NHL Rookie Showcase tournament that ended Monday. Brind’Amour thinks Ponomarev is close to being an NHLer.

“I don’t think he’s far away,” Brind’Amour said. “He’s had a great summer. We see him here every day, and he’s been working hard. It’s kind of hard to tell. We’ll see. He hasn’t really played at this level. We’ll see, but I think he’s de nitely improving.” Ponomarev was quick to say he thinks he’s ready to make the

jump.

“I think yes,” he said last week. “I think I can help this team to raise it up.”

Who anks Aho?

The other big question at forward is who will play alongside Sebastian Aho on the Hurricanes’ top line. Seth Jarvis manned Aho’s right side for much of last season, and the addition of Bunting gives Carolina a new piece to try on the left side. Svechnikov could also be an option on the left.

So wither Teuvo Teravainen, who is in the nal year of his contract?

“We need him,” Brind’Amour said, “all your top guys. … You’re saying, OK, he didn’t play to what we hoped. We need to get him there and he needs to get there, so he knows that. He’s a big part of what we do.”

If Brind’Amour chooses to keep his third line of Jordan Staal centering Jordan Martinook and Jesper Fast together, Teravainen will need to outplay Jarvis, Bunting, Svechnikov or Martin Necas to gure into the top six assuming everyone is healthy. Otherwise, Teravainen could nd himself ghting for fourth line ice time with Drury, Ponomarev, Stefan Noesen and Brendan Lemieux.

AP PHOTO

NC State quarterback Brennan Armstrong will return to Charlottesville on Saturday to face his former team, the Virginia Cavaliers.

AP PHOTO

Charlotte coach Bi Poggi had harsh words for his coaching sta after the 49ers’ loss Saturday to visiting Georgia State.

Bulls’ Tristan Gray gets long-awaited call from the bigs

The longtime minor leaguer went from working for UPS in the o season to playing for the Tampa Bay Rays

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

DURHAM — Baseball always seems to have a plan for its top prospects.

Those plans never seemed to include Tristan Gray.

During COVID when the minor leagues were shut down, each team got to keep 28 of its top minor leaguers in a separate site to train in case they were needed. Gray wasn’t invited. Instead, he found a job with the Sugar Land Skeeters in something called the Constellation Energy League, an independent baseball league not a liated with organized baseball. But unlike organized baseball, they were playing during the pandemic.

During the winter months, baseball has the Arizona Fall League, where promising minor leaguers can hone their skills in the desert sun. Gray has never been invited. He spent one winter playing in Perth, Australia.

As he’s done throughout his minor league career, Gray took the slight with a positive attitude.

“I haven’t played baseball in December before in my life,” he told an Australian newspaper. “I’ve never done anything like this before. Seeing a whole other culture has de nitely been eye-opening. I’ve loved it so far.”

The next winter, he worked for UPS, loading trucks for delivery. When he returned to Durham the following season, he brought his orange UPS work vest with him. The team used it as their reward for home run hitters, allowing anyone who went deep to wear the vest in the dugout for an inning.

The minor leagues are known for giving fans a glimpse of future greats — Bulls fans recall seeing Wander Franco, Josh Lowe and Shane Baz on their way up — but the vast majority of spots on minor league rosters are lled by guys like Tristan Gray. They are baseball lifers who seem to have stalled, just shy of their ultimate

destination.

From the time Gray arrived in Durham at the start of the 2021 season, 37 former Bulls made their big league debuts. That includes Baz, who was chosen by Pittsburgh in the same draft as Gray but 12 rounds earlier and signed for a $4.1 million bonus. Gray’s bonus was .1—he signed for $125,000, a nice sum to be sure, but not the kind that convinces an organization to take a closer look or give another chance.

Thirty-seven teammates.

Enough to ll a team and a half’s worth of roster spots with players who were picked instead of Gray.

Eight of them —nFranco, Jake Hager, Esteban Quiroz, Taylor Walls, Vidal Brujan, Xavier Edwards, Osleivis Basabe and Alika Williams — played the same position as he did.

A minor league city is not a place where players with big league dreams want to put down roots, but that’s what happened to Gray. He got engaged while he was with the Bulls — the wed-

ding is scheduled for November. The record for most home runs by a Bulls player who never played in the majors is 43. Gray hit 69. Gray did everything the Rays asked of him. He hit in Triple-A. He hit in spring training. When they wanted him to work on defense, he did that. When they wanted him to bulk up, he did. And when they picked someone else, time and again, he kept working and kept smiling.

After six full years in the minor leagues, players get to become free agents. The logic of the rule is that six years is more than enough time for a team to make a decision on a player. If they aren’t ready to make him a big leaguer by then, he deserves the chance

to nd a team that might.

This is the last month of Gray’s sixth full year, which means it’s likely his last month with the Durham Bulls. With just over a week to go in the regular season, he was awakened by a phone call Saturday morning.

It was Bulls manager Michael Johns, who gave him the words he’d all but given up on hearing: Get to the airport.

Taylor Walls, one of the Bulls shortstops promoted ahead of him, was going on paternity leave. That meant there was a small window of time for which the Rays needed someone to ll in. Gray had gotten the call.

Across the country in Houston, his parents and grandmother were getting to the airport as well. They would be in Baltimore for Gray’s rst day with the Tampa Bay Rays. They were the rst people he called after getting o the phone with his manager.

“I said, ‘I’m going to The Show,’” he said of talking to his mother, his voice breaking with

Hamlin says 2023 is his year to win elusive title

Following his win at Bristol, the 42-year-old was de ant toward jeering fans

By Jenna Fryer

The Associated Press

DENNY HAMLIN didn’t chill Sunday with his bravado that this is indeed the year he will nally win a Cup Series championship.

The day after his win at Bristol Motor Speedway hurdled Hamlin and his No. 11 team into the second round of NASCAR’s top series’ playo s, Hamlin was still pumping his chest.

“It’s our year,” Hamlin posted on social media alongside four photos from Saturday night’s victory.

He said the same thing to a hostile crowd in the Tennessee mountains. The fans booed Hamlin in driver introductions, booed him when he won his 51st career race and booed him as he celebrated with Bubba Wallace, who drove into the second round of the playo s to give Hamlin coowned 23XI Racing both of its cars in the next round alongside the boss, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Hamlin shared a back-andforth with the crowd, and that’s when he rst declared that this is, nally, his year.

Hamlin is considered NASCAR’s greatest driver to never win a Cup title, and in his 18 sea-

PANTHERS from page B1

short Young pass, which fell incomplete, with a chorus of boos late in the game.

“I don’t think that’s Bryce,” Reich said. “That’s on me. That’s on our team. That’s part of it. I don’t like it. I’d like to bring the fans wins and an exciting brand of football. That’s what we’re going to do. It’s a process. We’re two

sons driving for Gibbs — he just signed an extension — he’s come awfully close. He’s lost in both the head-to-head format and the winner-take-all nal four format.

A year ago, Hamlin didn’t even make it to the nal four: Ross Chastain used a last-lap videogame-style move to slingshot past Hamlin and beat him for a spot in the championship round on points.

This year, Hamlin wants his spot in Phoenix rmly in control. He and the No. 11 team were in the mix to win the playo openers at Darlington (Kyle Larson)

games into a 17-game season. Things haven’t gone the way we wanted, but nobody’s throwing in the towel. It’s a long year.”

It will be even longer if the offense doesn’t start taking risks. With the Panthers down two scores, Young and the o ense got the ball with 3:14 remaining. Young then led an 11-play drive to produce a touchdown, the only one of the day for the Panthers.

and Kansas (Tyler Reddick) and got another boost at Bristol when Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick, former Cup champions, were eliminated.

As Hamlin gnawed on the gladiator-style sword awarded the Bristol winner, he played to the booing reception.

“At some point I’ve got to realize, 18 years in, that I’m probably not going to win the most popular driver award. I’ve come to the conclusion of that. I understand it,” Hamlin said of the way crowds have been receiving him this season.

“They think they bother me.

The rst ve passes of the drive were all in the shadow of the line of scrimmage, with single-digit gains. After one deep shot that fell incomplete, Young then handed the ball o , followed by another three short passes. Just over a minute remained when the Panthers failed to recover the ensuing onside kick, and the Saints were able to run out the clock.

each word. “And she absolutely lost it. And my dad, I could hear him losing it in the background.”

That rst night, Gray entered the game as a defensive replacement at rst base in the sixth inning. He had one at-bat, popping out on the rst pitch he saw. But that was enough to get him an entry in the Baseball Encyclopedia.

The story could end there and it would be a happy ending. But the Rays are in a pennant race, playing the team they were tied with atop the American League East. This wasn’t simply the organization giving him a bone on his way out the door. They needed him, and the next day he was in the starting lineup playing shortstop.

In the sixth inning, he lined a single to right eld for his rst major league hit. In the eighth, he came up with the score tied and hit a towering drive to the deepest part of the ballpark. It cleared the wall for a go-ahead home run.

“I couldn’t tell you anything about running around the bases,” he said.

“That was a pretty special moment,” Rays manager Kevin Cash, a former Bull himself, said. “Super pumped for him. The journey and all that, and then to come up and hit the home run in the moment — that could have been one of the biggest hits of the year for us.”

This isn’t Hollywood. Baseball still has a plan for its top prospects, and chances are they still don’t include Tristan Gray. Walls will return from paternity leave in a day or two, and Gray will likely return to the Bulls. In another week, his agent will begin shopping him to other teams as he looks for a new home next season.

He knows that. That’s why, in his postgame interview with the media, he said, “I’m going to try and make this day last as long as possible.”

But regardless of where the story goes from here, Tristan Gray will always have that page in the Baseball Encylopedia, a few spots after All-Star pitcher Sonny Gray, a few before 1950s Yankees pitcher Eli Grba.

Bristol in danger of elimination. He snuck through when Logano became the rst reigning champion to be eliminated in the rst round.

But clearly it’s having an opposite e ect. I welcome any fan to want to come to the dark side. All ve of my fans are still out there chanting my name.”

Maybe this will be the year for Hamlin, who ranks 13th on NASCAR’s all-time win list. His victory at Bristol broke a tie with Hall of Fame drivers Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson, and every driver ahead of Hamlin on the all-time list has won at least one Cup title.

Hamlin has won every crown jewel on the NASCAR schedule — the Daytona 500 three times, in fact — but he’s yet to close out a season with a Cup. The winner-take-all format makes the championship a one-race ght that Hamlin isn’t looking ahead to just yet.

“I’m just looking to try to get there, try to get to Phoenix. Once we get there, I’ll focus on what it will take to be the best that day,” he said. “We know week in, week out, if we’re at our best we can’t be beat. I just don’t think so.

“Certainly this year is di erent. I told you guys before the playo s started, this year just feels di erent with the capabilities of our team and the speed we’re showing.”

The round of 12 includes Hamlin’s JGR teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Christopher Bell, as well as the two-car 23XI eet, for ve Toyotas. Truex was the regular season champion and went to

“That’s just on me making sure that, when it’s there, I take advantage of it,” Young said of throwing deep. “Hitting throws, obviously, I have to do a better job of that. There’s down-the- eld stu that gets called, and maybe I don’t get all the way through (his reads). Whatever it is, that’s on me. We’re put into places to execute as a unit, and that’s on me.”

Again, Reich refused to pin it

“I don’t know that this round could have gone any worse,” Truex said. “De nitely excited about the next round and the reset, hopefully we will keep from having so much bad luck.”

Chevrolet pushed through with Kyle Larson and William Byron from Hendrick Motorsports, Kyle Busch from Richard Childress Racing and Chastain of Trackhouse Racing. Ford had three drivers eliminated at Bristol and goes into the second round with Ryan Blaney of Team Penske, and Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher of RFK Racing.

Hamlin only got the win in Bristol but was strong enough to sweep the opening two races, won by Larson and Reddick. His crew chief doesn’t want the label as champion favorite, though.

“Certainly I think we’re a nal round favorite,” crew chief Chris Gabehart said. “Then you get to Phoenix and it’s one race. But, yeah, we’re executing at a super high level. We have all the pieces put together to do it. Certainly why not us?”

Hamlin has long insisted he’s content with his resume, Cup title or not. But he also knows he’s running well enough to lose another one.

“I don’t think I’ve been any better. I don’t think our team has been any better. At our best, I know that we’re good enough,” he said.

on Young, even as the quarterback was trying to take the blame.

“I know how hard it is to play that position,” Reich, a former quarterback, said. “I’ve been around it a long time. I know how dependent it is on everything. We’ve all got to get better.”

Unfortunately, as the string of 300-yard games indicates, the rest of the league isn’t going to wait around for that to happen.

AP PHOTO

Rays shortstop Tristan Gray reacts after hitting his rst career home run in the eighth inning of Sunday’s game against the Orioles in Baltimore.

“I’m going to The Show.”

Tristan Gray in a phone call to his mother

AP PHOTO

Denny Hamlin (11) is looking for his rst Cup Series championship.

The Versailles Palace celebrates its 400th anniversary and hosts King Charles III for state dinner

Associated Press

PARIS — France is rolling out the red carpet for King Charles III’s state visit at one of its most magni cent and emblematic monuments: the Palace of Versailles, which celebrates its 400th anniversary.

Charles and Queen Camilla’s three-day trip to Paris and Bordeaux, starting Wednesday, includes a grand dinner at Versailles in the presence of over 150 guests in the Hall of Mirrors. It comes as the Palace of Versailles just opened to the public the gallery that retraces its history, from its creation as a modest hunting lodge in 1623 to last century’s key diplomatic events — including the visits of Charles’ predecessors.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s o ce said Wednesday’s dinner echoes the state visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1972, when she was greeted at the Palace by President Georges Pompidou. King Charles liked the idea of following in his mother’s footsteps, according to Macron’s o ce. Elizabeth II also visited the palace in 1958 and 10 years before, when she was not yet a Queen.

Catherine Pégard, president of the Palace of Versailles, praised the “never-ending story” of the palace that “includes visits from French children who come to Versailles with their classes, as well as visits from His Majesty the King of England or tourists who arrive from Asia and are less familiar with the history.”

“And we have a story to tell each one of them,” she told the Associated Press.

Usually lled with a chaotic crowd of photo-snapping tourists from across the world, the Hall of Mirrors will be closed to visitors Wednesday to get prepared for the royal banquet. No details have been provided about the menu yet, but the French presidency said it will be an opportunity to showcase France’s cultural and gastronomical excellence.

Charles’ visit will make one more date in the Palace’s long history starting from King Louis XIII, to the French revolution and all the way to modern

times that is being presented on its ground oor into the newly opened Gallery of the History of the Palace. The gallery has 11 rooms, each thematic and largely chronological, presenting over 120 works aimed at providing visitors from across the world an immediate understanding of the complex history of the palace.

It brings together recently acquired works alongside paintings and art pieces that for many years had gone unseen as they’d been in reserve and others that are now repositioned and better enhanced.

Senate ditches dress code as Fetterman and others

choose casual clothes

Associated Press

MAJORITY LEADER Chuck

Schumer said Monday that sta for the chamber’s Sergeant-atArms — the Senate’s o cial clothes police — will no longer enforce a dress code on the Senate oor. The change comes after Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman has been unapologetically wearing shorts as he goes about his duties, voting from doorways so he doesn’t get in trouble for his more casual attire.

“There has been an informal dress code that was enforced,” Schumer said in a statement. “Senators are able to choose what they wear on the Senate oor. I will continue to wear a suit.”

Schumer did not mention Fetterman in his statement about the dress code, which will only apply to senators, not sta .

The changes prompted outrage from some of the chamber’s more formal members, eroding a bit of the good will that rstterm Fetterman had earned earlier this year when he checked himself into the hospital for clinical depression. He won bipartisan praise for being honest about his diagnosis, which came in the wake of a stroke he suffered on the campaign trail last year. When he returned from treatment, he started donning

the more casual clothes, which he says make him more comfortable.

Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, a Republican, said it’s a “sad day in the Senate” and that the people who Fetterman and Schumer represent should be embarrassed.

“I represent the people of Kansas, and much like when I get dressed up to go to a wedding, it’s to honor the bride and groom, you go to a funeral you get dressed up to honor the family of the deceased,” Marshall said. Senators should have a certain level of decorum, he added.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine agreed, arguing that the relaxed rules debase the institution of the Senate. “I plan to wear a bikini tomorrow to the Senate oor,” Collins joked.

Walking to Monday evening’s vote in a short-sleeved button-down shirt and shorts, Fetterman said he wasn’t sure if he’d take advantage of the new rules just yet.

“It’s nice to have the option, but I’m going to plan to be using it sparingly and not really overusing it,” he said.

Asked about the criticism, Fetterman feigned mock outrage. “They’re freaking out, I don’t understand it,” he said of his

Laurent Salomé, director of the National Museum of the Palace of Versailles and Trianon, said the exhibit features a number of masterpieces.

“Our intention was to create a rst great moment of pleasure for visitors. First of all, because they’ve traveled a lot. For a long time, they’ve dreamed of Versailles. We didn’t want to give them a boring lesson to start their visit,” he said.

Some pieces of work come from the original version of the palace and its gardens under its great builder Louis XIV, who decided to expand his father’s

hunting lodge. It’s “a history made by not just one monarch, it’s also an enormous team of artists — and the greatest artists. A good thing about absolute monarchy is to be able to gather all the best people at the same place,” Salomé stressed.

Today the Palace contains 2,300 rooms spread over 63,154 square meters (679,784 square feet).

The gallery of history also provides an occasion to discover anecdotes about the Palace’s life — like some panels of the “Chinese chamber” of Queen Marie

Leszczynska, Louis XV’s wife, that she in part painted herself. In the last rooms, visitors can see the famous desk where the 1919 Treaty of Versailles was signed that formally ended World War I, as well as photos and video archives of heads of states and royalties honored at the Palace during the 20th century.

“The idea is also to show that there is a gradual transformation of the Chateau de Versailles, which has always remained alive through the centuries, from its creation to the present day,” Salomé said.

critics. “Like, aren’t there more important things we should be working on right now instead of, you know, that I might be dressing like a slob?”

When Fetterman reached the Senate oor, he still voted from the doorway. “Baby steps,” he told reporters as he got on the elevator to go back to his o ce.

Not all Republicans were upset about the change. Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley was wearing jeans, boots and no tie on Monday evening, an out t he says he normally wears when he ies in from his home state for the rst votes of the week.

“Now I can vote from the Senate oor on Mondays,” Hawley said, noting that he usually wears a suit and tie every other day.

Nearby, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy was also tieless.

The Democrat said he’s been reprimanded by Sergeant-at-Arms sta in the past for not wearing a tie on the oor.

“They would tell us when we were doing it wrong,” Murphy said.

It’s unclear if the rules for more formal attire were actually written down anywhere, but Schumer’s directive means that sta will no longer scold senators for their choice of clothing or ask them to vote from the doorway.

For Fetterman, his signature hoodies and gym shorts were a sign of his recovery. Before he checked himself into the hospital, his sta had asked him to always wear suits, which he famously hates. But after a check with the Senate parliamentarian upon his return in April, it became clear that he could continue wearing the casual clothes

that were often his uniform back at home in Pennsylvania, as long as he didn’t walk on to the Senate oor. He still wears suits to committee meetings when they are required.

In recent weeks, the Pennsylvania senator has become more comfortable joking around in the hallways and answering reporters’ questions. His words are still halting sometimes due to his stroke and an auditory processing disorder that makes it harder to speak uidly and process spoken conversation. He uses iPads and iPhones in conversations that transcribe spoken words in real time.

“I think we should all want to be more comfortable,” Fetterman told a group of reporters on Monday. “And now we have that option, and if people prefer to wear a suit, then that’s great.”

AP PHOTO

Visitors enjoy the Chateau de Versailles gardens, outside Paris, France, on July 15, 2023. France is rolling out the red carpet for King Charles III’s state visit starting on Wednesday Sept. 20, 2023 at one of its most magni cent and emblematic monuments: the Palace of Versailles, which celebrates its 400th anniversary.

PHOTO COURTESY HYUNDAI\ Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., waves to members of the media, Monday, April 17, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

of New Hanover County North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby give notice to all persons, forms or corporations having claims against the Estate to present them in writing by giving evidence of the same to the undersigned on or before the 20th day of December 2023, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the deceased or said estate will please make immediate settlement with the undersigned. This is the 20th day of September 2023.

Robin M. Pearsall, Executrix for the Estate of Ann L. Magill 723 Timber Lane Wilmington, NC 28405

NOTICE TO

Estate of Leon E. Wright, Deceased c/o Randall S. Hoose, Jr. Atlantic Coast Law 314 Walnut Street, Suite 100 Wilmington, NC 28401-4160

Please publish 09/20, 09/27, 10/04, 10/11

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS

Having quali ed as Personal Representative of the Estate ofScott Royal a/k/a Scott Rundle Royal, deceased, late of New Hanover County, North Carolina, the undersigned hereby noti es all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to present them, duly veri ed, to the undersigned, care of their attorney, on or before December 21, 2023 (which date is at least three (3) months from the rst publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to said Estate will please make immediate settlement with the undersigned, care of their attorney.

This the 20th day of September, 2023.

Beth Thompson Register, Administrator C.T.A. of the Estate of Scott Royal a/k/a Scott Rundle Royal, Deceased

Randall S. Hoose,

NOTICE

and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are ALL LAWFUL HEIRS OF PHYLLIS J. GALLIHER. An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be e ective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b)(2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the e ective date of the termination.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the ling of a bankruptcy petition prior to the con rmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.

Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 File No.: 22-06287-FC01

Albemarle Football

COUNTY NEWS

Red Cross announces national blood supply shortage

Last week, the American Red Cross announced that the national blood supply had fallen to critically low levels that could potentially threaten the emergency medical care of patients and those depending on blood transfusions. A 25% drop in donations since August, coupled with back-to-back months of climatedriven disasters, is the result of the strained blood supply, according to the Red Cross. Donors of all blood types are urgently needed, and there is an emergency need for platelet donors and O-blood donors to make an appointment to give now to ensure patients across the country continue to receive critical medical care. “For so many patients living with urgent medical care needs, crises don’t stop with natural disasters,” said Dr. Pampee Young, chief medical officer of the American Red Cross. “In fact, in some instances, the stresses of a disaster can lead to a medical crisis for some individuals battling sickle cell disease.

The need for blood is constant. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood— an often invisible emergency that the rest of the world doesn’t see behind closed hospital doors. Now, that urgency has only heightened.” To make an appointment to give blood or platelets, donors can use the Red Cross Blood App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-733-2767.

Pfei er University reveals local presidential scholarship award recipients

By Jesse Deal North State Journal

MISENHEIMER — Pfe er

University recently announced the names of its 16 local presidential scholarship award recipients, who each graduated from a Stanly County high school with a GPA ranging between 3.5 and 4.0.

“Pfei er University and Stanly County Schools have enjoyed an authentic and collaborative relationship for decades,” Dr. Dawn Lucas, Pfei er’s interim dean of the undergraduate college, said in a university press release. “Over the last several years, we have welcomed dozens of Stanly County students to Pfei er University to continue their educational journey.”

Gisell Acosta, Cayman Buck, Hailey Caudle, Mckinlee Coble, Kade Cooper, Braelyn Couick, Peyton Gentry, Reece Gentry, Jaime Jaramillo, Madison Lomax, Wyatt Reeder, Annika Schneider, Layla Simpson, Caroline Vanhoy, Raegan Waggoner and Luke

Webb are the latest scholarship winners from within the county.

“This year, we are thrilled to have a record number of Stanly County Schools alumni entering as presidential scholarship awardees,” Lucas continued. “We look forward to watching their growth in the classroom and the positive impact they will have on our community as they progress through their respective programs.”

Emily Carella, Pfei er University’s vice president for enrollment management, added that Pfei er is dedicated to providing nancial aid assistance to high school students from nearby areas.

“We have made a real e ort to give our local students a quality education at an a ordable price,” Carella said. “On average, this group of students is paying less than $1,500 a semester to attend Pfei er.”

Less than a week before announcing the university’s presidential scholarship recipients, Pfei er also announced that one

of its students — senior Madison Lowery (‘24) — has been chosen as a recipient of the North Carolina Sheri s’ Association (NCSA)

Criminal Justice Scholarship.

The NCSA annually awards 38 scholarships to students majoring in criminal justice at a UNC System University or a North Carolina Independent College or University.

“The North Carolina Sheri s’ Association, on behalf of North Carolina’s 100 constitutionally elected sheri s, is proud to partner with the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities to provide an annual college scholarship to one student in the criminal justice program at each of the independent colleges and universities that have such a program,” NCSA president Ed McMahon said.

In order to be selected for a scholarship, students must produce a one-page essay detailing their educational and career goals as well as their personal interest in the scholarship. Additionally,

Chick- l-A will establish second distribution center in NC

North State Journal

KANNAPOLIS — North Carolina, already a national leader in chicken production, is deepening its role in the delivery of the “Original Chicken Sandwich” after an announcement Tuesday. Chick- l-A Supply, a subsidiary of Chick- l-A, Inc., has announced plans to launch a new distribution center in Kannapolis. The $58.3 million project will be Chick- lA’s second distribution center in the Tarheel State.

“Chick- l-A Supply is committed to investing in local communities like Kannapolis to create jobs and grow our supply chain operation,” said Josh Grote, the executive director of Chick- l-A Supply. “We look forward to growing our Chickl-A Supply family in North Carolina and know they will complete deliveries with care to serve our franchise Operators, licensees, and Team Members.”

Founded in 1967, Chickl-A has grown to become one

of the nation’s highest-volume quick-service restaurant chains. Chick- l-A Supply is responsible for maintaining a steady supply of food and products for the chain’s expanding footprint.

To accommodate its growth and meet the needs of approx-

imately 100 restaurants in the Charlotte region, Chick- l-A Supply will establish a new 120,000-square-foot distribution center. The company aims to have the facility operational by the third quarter of 2024. Presently, Chick- l-A Supply operates four distri-

students are required to receive a letter of support from the sheri of their local county.

Lowery, who transferred to Pfei er from Catawba College to nish her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, has also played with the Falcons’ track and cross-country teams. Last November, she became the rst female in program history to compete in the NCAA Division III Cross-Country Championships in Lansing, MI.

With plans of becoming a police o cer after graduation, she stated in a university press release that her higher education experiences have increased her desire to enter law enforcement soon.

“Being in school has deepened my reason for wanting to become a police o cer because I have become more educated about our society,” Lowery said. “Seeing all the corruption around us in the world doesn’t settle with me, and if I can’t change it, I can at least challenge it.”

bution centers, including a 180,000-square-foot facility in Mebane, North Carolina.

“Chick- l-A’s expansion is good for Kannapolis along with Rowan and surrounding counties. We appreciate their vote of con dence in North Carolina and the strength of our workforce and infrastructure,” said Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) in a release.

The expansion project is expected to create more than 85 jobs in Rowan County, including positions for drivers, managers, o ce sta , and warehouse personnel. Wages will vary by position, with the average annual wage estimated to be $58,574 — more than the Rowan County average of $50,138. The state estimated the new employment opportunities have the potential to generate an annual payroll impact of more than $4.8 million for the region.

See CHICK FIL A , page 2

Albemarle’s Kaine McLendon is tackled by Southwestern Randolph’s Jentezen Cox during a non conference game at Southwestern Randolph high school in Asheboro, on September 15, 2023.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

AP PHOTO

Shown is a Chick- l-A location, on Nov. 17, 2021.

WEDNESDAY

9.20.23 #305

Rolling Stone co-founder Jann Wenner removed from Rock Hall leadership after controversial comments

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Jann Wenner, who co-founded Rolling Stone magazine and also was a co-founder of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, has been removed from the hall’s board of directors after making disparaging comments toward Black and female musicians. He apologized within hours.

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CRIME LOG

ROBINSON-TYUS, AHMAD RASHAD (B /M/34), FELONY

LARCENY, 09/19/2023, Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

BROCK, BETHANY AMBER (W /F/25), FELONY PROBATION VIOLATION, 09/16/2023, Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

“North Carolina has the fourth-largest food and beverage industry in the United States and is within a day’s drive of 150 million customers,” said state commerce secretary Machelle Baker. “When wellknown companies like Chickl-A reinvest in North Carolina,

“Jann Wenner has been removed from the Board of Directors of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation,” the hall said Saturday, a day after Wenner’s comments were published in a New York Times interview.

Wenner created a restorm doing publicity for his new book “The Masters,” which features interviews with musicians Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend and U2’s Bono — all white and male.

Asked why he didn’t inter-

HARRIS, NATHAN ADRYLL (B /M/48), POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUB PRISON/ JAIL, 09/16/2023, Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

TALBERT, BRIANNA BROOKE (W /F/29), LARCENY OF DOG, 09/16/2023, Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

BECKFORD, BYRON ANTHONY (B /M/20),

it a rms our reputation as the best state to do business.”

Chick- l-A’s decision to locate in North Carolina received support from the One North Carolina Fund, which provided a $200,000 performance-based incentive. This fund provides nancial assistance to local governments to attract economic investment

NASA says more science and less stigma are needed to understand UFOs

The Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA said Thursday that the study of UFOs will require new scienti c techniques, including advanced satellites as well as a shift in how unidenti ed ying objects are perceived.

The space agency released the ndings after a yearlong study into UFOs.

In its 33-page report, an independent team commissioned by NASA cautioned that the negative perception surrounding UFOs poses an obstacle to collecting data. But o cials said NASA’s involvement should help reduce the stigma around what it calls UAPs, or unidenti ed anomalous phenomena.

“We want to shift the conversation about UAPs from sensationalism to science,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. He promised an open and transpar-

view women or Black musicians, Wenner responded: “It’s not that they’re inarticulate, although, go have a deep conversation with Grace Slick or Janis Joplin. Please, be my guest. You know, Joni (Mitchell) was not a philosopher of rock ‘n’ roll. She didn’t, in my mind, meet that test,” he told the Times.

“Of Black artists — you know, Stevie Wonder, genius, right? I suppose when you use a word as broad as ‘masters,’ the fault is using that word. Maybe Marvin Gaye, or Curtis May eld? I mean, they just didn’t articulate at that level,” Wenner said.

Late Saturday, Wenner apologized through his publisher, Little, Brown and Company, saying: “In my interview with The New York Times I made comments that diminished the contributions, genius and impact of Black and women artists and I apologize wholeheartedly for those remarks.”

FEL PROB VIOL OUT OF COUNTY, 09/15/2023, Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

PARKER, JACOB MYLES (W /M/29), FELONY PROBATION VIOLATION, 09/14/2023, Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

WRIGHT, DANIEL JAY (B /M/33), CHILD SUPPORT,

and create jobs. Companies are required to meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment, with Chick- l-A Supply expected to create 82 jobs to receive these grants. Local governments are also expected to provide matching contributions.

“We’re delighted to welcome Chick- l-A to Rowan Coun-

“In my interview with The New York Times I made comments that diminished the contributions, genius and impact of Black and women artists and I apologize wholeheartedly for those remarks.”

Jann Wenner

He added: “I totally understand the in ammatory nature and badly chosen words and deeply apologize and accept the consequences.” Wenner co-founded Rolling Stone in 1967 and served as its editor or editorial director until 2019. He also co-founded the

09/14/2023, Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

CHARLES, SARAH HEPHZIBAH (W /F/34), INDECENT LIBERTIES WITH A CHILD, 09/13/2023, Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

HARRELL, SANTARRIO JARELL (B /M/37), ASSAULT WITH DEADLY WEAPON (M), 09/13/2023, Stanly County

ty,” said Senator Paul Newton (R-Cabarrus). “These new jobs and investments will be great additions to our community, and it’s part of our mission to help them grow.”

State and local governments, along with the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina and Duke Energy, were credited as key partners in

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which was launched in 1987.

In the interview, Wenner seemed to acknowledge he would face a backlash. “Just for public relations sake, maybe I should have gone and found one Black and one woman artist to include here that didn’t measure up to that same historical standard, just to avert this kind of criticism.”

Last year, Rolling Stone magazine published its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and ranked Gaye’s “What’s Going On” No. 1, “Blue” by Mitchell at No. 3, Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life” at No. 4, “Purple Rain” by Prince and the Revolution at No. 8 and Ms. Lauryn Hill’s “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” at No. 10. Rolling Stone’s niche in magazines was an outgrowth of Wenner’s outsized interests, a mixture of authoritative music and cultural coverage with tough investigative reporting.

Sheriff`S Office WILLIAMS, DEWITT NMN (B /M/65), POSSESSION OF FIREARM BY FELON, 09/13/2023, Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

fostering Chick- l-A’s decision in a press release from the State of North Carolina.

“This is fantastic news for the City of Kannapolis and the state,” said Rep. Kevin Crutcheld (R-Cabarrus, Rowan). “We appreciate the collaboration of local and state partners that recruited such an outstanding company to the region.”

“We want to shift the conversation about UAPs from sensationalism to science.”

Administrator Bill Nelson

ent approach. O cials stressed the panel found no evidence that UAPs had extraterrestrial origin. But Nelson acknowledged with billions of stars in billions of galaxies out there, another Earth could exist.

“If you ask me, do I believe there’s life in a universe that is so vast that it’s hard for me to comprehend how big it is, my personal answer is yes,” Nelson said at a news conference. His own scientists put the likelihood of life on another Earthlike planet at “at least a trillion.”

When pressed by reporters on whether the U.S. or other governments are hiding aliens or otherworldly spaceships, Nelson said: “Show me the evidence.”

NASA has said it doesn’t actively search for unexplained sightings. But it operates a eet of Earth-circling spacecraft

Workers on sca olding repaint the NASA logo near the top of the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, May 20, 2020. After a yearlong study into UFOs, NASA is releasing a report Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, on what it needs to better understand unidenti ed ying objects from a scienti c point of view.

that can help determine, for example, whether weather is behind a strange event.

The 16-member panel noted that arti cial intelligence and machine learning are essential for identifying rare occurrences, including UFOs.

NASA recently appointed a director of UAP research, but refused to divulge his identity at Thursday morning’s news conference in hopes of avoid-

ing the threats and harassment faced by panel members during the study.

Eight hours later, however, NASA said it’s Mark McInerney, who previously served as a liaison on the subject of UAPs between the space agency and the Defense Department. He’s also worked with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Hurricane Center.

No top-secret les were accessed by the panel’s scientists, aviation and arti cial intelligence experts, and retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, the rst American to spend nearly a year in space. Instead, the group relied on unclassi ed data in an attempt to better understand unexplained sightings in the sky.

O cials said there are so few high-quality observations that no scienti c conclusions can be drawn. Most events can be attributed to planes, drones, balloons or weather conditions, said panel chairman David Spergel, president of the Simons Foundation, a scienti c research group. The government refers to unexplained sightings as UAPs versus UFOs. NASA de nes them as observations in the sky or elsewhere that cannot be readily identi ed or scienti cally explained.

The study was launched a year ago and cost under $100,000.

“Join the conversation”

NASA

the UAPs sensationalism to Bill

were acpanel’s sciencial inand retired Scott Kelto spend

Instead, unclassi ed better unsightings are so observations conclusions events can planes, drones, condichairman Daof the Siscienti c refers to unas UAPs de nes in the cannot be scienti callaunched a year $100,000.

VISUAL VOICES

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

Is Google guilty of being too popular with consumers?

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD the Biden Justice Department is suing Google in federal court for being a “monopoly.” That’s a bizarre charge given that few, if any companies in all American history have lowered prices more than Google — which provides access to information that used to take hours or days to nd — with merely a click of a button, and instantaneously. And it does it basically for free.

It appears that the crime that Google is being charged with is that the company is TOO successful, and consumers like and use it TOO much.

Wait, I thought monopolies are bad because they RAISE prices. Google does the opposite. If you’re a consumer and a user of Google searches and you feel aggrieved, raise your hand.

Actually, the Biden lawyers aren’t even trying to make the case that Google harms its users. Instead, it has invented a new legal theory that Google is hurting its competitors — many of which aren’t even located in the United States. This would be like Burger King suing McDonald’s because more customers are choosing the golden arches.

It appears that the crime that Google is being charged with is that the company is TOO successful, and consumers like and use it TOO much.

That is the essence of the hollow case of Biden v. Google.

It’s true that many conservatives don’t like Google’s left-leaning politics and bias in some of its search algorithms. Neither do I. But it’s their product, and consumers can always walk away. But if the issue is what is in the national interest, the villain in this case is the Justice Department, not Google.

Let’s back up a minute. The reason that the U.S. emerged as the massive winner in the tech wars of the last three decades is that Congress made a rare wise decision by passing a law in the mid-1990s (thank you, Rep. Chris Cox) that essentially declared this new and revolutionary communications device called “the internet” tax-free, regulation-free and lawsuit-free. Tech companies weren’t to be encumbered with nuisance lawsuits like this one.

This laissez-faire strategy sparked a Wild West gold rush of creativity and entrepreneurial explosion — unimpeded by government — that created tens of trillions of dollars of wealth and sprouted trillion-dollar companies from Google to Apple to Amazon to Facebook. They are all predominantly owned by more than 100 million American shareholders. And we have shared in the trillions of dollars of wealth created.

America won this tech race big time. We blew away the Europeans, the Japanese, the Chinese — all who got left picking

COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO

The impeachment of Joe Biden

I hope you can all

LAST WEEK, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., announced the opening of an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. “These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption, and they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives,” McCarthy explained. The impeachment inquiry will give the House Republicans a better legal defense against claims that any subpoenas they issue exceed the scope of congressional authority. More importantly, it signals to the American public the seriousness of Republican intent to make Biden’s corruption the top issue in the 2024 election.

For those complaining about Republican politicking, turnabout is surely fair play. Former President Donald Trump was impeached not once but twice; neither time did Democrats so much as allege a statutory crime. They relied on the fact that impeachment is a political response, not a criminal one — true as far as it goes, but precedent-setting in the context of prior impeachments. They pursued impeachment inquiries without so much as a vote in the House. The genie is out of the bottle, and it isn’t going back in anytime soon.

The allegations against Biden are already damning. So is the evidence. Biden used his son, Hunter, as a cutout to clear cash from foreign sources on behalf of the Biden family. That’s all part of a decades-long pattern by which Biden has used his political power and in uence to bene t his family.

Back in the 1970s, Jimmy Biden, Joe’s brother, somehow obtained generous loans from a local bank to open a rock club, despite little in the way of collateral; Joe was sitting on the Senate Banking Committee at the time and ended up pressuring the bank when Jimmy fell behind on his loans.

In 1996, Joe cashed out his home by selling it to the vice president of MBNA in a sweetheart deal; MBNA would also hire Hunter fresh out of law school. MBNA was one of Biden’s biggest donors and a bene ciary of his credit card policy largesse.

In the words of Politico reporter Ben Schreckinger, “The Bidens regularly intermingled personal, political, and nancial relationships in ways that invited questions about whether the

up the crumbs.

Google wasn’t the rst search engine. It took the Silicon Valley company more than a decade to win over users and seize control of this market.

It’s a great American success story. Google now dominates 79% of the U.S. search market and about that same share internationally. Why? Not because it’s a monopoly or because government gave them handouts. There are scores of search engines from Microsoft’s Bing to DuckDuckGo to Russian, Chinese and European rivals. Google dominates for the same reason the Boston Celtics won 11 titles with Bill Russell. They have a superior product. Period. It processes a mind-boggling 100,000 searches per second, and some 8.5 billion searches a day.

Now we nd in the rst days of the trial, as reported by the folks at NetChoice, that one of the allegations that the Biden lawyers are making is that Google is unfair competition to a Russian internet company. Can you believe it? So now President Joe Biden is siding with President Vladimir Putin and the Russians against a red, white and blue American company? How is this possibly in the economic or national security interests of the United States?

It’s not just Google facing witch hunts from the Biden administration. In a similarly inexplicable action, this White House is trying to block a merger between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, a computer game producer. Both companies are American, and the biggest player in the industry is Sony, a Japanese company. Most countries have approved the merger, but not the one country that stands to bene t the most: America.

In the case of Google, the government’s lawyers and regulators are three moves behind the industry on the high-tech chessboard. In the months ahead, there is going to be a ood of new competition in tech, and it isn’t coming from government regulators but from the creative gales of destruction in the arti cial intelligence orbit. This will require massive search and recognition capabilities.

This could be bigger than the internet. Don’t we want America to win this race?

In the case of Biden v. Google, let’s hope and pray the government gets sent packing.

Google all the way.

Stephen Moore is chief economist at FreedomWorks and is a cofounder of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity.

public interest was getting short-changed.”

All of this came to a head when Joe attained the vice presidency. Hunter forged relationships, with his father’s aide, in China and Ukraine; Joe would call into business meetings to “talk about the weather.” Hunter joined the board of Burisma, where he made an extraordinary amount of money; in return, he promised connection with his father. In December 2015, Biden went to Ukraine, where he demanded that Viktor Shokin, a prosecutor looking into Burisma, be red, threatening to withdraw $1 billion in American aid. During this time, a con dential human source later told the FBI that Burisma’s CFO said that he had hired Hunter “to protect us, through his dad, from all kinds of problems.”

That was merely the most egregious apparent abuse of power. There were dozens of others.

Was Joe bene tting from Hunter’s business arrangements? We hear from the media that there is no evidence to suggest he was. But that’s obviously a lie: scoring bene ts for your drug-addicted, sexually deviant son is certainly a bene t that accrues to Joe. And we also have a text directly from Hunter to his daughter Naomi in 2019: “I hope you can all do what I did and pay for everything for this entire family for 30 years. It’s really hard. But don’t worry. Unlike Pop, I won’t make you give me half your salary.”

All of this is predicate to Biden’s behavior as president. Thanks to whistleblowers, we know that the Biden DOJ attempted to cut a sweetheart deal with Hunter Biden to end any investigation into these matters. In this case, the cover-up may be just as bad as the crime.

In the end, the American voters will give their verdict on Biden; with Democrats in control of the Senate, he won’t be removed from o ce. But Republicans are right to remind Americans that Biden isn’t a decent man restoring honor to the Oval O ce. He’s a career-long corrupt politician who simply got lucky in his enemies at the right time.

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

COLUMN | STEPHEN MOORE

SIDELINE REPORT

NFL Rams receiver Nacua sets rookie record with 15 catches

Inglewood, Calif.

Rams wide receiver Puka

Nacua set the NFL singlegame record for most receptions by a rookie with 15 catches in a 3023 loss to San Francisco on Sunday. Nacua broke the record with a 17yard reception late in the fourth quarter. He surpassed the former mark of 14 held by Washington’s Roy Helu, the New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley and Pittsburgh’s Najee Harris.

Nacua’s 25 receptions this season are also the most by a rookie in his rst two games.

GOLF

Stricker gets 6th win, sets Champions earnings record

Sioux Falls, S.D.

Steve Stricker won for the sixth time this year on the PGA Tour Champions, claiming the Sanford International in South Dakota for the third time on Sunday. Stricker caught up to K.J. Choi with an eagle on the 12th hole, made a few more birdies to regain the lead and shot a 66 to win by one. Stricker set a record for single-season earnings on the 50-andolder circuit. He now is just short of $4 million. Stricker’s six wins this year include three senior majors.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Bowling Green’s Hardamon in stable condition

Ann Arbor, Mich.

Bowling Green linebacker

Demetrius Hardamon was in stable condition and cleared to walk a day after an orthopedic injury led to him being placed on a backboard and onto a stretcher before being carted o the eld at Michigan Stadium. The school shared an update on Sunday, saying it hopes Hardamon will soon be released from the hospital. Hardamon was hurt while tackling tight end Colston Loveland in the third quarter of No. 2 Michigan’s 31-6 win.

TENNIS

U.S. knocked out of Davis Cup

Split, Croatia

Hamlin wins at Bristol, Logano eliminated from playo s

The Cup Series playo s cut down to 12 contenders

The Associated Press

THE BEST DRIVER to never win a Cup Series championship believes he can lose that tag this year.

At least that’s what Denny Hamlin told the Bristol Motor Speedway crowd as they booed his third win of the year, 51st of his career, and third in the prestigious short track Saturday night race.

“It’s our year. I just feel we’ve got it all put together,” Hamlin said. “Nothing to stop us at this point.”

Hamlin has won three Daytona 500s and most of NASCAR’s crown jewel races, but he has never won a Cup title in 18 years with Joe Gibbs Racing. He signed an extension

this month and was among the strongest cars in the rst round of the playo s.

He is third behind William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports and Gibbs teammate Martin Truex Jr. with the points reset for NASCAR’s second round.

Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick were both eliminated from title contention as both NASCAR champions failed to advance out of the rst round. Logano became the rst reigning champion eliminated in the rst round when he crashed early in the third stage and nished 34th.

He was watching as a spectator as former Gibbs teammate Hamlin celebrated.

Harvick, who is retiring at the end of the season, also was eliminated after nishing ve laps down in 29th. Harvick was the rst driver in 2014 to win the championship in this elimi-

Howell leads big rally for Commanders, tops Broncos’ Wilson

atore said it looked like St-Juste made enough early contact for a foul, but Brad Rogers’ crew didn’t throw a ag and the Commanders celebrated the franchise’s rst 2-0 start since 2011.

nals

The United States was eliminated from the Davis Cup by Finland on Saturday. Otto Virtanen saved two match points in the decisive tiebreaker to beat Mackenzie McDonald 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (7), and Emil Ruusuvuori defeated Tommy Paul 7-6 (1), 6-4 to give Davis Cup nals debutant Finland a historic win in Split. Finland joins the Netherlands in advancing out of Group D and reaching the Final 8 in the southern Spanish city of Malaga in November.

The Associated Press DENVER — Washington cornerback Benjamin St-Juste didn’t inch after Brandon Johnson snared Russell Wilson’s 50-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass o a double de ection with no time remaining Sunday. That cut Washington’s lead to 35-33.

St-Juste said he gured, “OK, we got one more opportunity to shut this down and come up with a ‘dub.’

“So, we locked in and made the play,” said St-Juste, who appeared to get away with pass interference when he broke up Wilson’s 2-point conversion throw to Courtland Sutton, preserving the Commanders’ comefrom-behind win. Washington rallied from an early 21-3 decit to take a 35-24 lead then had to hang on with no time on the clock. CBS rules analyst Gene Ster-

The Broncos (0-2) have lost back-to-back home games for the rst time, not the kind of history coach Sean Payton was hoping to make in his return to the sideline after a year in the broadcast studio following a highly successful 15-year stint in New Orleans, especially after he criticized predecessor Nathaniel Hackett for doing one of the worst coaching jobs in NFL history last year.

The Broncos lost despite scoring touchdowns on their rst three drives for the rst time since 2010. Their 18-point blown lead tied for the fourth largest at home in franchise history.

“This is a resilient team,” Washington’s Sam Howell said after throwing for 299 yards and two TDs in his rst road start.

“The thing I’m proud of is we had each other’s back on both sides of the ball.”

Brian Robinson Jr. added two TD runs, helping the Com-

nation format. “We’ve been like that all year, hit or miss, and tonight we just missed by a mile,” Harvick said. “I’ve had some good days, some bad days, but that’s de nitely the worst day with fenders. I didn’t really have many expectations, as up and down as the year has been. It is what it is, that’s probably what we deserved.”

Also eliminated were Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael McDowell, despite nishing sixth. Three Ford teams were eliminated, and Stenhouse drives a Chevrolet.

“It wasn’t enough. We were in

a must-win situation,” McDowell said. “This is a learning experience. We’ll learn from this, get ready for next year.”

For Hamlin, the booing was loud when he stopped his No. 11 Toyota at the nish line. He collected the checkered ag then verbally sparred with the angry spectators.

“Everyone likes a winner, right?” he at rst said of the jeers.

He con dently boasted “this is our year” for a championship, then addressed the crowd directly.

“I beat your favorite driver,” he taunted.

“Who would that be?” asked the announcer.

“All of them,” Hamlin said as he headed o to celebrate, likely with the 23XI Racing team he founded after Bubba Wallace drove his way into the second round with a 14th-place nish.

The Cup Series opens the second round of the playo s next Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, which has only one Cup race this year for the rst time since 2004. Tyler Reddick won the race a year ago driving for Richard Childress Racing.

manders to the second-biggest comeback in franchise history. Washington overcame a 21-point de cit to beat Detroit on Nov. 4, 1990. The Commanders used a 32-3 scoring outburst to take control

before the Broncos made it interesting at the very end.

With 2 seconds left and the Broncos at the 50-yard line trailing 35-27, Wilson heaved a pass toward the end zone that was de ected by a scrum of players before Johnson snared it for the score.

Wilson threw for 308 yards and three TDs but also had two turnovers.

Washington coach Ron Rivera was presented with a game ball in the locker room for his 100th career win in the NFL.

“This is a resilient team.”

Sam Howell, Commanders quarterback

“It’s our year. … Nothing to stop us at this point.”

Denny Hamlin

The battle of former UNC and NC State quarterbacks went to Washington

AP PHOTO

Denny Hamlin celebrates his victory in Saturday night’s Cup Series playo race at Bristol.

AP PHOTO

Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson tries to get a pass away as he is pressured by Commanders linebacker Cody Barton during Sunday’s game in Denver.

Babcock resigns as Blue Jackets coach amid investigation

He was accused of going through players’ phones during meetings

The Associated Press

Mike Babcock, the coach with a Stanley Cup championship and two Olympic gold medals on his resume, has lost his last two jobs in the NHL.

Last time, it was for losing too many games. This time, it was for his interactions with players that followed a disturbing pattern of past behavior.

Babcock resigned as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday after just two months on the job, less than a week after his requests for personal photos from players in a bonding e ort drew criticism as too invasive.

The team announced Babcock’s abrupt departure in the aftermath of an investigation by the NHL Players’ Association into his conduct. Pascal Vincent was named Babcock’s replacement and signed a two-year contract through the 2024-25 season.

“Our players deserve to be treated with respect in the workplace,” NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh said. “Unfortunately, that was not the case in Columbus. The club’s decision to move forward with a new head coach is the appropriate course of action.”

Former NHL player Paul Bissonnette reported on his podcast Tuesday that Babcock was asking players to show him photos and projecting them for others to see in an invasion of privacy. Babcock and captain Boone Jenner denied the report, saying it was just a way of the new coach getting to know players.

Still, the players union launched a review and updated the league Friday on its ndings.

“This was a di cult decision on everyone’s part, but one we felt necessary to ensure our focus

remains on the players and the team’s upcoming season,” general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement. “On behalf of the entire Blue Jackets organization, we want to thank Mike for his hard work and the professionalism he has shown in working together on a plan to step down.”

Babcock’s conduct was under the microscope given his history of polarizing, old-school coaching techniques, many of which came to light after he was red by Toronto in 2019. This was his rst NHL job since.

Albemarle snaps 6-game losing streak with road win

The Bulldogs scored a season-high 32 points on Southwestern Randolph

By Jesse Deal North State Journal

Albemarle picked up its rst win of the season Friday, ending a six-game losing streak that dated back to last season.

The Bulldogs (1-4) beat previously unbeaten Southwestern Randolph (3-1) 32-6 on the road to get back in the win column.

After a scoreless rst quarter, the Cougars got on the board rst when they returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown with just 11 seconds left in the opening half.

straight wins.

Mount Pleasant (3-2) knocked o the Colts (3-2) 2820 in Oakboro in a battle of former conference rivals. West Stanly made it a one-possession game in the fourth quarter with a touchdown but was unable to rally past the Tigers.

Colts quarterback Jett Thomas and junior wide receiver Gavyn E rd connected twice for touchdowns, while senior running back Rene Salazar had 182 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries.

West is o this week before starting Rocky River Conference play at home against Piedmont (1-4) on Sept. 29.

South Stanly 18, Wheatmore 12

“Upon re ection, it has become clear that continuing as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets was going to be too much of a distraction,” Babcock said. “While I’m disappointed to not have had the opportunity to continue the work we’ve begun, I know it’s in the best interest of the organization for me to step away at this time. I wish everyone in the organization well in the upcoming season.”

Babcock, the 2008 Stanley Cup-winning coach with Detroit, said upon taking the Columbus job in July that he evolved as a coach and learned how better to deal with players following his ring by Toronto.

A report surfaced after the Maple Leafs red Babcock that he had asked a player to share his ranking of teammates from hardest- to least-hardest working and then shared that with the rest of the group. Other former players expressed their dissatisfaction with Babcock, who at one point was considered the best coach in hockey.

The Bulldogs, however, responded when senior running back Malik Watkins returned the ensuing kicko for a touchdown to make it 6-6 at the half. The momentum from Albemarle’s late-half touchdown carried over into the second half when the Bulldogs scored 26 unanswered points.

Kaine McClendon, who rushed 15 times for 71 yards, was responsible for two of those scores, while wide receivers Ja’Zyion Geiger and Jaylen Pinkney each had touchdown receptions from quarterback Ander Artis. Artis completed 19 of 26 passes for a season-high 341 yards.

The Bulldogs will look for a second straight win when they host Lake Norman Charter (31) on Friday.

Mount Pleasant 28, West Stanly 20

West Stanly dropped its second straight game after opening the season with three

South Stanly topped Wheatmore 18-12 on Friday night, giving the Rebel Bulls wins in three of their last four games after having a 12-game losing streak.

First-year coach Terry Shankle’s Bulls (3-2) were tied 6-6 with the Warriors (2-3) at halftime and down 12-6 heading into the fourth quarter before Jasiah Holt returned a punt 40 yards for a touchdown.

South got the go-ahead score when quarterback Kaleb Richardson connected with wide receiver Tristen Patterson with two minutes left in the game.

South has a bye week before it travels to Mount Pleasant on Sept. 29 for its rst Yadkin Valley Conference game of the season.

North Stanly — bye

The 3-1 Comets were o last week but will host unbeaten Forest Hills (4-0) on Friday.

Michigan State plans to dig into source of leak in Mel Tucker investigation

Activist Brenda Tracy was identi ed as the accuser

The Associated Press EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State is looking into the source of a leak that led to Brenda Tracy’s identity being revealed as part of an investigation into her allegations that suspended football coach Mel Tucker sexually harassed her. School spokeswoman Emily Guerrant con rmed Sunday that

the school plans to investigate the leak.

Tracy’s attorney, Karen Truszkowski, said last week that her client’s name was disclosed by an outside party and that triggered their cooperation with a USA Today report that exposed explicit details.

Tracy, an activist and rape survivor, said Tucker sexually harassed her during a phone call in April 2022. Eight months later, Tracy led a complaint with the school’s Title IX o ce and the investigation was completed

in July.

A hearing is scheduled for the week of Oct. 5 to determine if Tucker violated the school’s sexual harassment and exploitation policy, and a ruling could take up to 60 days.

Guerrant said the university wanted to ensure a fair and comprehensive process, creating a safe environment for individuals to come forward without a fear of institutional retaliation or breach of privacy.

“We are dismayed to learn the con dentiality was broken in this

case,” Guerrant said last week.

The 51-year-old Tucker, who said he is estranged from his wife and has two children, said the allegations against him are “completely false.” Tucker insisted that the intimate phone call he had with Tracy was consensual and outside the scope of both Title IX and school policy.

Tucker is in the third year of a $95 million, 10-year contract, and if he is red for cause the school would not have to pay him what’s remaining on his deal.

Michigan State may re Tucker for cause if he “engages in any conduct which constitutes moral turpitude or which, in the University’s sole judgement, would tend to bring public disrespect, contempt or ridicule upon the university,” according to his con-

tract.

The leak, though, potentially gives Tucker leverage in settlement negotiations with the school.

O cially, the school said “unprofessional behavior and not living up to the core values of the department and university” was the reason Tucker was suspended.

Tracy is known for her work with college teams, educating athletes about sexual violence.

Michigan State paid her $10,000 to share her story with the football team.

The Spartans (2-1) were routed 41-7 by No. 8 Washington on Saturday in Harlon Barnett’s debut as interim coach.

Michigan State hosts high-scoring Maryland (3-0) on Saturday.

AP PHOTO

Then-Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock directs his team against the Colorado Avalanche in the third period of an NHL hockey game, Feb. 12, 2019, in Denver.

A defaced Mel Tucker sweatshirt with a note protesting the football coach is placed on the ground outside the Michigan State University’s Hannah Administration Building last Sunday in East Lansing, Michigan.

“Our players deserve to be treated with respect in the workplace. Unfortunately, that was not the case in Columbus.”

NHLPA

executive director Marty Walsh

Louisiana, 9 other states ask federal judge to block changes in National Flood Insurance Program

The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — Increases in federal ood insurance premiums that are projected to surpass 700% over the coming years are already leading people to back out of home purchases and will likely lead to an exodus of residents and businesses from southern Louisiana, o cials told a federal judge Thursday in New Orleans.

The testimony came in a hearing in a lawsuit Louisiana and nine other states led against the federal government to block sharp increases in national ood insurance rates. A phase-in of the new rates began in 2021. Annual increases are limited to 18%. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said the new method of computing rates has resulted in reductions or little or no increase for most policy holders.

But FEMA gures also show huge impending increases in some Louisiana ZIP codes. State and local o cials who testi ed Thursday said the increases are expected to result in some people in working-class southern Louisiana to abandon their mortgages, try to sell homes that have been in families for generations, or drop their insurance.

“We’ve already seen a slowdown in new building,” said Matt Jewell, president of St. Charles Parish, west of New Orleans.

The implications go beyond blows to the real estate market and tax revenue. O cials said lower revenue could also hamper ood prevention and mitigation e orts. And some federal disaster programs require people in certain areas to have ood insur-

ance — which the o cials argued is becoming una ordable. State attorneys said during arguments before U.S. District Judge Darrel Papillion that participation in the National Flood Insurance Program requires that local governments adopt building-elevation policies and ood-control e orts that often require taxes — approved by voters believing the mitigation efforts will hold rates down.

“They turned us into liars,” state Solicitor General Liz Mur-

rill told Papillion. Papillion was hearing arguments on the federal government’s motion to dismiss the suit and on the states’ motion for an injunction blocking the rate increases pending further court proceedings. It was unclear if he would rule Thursday.

Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia are the other states listed as plainti s, along with some local governments and ood con-

trol bodies in Louisiana.

FEMA has said its new premium system is an improvement over past methods, incorporating data that wasn’t used in the past, including scienti c models and costs involved in rebuilding a home. The agency has said the old method could result in people with lower-valued homes paying more than a fair share, while those with higher-value homes pay relatively less.

A return to the old system of calculating premiums would not

guarantee a reduction of rates, Justice Department attorney Yoseph Desta argued.

He and other government attorneys argued Thursday that the new rate plan had been in the works for years, that the states had plenty of opportunity for input, and that the lawsuit, led months after the phase-in began, was led too late. They also argued the states have no standing to sue over the rates set by the National Flood Insurance Program.

The Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. — An Oregon judge is set to decide whether a gun control law approved by voters in November violates the state’s constitution in a trial that began Monday.

The law, one of the toughest in the nation, was among the rst gun restrictions to be passed after a major U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year changed the guidance judges are expected to follow when considering Second Amendment cases.

Measure 114 has been tied up in federal and state court since it was narrowly passed by voters in November 2022, casting confusion over its fate.

The law requires people to complete a gun safety training course and undergo a criminal background check in order to obtain a permit to buy a rearm. The measure also bans high-capacity magazines holding more than 10 rounds.

Circuit Court Judge Robert S. Raschio will preside over the trial this week in Harney County, a vast rural area in southeastern Oregon. Raschio temporarily blocked the law from taking ef-

fect in December after gun owners led a lawsuit arguing it infringed upon the right to bear arms under the Oregon Constitution.

The Oregon measure was passed after a Supreme Court

ruling in June 2022 created new standards for judges weighing gun laws and fueled a national upheaval in the legal landscape for U.S. rearm law.

The ruling tossed aside a balancing test judges had long used

to decide whether to uphold gun laws. It directed them to only consider whether a law is consistent with the country’s “historical tradition of rearm regulation,” rather than take into account public interests like promoting public safety.

Since then, there has been confusion about what laws can survive. Courts have overturned laws designed to keep weapons away from domestic abusers, felony defendants and marijuana users. The Supreme Court is expected to decide this fall whether some decisions have gone too far.

In a separate federal case over the Oregon measure, a judge in July ruled it was lawful under the U.S. Constitution. U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut appeared to take into account the Supreme Court’s new directive to consider the history of gun regulations.

Immergut found large-capacity magazines “are not commonly used for self-defense, and are therefore not protected by the Second Amendment.” Even if they were protected, she wrote, the law’s restrictions are consistent with the country’s “history and tradition of regulating

uniquely dangerous features of weapons and rearms to protect public safety.”

She also found the permit-to-purchase provision to be constitutional, noting the Second Amendment “allows governments to ensure that only law-abiding, responsible citizens keep and bear arms.”

The plainti s in that federal case, which include the Oregon Firearms Federation, have appealed the ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Ten states have permit-to-purchase laws similar to the new Oregon measure: Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island, according to data compiled by the Gi ords Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

Eleven states and Washington, D.C. limit large-capacity magazines holding more than 10 rounds: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, Illinois and Vermont, according to the Gi ords center. The bans in Illinois and Vermont apply to long guns.

Oregon judge to decide in new trial whether voterapproved gun control law is constitutional

AP PHOTO

Flood waters surround storm damaged homes on Aug. 31, 2021, in Lafourche Parish, La., as residents try to recover from the e ects of Hurricane Ida.

AP PHOTO

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., talks to The Associated Press about her visit to Ukraine a year ago and her time as the Democratic leader in the House, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on April 19, 2023.

(Taylor) Drye

January 24, 1939 ~ January 15, 2023

June 23, 1967 ~ January 10, 2023

Coleman

March 23, 1935 - January 9, 2023

John Gary Homesley

April 17, 1936 ~ January 14, 2023

Barbara Jean Taylor Drye, 86, of Oakboro, passed away Saturday, January 14, 2023 at her home.

November 12, 1942 - September 14, 2023

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.

John Gary Homesley, 80, of Albemarle, NC, passed away on September 14, 2023. Gary was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, son and brother. He is survived by his wife, Verla Whisnant Homesley, and their children Kendall Homesley Robinson (Brian), Darren Homesley, and Shannon Homesley. Gary was also blessed with grandchildren Caleb Homesley (Tori), Logan Homesley, Robbie Robinson, Brandi Robinson, and Larson Robinson, and greatgrandchildren Jaden Homesley and Charmi Robinson. He is also survived by his sister, Kathy Homesley.

Betty Lou Still Harrington

Dwight Britten Farmer Sr., 83, of Norwood died Sunday morning, January 15, 2023 at Forrest Oakes.

March 1, 1930 - September 13, 2023

Mrs. Betty Lou Still Harrington passed away on Wednesday, September 13, 2023.

Betty Lou was born on March 1, 1930 to the late William Allen Still and Lilly Rowe Thompson Still. She married her high school sweetheart, Gene Harrington, on January 29, 1949.

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.

Betty Lou was predeceased by her parents and husband, Gene. She was also predeceased by 6 brothers and 7 sisters; and son-in-law Eddie Osborn, in addition to twin sons; Douglas Allan and Donald Benton Harrington.

Benny Almond

James Arthur Roseboro, 55, of Albemarle, passed away Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at Anson Health and Rehab.

February 18, 1980 ~ September 17, 2023

Kay Dennis

May 1, 1940 ~ September 17, 2023

Charlie Snuggs

October 11, 1944 - January 10, 2023

July 25, 1942 ~ September 11, 2023

Gary was born November 12, 1942, in Lincolnton, NC, to the late Irene Christopher Homesley and John Henry Homesley. He attended Lincolnton High School and earned a bachelor’s degree at UNC Charlotte.

Gary valued people. He especially loved his family who see him as their rock and are proud to be his legacy.

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.

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.

Celebrate

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.

She is survived by daughter, Betsy Osborn Lynch and husband Bob; and sons Myron Harrington and wife, Andrea; and Steve Harrington and wife, Bebe. Betty Lou was a very proud grandmother of ten grandchildren: Jon Osborn (Adrienne), Bethany Osborn Weber (Steven), Amanda Osborn Hathcock (Jeremy), Will Harrington, (Ashley), Paige Harrington, Claire Harrington Church (Weston), Je rey Harrington, (Rachel), Bradley Harrington (Kelly), Ashley Patrick, (Brett), and Wesleigh Harrington Little (Joey). Betty Lou is also survived by 13 greatgrandchildren: Mallory and Savannah Osborn; Lucy, Grayson and Jonah Hathcock; Bryce, Blake and Isaac Weber, Rhett and Beau Harrington, Lark and Zeb Church, and Lyla Patrick.

Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in SCJ at obits@stanlyjournal.com

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.

Benny Lee Almond, 43, of Albemarle passed away Sunday, September 17, 2023.

Benny was born February 18, 1980 in Cabarrus County to Earl and Carol Coley Almond of Albemarle. He was a member of Friendship Methodist Church.

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.

Benny loved his son Chandler and enjoyed the many trips they had together at the beach. They would often spend the entire day at water and amusement parks, just the two of them having fun.

He is preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Ikey and Betty Coley and paternal grandfather, Coy Almond and cousin, Jamie Almond.

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.

In addition to his parents he is survived by his son, Chandler Almond of Morehead City; sister, Alicia McCall (Tripp) and their children, Jack and Charlotte McCall; grandmother, Christine Almond all of Albemarle; many cousins, aunts, uncles and friends; and his special dog, Penny.

Darrick Baldwin

January 7, 1973 ~ January 8, 2023

Phyllis Veletta Allman

December 4, 1946 — September 15, 2023

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.

Phyllis Veletta Allman, 76, of Albemarle, passed away Friday, September 15, 2023 at Atrium Health Stanly Hospital in Albemarle. Phyllis was born December 4, 1946 in North Carolina to the late William Gerald Hatley and the late Mary Gladys Hatley.

Phyllis was a loving, devoted wife of 57 years to her husband Tracy. She had many pets whom she loved and treated as though they were her children. One of Phyllis' favorite songs was Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. Phyllis blessed us with many sweet memories and will be surely missed.

Survivors include husband, Tracy Allman; sister, Rebecca Long; and brother, Kent Hatley.

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.

Kay Dennis, 83, of Albemarle, passed away Sunday, September 17, 2023 at her home.

Kay was born May 01, 1940 in Mt. Pleasant to the late Homer McLester and Ola Mae Swinson. She was a nurse aid for most of her working life.

Kay was a devout Christian, mother, and homemaker.

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.

In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her ex-husband, Billy Dennis, brothers: Gurley McLester, Donald McLester, and Floyd McLester, and sister, Lois McLester Walters.

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!

She is survived by her children, Timothy Dennis (Darlene), Bonita Dennis Taylor, and Mark Joseph Dennis, grandchildren, Rebecca Almond (Wesley), Tamara Freeman (Toby), and Jesse Taylor, and great grandchildren, Kaila Almond, Cooper Almond, and Maggie Almond.

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.

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.

Bobby K. Harwood

This is what John’s Model A Community had to say upon learning of his death:

April 23, 1933 — September 17, 2023

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.

Bobby K. Harwood died peacefully at the Atrium Tucker Hospice House on September 17, 2023.

He was born on April 23, 1933 to the late Houston and Bessie Harwood. He was married to Shelby Whitley Harwood until her death in 2012.

He is survived by his daughters, Dawn Allen (Raymond), Shawn Hartsell (Mason), and grandchildren Brent Allen, Andrew Allen, Ali Hartsell, and Mia Hartsell.

Bobby was an Army veteran. He retired after 32 years with the N.C. Department of Agriculture as a Commodities/ Marketing Specialist.

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.

Charlie was born July 25, 1942, in Norwood, NC, to the late Philmore and Roxie Little Snuggs. He departed this life peacefully on September 11, 2023.

Charlie Snuggs, 81, of Albemarle passed away peacefully on Monday, September 11, 2023, at Atrium Health Stanly.

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.

In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his sisters: Roxanne Gulledge, Ann Eliza Snuggs-Rustin, and brothers: Roger Snuggs, Adam Snuggs, George Snuggs, Richard Snuggs, Louis Snuggs, and Eddy Snuggs.

Charlie is survived by his wife Olebia Snuggs, daughter Lynetta Alexander, sister Verdell Harris, three grandchildren: Shakira Alexander, Clairsean Alexander-Floyd, and Aneisha Alexander-Floyd, and four great-grandchildren: Jaeda Johnson, Emrie Johnson, Kori Littlejohn, and Gavin Alexander-Mason, and a host of nieces and nephews, cousins, relatives, and friends.

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 lives of so many babies. She also worked for Pediatrician Dr. William A. Wilkes in Augusta for several years prior to her NICU career. Doris retired from the mother/baby area at Atrium Stanly in 2007 after over 40 years of nursing.

Libby Simpson

July 17, 1946 ~ September 13, 2023

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, 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.

Elizabeth “Libby” Swaringen Simpson, 77, of Norwood passed away Wednesday afternoon, September 13, 2023 at Atrium Stanly.

Libby was born July 17, 1946 in Stanly County. She was a member of Cedar Grove United Methodist Church.

She was preceded in death by a son, Timothy Paul Simpson.

Doris was preceded in death by her father Arthur Raymond Jones, her mother Mary Ellen Cameron Jones, and her sister Maryanne Jones Brantley.

She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Ronald Darol Simpson, Sr. and their son, Darol “DJ” Simpson both of the home.

STATE & NATION

Donald Trump’s GOP rivals try to attract social conservatives in Iowa at an event he skipped

The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa — Hoping to cut into Donald Trump’s support at a major Iowa gathering of evangelical Christians, several of his top rivals on Saturday mostly avoided direct criticism of him on abortion and other issues key to social conservatives.

The Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual banquet is traditionally a marquee event on the Republican primary calendar. But the former president skipped it, leaving a mostly muted crowd of more than 1,000 pastors and activists to instead hear from several candidates running behind Trump.

The primary eld’s split on abortion was once again on display, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis saying restrictions on the procedure should be left to the states — a position similar to Trump’s — while former Vice President Mike Pence referred to Trump as his “former running mate” and said he was wrong to oppose a national abortion ban.

While the audience was overwhelmingly anti-abortion, Pence’s push for a 15-week ban got only tepid applause, re ecting some national Republicans’ concerns that Democrats are winning on abortion rights issues

after last year’s Supreme Court ruling overturning the Roe v. Wade decision.

DeSantis, who has struggled to solidify himself as the GOP primary’s No. 2 behind Trump, declined to say he’d back a federal abortion ban. Instead, he said, states have done more on the issue.

“Congress has really struggled to make an impact over the years,” DeSantis said.

Pence said he disagreed with Trump and argued all Republican presidential candidates should back a federal abortion ban at a minimum of 15 weeks of

pregnancy. “I believe it’s an idea whose time has come,” Pence said. “We need to stand for the unborn all across America.”

A Trump attack came from former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is a frequent critic of the former president. He said “there’s another candidate, that I respect, but who is not here tonight” before slamming Trump for saying he wants “to make both sides happy” on abortion. Hutchinson said that unlike Trump, “both sides aren’t going to like me. This is going to be a ght for life.”

The event featured many devout and well-connected social conservatives who can play a decisive role in Iowa’s rst-in-thenation Republican caucuses in January. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz used strong appeals to evangelical Republicans to win the GOP’s 2016 caucuses.

This time, however, Trump’s rivals face a much tougher task because he has built a large early GOP primary lead. The former president has also remained popular with evangelical Christians and social conservatives in Iowa and elsewhere who were delighted to see his three Supreme Court picks vote to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Saturday’s banquet is the last scheduled opportunity for a large group of Iowa evangelical conservatives have the chance to see the candidates side-by-side, meaning they won’t see Trump. He skipped similar events with crowds of thousands in Iowa in April and June.

DeSantis was asked speci cally to talk about his personal faith and deeply held Catholic beliefs. He noted that when his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, he was thankful for “the amount of prayers we received. It lifted my wife’s spirits up.” He said prayer was a key reason she was now

US military orders new interviews on the deadly 2021 Afghan airport attack as criticism persists

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Pentagon’s Central Command has ordered interviews of roughly two dozen more service members who were at the Kabul airport when suicide bombers attacked during U.S. forces’ chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, as criticism persists that the deadly assault could have been stopped.

The interviews, ordered by Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, were triggered in part by assertions by at least one service member injured in the blast who said he was never interviewed about it and that he might have been able to stop the attackers.

The interviews are meant to see if service members who were not included in the original investigation, have new or di erent information.

The decision, according to ofcials, does not reopen the administration’s investigation into the deadly bombing and the withdrawal two years ago. But the additional interviews will likely be seized on by congressional critics, mostly Republican, as proof that the administration bungled the probe into the attack, in addition to mishandling the withdrawal.

Some families of those killed

and injured have complained that the Pentagon hasn’t been transparent enough about the bombing that killed 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. servicemen and women.

U.S. Central Command’s investigation concluded in November 2021 that given the worsening security situation at the airport’s Abbey Gate as Afghans became increasingly desperate to ee, “the attack was not preventable at the tactical level without degrading the mission to maximize the number of evacuees.” And, the Pentagon has said that

the review of the suicide attack had turned up neither any advance identi cation of a possible attacker nor any requests for “an escalation to existing rules of engagement” governing use of force by U.S. troops.

Central Command plans to speak with a number of service members who were severely wounded in the bombing at the Abbey Gate and had to be quickly evacuated from the country for medical care. They represent the bulk of the planned interviews, but a few others who weren’t wounded are also includ-

ed. O cials also did not rule out that the number of interviews could grow as a result of those initial conversations.

“The purpose of these interviews is to ensure we do our due diligence with the new information that has come to light, that the relevant voices are fully heard and that we take those accounts and examine them seriously and thoroughly so the facts are laid bare,” Central Command spokesperson Michael Lawhorn said in a statement.

O cials on Friday began informing family members of those killed in the bombing as well as members of Congress about the latest plan. Lt. Gen. Patrick Frank, head of Army Central Command, is overseeing the team conducting the interviews, which is led by Army Brig. Gen. Lance Curtis. Gen. Kurilla has asked Frank to provide an update in 90 days.

In emotional testimony during a congressional hearing in March, former Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews told lawmakers that he was thwarted in an attempt to stop the suicide bombing. He said Marines and others aiding in the evacuation operation were given descriptions of men believed to be plotting an attack before it occurred. He said he and others spotted

cancer-free.

Candidates discussing their personal faith has been a hallmark of successful Iowa caucus candidates for decades — including George W. Bush who in 1999 famously said, when asked to identify his favorite political philosopher, named Jesus Christ “because he changed my heart.”

Robin Star of Waukee, just west of Des Moines, attended DeSantis’ address at the church and said she was glad the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — but that Trump doesn’t deserve all the credit. Star said she’d nonetheless vote for Trump if he’s the Republican nominee, but fears he cannot unify the Republican Party enough heading into the general election against Biden.

“We’ve got to win,” Star said. “We’ve just got to win.”

Her husband, Jerry Star, was more de nitive, saying “I believe it’s time for new leadership.”

A retired Air Force o cer, Jerry Star said he was very supportive of most of Trump’s time in the White House until Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of the former president’s supporters overran the U.S. Capitol.

“He did a heck of a job in his four years, but he knocked it all down that day,” he said. “It’s time for someone else.”

two men matching the descriptions and behaving suspiciously, and eventually had them in their ri e scopes, but never received a response about whether to take action.

“No one was held accountable,” Vargas-Andrews told Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, the chairman of the House Foreign A airs Committee. “No one was, and no one is, to this day.”

The March hearing was set up to examine the Biden administration’s handling of the withdrawal. Taliban forces seized the Afghan capital, Kabul, far more rapidly than U.S. intelligence had foreseen as American forces pulled out. Kabul’s fall turned the West’s withdrawal into a frenzy, putting the airport at the center of a desperate air evacuation by U.S. troops.

In April, President Joe Biden’s administration laid blame on his predecessor, President Donald Trump, for the deadly withdrawal. A 12-page summary of the results of the “ hotwash “ of U.S. policies around the ending of the nation’s longest war asserts that Biden was “severely constrained” by Trump’s decisions.

It acknowledges that the evacuation of Americans and allies from Afghanistan should have started sooner, but blames the delays on the Afghan government and military, and on U.S. military and intelligence community assessments.

The administration has refused to release detailed reviews conducted by the State Department and the Pentagon, saying they are highly classi ed.

AP PHOTO

Former Vice President and current 2024 Republican presidential candidate Mike Pence receives safety instructions before his turn to shoot during the 10th annual Jasper County GOP trap shoot on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, at Jasper County Gun Club in Newton, Iowa.

AP PHOTO

Smoke rises from a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 26, 2021.

Randolph record

The rst group

The inaugural class of the Southwestern Randolph

to a football game later that night.

COUNTY NEWS

RCC, UNCG o er pathway with Transfer Promise program

On September 8, Randolph Community College announced a new partnership in the Transfer Program with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG).

This collaboration between the schools is set to provide RCC students with an enhanced transition to UNCG. The Transfer Promise also o ers students enhanced scholarship opportunities with no separate application needed, specially designed curricula that align RCC study programs with UNCG’s, a dedicated UNCG advisor and an easier pathway to earning a four-year degree. Students can also speak one-on-one with UNCG Admissions Counselors during campus visits and take a transfer-focused campus tour. “This marks a signi cant milestone in our commitment to providing accessible and a ordable higher education opportunities for our students,” said RCC President Dr. Shah Ardalan in a press release. “The Transfer Promise program not only provides a clear pathway for our students to continue their education but also o ers nancial incentives, making the dream of a four-year degree more attainable.

This partnership re ects our belief that education should be accessible to all.” For those interested in the new Transfer Promise program, UNCG Assistant Director of Transfer Admissions Tom Moore will be available for appointments on RCC’s Asheboro Campus on Wednesday, September 27, from 1-4 in the student lounge.

Asheboro to add additional parking spaces, recreational o ce at Zoo City Sportsplex

Council approves economic package for Downtown Asheboro Inc. in order to address trash and power issues on Trade Street

By Ryan Henkel North

State Journal

ASHEBORO — The Asheboro City Council met Thursday,

Sept. 7, with multiple budgetary requests on the agenda.

The council approved an economic development appropriation for Downtown Asheboro Inc. in order to purchase property.

“In the FY23-24 adopted budget, there are some unallocated appropriations for the purpose of economic development purposes,” said Finance Director Deborah Reaves. “The re-

quest from DAI is $550,000 to purchase property and place four trash can receptors and two power transformers to address current issues with trash that exists on Trade Street. The second request by DAI is $60,000 for legal services associated with joint e orts to preserve the historic building on North Street, which was formerly owned by Acme-McCrary and is now owned by the City of Asheboro.”

The council then held a public hearing for a rezoning request for property located on the north side of Sherwood Avenue to rezone to an R10 conditional zoning (CZ) district to allow modications to a previously approved residential planned unit development.

“We are speci cally talking about phase 3 of this project,”

See COUNCIL , page 2

Reid was ‘Voice of Randolph County’

Randolph Record

ASHEBORO – One of Randolph County’s most recognized voices has died. Larry Reid, a radio personality in Randolph County for more than three decades, died Saturday at age 62 from an undisclosed illness.

Reid spent most of his career at WKXR and WZOO, creating an identity on the air and also serving as station manager and local event host.

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

ASHEBORO — Four Saints Brewing Company has expanded with a companion spot.

The Pharmacy Craft Cocktails and Distilling opened last week – an adjacent gathering location under the same ownership.

“These are two separate businesses,” events manager Sam Baker said. “We’re providing two vastly di erent experiences.”

The Pharmacy will be geared toward a more sophisticated, adult crowd.

In the new space, patrons will be limited to age 21 and older. No pets will be allowed.

The tone will be distinctively di erent, Baker said.

“There will be fully crafted beverages,” she said. “It’s craft cocktails built and made inhouse. We’re building beverages that are seasonal.”

Cody Weiss, who has been a craft cocktail bartender for a decade, will head up The Pharmacy’s brews.

“Whatever you put in the glass, make it balanced,” Weiss said. “I’m truly excited to unleash my creativity and embrace the freedom from the supportive ownership team.

I’m eager to see where it takes us.”

The South Fayetteville Street

The day prior to his passing, the City of Asheboro honored Reid as honorary mayor on Sept. 15. In a statement, the city recognized Reid for his “countless contributions to our community” including “his service to Habitat for Humanity, CUOC, the United Way, and other civic and educational institutions.”

A prayer vigil was held last week for Reid at Bicentennial Park in downtown Asheboro.

Reid was a Western Carolina graduate with a degree in radio/television and lm, and he put that to good use. Around Asheboro, he was the emcee and master of ceremonies for numerous events.

“Larry was smart, personable, con dent, talented, professional, involved...and much more. It was a privilege to know and work with him,” said Lynne Qualls, an o cer with

Kiwanis Club of Asheboro.

“Larry was truly a great person who I admired greatly. Larry will be missed greatly in this community,” said Sheri Greg Seabolt.

Among his survivors are his wife, Jo Jarrell Reid; his father, Rev. Charles Woody of Ramseur; and his sister, Rachelle

See REID, page 2

Brewing company crafts something more in Asheboro

Larry Reid

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

The Pharmacy Craft Cocktails and Distilling is a new spot in downtown Asheboro.

Sports Hall of Fame gathered at the school for Friday’s induction prior

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

“Join

Trunchbull Challenge

The Lewis family takes part in the second annual Trunchbull Challenge at The Black Lantern Tea Room and Bakery on Saturday in Asheboro.

REID from page 1

Tyson of Asheboro.

“Larry was an ambassador for our community and was respected by all who worked with him,” said County Commissioner Kenny Kidd. “The

BREWERY from page 1

location is within Asheboro’s social district.

Co-owner Joel McClosky said the newest venture still falls under Four Saints Brewing Company’s mission. With The Pharmacy, the goal will be setting “the stage for discerning individuals who appreciate top-notch libations thoughtfully crafted from locally sourced ingredients and house-made syrups,” according to the company’s announcement.

COUNCIL from page 1

said Community Development Director Trevor Nuttall. “This application only a ects about an acre and a half of property within the development. It largely stems from a request to modify the previously approved setbacks along Sherwood Avenue. That’s the primary reason this application is before you.”

Following the hearing, the council approved the request.

The council also approved the acquisition of new radios from Motorola for the Asheboro Police Department.

“In the 2023-24 budget, we had projected and billed into the police department budget leasing radios from Motorola,” Reaves said. “When we got the paperwork, we determined that the lease rate was about 7%. So the City Manager authorized us to go to Truist and ask them if they would be interested in nancing the purchase of police radios.”

23

The Truist rate was 5.46%, and the total purchase total was $803,922.66, which will

highlight of my week was listening to Larry on the ‘Swap Shop’.” Kidd also acknowledged the important work Reid performed on the Randolph County Community College Board of Trustees where her served as the

County Commissioners’ appointee since 2019. A funeral service is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at Sunset Avenue Church of God in Asheboro. A private burial will be held at Oaklawn Cemetery.

The Randolph Guide is a quick look at what’s going on in Randolph County.

Sept. 21

Red Cross Blood Drive

10am – 2:30pm

The Red Cross will be holding a blood drive at Randolph Community College’s Main Campus, which is located at 629 Industrial Park Ave. in Asheboro. Come out and donate!

Sept.

22

Battle of the Badges Softball Game

7pm

McClosky said the additional business would create more jobs and perhaps be an avenue for more growth opportunities.

The original Four Saints will remain family-oriented with a cross-section of ages and pets that can enter.

“It’s a wonderful crossover,” Baker said. “Drinks stay in their respective bars.”

There will be a certain connection – guests at both businesses will share common restroom facilities.

The space for The Pharma-

take place over a period of 59 months or less. Per Reaves, this will save the City about $70,000.

The council then held two more public hearings related to the annexation of property into the corporate limits of Asheboro. The rst was for the contiguous annexation of land at the end of Kelly Circle, and the second was for the contiguous annexation located along W. O. W. Road.

Following the hearings, the council approved both.

The council was then presented with Change Order 9 from Terry’s Plumbing and Utilities related to work on the Zoo City Sportsplex.

The work includes the addition of 110 parking spaces adjacent to Field 1 and also the addition of a 2,200 square feet recreation o ce building. The total increase to the contract would be for $430,250.

“It’s a huge gift from a nancial standpoint,” said Mayor David Smith. “If we decide not to do it, there’s a good chance

cy had been used for storage before it was repurposed in the 1920s-style building, Baker said.

“A huge renovation,” she said. “We’ve been working on this since summer 2012. We always knew we wanted to expand and make it something beautiful.”

For now, The Pharmacy will be open from 5-11 p.m. Thursdays, 5-12 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays.

Baker said an o cial grand opening will come later.

we won’t ever be able to a ord it. [Terry Tucker] decided that he wanted to contribute substantially, and this is his way of doing it. I want to see this thing nished. I don’t want to keep spending money, but this is an investment that we won’t be able to do otherwise.”

“Realistically, we’re going to need this building,” said council member Charles Swiers. “It’s pretty much an essential building whether we do it now or we put it o . We’ve got to have this kind of building out there to properly manage that facility. If we can get this kind of deal, I think we’d be remiss in not taking advantage of it.”

Finally, the council authorized the application for three state grants related to the water resources department. The grants will be for the Lake Lucas Dam Intake Improvements project, the City of Asheboro Lead Service Line Inventory project and the City of Asheboro Emerging Contaminants Treatment study.

The Asheboro City Council will next meet Oct. 5.

Come out and cheer on your local rst responders as the Archdale Police Department play the GuilRand Fire Department! Bring non-perishable food items to donate to Run 5 Feed 5. Concessions will also be available for purchase.

Sept. 23

Asheboro Farmers Market

7am – 1pm

Come out to the Asheboro Downtown Farmers Market, located at 134 S. Church Street. This event is free and open to the public!

Drive-Thru Cereal Sale

9am – 12pm

Come by Bicentennial Park in Asheboro for the Drive-Thru Cereal Sale hosted by Malt-OMeal Post Consumer Brands. Popular cereal varieties will be sold to the public for $1.00 a bag/box. Proceeds will be contributed to the United Way of Randolph County’s 2023 Campaign.

DEATH

Joy Francis Guyse Griffin, age 65 of Randleman, died September 15, 2023 at home surrounded by her loved ones.

James Mitchell Williamson, Sr., age 68 of Asheboro, died Saturday, September 16, 2023, at Duke University Hospital in Durham.

John Richard “Rick” Skeen, age 70 of Asheboro, died Thursday, September 14, 2023, at The Randolph Hospice House in Asheboro.

SUNDAY SEPT 24

Aviles, Harley (M, 22), Arrested on charge of AWDW, Discharge Firearm in City, on 9/13, at 128 Oak St.

MONDAY SEPT 25

TUESDAY

Little, Joseph (M, 25), Arrested on charge of Assault Inflict Serious Injury, on 9/13, at 613 Glovinia St.

McClure, Daniel (M, 32), Arrested on charge of Assault on a Female, on 9/11, at 1651 Mountain Meadow.

Aydelette, Susan (F, 51), Arrested on charge of Simple Assault, on 9/11, at 161 S Greensboro St.

Hyatt, Darren (M, 33), Arrested on charge of Attempt First Degree

Burglary, on 9/12, at 10447 US 220 BS N. White, Jalen (M, 23), Arrested on charge of Carrying Concealed Gun, Possess Marijuana up to 1/2oz, on 9/12, at I-85 NM MM 110.

McClure, Daniel (M, 32), Arrested on charge of DV Protective Order Violation, on 9/13, at 1651 Mountain Meadow.

Barber, Jerry (M, 35), Arrested on charge of Assault on a Female, on 9/9, at 10131 US HWY 220 BUS N. Bowman, Winfred (M, 57), Arrested on charge of Possession of Stolen Firearm,

Possession of Firearm by Felon, on 9/8, at 811 New Century Dr. Brown, Amanda (F, 34), Arrested on charge of Simple Assault, on 9/9, at 6161 Kirkman St.

Cooper, Randy (M, 37), Arrested on charge of Second Degree Trespass, Assault Gov Official/Employee, Resisting Public Officer, Injury to Personal Property, on 9/9, at 857 Frank Lamb Dr.

Ferree, Jeffrey (M, 60), Arrested on charge of Assault Inflict Serious Injury, on 9/10, at 4938 Woodfern Rd.

Fonda Gayle Bridges Fortenberry, age 80 of Sophia, died Thursday, September 14, 2023 at her home.

Gail Welch West, age 68 of Asheboro, died September 14, 2023.

Jerry Wayne Yonce, age 60 of Randleman, died September 13, 2023.

Joseph Perkins Marley Jr., age 87 of Asheboro died September 11, 2023.

Douglas “Mac” McArthur Runyon, age 81 of Asheboro, died September 11, 2023 at his home.

Taylor Jefferson McNeill, age 32 of Asheboro, died in his home on Friday, September 8, 2023.

Danny Ray Ashley, age 63 of Randleman, died September 1, 2023.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

Is Google guilty of being too popular with consumers?

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD the Biden Justice Department is suing Google in federal court for being a “monopoly.” That’s a bizarre charge given that few, if any companies in all American history have lowered prices more than Google — which provides access to information that used to take hours or days to nd — with merely a click of a button, and instantaneously. And it does it basically for free.

Wait, I thought monopolies are bad because they RAISE prices. Google does the opposite. If you’re a consumer and a user of Google searches and you feel aggrieved, raise your hand.

Actually, the Biden lawyers aren’t even trying to make the case that Google harms its users. Instead, it has invented a new legal theory that Google is hurting its competitors — many of which aren’t even located in the United States. This would be like Burger King suing McDonald’s because more customers are choosing the golden arches.

It appears that the crime that Google is being charged with is that the company is TOO successful, and consumers like and use it TOO much.

That is the essence of the hollow case of Biden v. Google.

It’s true that many conservatives don’t like Google’s left-leaning politics and bias in some of its search algorithms. Neither do I. But it’s their product, and consumers can always walk away. But if the issue is what is in the national interest, the villain in this case is the Justice Department, not Google.

Let’s back up a minute. The reason that the U.S. emerged as the massive winner in the tech wars of the last three decades is that Congress made a rare wise decision by passing a law in the mid-1990s (thank you, Rep. Chris Cox) that essentially declared this new and revolutionary communications device called “the internet” tax-free, regulation-free and lawsuit-free. Tech companies weren’t to be encumbered with nuisance lawsuits like this one.

This laissez-faire strategy sparked a Wild West gold rush of creativity and entrepreneurial explosion — unimpeded by government — that created tens of trillions of dollars of wealth and sprouted trillion-dollar companies from Google to Apple to Amazon to Facebook. They are all predominantly owned by more than 100 million American shareholders. And we have shared in the trillions of dollars of wealth created.

America won this tech race big time. We blew away the Europeans, the Japanese, the Chinese — all who got left picking

The impeachment of Joe Biden

LAST WEEK, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., announced the opening of an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. “These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption, and they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives,” McCarthy explained. The impeachment inquiry will give the House Republicans a better legal defense against claims that any subpoenas they issue exceed the scope of congressional authority. More importantly, it signals to the American public the seriousness of Republican intent to make Biden’s corruption the top issue in the 2024 election.

For those complaining about Republican politicking, turnabout is surely fair play. Former President Donald Trump was impeached not once but twice; neither time did Democrats so much as allege a statutory crime. They relied on the fact that impeachment is a political response, not a criminal one — true as far as it goes, but precedent-setting in the context of prior impeachments. They pursued impeachment inquiries without so much as a vote in the House. The genie is out of the bottle, and it isn’t going back in anytime soon.

The allegations against Biden are already damning. So is the evidence. Biden used his son, Hunter, as a cutout to clear cash from foreign sources on behalf of the Biden family. That’s all part of a decades-long pattern by which Biden has used his political power and in uence to bene t his family.

Back in the 1970s, Jimmy Biden, Joe’s brother, somehow obtained generous loans from a local bank to open a rock club, despite little in the way of collateral; Joe was sitting on the Senate Banking Committee at the time and ended up pressuring the bank when Jimmy fell behind on his loans.

In 1996, Joe cashed out his home by selling it to the vice president of MBNA in a sweetheart deal; MBNA would also hire Hunter fresh out of law school. MBNA was one of Biden’s biggest donors and a bene ciary of his credit card policy largesse.

In the words of Politico reporter Ben Schreckinger, “The Bidens regularly intermingled personal, political, and nancial relationships in ways that invited questions about whether the

up the crumbs.

Google wasn’t the rst search engine. It took the Silicon Valley company more than a decade to win over users and seize control of this market.

It’s a great American success story. Google now dominates 79% of the U.S. search market and about that same share internationally. Why? Not because it’s a monopoly or because government gave them handouts. There are scores of search engines from Microsoft’s Bing to DuckDuckGo to Russian, Chinese and European rivals. Google dominates for the same reason the Boston Celtics won 11 titles with Bill Russell. They have a superior product. Period. It processes a mind-boggling 100,000 searches per second, and some 8.5 billion searches a day.

Now we nd in the rst days of the trial, as reported by the folks at NetChoice, that one of the allegations that the Biden lawyers are making is that Google is unfair competition to a Russian internet company. Can you believe it? So now President Joe Biden is siding with President Vladimir Putin and the Russians against a red, white and blue American company? How is this possibly in the economic or national security interests of the United States?

It’s not just Google facing witch hunts from the Biden administration. In a similarly inexplicable action, this White House is trying to block a merger between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, a computer game producer. Both companies are American, and the biggest player in the industry is Sony, a Japanese company. Most countries have approved the merger, but not the one country that stands to bene t the most: America.

In the case of Google, the government’s lawyers and regulators are three moves behind the industry on the high-tech chessboard. In the months ahead, there is going to be a ood of new competition in tech, and it isn’t coming from government regulators but from the creative gales of destruction in the arti cial intelligence orbit. This will require massive search and recognition capabilities.

This could be bigger than the internet. Don’t we want America to win this race?

In the case of Biden v. Google, let’s hope and pray the government gets sent packing.

Google all the way.

Stephen Moore is chief economist at FreedomWorks and is a cofounder of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity.

public interest was getting short-changed.”

All of this came to a head when Joe attained the vice presidency. Hunter forged relationships, with his father’s aide, in China and Ukraine; Joe would call into business meetings to “talk about the weather.” Hunter joined the board of Burisma, where he made an extraordinary amount of money; in return, he promised connection with his father. In December 2015, Biden went to Ukraine, where he demanded that Viktor Shokin, a prosecutor looking into Burisma, be red, threatening to withdraw $1 billion in American aid. During this time, a con dential human source later told the FBI that Burisma’s CFO said that he had hired Hunter “to protect us, through his dad, from all kinds of problems.”

That was merely the most egregious apparent abuse of power. There were dozens of others.

Was Joe bene tting from Hunter’s business arrangements? We hear from the media that there is no evidence to suggest he was. But that’s obviously a lie: scoring bene ts for your drug-addicted, sexually deviant son is certainly a bene t that accrues to Joe. And we also have a text directly from Hunter to his daughter Naomi in 2019: “I hope you can all do what I did and pay for everything for this entire family for 30 years. It’s really hard. But don’t worry. Unlike Pop, I won’t make you give me half your salary.”

All of this is predicate to Biden’s behavior as president. Thanks to whistleblowers, we know that the Biden DOJ attempted to cut a sweetheart deal with Hunter Biden to end any investigation into these matters. In this case, the cover-up may be just as bad as the crime.

In the end, the American voters will give their verdict on Biden; with Democrats in control of the Senate, he won’t be removed from o ce. But Republicans are right to remind Americans that Biden isn’t a decent man restoring honor to the Oval O ce. He’s a career-long corrupt politician who simply got lucky in his enemies at the right time.

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

COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO

I hope you can all do what I did and pay for everything for this entire family for 30 years. Unlike Pop, I won’t make you give me half your salary.

COLUMN | STEPHEN MOORE

It appears that the crime that Google is being charged with is that the company is TOO successful, and consumers like and use it TOO much.

SIDELINE REPORT

NFL Rams receiver Nacua sets rookie record with 15 catches

Inglewood, Calif.

Rams wide receiver Puka

Nacua set the NFL singlegame record for most receptions by a rookie with 15 catches in a 3023 loss to San Francisco on Sunday. Nacua broke the record with a 17yard reception late in the fourth quarter. He surpassed the former mark of 14 held by Washington’s Roy Helu, the New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley and Pittsburgh’s Najee Harris.

Nacua’s 25 receptions this season are also the most by a rookie in his rst two games.

GOLF

Stricker gets 6th win, sets Champions earnings record

Sioux Falls, S.D.

Steve Stricker won for the sixth time this year on the PGA Tour Champions, claiming the Sanford International in South Dakota for the third time on Sunday. Stricker caught up to K.J. Choi with an eagle on the 12th hole, made a few more birdies to regain the lead and shot a 66 to win by one. Stricker set a record for single-season earnings on the 50-andolder circuit. He now is just short of $4 million. Stricker’s six wins this year include three senior majors.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Bowling Green’s Hardamon in stable condition

Ann Arbor, Mich.

Bowling Green linebacker

Demetrius Hardamon was in stable condition and cleared to walk a day after an orthopedic injury led to him being placed on a backboard and onto a stretcher before being carted o the eld at Michigan Stadium. The school shared an update on Sunday, saying it hopes Hardamon will soon be released from the hospital. Hardamon was hurt while tackling tight end Colston Loveland in the third quarter of No. 2 Michigan’s 31-6 win.

TENNIS

U.S. knocked out of Davis Cup

Split, Croatia

Hamlin wins at Bristol, Logano eliminated from playo s

The Cup Series playo s cut down to 12 contenders

The Associated Press

THE BEST DRIVER to never win a Cup Series championship believes he can lose that tag this year.

At least that’s what Denny Hamlin told the Bristol Motor Speedway crowd as they booed his third win of the year, 51st of his career, and third in the prestigious short track Saturday night race.

“It’s our year. I just feel we’ve got it all put together,” Hamlin said. “Nothing to stop us at this point.”

Hamlin has won three Daytona 500s and most of NASCAR’s crown jewel races, but he has never won a Cup title in 18 years with Joe Gibbs Racing. He signed an extension

this month and was among the strongest cars in the rst round of the playo s.

He is third behind William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports and Gibbs teammate Martin Truex Jr. with the points reset for NASCAR’s second round.

Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick were both eliminated from title contention as both NASCAR champions failed to advance out of the rst round. Logano became the rst reigning champion eliminated in the rst round when he crashed early in the third stage and nished 34th.

He was watching as a spectator as former Gibbs teammate Hamlin celebrated.

Harvick, who is retiring at the end of the season, also was eliminated after nishing ve laps down in 29th. Harvick was the rst driver in 2014 to win the championship in this elimi-

Howell leads big rally for Commanders, tops Broncos’ Wilson

atore said it looked like St-Juste made enough early contact for a foul, but Brad Rogers’ crew didn’t throw a ag and the Commanders celebrated the franchise’s rst 2-0 start since 2011.

nals

The United States was eliminated from the Davis Cup by Finland on Saturday. Otto Virtanen saved two match points in the decisive tiebreaker to beat Mackenzie McDonald 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (7), and Emil Ruusuvuori defeated Tommy Paul 7-6 (1), 6-4 to give Davis Cup nals debutant Finland a historic win in Split. Finland joins the Netherlands in advancing out of Group D and reaching the Final 8 in the southern Spanish city of Malaga in November.

The Associated Press DENVER — Washington cornerback Benjamin St-Juste didn’t inch after Brandon Johnson snared Russell Wilson’s 50-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass o a double de ection with no time remaining Sunday. That cut Washington’s lead to 35-33.

St-Juste said he gured, “OK, we got one more opportunity to shut this down and come up with a ‘dub.’

“So, we locked in and made the play,” said St-Juste, who appeared to get away with pass interference when he broke up Wilson’s 2-point conversion throw to Courtland Sutton, preserving the Commanders’ comefrom-behind win. Washington rallied from an early 21-3 decit to take a 35-24 lead then had to hang on with no time on the clock. CBS rules analyst Gene Ster-

The Broncos (0-2) have lost back-to-back home games for the rst time, not the kind of history coach Sean Payton was hoping to make in his return to the sideline after a year in the broadcast studio following a highly successful 15-year stint in New Orleans, especially after he criticized predecessor Nathaniel Hackett for doing one of the worst coaching jobs in NFL history last year.

The Broncos lost despite scoring touchdowns on their rst three drives for the rst time since 2010. Their 18-point blown lead tied for the fourth largest at home in franchise history.

“This is a resilient team,” Washington’s Sam Howell said after throwing for 299 yards and two TDs in his rst road start.

“The thing I’m proud of is we had each other’s back on both sides of the ball.”

Brian Robinson Jr. added two TD runs, helping the Com-

nation format.

“We’ve been like that all year, hit or miss, and tonight we just missed by a mile,” Harvick said. “I’ve had some good days, some bad days, but that’s de nitely the worst day with fenders. I didn’t really have many expectations, as up and down as the year has been. It is what it is, that’s probably what we deserved.”

Also eliminated were Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael McDowell, despite nishing sixth. Three Ford teams were eliminated, and Stenhouse drives a Chevrolet.

“It wasn’t enough. We were in

a must-win situation,” McDowell said. “This is a learning experience. We’ll learn from this, get ready for next year.”

For Hamlin, the booing was loud when he stopped his No. 11 Toyota at the nish line. He collected the checkered ag then verbally sparred with the angry spectators.

“Everyone likes a winner, right?” he at rst said of the jeers.

He con dently boasted “this is our year” for a championship, then addressed the crowd directly.

“I beat your favorite driver,” he taunted.

“Who would that be?” asked the announcer.

“All of them,” Hamlin said as he headed o to celebrate, likely with the 23XI Racing team he founded after Bubba Wallace drove his way into the second round with a 14th-place nish.

The Cup Series opens the second round of the playo s next Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, which has only one Cup race this year for the rst time since 2004. Tyler Reddick won the race a year ago driving for Richard Childress Racing.

manders to the second-biggest comeback in franchise history. Washington overcame a 21-point de cit to beat Detroit on Nov. 4, 1990. The Commanders used a 32-3 scoring outburst to take control

before the Broncos made it interesting at the very end.

With 2 seconds left and the Broncos at the 50-yard line trailing 35-27, Wilson heaved a pass toward the end zone that was de ected by a scrum of players before Johnson snared it for the score.

Wilson threw for 308 yards and three TDs but also had two turnovers.

Washington coach Ron Rivera was presented with a game ball in the locker room for his 100th career win in the NFL.

“This is a resilient team.”

Sam Howell, Commanders quarterback

“It’s our year. … Nothing to stop us at this point.”

Denny Hamlin

The battle of former UNC and NC State quarterbacks went to Washington

AP PHOTO

Denny Hamlin celebrates his victory in Saturday night’s Cup Series playo race at Bristol.

AP PHOTO

Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson tries to get a pass away as he is pressured by Commanders linebacker Cody Barton during Sunday’s game in Denver.

PAC makes strong statement in volleyball

Randolph Record

PIEDMONT ATHLETIC CONFERENCE volleyball looked strong for most of last week.

League members went a combined 5-1 in non-conference competition prior to a rough day for Southwestern Randolph on Saturday.

The Cougars had two non-conference showdowns at home, falling in a three-set sweep to then-unbeaten East Surry and dropping a four-set match to McMichael, which also topped East Surry to improve to 12-1. The earlier outcomes included Southwestern Randolph (114) taking down host Oak Grove in four sets with Madelyn Smith tallying 13 kills and 24 digs and Coley Shi et providing 28 digs and ve aces.

** Providence Grove swept host Southeast Guilford as Riley Mazzarone supplied 34 assists, Mailey Way had 28 digs and Peyton Whitaker delivered ve aces. The Patriots are 4-3 in non-conference competition, with each of the setbacks to Class 3-A teams.

** Trinity’s sweep of visiting Central Davidson came with

Avalynn Johnson’s 30 assists and nine digs, Sarabeth Johnson’s 15 kills and 11 digs and Kaitlyn McCoy’s 12 kills.

Trinity then took down visiting Jordan-Matthews in three sets with Karrington Batten’s 13 kills, Natalie Franko’s seven kills and four blocks and McCoy’s seven aces, seven digs and ve kills among the highlights.

By week’s end, Trinity’s 10win mark had equaled the total from each of the past two seasons.

** Uwharrie Charter Academy won against visiting Bishop McGuinness in three sets with Kenzie Hill’s 19 digs and six kills and Lizah Moore’s 13 kills and six blocks providing boosts.

** The lone loss for a PAC team came when Eastern Randolph fell at home to Asheboro in three sets.

That Asheboro/Eastern Randolph match was notable because rst-year Blue Comets coach Kelly Smith is an Eastern Randolph alum.

Asheboro received 18 kills from Sion Murrain, 11 kills from Ellen Long and 24 assists and 12 digs from Anna Grace LeRoy.

The Blue Comets went on to notch their rst Mid-Piedmont Conference victory by winning

in four sets at home against Central Davidson. Murrain had 25 kills and 14 digs, Piper Davidson recorded 26 digs and Lia George had 15 kills and seven digs.

** Back in the PAC, Eastern Randolph won a road match at Providence Grove, while Trinity topped visiting Randleman while UCA defeated visiting Wheatmore. Boys’ soccer

Southwestern Randolph won three games last week by a combined score of 14-2. Eight of the goals were posted by Fernando Hernandez.

The Cougars won at Providence Grove 8-2 and then at home against Trinity by 2-0 before delivering a 4-1 non-conference home victory against North Davidson.

** Randleman won twice in PAC competition, topping visiting Eastern Randolph 2-0 before ripping visiting Wheatmore 9-1.

The Tigers entered this week with a 6-4 record, already within one victory of their 2022 total with 13 games remaining on the regular-season schedule.

Pedro Ortiz

Eastern Randolph’s Norwood selected for Shrine Bowl

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

EASTERN RANDOLPH

lineman Jani Norwood was selected for the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas.

The game pitting top football seniors from North Carolina against top seniors from South Carolina will be held Dec. 16 in Spartanburg, S.C. Norwood has committed to play for the University of North Carolina. He’s considered one of the state’s top o ensive linemen.

The head coach for the North Carolina team is Johnny Sowell of Monroe.

Here’s the full list of North Carolina player selections, which were unveiled Sunday: O ense

• Quarterbacks: Tyler Budge (Weddington), Evan Medders (Marvin Ridge)

• Running Backs: Tyler Mason (Mount Airy), Corbin Kerr

(Wallace-Rose Hill), Cuttler Adams (Robbinsville), Nick Segarra (Charlotte Catholic)

• Wide receivers: Jonathan Pay-

lor (Burlington Cummings), Javarius Green (Shelby Crest), Ross Smith (Forest Hills), Josiah McLaurin (Clinton), Truitt Manuel (West Henderson), Mike Carlock (Jacksonville), Izay Bridges (Shelby)

• O ensive linemen: Thomas Wilson (Myers Park), Kai Greer (Marvin Ridge), Darrius McDougald (Scotland), Kedar Mangum (Cleveland), Jani Norwood (Eastern Randolph), Desmond Jackson (West Forsyth), Tyler West (Andrews), Trent Mitchell (Ashbrook)

• Kicker/Punter: Nolan Hauser

Southwestern Randolph, boys’ soccer

Ortiz was a major contributor in three victories last week for Southwestern Randolph.

He supplied a goal against both Trinity and North Davidson after earlier in the week notching an assist against Providence Grove.

The Cougars have been a strong team in racking up a nine-game winning streak entering this week. Through 11 games, they’ve outscored their opponents by a cumulative score of 54-9.

Ortiz is a sophomore mid elder.

COURTESY PHOTO

(Hough)

Defense

• Defensive line: Nnamdi Ogboko (South Garner), Henry Hicks (Northampton), DJ Brant (West Columbus), Keenan Hatcher (Greensboro Grimsley), Chris Kinsey (Clayton), Mansion Brooks (East Bladen), Deebo White (Concord Robinson).

• Linebackers: Deric Dandy (Mount Airy), Jadin Baptist (Pinecrest), Curtis Simpson (Kings Mountain), Jamarcus Smith (St. Pauls), Ryan Ziegler (Cardinal Gibbons), Brandon Guest (Asheville Reynolds), Paul Widerman (Reidsville), Billy Wilkes (Charlotte Providence).

• Defensive backs: Ben Black (Mallard Creek), Phillip Harris (Butler), Zakhi Mitchell (East Forsyth), Landon Callahan (Reagan), Deuce Walker (Salisbury), Tre Martin (Southern Durham).

Casper, Smith, Sanders among Caraway winners

Randolph Record

SOPHIA — Jaxon Casper was the winner of the Modifieds feature Saturday night at Caraway Speedway. Casper finished ahead of Justice Calabro for the victory. Matthew Smith was a repeat winner in Challengers. His second consecutive victory came when he finished ahead of Tommy Raino and Daniel Schadt.

Veteran driver AJ Sanders was the winner in Mini Stocks, cranking out the victory across 40 laps. Luke Smith and Bryson Pickard held the next two spots.

The Bootleggers race was won by Jon Morton, who was ahead of Bentley Black and John Turner at the end. In UCARs, Justin Smith

claimed the victory ahead of Daniel Hughes and Ron Mack in the regularly scheduled feature. In a make-up UCARs race, Mock captured first place with Jason Richmond and Smith in the next two positions in the 15-lap event.

Christian Joyce used an alternate car to win in Street Stocks for Bowman Gray Stadium drivers. Joyce had a blown engine in his car, but used Brad Lewis’ ride to secure his desired outcome in the 30-lap race. Nate Gregg was next, followed by fast qualifier Cale Martin. Martin received a bonus for being the leader at the halfway mark.

The next race night for cars in some of the speedway’s regular classes comes Oct. 7.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Pedro Ortiz of Southwestern Randolph controls the ball during a game earlier this season.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL Trinity’s Serena Dilldine sets the ball as teammate’s Eva Porter, left, and Katelyn Hill look on during a victory last week against Jordan-Matthews.

Top players from around the state were picked to play in December’s showcase event.

AJ Sanders collected the trophy in the Mini Stocks race Saturday night at Caraway Speedway.

Coach puts focus on daughter’s medical situation

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

RANDLEMAN — Randleman has reached the middle of its football season with tremendous success, but coach Shane Timmons has more pressing matters on his mind.

His daughter Ophie has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.

“I’m coaching each day like it’s my last day on earth,” Timmons said. “It’s a great way to live. It’s the hand that I was dealt.”

Timmons’ attention has been detoured from his team at times during the past few weeks.

Ophie’s condition is called Ependymoma, and she has a Stage II cancer. Now almost 21 months old, she’s the youngest of two daughters of the coach and his wife, Ashley.

Randleman is the only undefeated football team in Randolph County. The Tigers (5-0) are o this week before beginning Piedmont Athletic Conference play Sept. 29 at Wheatmore.

During the week of the third game of the season, the Timmons family learned of the diagnosis. An initial surgery re -

sulted in removal of about 75 percent of the problem area, so an oncology team has been working to develop the best plan

amid chemotherapy treatments.

“We’re going to have to explore some other options,” Timmons said. “The prognosis could

be better and the prognosis could be worse.”

Timmons missed the Tigers’ 56-0 demolition of host Cedar Ridge on Sept. 1. He also has been away for some of the program’s junior varsity action. He credits members of his coaching sta with lling in and taking expanded roles. He said he appreciates the outpouring of support from the community.

“Crisis brings the best out of people,” he said. “We just got to hang on to that.”

Timmons was an o ensive coordinator for Randleman’s football team before leaving the district. He’s in his fourth season as head coach of the Tigers.

From a coaching standpoint, Timmons said it’s important that his players witness him carry out his duties the best that he can.

“They have to see you get up o the mat,” he said.

Last week, a GoFundMe page (“Fight for Ophie”) to support the Timmons family was organized by Randleman athletics director Jake Smith.

Randleman, Eastern Randolph cruise to victories

Randolph Record

RANDLEMAN — John

Kirkpatrick threw two touchdown passes and ran for another touchdown in undefeated Randleman’s 53-14 trouncing of visiting Asheboro in Friday night’s non-conference football game.

Edison Hernandez scored on two touchdown runs and Randleman (5-0) never trailed.

Kirkpatrick completed 19 of 28 throws for 310 yards.

Tyshaun Goldston made a touchdown catch and racked up 174 receiving yards on eight receptions.

Asheboro (1-3) scored on Quincy Lee’s 2-run and Hamza Khan’s 68-yard pass connection to Ben Luck. Former Randleman player Logan Laughlin was 9-for-17 for 115 passing yards with an interception for Asheboro.

Hernandez’s 29-yard touchdown run and Je rey Guzman’s 8-yard touchdown run boosted the Tigers in the rst quarter.

After Lee’s touchdown run, Goldston’s 9-yard pass from Kirkpatrick stretched the margin before Kirkpatrick’s 17-yard run. Chase Farlow’s 69-yard interception return propelled Randleman to a 35-7 halftime lead.

Hernandez ran for a 4-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Christian McLeod booted a 38-yard eld goal and Ty Moton added a 4-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Eastern Randolph 40, Central Davidson 19: At Lexington, Carter Revelle threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as the visiting Wildcats (3-1) picked up the victory.

Revelle threw for 211 yards and rushed for 91 yards.

Nicah Taylor caught two touchdown passes as part of a seven-catch, 148-yard outing. DeSean Shamberger also made

a touchdown reception.

Lucas Smith, who scored two touchdowns, had 104 of his 117 rushing yards in the rst half.

Central Davidson (2-3) had a two-game winning streak snapped. Ledford 46, Providence Grove 7: At Climax, the previously undefeated Patriots couldn’t contain visiting Ledford (5-0).

Providence Grove (4-1) trailed 32-0 at halftime and didn’t score until Logan Fox’s 27-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Albemarle 32, Southwestern Randolph 6: At Asheboro, the host Cougars (3-1) absorbed their rst loss of the season.

The score was tied 6-6 at halftime after each team scored in the second quarter, but the Bulldogs (1-4) posted two touch-

PREP FOOTBALL — WEEK 6

Friday night’s games

Southwestern Randolph at Asheboro Eastern Randolph at Parkwood

downs in the third quarter and two more in the fourth quarter.

Kaine McLendon ran for two touchdowns and Ander Artis threw for two touchdowns.

Trinity 14, Union Academy 10: At Trinity, Dominic Payne ran for a 9-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to give the host Bulldogs the non-conference victory.

Payne scored earlier for Trinity (3-2) on a 23-yard pass reception from Noah Bradley. That was Payne’s only catch of the game.

Payne racked up 134 rushing yards on 25 carries.

Union Academy (1-4) fell to 0-3 in road games. South Stanly 18, Wheatmore 12: At Norwood, the host Bulls rallied to win the homecoming game on Kaleb Richardson’s 35-yard, fourth-down pass to Tristen Patterson with 2:44 remaining.

Jonathan Kelly scored on two third-quarter runs for Wheatmore (2-3). His 27-yard burst gave the Warriors the lead.

South Stanly (3-2), which led 6-0 at halftime, pulled even in the fourth quarter on Jasiah Holt’s punt return for a touchdown.

FILE PHOTO

Randleman football coach Shane Timmons has been dealing with a family medical situation during this season.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Albemarle’s Kaine McLendon tries to pick up yards as he’s hit by Southwestern Randolph’s Jentezen Cox during Friday night’s game.

David Lee Pratt

August 13, 1953 — September 17, 2023

Mr. David Lee Pratt 70 passed away peacefully Sunday, September 17, 2023 and the Randolph Hospice House in Asheboro. Mr. Pratt was preceded in death by his father, Dorrell Lee Pratt and brother Dennis Pratt. Dave graduated from Forbush High School and North Carolina State University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He was a veteran of the United States Air Force. Dave loved building and ying model planes. He also developed a passion for woodworking.

Dave left behind his wife, Elaine Gamble Pratt, two loving step-daughters Jill Kester Snowdon(Mark) of Seagrove and Amy Kester-Havens(Jean) of Clearwater,Florida. Three grandchildren Pierce Snowdon, Nathan Snowdon and Makenzie Snowdon. Three great-grandchildren Luke Snowdon, Casey Rich and Harper Rich.

Larry Darnell Reid

April 25, 1961 — September 16, 2023

Larry Darnell Reid born Thursday April 25th, 1961, in Concord, North Carolina, the son of The Rev. Maxine Reid Woody and The Rev. Charles H. Woody. He completed his early education in Cabarrus County School System. He attended and graduated from Western Carolina University with a Bachelor of Science in Radio/Television and Film with a Minor in Music. He worked for WKXR thirty plus years. He was the station manager and on-air Talent at WKXR and WZOO. Larry was literally, “The Voice of Randolph County”.

Larry was everywhere, serving on the Habitat for Humanity Board, CUOC Board, Member of the Board of Trustees at Randolph Community College, and the United Way. His service had been valuable, and he had the very highest caliber of work ethic.

He is survived by his wife, Jo Jarrell Reid. His dad, The Rev. Charles H. Woody and Pamela Woody, of Ramseur, NC. His sister, Rachelle Tyson, of Asheboro, NC. His brothers, Elvet Reid of Kingsport, TN, Charles Woody Jr. (Jenn) of Bristol, CT, Alfred Woody (Colleen) of Branford, CT, and mother-in-law, Alice “Sue” Jarrell. Larry had many aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews left to cherish his memory. Preceded in death, his mother, The Rev. Maxine Reid Woody, his sister, Janice M. Watkins and his brother, James L. Reid.

Roger Dale Lo in

September 6, 1959 — September 16, 2023

Roger Dale Lo in, 64 of Asheboro passed away Saturday September 16, 2023, at Randolph Hospital surrounded by all of his ve siblings.

Roger was born on September 6, 1959, in Randolph County to the late Charles Henry and Nancy Brower Lo in.

Roger was an excellent mechanic all his life. He worked for Midstate Toyota, Honda Cars of Asheboro, and lastly for Thomas Tire and Advance Auto. He enjoyed the outdoors.

In addition to his parents, Roger was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Garland and Victoria Brower, paternal grandparents, Fincher and Mamie Lo in, as well as many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

Roger is survived by his siblings: Keith Lo in (Wanda) of Seagrove, Sherry James (Randy) of Seagrove, Robin Lo in of Clemmons, Lori Pierce (Michael) of Asheboro and Lisa Thompson (Horrace) of Asheboro. Many nieces, nephews, uncles, cousins, and lifelong friends Mary Ruth McKenzie, Ricky Henley, and Bryant Pierce.

Janett Faye Hawkins Wallace

March 2, 1947 — September 15, 2023

Our beloved mother, Janett

Faye Hawkins Wallace, 76, of Asheboro passed away Friday, September 15, 2023 at Alpine Health and Rehabilitation of Asheboro. She was born in Ga ney, S.C. to parents, Howard Webb Hawkins and Ovellia Waddell Hawkins. Janett, a homemaker, was renowned for putting the needs of others before her own. Always the devoted wife and mother, she was most proud of being known as Granny and loved her grandchildren beyond measure. She enjoyed the hunt of antiquing and the thrill of beach and mountain trips. A wonderful cook and green thumb, Janett had many talents. She will be dearly missed by her sons: Richard Dale Wallace, Jr. (Belinda) of Climax and Je rey Wallace (Kendra) of Asheboro; grandchildren: Kayla, Logan and Grant Wallace and Zachary Caudle; sisters: Nina Phillips of Ga ney, S.C. and Linda Greenwood of Fountain Inn, S.C. She was predeceased by her loving husband of 49 years, Richard Dale Wallace, Senior; parents: Howard and Ovellia Hawkins; and brother-in-law: Kenneth Phillips.

Stephen Ray Long

March 6, 1977 — September 14, 2023

Stephen Ray Long, 46, of Sophia, NC went to be with his Lord and Savior in his heavenly home on September 14, 2023.

Stephen is the son of Jesse and Martha Long born on March 6, 1977 in Richmond County.

He was a devoted husband, father, son, brother, and friend to many. Stephen would do anything to help anyone, and worked hard to provide for his family as a welder, and utility specialist of 20 years with Thomas Built Buses. He took great pride in taking care of his garden, working on vehicles, and was a devoted fan of UNC basketball and Carolina Panthers football. His greatest joy came from spending quality time with his beautiful wife of 21 years, and three sons as he loved his family very much.

Stephen is survived by his wife, Heather Douglas Long; three sons, Ethan, Evan, and Eli Long; Parents, Jesse and Martha Long; brothers Josh (Celeste) Long, Joseph Long, nieces Kaynah Long, and Raynor Douglas; nephew Bryson Solomon, his sweet dog Peppy, and many friends who all loved him dearly.

Hugh Edwin "Eddie" Harrington

August 13, 1937 — September 11, 2023

Hugh Edwin Harrington

“Eddie”, 86, of Asheboro passed away peacefully surrounded by his family, at Cross Road Memory Care, Asheboro, North Carolina.

Eddie was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina, on August 13,1937 to Hugh and Zelma Bost Harrington.

He married the love of his life Joyce Ann Poole in 1959.

Mr. Harrington was a band director in Danville, Va for two years before coming to Asheboro in 1962 where he was the band director for North Asheboro and South Asheboro Middle School for 35 years.

During his career he served for two years as State Chairman of the American School Band Directors Association.

Eddie was inducted into the North Carolina Bandmasters Association Hall of Fame in 2012. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, teacher and friend. He also enjoyed playing tennis, photography, hunting, and shing. Eddie loved the beach, mountains, and anywhere he could spend time with his family.

Eddie was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, daughters: Kathy Harrington Foreman (Terry) of Davidson, NC, Debbie Harrington Aldridge (Don) of Raleigh, NC, brothers Dennis Harrington (Brenda) of Raleigh, NC and Norman Harrington (Peggy) of Kannapolis, NC and grandchildren Ryan Foreman, Emma Foreman, Adam Aldridge and Taylor Aldridge.

Susan Noble McCrary

September 6, 1943 — September 12, 2023

Susan Noble McCrary, 80, of Asheboro, died at Clapp's Nursing Home. She was a much beloved wife, mother and grandmother. Mrs. McCrary was born in Randolph County on September 6, 1943 to William Winfred Frye, Jr. and Wila Mae Cox. She was a graduate of Asheboro High School and attended Elon College.

In addition to her parents, Susan was preceded in death by her husband Charles Walker McCrary, Jr. She was a member of First United Methodist Church where she served in several ministries.

Susan was a Regent of the Colonel Andrew Balfour Chapter of the DAR and served as president of the Asheboro Public Library Foundation and the Sorosis Book Club. She is survived by her daughter Suzanne English McCrary; son Charles Walker McCrary, III., wife Shannon Hancock McCrary, and grandchildren Samantha Grace McCrary and Charles Walker McCrary, IV.

Charles Gary Taylor

July 23, 1947 — September 14, 2023

Gary Taylor (76), born on July 23rd, 1947, a resident of Randleman, NC, peacefully passed away at the Randolph Hospice House on September 14, 2023 at 6:07 AM. He touched the hearts of many and will be deeply missed.

In addition to his professional pursuits, Gary was a dedicated former reman, always ready to answer the call of duty to protect and serve his community. He was a faithful member of New Salem United Methodist Church.

Gary also proudly served his country as a veteran of the US Army, stationed in Germany. His commitment to duty and service extended beyond his military service and into every aspect of his life.

Gary Taylor leaves behind a legacy of love, kindness, and dedication that will continue to inspire those who knew him. He is survived by wife of 53 years Shirley Taylor, daughter Tammy Slone (Eddie), son in law Preston Ingold, Grandchildren Brandy Moyer, Laken Soheili (Michael), Brooke Nelson (Matthew), and Vince Ingold, great grandchildren Cohen Nelson, and Kinsley Soheili. Preceded in death by parents Jason and Helen Taylor, brother Tim Taylor, daughter Crystal Ingold, and great grandchild Liam Nelson.

Jack C. Nance

August 6, 1926 - September 16, 2023

Jack Cranford Nance, 97, of Asheboro, died Saturday, September 16, 2023 at his home.

Mr. Nance was born on August 6, 1926, in Davidson County, son of the late Troy Nance and Sadie Cranford Nance Little. Mr. Nance honorably served in the U.S. Navy during WWII. He graduated from Denton High School. Mr. Nance worked at First National Bank, D & N Mobile Homes and later owned and operated This 'n' That Shoppe. He enjoyed yard work, bowling and gol ng and was an avid fan of the Atlanta Braves and ACC Basketball.

In addition to his parents, Mr. Nance was preceded in death by his wife, Helen Nance and brother, Larry Little.

He is survived by his daughters, Ann N. Shaw, of Asheboro, Kay N. Freeman, of Mint Hill, NC; sisters, Colleen Pinson of Asheboro, Troy Jean Nance of Farmer, Lottie Buie of Denton, Sara Sendecki of Tampa, FL; brother, Sidney Little of Jacksonville, FL; grandchildren, Carey Shaw, of Asheboro, C.T. Shaw (Holly) of Leland, NC, Brent Beasley (Mark) of Hartsville, SC, Abby Lesslie (Robbie) of North Charleston, SC, Jordan Amaker (Marcus) of North Charleston, SC; and nine greatgrandchildren.

Michael "Mike" Gerard Jones

November 2, 1954 — September 13, 2023

Michael "Mike" Gerard Jones, age 68, of Asheboro passed away on September 13, 2023.

Mr. Jones was born in Chicago, IL on November 2, 1954 to Robert and Mary Lou Konitzer Jones. Mike was the owner/operator of Mike's Chicago Dogs in Asheboro for eight years. Mike played 16" Clencher Ball, played company baseball for the Navistar Cardinals, coached baseball for numerous years, and was a lifelong Cubs fan. In addition to his parents, Mike was preceded in death by his sister, Janet Mary Jones.

He is survived by his wife, Patsy "Pat" Wark Jones; children, Kevin Jones (Stephanie) of Denton, NC, Dawn Gorney of Michigan, Chad Smeaton of Georgia, Robert Smeaton II of Michigan, Deeana Dillehay of Texas, and Brian Jones (April) of Tennessee; grandchildren, Shelby Jones, Jayson Gorney (Stacey), Juston Gorney, Natasha Ellsworth, Robert Smeaton III, Dakota Smeaton, Cheyene Clancey, Skylar Clancey, Allyssa Freeze, Chance Freeze, Anson Freeze, Chase Jones, Alli Jones, and Reed Jones; great grandchildren, Heaven Gorney, Elijah Ellsworth, Landon Smeaton, and Novalee Rose Ellsworth; and siblings, Daniel Jones, Margaret Jones, and Susan Vasser.

STATE & NATION

Donald Trump’s GOP rivals try to attract social conservatives in Iowa at an event he skipped

The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa — Hoping to cut into Donald Trump’s support at a major Iowa gathering of evangelical Christians, several of his top rivals on Saturday mostly avoided direct criticism of him on abortion and other issues key to social conservatives.

The Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual banquet is traditionally a marquee event on the Republican primary calendar. But the former president skipped it, leaving a mostly muted crowd of more than 1,000 pastors and activists to instead hear from several candidates running behind Trump.

The primary eld’s split on abortion was once again on display, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis saying restrictions on the procedure should be left to the states — a position similar to Trump’s — while former Vice President Mike Pence referred to Trump as his “former running mate” and said he was wrong to oppose a national abortion ban.

While the audience was overwhelmingly anti-abortion, Pence’s push for a 15-week ban got only tepid applause, re ecting some national Republicans’ concerns that Democrats are winning on abortion rights issues

after last year’s Supreme Court ruling overturning the Roe v. Wade decision.

DeSantis, who has struggled to solidify himself as the GOP primary’s No. 2 behind Trump, declined to say he’d back a federal abortion ban. Instead, he said, states have done more on the issue.

“Congress has really struggled to make an impact over the years,” DeSantis said.

Pence said he disagreed with Trump and argued all Republican presidential candidates should back a federal abortion ban at a minimum of 15 weeks of

pregnancy.

“I believe it’s an idea whose time has come,” Pence said. “We need to stand for the unborn all across America.”

A Trump attack came from former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is a frequent critic of the former president. He said “there’s another candidate, that I respect, but who is not here tonight” before slamming Trump for saying he wants “to make both sides happy” on abortion.

Hutchinson said that unlike Trump, “both sides aren’t going to like me. This is going to be a ght for life.”

The event featured many devout and well-connected social conservatives who can play a decisive role in Iowa’s rst-in-thenation Republican caucuses in January. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz used strong appeals to evangelical Republicans to win the GOP’s 2016 caucuses.

This time, however, Trump’s rivals face a much tougher task because he has built a large early GOP primary lead. The former president has also remained popular with evangelical Christians and social conservatives in Iowa and elsewhere who were delighted to see his three Supreme Court picks vote to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Saturday’s banquet is the last scheduled opportunity for a large group of Iowa evangelical conservatives have the chance to see the candidates side-by-side, meaning they won’t see Trump. He skipped similar events with crowds of thousands in Iowa in April and June.

DeSantis was asked speci cally to talk about his personal faith and deeply held Catholic beliefs. He noted that when his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, he was thankful for “the amount of prayers we received. It lifted my wife’s spirits up.” He said prayer was a key reason she was now

US military orders new interviews on the deadly 2021 Afghan airport attack as criticism persists

The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Pentagon’s Central Command has ordered interviews of roughly two dozen more service members who were at the Kabul airport when suicide bombers attacked during U.S. forces’ chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, as criticism persists that the deadly assault could have been stopped.

The interviews, ordered by Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, were triggered in part by assertions by at least one service member injured in the blast who said he was never interviewed about it and that he might have been able to stop the attackers.

The interviews are meant to see if service members who were not included in the original investigation, have new or di erent information.

The decision, according to ofcials, does not reopen the administration’s investigation into the deadly bombing and the withdrawal two years ago. But the additional interviews will likely be seized on by congressional critics, mostly Republican, as proof that the administration bungled the probe into the attack, in addition to mishandling the withdrawal.

Some families of those killed

and injured have complained that the Pentagon hasn’t been transparent enough about the bombing that killed 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. servicemen and women.

U.S. Central Command’s investigation concluded in November 2021 that given the worsening security situation at the airport’s Abbey Gate as Afghans became increasingly desperate to ee, “the attack was not preventable at the tactical level without degrading the mission to maximize the number of evacuees.” And, the Pentagon has said that

the review of the suicide attack had turned up neither any advance identi cation of a possible attacker nor any requests for “an escalation to existing rules of engagement” governing use of force by U.S. troops.

Central Command plans to speak with a number of service members who were severely wounded in the bombing at the Abbey Gate and had to be quickly evacuated from the country for medical care. They represent the bulk of the planned interviews, but a few others who weren’t wounded are also includ-

ed. O cials also did not rule out that the number of interviews could grow as a result of those initial conversations.

“The purpose of these interviews is to ensure we do our due diligence with the new information that has come to light, that the relevant voices are fully heard and that we take those accounts and examine them seriously and thoroughly so the facts are laid bare,” Central Command spokesperson Michael Lawhorn said in a statement.

O cials on Friday began informing family members of those killed in the bombing as well as members of Congress about the latest plan. Lt. Gen. Patrick Frank, head of Army Central Command, is overseeing the team conducting the interviews, which is led by Army Brig. Gen. Lance Curtis. Gen. Kurilla has asked Frank to provide an update in 90 days.

In emotional testimony during a congressional hearing in March, former Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews told lawmakers that he was thwarted in an attempt to stop the suicide bombing. He said Marines and others aiding in the evacuation operation were given descriptions of men believed to be plotting an attack before it occurred. He said he and others spotted

cancer-free.

Candidates discussing their personal faith has been a hallmark of successful Iowa caucus candidates for decades — including George W. Bush who in 1999 famously said, when asked to identify his favorite political philosopher, named Jesus Christ “because he changed my heart.”

Robin Star of Waukee, just west of Des Moines, attended DeSantis’ address at the church and said she was glad the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — but that Trump doesn’t deserve all the credit. Star said she’d nonetheless vote for Trump if he’s the Republican nominee, but fears he cannot unify the Republican Party enough heading into the general election against Biden.

“We’ve got to win,” Star said. “We’ve just got to win.”

Her husband, Jerry Star, was more de nitive, saying “I believe it’s time for new leadership.”

A retired Air Force o cer, Jerry Star said he was very supportive of most of Trump’s time in the White House until Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of the former president’s supporters overran the U.S. Capitol.

“He did a heck of a job in his four years, but he knocked it all down that day,” he said. “It’s time for someone else.”

two men matching the descriptions and behaving suspiciously, and eventually had them in their ri e scopes, but never received a response about whether to take action.

“No one was held accountable,” Vargas-Andrews told Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, the chairman of the House Foreign A airs Committee. “No one was, and no one is, to this day.”

The March hearing was set up to examine the Biden administration’s handling of the withdrawal. Taliban forces seized the Afghan capital, Kabul, far more rapidly than U.S. intelligence had foreseen as American forces pulled out. Kabul’s fall turned the West’s withdrawal into a frenzy, putting the airport at the center of a desperate air evacuation by U.S. troops.

In April, President Joe Biden’s administration laid blame on his predecessor, President Donald Trump, for the deadly withdrawal. A 12-page summary of the results of the “ hotwash “ of U.S. policies around the ending of the nation’s longest war asserts that Biden was “severely constrained” by Trump’s decisions.

It acknowledges that the evacuation of Americans and allies from Afghanistan should have started sooner, but blames the delays on the Afghan government and military, and on U.S. military and intelligence community assessments.

The administration has refused to release detailed reviews conducted by the State Department and the Pentagon, saying they are highly classi ed.

AP PHOTO

Former Vice President and current 2024 Republican presidential candidate Mike Pence receives safety instructions before his turn to shoot during the 10th annual Jasper County GOP trap shoot on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, at Jasper County Gun Club in Newton, Iowa.

AP PHOTO

Smoke rises from a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 26, 2021.

COUNTY NEWS

Red Cross announces national blood supply shortage

Last week, the American Red Cross announced that the national blood supply had fallen to critically low levels that could potentially threaten the emergency medical care of patients and those depending on blood transfusions. A 25% drop in donations since August, coupled with back-to-back months of climate-driven disasters, is the result of the strained blood supply, according to the Red Cross. Donors of all blood types are urgently needed, and there is an emergency need for platelet donors and O-blood donors to make an appointment to give now to ensure patients across the country continue to receive critical medical care. “For so many patients living with urgent medical care needs, crises don’t stop with natural disasters,” said Dr. Pampee Young, chief medical o cer of the American Red Cross. “In fact, in some instances, the stresses of a disaster can lead to a medical crisis for some individuals battling sickle cell disease. The need for blood is constant. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood—an often invisible emergency that the rest of the world doesn’t see behind closed hospital doors. Now, that urgency has only heightened.” To make an appointment to give blood or platelets, donors can use the Red Cross Blood App, visit RedCrossBlood. org or call 1-800-7332767.

HOKE COUNTY

Tough loss for Bucks

Hoke County fell in three straight games in a Sandhills Conference showdown with Pinecrest last Thursday. The Bucks fell to 6-7 on the year, 2-4 in conference.

Board of Education reduces frequency of board meetings

Interim Superintendent’s contract extended for additional month

North State Journal

RAEFORD — The Hoke County Schools Board of Education met Tuesday, September 12.

The board rst approved the rst readings of the new NCSBA policies to align with new requirements brought upon by state legislation.

“Senate Bill 49 passed in August, and it’s supposed to be enacted just a few days after it was passed,” said Interim Superintendent Rodney Shotwell. “It became law and e ective for schools on August 16. The school board association, because they work with so many school districts and they work with the di erent attorney groups, they’ve been able to pull this legislation together to tie in our existing policies to make sure they match up with the changes that are required from the state legislation.”

The board also approved their chosen rate for their oneyear legal contract with Poyner Spruill, which includes a at rate of $2,000 per month that will cover one monthly meet-

ing and up to four development workshops and $180 per hour for any additional services.

The board then approved the reduction in the frequency of their monthly meetings from two to one a month.

“I spoke with leadership, with the chair and vice-chair, and we talked about the amount of time that we’re spending meeting and, unfortunately, some of the last-minute changes that come up. Hoke County is not unique,” Shotwell said.

The approval wasn’t unanimous as board member Ruben Castellon was in favor of keeping the current two meetings a month schedule.

“I know we’ve gotten away from the original intent of the work session meetings, but we’ve also had a whole bunch of meetings,” Castellon said. “The old saying, ‘You can pay me now, or you can pay me later.’ So, the way I look at it is that we should truly hold the work session meeting to discuss so we can give repeats on everything, and then we approve whatever we need to from the work sessions at the monthly meetings. Ideally, we’ll be here for 30-45 minutes. If we don’t keep the work session meeting, then what’s going to happen is that we’re going

to be here all night giving briefings. I know we all have to sacri ce, but we haven’t really kept up with the work session meeting, so I, for one, am a strong supporter of the work session meeting whether we can be here or not and that we should denitely have a monthly meeting.”

However, Castellon was alone in his thinking, as he was the only member who opposed the reduction of meetings.

“I know we have a lot of things that are coming up, but I believe that we should all be accountable to reading our emails and seeing what is coming up, and people can give us the information ahead of time so we can have an outlook on what

New Superintendent introduced in latest Board of Education meeting

Dr. Kenneth Spells to begin new role starting November 1

North State Journal

RAEFORD — During their regular board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 12, the Hoke County Schools Board of Education appeared to reveal the name of their new superintendent.

In the middle of a discussion regarding the extension of interim superintendent Rodney Shotwell’s contract, board attorney Rod Malone seemed to partially name the new superintendent as a “Dr. Spells.”

Per a source, this person mentioned is actually Dr. Kenneth Spells, the superintendent

Spells, who has been in his current role since 2019, has over a decade of superintendent experience, having also served as the superintendent at Alton Community Unit School District 11 in Alton, Illinois. He also has over 20 years of educational experience, having also been an elementary principal, a middle school assistant principal, a social studies teacher, an adjunct professor and a state

is going to be on the agenda,” said Vice Chair Catherine Blue. “Once a month is what we really want because this is taking up a whole lot of time. I just feel like if we could get the emails and information in a timely manner for what’s going to be discussed, then we could look it over, and then we could have our minds made up when we come together.”

The board then approved an extension of the Interim Superintendent’s contract.

The initial extension was supposed to be for just one additional month, expiring on October 31, but the board added a conditional clause of the possibility of another additional week on top of it if the new superintendent so wishes, in order to allow for a smoother transition.

“With all fairness to the new superintendent coming in, I think Dr. Shotwell should be here at least a week or maybe two to have that good transition,” Castellon said. “We’re not talking about an Assistant Superintendent, we’re talking about ‘the’ Superintendent coming in. I really think that maybe with a note that if the new superintendent says that I don’t need you after the rst day that we can break the contract, but I really would like to have the new superintendent the opportunity to have the wealth of knowledge that Dr. Shotwell has brought here.”

The Hoke County Schools Board of Education will next meet Oct. 10.

champion basketball coach.

A Navy veteran, Spells is familiar with North Carolina and the area as he received a Bachelor of Science in History and Physical Education from Fayetteville State University and also taught social studies at Columbus County Schools in Whiteville.

As Hoke County Schools interim superintendent Rodney Shotwell’s contract was extended to the end of October, it is expected that Spells will assume the position of superintendent starting November 1.

It is expected that Spells will assume the position of superintendent starting November 1.

“With all fairness to the new superintendent coming in, I think Dr. Shotwell should be here at least a week or maybe two to have that good transition.”

Ruben Castellon

PHOTO BY DAVID SINCLAIR

FILE PHOTO

Dr. Kenneth Spells

Russell, Nicholas John (W/M/35), Probation Violation, 09/18/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

Sanders, Seth Davidson (W/M/32), Firearm by Felon, Possess Drug Paraphernalia, 09/18/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

McMillian, Jeffrey (I/M/55), Probation Violation, 09/17/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

Oxendine, Ricky Shelton (I/M/25), B&E, 09/15/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

Wright III, Bobby Ray (W/M/34), Probation Violation, 09/14/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

Edmiston, Caleb Bryandt (W/M/25), Resisting Arrest/ Hinder and Delay, 09/14/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

Board, Christopher Keith (B/M/31), Assault on LEO, 09/13/2023, Hoke County

Sheriff’s Office

Melvin, Janorion (B/M/23), Probation Violation, 09/12/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

Chavis, Roland Eugene (W/M/43), Communicate

Threats, 09/12/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

Carpenter, Kristopher Shane (I/M/36), Possess Drug Paraphernalia, 09/12/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

Is Google guilty of being too popular with consumers?

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD the Biden Justice Department is suing Google in federal court for being a “monopoly.” That’s a bizarre charge given that few, if any companies in all American history have lowered prices more than Google — which provides access to information that used to take hours or days to nd — with merely a click of a button, and instantaneously. And it does it basically for free.

Wait, I thought monopolies are bad because they RAISE prices. Google does the opposite. If you’re a consumer and a user of Google searches and you feel aggrieved, raise your hand.

Actually, the Biden lawyers aren’t even trying to make the case that Google harms its users. Instead, it has invented a new legal theory that Google is hurting its competitors — many of which aren’t even located in the United States. This would be like Burger King suing McDonald’s because more customers are choosing the golden arches.

It appears that the crime that Google is being charged with is that the company is TOO successful, and consumers like and use it TOO much.

That is the essence of the hollow case of Biden v. Google.

It’s true that many conservatives don’t like Google’s left-leaning politics and bias in some of its search algorithms. Neither do I. But it’s their product, and consumers can always walk away. But if the issue is what is in the national interest, the villain in this case is the Justice Department, not Google.

Let’s back up a minute. The reason that the U.S. emerged as the massive winner in the tech wars of the last three decades is that Congress made a rare wise decision by passing a law in the mid-1990s (thank you, Rep. Chris Cox) that essentially declared this new and revolutionary communications device called “the internet” tax-free, regulation-free and lawsuit-free. Tech companies weren’t to be encumbered with nuisance lawsuits like this one.

This laissez-faire strategy sparked a Wild West gold rush of creativity and entrepreneurial explosion — unimpeded by government — that created tens of trillions of dollars of wealth and sprouted trillion-dollar companies from Google to Apple to Amazon to Facebook. They are all predominantly owned by more than 100 million American shareholders. And we have shared in the trillions of dollars of wealth created.

America won this tech race big time. We blew away the Europeans, the Japanese, the Chinese — all who got left picking

The impeachment of Joe Biden

LAST WEEK, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., announced the opening of an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. “These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption, and they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives,” McCarthy explained. The impeachment inquiry will give the House Republicans a better legal defense against claims that any subpoenas they issue exceed the scope of congressional authority. More importantly, it signals to the American public the seriousness of Republican intent to make Biden’s corruption the top issue in the 2024 election.

For those complaining about Republican politicking, turnabout is surely fair play. Former President Donald Trump was impeached not once but twice; neither time did Democrats so much as allege a statutory crime. They relied on the fact that impeachment is a political response, not a criminal one — true as far as it goes, but precedent-setting in the context of prior impeachments. They pursued impeachment inquiries without so much as a vote in the House. The genie is out of the bottle, and it isn’t going back in anytime soon.

The allegations against Biden are already damning. So is the evidence. Biden used his son, Hunter, as a cutout to clear cash from foreign sources on behalf of the Biden family. That’s all part of a decades-long pattern by which Biden has used his political power and in uence to bene t his family.

Back in the 1970s, Jimmy Biden, Joe’s brother, somehow obtained generous loans from a local bank to open a rock club, despite little in the way of collateral; Joe was sitting on the Senate Banking Committee at the time and ended up pressuring the bank when Jimmy fell behind on his loans.

In 1996, Joe cashed out his home by selling it to the vice president of MBNA in a sweetheart deal; MBNA would also hire Hunter fresh out of law school. MBNA was one of Biden’s biggest donors and a bene ciary of his credit card policy largesse.

In the words of Politico reporter Ben Schreckinger, “The Bidens regularly intermingled personal, political, and nancial relationships in ways that invited questions about whether the

up the crumbs.

Google wasn’t the rst search engine. It took the Silicon Valley company more than a decade to win over users and seize control of this market.

It’s a great American success story. Google now dominates 79% of the U.S. search market and about that same share internationally. Why? Not because it’s a monopoly or because government gave them handouts. There are scores of search engines from Microsoft’s Bing to DuckDuckGo to Russian, Chinese and European rivals. Google dominates for the same reason the Boston Celtics won 11 titles with Bill Russell. They have a superior product. Period. It processes a mind-boggling 100,000 searches per second, and some 8.5 billion searches a day.

Now we nd in the rst days of the trial, as reported by the folks at NetChoice, that one of the allegations that the Biden lawyers are making is that Google is unfair competition to a Russian internet company. Can you believe it? So now President Joe Biden is siding with President Vladimir Putin and the Russians against a red, white and blue American company? How is this possibly in the economic or national security interests of the United States?

It’s not just Google facing witch hunts from the Biden administration. In a similarly inexplicable action, this White House is trying to block a merger between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, a computer game producer. Both companies are American, and the biggest player in the industry is Sony, a Japanese company. Most countries have approved the merger, but not the one country that stands to bene t the most: America.

In the case of Google, the government’s lawyers and regulators are three moves behind the industry on the high-tech chessboard. In the months ahead, there is going to be a ood of new competition in tech, and it isn’t coming from government regulators but from the creative gales of destruction in the arti cial intelligence orbit. This will require massive search and recognition capabilities.

This could be bigger than the internet. Don’t we want America to win this race?

In the case of Biden v. Google, let’s hope and pray the government gets sent packing.

Google all the way.

Stephen Moore is chief economist at FreedomWorks and is a cofounder of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity.

public interest was getting short-changed.”

All of this came to a head when Joe attained the vice presidency. Hunter forged relationships, with his father’s aide, in China and Ukraine; Joe would call into business meetings to “talk about the weather.” Hunter joined the board of Burisma, where he made an extraordinary amount of money; in return, he promised connection with his father. In December 2015, Biden went to Ukraine, where he demanded that Viktor Shokin, a prosecutor looking into Burisma, be red, threatening to withdraw $1 billion in American aid. During this time, a con dential human source later told the FBI that Burisma’s CFO said that he had hired Hunter “to protect us, through his dad, from all kinds of problems.”

That was merely the most egregious apparent abuse of power. There were dozens of others.

Was Joe bene tting from Hunter’s business arrangements? We hear from the media that there is no evidence to suggest he was. But that’s obviously a lie: scoring bene ts for your drug-addicted, sexually deviant son is certainly a bene t that accrues to Joe. And we also have a text directly from Hunter to his daughter Naomi in 2019: “I hope you can all do what I did and pay for everything for this entire family for 30 years. It’s really hard. But don’t worry. Unlike Pop, I won’t make you give me half your salary.”

All of this is predicate to Biden’s behavior as president. Thanks to whistleblowers, we know that the Biden DOJ attempted to cut a sweetheart deal with Hunter Biden to end any investigation into these matters. In this case, the cover-up may be just as bad as the crime.

In the end, the American voters will give their verdict on Biden; with Democrats in control of the Senate, he won’t be removed from o ce. But Republicans are right to remind Americans that Biden isn’t a decent man restoring honor to the Oval O ce. He’s a career-long corrupt politician who simply got lucky in his enemies at the right time.

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

COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO

I hope you can all do what I did and pay for everything for this entire family for 30 years. Unlike Pop, I won’t make you give me half your salary.

COLUMN | STEPHEN MOORE

It appears that the crime that Google is being charged with is that the company is TOO successful, and consumers like and use it TOO much.

SIDELINE REPORT

NFL Rams receiver Nacua sets rookie record with 15 catches

Inglewood, Calif.

Rams wide receiver Puka

Nacua set the NFL singlegame record for most receptions by a rookie with 15 catches in a 30-23 loss to San Francisco on Sunday.

Nacua broke the record with a 17-yard reception late in the fourth quarter. He surpassed the former mark of 14 held by Washington’s Roy Helu, the New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley and Pittsburgh’s Najee Harris. Nacua’s 25 receptions this season are also the most by a rookie in his rst two games.

GOLF

Stricker gets 6th win, sets Champions earnings record

Sioux Falls, S.D.

Steve Stricker won for the sixth time this year on the PGA Tour Champions, claiming the Sanford International in South Dakota for the third time on Sunday. Stricker caught up to K.J. Choi with an eagle on the 12th hole, made a few more birdies to regain the lead and shot a 66 to win by one. Stricker set a record for single-season earnings on the 50-and-older circuit. He now is just short of $4 million. Stricker’s six wins this year include three senior majors.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Bowling Green’s

Hardamon in stable condition

Ann Arbor, Mich.

Bowling Green linebacker

Demetrius Hardamon was in stable condition and cleared to walk a day after an orthopedic injury led to him being placed on a backboard and onto a stretcher before being carted o the eld at Michigan Stadium. The school shared an update on Sunday, saying it hopes Hardamon will soon be released from the hospital. Hardamon was hurt while tackling tight end Colston Loveland in the third quarter of No. 2 Michigan’s 31-6 win.

Hamlin wins at Bristol, Logano eliminated from playo s

The Cup Series playo s cut down to 12 contenders

The Associated Press

THE BEST DRIVER to never win a Cup Series championship believes he can lose that tag this year.

At least that’s what Denny Hamlin told the Bristol Motor Speedway crowd as they booed his third win of the year, 51st of his career, and third in the prestigious short track Saturday night race.

“It’s our year. I just feel we’ve got it all put together,” Hamlin said. “Nothing to stop us at this point.”

Hamlin has won three Daytona 500s and most of NASCAR’s crown jewel races, but he has never won a Cup title in 18 years with Joe Gibbs Racing. He signed an extension this month and was among the

strongest cars in the rst round of the playo s. He is third behind William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports and Gibbs teammate Martin Truex Jr. with the points reset for NASCAR’s second round.

Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick were both eliminated from title contention as both NASCAR champions failed to advance out of the rst round. Logano became the rst reigning champion eliminated in the rst round when he crashed early in the third stage and nished 34th.

He was watching as a spectator as former Gibbs teammate Hamlin celebrated. Harvick, who is retiring at the end of the season, also was eliminated after nishing ve laps down in 29th. Harvick was the rst driver in 2014 to win the championship in this elimination format.

“We’ve been like that all year, hit or miss, and tonight we just missed by a mile,” Harvick said. “I’ve had some good days, some bad days, but that’s de nitely the worst day with fenders. I didn’t really have many expectations, as up and down as the year has been. It is what it is, that’s probably what we deserved.”

Also eliminated were Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael McDowell, despite nishing sixth. Three Ford teams were eliminated, and Stenhouse drives a Chevrolet.

“It wasn’t enough. We were

in a must-win situation,” McDowell said. “This is a learning experience. We’ll learn from this, get ready for next year.”

For Hamlin, the booing was loud when he stopped his No. 11 Toyota at the nish line. He collected the checkered ag then verbally sparred with the angry spectators.

“Everyone likes a winner, right?” he at rst said of the jeers. He con dently boasted “this is our year” for a championship, then addressed the crowd directly.

“I beat your favorite driver,” he taunted.

“Who would that be?” asked the announcer.

“All of them,” Hamlin said as he headed o to celebrate, likely with the 23XI Racing team he founded after Bubba Wallace drove his way into the second round with a 14th-place nish.

The Cup Series opens the second round of the playo s next Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, which has only one Cup race this year for the rst time since 2004. Tyler Reddick won the race a year ago driving for Richard Childress Racing.

“It’s our year. … Nothing to stop us at this point.”

Denny Hamlin

AP PHOTO

Denny Hamlin celebrates his victory in Saturday night’s Cup Series playo race at Bristol.

Hoke County falls to 2-3 after loss to Scotland county

He was accused of going through players’ phones during meetings

North State Journal

HOKE COUNTY wasn’t able to make it two years in a row over Scotland County. The Bucks fell to the Scots, 36-13, last Friday, falling to 2-3 on the season and 0-1 in Sandhills Conference play. Scotland moved to 5-0 on the year, 1-0 in conference.

Hoke beat Scotland County last season, 52-35, ending a 12year losing streak to the Scots. Friday brought back old, bad memories, as Scotland jumped out to a 22-0 halftime lead and never looked back.

Zay Jones led the way for

Scotland County, scoring the game’s rst two touchdowns on short runs. He nished with 19 rushes for 132 yards and added a third rushing score later in the game. The Scots added a 30yard touchdown pass from Ji’san McPhatter to Quantavius Everette and an 85-yard kick return touchdown by Corheim Hasty.

Quarterback Brandon Saunders led the way for Hoke County, throwing for one touchdown and rushing for another. He found Tre’Jan Williams for a 65yard score in the third quarter to put the Bucks on the board, then ran 22 yards for a touchdown in the fourth.

Saunders was 15-of-21 passing for 184 yards. He also led the team in rushing with 11 carries for 42 yards. Williams had four catches for 72 yards to lead the

SANDHILLS

SCORES 9/15

team’s pass catchers.

Hoke was led on defense by sophomore Joshua Ferrell, who had a team-high 13 tackles and two forced. He also added a tackle for loss. Dexter Foster had three tackles for loss, half a sack and seven overall

stops. Franajai Ransom had two sacks. Hoke County will attempt to even its record with another county matchup this week, heading to Lee County. The Yellow Jackets are 3-2 on the

year but dropped their conference opener to Union Pines last week. Hoke has lost all ve matchups to Lee County since the two schools became conference rivals.

Michigan State plans to dig into source of leak in Mel Tucker investigation

Activist Brenda Tracy was identi ed as the accuser

The Associated Press

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State is looking into the source of a leak that led to Brenda Tracy’s identity being revealed as part of an investigation into her allegations that suspended football coach Mel Tucker sexually harassed her.

School spokeswoman Emily Guerrant con rmed Sunday that

the school plans to investigate the leak.

Tracy’s attorney, Karen Truszkowski, said last week that her client’s name was disclosed by an outside party and that triggered their cooperation with a USA Today report that exposed explicit details.

Tracy, an activist and rape survivor, said Tucker sexually harassed her during a phone call in April 2022. Eight months later, Tracy led a complaint with the school’s Title IX o ce and the investigation was completed

in July.

A hearing is scheduled for the week of Oct. 5 to determine if Tucker violated the school’s sexual harassment and exploitation policy, and a ruling could take up to 60 days.

Guerrant said the university wanted to ensure a fair and comprehensive process, creating a safe environment for individuals to come forward without a fear of institutional retaliation or breach of privacy.

“We are dismayed to learn the con dentiality was broken in this

case,” Guerrant said last week.

The 51-year-old Tucker, who said he is estranged from his wife and has two children, said the allegations against him are “completely false.” Tucker insisted that the intimate phone call he had with Tracy was consensual and outside the scope of both Title IX and school policy.

Tucker is in the third year of a $95 million, 10-year contract, and if he is red for cause the school would not have to pay him what’s remaining on his deal.

Michigan State may re Tucker for cause if he “engages in any conduct which constitutes moral turpitude or which, in the University’s sole judgement, would tend to bring public disrespect, contempt or ridicule upon the university,” according to his con-

tract.

The leak, though, potentially gives Tucker leverage in settlement negotiations with the school.

O cially, the school said “unprofessional behavior and not living up to the core values of the department and university” was the reason Tucker was suspended.

Tracy is known for her work with college teams, educating athletes about sexual violence. Michigan State paid her $10,000 to share her story with the football team.

The Spartans (2-1) were routed 41-7 by No. 8 Washington on Saturday in Harlon Barnett’s debut as interim coach.

Michigan State hosts high-scoring Maryland (3-0) on Saturday.

AP PHOTO

A defaced Mel Tucker sweatshirt with a note protesting the football coach is placed on the ground outside the Michigan State University’s Hannah Administration Building last Sunday in East Lansing, Michigan.

AP PHOTO

#24 Jairo Ortiz breaks a run late in the game for Hoke County. The Bucks fell 36-13 to Scotland County in the Sandhills Conference opener. The Bucks are now 2-3 on the season and will play at Lee County this Friday night in Sanford.

25 years in Hoke County

Family Chiropractic Center of Raeford celebrated its 25th Anniversary in Hoke County this past Monday morning. Dr. Anthony Santangelo and his sta have been helping people with chiropractic care and healthy lifestyle choices in downtown Raeford for many years. They also incorporate the 100-Year Lifestyle Principals into everything they do to help people recover quickly and enjoy a higher standard of physical well-being.

Louisiana, 9 other states ask federal judge to block changes in National Flood Insurance Program

The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — Increases in federal ood insurance premiums that are projected to surpass 700% over the coming years are already leading people to back out of home purchases and will likely lead to an exodus of residents and businesses from southern Louisiana, o cials told a federal judge Thursday in New Orleans.

The testimony came in a hearing in a lawsuit Louisiana and nine other states led against the federal government to block sharp increases in national ood insurance rates. A phase-in of the new rates began in 2021. Annual increases are limited to 18%. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said the new method of computing rates has resulted in reductions or little or no increase for most policy holders.

But FEMA gures also show huge impending increases in some Louisiana ZIP codes. State and local o cials who testi ed Thursday said the increases are expected to result in some people in working-class southern Louisiana to abandon their mortgages, try to sell homes that have been in families for generations, or drop their insurance.

“We’ve already seen a slowdown in new building,” said Matt Jewell, president of St. Charles Parish, west of New Orleans. The implications go beyond blows to the real estate market and tax revenue. O cials said lower revenue could also hamper ood prevention and mitigation e orts. And some federal disaster programs require people in certain areas to have ood insurance — which the o cials argued is becoming una ordable. State attorneys said during arguments before U.S. District

Judge Darrel Papillion that participation in the National Flood Insurance Program requires that local governments adopt building-elevation policies and ood-control e orts that often require taxes — approved by voters believing the mitigation efforts will hold rates down.

“They turned us into liars,” state Solicitor General Liz Murrill told Papillion.

Papillion was hearing arguments on the federal govern-

ment’s motion to dismiss the suit and on the states’ motion for an injunction blocking the rate increases pending further court proceedings. It was unclear if he would rule Thursday.

Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia are the other states listed as plainti s, along with some local governments and ood control bodies in Louisiana. FEMA has said its new pre-

mium system is an improvement over past methods, incorporating data that wasn’t used in the past, including scienti c models and costs involved in rebuilding a home. The agency has said the old method could result in people with lower-valued homes paying more than a fair share, while those with higher-value homes pay relatively less.

A return to the old system of calculating premiums would not guarantee a reduction of rates,

Justice Department attorney Yoseph Desta argued. He and other government attorneys argued Thursday that the new rate plan had been in the works for years, that the states had plenty of opportunity for input, and that the lawsuit, led months after the phase-in began, was led too late. They also argued the states have no standing to sue over the rates set by the National Flood Insurance Program.

Flood waters surround storm damaged homes on Aug. 31, 2021, in Lafourche Parish, La., as residents try to recover from the e ects of Hurricane Ida.

Ja'Laius McDougald

January 1, 2001 ~ September 16, 2023

Mr. Ja'Laius McDougald

age, 22 transitioned from earth to glory on September 16, 2023.

He leaves to cherish his loving memories his parents, Andre Gillespie and Tyshaunda McDougald; siblings: Aleah Holmes, Keith Barrett, Tyron McDougald, Andre Gillespie, Makoyla Gillespie, Jauarquez Gillespie; neice, Amirah Holmes along with a host of other family and friends. Ja'Laius will be greatly missed.

Joyce (McDu e) Hardin

December 4, 1950 ~ September 17, 2023

Mrs. Joyce McDu e Hardin, age 72, of Aberdeen, NC,

Loya Alice Locklear

December 18, 1956 ~ September 12, 2023

Our precious mother, “Granny” Loya A. Johnson Locklear, passed away peacefully in her home in Raeford, North Carolina on Tuesday, September 12, 2023. Granny, as she was known to all who did not call her momma, became Granny rst, a ectionately by her husband, then by all, long before her rst grandchild.

Granny devoted her life to her late husband, Benny Locklear, Sr., her children, and grandchildren, both gained by blood and love. Her grandchildren were the light of her world.

Born Loya Alice Johnson on December 18, 1956, the daughter of Martha "Alice" Midgett Bundy of Rodanthe, NC, and the late Norman Loy Johnson. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Benny

formally of Raeford passed away after a brief battle with cancer on Sunday, September 17, 2023, at FirstHealth Hospice House.

Mrs. Hardin was born on December 4, 1950, to the late Daniel Weldon and Mary Alice Hagins McDu e.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Curtis Hardin, and her siblings D.W. McDu e (Sally), Margaret McLendon (Johnnie), Myrtle Knowles (Jim), Lillian Formyduval (Mackie), and Carl McDu e. Mrs. Hardin was a member of Pittman Grove Baptist Church. She was the Co-owner of Hardin’s Food Store.

She is survived by; two daughters, Allison H. Walters and husband Keith of Pinehurst, NC, Kimberly H. Michael and husband Ronald of Raeford,

Locklear, Sr., father Norman L. Johnson, sister Valerie "Lynn" Hardy, and brother “Ronnie” Ronald Johnson.

In addition to her loving mother, Alice Bundy, Loya leaves behind her children, son Benny Locklear, Jr., ancé Claude Naar, daughter Dusty

Star Graham, husband Ansol Graham, Jr, and children, son

Derek Dwayne Locklear, ancé

Christy Hill, and children, son

Ashley Dewight Locklear, wife

Megan Locklear and children, Winona Locklear, signi cant other Jimmy McMillan, and children, and Christian Dayne Locklear, and children.

Granny was blessed with three bonus daughters: Tonia Oxendine, children and grandchildren; Cathy Cox, children and grandchildren; and Lisa Jacobs, husband, and children.

She is also survived by siblings, brother Roger Johnson, and children; sister "Jen" Jennifer Eckard, husband Skye Eckard, and children.

She is mourned by a host of family, brothers, and sistersin-law, including her long-time neighbors and best friends Louis and Lori Locklear, and sisterin-law Dora Locklear, as well as many others, family members and friends without whom we could not have made it through this time of deep sadness and mourning. We want to thank all those who visited and prayed with her, brought food, and showed her great love. We thank you all, and we are eternally grateful.

NC; 8 grandchildren, Jordan Walters, Hope Walters, Luke Walters, Austin Hartgrove (Bailey), Peyton Holland (Peyton), Nevin Frederick, Travis Michael (Marianne) and Zach Michael (Chera). Two great-grandchildren, Charlotte Hartgrove and Wyatt Michael, a brother Earl McDu e of St. Pauls, NC, a sister-in-law Phyllis McDu e of St. Pauls, NC, a brother-in-law Bobby Hart of South Port, NC, loving nieces, nephews, and cousins and her best friend whom she called her sister, Gloria Thornhill.

In lieu of owers, memorials may be made to; FirstHealth Hospice 215 Campground Road, West End, NC 27376, or Pittman Grove Baptist Church 4821 Pittman Grove Church Road, Raeford, NC 28376

STATE & NATION

Donald Trump’s GOP rivals try to attract social conservatives in Iowa at an event he skipped

The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa — Hoping to cut into Donald Trump’s support at a major Iowa gathering of evangelical Christians, several of his top rivals on Saturday mostly avoided direct criticism of him on abortion and other issues key to social conservatives.

The Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual banquet is traditionally a marquee event on the Republican primary calendar. But the former president skipped it, leaving a mostly muted crowd of more than 1,000 pastors and activists to instead hear from several candidates running behind Trump.

The primary eld’s split on abortion was once again on display, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis saying restrictions on the procedure should be left to the states — a position similar to Trump’s — while former Vice President Mike Pence referred to Trump as his “former running mate” and said he was wrong to oppose a national abortion ban.

While the audience was overwhelmingly anti-abortion, Pence’s push for a 15-week ban got only tepid applause, re ecting some national Republicans’ concerns that Democrats are winning on abortion rights issues

after last year’s Supreme Court ruling overturning the Roe v. Wade decision.

DeSantis, who has struggled to solidify himself as the GOP primary’s No. 2 behind Trump, declined to say he’d back a federal abortion ban. Instead, he said, states have done more on the issue.

“Congress has really struggled to make an impact over the years,” DeSantis said.

Pence said he disagreed with Trump and argued all Republican presidential candidates should back a federal abortion ban at a minimum of 15 weeks of

pregnancy. “I believe it’s an idea whose time has come,” Pence said. “We need to stand for the unborn all across America.”

A Trump attack came from former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is a frequent critic of the former president. He said “there’s another candidate, that I respect, but who is not here tonight” before slamming Trump for saying he wants “to make both sides happy” on abortion.

Hutchinson said that unlike Trump, “both sides aren’t going to like me. This is going to be a ght for life.”

The event featured many devout and well-connected social conservatives who can play a decisive role in Iowa’s rst-in-thenation Republican caucuses in January. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz used strong appeals to evangelical Republicans to win the GOP’s 2016 caucuses.

This time, however, Trump’s rivals face a much tougher task because he has built a large early GOP primary lead. The former president has also remained popular with evangelical Christians and social conservatives in Iowa and elsewhere who were delighted to see his three Supreme Court picks vote to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Saturday’s banquet is the last scheduled opportunity for a large group of Iowa evangelical conservatives have the chance to see the candidates side-by-side, meaning they won’t see Trump. He skipped similar events with crowds of thousands in Iowa in April and June.

DeSantis was asked speci cally to talk about his personal faith and deeply held Catholic beliefs. He noted that when his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, he was thankful for “the amount of prayers we received. It lifted my wife’s spirits up.” He said prayer was a key reason she was now

US military orders new interviews on the deadly 2021 Afghan airport attack as criticism persists

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Pentagon’s Central Command has ordered interviews of roughly two dozen more service members who were at the Kabul airport when suicide bombers attacked during U.S. forces’ chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, as criticism persists that the deadly assault could have been stopped.

The interviews, ordered by Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, were triggered in part by assertions by at least one service member injured in the blast who said he was never interviewed about it and that he might have been able to stop the attackers.

The interviews are meant to see if service members who were not included in the original investigation, have new or di erent information.

The decision, according to ofcials, does not reopen the administration’s investigation into the deadly bombing and the withdrawal two years ago. But the additional interviews will likely be seized on by congressional critics, mostly Republican, as proof that the administration bungled the probe into the attack, in addition to mishandling the withdrawal.

Some families of those killed

and injured have complained that the Pentagon hasn’t been transparent enough about the bombing that killed 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. servicemen and women.

U.S. Central Command’s investigation concluded in November 2021 that given the worsening security situation at the airport’s Abbey Gate as Afghans became increasingly desperate to ee, “the attack was not preventable at the tactical level without degrading the mission to maximize the number of evacuees.” And, the Pentagon has said that

the review of the suicide attack had turned up neither any advance identi cation of a possible attacker nor any requests for “an escalation to existing rules of engagement” governing use of force by U.S. troops.

Central Command plans to speak with a number of service members who were severely wounded in the bombing at the Abbey Gate and had to be quickly evacuated from the country for medical care. They represent the bulk of the planned interviews, but a few others who weren’t wounded are also includ-

ed. O cials also did not rule out that the number of interviews could grow as a result of those initial conversations.

“The purpose of these interviews is to ensure we do our due diligence with the new information that has come to light, that the relevant voices are fully heard and that we take those accounts and examine them seriously and thoroughly so the facts are laid bare,” Central Command spokesperson Michael Lawhorn said in a statement.

O cials on Friday began informing family members of those killed in the bombing as well as members of Congress about the latest plan. Lt. Gen. Patrick Frank, head of Army Central Command, is overseeing the team conducting the interviews, which is led by Army Brig. Gen. Lance Curtis. Gen. Kurilla has asked Frank to provide an update in 90 days.

In emotional testimony during a congressional hearing in March, former Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews told lawmakers that he was thwarted in an attempt to stop the suicide bombing. He said Marines and others aiding in the evacuation operation were given descriptions of men believed to be plotting an attack before it occurred.

He said he and others spotted

cancer-free.

Candidates discussing their personal faith has been a hallmark of successful Iowa caucus candidates for decades — including George W. Bush who in 1999 famously said, when asked to identify his favorite political philosopher, named Jesus Christ “because he changed my heart.”

Robin Star of Waukee, just west of Des Moines, attended DeSantis’ address at the church and said she was glad the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — but that Trump doesn’t deserve all the credit. Star said she’d nonetheless vote for Trump if he’s the Republican nominee, but fears he cannot unify the Republican Party enough heading into the general election against Biden.

“We’ve got to win,” Star said. “We’ve just got to win.”

Her husband, Jerry Star, was more de nitive, saying “I believe it’s time for new leadership.”

A retired Air Force o cer, Jerry Star said he was very supportive of most of Trump’s time in the White House until Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of the former president’s supporters overran the U.S. Capitol.

“He did a heck of a job in his four years, but he knocked it all down that day,” he said. “It’s time for someone else.”

two men matching the descriptions and behaving suspiciously, and eventually had them in their ri e scopes, but never received a response about whether to take action.

“No one was held accountable,” Vargas-Andrews told Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, the chairman of the House Foreign A airs Committee. “No one was, and no one is, to this day.”

The March hearing was set up to examine the Biden administration’s handling of the withdrawal. Taliban forces seized the Afghan capital, Kabul, far more rapidly than U.S. intelligence had foreseen as American forces pulled out. Kabul’s fall turned the West’s withdrawal into a frenzy, putting the airport at the center of a desperate air evacuation by U.S. troops.

In April, President Joe Biden’s administration laid blame on his predecessor, President Donald Trump, for the deadly withdrawal. A 12-page summary of the results of the “ hotwash “ of U.S. policies around the ending of the nation’s longest war asserts that Biden was “severely constrained” by Trump’s decisions.

It acknowledges that the evacuation of Americans and allies from Afghanistan should have started sooner, but blames the delays on the Afghan government and military, and on U.S. military and intelligence community assessments.

The administration has refused to release detailed reviews conducted by the State Department and the Pentagon, saying they are highly classi ed.

AP PHOTO

Former Vice President and current 2024 Republican presidential candidate Mike Pence receives safety instructions before his turn to shoot during the 10th annual Jasper County GOP trap shoot on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, at Jasper County Gun Club in Newton, Iowa.

AP PHOTO

Smoke rises from a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 26, 2021.

COUNTY NEWS

Red Cross announces national blood supply shortage

Last week, the American Red Cross announced that the national blood supply had fallen to critically low levels that could potentially threaten the emergency medical care of patients and those depending on blood transfusions. A 25% drop in donations since August, coupled with back-to-back months of climate-driven disasters, is the result of the strained blood supply, according to the Red Cross. Donors of all blood types are urgently needed, and there is an emergency need for platelet donors and O-blood donors to make an appointment to give now to ensure patients across the country continue to receive critical medical care. “For so many patients living with urgent medical care needs, crises don’t stop with natural disasters,” said Dr. Pampee Young, chief medical o cer of the American Red Cross. “In fact, in some instances, the stresses of a disaster can lead to a medical crisis for some individuals battling sickle cell disease. The need for blood is constant. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood—an often invisible emergency that the rest of the world doesn’t see behind closed hospital doors. Now, that urgency has only heightened.” To make an appointment to give blood or platelets, donors can use the Red Cross Blood App, visit RedCrossBlood. org or call 1-800-7332767.

Businessman Don Flow awarded Order of the Long Leaf Pine

Twin City Herald

WINSTON-SALEM — One of Winston-Salem’s most recognizable businessmen received The Order of the Long Leaf Pine award – the highest civilian honor in the state – last week.

The Order of the Long Leaf Pine was presented to Donald (Don) E. Flow during the annual Greater Winston-Salem’s meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 12, at LJVM Coliseum.

Known for his network of automotive franchises spanning two states and 51 locations, Flow was honored for his contributions in business and community service.

“When we think of those community members who came together when Winston-Salem was at a crossroads and led us forward, Don is central to the ef-

forts that brought about our next chapter as a city of innovation,” Greater Winston-Salem, Inc. President & CEO Mark Owens said in a statement. “Those e orts allowed our community to build new opportunities for economic development and small business prosperity. Don and his wife Robbin continue to serve sel essly in so many ways to enhance Winston-Salem culturally and economically.” Flow has been called a “driving force” in the economic and cultural revitalization of Winston-Salem, leading in real estate, education and sports. He serves as chair of the Winston-Salem Open ATP Tournament, chair of the board of directors of the Winston-Salem Alliance, Inc., chair of the Golden LEAF Foundation, chair of

the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center board of trustees and a member of the board of Atrium Health.

WSFCS approves budget transfers to prepare for end-of-year audit

Board of Education extends MOU agreements with before/after school care providers

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

WINSTON-SALEM – The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education met Tuesday, Sept. 12 with a few contractual and budgetary items on the agenda.

The board rst approved the MOUs with three before/after care providers to serve select district schools for the 2023-24 school year.

“It is an annual goal to ensure that we have access to both care and enrichment for our students with our before and after school care,” said Chief Academic Ocer Paula Wilkins.

The providers are Alphabest, Imprints Cares and the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina and each have provided this service in prior school years.

“The goal of the MOUs is to talk about facility usage, pay and etc. only for private pay options,” Wilkins said. “We have additional funding available that we used with our strategies for extended learning plans which each school also provides that they can incorporate with their strategic tutoring in addition to care services.”

The board also approved the FY2023 nancial budget transfers. The goal of these transfers is to clean up the nances in order to close the books in preparation for the end of year audit.

“Inside the state funds, the budget of $420 million, it got divided up into di erent Purpose Reporting Codes (PRC) and to

di erent object codes and that’s just how the district has done it historically,” said Chief Financial O cer Tommy Krantz. “At some point, you have to catch everything up and sometimes you have to true everything up.

“When the budget gets allocated, the district takes it and puts it in buckets and that’s ne. And before the end of the year, you have to true up because you cannot have PRC in the negative. It’s not allowed. You cannot have a fund that’s in the negative, that is de nitely not allowed. There’s no exception to it because by law, the only appropriations that can occur are those that have been properly approved by you as a school board and in some cases it could also be the county commissioners.”

Also, in response to apparent questions regarding the han-

His passion also extends to Wake Forest University, where he earned an MBA degree, where he has served as chair of the board of visitors of the Wake Forest University School of Business, three years as chair of the Wake Forest University board of trustees and past chair of the Wake Forest capital campaign.

Among other awards Flow has received are the Outstanding Citizen of Winston-Salem Award from the Winston-Salem Foundation, the Alexis de Tocqueville Society Leadership Award from the United Way of Forsyth County and the Northwest North Carolina Boy Scout Outstanding Citizen Award.

An avid tennis player, skier and reader, Flow and his wife, Robbin, live in Winston-Salem. They have three adult children.

dling of nances in the district, Krantz also had this to say.

“The comment has been made and represented, that we are closing our books in August,” Krantz said. “This is $1 billion dollars. Our actual close will occur when the audit is complete and the audit usually is completed in December, this year we’re shooting for the end of October. That’s not unusual. You’re not going to turn around a billion dollar organization overnight. It just is not going to happen.

“Everything was done on the up and up. Everything done was correct, well-presented, the money is there and anyone that wants to come and deal with me on an audit basis, come on. Individuals have the right to question everything we do because we’re a public entity and I owe them an explanation for every-

Businessman Don Flow (left) receives the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at the Greater Winston-Salem annual meeting.

FILE PHOTO Don Flow

NASA

The Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA said Thursday that the study of UFOs will require new scienti c techniques, including advanced satellites as well as a shift in how unidenti ed ying objects are perceived.

The space agency released the ndings after a yearlong study into UFOs.

In its 33-page report, an independent team commissioned by NASA cautioned that the negative perception surrounding UFOs poses an obstacle to collecting data. But o cials said NASA’s involvement should help reduce the stigma around what it calls UAPs, or unidenti ed anomalous phenomena.

“We want to shift the conversation about UAPs from sensationalism to science,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. He promised an open and transpar-

The impeachment of Joe Biden

I hope you can all do what I did and pay for everything for this entire family for 30 years. Unlike Pop, I won’t make you give me half your salary.

more

ent approach.

thing we do. That’s my responsibility.”

The board nally approved Home Field Advantage’s request to grade and install bleachers for the future RJR/Wiley Sta-

LAST WEEK,

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., announced the opening of an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. “These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption, and they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives,” McCarthy explained. The impeachment inquiry will give the House Republicans a better legal defense against claims that any subpoenas they issue exceed the scope of congressional authority. More importantly, it signals to the American public the seriousness of Republican intent to make Biden’s corruption the top issue in the 2024 election.

For those complaining about Republican politicking, turnabout is surely fair play. Former President Donald Trump was impeached not once but twice; neither time did Democrats so much as allege a statutory crime. They relied on the fact that impeachment is a political response, not a criminal one — true as far as it goes, but precedentsetting in the context of prior impeachments.

They pursued impeachment inquiries without so much as a vote in the House. The genie is out of the bottle, and it isn’t going back in anytime soon.

The allegations against Biden are already damning. So is the evidence. Biden used his son, Hunter, as a cutout to clear cash from foreign sources on behalf of the Biden family. That’s all part of a decades-long pattern by which Biden has used his political power and in uence to bene t his family.

Back in the 1970s, Jimmy Biden, Joe’s brother, somehow obtained generous loans from a local bank to open a rock club, despite little in the way of collateral; Joe was sitting on the Senate Banking Committee at the time and ended up pressuring the bank when Jimmy fell behind on his loans.

In 1996, Joe cashed out his home by selling it to the vice president of MBNA in a sweetheart deal; MBNA would also hire Hunter fresh out of law school. MBNA was one of Biden’s biggest donors and a bene ciary of his credit card policy largesse. In the words of Politico reporter Ben Schreckinger, “The Bidens regularly intermingled personal, political, and nancial relationships in ways that invited questions about whether the public interest

was getting short-changed.”

All of this came to a head when Joe attained the vice presidency. Hunter forged relationships, with his father’s aide, in China and Ukraine; Joe would call into business meetings to “talk about the weather.” Hunter joined the board of Burisma, where he made an extraordinary amount of money; in return, he promised connection with his father. In December 2015, Biden went to Ukraine, where he demanded that Viktor Shokin, a prosecutor looking into Burisma, be red, threatening to withdraw $1 billion in American aid. During this time, a con dential human source later told the FBI that Burisma’s CFO said that he had hired Hunter “to protect us, through his dad, from all kinds of problems.”

That was merely the most egregious apparent abuse of power. There were dozens of others.

Was Joe bene tting from Hunter’s business arrangements? We hear from the media that there is no evidence to suggest he was. But that’s obviously a lie: scoring bene ts for your drugaddicted, sexually deviant son is certainly a bene t that accrues to Joe. And we also have a text directly from Hunter to his daughter Naomi in 2019: “I hope you can all do what I did and pay for everything for this entire family for 30 years. It’s really hard. But don’t worry. Unlike Pop, I won’t make you give me half your salary.”

All of this is predicate to Biden’s behavior as president. Thanks to whistleblowers, we know that the Biden DOJ attempted to cut a sweetheart deal with Hunter Biden to end any investigation into these matters. In this case, the cover-up may be just as bad as the crime.

In the end, the American voters will give their verdict on Biden; with Democrats in control of the Senate, he won’t be removed from o ce. But Republicans are right to remind Americans that Biden isn’t a decent man restoring honor to the Oval O ce. He’s a career-long corrupt politician who simply got lucky in his enemies at the right time.

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

“We want to shift the conversation about UAPs from sensationalism to science.”

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson

O

cials stressed the panel found no evidence that UAPs had extraterrestrial origin. But Nelson acknowledged with billions of stars in billions of galaxies out there, another Earth could exist.

“If you ask me, do I believe there’s life in a universe that is so vast that it’s hard for me to comprehend how big it is, my personal answer is yes,” Nelson said at a news conference. His own scientists put the likelihood of life on another Earthlike planet at “at least a trillion.”

When pressed by reporters on whether the U.S. or other governments are hiding aliens or otherworldly spaceships, Nelson said: “Show me the evidence.”

NASA has said it doesn’t actively search for unexplained sightings. But it operates a eet of Earth-circling spacecraft

dium. HFA was selected back in July to install utilities to serve the site. The total cost of the request is $962,850.

“The board of education approved a utility scope of work for HFA to continue forward with back in early August and

AP PHOTO

Workers on sca olding repaint the NASA logo near the top of the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, May 20, 2020. After a yearlong study into UFOs, NASA is releasing a report Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, on what it needs to better understand unidenti ed ying objects from a scienti c point of view.

that can help determine, for example, whether weather is behind a strange event.

The 16-member panel noted that arti cial intelligence and machine learning are essential for identifying rare occurrences, including UFOs.

NASA recently appointed a director of UAP research, but refused to divulge his identity at Thursday morning’s news conference in hopes of avoid-

they are about 50% complete with that work,” said Director of Construction and Facilities Nick Seeba. “The next phase that is up for consideration is the combination of grading and bleacher installation work.” Seeba also clari ed that the

ing the threats and harassment faced by panel members during the study.

Eight hours later, however, NASA said it’s Mark McInerney, who previously served as a liaison on the subject of UAPs between the space agency and the Defense Department. He’s also worked with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Hurricane Center.

project would not be using WSFCS dollars on the project at this point.

“This agreement is meant to encompass everything that’s going to be necessary between now and completion of the stadium,” said General Counsel Di-

No top-secret les were accessed by the panel’s scientists, aviation and arti cial intelligence experts, and retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, the rst American to spend nearly a year in space. Instead, the group relied on unclassi ed data in an attempt to better understand unexplained sightings in the sky.

O cials said there are so few high-quality observations that no scienti c conclusions can be drawn. Most events can be attributed to planes, drones, balloons or weather conditions, said panel chairman David Spergel, president of the Simons Foundation, a scienti c research group.

The government refers to unexplained sightings as UAPs versus UFOs. NASA de nes them as observations in the sky or elsewhere that cannot be readily identi ed or scienti cally explained.

The study was launched a year ago and cost under $100,000.

onne Jenkins. “This is not for a speci c project but is more so an overarching construction agreement that can be updated and amended from time to time as needed.”

The WSFCS Board of Education will next meet Sept. 26.

“Join the

says

science and less stigma are needed to understand UFOs

SPORTS

SIDELINE REPORT

NFL Rams receiver

Nacua sets rookie record with 15 catches

Inglewood, Calif.

Rams wide receiver Puka

Nacua set the NFL singlegame record for most receptions by a rookie with 15 catches in a 3023 loss to San Francisco on Sunday. Nacua broke the record with a 17yard reception late in the fourth quarter. He surpassed the former mark of 14 held by Washington’s Roy Helu, the New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley and Pittsburgh’s Najee Harris. Nacua’s 25 receptions this season are also the most by a rookie in his rst two games.

GOLF Stricker gets 6th win, sets Champions earnings record

Sioux Falls, S.D.

Steve Stricker won for the sixth time this year on the PGA Tour Champions, claiming the Sanford International in South Dakota for the third time on Sunday. Stricker caught up to K.J. Choi with an eagle on the 12th hole, made a few more birdies to regain the lead and shot a 66 to win by one. Stricker set a record for single-season earnings on the 50-andolder circuit. He now is just short of $4 million. Stricker’s six wins this year include three senior majors.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Bowling Green’s Hardamon in stable condition

Ann Arbor, Mich.

Bowling Green linebacker

Demetrius Hardamon was in stable condition and cleared to walk a day after an orthopedic injury led to him being placed on a backboard and onto a stretcher before being carted o the eld at Michigan Stadium. The school shared an update on Sunday, saying it hopes Hardamon will soon be released from the hospital. Hardamon was hurt while tackling tight end Colston Loveland in the third quarter of No. 2 Michigan’s 31-6 win.

TENNIS

U.S. knocked out of Davis Cup nals

Split, Croatia

The United States was eliminated from the Davis Cup by Finland on Saturday. Otto Virtanen saved two match points in the decisive tiebreaker to beat Mackenzie McDonald 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (7), and Emil Ruusuvuori defeated Tommy Paul 7-6 (1), 6-4 to give Davis Cup nals debutant Finland a historic win in Split. Finland joins the Netherlands in advancing out of Group D and reaching the Final 8 in the southern Spanish city of Malaga in November.

Hamlin wins at Bristol, Logano eliminated from playo s

The Cup Series playo s cut down to 12 contenders

The Associated Press

THE BEST DRIVER to never win a Cup Series championship believes he can lose that tag this year.

At least that’s what Denny Hamlin told the Bristol Motor Speedway crowd as they booed his third win of the year, 51st of his career, and third in the prestigious short track Saturday night race.

“It’s our year. I just feel we’ve got it all put together,” Hamlin said. “Nothing to stop us at this point.”

Hamlin has won three Daytona 500s and most of NASCAR’s crown jewel races, but he has never won a Cup title in 18 years with Joe Gibbs Racing. He signed an extension

this month and was among the strongest cars in the rst round of the playo s.

He is third behind William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports and Gibbs teammate Martin Truex Jr. with the points reset for NASCAR’s second round.

Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick were both eliminated from title contention as both NASCAR champions failed to advance out of the rst round. Logano became the rst reigning champion eliminated in the rst round when he crashed early in the third stage and nished 34th.

He was watching as a spectator as former Gibbs teammate Hamlin celebrated.

Harvick, who is retiring at the end of the season, also was eliminated after nishing ve laps down in 29th. Harvick was the rst driver in 2014 to win the championship in this elimi-

Howell leads big rally for Commanders, tops Broncos’ Wilson

atore said it looked like St-Juste made enough early contact for a foul, but Brad Rogers’ crew didn’t throw a ag and the Commanders celebrated the franchise’s rst 2-0 start since 2011.

nation format.

“We’ve been like that all year, hit or miss, and tonight we just missed by a mile,” Harvick said. “I’ve had some good days, some bad days, but that’s de nitely the worst day with fenders. I didn’t really have many expectations, as up and down as the year has been. It is what it is, that’s probably what we deserved.”

Also eliminated were Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael McDowell, despite nishing sixth. Three Ford teams were eliminated, and Stenhouse drives a Chevrolet.

“It wasn’t enough. We were in

SPONSORED BY thebetterpartofthelastyeartry ingtoearnacceptancetothesein stitutions,”Uralsaid,but“ don’tknowwhatwe’rebuyingright now.”

Theoutbreakhasupendedplans formillionsofstudents,whoare takingvirtualtoursofschools whilealsodealingwithconcerns abouttuitionpaymentsinaneco

The Associated Press DENVER — Washington cornerback Benjamin St-Juste didn’t inch after Brandon Johnson snared Russell Wilson’s 50-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass o a double de ection with no time remaining Sunday. That cut Washington’s lead to 35-33.

St-Juste said he gured, “OK, we got one more opportunity to shut this down and come up with a ‘dub.’

“So, we locked in and made the play,” said St-Juste, who appeared to get away with pass interference when he broke up Wilson’s 2-point conversion throw to Courtland Sutton, preserving the Commanders’ comefrom-behind win. Washington rallied from an early 21-3 decit to take a 35-24 lead then had to hang on with no time on the clock. CBS rules analyst Gene Ster-

The Broncos (0-2) have lost back-to-back home games for the rst time, not the kind of history coach Sean Payton was hoping to make in his return to the sideline after a year in the broadcast studio following a highly successful 15-year stint in New Orleans, especially after he criticized predecessor Nathaniel Hackett for doing one of the worst coaching jobs in NFL history last year.

The Broncos lost despite scoring touchdowns on their rst three drives for the rst time since 2010. Their 18-point blown lead tied for the fourth largest at home in franchise history.

“This is a resilient team,” Washington’s Sam Howell said after throwing for 299 yards and two TDs in his rst road start.

“The thing I’m proud of is we had each other’s back on both sides of the ball.”

Brian Robinson Jr. added two TD runs, helping the Com-

a must-win situation,” McDowell said. “This is a learning experience. We’ll learn from this, get ready for next year.”

For Hamlin, the booing was loud when he stopped his No. 11 Toyota at the nish line. He collected the checkered ag then verbally sparred with the angry spectators.

“Everyone likes a winner, right?” he at rst said of the jeers.

He con dently boasted “this is our year” for a championship, then addressed the crowd directly.

“I beat your favorite driver,” he taunted.

“Who would that be?” asked the announcer.

“All of them,” Hamlin said as he headed o to celebrate, likely with the 23XI Racing team he founded after Bubba Wallace drove his way into the second round with a 14th-place nish.

The Cup Series opens the second round of the playo s next Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, which has only one Cup race this year for the rst time since 2004. Tyler Reddick won the race a year ago driving for Richard Childress Racing.

manders to the second-biggest comeback in franchise history. Washington overcame a 21-point de cit to beat Detroit on Nov. 4, 1990. The Commanders used a 32-3 scoring outburst to take control

before the Broncos made it interesting at the very end.

With 2 seconds left and the Broncos at the 50-yard line trailing 35-27, Wilson heaved a pass toward the end zone that was de ected by a scrum of players before Johnson snared it for the score.

Wilson threw for 308 yards and three TDs but also had two turnovers.

Washington coach Ron Rivera was presented with a game ball in the locker room for his 100th career win in the NFL.

“This is a resilient team.”

Sam Howell, Commanders quarterback

“It’s our year. … Nothing to stop us at this point.”

Denny Hamlin

The battle of former UNC and NC State quarterbacks went to Washington

AP PHOTO

Denny Hamlin celebrates his victory in Saturday night’s Cup Series playo race at Bristol.

AP PHOTO

Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson tries to get a pass away as he is pressured by Commanders linebacker Cody Barton during Sunday’s game in Denver.

STATE & NATION

Donald Trump’s GOP rivals try to attract social conservatives in Iowa at an event he skipped

The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa — Hoping to cut into Donald Trump’s support at a major Iowa gathering of evangelical Christians, several of his top rivals on Saturday mostly avoided direct criticism of him on abortion and other issues key to social conservatives.

The Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual banquet is traditionally a marquee event on the Republican primary calendar. But the former president skipped it, leaving a mostly muted crowd of more than 1,000 pastors and activists to instead hear from several candidates running behind Trump.

The primary eld’s split on abortion was once again on display, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis saying restrictions on the procedure should be left to the states — a position similar to Trump’s — while former Vice President Mike Pence referred to Trump as his “former running mate” and said he was wrong to oppose a national abortion ban.

While the audience was overwhelmingly anti-abortion, Pence’s push for a 15-week ban got only tepid applause, re ecting some national Republicans’ concerns that Democrats are winning on abortion rights issues

after last year’s Supreme Court ruling overturning the Roe v. Wade decision.

DeSantis, who has struggled to solidify himself as the GOP primary’s No. 2 behind Trump, declined to say he’d back a federal abortion ban. Instead, he said, states have done more on the issue.

“Congress has really struggled to make an impact over the years,” DeSantis said.

Pence said he disagreed with Trump and argued all Republican presidential candidates should back a federal abortion ban at a minimum of 15 weeks of

pregnancy. “I believe it’s an idea whose time has come,” Pence said. “We need to stand for the unborn all across America.”

A Trump attack came from former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is a frequent critic of the former president. He said “there’s another candidate, that I respect, but who is not here tonight” before slamming Trump for saying he wants “to make both sides happy” on abortion.

Hutchinson said that unlike Trump, “both sides aren’t going to like me. This is going to be a ght for life.”

The event featured many devout and well-connected social conservatives who can play a decisive role in Iowa’s rst-in-thenation Republican caucuses in January. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz used strong appeals to evangelical Republicans to win the GOP’s 2016 caucuses.

This time, however, Trump’s rivals face a much tougher task because he has built a large early GOP primary lead. The former president has also remained popular with evangelical Christians and social conservatives in Iowa and elsewhere who were delighted to see his three Supreme Court picks vote to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Saturday’s banquet is the last scheduled opportunity for a large group of Iowa evangelical conservatives have the chance to see the candidates side-by-side, meaning they won’t see Trump. He skipped similar events with crowds of thousands in Iowa in April and June.

DeSantis was asked speci cally to talk about his personal faith and deeply held Catholic beliefs. He noted that when his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, he was thankful for “the amount of prayers we received. It lifted my wife’s spirits up.” He said prayer was a key reason she was now

US military orders new interviews on the deadly 2021 Afghan airport attack as criticism persists

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Pentagon’s Central Command has ordered interviews of roughly two dozen more service members who were at the Kabul airport when suicide bombers attacked during U.S. forces’ chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, as criticism persists that the deadly assault could have been stopped.

The interviews, ordered by Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, were triggered in part by assertions by at least one service member injured in the blast who said he was never interviewed about it and that he might have been able to stop the attackers.

The interviews are meant to see if service members who were not included in the original investigation, have new or di erent information.

The decision, according to ofcials, does not reopen the administration’s investigation into the deadly bombing and the withdrawal two years ago. But the additional interviews will likely be seized on by congressional critics, mostly Republican, as proof that the administration bungled the probe into the attack, in addition to mishandling the withdrawal.

Some families of those killed

and injured have complained that the Pentagon hasn’t been transparent enough about the bombing that killed 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. servicemen and women.

U.S. Central Command’s investigation concluded in November 2021 that given the worsening security situation at the airport’s Abbey Gate as Afghans became increasingly desperate to ee, “the attack was not preventable at the tactical level without degrading the mission to maximize the number of evacuees.” And, the Pentagon has said that

the review of the suicide attack had turned up neither any advance identi cation of a possible attacker nor any requests for “an escalation to existing rules of engagement” governing use of force by U.S. troops.

Central Command plans to speak with a number of service members who were severely wounded in the bombing at the Abbey Gate and had to be quickly evacuated from the country for medical care. They represent the bulk of the planned interviews, but a few others who weren’t wounded are also includ-

ed. O cials also did not rule out that the number of interviews could grow as a result of those initial conversations.

“The purpose of these interviews is to ensure we do our due diligence with the new information that has come to light, that the relevant voices are fully heard and that we take those accounts and examine them seriously and thoroughly so the facts are laid bare,” Central Command spokesperson Michael Lawhorn said in a statement.

O cials on Friday began informing family members of those killed in the bombing as well as members of Congress about the latest plan. Lt. Gen. Patrick Frank, head of Army Central Command, is overseeing the team conducting the interviews, which is led by Army Brig. Gen. Lance Curtis. Gen. Kurilla has asked Frank to provide an update in 90 days.

In emotional testimony during a congressional hearing in March, former Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews told lawmakers that he was thwarted in an attempt to stop the suicide bombing. He said Marines and others aiding in the evacuation operation were given descriptions of men believed to be plotting an attack before it occurred. He said he and others spotted

cancer-free.

Candidates discussing their personal faith has been a hallmark of successful Iowa caucus candidates for decades — including George W. Bush who in 1999 famously said, when asked to identify his favorite political philosopher, named Jesus Christ “because he changed my heart.”

Robin Star of Waukee, just west of Des Moines, attended DeSantis’ address at the church and said she was glad the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — but that Trump doesn’t deserve all the credit. Star said she’d nonetheless vote for Trump if he’s the Republican nominee, but fears he cannot unify the Republican Party enough heading into the general election against Biden.

“We’ve got to win,” Star said. “We’ve just got to win.”

Her husband, Jerry Star, was more de nitive, saying “I believe it’s time for new leadership.”

A retired Air Force o cer, Jerry Star said he was very supportive of most of Trump’s time in the White House until Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of the former president’s supporters overran the U.S. Capitol.

“He did a heck of a job in his four years, but he knocked it all down that day,” he said. “It’s time for someone else.”

two men matching the descriptions and behaving suspiciously, and eventually had them in their ri e scopes, but never received a response about whether to take action.

“No one was held accountable,” Vargas-Andrews told Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, the chairman of the House Foreign A airs Committee. “No one was, and no one is, to this day.”

The March hearing was set up to examine the Biden administration’s handling of the withdrawal. Taliban forces seized the Afghan capital, Kabul, far more rapidly than U.S. intelligence had foreseen as American forces pulled out. Kabul’s fall turned the West’s withdrawal into a frenzy, putting the airport at the center of a desperate air evacuation by U.S. troops.

In April, President Joe Biden’s administration laid blame on his predecessor, President Donald Trump, for the deadly withdrawal. A 12-page summary of the results of the “ hotwash “ of U.S. policies around the ending of the nation’s longest war asserts that Biden was “severely constrained” by Trump’s decisions.

It acknowledges that the evacuation of Americans and allies from Afghanistan should have started sooner, but blames the delays on the Afghan government and military, and on U.S. military and intelligence community assessments.

The administration has refused to release detailed reviews conducted by the State Department and the Pentagon, saying they are highly classi ed.

AP PHOTO

Former Vice President and current 2024 Republican presidential candidate Mike Pence receives safety instructions before his turn to shoot during the 10th annual Jasper County GOP trap shoot on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, at Jasper County Gun Club in Newton, Iowa.

AP PHOTO

Smoke rises from a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 26, 2021.

Huddle up

North Moore’s men’s soccer team gets together during last week’s win over Seaforth. The Mustangs scored two goals in overtime to win, 3-1 and remain unbeaten on the year.

Food Truck Rodeo in Carthage a tasty success

Red Cross announces national blood supply shortage

Last week, the American Red Cross announced that the national blood supply had fallen to critically low levels that could potentially threaten the emergency medical care of patients and those depending on blood transfusions. A 25% drop in donations since August, coupled with back-to-back months of climatedriven disasters, is the result of the strained blood supply, according to the Red Cross. Donors of all blood types are urgently needed, and there is an emergency need for platelet donors and O-blood donors to make an appointment to give now to ensure patients across the country continue to receive critical medical care. “For so many patients living with urgent medical care needs, crises don’t stop with natural disasters,” said Dr. Pampee Young, chief medical o cer of the American Red Cross. “In fact, in some instances, the stresses of a disaster can lead to a medical crisis for some individuals battling sickle cell disease.

The need for blood is constant. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood— an often invisible emergency that the rest of the world doesn’t see behind closed hospital doors. Now, that urgency has only heightened.” To make an appointment to give blood or platelets, donors can use the Red Cross Blood App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-733-2767.

By Chuck Thompson North State Journal

CARTHAGE — The Carthage Fire Department recently held a Food Truck Rodeo for the community on Sept. 16, where thousands of people turned out for a taste of almost two dozen food trucks, fun and games for the kids, and socializing with friends and family.

“This is an event we put on for the community - not really a fund-raiser for us - just to get everyone to come together, fun for kids and lots of good food,” said Vice-President of the Carthage Fire ghters Association Bradley Whitaker.

In the half-decade since the event began, about 2,000 people, on average, turn out each year for the September event.

“We attended a Food Truck Rodeo in Raleigh years ago, and thought that would be something good for the community to bring here,” said Carthage

Assistant Chief Mitch Cox. “It’s always fun for the whole family,

and we’re always happy to see people turn out in the thousands to support and enjoy this event.”

Ashley Sheppard of the hickory-smoked BBQ restaurant Pik N Pig didn’t have to go far with his food truck with the event being held next to the restaurant.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Sheppard said of the event, “this is a great community, and we’re happy to be a part of this event.”

“We’re out here having fun, and come see us in Pittsboro,” said Katie, of Red Moose Brewing Co. of Pittsboro, who was on the scene with the Red Moose 1990 re truck inspired brew truck.

“Our Facebook page is the best way to stay abreast of what’s happening,” added Whitaker, when asked how to stay informed about the event.

For anyone looking to make a nancial donation to The Carthage Fire Department, you can mail them a check toPO Box 718 Carthage NC, 38237.

The funds raised go to support the families of fallen reghters and those that are going through di cult times.

The next Carthage Fire Department Food Truck Rodeo will be held in September 2024.

Moore County Schools makes headway in returning to pre-pandemic learning levels

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — Moore County Public Schools (MCS) appears to be making headway in returning to pre-pandemic student achievement and school performance ratings. MCS reported on the district’s testing and school grades for the 2022-23 school year following the Sept. 6 release of testing accountability and school performance data by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI).

According to MCS, the district outperformed the state of North Carolina in all 18 tested areas. Like most of the districts in the state, MCS pro ciency levels increased across all testing subject areas with a few exceptions.

“Prior to the pandemic, in 2018-2019, our overall composite score was 61.1. In the rst year after the pandemic, 2020-2021, our pro ciency had dropped 9.2 percentage points to 51.9. This year, our data shows we’ve almost fully recovered from the pandemic

with current pro ciency at 60.3,” Deputy Superintendent Mike Metcalf said in a press release. “In addition, we continue to exceed the state pro ciency. It is clear that the work of our teachers and sta are moving us in a very positive direction.”

Grade Level Pro ciency (GLP) rose 3.7 percentage points from 56.6 in 2021-2022 to 60.3 in 2022-2023. The statewide GLP last school year was 53.6%.

Schools in North Carolina are given A-F grades each year using a formula that includes a combination of student performance on testing and the credit a school earns for student progress year over year.

The grade designations for schools are set on a 15-point scale:

A = 85–100, B = 70–84, C = 55–69, D = 40–54, F = 39 or Less.

Of MCS’s 22 schools, Only Pinehurst Elementary received an A.

Six received a B, including Highfalls Elementary, McDeeds Creek Elementary, Pinecrest High, Sandhills Farm Life Elementary, West End Elemen-

tary, and West Pine Middle. The 11 schools getting a C include Cameron Elementary, Carthage Elementary, Connect! Virtual Academy, New Century Middle, North Moore High, Southern Middle, Southern Pines Elementary, Union Pines High, Vass-Lakeview Elementary, West Pine Elementary, and Westmoore

Elementary

The remainder, Aberdeen Elementary, Crain’s Creek Middle, Elise Middle, and Robbins Elementary, all received a D.

No schools earned an F grade, and nine schools were noted to have improved by one letter grade. The previous school year, two schools had been given an F.

“We could not be more proud of the work of our entire employee team and the growth of each of our students. For the rst time in our district’s history, we have an A school, and overall, we continue to demonstrate improvement in both growth and pro ciency,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tim Locklair said. “Additionally, we no longer have any “F” schools. Our focused e orts will continue, but

we are very happy with the progress and excited about our continued growth this school year.” Schools that were found to have met or exceeded growth increased by two over the previous school year to 16.

The four-year high school cohort graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 91.8%. The state average is 86.4%. MCS’ rate has been above 91% since the 2018-19 school year.

Small improvement was seen for 11th graders taking the ACT, a test measuring English, math, reading and science. The percentage of students who had a composite score benchmark of at least 19, the target number required by the UNC System, rose slightly to 46.4%. Statewide, the percentage was 41.1%.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Alex Wilborl of Carthage works on plating plates of BBQ in the Pik n Pig food truck during the Carthage Fire ghters Food Truck Rodeo at Gilliam-McConnell Air eld in Carthage, on September 16, 2023.

Pinecrest Varsity Volleyball

Pinecrest remained unbeaten in conference, sweeping three straight games over Hoke County on Thursday to move to 5-0 in Sandhills Conferenxe matches. The Patriots won all three games by 25-11 scores.

MOORE CITIZENS FOR FREEDOM

MOORE COUNTY

Remember

MOORE COUNTY, WHAT A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE!

moore happening

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

Sept. 21

Trivia Thursday at the Brewery

6pm

Come out for Trivia at the Southern Pines Brewery! Enjoy fun and prizes each Thursday. Southern Pines Brewing Company.

Thursday Night Music Bingo

7pm

Come out to James Creek Cider House for Music Bingo with Lauren! James Creek is located at 172 US Hwy 1 Bus. in Cameron. A food truck will be on site at 8!

Sept. 22

Carthage Farmers Market

2pm – 6pm

Come out and support your local farmers at the brand-new farmers market in Carthage! The market features fresh produce, meats, eggs, and handmade goods! The market will be set up on S. Ray Street in the parking lot across from the post o ce.

Sept. 23

Moore County Farmers Market

8am – 12pm

Enjoy the Moore County Farmers Market at the Downtown Park, which is located at 145 SE Broad Street in Southern Pines! Buy local and fresh seasonal produce and products every Saturday morning from 8am until 12pm!

Sandhills Farmers Market

10am – 1pm

Come out for the Sandhills Farmers Market in the heart of the Village of Pinehurst! The market features many wonderful farms, nurseries, bakeries, meat and egg providers, cheesemakers, and specialty food producers in the area.

The impeachment of Joe Biden

his family.

his dad, from all kinds of problems.”

I hope you can all do what I did and pay for everything for this entire family for 30 years. Unlike Pop, I won’t make you give me half your salary.

LAST WEEK, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., announced the opening of an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. “These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption, and they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives,” McCarthy explained. The impeachment inquiry will give the House Republicans a better legal defense against claims that any subpoenas they issue exceed the scope of congressional authority. More importantly, it signals to the American public the seriousness of Republican intent to make Biden’s corruption the top issue in the 2024 election.

For those complaining about Republican politicking, turnabout is surely fair play. Former President Donald Trump was impeached not once but twice; neither time did Democrats so much as allege a statutory crime. They relied on the fact that impeachment is a political response, not a criminal one — true as far as it goes, but precedent-setting in the context of prior impeachments. They pursued impeachment inquiries without so much as a vote in the House. The genie is out of the bottle, and it isn’t going back in anytime soon.

The allegations against Biden are already damning. So is the evidence. Biden used his son, Hunter, as a cutout to clear cash from foreign sources on behalf of the Biden family. That’s all part of a decades-long pattern by which Biden has used his political power and in uence to bene t

Back in the 1970s, Jimmy Biden, Joe’s brother, somehow obtained generous loans from a local bank to open a rock club, despite little in the way of collateral; Joe was sitting on the Senate Banking Committee at the time and ended up pressuring the bank when Jimmy fell behind on his loans.

In 1996, Joe cashed out his home by selling it to the vice president of MBNA in a sweetheart deal; MBNA would also hire Hunter fresh out of law school. MBNA was one of Biden’s biggest donors and a bene ciary of his credit card policy largesse. In the words of Politico reporter Ben Schreckinger, “The Bidens regularly intermingled personal, political, and nancial relationships in ways that invited questions about whether the public interest was getting short-changed.”

All of this came to a head when Joe attained the vice presidency. Hunter forged relationships, with his father’s aide, in China and Ukraine; Joe would call into business meetings to “talk about the weather.” Hunter joined the board of Burisma, where he made an extraordinary amount of money; in return, he promised connection with his father. In December 2015, Biden went to Ukraine, where he demanded that Viktor Shokin, a prosecutor looking into Burisma, be red, threatening to withdraw $1 billion in American aid. During this time, a con dential human source later told the FBI that Burisma’s CFO said that he had hired Hunter “to protect us, through

That was merely the most egregious apparent abuse of power. There were dozens of others. Was Joe bene tting from Hunter’s business arrangements? We hear from the media that there is no evidence to suggest he was. But that’s obviously a lie: scoring bene ts for your drugaddicted, sexually deviant son is certainly a bene t that accrues to Joe. And we also have a text directly from Hunter to his daughter Naomi in 2019: “I hope you can all do what I did and pay for everything for this entire family for 30 years. It’s really hard. But don’t worry. Unlike Pop, I won’t make you give me half your salary.”

All of this is predicate to Biden’s behavior as president. Thanks to whistleblowers, we know that the Biden DOJ attempted to cut a sweetheart deal with Hunter Biden to end any investigation into these matters. In this case, the cover-up may be just as bad as the crime.

In the end, the American voters will give their verdict on Biden; with Democrats in control of the Senate, he won’t be removed from o ce. But Republicans are right to remind Americans that Biden isn’t a decent man restoring honor to the Oval O ce. He’s a career-long corrupt politician who simply got lucky in his enemies at the right time.

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

COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO

PHOTOS BY DAVID SINCLAIR

Union Pines gets hard-fought win, while North Moore drops to .500

Vikings win in double overtime

North State Journal

TWO MOORE Coun-

Ricky Betancourt

Number

ty teams were in action week ve, giving the county schools a split of conference games on Friday. Union Pines had a hard-fought double-overtime win, while North Moore fell to .500 on the season with a shutout loss. Pinecrest had the week o .

Union Pines 40, Lee County 33, 2OT: Austin Mooring scored from two yards out to get the go-ahead touchdown in the second overtime, then Union Pines got a sack to end Lee County’s possession and clinch a win in a game of runs at Lee County.

The Yellowjackets scored the game’s rst two touchdowns, both on rushes, as Lee County racked up 194 ground yards for the game, scoring all ve touchdowns on runs.

Union Pines rallied, scoring

27 straight points. The Vikings got a boost from the defense, who recovered two fumbles in the second quarter and also saw linebacker Jeremiah Womack return an interception nearly 40 yards for a score.

Quarterback Anthony Goswick threw for nearly 130 yards on 14-of-24 passing, including a 24-yard pass to Hayes Tobias for the team’s rst score and a one-yard run for the team’s second. He hooked up with Tobias for a 33-yard score later in the game.

The Vikings, 2-3 on the year and 1-0 in conference, enjoy a week o before facing Scotland in Laurinburg on Sept. 29.

Southeast Alamance 33, North Moore 0: North Moore su ered its second loss of the season, dropping a 33-0 game to Southeast Alamance on the road. The loss dropped North Moore to 2-2, 1-1 in conference play. It was the rst shutout loss by the Mustangs since Feb. 26, 2020, when North Rowan served a 36-0 defeat to North Moore. It also gave North

PREP FOOTBALL — WEEK 6

Friday Sept. 22, 7:30 PM, Pinecrest Patriots (4-0, 0-0) at Richmond Raiders (1-4, 1-0)

*Conference Game*

Friday Sept. 22, 7:30 PM, North Moore Mustangs (2-2, 1-1) at Jordan Matthews Jets (1-4,1-2)

*Conference Game

Bye Week: Union Pines Vikings (23, 1-0), next Sept. 29 at Scotland Scots (5-0, 1-0) *Conference Game*

Moore two September losses for the rst time since 2019. The Mustangs try to get back above break even this Friday with another conference road game, at Jordan-Matthews. North Moore has recorded wins the last two seasons, by forfeit in 2021 and in a 67-7 road win last year.

Pinecrest gets back into action after a bye week last Friday. The Patriots (4-0) open conference play with a road game at Richmond.

North Moore, men’s soccer

Ricky Betancourt is a senior on the North Moore men’s soccer team.

Betancourt had a hat trick in last Monday’s win over Bartlett Yancey, adding two assists in the 10-1 win. Two days later, he had two goals in a 3-1 overtime win over Seaforth.

Betancourt leads the Vikings in goals on the season and is second in assists, as North Moore has run out to an unbeaten 6-0-1 mark, 4-0-1 in conference play.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

North Moore’s Kolby Ritchie scores a touchdown against Northwood at North Moore high school in Robbins, on September 1, 2023.

Ralf K Naumann

December 27, 1938 - September 16, 2023

Karl-Otto-Ralf Naumann, passed at age, 84. Born on December 27, 1938 to Friedrich-Otto Naumann and Christa Naumann in Hainichen, Germany. He was educated in the former East Germany, and had extensive experience in Textile Technology and Engineering. He began his textile-career as partner in his Family Business, F.G. Hertwig founded in 1835 in Hainichen. In 1973 he married his sweetheart, Dollie and made Thomasville, NC their new home.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Dollie of 45 years.

He is survived by one sister, Ursula Naumann Felzmann and one nephew, René Felzman and cousins, all of Germany.

Philip Ray Graham

June 25, 1931 - September 16, 2023

Philip Ray Graham, age 92, of West End passed away on Saturday, September 16.

Philip was born on June 25, 1931 in Moore County, NC to the late Mac Clyde Graham, II and Pansy Hoots Graham.

He is survived by his daughters: Brenda Clayton (Steven) of Durham, NC; Phyllis Love (Wendel) of Kernersville, NC; Audrey Bayse (Mark) of Thomasville, NC; and Amy Lashmit (James) of Kernersville, NC; 9 grandchildren: Matthew Clayton, Andrew Clayton (Lauren), Todd Love, Tim Love (Katie), Ashley Callahan (Joe), Lorin Willard (Terry), Erica Lippard (Kennan), Autumn Mack (Phillip), Tyler Crabb (Chloe); and 12 great grandchildren. He is also survived by two brothers, Larry Graham (Irene) and Harry Graham (Jennie) both of Pinehurst, NC; a sister: Vivian Moore and a sister-in-law: Frances Graham both of West End, NC and a sister-in-law, Virginia Cade of Southern Pines, NC.

In addition to his parents he is preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Frances Graham, a daughter, Wanda Sue Graham, a sister, Barbara Moore and two brothers, Mac Clyde Graham, III and Jerry Graham.

Kathleen Ann Jimenez

August 23, 1961 - September 12, 2023

Kathleen Ann Jimenez, age 62, of Aberdeen, NC passed away at FirstHealth Hospice House surrounded by her family on September 12th, 2023.

Kathleen was born in West Islip, New York August 23rd, 1961 to Michael Smith and Joan Guishow Smith.

Above all she was a devoted mother to her two sons, caring for their every need without question and with the utmost patience. Kathleen was truly a great person who touched many hearts in her life.

Kathleen is survived by her two sons, Andrew and Philip Jimenez; her sister, Patricia Barreira; nieces, Bridget Barreira and Caitlin Kessay. Kathleen was preceded in death by her parents, Michael Smith and Joan Guishow Smith and her brothers, Kevin and Tom Smith.

Dr. Philip Adam Zurowsky, M.D.

September 13, 2023

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Philip Adam Zurowsky, M.D., aged 66, on September 13th, 2023.

He was born in Baltimore, MD to his late beloved parents, Adam Peter Zurowsky and Edwina Phillips Zurowsky. Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 31 years, Jennifer (Taylor)Zurowsky, his beloved daughter, Dr. Madeline Zurowsky Hamand (Chris),and his nieces and their families Kylee Taylor Corbett (Josh) and Chelsi Taylor Graham (Will) and grandnephews Knox and Cal. He went on to serve in the Gulf War and humanitarian relief in Honduras. He completed further Board Certi cation in Emergency Medicine (94’). He retired as a Major. He continued his medical professional as an ER Physician throughout the Carolinas including Central Carolina Health, Johnson County, and Cape Fear Valley.

Ernest J. Miller, Jr.

September 13, 1944 - Septem-

ber 13, 2023

Ernest J. Miller, Jr., 79, of Pinehurst, was called home to his LORD on Wednesday, September 13th, 2023.

Ernie was born on September 13th, 1944 to the late Ernest J. and Ethel Rouse Miller. He grew up in New York City and entered into service in the U.S. Navy as a young man.

In addition to his parents, Ernie was predeceased by his daughter Jennifer Miller, brother Alan Miller and sister Gail Galvan. Ernie was the loving husband of Mary Beth Buck Miller. He was the father of Deborah Miller, Laura Miller, Ernest Miller, III. He was the loving grandfather of Christopher Miller, Richard Sugrue and Emily Sugrue. Ernie is also survived by his sister Lorraine Kennedy.

Alice Potts Sanchez

February 10, 1938 - September 11, 2023

Alice Sanchez, age 85, of Carthage, NC passed away at her home surrounded by her family on September 11, 2023. Alice was born in Moore County, NC February 10, 1938 to Edison Martin McCaskill and Mable Potts McCaskill. Alice was a devoted and beloved wife, mother and grandparent.

Alice is survived by her son, John Frye; daughter, Angela Sanchez (her husband, Chris Abbey); grandchildren, Kristin Lee, Carrie Michelle, Martin Curtis, Alec Colby and Danielle Donese. Alice was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Albert Sanchez.

Steven C. Hunt

March 18, 1979 - September 11, 2023

Steven C. Hunt, 44,passed on Monday, September 11th. Steven was preceded in death by his parents, James Harold and Maxine Maynor Hunt, and brother Jamie Hunt. Steven was the husband of Kathryn Hunt. He was the father of Courtney, Ratkwenyehs and Kahehniyu Hunt. He is also survived by his brother Billy Hunt; nephews Joey and Cedric Hunt and niece Lauren Hunt.

Juanita Russell Lomax

March 10, 1934 - September 10, 2023

Juanita Russell Lomax, died Sunday, September 10, 2023. Mrs. Lomax was born in Montgomery County, Mount Gilead, NC, to the late Thomas Alexander and Ella Sasser Russell. She was predeceased by her husband, William (Bill) F. Lomax, and a sister, Louise Jarrett of Charlotte, NC and brother, Larry Russell of Wadesboro, NC.

Mrs. Lomax is survived by her sister, Ruth East of Mount Gilead, NC; brother, Graham Russell and his wife, Dot Russell of Rockingham, NC; also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Jennifer Lawson

October 3, 1946 - September 10, 2023

Jennifer passed away at home after a courageous battle with cancer. Her husband, Bill, her children, close friends, and her dog Lucy provided loving care and support.

Jennifer Lawson leaves behind her ve children, Matthew Lawson, Christine Lawson (Steven), Michael Greco (Andrea), Amanda Lomax (Michael) and Stephanie Lanning (Stephen), her brother Jon Kesner (Paula) and grandchildren (Olivia Greco, Jackson Lomax, Jacob Lomax and Harriet Lanning) along with many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents Jack and Doris Kesner. Jen was born in Upland, California. She graduated from Mt. San Antonio College in California with a degree in languages. In Carson City Nevada, she met and subsequently married the love of her life on 7/7/77.

Robert Dean Wicker

July 28, 1943 - September 10, 2023

Robert Dean Wicker of Carthage, born on July 28, 1943, went to his heavenly home on September 10, 2023 with his loving family by his side.

Robert was preceded in death by his grandparents, parents Ferman and Clara Wicker, his brother Franklin Wicker; three sisters, Jean Brown, Frances Maness and Anne McCurry. He leaves to cherish his memories, his loving wife, Janie Wicker; his children, Bobby Wicker, Charles Wicker, Betty Teal (Daryl), Tony Talbert (Pam), Nancy Talbert, Brian Talbert (Trish); his sister Carolyn Brown Newport; his grandchildren, Amanda Bowman, Victoria Smith, Courtney Hobgood, Cody Teal, Dylan Teal, Amber Talbert, Christian Talbert; and ve great grandchildren along with a host of other family and friends.