North State Journal Vol. 5, Issue 14

VOLUME 5 ISSUE 14

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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020

the Wednesday

Blast off

NEWS BRIEFING

This April 2020 photo made available

by SpaceX shows the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft undergoing final processing at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla,, in preparation for the May 27, 2020, Demo-2 launch with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

14,954 COVID-19 patients presumed to be recovered Raleigh The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services said that nearly 15,000 COVID-19 patients are presumed to have recovered from the virus as of Monday afternoon. NCDHHS estimates a median time to recovery of 14 days for non-fatal COVID-19 cases who were not hospitalized and 28 days for hospitalized cases. Estimates are used since patient-specific data on the actual time to resolution of symptoms are not available for all COVID-19 cases.

NSJ STAFF

Georgia gov. offers state as GOP convention host amid virus Washington, D.C. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, sent an open plea to President Donald Trump on Tuesday to consider his state as an alternate site for the quadrennial convention.

Plans have been underway for more than a year to host the convention in Charlotte, but Trump and national Republican officials have expressed concerns that local officials may not allow sizable gatherings amid the pandemic.

Over the weekend, Trump complained that Gov. Roy Cooper was “unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed full attendance in the arena.”

He added that Republicans “must be immediately given an answer by the governor as to whether or not the space will be allowed to be fully occupied.

If not, we will be reluctantly forced to find, with all of the jobs and economic development it brings, another site.”

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

North Carolina jobless rate increases to 12% amid COVID-19 Raleigh North Carolina’s unemployment rate ballooned to a record 12% in April amid the coronavirus-related economic slowdown, state officials said. The seasonally adjusted rate of 12.2% represents a nearly 8-point increase since March. The national rate for April was 14.7%.

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics said it’s the highest seasonally adjusted rate for North Carolina since 1976 when it began keeping records in the manner it currently does.

Numerous other states also hit records. The previous North Carolina record was 11.4% for multiple months in 2010, according to state data.

The number of unemployed grew by nearly 360,000, more than doubling the March tally.

The industry hit the hardest was leisure and hospitality, which declined by about 250,000 over the month.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rep. Omar says ‘I do believe’ Biden accuser Washington, D.C. Progressive “Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) says she believes Tara Reade’s sexual assault claim against Joe Biden. Reade, a former Biden staffer, has accused the former senator of sexually assaulting her in a Senate office in 1993.

In an interview published in the British Sunday Times, Omar said, “I do believe Reade.

Justice can be delayed but should never be denied.” Omar, who supported Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination said if it were up to her, Biden would not be her party’s nominee. Biden has repeatedly denied Reade’s claims and said he did not remember her.

SPACEX VIA AP

NORTH

STATE

JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION

Raleigh Catholics gather for outdoor Mass as churches begin to reopen

By David Larson North State Journal RALEIGH — After months of online-only services, the faithful are beginning to gather again in indoor and outdoor services across North Carolina. This comes after the loosening of restrictions on churches in the state, both because of the governor’s phased reopening and a federal court’s order to treat religious services more in line with other gatherings.

The Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, the spiritual center of the Raleigh Catholic Diocese — which runs from the coast to the middle of the state, with the Charlotte Diocese covering the western half of the state — held an indoor/outdoor service for the Feast of the Ascension over the Memorial Day weekend. The readings, sermon and the sacrifice of the Mass all took place inside the 43,000-square-foot sanctuary, while those gathered outside in the piazza listened on speakers with some watching the activity inside by viewing the livestream on their phones.

“In this Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, we give thanks for the gift of our life,” Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama, a Colombian native who leads the diocese, said to open the service. “And we take the opportunity at this Mass to thank all the veterans — the ones who have been able to help us protect

the freedom of this country, and we pray for all of them who have died.”

Birds chirping at times overpowered the speakers and the hot sun forced most people to put their lawn chairs under the shade of the trees, but it was the first in-person Mass in a long time for most of those gathered.

“It’s good to be back,” Alex, a young adult who attended the service, told NSJ. “Especially for Catholics, going to Mass and receiving Communion is a lot more important than people make it out to be.”

Alex said his Catholic friends were frustrated with the online streaming Masses and were ready for things to open back up, adding he’s only had online services available since February.

“Mass online, while it still counts [to meet Catholics’ Sunday obligation], it’s lacking in being able to have community and being able to receive Communion in person,” Alex said. “You can’t really make up for that. The online version is not the same.”

“It feels really good to be out with other Catholics back at Mass and with some sense of normalcy,” said Kaelyn, another young adult who was with Alex. “It’s exciting.”

The diocese announced at the end of the Mass that they are planning to open up more services, including daily Mass at their former cathedral downtown, also to be held outdoors for now.

NSJ STAFF

DAVID LARSON | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

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20177 52016 $2.00

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Catholics receive Communion outside the Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral in Raleigh on May 24, 2020.

Runoff primary in race to replace Meadows features clash over endorsements, debates With one month to decide, western NC’s Republicans weigh final two options

By David Larson North State Journal ASHEVILLE — When Rep. Mark Meadows announced he was vacating his seat to become the White House chief of staff, it kicked off a chaotic battle among a dozen Republicans with an ambition to be the next U.S. congressman from North Carolina’s 11th District. The crowded primary field left no candidate with the required 30% vote totals, so Lynda Bennett and Madison Cawthorn will face each other June 23 in a second primary, initially scheduled for May 12 but delayed by the state Board of Elections due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite all of Asheville’s Buncombe County being added to the 11th District, the seat still heavily favors Republicans, making the

winner of the second primary also the heavy favorite in November.

The runoff, between two candidates unknown to much of the voting public before the race, has seen fireworks over issues like big-name endorsements, whether to have more debates and which candidate is better prepared to take on the important role.

Bennett, 62, has worked in real estate for more than 35 years and made a name for herself as a conservative activist, assisting the Republican Party’s rise in her native Haywood County and western North Carolina.

“I’m a Christian and conservative constitutionalist,” Bennett told NSJ. She said these core beliefs are why she became an activist after the housing crisis in 2008, which directly affected her real estate business, and they are what is guiding her run for Congress now.

Cawthorn, 24, is also in real estate and would be the youngest See 11TH DISTRICT page A2

Congress weighs choice: ‘Go big’ on virus aid or hit ‘pause’

By Lisa Mascaro The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congress is at a crossroads in the coronavirus crisis, wrestling over whether to “go big,” as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants for the next relief bill, or hit “pause,” as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell insists.

It’s a defining moment for the political parties heading toward the election and one that will affect the livelihoods of countless Americans suddenly dependent on the federal government. Billions of dollars in state aid, jobless benefits and health resources are at stake.

As questions mount over Washington’s proper role, it’s testing President Donald Trump and Congress.

“These are the eternal debates in American history,” said Richard Sylla, a professor emeritus of economic and financial history at New York University.

“It’s a bit like what Alexander Hamilton was facing in 1790,” he said, describing the plan to have the new federal government assume the Revolutionary War debts of the states, despite protests of a bailout. It was, he said, as Hamilton framed it, “the price of liberty.”

As negotiations develop on Capitol Hill, the coronavirus response offers Congress an opportunity to shape the country’s post-pandemic future but also carries the risk of repeating mistakes of past crises, including the 2008-09 recession, that history does not easily forget.

Trump and McConnell huddled late last week on next steps after rejecting Pelosi’s plan. The Dem-

ocratic speaker set the table with passage of the sweeping $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill, which includes $1 trillion to shore up states See VIRUS page A2

North 15, 2020 North State State Journal Journal for for Wednesday, Wednesday, April May 27,

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RESTRICTIONS from page A1 We stand corrected To reportonantheir errorproperties or a suspected staying if they error, please email: are not year-round residents. corrections@nsjonline.com A similar situation to Surf with request” City’s“Correction actions has arisen in Dare in the subject line. and Currituck counties, result-

ing in the filing of a federal lawsuit by six property owners whose permanent residences are in neighboring states.

Law-enforcement checkpoints have set up on roads lead11THbeen DISTRICT from page A1 ing into various towns and counties. congressman the district has seen, The townthe of Beaufort hasU.S. a and among youngest in chokepoint I-70 to repel history, sincenear the minimum age is non-residents. val25, which he’d One turnneeds beforea being id formin. of Cawthorn government-issued ID sworn was planning with a Carteret County address, to attend the Naval Academy and athen COVID-19 Entry in Pass pursue a career the issued Marine by the town Corps, but a or cardocuments accident inprovFloring you are an essential ida derailed those plans. worker He now or performing hasare limited use of hisan legsessential and uses service. a wheelchair.

Ocracoke Cawthorn is toldalso NSJrequiring that afdocumentation in order to gain ter the accident, he “felt pretentry to the town. ty worthless” and “got in a pretty The public’s Atlandark spot.”

But use thenofatthe a Meadows tic Ocean hasthe been banned by a victory party, congressman, Atlantic personal Beach, mentor Salter of his,Path, got onInhis dian Emerald In kneesBeach so heand could look Isle. at Cawathorn jointeye-to-eye press release, the towns and asked him to said “swimming, surfing, kitcome work for him. Cawthorn said ing,” and “non-motorized recrethat working for Meadows showed ational water access” are all prohim “what a congressman does day hibited. in, day out” and convinced him, “I canWrightsville still do this.” Beach officials already beaches to know the While closed both candidates public but will alsoother be fining Meadows well,now as did canviolators to $500.

If one didates inupthe primary, his inearcludes courtofcosts, the was fine jumps ly backing Bennett controto $650.to many Republicans who versial inhave Wilkesboro feltOfficials he should remainedand neuNorth Wilkesboro on tral. The timing ofannounced his departure April 8 that only person per also left them at one a disadvantage, family will to be Cawthorn allowed entry according andinto othany stores. Children canwhile only Benacer primary candidates, company them no other suitnett seemed to ifhave been tipped able person can watch them. off beforehand.

Last week, Cooper a “I remember on Dec.issued 19, I was new executive order containing in San Diego speaking at a confermultiple restricence, and layers then allofofnew a sudden, my tions on the few me retail assistant wakes at stores 6 a.m.still and, allowed or able to remain it was very strange for him open. to just This order begins at 5and p.m.he comenew by my room like that, April 13 dad’s and runs for phone,” 30 days.Cawsays my on the According to executive order thorn told NSJ. 131, only per that 1,000 His dadfive thenpeople told him posquare of retail space or 20% litical feet contacts were frantically of fire to marshal posted occupantrying reach him to tell him he cy can to befile in aif store at oneto hadlimits 14 hours he wanted time. run forMarkings Congress.must be placed 6 feet in areasiswhere peo“Sheapart [Bennett] notoriousple gather, like checkout ly the best friend of Debbie lines, Meadand observe cleanows. stores So I must believe Congressman ing measures.

Additional Mark Meadows is doingrecoma favor mendations in the order include to his wife, and that’s why she replastic shields at registers and ceived these endorsements,” Cawcontact-free checkouts. thorn said. “You go back to [Ohio The order overrides any loCongressman] Jim Jordan’s first cal prohibitions that set awhere differ-he interview with Breitbart ent rate inLynda orderBento said occupancy he was endorsing maintain “uniformity” across the nett. He said, ‘You know, I’ve never state.”

Cooper’sbut previactuallyAs metwith the woman, Mark ous orders, saysexecutive she’s good, so municipalithat’s good ties and for individual enough me.’” stores can enact“Most even stricter measures than of the candidates knew described in the new Mark Meadows and directives. had some The Carolina-based kindNorth of relationship withFresh him,” Market grocery store chain, Bennett told NSJ of the endorsestarting April 14, willhis require all ment. “So, basically, endorseguests to wear a face-covering of ment meant a lot to me and I was some sort. to have it.” very honored

THE WORD: DOUBTING THOMAS PENTECOST John 20:27-29 (KJV) The Secondmarks Sunday of Easter approaches, Pentecost a turning point in the history of and Christians are reminded of the first Christianity. According to the New Testament, the 27 Then saith he to Sunday following resurrection.

Jesus disciples of JesusChrist’s were gathered just days after Thomas, Reach hither had met with most of disciples after Christ’s ascension to His Heaven.

Before heMary left his thy finger, and behold my Magdalene alerted of His presence. hands; and reach hither earthly form, Jesusthem had promised to sustain the thy hand, and thrust it Thomas was not with them when they met early church with the Holy Spirit. The arrival of the into my side: and be not Jesus, and he said he would not believe in the Holy Spirit was heralded to the disciples by a “mighty faithless, but believing. resurrection had seen the ofspeak in wind” whichuntil gavehe the disciples thewounds ability to 28 And Thomas the crucifixion forto himself. answered and said unto other languages help them spread the Gospel. him, My Lord and my Eight days after the resurrection, Thomas God. 29 Jesus saith unto had his doubts removed when he saw him, Thomas, because Jesus and thou hast seen me, thou Acts 2: 1-4examined His wounds. While Jesus blessed those who believed in His hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, 1 And when the day ofon Pentecost wasnonetheless fully come, they were all resurrection based faith, He and yet have believed. withwilling one accord in oneHimself place. 2 And suddenly there came a was to prove to Thomas. sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled Thomas hadwhere proven devoted and loyalthere appeared all the house theya were sitting.

3 And disciple and Jesus did not condemn himit for “The Incredulity of Saint Thomas” by Caravaggio (c. 1601–1602, currently housed unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and sat upon each in Sanssouci Gallery, Potsdam, Germany).

ThePicture Alabaster window from the Cathedra Petri depicting the Holy of them.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and his skepticism. began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

TRAFFIC from page A1 VIRUS pageresults.

A1 failed to from produce In the meantime, some road and already have and bridge cities toprojects avert municipal laybeen put on stipends hold. to Americans offs, $1,200 The North and other aid. Carolina Department Transportation has “We of could have done bigger,” slashed its The expected construction Pelosi told Associated Press in projects from 131 down to 38 for a recent interview. theWith upcoming year, a $2 more budget than 38 million billion reduction.claims, the Reunemployment Ohio hasresponse delayed projects publican centersuntil on next year on interstate highways kick-starting the economy to rein Columbus Cincinnati duce the need and for more federalbeincause of the expected decline in tervention. fuelRepublican tax revenue.priorities are to Faced with a budget shortfall, wean Americans off unemployMissouri has postponed milment benefits to nudge$46 people lion 18 road bridge projbackfor to work andand provide liability ects that had priorities protections forbeen businesses that for relocal open. governments. As many as 299Republicans additionalwant projects valued to eliminate at be at risk the$785 $600million weeklycould unemployment without federalarguing help, McKenna benefit boost, it “handsaid. cuffs” some employees with highthe earn immediate deer Among pay than they at their jobs. ferments: newwants highway interMcConnella also to protect change provide doctors, to schools anddirect othersaccess from to the expanded Ozarks Medical COVID-19-related lawsuits — a Center in he West “red line,” says,Plains. for anyThe deal.center’s hospital, physician and spe“There’s a high likelihood we cialty clinics are among area’s will do another rescue the package,” largest employers, serving about McConnell said on Fox News.

“We 40,000 patients eight rural need to work smartinhere.” counties of southern Missouri The political and economic deand batenorthern stretchesArkansas. beyond the halls The state had allotted more than $1.2 million to cover half the road construction costs. The other half was to come from local

Spirit as a dove behind the high altar in St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican

by Italian sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini (c. 1660)

transportation sales tax revenue, which also is down.

“We were hoping to bid it out for construction very soon, but then all that, so “TheCOVID-19 Americanand people need that timeline is kind of in the air,” to understand choices said West Plainsthe administrator Tom Stehn, a former state highthey have.” way engineer. “It was a high priority for us.”

Sen. Thomambulances Tillis Though are running as usual and detours are well-marked for visitors, “obviously that as direct of Congress waryinterchange Americans would be nice,” saidnext Daniel Marawait Washington’s move. shall, chiefFederal clinicalReserve officer for the It was Board South Howell CountyPowell Ambulance Chairman Jerome who District. counseled Pelosi to rely on historThelow cityinterest of Bend, Oregon, the ically rates to “go big,” nation’s seventh-fastest growwhile Treasury Secretary Steven ing metropolitan area over the Mnuchin warned of “permanent past decade, pulled a $190unless mildamage” to the economy lion transportation businesses reopen. bond off the May ballot. Supporters Washington has beenhad hereconbecerns about pushing a 2008-09 property fore. Staring down the tax hike for roads, sidewalks and financial crisis forced the House bike lanes while businessand Senate into a local historic debate es financially and overare thesuffering size and scope of governmany residents are without work. ment that still resonates today.

“They’re to show Amerup on Then, likegoing now, countless voters’ day and into just the glance and icans fell swiftly ranks of think, `I’munemployed, not raising while my taxes the newly the right now, no way!’”

Mike Rivery foundations of said the American ley, co-chairman of the Go Bend dream — home ownership then, 2020 thatin supporthealth Coalition now — hung the baled theThen, measure. going to ance. banks“We’re needed a fedcome back totoday, voters, but now look just eral lifeline; businesses felt like the wrong time.”

Most states have classified road construction as essential work that can continue despite orders

shutting down certain businesses. But some states have not. of the first to Washington, Washington forsite help. coronavirus U.S., Pelosi toldoutbreak the AP in thethe biggest suspended work its pre100 lesson learned wasonto92 be of “very active highway as would a rescriptive” in howprojects the money sult of a after stay-at-home for be spent facing a order backlash most workers. halted projthat the rescueThe benefited Wall ects include major ones in Seattle Street over Main Street. and Spokane, as well as improveBut perhaps another lesson ments to an Interstate 90 pass from the earlier crisis was the through an avalanche-prone area voter revolt against big governof the Cascade ment.

The bankMountains. bailout and recoventire $200 eryVermont’s act sparked the rise of million the tea road plan Pelosi for 2020 party construction wing of the GOP. lost is hold, for aelection, $6 million heron gavel in save the 2010 and emergency storm Republicansrepair took where controla of the washed House. out part of the foundation on Many Interstate 89. same tea party of the The — longer the delay, the greatforces including the Koch neter the—likelihood that some projwork are aligned with Trump’s ects not get this push might to prevent statefinished aid, reopen year. the country and get people back to “Every project is sort of at risk work. of running out of quality “The American people weather need to days to complete the work,” said understand the choices they have,” Jeremy Reed, construction engisaid North Carolina Sen. Thom neer state’s transportation Tillis,for inthe a competitive race seekagency. ing reelection in the fall, during an Pennsylvania originally halted online forum with Americans for all road construction work. But Prosperity. it has since allowed work to proTillis opposes Pelosi’s “manifesceed on 61 critical projects.

About to” and doesn’t expect the Senate 800 andJuly. bridge at to actroad before He projects, said of the $7 billion, remain hold.a bulkGOP-held Senate, on “We’re By against contrast, states have head badsome happening.” taken advantage of a lull support in trafDespite rare bipartisan fic to speed up transportation projects. Construction crews have been able to shut down highway lanes during prime hours without

causing major traffic backups.

Florida announced that it is accelerating schedules by sevfor earlier work aid, the $2 trillion bill eral weeksin on aboutneither $2 billion approved March, side worth of bridge and road projects. was particularly pleased with the In Maryland, westbound outcome, the largestafederal interlane the history.

Chesapeake Bay ventionofin U.S. Bridge near Annapolis Polling, however, shows recentAmerily re-opened to federal vehicles followcans favoring the response, ing $27 million projevenrepairs. as theyThe have some concerns ect was completed well ahead of about spending. schedule, partly poll because of light An AP-NORC conducted in traffic amidfound the coronavirus panlate March that elements of demic. the stimulus package were widely The declining trafficthat volumes popular.

The poll found about have been especially large in 9 in 10 Americans favored thesome fedof thegovernment nation’s most famouslyfundconeral providing gested metropolitan areas, ing to small businesses and such hosas the San Francisco Bay area. pitals.

Business thewere region About 8 inleaders 10 saidinthey in had to put a 1 evictions cent salesand tax favorhoped of suspending on the November ballot lump-sum that could foreclosures, giving raise $100tobillion over increased 40 years payments Americans, for public transit and transporunemployment benefits and sustation in a payment. nine-county pendedprojects student loan region.

But the NBC/Wall coronavirusStreet outA mid-April break workregistered on state Journalinterrupted poll showed legislation neededmore to place voters somewhat likely the to measure on the ballot. about the say they were concerned It now could be 2022, or even federal government spending too 2024, supporters can make much before on economic stimulus and another push a public vote on driving up thefor budget deficit than the said John Grubb, they measure, were worried that too litchief operating of the Bay tle money wouldofficer be spent, lengthArea a business-backed ening Council, the recession, 48% to 40%. policy advocacy group.

The remaining 12% said they “If know. we’re in a poor economy, didn’t which it looks like we’re going to be in, that would have been an awful lot of stimulus and an awful lot of job creation,” he said.

does matter,” she said on what Now you need to spend eight to 10 While some of the more recent set her apart from Cawthorn. “I hours on the phone because you big endorsements, like by Texas don’t just talk about it; I haven’t just can’t go anywhere.”

Sen. Ted Cruz, Susan B. Anthony “The only thing that She said once the state entered just read about free-market entreList or major conservative orgaWORSHIP fromthose page A1 preneurialism; I’ve lived it. And I Phase 1, she piled her signs in the nizations, are from close to really puts friction in think that would definitely impact car and hit all 17 counties in the Meadows, Bennett says there was my relationship with Benham and others showed up district, visiting voters, donors and our decision-making.” an extensive process of vetting.

Congressman Meadows is to the Charlotte clinicrecent after receivShe said she remembers listen- public officials. “It’s just wonder“Some of my more ening calls that there he promised that he was ing to the news during the reces- ful to get to see people face-to-face dorsements are the notpolice fromwere people that the group’s mem- not getting involved in this sion and how young commenta- again. But I just really enjoyed lisI’vedemanding known personally, but they bers leave at themy area.

When backthey retors on television would say they’ve tening.” have looked activist fused how to leave, were given One thing they both agreed never seen anything like this beground, I’ve eight comported my-ci- campaign.” of “violation emergency upon was that socialism is a major fore. selftations the past decade, ofseen the prohibitions restrictions” — a Madison Cawthorn, “Well that’s because they threat to the country. things that I’veand been doing, and Class 2 misdemeanor.

Bennett said socialism wasn’t weren’t around in 1983 when we they’ve based their decision on that “They’re saying there were 50 Republican candidate were in a very bad economy,” Ben- much talked about when she bewithout any personal relationship people there,” said.

Benham said on in NC’s 11th Congressional nett said. “So if you haven’t lived came an activist, “and yet now, just with me,” Bennett the remembers discrepancyat between through 1983, 2008, 2001, with a few years later, we have candiShe one point,his sheac- District and the “official” account. this COVID crisis, you haven’t seen dates that are openly embracing hadcount six different conservative orga“Just look at phone the video.

The her video anything but good times. There’s socialism, calling themselves demnizations on the grilling shows clear evidence.

It isthese a lie. It mary, but Cawthorn has pushed a process you have to go through ocrat socialists, and their policies with questions.

Bennett said is wrong.

The police department, groups respect Meadows and trust for more opportunities for voters when dealing with hard econo- are definitely socialist policies.

Charlotte Observer, mayor’s “We need people to stand on the him, but that doesn’t the mean theyof- to compare their two remaining mies.” fice just — they’re all wrong.”

“She can tout her business ex- opposite extreme and not give in,” would endorse somebody ca- choices.

Teddoing Cruz suallySen. without the (R-Texas), research. a “It’s become painfully clear, perience, and I can tout my busi- she added. friend of Benham’s, tweeted For Cawthorn, “combating soCawthorn said he “holds noout ill in which I believe is the reason she ness experience,” Cawthorn said. of him later Meadows,” the same day, refuses to enter a forum or debate “Unfortunately, I have not had the cialism” was the first on his list of willsupport to Congressman arresthe unconstitutional three CLARK priorities once he gets andcalling if he isthe elected, will be able against me, that her talking points benefit of being on this planet as top ROBERT | NORTH STATE JOURNAL andthis saying, “Because Dems are just that, talking points,” Caw- long as she has. I don’t think it’s as to Washington (followed by infrato put behind himelected and work areMeadows pro-abortion, areinabusing Attendees Church in Fayeteville’s 2020 Easter drive-in and service listen in health on structure reforming years as you’ve been on this said. of Northwood Temple many with and they others the thorn their power—in a one-sided way— their radios fromthat inside as Pastor Johnyou’ve Hedgepeth delivers his sermon. care).

Earth, it’s what done with Bennett disputes theytheir hav-cars White House.

Cawthorn, like Bento has silence counselors.” en’t had a chance to have a forum the time you’ve been given. And “You know what — this is the nett, had pregnancy a close relationship Cruz also putover a petition his site with voters, citing a May 18 event throughout my life, I believe I’ve time to act. We are at this Dunkirk with Meadows manyonyears: nion sets, he with sealed wafers and ‘drive-in’ services.” against religious whichMeadows asks signatories to “Tell putcrimination said referencing the far, far more, and exceeding- moment,” on by the Buncombe Countyin- been having as his speech cups of juice, but had call offperthe The successful very next than day, she Wilmingstitutions and religious believers,” ly more, Governor Roy Cooper GOP. civilians whoto used has if British andDemocratic debate coach, being nominatplan to distribute themmilitary after word toncompare police posted that24drive-in ser- sonal Barr in awestatement. that abortion is ‘essential’ then said boats to aid their in her first years and “So, basically, were both“Thus, on a you ed to theif Naval Academy by him from the city. vices not be considered a vi- WWII. government may impose spe- my services are essential, “So this was just my way first“will 24 years.” call. That’s thenot new normal,” andpregnancy working in his district office Zoom “They said don’t communion, so nosaid legal he action would of putting cial restrictions on religious activi- olation,” Stop discriminating a boat indo the water. BeCawthorn believes joked, adding that Zoom as atoo. staffer.

“This is a man whoagainst has Bennett and I’m a good I trya to do takenhappily against go theinto churches, but cause ty thatwork do not to westsimilar hebe“can people I don’t wantman. to have child combat as also wellapply here in really doneofafaith!” lot for my life, and I “doesn’t what mayor says,”already Hedgepeth police the stillideology urged “alland churches activity.”

U.S. Attorney Wil- ernnonreligious five the years and then have defeat and it,” in North Carolina as we would against truly respect him, andGeneral I’m thanksaid. “We’re law-abiding. want to houses of worship to continue liam Barr has he’s received it because I let ourI country doesn’t believe Bennett haswith the failed hoped.” a state has not acted but ful for everything done aforflood me. of have “Where do things the way theydo said and let virtual services, including for Eas- fall it must have a comcomplaints fromthat religious people evenhandedly, apart and I didn’t anything necessary.

But on the earlier in-person de- edge “The only thing really puts them it.” know we’re cooperating with ter.” pelling around who, like Ben- bates, “Right now, I think we need a about she reason said, “I to didimpose attend restricquite friction in the mycountry relationship with In Fayetteville, ser- them.” tionsnumber on places of worship and pit bull ham, believe Meadows their rights are Cawthorn said Republicans in Congress, drive-in and I think of them.

Now I feel Congressman is being he a large Benham, said will vices and Trump North- have must ensure thatinthose restrictions violatedthat by local andnot state govern- after for too though, long been theheparty bestwere thingallowed, that Donald being closed like this for so the promised he was getting cooperating Charwood Holi- ofnot areInarrowly tailored advance ments.in this campaign,” Caw- long, no be on health care. Ifwith elected, he doneTemple is he’s Pentecostal taken the collar really want to gettoout and has involved lotte’stodemands for ofhis group to hadyoung an Easter service wants compelling Barr. offness tweet from commu- doits be the face health care of Church so many conservathat listening interest,” tour and said be with thorn A said, telling NSJBarr’s that Meadstop counseling women outside at 10and a.m.said, Pastor John institutions not be tives Kerri for the party, creating an ‘Hey, it’sHedgepeth not time reform people and not have itmust be a oneows,nications his chiefdirector, of staff and hisKupec, son the“Religious the abortion clinic,toeven after the NSJ the churchanymore. promotedIt’s the affirmative singled out for special burdens.” this sacred week for way agenda “unleash fortold genteel politics conversation.” all said, told “During Cawthorn that Meadows arrest,ofsince believes celebration andhell wasbecause expecting po- beast” Drive-in have time Americans, Barr is mon- Bennett free he markets in the thatcity’s secto fight like we’re sayschurch she is services open to the wasmany not going to backAG a candidate requests violate the letter and spirtentially hundreds of cars. The ser- tor. been another touchpoint inwhat North about itoring govt regulation of religious to lose our country,’” Cawsaying, “I don’t know in the primary, even if his wife forums, of the law.said if she’s elected, vice could heard on 92.7 Carolina, during the thorn services.

Whiletosocial distancing said. be “And when you FM lookto it Bennett ask for,especially but I have been in Debbie was going back her close they’ll wethe are, of course,” to sing along the she “Heck Easter season. gov- atallow policies are appropriate during discussions wants yeah to join House Freethe attendees two campaigns, suretoshe with Wake more County than one friend Bennett.

Benham said awhen asked whethhymns inside the sanctuary dom ernment clear that this emergency, they be ap- forum.

Caucus, conservative contout played her business experience.

So I made don’t know whatdrivethe can “Then a poll came outmust showing er his group is still presentchaired at that and listenoftopeople Hedgepeth’s sermon inresult services not be permitevenhandedly & not single end group formerly can tout their gressional willwould be,” concluding she Thousands sheplied [Bennett] was in sixth or fifth clinic.

“We haven’t stopped.

Every frombusiness a raised experience. platform outside, all by ted. Some churches, Plymouth small outand religious orgs.

Expect action would Meadows, and pull the nationBut the be willing, but like “it depends place, I assume Mrs. Meadows they’re open, there.”wherwhileI think congregants remained in- alday Church in Raleigh, had thing next conversation towe’re the right I can tout is my pasthe format.” putfrom the DOJ screws to week!”

Mr. Meadows, onBaptist sideand their vehicles. planned have alie,” drive-in service sion Oncame Tuesday, announced she can.said demand for abormy ability to happily de- everBenham “That’s atoblatant said Cawand he out toBarr endorse her,” tion hasn’t down, and his churches not open. but were forced to cancel, GOP as re- feat “Other that his said. office“I’m had filed a statement thorn Voting onslowed June 23 will be open a Democrat whenare it comes to on the Buncombe Cawthorn disappointed group offers a social service that They about are going to have it by vid- to ported by“When Carolina Journal. in choice supportthat of he a church in Missisall 11th District Republicans as ideology.” call. you look at the debate in the made and that Zoom is federally protected because the or by said online but I well Gov. Roy clear in eo, sippi after thesuch cityafined as unaffiliated voters who did Bennett shestreaming, has been camof aCooper forum,made it’s somehe wants to send weakcongrecan- definition mothers area offered housing assiswanted tohard do itdespite live,” Hedgepeth his that executive 121 that reli- paigning gants per person for Iattendaccusa- not has aorder moderator with didate to$500 Congress because be- thing vote in non-Republican pritance,inchild-care told from NSJ. her “I wanted to do it she in a mary gious entities werethat subject to the tions ingtheparking lotwestern services.

Barr’s prepared opponent that questions you have lieve people of North the initial assistance, vote. Votingmencan torship much waybeen they’hiding d never from done it. limitation. statement alsomore notedthan thatthat.” citizens to 10-person theDrive-in. public be respond to.

So it was by defini- has Carolina deserve done and in any of more. the three usual “The day I wasin-person arrested, early, while Drive-up.

You still be private TheaWilmington Police Departwere permitted to attend near- tion not But since thecan COVID-19 shut- options: forum. Anyone can give eye.

In addition to the endorsements, mail-in, I was being cuffed, twoDay. mothers in yourshe’s car.”just had to change her and ment put out a especially similar directive drive-in restaurants, even with a stump speech, if theyto downs, the by candidates have sparred over in-person Election Earto go mobile Hedgepeth said the mayor sent lychose churches on April 7 on Face- approach. their windows open. reading off a piece of paper.” whether to hold additional forums arelocal voting willonto runthe from Juneultra4 to sound20, unit andmail-in both of ballots them chose them to changed abide by when book, saying they “prohibit any rules “But even in times of emergen“We for definitely our June According to Bennett, the main or debates during the second priand can liferequested for theiruntil kidsJune and16.are now they did their said. service, including event or convening that them brings is to- plans,” cy, and whenamid reasonable and tempo- thing Bennett “A lot more be that differentiates mary the coronavirus into our mentor network,” how many feetPeople apart used to have the plugged gether moreand than according ten individuals rary restrictions are placed on “experience,” calls. to say to telephone shutdown.

The winner will face Democrat Benham said. mothers — so vehicles.

Northwood Temple had Moe in one place (indoor or outdoor) at you rights, the First and Cawthorn, need to spend two or three it’s “effectiveness.”

Bennett said sheAmendment participated Davis, 61, “Two of Shelby, a former wasForce it worth it for me? Absolutely.” purchased ofWell, commutime. This prohibition includes hours federalforums statutory lawinitial prohibit dis- one a day onhundreds the phone. no. Air “I believe that my experience in many in the pricolonel.

North State Journal for Wednesday, May 27, 2020

2020-21 remote instruction plans approved by NC Board of Education

In this May 18, 2020 photo, The Hawkins Hartness House is undergoing renovations following multiple issues from decades of neglect. The house serves as the official residence of N.C.’s lieutenant governor.

Hawkins-Hartness House sees extensive exterior repairs, renovations RALEIGH — With a failing roof and extensive termite damage to the front porch, the much-needed repairs and renovations on the historic Hawkins-Hartness House, now used as offices for North Carolina’s lieutenant governor, are well underway.

The 139-year-old Hawkins-Hartness House is on the National Register of Historic Places and is 8,200 square feet. The property derives its name from the original and final private owners of the property, Dr. Alexander Hawkins and James A. and Annie Hartness.

Hawkins-Hartness House has been characterized as an imposing “Eastlake-style” brick home which boasts a four-story tower. The house style is considered to be part of the Queen Anne style of Victorian architecture.

In early 2018, funds were allocated by the General Assembly to make repairs to the Hawkins-Hartness House. By the summer of 2019, the bid for the work was put out and the construction contract was awarded that fall.

Extensive termite damage had been eating away at the grand verandah that sweeps across the front of the house. “Evidence of live termite colonies” was included in the assessment of the property.

Danielle Jordan, director of Operations and Constituent Services for the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, told North State Journal that they were unable to find a record of the state ever having a termite inspection conducted on the house.

The scope of work for the project is extensive and includes the repair and replacement of existing built-in and external gutters, architectural woodwork and porch decking, as well as the replacement of broken or missing slate roof shingles. In addi-

tion, the work includes repointing of existing brick masonry.

But that wasn’t all. The grand old lady of a house was hiding more ills.

As construction began, more problems were uncovered requiring additional repairs be performed.

The construction contract was for $746,820. Two change orders had to be issued during construction and repair efforts: one for structural repairs to the roof framing costing $4,232 and another for repairs to the porch structure and replacement of the low slope metal roof that totaled $87,619. A third change order is still currently being negotiated for “replacement of the slate roof and its damaged underlayment.”

This is not the first set of renovations the house has had. Almost eight years ago, the interior saw some deep rehabilitation and repairs.

Decades of neglect had taken a toll on the flooring which was warped in many places. There were openly exposed and tangled wires coming through the walls, the ceiling was stained and damaged, and the furniture had definitely seen better days, probably in the late 1980s.

It didn’t take an architect to see the disrepair that Dan Forest and his team encountered when they took over the Hawkins-Hartness house in 2012, but they had one handy. Prior to running for lieutenant governor and taking up work in the Hawkins-Hartness House, Dan Forest was a senior partner of North Carolina’s largest architectural firm, Little Diversified Architectural Consulting of Durham.

Six months later and after private donations to the project that totaled over half a million dollars, Hawkins-Hartness House’s interior was given new life. Donations of materials and new furniture from a business Forest had worked when

he was an architect provided the finishing touches to bring the grand Victorian home back to its former glory, but with contemporary flair.

The history of an old Victorian lady Back in late October of 1881, Dr. Alexander B. Hawkins, who at the time resided in Florida, bought the house located at the corner of Blount and North streets. Hawkins had apparently purchased it because his wife Martha, was particularly fond of it. The house had formerly belonged to Mary W. Bryan.

After the purchase, Dr. and Mrs. Hawkins returned to Florida but asked that Dr. Hawkins’ brother, Dr. William J. Hawkins of Raleigh, renovate the home for them during their absence. When the couple returned, the story says that they were not too happy to find that the brother had removed the original Bryan house entirely and built a new house of his own design for them.

According to the family story, Mrs. Hawkins is believed to have added the verandah to soften what she thought was an overly severe-looking exterior. After the changes were made, Dr. and Mrs. Hawkins apparently lived there for the rest of their lives.

The house stayed in the family up until 1922 when it was sold to Sadie L. Erwin, the wife of William A. Erwin, a manufacturer and philanthropist. The Erwins never lived in the home and sold it in May of 1928 to Mrs. Annie Sloan Hartness, whose husband, James A. Hartness, served as North Carolina Secretary of State from 1929 to 1931.

The state of North Carolina acquired the property in July 1969, following Mrs. Hartness’ s death.

The state has used the property as the offices of the state Department of Local Affairs and the Department of Historical Preservation. In 1988, it became the office of the lieutenant governor.

Lawmakers hold hearing on NC DOT audit

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — The Senate Transportation Committee heard from N.C. Auditor Beth Wood regarding a report from her office which says the state’s Department of Transportation overspent its budget by $742 million.

According to the audit, NCDOT committed mismanagement of its budget and spending plan. The audit calls out lack of oversight and monitoring by the chief engineer’s office and that the NCDOT’s spending plan was not based on actual cost estimates of specific projects.

The hearing comes as the NCDOT has announced an estimated $300 million revenue shortfall due to COVID-19 and rolling furloughs for all employees.

Wood said at the hearing that the NCDOT is “making moves” to improve things, but that there was “no evidence” that the department tried to slow spending.

Lawmakers asked if the NCDOT’s cash mismanagement contributed to its current situation and Wood replied, “absolutely.”

She later added that the impact COVID-19 has had on gas tax revenues has been just as significant and perhaps even more so.

The state auditor responded to questions on how to make sure the NCDOT sets aside enough money for disaster-related spending. In her responses, she indicated that an average of such spending over a five or 10-year period might be a good start, but that rules governing how that money is spent might need addressing. Wood said that the NCDOT would need to be al-

connectivity for students and teachers and adjust remote instruction for those with limited RALEIGH — At a May 21 connectivity capability.

While there are 13 total specifimeeting, remote instruction plans were approved by North cations in the legislation, the SBE Carolina’s State Board of Educa- added two more. The new addition for the upcoming 2020-21 tions include addressing needs and issues for students school year. who are English-lanThe SBE was required guage learners, those to create the plans per who are academically Senate Bill 704, which is one of the two COVID-19 “[Broadband and intellectually gifted and those who are legislation bills passed access] homeless or tackling by the General Assemthe issue of the availbly and signed into law is just as ability of broadband

by Gov. Roy Cooper. The critical as and the need for techplans must be submitted nology or devices. to the legislature by July electricity, Board Member 20, 2020. water, James Ford said that The law directs the sewer and “equity” in remote SBE to consult with learning was one of his “teachers, adminis- other public primary concerns. trators and instruc- utilities for “We need to be tional support staff, mindful that this is one parents, students, com- the quality of many additional remunity partners, and of life for quirements that disother stakeholders” in tricts must now meet,” developing the remote every North Board Chairman Eric learning plans.

Carolinian.”

Davis said, adding that Presentations from broadband access “is the Department of PubBoard just as critical as eleclic Instruction on the tricity, water, sewer topic were given by Sne- Chairman Eric and other public utilha Shah-Coltrane, di- Davis ities for the quality of rector of the Division of life for every North Advanced Learning and Gifted Education; and Dr. Va- Carolinian.”

Shah-Coltrane near the end of nessa Wrenn, director of Digital the presentation said that broadTeaching and Learning.

Requirements for remote in- band and connectivity issues were struction plans sought by law- “incredibly important issues” for makers are: training for teachers superintendents and other school and staff, teaching and practice leaders.

Davis also said, “The private opportunities for students on accessing and using remote instruc- sector will not fill this gap.”

Technology and broadband tion platforms and methods, and communicating learning targets companies do appear to be stepto students on each remote in- ping up during the COVID-19 struction day with lesson designs outbreak. In mid-May, the FCC to demonstrate learning. Addi- announced that over 750 broadtionally, the plans should include band and telephone providers entracking and reporting of atten- tered into the Keep Americans dance on remote instruction days, Connected Pledge, with a comonline and offline contact options mitment lasting through June 30.

The North Carolina Departfor student-teacher or staff communication, and technology sup- ment of Information Technology has also created a resource port for students.

One of the plan components for tracking down new and existtouches on the “homework gap,” ing free or affordable service ofa metric showing how access to ferings across the state. DIT’s rethe internet is a barrier for some source list includes an interactive lower-income students. The SBE map for locating resources and plans are required to survey home providers.

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

A.P. DILLON | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

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lowed to put any unspent funds back into its general operations fund.

When asked if any feedback from the governor on the audit had been received, Wood answered “no.”

Questions were asked about how long issues with overspending had been going on, whether it was years or decades. Wood said issues with spending had been going on “for decades” and for as long as she has been state auditor spanning three administrations.

“None of us are better than the secretaries they trust,” said Wood, adding that department secretaries are “where the buck should stop.”

In her presentation, Wood noted that the chief engineer’s office didn’t monitor compliance with the department’s cash spending plan nor did he reject a division’s contracts and unspent budget as insufficient. The audit states that “According to the CFO, the Chief Engineer was responsible for communicating to the division engineers of the 14 highway divisions and ensuring that the plan’s objectives were met.”

The current chief engineer is Tim Little, who was installed in September 2017 by former NCDOT Secretary James Trogdon.

Sen. John Alexander (R-Wake) asked Wood if she knew how long the CFO had been with the NCDOT or who appointed him. Wood responded that she did not know.

The CFO for the NCDOT is Evan Rodewald. He, like Little, was also installed by Trogdon at a March 9, 2018, NCDOT Board meeting. In the minutes, Trogdon said that Rodewald “spent

the past 24 years working in various capacities at the North Carolina General Assembly Fiscal Research Division” and that he is “no stranger to transportation as he was on the transportation team from 1998 until 2005.”

Additionally, Wood’s presentation and audit both showed that the spending plan was not monitored within the 14 highway divisions and the engineers in those divisions managed spending “however they chose.”

When we perform an audit, we sit down with the findings and ask the department to prove us wrong,” said Wood. She said that the NCDOT agreed with all of her department’s findings and corrective actions were included in the report.

Top recommendations provided by the state auditor included improvement of oversight since the NCDOT was managing billions with no external controls and that spending plans were not adequately monitored. Better monitoring is needed to safeguard the state’s eligibility for Federal-Aid Highway dollars from the Federal Highway Administration.

Wood said that the $4.8 billion in advance construction spending should be both reported and monitored. There are currently no evaluation practices or reporting on spending in place for advance construction. It was suggested that lawmakers require the NCDOT to provide regular breakdowns of all projects and contracts associated with advance construction.

The committee plans to hold a second hearing to hear from NCDOT officials.

Scores of schools in NC earn ‘Purple Star’ recognition Award goes to schools in 10 districts and four charter schools

that arise for military students and their families, a dedicated resources webpage on the school’s website and a transition program to support both inbound and outbound military students.

By A.P. Dillon The final requirement was to North State Journal answer all questions regarding RALEIGH — Four char- military awareness and Interstate ter schools and 126 tradition- Compact Law completely.

The Department of Defense al schools in 10 North Carolina districts are being recognized as in partnership with the Nation“Purple Star” schools for 2019- al Center for Interstate Compacts 20 school year. The Purple Star and the Council of State Governments has developed an award is given to apinterstate compact that plying schools which addresses the educational demonstrate both transition issues of chilmilitary-friendly dren of military families. practices and a com- North North Carolina was the mitment to military Carolina is 11th state signatory of the students and families.

Interstate Compact on North Caroli- home to the na is home to the third-largest Aug. 7, 2008.

The schools were also third-largest milirequired to do at least one tary population in the military of five optional activities, country and has over population with many of the schools 790,000 military vetchoosing to do more than erans currently living in the in state. country and one. Activities included a school-hosted military State Superin- has over recognition event, a suptendent Mark Johnport project by schools to son announced he 790,000 the military community, will honor Harnett military school staff could read a County Schools with book about military stuthe Superintendent’s veterans dents, or the school could Purple Star District currently run a video or slide show Award. The district of pictures to highlight has earned this dis- living in certain aspects of the tinction due to every state. school facility to help new school in the district students to transition. qualifying for the PurThe 2019-20 Purple Star ple Star designation.

Schools that applied earlier Award has been granted to this year for the award had to ful- schools in Carteret, Craven, Cumfill a list of six required activities berland, Harnett, Hoke, Moore, and one optional activity which Onslow, Pender, Polk and Wayne leant support for students of mili- Counties. The list of individual schools can be found on the Detary families.

The schools were also required partment of Public Instruction to designate a staff member as the website.

Charter schools receiving the point of contact for military students and families and a central award are Alpha Academy in Fayadministration staff member as etteville, Anderson Creek Academy Charter in Spring Lake, point of contact for the school.

Other requirements include Lincoln Charter in Denver and annual professional development Wayne Preparatory Academy in and training on the special needs Goldsboro.

North State Journal for Wednesday, May 27, 2020

North State Journal for Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Murphy MurphyManteo t Manteo

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to

NC Community Colleges

olina Community re a hidden gem

In May 1963, the General Assembly enacted the laws which set up the NC Community College System we know today. NC Community Colleges reach 700,000 students annually.

8 College transfers, workforce training, basic skills instruction, dual enrollment for high school students, career and technical 7 9 4 education, and apprenticeships 3 are all done at these colleges across the state.

2 6 5 The system is the third largest in the United 1 States, with more than 275 programs of study aimed at preparing North 1. Tri-County Community College Carolina residents for the 2. Southwestern Community College 3. Haywood Community College workforce. Job training 4. Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College programs developed by 5. Blue Ridge Community College the colleges serve 38,000 6. Isothermal Community College workers at more than 7. McDowell Technical Community College 1,000 companies annually. 8. Maryland Community College Small Business Centers at 9. Western Piedmont Community Collge community colleges help 10. Cleveland Community College start 700 new businesses 11. Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute 12. Catawba Valley Community College a year in North Carolina.

13. Gaston College The current president 14.

Wilkes Community College of the NC Community 15. Mitchell Community College College System is Peter 16. Central Piedmont Community College Hans, who became the 17. Surry Community College ninth president on May 1, 18. Rowan-Cabarrus Community College 2018.

19. Forsyth Technical Community College

WEST

Polk County Any resident of Polk County over age 12 can now be tested for COVID-19, whether or not they are showing symptoms of infection. The county health department has set up a drive-thru location. The testing is available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, by appointment. Tests are free of charge.

Avery County The COVID-19 pandemic has now reached all 100 counties in North Carolina. Avery County had been the final county in the state without a reported case, but it reported a lab-confirmed case last Tuesday. At the time, North Carolina health officials said there were a total of 19,700 lab-confirmed cases across the state.

WSPA

WLOS

Poultry plant reports 570 COVID-19 cases

Heavy rains create hazards along Blue Ridge Parkway

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Wilkes County Meat producer Tyson Foods is reporting 570 cases of COVID-19 at a poultry processing complex in Wilkesboro. Tyson said in a news release that it tested more than 2,000 staff members and contractors. Most of the 570 didn’t show symptoms. Tyson said it’s increasing testing and health care options at 30 of its facilities.

Tyson said it’s also providing face masks, putting physical barriers between work stations and implementing social distancing practices. Tyson had temporarily closed parts of the North Carolina complex that houses multiple plants for deep cleaning, including a multi-day closure announced last week.

AP

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Surry County A 20-year-old man was killed when a tree fell onto his mobile home following days of rain in Mount Airy. Nicholas Manuel Rodriguez was asleep when the “extremely large” tree crashed into his bedroom. Crews hauled the tree off the structure with a truck and Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene. One other person who was in the opposite end of the home survived.

It was raining and windy when authorities arrived, and the tree was likely weakened from storms that recently swept through the area.

Principal in golf cart charged with DWI Moore County Dr. Molly Warner Capps, the principal of McDeeds Creek Elementary School, was arrested and charged with driving while impaired after police stopped her on a golf cart, with two of her children as passengers. She also faces charges of misdemeanor child abuse and reckless driving.

School officials said Dr. Capps is “currently on leave.”

WTVD

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20. Davidson County Community College 21. Stanly Community College 22. South Piedmont Community College 23. Guilford Technical Community College 24. Randolph Community College 25. Montgomery Community College 26. Rockingham Community College 27. Richmond Community College 28. Sandhills Community College 29. Alamance Community College 30. Central Carolina Community College 31. Piedmont Community College 32. Durham Technical Community College 33. Fayetteville Technical Community College 34. Robeson Community College 35. Southeastern Community College 36. Bladen Community College

20-year-old killed as tree crashes into home

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AP

Buncombe County Heavy rain over the past week has created multiple road hazards leading to closures on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The road was closed for 23 miles, including a full road closure to motor vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians for 14 miles. The largest of the hazards involves a full road failure roughly 150 feet long. Two smaller slope failures resulted in debris on the road. The National Park Service and Federal Highway Administration will assess the issues and determine what repairs are needed. Geotechnical and roadway design experts will assess the roadway failures. The schedule isn’t known.

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Free coronavirus testing available to all Polk residents

Last county in state reports COVID-19 case

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Jones & Blount NCGOP picks new executive director

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By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

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45. Wayne Community College 46. Wilson Community College 47. Nash Community College 48. Halifax Community College 49. Edgecombe Community College 50. Lenoir Community College 51. Pitt Community College 37. Wake Technical Community College 52. Coastal Carolina Community College 53. Craven Community College 39. Vance-Granville Community College 54. Martin Community College 55. Roanoke-Chowan Community College 40. Johnston Community College 56. Beaufort County Community College 41. Sampson Community College 57. Pamlico Community College 42. Brunswick Community College 58. Carteret Community College 43. Cape Fear Community College 59. College of the Albemarle 44. James Sprunt Community College

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Manhunt tracks down man charged with shooting Rockingham County Justin Antonio Hatcher, 30, was arrested and charged with a shooting in Eden. Kendra Danielle Cabiness, 26, was shot in the leg at the Eden Parkview Mart. She was airlifted to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A manhunt tracked Hatcher to Virginia, where he was found just over the state line.

MY FOX 8

Notorious counterfeiter gets compassionate release

AP

RALEIGH — Chairman Michael Whatley announced in a May 19 press release the hiring of Jason Doré as the new executive director for the North Carolina Republican Party.

“We are excited to announce that we are bringing on Jason Doré as the new Executive Director for the North Carolina Republican Party,” said Whatley in the statement. “Jason brings the experience we need to help North Carolina Republicans win this November.”

Doré joins the NCGOP after serving as the head of the Office of Information at the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy for the Trump Administration in Washington D.C. since 2017.

The 39-year-old Doré hails from Lafayette in southeastern Louisiana. He attended Louisiana State University in 1999 and later earned a law degree there in 2007. Not long after earning his law degree that he decided to pursue his “lifelong passion” for politics and policy by helping with former Gov. Bobby Jindal’s campaigns and working for the Republican Party of Louisiana as the political and communications director.

For around 10 years, Doré put his law degree to use as an attorney before returning to the Republican Party of Louisiana.

He spent over six years there as executive director.

“As North Carolina goes, so goes the rest of the country,” said Doré of the upcoming 2020 election. “It’s hard to overstate the

importance of November for the future of public policy of North Carolina.”

The new NCGOP executive director says that the judicial races and other down ballot races are crucial and that they have staff that will be dedicated to those races.

“A state party can’t run without resources,” said Doré, adding that he will be assisting Whatley in setting up fundraising efforts.

He also said he looks forward to working with all the different local and county leaders.

“I think it is important that the state party work hand in hand with the locals and not to expect them to do something every time you need something but not be there for them,” said Doré.

The Doré family, which includes his wife and two daughters ages five and one, settled into a home in Apex in Wake County near the end of December. He said one of the challenging things getting settled was that since he kept busy with work when his family got here, they had little time to develop a social network before the COVID-19 shutdown began.

“My wife and I are looking forward to getting to know people and actually get to know the state better — and get out of the house,’ said Doré.

In addition to Doré, the NCGOP has also hired Tim Wigginton as press secretary and Nzinga Johnson as a communications assistant.

Wigginton previously worked for Republican opposition research group America Rising while Johnson recently worked for Blacks to Reelect the President.

Car wash worker returns stimulus check discovered in trash

Emergency workers rescue 33 from bus stuck in high water Duplin County Emergency workers rescued 33 people from a bus on Friday after the driver tried to travel through high water. The Wallace Fire Department said between 3 and 4 feet of water was moving across a road when the bus attempted to go through it. Officials say road closed signs were posted.

The Penderlea Fire Department and the Duplin County EMS assisted in the rescue. There was no immediate word on any injuries, nor any indication of where the bus was coming from and where it was headed.

Pitt County A car wash worker in North Carolina found treasure amid the business’s trash when he discovered a $1,200 IRS stimulus check mixed in with the garbage. Antonio Hernandez was taking out the trash at the Greenville car wash when he spotted the payment in the can. He was able to track down recipient Charles Thompson, who said he was not even expecting to get a check after recently moving to a new address. Thompson had no idea how the check ended up at the car wash in the first place.

AP

AP

Durham County A Rhode Island man who calls himself the “world’s greatest counterfeiter” has been granted compassionate release from FMC-Butner in North Carolina, where he was serving a 15-month sentence for producing fake $100 bills. A federal judge in Providence reduced Louis Colavecchio’s sentence to time served. Colavecchio, 78, petitioned for early release, citing several medical issues that made him susceptible to COVID-19, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and hypertension. Colavecchio, known as Louis the Coin, was also recently diagnosed with dementia.

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Lighthouse Beach named to top 10

Man gets 8 years for role in $2M cocaine bust Halifax County Andrew Richard Rodarte, 73, was sentenced to eight years in prison for his role in a cocaine bust that netted $2 million and 80 kilograms of the illegal drug. Rodarte was observed last July during a drug surveillance operation driving a semi-truck to a trailer home in Littleton where men unloaded duffel bags. Officers found four duffel bags that each held approximately 20 kilograms of cocaine.

AP

Dare County Two North Carolina beaches were named to the list of 10 best in the United States by Stephen “Dr. Beach” Leatherman, a coastal scientist, who ranked beaches for 30 years. Grayton Beach, Florida, was No. 1, followed by, in order, Lifeguarded Beach on Ocrakoke Island; Coopers Beach, New York; Duke Kahanamoku Beach, Hawaii; Lighthouse Beach in Buxton; Caladesi Island State Park, Florida; Hapuna Beach, Hawaii; Coast Guard Beach, Massachusetts; Coronado Beach, California; and Beachwalker Park, South Carolina.

Tillis launches first TV ads of general election NSJ staff CHARLOTTE — Sen. Thom Tillis has launched a new TV ad highlighting his “blue-collar upbringing,” as campaigns pick up from where they left off after the coronavirus pandemic upended the campaign trail. Tillis’ campaign is spending $750,000 in Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro, Greenville, and Wilmington television markets.

“There is only one candidate in

AP

The

98 % of ALL Farms Truth are Family Farms

About Ag

ncfb.org

this race who can empathize with the financial hardships facing so many North Carolinians right now, and that’s Senator Tillis,” said Tillis campaign manager Luke Blanchat.

“When it comes to who they want in Washington working to save their jobs and revive the economy, the people of North Carolina are tired of the career-politician lawyers who always let them down, and instead want a Senator who knows what they are going through and has a plan to fix it.”

How China will pay for this COVID-19 catastrop The 3 big questions nobody is

COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO The most direct way to make China “pay”hope for this is to offer That is, unless an exogenous event happens as the Chernobyl they to disaster sometimes a disturbing tendency among people to treat those measures aresuch understandable, they should also have an expira church some services can to keep our families, be open or closed,meltdown whether we oughtSome to we pursue — Sweden style — pandemic a not Americans are notever. going to stay home f confident will emerge out of this stronger supposed U.S. tax credits to companies whosimply willknow source at least half of their in 1986. experts believe that event, the Star Wars what theythe data and asking questioning when we can start getting back This is all new to Americans, andthan it is not normal.own Nottemp in an and many more still continue more liberalized society that presumes wide spread, or whether we they certainly will not do so on the basi dt we by should also In this same spirit, I continue to be inspired by stories of humanity production back in the States.

There is though approximately programor of are Reagan, led directly toshape, the dissolution ofwhile the Soviet Unionremain vigilant and stay sa to do, lastUnited I to normal they are$120 conspiracy theorists people who or form. So we should don’t.as afterdown our own while reasonable stay-at-home ought to lock further. neighbors helping neighbors. especially as statistics roll in that look el I wish billion worth checked. of American direct investment in plants and equipment in 1989. otherwise don’t care if THING they get IS themselves or others sick. the same time weThe shouldn’t get comfortable with this so-called ONE CERTAIN; after this COVID-19 virus dissipates cavalier manner in which China lied abo ld also have an expiration date.

We’ve seen case fatality rates — the number of deaths divided by estimates in terms of death and the upp temporary In Concord, a high school senior named Tanner used his own celebration in China. Chinese direct investmentSince in thewhen U.S. did is about $65 billion by Perhaps COVID-19 China’s Chernobyl. questioning government at all levels become aiswill bad normal.”

North State Journal for Wednesday, April 15, 2020 around the globe and in the United States, China pay for this virus, covered up its spread and tried to tell not normal. Not in any way, the number of identified COVID-19 cases — but both the numerator of economic damage.

We need transpar May 27, 2020 money to buy a 3-D printer and plastic to make face shields for necessary sacrifices are society Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, April 15, 2020 the comparison.

Senators inwere Washington are already about the possibility thing? That is what freeState citizens living in aWednesday, free supposed Nottalking one little bit.

North Journal for April 15,We 2020 catastrophe one way or another.

3,341 related deaths has led to worldwide panic ain vigilant and stay safe, at and the denominator are likely wrong. don’t know how many scientific — we need to know w health care workers out of his own home. through th An investment tax credit of 30% U.S.North investment China China forgiving trillion in debt we owe them asto one way toexperts get over.for of State in Journal Wednesday, April$1.2 15, 2020 THIS WEEK, according members of the federal government, toon do,half lastof I checked.

In order to put the crisis caused by China in perspective, zero millions of Americans needlessly being thrown able with this so-called “new people have actually died of coronavirus.

Some sources suggest the don’t and when they hope to know wha or $60 applied China to “pay”isfor the damage they have caused thehas US.also Don’t hold your which China today, lied about thebillion, origin of the to repatriated and state and localJournal governments, Americans have to flatten My first American concern asmanufacturing we go along in all of their course, myto family.

I’mStanly Stacey Matthews written the begun pseudonym Siste$ County for Wednesday, 15,we’re 2020 worldwide pandemics canthis, trace source thethat United States over The crisis has costunder theApril U.S. taxpayer at least number has been overestimated, given classification for cause We’re grown-ups, and willing to to the U.S. would the U.S.about Treasury $18 billion in breath waiting for a Chinese “Jubilee” to happen but ask your elected ad and tried toinvestment tell the world there were onlycostworried the curve in the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The excitement was them catching the virus, and I’m worried I will.

After and is a regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrecti our 231-year history.

At least four in the 20th century alone can be debt plus trillions more in Federal Reserve back of death, particularly among elderly patients, can be variable.

Some they need to start answering serious qu taxpanic, revenue spread over a few years. $18 billion lost revenue topandemic, hold China accountable in tangible financial ways for— but real. Americans ed to worldwide economic collapse and — after trends can easily reverse suffering fromin the H1N1 virusisto (swine flu) representatives during theflu,” 2009 directly traced China: “Asian 1968 “Hongmuted Kong flu,” 1977all,since marketstoand outlets.

If the U.S.faith dollar sources suggest1957 the number is dramatically underestimated, thefinancial same lack of institutional to dustofcompared to the $6 I’ve trillion+ Marshall Plan we are now this disaster. edlessly beingdecimal thrown out work. have abided by recommendations and orders. They’ve left their jobs been trying“Russian to take extra precautions, because all of this brings up flu” and the 2002 SARS outbreak.

There is evidence that the currency, we would not be able to fund any of th the pseudonym Sister Toldjah Perhaps many people are dying at home. institutions seem deeply prone. undertaking to save in our own economy, notmany of defeated enemies as in the It is about timenot they are expected operate as responsible citizens of U.S. taxpayer at least $2.4 trillion added to stay at to home; they’ve practiced social distancing; in many places, way too memories of a“Spanish painful experience I’d prefer toorigins repeat. massive 1918 flu” pandemic also had its in China. measures without immediate fear of rampant i and Legal Insurrection.

Even more importantly, we have no clue how many Americans past.backup liquidity to the COVID-19 theeasily worldmost like any other has modern n Federal Reserve they’venation. donned masks.

But what also makes me lose sleep is how everyone There is 100% agreement, outside of China, that COVID-19 depreciation. actually have coronavirus.

Some scientists suggest that the number Ben Shapiro, 36, is a graduate of UCLA We need China were has been cheating, stealing, pillaging American tlets. If the U.S. dollar not the reserveis The result: a reduction in expected hospitalization and death.

China’spirating and originated Wuhan probably completely hasofto“The pay for their aberrant ways ofinidentified cases could be an from orderthe of magnitude lower than the Chinahost BenInstitute Shapiro Show” andand edi nowemergency for the past 30 years. They have made no secret that theyProvince e able to fund business any of these transparency According to the University of Washington for Health Neal Robbins, publisher | financial Frank Hill, senior opinion ed Chernobyl. editor unregulated and unsanitary wet markets.

Some believe it came out of a economic and means.

Diplomacy has Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor number of people who have had coronavirus and not been tested. com. intend inflation to replaceand thecurrency U.S. as the premier superpower in the worldpublisher and diate fear of rampant Metrics and Evaluation model most oft cited by members of the and honesty Neal Robbins, | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor biowarfare lab run by the communist Chinese army.opinion editor to bring China into the civilized world of 21st ce replace the dollar as the reserve currency with their renminbi.

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank senior administration, the expected need for hospital beds at fromHill, our Until China adopts rigorous verifiable policing and Trump regulation of and fair|trade.

Totalitarian communist regimes Neal Robbins, publisher Frank Hill, senior opinion editor eir aberrant ways and decisions through peak outbreak was revised down by over 120,000, the number of their food safety and health protocols, American business has no other or express sincere regret and remorse, because scientific experts means. Diplomacy has obviously not worked ventilators by nearly 13,000 and the number of overall deaths by choice than to build redundant manufacturing elsewhere purely totalitarian governments do. They take advanta — we need to plantsAugust vilized world of 21st century health, hygiene by nearly 12,000.

Jason for national security and safety reasons as well as supply and delivery they find in adversaries and keep pushing until know what they n communist regimes never take the blame Here’s the problem: We still don’t know the answers to the key TORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS reliability concerns. adversaries push back. and remorse, because that is not what know, what they questions will allow the economy to reopen.

The most direct way to make China “pay” for this disaster is tothat offer That is, unless an exogenous event happens s do. They take advantage of every weakness First, what is the true coronavirus fatality rate? This question is don’t and when U.S. tax credits to companies who will source at least half of their meltdown in 1986. Some experts believe that ev COLUMN | REP. RICHARD HUDSON nd keep pushing until they win or the important because it determines whether certain areas ought to theyThere hope to production back in the United States. is approximately $120 program of Reagan, led directly to the dissoluti open or closed, whether we ought to pursue — Sweden style — a billion worth of American direct investment plantsbe and equipment in 1989. know what in they enous event happens such as the Chernobyl more liberalized that presumes wide spread, or whether we in China. Chinese direct investment in the U.S. is about $65 billion by societyPerhaps COVID-19 is China’s Chernobyl. don’t. experts believe that event, not the Star Wars ought to lock down further. comparison.

Senators in Washington are already talking a irectly to the dissolution of the Soviet Union We’ve in seen case fatality rates — the number of deaths divided by An investment tax credit of 30% on half of U.S. investment China of China forgiving $1.2 trillion in debt we owe t the number of identified COVID-19 cases — but both the numerator today, or $60 billion, applied to repatriated American manufacturing China to “pay” for the damage they have caused China’s Chernobyl. andbillion the denominator are likely wrong. We don’t know how many investment to the U.S. would cost the U.S. Treasury $18 in breath waiting for aneed Chinese “Jubilee”and to happen “THIS IS THE DAY the lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad Hydromer Inc. insources Concord WITH MOST under either shelter-in-place or stay-at-home fallen into place. I understand thehave seriousness ofdied the virus and the n are already talking about the STATES possibility people actually of coronavirus.

Some suggestNew the tax revenue spread over a few years. $18 billion in lost revenue is representatives to hold China accountable in ta in it” (Psalm 118:24).

Salisbury are switching their operation orders local orto state to take precautions, but I’mnumber uneasy has withbeen howoverestimated, people who simply ask illion in debt we owe thanks them astoone way get governments, a majority of Americans given that classification for cause decimal dustIcompared the $6this trillion+ Marshall Plan we aredistancing, now this disaster. during time social Inback Fayetteville, a minister began a pr having adjust to hold whatyour is being called the “new normal.” know thatto questions challenging about the data, and when particularly things can start getting to mage they haveare caused thetoUS. Don’t ofof death, among elderly patients, can be variable.

Some undertaking to savefrom our own economy, not of defeated enemies as in“rejoice the and It is about time they are expected to operate working home or losing a job, it may be difficult to seniors throughout Cumberland Count Some ofbut these extend at least through the end of this month. normal are treated in somesources circles with contempt. ese “Jubilee” to happen askorders your elected suggest the number is dramatically underestimated, since past. the world like any other from modern nation. our re be glad” as the Bible tells us to do. as However, as aasChristian, husband These stories throughout Virginia’s stay-at-home go into June.

They’re treated though we a society simply must accept without hina accountable in tangible financial orders ways for many people are dying at home.

China has been cheating, stealing, pirating and pillaging American and dad, the Easter holiday has reminded me of just how much we hope, inspiration and supplies to peopl Here in North Carolina, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper stated during question what the government tellsmore us about when it’swe safehave to begin thehow many Americans Even importantly, no clue business now for the past 30 years.

They have made no secret thatofthey have to be thankful and hopeful for, even in the midst this global workers on the front lines of the corona a recentas coronavirus briefing process of returning back to normalcy. e expected to operate responsiblepress citizens of that “we just don’t know yet” if the actually haveand coronavirus. Some scientists suggest that the number intend to replace the U.S. as the premier superpower in the world Lenten and pandemic.

While people throughout our commu No. The government works for us, and we have the to ask modern nation.state’s stay-at-home orders will extend into May. of identified cases could beright an order ofthose magnitude lower than the when did replace the dollar as the currency withpart theirofrenminbi. me, my reserve faith is an important my dailyoflife and decision I am glad we have Easter seasons If he does decide to extend it, questions should be asked asFor to the questions.

And the longer stay-at-home orders arehave in place all overinitiatives the and not number people who had coronavirus beenpassed tested.in ioning making.

As I celebrated Easter with my family, I reflected on 2 Protection Program, are supporting sel justification for it. And the answers should notabe vague ones like “we country, and the stricter some of them get in states, such as Michigan, provide nment Corinthians 1:4, which reminds us our Lord “comforts us in all our helping small businesses keep people o must do this out of an abundance of caution.” the more people, sitting at home feeling isolated and/or anxious about message of affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any relief will soon reach families and work evels It will need to be explained in detailhope to the people of this state who when they can get back to providing for their families, will demand that we will affliction, with the comfort which we ourselves are comforted by continue working on common sense an EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS are being told to remain jobless and at home for an undetermined answers. me a once again enjoy God.” we can defeat the coronavirus and keep EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL amount of time why models predicting hundreds of thousands of cases Leaders at the local and state levels should be as forthcoming as they hing? sporting events, If you are celebrating the Easter season, I urge you to also whole. are reliable. can be with those answers — and again, not vague answers, but answer s what reflect and be comforted, that we may live out Until then, the Lenten and Easter se concerts, family To date, I’ve gone along with what the state has asked and thenon this message with details that give theirso statements believability.

God’s example and comfort all those in need around us during hope that we will once again enjoy spor itizens mandated that we do, but along the way I’ve also had questions about We should all continue to doRICHARD what we can to keep our families, gatherings, COLUMN | REP. HUDSON EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL this difficult time.

Through faith and by helping one another, I am gatherings, church services and many m SHAPIRO the data. State RepublicanHILL leaders have, too. servicesCOLUMN | BENourselves, and our communities safe. But we should also still continue | FRANK church in a freeEDITORIAL confident we will emerge out of this pandemic stronger than ever. own temporary Unfortunately, when certain types ofand questions get asked, there is to ask questions about the data, because while reasonable stay-at-home sacrifices for the greate many more ty were In this same spirit, I continue to be inspired they by stories humanity are over. sometimes a disturbing tendency among some people to treat those measures are understandable, shouldofalso have an expiration date.

COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO after our own osed neighbors helping neighbors.

I wish everyone celebrating Easter, a simply questioning the data and asking when we can start getting back This is all new to Americans, and it is not normal. Not in any way, temporary In Concord, a high school senior named Tanner used his own celebration and pray we can all continu last I to normal as though they are conspiracy theorists or are people who shape, or form. So while we should remain vigilant and stay safe, at WITH MOST STATES under either shelter-in-place or stay-at-home fallen into place.

I understand the seriousness money to buy a 3-D printer and plastic to make face shields for necessary safety guidelines and remaino sacrifices are sick. otherwise don’t care if THING they themselves or URBAN others theofficials same time weIn shouldn’t get comfortable with thishis so-called ed.

THERE ISget A PERSISTENT that elected October 2008, Senator Burr told wife to “new take money out of the ONE IS CERTAIN; after thisLEGEND COVID-19 virus dissipates The cavalier manner in which China lied about the origin of the orders thanks to local or state governments, a majority of Americans to take precautions, but I’m uneasy with how p health care workers out of his own home. through this together.

ONE THING ISand CERTAIN; after thisbecome COVID-19 virus dissipates Theover cavalier manner in which China about the origin of theonly Since when did questioning government at all levels a will bad normal.”

THIS WEEK, ATM according to members the federal government, That would mean that th “THIS ISof DAY the lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad are somehow privy to “inside information” that them all the weekend inTHE anticipation oflied theabout financial collapse that was around the globe inover. the United China pay for this virus, covered up its spread and tried to tell the world there were areStates, having to makes adjust to what is“very being called the “new normal.” questions the data, and when things can around the globe and in the United States, China will pay for this virus, covered up its spread and tried to tell the world there were only thing? That is rich.” what free citizens living in a free society were supposed Not one little bit. and state and local governments, Americans have begun to flatten suggested, even if the tra indeaths it” (Psalm 118:24).

Stanly County Journal for April 15, 2020 about to unfold.

He was not the chairman of the Senate catastrophe one way or another.

3,341 related has led to worldwide panic, economic collapse SomeApril of these orders extend at least through the end ofWednesday, this month. normal are treated in Intelligence some circlesand with contem North State Journal fornever Wednesday, 15,or2020 catastrophe way another.

3,341 related deaths has ledwas to worldwide panic, economic collapse and to do, last I checked. tand the seriousness of the virus and the need the curve in the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The excitement wasout Secondly, what are we I know that during this challenging time of social distancing, If is the case, have worked for one, knew anyone, who Committee at the time nor he on any relevant commerce or financial Inthat order toone put theIor crisis caused by China in perspective, zero millions of Americans needlessly being thrown of work.

Virginia’s stay-at-homeTHIS orders go intoaccording June.

They’re treated as though we as a society WEEK, to members of the federal government, That would mean that thesim fat Insimply order to put theinfigured crisis caused by to China in perspective, zero millions of Americans needlessly being thrown out of work.

My first concern we go along all of their course, is my I’m Stacey has crisis also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah m uneasy with how people who ask muted — after all, trends can easily —any butoversight real.

Americans Thedifficult institute’s model sim working from home or losing awhat job, it may be to “rejoice and did.

Ias certainly never out how use inside information IMatthews was Gov. services committee that had of the stock market. worldwide pandemics canthis, trace source tofamily. the United States over The has costreverse the U.S. taxpayer at least $2.4 trillion in added n of the Here in any North Carolina, Democratic Roy Cooper stated during question the government tells us about wh and state and local governments, Americans have begun to flatten suggested, even if the transm worldwide pandemics can their source the United States over Theplus crisis has cost the U.S. taxpayer at least $2.4 trillion worried aboutgetting them catching the virus, and I’m worried I will.

After and is a regular contributor toglad” RedState and Legal Insurrection. and when things can start back tohistory. have abided by recommendations and orders.

They’ve left their jobs predict how manyhusban people be the Bible tells us to do.

However, asin a added Christian, privy to as chief of staff toleast atrace US senator and a to US congressman to get He a bad feeling what was going on.

The pending collapse our 231-year At four the 20th century alone can be debt trillions more in Federal Reserve backup liquidity to the e were only ainrecent coronavirus press briefing that “we justhad don’t know yet”asifabout the process of returning back to normalcy. the curve in the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The excitement was Secondly, what are we expe our history.

Atflu) least four in 20th century alone debt plus trillions more inEaster Reserve backup liquidity the fromfilthy the 231-year H1N1 virus (swine during thethe 2009 pandemic, me circles withsuffering contempt. to can staybe at home; they’ve practiced social distancing; in many places, important problem and dad, the holiday has reminded me ofto just how much richtraced quickly. was all cable news on aFederal second-by-breathless-second basis during directly to China: 1957 “Asian flu,” 1968 “Hongmuted Kong flu,” 1977 markets and financial outlets.

If the U.S. dollar were notmost the reserve collapse and state’s stay-at-home orders will extend May. No. The government works formodel us, and wewe hac — after all, into trends canover easily reverse — but real.

Americans The institute’s simply Since when1957 did directly traced to China: “Asian flu,” 1968 “Hong Kong flu,” 1977 markets and financial outlets.

If the U.S. dollar were not the reserve I’ve been trying to take extra precautions, because all of this brings up gh we as a society simply must accept without they’ve donned masks. seasonal, which means w have to be thankful and hopeful for, even in the midst of this global There are three problems with this urban legend.

First, it is illegal what should be called “Black October.”

“Russian flu” and the 2002 SARS outbreak.

There is evidence that the currency, we would not be able to fund any of these emergency .

Perhaps If he does decide to extend it, questions should be asked as to the questions.

And the longer stay-at-home orders a have abided by recommendations and orders.

They’ve left their jobs predict how many people wil Each We need “Russian flu” and the 2002 SARS outbreak.

There is evidence that the currency, we would not be able to fund any of these emergency way too many memories of a painful experience I’ d prefer not to repeat. questioning ment tells us about when it’sfor safe to begin the The result: a reduction in expected hospitalization and death. in the fall.

And that mea Lenten and Perhaps pandemic. anyone in government, oralso on Wall Street to use This Burr said in“we a Feb.fear 7inFox News op-ed “Americans massive 1918 “Spanish flu”business pandemic had for its origins in inside China. measures without immediate of rampant inflation and currency in addedCOVID-19 justification it. And the answers should not beyear, vague ones like country, and thethat stricter some of are them get in sta to stay at home; they’ve practiced social distancing; many places, most important problem beca massive “Spanish flu” pandemic also had its in China. Easter measures without fear of rampant inflation currency But what also makes me100% lose sleep is how easilyto most everyone has congressman, to normalcy. transparency According to theseasons University of Washington Institute Health lockdowns forand large swat Forimmediate me, my the faith isthe anfor important part ofand my life government information not generally available the public toorigins enrich themselves rightfully concerned about coronavirus” and that the situation “is There 1918 is agreement, outside of China, that COVID-19 depreciation. y to the COVID-19 must do this out of an abundance ofmasks. caution.” more people, sitting at daily home feeling isolated they’ve donned seasonal, which meansdecisio we ar is China’s There is 100% agreement, outside of China, that COVID-19 depreciation. orks for us, and we have the right to ask those Metrics and Evaluation model most oft cited by members of the testing and contact I celebrated Easter with my family, I And reflected ontheir 2tracin and honesty senator and and any trade over $1,000 is reported to congressional ethics.

Second, That was aAs week before he death. initiated the stock trades that that have WeItneed originated in at Wuhan Province probably from the has to pay for their aberrant ways decisions through provide a China e reserveis all levels will need tocompletely be explained in detail to alarming.” the people ofmaking. this state who when theyand can get back to providing for fa The result: a reduction in expected hospitalization and in the fall. means w China’s originated in Wuhan Province probably from the completely China has to pay for their aberrant ways and decisions through r stay-at-home orders are in place all over the Trump administration, the expected need for hospital beds at to isolate those who Corinthians 1:4, which reminds usobviously ourlockdowns Lordnot “comforts us in allare ourom Chernobyl. much of whatand appears to be obvious inside toitthe public drawn scrutiny. unregulated unsanitary wet markets.

Some believe came out of at aUniversity economic and financial means.

Diplomacy has worked frominformation our to ncy transparency staffer making are being told remain jobless and home for an undetermined answers.

According to the of Washington Institute for Health for large swaths message of Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor become a Chernobyl. unregulated and unsanitary wet markets.

Some believe itseems cameoutbreak outbeof a was economic and financial means.

Diplomacy hascentury obviously not worked some of them get in states, such asturns Michigan, peak revised down by over 120,000, thesame number of Which raises the third so that we may able comfort those who aretracing, in any later out to be incorrect.

Finally, the private market to one ofaffliction, us could have done the thing based onand the daily news biowarfare lab run by the communist Chinese army. to Any bring China into the civilized world ofthe 21st health, hygiene currency scientific experts amount of time why models predicting hundreds of thousands of cases Leaders atto the local state levels should be Metrics and Evaluation model most oft cited by members ofbe testing and contact o and Chinese honesty hope that we will over $131,239 Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor biowarfare lab run by the communist army. to bring China into the civilized world of 21st century health, hygiene bad thing? t home feeling isolated and/or anxious about ventilators by nearly 13,000 and the number of overall deaths by we capable of rolling out affliction, with theSen. comfort which we ourselves are comforted by more efficient uncovering information — and reacting to it — than we all were watching.

Perhaps Burr should become a financial Until Chinaatadopts rigorous verifiable policing and Trump regulation of andthe fair trade.

Totalitarian communist regimes never take the blame are reliable. can be with those answers — and again, not vag administration, expected need for hospital beds at to isolate those who are most — we need to from our again enjoy Until China adopts rigorous verifiable policing business and regulation and fair trade.

Totalitarian communist regimes never take the blame o providing families,politicians, will demand hasfor totheir report August byonce nearly 12,000. months — and compellin God.” That is what staffers and bureaucrats. manager when he retires help people avoid having their portfolios their food safety and health protocols, American noof other or express sincere regret and remorse, because that isWhich not what hrough To know date, what I’ve gone alonghas with what therevised state has asked and then details give their statements believabi peak outbreak was down by over 120,000, the with number of that raises the third que they their food safety and health protocols, American business has no other or express sincere regret and remorse, because that is not what scientific experts Here’s the problem: We still don’t know the answers to the key virus is transmittable wh sporting events, Ifnumber you are celebrating theshould Easter season, I urge you to also every stock If youthan hadto to report publicly every stock trade you over $1,000 sliced halfthe when something bad deaths istake about to happen. choice build redundant manufacturing elsewhere purely totalitarian governments do.

They advantage of every weakness ot worked free citizens mandated thatplants we made do, but along the way I’ve alsoinand had questions about We all continue to do what weout cantens to ventilators by nearly 13,000 of overall by we capable of rolling choice than to build redundant manufacturing plants elsewhere purely totalitarian governments do.

They take advantage of every weakness d state levels should be as forthcoming as they know, what they questions that will allow the economy to reopen. create a contact tracing s reflect on this andspeculated beuntil comforted, soorthat wesold may live out — we need concerts, family (buy or sell), security would any reasons chances onwell ittobeing illegal or leaders unethical?

Some media opponents Sen. Burr for national and safety as asRepublican supply and delivery they findpartisan in adversaries andmessage keep pushing win the h, hygiene the data.

State have, too. trade over ourselves, andthey ourthat communities safe.

But we pe sh August by nearly 12,000. months — and compelling livingyou inand atake free for national security safety reasons as well as supply and delivery they find in adversaries and keep pushing until they win or the s — and again, not vague answers, but answer First, what is the true coronavirus fatality rate?

This question is are we willing to submit God’s example and comfort all thoseEthics in need us during don’t and Only oneconcerns. member of Congress has been sent towhen prison for using inside his DC house inknow a back. sweet in 2017.

Thequestions Senate Committee know what they reliability adversaries push gatherings, the blame Unfortunately, whenHere’s certain of questions get asked, there is to about the data, because whilecr thetypes problem: We still don’t thedeal answers toask the key virus isaround transmittable while $1,000 to reliability concerns. adversaries push back. society were r statements believability. important because it determines whether certain areas ought to One thing is certain: this difficult time.

Through faith and by helping one another, amT information to buy way or sell former Congressman Chris Collins of reviewed all relevant documents before the sale and determined it was The most direct to stocks, make China “pay” for this disaster is to offer That is, unless an exogenous event happens such as the Chernobyl they hope to what know, whatathey sometimes disturbing tendency among some people to treat those measures are understandable, theytracing shouldIsyste also questions that will allow the economy to reopen. create a contact church services The most direct way to make China “pay” for this disaster is to offer That is, unless an exogenous event happens such as the Chernobyl to do what we can to keep our families, congressional be open or closed, whether we ought to pursue — Sweden style — a Americans are not going confident we will emerge outis of this stronger than ever. supposed New in January 2020. If any elected official, including Sen. Burr, done in can lineinstart with all Senate rules and ethical U.S. York tax credits to companies whosimply willknow source at least half of their meltdown 1986.

Some experts believe that event, not thewilling Star Wars weakness what theythe questioning data and asking when we getting back This all newpandemic to Americans, and it is not nor First, what is is the true coronavirus fatality rate?

This question isguidelines. are we to submit ours don’t and when and many more U.S. tax credits toincompanies who willinformation source at least half oftrades, their meltdown inReagan, 1986.

Some experts believe that calling event, not the Star Wars unities Sponsored safe.

Butoffices we still more liberalized society that presumes wide spread, or whether we they certainly will not do by should also In this same spirit, I continue to be inspired by stories of ethics found tocontinue have abused any confidential for stock they One ethics committee lawyer told me after their office almost production back the United States.

There is approximately $120 program of led directly to the dissolution of the Soviet Union the to do, last I to normal as though they are conspiracy theorists or are people who shape, or form.

So while we should remain vigil important because it determines whether certain areas ought to One thing is certain: Thing don’t. theyThere hope to afterdown ourweekly own production back in the States. is $120 program Reagan, ledhelping directly to the guidelines; dissolutionifofyou theespecially Sovietsomething Union e data, because while reasonable stay-at-home ought to lock further. as statistics ro neighbors neighbors. the same fate asUnited Mr.direct Collins. inof 1985: “Let me give some think billion worth of American investment inapproximately plants and equipment inor1989. otherwise don’t carebe if they get themselves others sick. the same time shouldn’t get comfortable wit within 30 days. deserve open or closed, whether we ought to pursue — you Sweden style — a we Americans are not going to st checked. billion worth of American direct investment in plants and equipment in 1989. know what they able, they should also have an expiration date.

We’ve seen case fatality rates — the number of deaths divided by estimates in terms of dea temporary In Concord, ais.high school named Tanner used his own one yet knowsdirect all the details behind stock sales February may be levels unethical, it usually Don’t ask ussenior to approve something inNo China.

Chinese investment in theBurr’s U.S. did is about $65on billion by society Perhaps COVID-19 isbad China’s Chernobyl.

Chernobyl Since when questioning government at all become a normal.” more liberalized that presumes wide spread, or whether we they certainly will not do so o North State Journal Wednesday, April 15,is 2020 in China.

Chinese direct investment in the U.S. is worked about $65 by offor Perhaps China’s Chernobyl. icans, and it is not normal. Not inthis anyyear. way,Anyone thebillion number identified COVID-19 cases —aare but both the and numerator ofpossibility economic damage.

We money to buy 3-D printer plastic to face shields for don’t. sacrifices are society 13 of who knowsthing?

Richard or has with him unethical orCOVID-19 illegal, because we won’t”. comparison.

Senators in Washington already about themake Star Wars That is what free citizens living infurther. a free were supposed Nottalking one little bit. ought to lock down especially as statistics roll in comparison.

Senators in Washington are already talking about the possibility we should remain vigilant and stay safe, at knows and the denominator are likely wrong.

We don’t know how many scientific experts — we n care workers out of his own home. over years keeps own and investment marches to in theChina beat Ethics have his house sale ifas it one was not Anthe investment taxhe credit of his 30% on half U.S. of Senate China $1.2 trillion in debt we owe way to get of death over. fatality viet Union to do,counsel lastof I checked.

We’ve seen case ratesforgiving —health thewould number of declined deaths divided by them estimates indone terms a An investment tax credit of 30% on half of U.S. investment in China of China forgiving $1.2 trillion in debt we owe them as one way to get n’t get comfortable with this of so-called “new people have actually died of coronavirus.

Some sources suggest the don’t and when they hope his own drummer many to times to exasperation of his and properly anisarms-length transaction. today, or $60 billion,— applied repatriated American manufacturing China toin “pay” for damage they have caused thehas US. Don’t hold your Mythe first concern as wenumber gostaff along in all this, of course, mythe family.

I’m Stacey Matthews also written underWe thenee pse the of identified COVID-19 cases — but both the numerator of economic damage. today, or $60 repatriated American manufacturing to “pay” for the damage they have caused US. Don’t hold your number beenChina overestimated, given that classification forHe cause We’re grown-ups, and campaign consultants.

II’m have known Richard Burr for 28 years. isthe one of the least investment tobillion, the U.S.applied would to cost the U.S.about Treasury billion in has breath waiting a Chinese “Jubilee” to but ask your elected worried them$18 catching the virus, and worried Ifor will.

After and is ahappen regular contributor to RedState and the denominator are likely wrong.

We don’t know how many scientific experts — weand needLe investment to the U.S. would cost the U.S. Treasury $18 billion in breath waiting for a Chinese “Jubilee” to happen but ask your elected of death, particularly among elderly patients, can be variable.

Some they need to start answer Ifrevenue he had asked forover my aadvice when firstbillion elected in 1994, which he pretentious and to preening ofsources any U.S. senator who has ever served.

He for hope to k tax spread few years. $18 lost revenue is(swine representatives hold China accountable in tangible financial ways ssibility suffering fromin the H1N1 virus flu)died during the 2009 pandemic, people have actually of coronavirus.

Some suggest the don’t and when tax revenue atofew billion in lost revenue is now representatives to hold China accountable in tangible financial waysthey for of instit sources suggest the number is dramatically underestimated, since to the same lack didn’t, I would haveover suggested that he$18 place his stock portfolio in a drove himself to meetings around the state in a 1998 Honda Accord decimal dustspread compared theyears. $6 I’ve trillion+ Marshall Plan we are this disaster. way to get been trying to take extrahas precautions, because all given of thisthat brings up number been overestimated, classification for cause We’re grown-ups, and we’r decimal dust compared to the $6 trillion+ Marshall Plan we are now this disaster. o written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah many people are dying at home. institutions seem blind trust to to eliminate appearance of many impropriety much without anprefer entourage acan black Escalade following him around.

He undertaking save ourany own economy, not of defeated enemies as in of the It is about time they expected to operate as responsible citizens of deeply n’t hold your way too memories ofso a painful experience I’elderly d not toinare repeat. ofsince death, particularly among patients, be variable.

Some they need to start answering undertaking to save our own economy, not of defeated enemies as in the It is about time they are expected to operate as responsible citizens of tor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.

Even more importantly, we have no clue how many Americans politics past. is perception anyway. is not fabulously wealthy like many othersince senators either the world like any otherunderestimated, modern nation. ur elected But what also makes me lose sleepthe is how easily everyone has sources suggest number ismost dramatically to thethrough same lack of institution past. the world like any other modern nation. actually have coronavirus.

Some scientists suggest that the number Ben Shapiro, 36, is a gra Maybe he didn’t have a sufficiently enough at age 38 to China has been cheating, stealing,large pirating and portfolio pillaging American inheritance or marriage, or due to business or real estate success. ncial ways for many people are dying at home. institutions seem deeply pron China has been cheating, stealing, pirating and pillaging American of identified cases could be an order of magnitude lower than the host justify placing it inthe a blind trust then. business now for past 30 years.

They have made no secret that they In short, Burr isclue likehow mostmany of theAmericans rest of us. Except he choseofto“The run Ben Shapiro Even more importantly, we have no Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor business now for the past 30 years.

They have made no secret that they number of people who have had coronavirus and not been tested. com.

He does have a history very skittish about financial markets intend to replace the U.S.ofasbeing the premier superpower in the world and for public office and serve his state country to the best of his ability ble citizens of actually haveand coronavirus.

Some scientists suggest that and the number Ben Shapiro, 36, is a graduat intend to replace the U.S. asbeen the currency premier superpower in the world replacemakes the dollar as the reserve with renminbi. which me wish I had as cautious astheir he was before the for the past 26 years.

I hope his stock trades were based on his past of identified cases could be an order of magnitude lower than the host of “The Ben Shapiro Sho replace crashed the dollar the and reserve currency with their renminbi. market in as 2008 2020. practices, information andbeen the information hecom. shared publicly. number of people who have hadpublic coronavirus and not tested.

atastrophe A6 A6 A6

A north ST TEment A OPINION north ST TEment OPINION

VISUAL VOICES VISUAL VOICES VISUAL VOICES

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s okay to ask questions about when The e begin to get back to comfort normal and hope of Easter

It’sBurr okayand to ask Sen. Richard thequestions shroud ofabout insidewhen we begin to get back to normal information on Capitol Hill The comfort and hope of Eas How China will pay for this COVID-19 catastrophe 3 bigCOVID-19 questionscatastrophe nobody is answerin How China will payThe for this The 3 big questions nobody is answering

OPINION north STATEment VOICES

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EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS

Jason

It’s okay okay to tostate ask questions questions about are when Southern GOP governors handling It’s ask about when The comfort and hope of Easter we begin to get back to normal the coronavirus outbreak well, despite critics to this get back to normal The comfort and hope of Easter inawe willbegin payThe for COVID-19 3 big questionscatastrophe nobody is answering

ANK HILL

COLUMN | REP. RICHARD HUDSON

COLUMN | REP. RICHARD HUDSON COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO

“THIS IS THEfallen DAYinto the lord has made, let usthe rejoice and be of glad Inc. in Con WITH MOST STATES under either shelter-in-place or stay-at-home place.

I understand seriousness the virus Hydromer and the need NOT LONG after President Trump declared a nationalor emergency in 118:24).

Cuomo andplace.

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio delayed timely decisions, which WITH MOST STATES under either shelter-in-place stay-at-home fallen into I understand the seriousness of the virus and the need in it” (Psalm Salisbury are orders thanks to local or state governments, a majority of Americans to take precautions, but I’m uneasy with how people who simply ask switching t NE THING IS CERTAIN; after thisthanks COVID-19 virus The cavalier manner in which China lied about the of origin of the mid-March in response todissipates the coronavirus outbreak, the mainstream hastened the spread the virus across thehow state. orders to local or state governments, a majority of Americans to take precautions, but I’m uneasy with people getting who simply ask I know that during this challenging time of social distancing, Inback Fayetteville, a mini are having to adjust to what is being called the “newto normal.” questions about the data, and when things can to in Concord THIS WEEK, according members of the federal government, That would mean that thestart fatality rate is actually far lowe “THIS IS THE DAY the lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad Hydromer Inc. nd the globe and in the United States, China will pay for this virus, covered up its spread and tried to tell the world there were only media commenced a lot of finger-pointing at the Republican governors infrom home New York City wasitdata, hardest hit.

They were also the “primary gateway” areSome having to adjust to what is being called “new normal.” questions about the and when things can start getting back to working or losing a job, may be difficult to “rejoice and seniors throughout Cum of these orders extend at least through the endinofit”this month. normal are treated in suggested, some circleseven withifcontempt. and state and local governments, Americans have begun to flatten the transmission rate is high.

(Psalm 118:24).

Salisbury are switching their trophe one way or another. Southern 3,341 related deaths has led to worldwide panic, economic collapse and not immediately issuing stay-at-home orders. for the spread theHowever, virus across the United States, according to another Some ofstates thesefor orders extend at least through the end of this month. normal are treated some circles contempt. be glad” as The the Bible tells us toofdo. as aas Christian, husband These stories from thr Virginia’s stay-at-home orders go into June.

They’re treated asinthough we awith society simply must accept without and thetoneed the curve in the novel coronavirus outbreak. excitement was Secondly, what are we expecting in terms of a second w I know that during this challenging time of social distancing, In Fayetteville, minister order put the crisis causedVirginia’s by China in perspective, zero millions of Americans needlessly being thrown out of work.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was vilified as videosand of spring Times report. orders goespecially into June.

They’re treated as though weoftells as a us society simply accept without dad, the Easter holiday hasthe reminded me just how much wemust hope, inspiration and sup Here instay-at-home North Carolina, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper stated during question what government about when it’s safe to begin the Cumberla mply ask muted — after all, trends can easily reverse — but real.

Americans The institute’s model simply cuts off in early August.

It do working from home or losing a job, it may be difficult to “rejoice and seniors throughout dwide pandemics can trace their source to the United States over The crisis has cost the U.S. taxpayer at least $2.4 trillion in added break teenagers onDemocratic beaches were broadcast on anstated endless loop Nursing homes in America have been hitthis particularly hard bybegin theon the front line Here in Northfrolicking Carolina, Gov. Roydon’t Cooper during question what the government tells us of about when it’s safe to have to be and hopeful for, even in the midst global workers a recent coronavirus press briefing that “we just know yet”as ifthe thethankful process of returning back to normalcy. g back tohistory. At least fourand have abided by recommendations and orders.

They’ve left their predict how many people will die adisease. second wave.

This is be and glad” Bible tells us to do.

However, asto a Christian, husband These stories from through 231-year inrecent the 20th alone can be debt plus trillions more in Federal Reserve backup liquidity to the shared allcentury over social media, a hotbed for mob outrage knee-jerk coronavirus, asjobs senior citizens are especially vulnerable to in the As througho astate’s coronavirus press briefing that “we just don’t know yet” if the process of returning back normalcy.

Lenten and pandemic.

While people stay-at-home orders will at extend into May. practiced No.many The government works forhow us, and wewe have the right to askmaintain those to stay home; they’ve social distancing; in places, most important problem because experts that th Since when1957 did “Asian and dad, the Easter holiday has reminded me of just much hope, inspiration and supplie tly traced to China: flu,” 1968 “Hong Kong flu,” 1977 markets and financial outlets.

If the U.S. dollar were not the reserve it stands now, New York has thefor highest number of nursing home deaths state’s orders will intoshould May. No. The government works us,life and we decision have the right to ask those For me, my faith is an important part ofstay-at-home my daily and I am glad initiatives wesph Easter seasons Since when [Florida has]did reactions.

If hestay-at-home does decide to extend it,extend questions be asked as to the questions.

And the longer orders areare in place all over the cept without they’ve donned masks. seasonal, which means we likely to see more serious have to be thankful and hopeful for, even in the midst of this global workers on the front lines of sian flu” and the 2002 SARS outbreak.

There is evidence that the currency, we would not be able to fund any of these emergency questioning The prevailing sentiment among media elites was that Florida’s hospital than anyEaster state inthe thelonger country.

Part of the reason isProtection Cuomo’s written If he does to extend it, questions should asked as to the questions.

And stay-at-home orders arethis in place all over the making.

As I celebrated my reflected onstates, 2for Program, We needdecide justification for it. And theThe answers should notabebe vague ones like “we country, and thewith stricter some ofI And them get in as provide to the about 2 million result: a reduction in expected hospitalization death. in family, the fall. that means wesuch will beMichigan, faced with eitherare ren Lenten and pandemic.

While people throughout o ivebegin 1918 questioning “Spanish flu” pandemic alsowould had for its in China. measures without immediate fearmandate of and rampant and currency system beorigins overwhelmed.

DeSantis, the media said inones so many thatinflation nursing homes and assisted living facilities accept COVIDjustification it.

And the answers should not be vague like “we country, and the stricter some of them get in states, such as Michigan, government Corinthians 1:4, which reminds us our Lord “comforts us in all our helping small businesses musttransparency do this out of an abundance oftocaution.” the more people, sitting atdaily homelife feeling isolated and/or anxious about According the University of Washington Institute for Health lockdowns for large swaths of the population, with wide-s message of For me, my faith is an important part of my and decision I am glad initiatives we have Easter seasons government more people outside ere is 100% agreement, of China, that COVID-19 depreciation. words, would haveofblood on his hands from his supposed failure to act in athat19-infected people. must do this out abundance of caution.” the people, sitting at providing home feeling isolated and/orwill anxious about affliction, soby wemore may able to comfort those who are in any relief will soon reach fam at all levels It will need to bean explained in and detail to the people ofmaking. this state who when they can get back to for their families, demand to askin those Metrics Evaluation model most oftAs cited members ofbe the testing and contact or with realization thatsupp we I celebrated Easter with myback family, I been reflected ontheir 2tracing, Protection Program, and honesty hope we will nated Wuhan Province probably from the completely China has to pay for their aberrant ways and decisions through timely manner.

Crowded subway cars have hotbeds for families, the spread of the the virus.

Yet are provide a that at all New levels It will need to be explained in detail to the people of this state who when they can get to providing for will demand than York, affliction, with the comfort which we ourselves are comforted by continue working on com are being told to remain Trump jobless administration, and at home for an undetermined answers. all over and the the expected need for hospital beds at to isolate those who are most vulnerable and let everyone become a Corinthians 1:4, which reminds us our Lord “comforts us in all our helping small businesses kee gulated unsanitary wet markets.

Some believe it came out of a economic and financial means.

Diplomacy has obviously not worked from our again enjoy On the flip side, New York’s Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo was it was only a few weeks ago that Cuomo ordered NYC subways to defeat be shutthe corona are being towhy remain jobless and atonce home for an answers. message of God.” weWhat can become a and a higher amount oftold time models hundreds ofundetermined thousands ofsocases Leaders atto the local and state levels should bequestion: as forthcoming as reach they can we d sarfare Michigan, peakpredicting outbreak was revised down by over 120,000, the number of Which raises the third exactly affliction, that weworld may be able comfort those who are insanitizing. any relief will soon labbad runthing? by the communist Chinese army. to bring China into the civilized of 21st century health, hygiene hailed byof journalists as a magnificent leader from the start of the crisis.

As down nightly for thorough cleanings and scientific experts amount time why models predicting hundreds of thousands of cases Leaders at the local and state levels should be as forthcoming as they familie sporting events, If you are celebrating the Easter season, I urge you to also whole. hope that we will are reliable. can be with those answers — and again, not vague answers, but answer bad thing? xious about ventilators by nearly and the number of overall deaths bywe wethe capable of of rolling tenscontinue of millions testsonover the n affliction, with the comfort which ourselves are comforted byoutThey working commo ntil Chinaconcentration adopts rigorous verifiable policing and regulation of louder and fair trade.

Totalitarian communist regimes never take the blame time went on, theto murmurings grew that13,000 Democrats should replace Contrast that with data out Florida. have about 2of million areTo reliable. can with those answers — and again, not answers, but answer That is what reflect and all be comforted, so that we may livevague outpeople Until then, the Lenten — we need concerts, family date, I’ve gone along with what the state has asked and thenon this message withbe details that give their statements believability. once again enjoy demand August by nearly 12,000. months — and compelling to take tests regularly, s God.” we can defeat the coronaviru That is what of senior food safety and health protocols, American business has no other or express sincere regret and remorse, because that is not what their 2020 presidential nominee Joe Biden with Cuomo. more peopleall than Newin York and a higher concentration ofhope senior citizens.

To presumptive date, what I’ve along what the state has asked and then with details that give their believability.

God’s example and comfort those need around us during that we will once C ag free citizens know they mandated thatgone we do, but with along the way I’ve also had questions about We should all continue tostatements do what we can while to keep our families, gatherings, Here’s the problem: We still don’t know the answers to the key virus is transmittable carriers are asymptomatic? sporting events, If you are celebrating the Easter season, I urge you to also whole. e than tofree build redundant manufacturing plants elsewhere purely totalitarian governments do.

They take advantage of every weakness Cuomo, you give a good press conference, wasdifficult in stark time.

YetThrough theshould statefaith has not had nearly case numbers (49,000) nor deaths church servic citizens mandated thatsee, wecould do, but along thehave, way I’ve also hadwhich questions about We continue to dothe what we can keep our families, citizens.

Yet this and by helping one another, Isystem am the data.

State Republican leaders too.family ourselves, andallour communities safe.

But weto should also still continue ming assecurity they know, what they questions thatover will allow the economy reopen. create awe contact tracing forgatherings, 330 million Americans church services living inand a free reflect ontothis message and as beuntil comforted, so that may But live out Until then, the Lenten and concerts, ational safety reasons as well as supply and delivery they find in adversaries and keep pushing they win or the contrast to Biden, who frequently trips his own words.

Conveniently, (2,150) New York, and has not faced a nursing home crisis.

In fact, the data.

State Republican leaders have, too. ourselves, and our communities safe. we should also still continue confident we will emerge out of this pandemic stronger than ever. own temporary sacrifice living in a free the state Unfortunately, when certain types of questions get asked, there is to ask questions about the data, because while reasonable stay-at-home s, but answer First, what is the true coronavirus fatality rate?

This question is are we willing to submit ourselves to one?

God’s example and comfort all those in need around us during hope that we will once again don’t and when and many more bility concerns. adversaries push back. society were Cuomo was and is when also at the center of aofmajor media/entertainment hub, gatherings, Florida has been to able begin their reopening process a lot sooner than Unfortunately, types questions get asked, there is to askIquestions about the data, while reasonable stay-at-home Inthose this same spirit, continue betoinspired bybecause stories ofalso humanity are over. sometimes a disturbingcertain tendency among some people to treat measures areto understandable, they havegatherings, an expiration date. society important because it determines whether certain areas ought has not had thing isshould certain: cannot continue as they haa this difficult time.

Through faith and by one another, I also amThings church services e most direct waywere to make China “pay” for this disaster is to—offer That is, unless an exogenous event happens such ashelping the One Chernobyl they hope toaccess after our own so they have easy to him CNN especially, where his brother Chris New York. sometimes a disturbing tendency among some people to treat those measures are understandable, they should have an expiration date. church services supposed neighbors helping neighbors.

I wish everyone celebr simply questioning the data and asking when we canwe start getting back This isstyle allthis new to Americans, and itnot is not normal.

Not in any way, milies, be open or closed, whether ought to pursue — Sweden — a Americans are going to stay home for months on end, confident we will emerge out of pandemic stronger than ever. own temporary sacrifices for supposed nearly the tax credits to companies whois will source at least half of their meltdown in 1986.

Some experts believe that event, not the Star Wars a nighttime anchor.

Why? They decided to do things differently rather than follow New know what they simply questioning the data and asking when we can start getting back This is all new to Americans, and it is not normal.

Not in any way, temporary In Concord, a high school senior named Tanner used his own celebration and pray we m and many more that to do, lastUnited I to normal as though theymore are conspiracy theorists or are people who shape, or form.

Soinspired while weby should remain vigilant and stay safe, at ill continue liberalized society presumes wide spread, or whether we they certainly will not do so on the basis of ever-evolving In this same spirit, I continue to be stories of humanity are over. uction back in the States.

There is approximately $120 program of Reagan, led directly to the dissolution of the Soviet Union But as it as turns out, givingare a good presssacrifices conference has been about allbuy a 3-D York’s approach.

Florida understood the one-size-fits-all approach touted to do,numbers last I to normal though conspiracy theorists are people who shape, or form.

So whileto we should remain vigilant and stay safe, atsafety guidelin case money to printer andwe plastic make face shields for necessary don’t. areor otherwise don’t care they if they get themselves or others sick. the same time shouldn’t get comfortable with this so-called “new afterdown our own tay-at-home ought to lock further. especially astostatistics roll in that lookFortunately, like the lower-end m checked. neighbors helping neighbors.

Ithere. wish everyone celebrating n worth checked. of American direct investment in plants and equipment in 1989. that Cuomo has been able to do right in the weeks since his “‘New York by the media was not the right way manage the crisis otherwise don’t care if they get themselves or others sick. the same time we shouldn’t get comfortable with this so-called “new health care workers out of his own home. through this together.

(49,000) nor Since when did questioning government at all levels become a bad a high normal.” over. fatality piration date.

We’ve seen case rates — the number of deaths divided by estimates in terms of death and the upper-end estimates ia temporary In Concord, school senior named Tanner used his own celebration and pray we can hina. Chinese direct investment in the U.S. is about $65 billion by Perhaps COVID-19 is China’s Chernobyl.

State on PAUSE” order went into effect on March 22. they were right. The numbers speak for themselves.

Since when questioning government at allsociety levels become a bad normal.” thing?

That is did what freeState citizens living in aWednesday, free were supposed Not one little bit.to make North Journal for April 15, 2020 nparison. any way,deaths (2,150) the number of identified COVID-19 cases — but both the numerator of economic damage.

We need transparency and honesty f money to buy a 3-D printer and plastic face shields for necessary safety guidelines a sacrifices are Senators in Washington are already talking about the possibility Unlike Florida, Cuomo’s state quickly became epicenter the virus.

The media thing?

That is what free citizens living in a freethe society were of supposed Not same one little bit.who bashed DeSantis owe him an apology for how they to do, last I checked. safe, atas New and the denominator are likely wrong.

We don’t know how many scientific experts — we need to know what they know, wha health care workers out of his own home. through this together.

York, of 30% nyinvestment tax credit on half of U.S. investment in China of China forgiving $1.2 trillion in debt we owe them as one way to get As of this writing, the state has hadover. nearly 362,000 confirmed cases and treated him like a callous governor more concerned with the economy to My do, last checked. firstIconcern as wepeople go along in actually all this, of course, is my family.

I’m sources Staceysuggest Matthews has also written under thehope pseudonym Sister Toldjah “newbillion, applied to repatriated have died coronavirus.

Some the don’t they tohe’s know what they don’t. y,lled or $60 American manufacturing China to of “pay” for the damage they have the US. Don’t hold your over 28,000 deaths. as Of those, over 200,000 have been in New York City, than thecaused lives of the people ofand his when state.

Fortunately, smart enough My first concern we go along in all this, of course, is my family.

I’m Stacey has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah and has not worried about them catching thehas virus, and I’m worried I will.

After and is aMatthews regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection. number been overestimated, given that classification for cause We’re grown-ups, and we’re willing to follow their advic tment to the U.S. would costwith the U.S. Treasury $18 billion in breath waiting for a Chinese “Jubilee” to happen but ask your elected over 20,000 deaths there.the virus, and I’m worried I will. After not around for one. He’s busy reopening to notice — or catching andto iswait a regular contributor to too RedState and LegalFlorida Insurrection. faced a nursing worried sufferingabout from them the H1N1 virus (swine flu) during the 2009 pandemic, of death, particularly among elderly patients, can be variable.

Some they need to start answering serious questions, or they wil evenue spread over a few years. $18 billion in lost revenue is representatives to hold China accountable in tangible financial ways for The New Yorkthe Times, a virus Democrat-friendly newspaper, actually did care. suffering (swine flu) during the pandemic, I’ve been from trying to H1N1 take extra precautions, because all2009 ofdramatically this brings up sources suggest the number is underestimated, since to the same lack of institutional faith to which all other Am crisis. mal dust home compared to the $6some trillion+ Marshall Plan we are now this disaster. investigative intoprecautions, Cuomo’s handling of all theof crisis.

From that, I’ve tryingmemories todigging take extra because this up waybeen too many of a painful experience I’dhome. prefer notbrings to repeat. ster Toldjah many people are dying at institutions seem deeply prone. rtaking to save our own economy, not of defeated enemies as in the It is about time they are expected to operate as responsible citizens of they reported that leadership on combined with serious Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah, way too many memories of lose afailures painfulearly experience I’dmost prefer not to repeat.

But what also makes me how easily everyone has ction.

Evensleep moreisimportantly, we no clue how many the worldmost likehave any other modern nation. communication political games between andAmericans is a regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.

But what alsoissues makesand meone-upmanship lose sleep is how easily everyone has actually have coronavirus.

Some scientists suggest that the number Ben Shapiro, 36, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law ina has been cheating, stealing, pirating and pillaging American of identified cases could be an order of magnitude lower than the host of “The Ben Shapiro Show” and editor-in-chief of Dai ness now for the past 30 years. They have made no secret that they Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor number of people who have had coronavirus and not been tested. com. d to replace the U.S. as the premier superpower in the world and ce the dollar as the reserve currency with their renminbi.

north STA

North State Journal for Wednesday, May 27, 2020

A7

COLUMN | JACKIE GINGRICH CUSHMAN

Remembering the cost of a free and undivided republic

With freedom comes responsibility — responsibility to ensure that our freedom is maintained.

Freedom is never free but comes at a cost of lives, vigilance, time and effort.

MEMORIAL DAY normally equates to BBQ, sales and pool openings — the beginning of summer. Many people travel to a beach, lake or mountain. Some traditions include visiting a memorial cemetery to honor the fallen. This year, the number of Americans traveling was expected to be far below last year’s record-breaking 43 million, according to the American Automobile Association, even below the 31 million who traveled in 2009, during the Great Recession. Whether we traveled or not, we should honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

It’s the day to remember those who gave their lives to keep our country safe and free, so we can work toward prosperity. Memorial Day began as Decoration Day after the Civil War. The graves of the fallen soldiers were decorated to honor their sacrifice — their lives — to keep our country united.

Credit for Memorial Day goes to John Logan, who had served as an Illinois congressman prior to the Civil War, volunteered as a Union soldier and was promoted during the war to general. After the war, in 1868, he issued an order to honor those who had died in the war.

“The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country,” the order said. “We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance.” Logan described their deaths as “the cost of a free and undivided republic.”

More than 600,000 American soldiers died during the Civil War, which remains the deadliest war for Americans.

While not all of us are called to serve our country in the armed forces or the political arena, we can all make a difference through the way we live our lives.

With freedom comes responsibility — responsibility to ensure that our freedom is maintained. Freedom is never free but comes at a cost of lives, vigilance, time and effort.

The Declaration of Independence provides the foundation for our country: “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” We have life and liberty and must guard them both, but we are provided

MICHAEL BARONE

only with the opportunity to pursue happiness, not a guarantee of happiness itself. Whether you achieve happiness is up to you and is not the responsibility of our government.

President Abraham Lincoln reminded us of our responsibility in November 1863, when he delivered his address at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Civil War was still raging. He was not the main speaker for the day but had been invited as an afterthought. His speech was so short (less than two minutes) that the photographer did not have time to get a picture of him delivering it.

Its 278 words don’t include “I” or “me,” but they do take the audience from our start as a nation and the American Revolution to Lincoln’s wishes for the future of our nation: “Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. ... It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

This past Memorial Day, the National Moment of Remembrance, hopefully along with millions of others, you remembered the military men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our safety and freedom. After Memorial Day, take an interest and get involved in what it means to be an American. Help others understand the importance being an American and living out the American dream. Educate your children about those Americans who have died so that others could remain free, and reach out to veterans who were able to return home.

Let’s give thanks and increase our devotion to our country so that our military men and women will not have died in vain.

Jackie Gingrich Cushman writes a weekly humaninterest column for Creators Syndicate that focuses on current events and political issues from a mom’s perspective.

NUMBER OF THE DAY | SCOTT RASMUSSEN

41% of voters believe shutting down businesses did more harm than good

Despite good intentions, 41% of voters nationwide believe shutting down businesses and locking down society did more harm than good. A Scott Rasmussen national survey found that 51% disagree and 8% are not sure.

Sixty-two percent (62%) of Republicans believe the lockdowns have done more harm than good. That view is shared by 36% of independent voters and 27% of Democrats.

There is a racial divide on this question among Democrats. Just 20% of white Democrats believe the lockdowns have done more harm than good. However, 38% of non-white Democrats believe that to be true.

Overall, 40% of white voters, 41% of black voters, and 42% of Hispanic voters believe the lockdowns have done more harm than good.

NSJ STAFF

A group supporting more local control of the coronavirus response and elimination of restrictions on churches gathered outside the Randolph County Courthouse on Monday, May 11 in Asheboro.

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COVID-19 shows we’re more risk-averse than post-World War II Americans DO YOU REMEMBER the 1957-58 Asian flu? Or the 1968-69 Hong Kong flu?

I do. I was a teenager during the first of these, an adult finishing law school during the second. But even though back then I followed the news much more than the average person my age, I can’t dredge up more than the dimmest memory of either.

I don’t have any memory of schools closing, though apparently, a few did here and there. I have no memories of city or state lockdowns, of closed offices and factories and department stores, of people banned from parks and beaches.

Yet these two influenzas had death tolls roughly comparable to that of COVID-19.

Between 70,000 and 116,000 people in the U.S. died from Asian flu. That’s between 0.04% and 0.07% of the nation’s population, somewhat more than the 0.03% of the COVID-19 death rate so far.

The Asian flu, like COVID-19, was rarely fatal for children and was more deadly for the elderly — and pregnant women.

The Hong Kong flu, the Center for Disease Control & Prevention says, had more precisely an estimated U.S. death toll of 100,000 in 1968-70 (years that included the Woodstock festival), 0.05% of the total population. Both flus had high death rates among the elderly but, apparently, not as high a proportion as COVID-19 has had.

Once again, there were no nationwide school closings, no multi-month lockdowns, no daily presidential news conferences. Apparently, neither the nation’s leaders nor the vast bulk of its people felt that such drastic measures were called for.

Perhaps some of this calm reaction can be ascribed to confidence that a vaccine would be developed, as other flu vaccines had been developed after the 1918-19 Spanish flu pandemic. But flu vaccines are never entirely effective, and none were widely available until after the Asian and Hong Kong flus had swept over the nation.

Fundamental attitudes can change in a nation over half a century, and the very different responses to this year’s coronavirus pandemic and the influenzas of 50 and 60 years ago suggest that Americans today are much more riskaverse, much more willing to undergo massive inconvenience and disruption to avoid marginal increases in fatal risk.

At least some of this can be explained by different experiences. The Asian and Hong Kong flus arrived in an America amid and at the end of what I call the Midcentury Moment. That’s my name for the quarter-century after World War II when Americans enjoyed low-inflation economic growth, and a degree of cultural uniformity and respect for institutions that some yearn for today.

Midcentury Americans had living memories of World War II, with its 405,000 American military deaths. They were troubled not so much by the number of military deaths in Korea (36,000) and Vietnam (58,000) but by our leaders’ failure, after years of effort, to achieve victory.

Contrast this with the shrillness of outcries over orders of magnitude fewer military deaths in Iraq (4,497) and Afghanistan (2,216). Yes, every death is a tragedy, but those numbers total less than the average number of deaths in America every day (7,707) in 2018. But today’s Americans, beneficiaries of a victory in the Cold War that was almost entirely bloodless, seem to blanch at paying any human price.

They seem to also expect any competent leader to come up with policies that preserve every life at any cost. Thus the high approval of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who said his lockdown is worth it if it saves just one life — although if he really believed that, he’d impose and strictly enforce a 5-mph speed limit on the New York State Thruway.

You can argue that Americans in the Midcentury Moment were too willing to accept pandemic or battlefield deaths, just as they were too willing to accept racial segregation or to stigmatize uncommon lifestyles.

But there’s also a strong argument that they had a more realistic sense of the limits of the human condition and the efficacy of official action than Americans have today — certainly more than the governors stubbornly enforcing lockdowns till the virus is stamped out and deaths fall to zero.

Behind that stance is the assumption there’s an instant and painless solution for every problem, rather than a need to weigh conflicting goals and make tragic choices amid unavoidable uncertainty.

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.

North State Journal for Wednesday, May 27, 2020

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Time running out on the last US-Russia nuclear arms treaty

By Deb Riechmann The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — Time is running out on an arms control treaty that, if it’s allowed to expire, will leave the world with no legal restrictions on U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons for the first time in nearly half a century.

If President Donald Trump doesn’t agree to extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty — the only remaining U.S.-Russia arms control pact — or succeed in negotiating a replacement treaty, it will expire on Feb. 5, 2021.

Russia has offered to extend New START for up to five years, but Trump is holding out. He thinks China, which is expected to double its stockpile of nuclear weapons in the next decade, should have to sign on to a nuclear arms control accord, too.

The future of New START was further called into question with Trump’s announcement that the U.S. intends to withdraw from another treaty that permits observation flights over the U.S., Russia and more than 30 other nations.

Trump voiced his desire for a three-way arms control agreement months ago, but that effort is still in the starting blocks.

Marshall Billingslea, who was appointed last month as the president’s special envoy for arms control, said Thursday that he had his first secure phone call with his counterpart in Moscow, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Billingslea said they agreed to meet, talk about their objectives and find a way to begin negotiations.

“Suffice to say, this won’t be easy. It is new,” Billingslea said, adding that the U.S. fully expects Russia to help bring China to the table.

A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Geng Shuang, said in January that China has “no intention to participate” in trilateral arms control negotiations.

Billingslea, however, is optimistic that Beijing will want to joint in and be seen as a world power.

New START imposes limits on the number of U.S. and Russian long-range nuclear warheads and launchers. If it were to collapse, it

“Every time they (the Russians) take a missile out of a silo and take it to a maintenance facility, they have to notify us that that missile’s going to move. ...

The intelligence community is simply going to have a much harder time knowing what’s going on.”

Rose Gottemoeller, a former undersecretary of state for arms control and international security would be the first time in 50 years that the U.S. does not have the ability to inspect Russian nuclear forces, said Rose Gottemoeller, a former undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.

“Every time they (the Russians) take a missile out of a silo and

take it to a maintenance facility, they have to notify us that that missile’s going to move. ... The intelligence community is simply going to have a much harder time knowing what’s going on,” she said.

But Trump has accused Russia of not living up to agreements.

He cited Russian violations in his announcement Thursday that the U.S. would withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty. While the U.S. has officially given its required six-month notice of withdrawal, Trump hinted that he may reconsider and stay in the pact.

Trump also blamed Russian violations for his decision last year to pull out of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty that banned production, testing and deployment of intermediate-range land-based cruise and ballistic missiles.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Friday accused the U.S. of aiming to dismantle security pacts. Withdrawing from the Opens Skies Treaty “fully fits into (the U.S.) line on the destruction of the entire complex of agreements in the field of arms control and confidence-building in the military field,” the ministry said.

Senior U.S. administration officials say Trump’s willingness to withdraw from treaties shows he is serious about compliance and is evidence of how prominently arms control verification and

compliance will feature in New START talks.

“We are not in the business of negotiating new agreements, or extending old ones, if we cannot be assured that the other parties will hold up their end of the bargain,” Billingslea said. “When it comes to Russia, we have little reason to be confident. Russia’s track record is, to be frank, abysmal.”

The U.S. and Russia have about 91% of the world’s nuclear warheads, according to the Federation of American Scientists. The U.S. has 3,800 in its stockpile and Russia has 4,310. China has 320 nuclear warheads, although the Defense Intelligence Agency predicted last year that China was likely to at least double the size of its stockpile during the next 10 years.

With the U.S. presidential election just five months away, the question is whether Trump has enough time to negotiate a threeway deal, especially given China’s reticence to participate.

Timothy Morrison, an arms control expert and former adviser to Trump on Russia and Europe at the National Security Council, said at a nuclear weapons forum in January that as the months go by, Trump may be “left with a binary question of extend or not extend” New START. “Time is not on the president’s side,” he said.

Japan lifts coronavirus emergency in all remaining areas

By Mari Yamaguchi The Associated Press TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted a coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo and four other remaining areas on Monday, ending the restrictions nationwide as businesses begin to reopen.

Abe also unveiled a plan for a new stimulus package to support businesses hit by the pandemic.

Experts on a government-commissioned panel approved the lifting of the emergency in Tokyo, neighboring Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama prefectures, and in Hokkaido to the north, which had more cases and remained under the emergency declaration after it was removed in most of Japan earlier this month.

Under the emergency, people were asked to stay at home and non-essential businesses were requested to close or reduce operations, but there was no enforcement. Since May 14, when the measures were lifted in most of Japan, more people have been leaving their homes and stores have begun reopening.

Japan, with about 16,600 confirmed coronavirus cases and about 850 deaths, has so far avoided a large outbreak like those experienced in the U.S. and Europe despite its softer restrictions.

“We were able to bring the outbreak nearly under control in just a month and a half in a uniquely Japanese way” without enforcing measures with penalties, Abe said. “We demonstrated the power of the ‘Japan model.’”

But the world’s third largest economy has fallen into a recession, and public discontent over Abe’s handling of the outbreak has sent his support ratings tumbling. Recent media surveys show public support for his Cabinet has plunged below 30%, the lowest since he returned to office in December 2012.

Abe said the lifting of the emergency does not mean the end of the outbreak. He said the goal is to

EUGENE HOSHIKO | AP PHOTO

A public tv screen shows Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaking at a press conference Monday, May 25, 2020, in Tokyo. balance preventive measure and the economy until vaccines and effective drugs become available.

“Our goal is to create a new normal,” he said. “We need a new approach to resume our daily social and economic activity.”

Abe also announced a new stimulus plan worth about 100 trillion yen ($930 billion) to provide financial support for companies hit by the pandemic. Cabinet approval of a second supplementary budget to fund the additional stimulus is expected later this week.

Combined with an earlier 117

in Sports Essays - Amazon

trillion-yen stimulus, the amount of spending will be more than 200 trillion yen ($1.9 trillion), he said.

The new package will include loan programs to reduce the burden of rent for store owners and subsidies for local governments to step up regional measures.

Abe declared the state of emergency on April 7 in several parts of Japan including Tokyo, expanded it to the entire nation 10 days later, and then extended it until the end of May. On Monday, Matsuya Ginza department store, a landmark

in the posh Tokyo shopping district, resumed operation after being closed for seven weeks. Sales staff wearing plastic face shields welcomed customers with bows but no verbal greetings under new guidelines.

Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said earlier Monday that recent data suggest that infections have slowed enough and pressure on the medical system has fallen sufficiently to allow a gradual resumption of social and economic activity. He said Tokyo, Kanagawa and Hokkaido, where

the number of infections is still fluctuating, will be watched closely.

Individual prefectures are allowed to impose their own measures. Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said last week that the capital will reopen in three phases starting with schools, libraries, museums, and longer service hours for restaurants. She said theaters, sports facilities and other commercial establishments will be next, with nightclubs, karaoke and live music houses in the final phase.

N OW AVA I L A B L E I N PA P E R B AC K

The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team that Helped Win World War II For lovers of North Carolina sports and military history AVAILABLE AT TH ESE RETA ILERS

www.TheCloudbusterNine.com

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020

SPORTS

East Carolina cuts 4 athletic teams, B4

GERRY BROOME | AP PHOTO

Brad Keselowski won Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the third race in the NASCAR Cup Series’ return to competition.

the Wednesday SIDELINE REPORT

NASCAR gets it right in return to racing

BASKETBALL

With three Cup Series racing events in the books and another set for Wednesday, the Cup Series has seized on its opportunity to draw in fans

Karl starts podcast, says he may someday coach again Denver George Karl, the longtime NBA coach who has fought cancer three times, is keeping the door open for getting back into the business, maybe as a head coach or possibly as an assistant. For now, the 69-yearold — who first revealed he had prostate cancer in 2005 — is speaking his mind on his new podcast, “Truth + Basketball.” Karl, who played for Dean Smith at UNC in the early 1970s and then played a combined six seasons in the ABA and NBA, has been quenching his thirst for hoops through his son, Coby, who’s the head coach of the South Bay Lakers, a G League club. The elder Karl is one of nine coaches in NBA history to have won 1,000 games, compiling a 1,175‑824 record with Cleveland, Golden State, Seattle, Milwaukee, Denver and Sacramento. He was named the league’s top coach in 2013 with the Nuggets and led the SuperSonics to the NBA Finals in 1996.

SOCCER

NWSL moves into Phase 2, allows small group training Chicago The National Women’s Soccer League allowed players to start training in small groups Monday, provided it is done under league protocols and meets the requirements of local authorities. Teams will be able to progress to full team training on May 30 once they complete five days of small group training, according to a statement from the league and Commissioner Lisa Baird. The small groups cannot exceed eight players during Phase 2 of the nine-team league’s return to play protocol. The NWSL season was originally scheduled to start April 18. The league allowed voluntary individual outdoor workouts on May 6.

The Cary-based North Carolina Courage are the league’s twotime defending champions.

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal

GERRY BROOME | AP PHOTO

Lindsey Harding, right with coach Gail Goestenkors in 2007, credits her former coach with pushing her to succeed and planting the seeds of her future in coaching.

Former Duke player Harding breaking barriers in NBA

HAS NASCAR’S RETURN to the track been perfect?

Far from it. Weather has been an ongoing issue, with one Cup Series race cut short by rain, Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 becoming an even longer event with a stoppage, and the Xfinity Series battling delays of its own.

But through three races with another at Charlotte Motor Speedway scheduled for Wednesday, has NASCAR’s comeback been a success?

Without a doubt.

With a captive audience starved for televised sports, NASCAR boasted big ratings for its return and delivered a couple of end-of-race twists that provided some drama — even if Chase Elliott wouldn’t approve of those scripts.

Here’s what we’ve learned so far in NASCAR’s return and what to expect going forward.

As predicted, Harvick the top dog I said last week Harvick would probably find a way to get his first win of the season during the four-race stretch at Darlington and Charlotte, and he took care of it in the first one. Harvick has been close to perfect through seven races this season, winning the first Darlington race and notching top-fives in the next two events.

The Stewart Haas Racing No. 4 has finished ninth or better in every race this season and led a series-best 328 laps — 10 more than Alex Bowman — to emerge as the team to beat this season.

Hard-luck Chase

The Blue Devils and WNBA star is now coaching with the Sacramento Kings

By Shawn Krest North State Journal LINDSEY HARDING has been competing with the boys in athletics since she was growing up.

“Girls were playing with dolls,” she said. “I was playing tackle football.”

As a kid, Harding was involved in everything from volleyball to gymnastics in organized sports, as well as whatever pickup sport the kids in her Houston-area neighborhood were playing.

When the Houston Comets arrived, her father got season tickets to the WBNA, and Harding found her home.

“Girls were playing with dolls. I was playing tackle football.”

Lindsey Harding

“The first season, first home game, I saw the arena,” she said. “I saw those women out there playing, and I said, ‘This is what I want to do.’”

She gave up track, which also could have gotten her a college scholarship, and arrived at Duke in 2002 as a freshman point guard who wasn’t sure she belonged.

See HARDING, page B4

Elliott has been nearly as good as Harvick since the Cup Series resumed a week ago and had a ton of luck. The trouble is, it’s been mostly bad.

After a fourth-place finish in the return race at Darlington, the No. 9 looked like it was headed to Victory Lane last Wednesday. Instead, a miscalculation by Kyle Busch sent Elliott into the wall and a 38th-place finish. Busch received a one-finger salute from Elliott and then got some weather assistance when the sky opened up and he was able to finish second.

Elliott was also poised to win in Sunday’s Coca‑Cola 600, but a cut tire for teammate William Byron brought out a caution and forced overtime. Elliott opted for a pit stop, but he didn’t have enough time to catch Brad Keselowski, who got the win.

Johnson, Hamlin run afoul Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie See NASCAR, page B4

“Tough news after a strong night.”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief for Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48, after the car failed inspection following a second-place finish at the Coca‑Cola 600.

North State Journal for Wednesday, May 27, 2020

B2 WEDNESDAY

5.27.20

TRENDING

Caylin Newton: Cam Newton’s brother is transferring to where his sibling starred. The Howard quarterback announced Friday he is transferring to Auburn, where his older brother won the Heisman Trophy in 2010 while leading the Tigers to the national championship.

The 6-foot, 195-pound Caylin Newton, who will be eligible immediately as a graduate transfer, was the 2018 MEAC offensive player of the year after passing for 2,629 yards and rushing for 504 yards.

Eddie Sutton: The college basketball coach, who led three teams to the Final Four and was the first to take four schools to the NCAA Tournament, died Saturday. He was 84. Sutton led Final Four squads at Arkansas and twice at Oklahoma State, and he also took Creighton and Kentucky to the NCAA Tournament.

He was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in April, and the induction of the ninemember class — which also includes Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan — is scheduled for Aug. 29 Ryan Leaf: The former second overall NFL Draft pick was arrested on a domestic battery charge in Southern California on Friday.

The former Washington State quarterback was drafted by the San Diego Chargers as the No. 2 pick in 1998, but he was only 4-17 as a starter and finished his four-year career with 14 touchdown passes and 36 interceptions.

Leaf, 44, was arrested in 2012 for breaking into a home in Montana to steal prescription drugs, which violated his Texas probation and led to prison.

beyond the box score POTENT QUOTABLES

NASCAR

Denny Hamlin’s shot at winning back-to-back races ended Sunday before the Coca‑Cola 600 even began. A piece of tungsten flew off of Hamlin’s car during the pace laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Hamlin had to return to pit road to have the weight put back into his Toyota. Hamlin was eight laps down when he was finally able to join the race and finished 29th. Three of his crew, including crew chief Chris Gabehart, were suspended four races per NASCAR rules.

CHARLES KRUPA | AP PHOTO

“Shut your mouth, Chuck.”

Tom Brady firing back at commentator Charles Barkley after the NFL star holed out from the fairway on the seventh hole during Sunday’s “The Match: Champions for Charity.”

GERRY BROOME | AP PHOTO

NBA

NFL

MICHAEL DWYER | AP PHOTO

“For as much as I talk, I’m glad that he even considered it.”

MICHAEL CONROY | AP PHOTO

PRIME NUMBER

The New York Jets and quarterback Joe Flacco have agreed to terms on a one-year deal, the 2013 Super Bowl MVP’s agency announced on Twitter.

The 35-year-old Flacco, who spent 11 seasons with Baltimore before playing last year in Denver, will be a veteran backup for third-year starter Sam Darnold.

$20M

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Charlotte native and Celtics rookie Grant Williams on teammate Kemba Walker hosting him at his Queen City home during the pandemic hiatus.

The amount raised — twice the goal — in the charity golf match that was won by Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning on Sunday against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady. Woods and Manning got a 1-up victory in “The Match: Champions for Charity at the Medalist Golf Club” at the course in Home Sound, Florida.

TONY GUTIERREZ | AP PHOTO

Jerry Sloan, a two-time All-Star as a player who spent 23 years as coach of the Utah Jazz and took the team to the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998, died Friday at 78. The team said that for four years he had Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia. Sloan, who also coached the Bulls for three seasons, won more than 2,000 games.

NICK WASS | AP PHOTO

Georgetown basketball coach Patrick Ewing was released from the hospital after being treated for COVID-19, his son said Monday. The 57-year-old Ewing was hospitalized for three days.

Ewing, entering his fourth year as coach at his alma mater, helped the Hoyas win the 1984 NCAA Tournament and was the first overall pick by the Knicks in 1985. He played 17 NBA seasons.

North State Journal for Wednesday, May 27, 2020

B3

JOHNSTON COUNTY LINCOLN COUNTY

LENOIR COUNTY

LEE COUNTY

WEEK 11

From Johnston to Lincoln

JONES COUNTY

North State Journal’s 100 in 100 series, led by Brett Friedlander, will showcase the best athlete from each of North Carolina’s 100 counties. From Alamance to Yancey, each county will feature one athlete who stands above the rest. Some will be obvious choices, others controversial, but all of our choices are worthy of being recognized for their accomplishments — from basketball courts and pool halls to boxing rings and in front of the Olympics rings. This week’s five profiles come from Johnston, Jones, Lee, Lenoir and Lincoln counties.

Jones County

DEXTER CANNON

PHOTO COURTESY OF NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS

Benson’s Genia Beasley was the first NC State women’s basketball player to have her number (50) retired, and she still holds several school records.

Johnston County

GENIA BEASLEY NC STATE’S WOMEN’S BASKETBALL team earned a new banner to hang from the rafters of Reynolds Coliseum by winning the ACC Tournament championship shortly before sports activities were shut down by the coronavirus crisis.

When it’s finally able to go up, it will join a collection started by Genia Beasley.

The Wolfpack women’s program was only three years old when Beasley arrived from South Johnston High School in 1977, and she quickly became its first star by setting records that still stand today while leading State to its first ACC regular season and tournament titles. Her No. 50 was also the first to be retired.

A 6-foot-2 center who was ahead of her time in her ability to shoot from the perimeter as well as dominate in the paint, Beasley scored 2,367 points, more than any other player in school history other than men’s star Rodney Monroe, who finished with 2,551. Her 1,245 rebounds are still the most for a Wolfpack woman, as are her 185 blocked shots, 60 double-doubles and 1,017 field goals.

She is the only State player ever to lead the team in scoring and rebounding in each of her four college seasons.

“Any guy in the ACC would love to have the shooting form of Genia Beasley,” television analyst Billy Packer said of the Wolfpack star during her prime.

Beasley’s success, however, wasn’t limited to her individual accomplishments.

It also carried over to her team during the formative years of women’s basketball before it was even recognized as a championship sport by the NCAA. Led by legendary coach Kay Yow, State went 105-23 with Beasley in the lineup and was ranked among the nation’s top 10 all four years. The Wolfpack went 46-4 at Reynolds and was unbeaten in Beasley’s 59 career games against in-state opponents.

In 1978, Beasley led her team to its first conference regular season championship in 1978. She then capped off her career by winning MVP honors and cutting down the nets after beating Maryland in the ACC Tournament final.

A two-time All-American, Beasley was selected as a member of the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Team and is a member of both the NC State and North Carolina sports halls of fame. She is currently a pediatric eye doctor living in Charlotte.

THE GYM AT JONES COUNTY HIGH School’s antiquated building, which was demolished in 2019, was so small — not to mention hot and loud — that it was affectionately referred to as “The Matchbox.”

No one in its storied history ignited The Matchbox quite like Dexter Cannon.

The 6-foot-2 guard was more than just the school’s best and most popular player during the early 1990s. He was also the centerpiece of a team that parlayed its decided homecourt advantage into a 25-5 record, 19 straight wins and Jones County’s only state basketball championship in 1993.

And he did it in style.

Playing at North Carolina’s much roomer Smith Center, Cannon put on a performance that would have made Tar Heels star Michael Jordan envious by nearly recording a triple-double in the 1A title game Dexter against Polk County.

Cannon He finished the game with 25 points, 19 rebounds and nine assists to earn MVP honors while leading the Trojans from a 13-point deficit to an 83-77 victory. It’s still the only state championship in school history.

Cannon ended his career with more than 2,000 points before going on to play college ball at North Carolina A&T, where he averaged eight points and four rebounds per game while leading the team in assists as a junior.

Two decades later, he had his No. 32 retired in a ceremony at The Matchbox.

“It’s definitely a dream come true,” Cannon told the Kinston Free Press. “As a kid, you see the jerseys of other players on the walls and I wanted to have mine up there, so it’s a blessing for this to happen.”

When The Matchbox was demolished in 2019, Cannon’s honored jersey and the championship banner he helped the Trojans win weren’t the only reminders of Jones Senior’s storied past that were transferred over to the school’s modern new building.

He made the move, too, as the head basketball coach at his alma mater.

“This means the world to me,” Cannon said upon his hiring in 2017. “I dreamed of it, prayed over it. My job was willing to work with me, and I’m going to make the best of it. I’m truly thankful for the administrators and the community who have granted me this opportunity.”

winning his first NASCAR Grand National race in Martinsville, Virginia, in 1950.

The following year, driving what became his trademark No. 92 “Fabulous Hudson Hornet,” he won his first series championship. In 1953, he became the first driver to win what is now known as the NASCAR Cup title more than once.

He was also the first driver to win multiple Southern 500s, taking the checkered flag at Darlington three times.

Herb Thomas won 48 races in Thomas all before a serious injury suffered in a racing crash in Shelby ended his career in October 1956.

He was named as one of NASCAR’s top 50 drivers of all time in celebration of the organization’s 50th anniversary in 1998. In 2013, he was inducted posthumously into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Although his accomplishments on the track have long since been overshadowed by more famous racing names such as Petty, Pearson, Baker and Allison, he is still remembered by his hometown with a mural on the side of a building on North Steele Street in Sanford.

Lenoir County

JERRY STACKHOUSE IT’S BEEN ESTIMATED THAT approximately three out of every 10,000 high school basketball players in America end up playing in the NBA. That is unless you grew up in Kinston. Since 1973, one out of every 53 players to make the varsity roster at the local high school has made it to the league.

Per capita, it’s by far the most prolific producer of NBA talent in the country.

And of all the pros produced by the town whose population is barely enough to fit into North Carolina’s Smith Center — a line of succession that began with Boston Celtics star Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell and continues today with current players Reggie Bullock and Brandon Ingram — none were better than Jerry Stackhouse.

Dubbed “The Next Jordan” because his 6-foot-6 build and athletic style resembled that of Michael Jordan, Stackhouse was a two-time Parade Prep All-America selection and MVP of the 1993 McDonald’s All-American Game. He then followed in Jordan’s footsteps to Chapel Hill, where he lived up to the hype by averaging 19.2

Lee County

HERB THOMAS IMAGINE ATTENDING A SPORTS event for the first time and enjoying it so much that you decide to take up the sport as a participant. And then becoming a champion almost immediately.

It might sound implausible today. But back in 1947, that’s exactly what Herb Thomas did.

Born into a farming family, Thomas operated a sawmill in Sanford that supplied lumber to the military when he attended his first auto race in Greensboro in 1947. He was so impressed with what he saw that day that he went out and bought a race car.

Unlike most of the drivers of that era, who perfected their craft avoiding the police while running moonshine, Thomas acquired his skills while driving a dump truck hauling dirt over the back roads of Fort Bragg during World War II. And he proved to be a natural behind the wheel.

He started as a true weekend warrior who worked a full-time job and drove as a hobby in his spare time. But he began concentrating solely on racing shortly after

BOB JORDAN | AP PHOTO

Lenoir County’s Jerry Stackhouse helped the Tar Heels to the Final Four in his second and final season in Chapel Hill, and he then went on to play 18 years in the NBA.

points and 8.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore in earning first-team AllAmerica honors while leading the Tar Heels to the Final Four.

Although Stackhouse stayed at UNC only two years, his No. 42 was raised to the Smith Center rafters among the school’s other honored jerseys.

Like Jordan, Stackhouse went third overall in the NBA Draft and made the league’s All-Rookie team in his first season.

He played 18 professional seasons for eight teams, leading the NBA in scoring in 2000-01 and earning two All-Star selections while amassing 16,409 points, 3,067 rebounds and 3,240 assists.

He went into coaching after retiring as a player in 2013, winning a G League championship with the Toronto Raptors’ developmental team and serving as an assistant with the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies before taking the job at Vanderbilt last season.

Stackhouse said that coaching comes naturally to him because of where he’s from. It’s the reason Kinston continues to develop like nowhere else in the country.

“It’s just the talent there and the teaching (of it),” Stackhouse told NBA. com. “There’s always giving back from the standpoint of playing against older guys in the community. They’re looking to try to help you get better.”

Lincoln County

DENNIS BYRD SACKS WERE NOT AN OFFICIAL stat in football when Dennis Byrd came along in 1964, so it’s not known exactly how many times the 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive tackle got into opposing backfields and took down quarterbacks during his Hall of Fame career at NC State.

Numbers on a stat sheet, however, aren’t the only way to measure physical dominance, as Florida’s All-American center Bill Carr noted after the Wolfpack’s 17-10 loss to the Gators in 1966.

“By the end of the game,” Carr said, “everybody on our line was calling him Dennis Byrd Mr. Byrd.”

Mr. Byrd couldn’t play on the varsity team as a freshman under NCAA rules at the time, but the Lincolnton High product became a starter from the first game of his sophomore season and went on to earn first-team All-ACC honors in each of his three college seasons.

He helped the Wolfpack to a share of the ACC championship in 1965, then — as the senior leader of State’s famed “White Shoes Defense” — he spearheaded a 1967 unit that held its first eight opponents to 10 points or fewer, including a 16-6 upset of No. 2 Houston at the Astrodome.

Coach Earle Edwards’ Wolfpack was as high as No. 4 in the nation that season and was on track to earn a Sugar Bowl bid and shot at the national title until Byrd suffered a knee injury that kept him out of the next two games. Close losses to Penn State and Clemson cost State both the ACC championship and its chance at national honors.

Still, the team finished on a high note by beating Georgia 14-7 in the Liberty Bowl for the first postseason victory in school history.

A two-time consensus All-American, Byrd became only the second Wolfpack player (after Roman Gabriel) to be chosen in the first round of a professional football league draft when he was taken No. 6 overall by the Boston Patriots of the old AFL. He started 14 games for the Patriots in 1968, a season that turned out to be the only one he played professionally because of a knee injury that cut short his career.

Byrd’s No. 77 is the only one worn by a defensive player to be retired by State. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010, only a few months after his death from a heart attack at the age of 63.

North State Journal for Wednesday, May 27, 2020

B4

East Carolina cuts 4 sports teams amid $10M budget shortfall The school shut down its men’s and women’s programs in tennis as well as swimming and diving

By Brett Friedlander North State Journal JON GILBERT STEPPED to the microphone and delivered the bad news at a press conference Thursday.

But it was the 12 seconds of silence, as the East Carolina athletic director fought to compose himself as he was overcome by emotion, that spoke louder than any of his words.

The decision to discontinue four sports — the swimming and diving teams and tennis teams for both men and women — was difficult enough. But what made the cost-cutting measures even worse is the way Gilbert was forced to tell the affected athletes and coaches that their competitive careers with the Pirates were over.

“The decision to eliminate four sports programs today goes against everything that I believe in and was taught in intercollegiate athletics. This is not something that I take lightly,” he said before pausing, removing his glasses and drying his eyes.

“I was extremely disappointed to deliver this news to our 68 student-athletes that were affected. It was difficult because I had to do it behind a computer screen and I couldn’t be in the room with them. I couldn’t feel what they were feeling. I wanted to be with them today.”

In announcing the cuts, both Gilbert and ECU interim chancellor Ron Mitchelson reiterated that the affected athletes “did nothing wrong” and pledged to either honor their scholarships or provide assistance in transferring to other schools.

In fact, the men’s swimming and diving team won its fourth American Athletic Conference championship in February and coach Matthew Jabs was named the league’s Coach of the Year.

The four programs were victims of a projected $10 million shortfall in ECU’s athletic budget for the current fiscal year. That’s nearly $3 million more than previous estimates made before the COVID-19 outbreak that forced Gilbert to deliver the news virtually rather than in person and led to the cancellation of winter sports championships and the entire spring season.

The athletic director, who is within weeks of completing his first year on the job in Greenville, estimated that the cuts will save the athletic department $4.9 million.

“While these decisions have been horribly difficult for us, they are equally necessary,” Mitchelson said. “For much of the Pirate Nation, there is a painful sense of loss, we know that. And for some, there is grief. I say frequently that Pirates are passionate and Pirates are compassionate, and I believe that. We certainly are

Jordan Martinook, left, the Hurricanes’ NHLPA represenative, confirmed the team’s players voted against the NHL’s proposed 24‑team return-to-play playoff plan.

“It was difficult because I had to do it behind a computer screen and I couldn’t be in the room with them. I couldn’t feel what they were feeling. I wanted to be with them today.”

Jon Gilbert, ECU athletic director

passionate when it comes to our sports teams. And we certainly have deep empathy for those four sports.”

ECU’s decision to eliminate sports is part of a growing national trend as schools look to tighten their belts in the face of trying financial times that have only been exaggerated by the current pandemic.

Eight other Division I schools have made similar cuts involving 12 sports programs during the past few weeks, including the Pirates’ AAC rival Cincinnati, which was one of the first to make a move when it discontinued men’s soccer back on April 14.

The ECU moves came less than a week after the release of a report by a working group of ECU staff members recommending significant cuts in athletic spending. The release stated that the subject of dropping sports had not come up before the NCAA suspended all athletic activities in mid-March.

“This is a painful decision, but it’s simple. ECU does not possess adequate financial resources to support 20 sports programs successfully,” Mitchelson said.

“Please understand the decisions today were arrived at after a very deliberate evaluation. No rock was left unturned.”

Mitchelson said that facilities were a major consideration in deciding which sports would be eliminated. The natatorium inside Minges Coliseum is in dire need of renovation. The tennis team, meanwhile, did not have an on-campus facility of its own, forcing the school to pay for courts on which it could practice and play matches.

Thursday’s cuts leave ECU with just 16 varsity sports, the fewest among members of the American Athletic Conference. Its 20 sports before the cuts were tied for the most in the league.

Because the NCAA requires schools to sponsor a minimum of 16 athletic sports — at least eight women’s and six men’s — Gilbert said that no further contraction of ECU’s program is being considered.

“We are going to continue to support our 16 sport programs,” he said. “But today I want our focus to be on the coaches and student-athletes who are affected by this. I hope everyone will join me in celebrating them and continue to celebrate them in the future.”

DUANE BURLESON | AP PHOTO

Hurricanes, 1 of just 2 teams to vote ‘no’ on return plan, ready to compete in playoffs Carolina’s NHLPA rep Jordan Martinook says the 24-team playoff “didn’t really benefit our team in any way”

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal RALEIGH — Yes, the Carolina Hurricanes’ players voted against the NHL’s proposed 24-team playoff plan. But with only the Tampa Bay Lightning joining them in what turned into an overwhelming 29-2 approval of the league’s path back to play, they’re ready to move on from the vote and look ahead to a unique — but still real — chance at a championship.

“When you have to win four (rounds) to win the Stanley Cup, I’m sure the Blues would tell you that it’s hard enough,” Hurricanes alternate captain and team NHLPA representative Jordan Martinook said in a Zoom call with reporters Tuesday. “And then now that you’re going to have to win five. It’s just — it’s obviously hard, but it is what it is.

“We’re fine with the way that it’s going to go, and you’re going to have to win to win. So we’re fully prepared with what we got moving forward.”

The league, paused since March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic, has a 24team plan would end the regular season and bring eight extra teams into the playoffs, with each conference’s top-four seeds earning a first-round bye while the other teams play fivegame series that will essentially serve as a play-in to get to the normal 16-team bracket.

“It doesn’t really benefit the

HARDING from page B1 “I was there with the greatest to ever play at Duke,” she said.

“Alana Beard — we had a player who was All-American and would dive on the floor for the ball every time. I came in as a freshman and said, ‘OK, this is the level.’”

It was only natural to defer to Beard, but head coach Gail Goestenkors needed her point guard to make it clear who was in charge.

“I came in as a point guard who wouldn’t say anything,” she said.

“I was quiet. She probably doesn’t remember this, but she would say, ‘When we’re in practice,’ which was three hours back then, maybe three and a half hours. ‘If I hear silence out of you, if you’re not saying anything, if I turn around and you’re not saying anything, you have to run two suicides, back-to-back.’

“Nothing’s happening on the court. They’re just dribbling the ball down the court, and she’s like, ‘Harding, why are you not talking? Run.’ I would start saying, ‘Good job! Go! Run!’ I would make things up. But that forced me to communicate. To talk.

Then I started talking through plays. Then I started leading.

Then she couldn’t shut me up. It took me a while.”

Harding doesn’t think she’d be where she is today if not for Goestenkors.

“She pushed me,” Harding said.

“I always worked hard, but she pushed me past that limit. I didn’t know I could go any further, but the whole team was like that.”

Goestenkors was also the first person to tell Harding that coaching could be in her future.

“I told her she was crazy,” Harding said. “I’m never gonna

CHRIS SZAGOLA | AP PHOTO

Former Duke standout Lindsey Harding served as a player development coach for the Philadelphia 76ers before taking the same role with the Sacramento Kings. do this. I never planned to do this.

But she put it in my head.”

After her WNBA career, Harding did indeed become a coach, but probably not where Coach G envisioned.

Harding is coaching at the highest level of the sport. Last year, she was hired by the NBA’s Sacramento Kings as the player development coach. She’s one of the first women to get a coaching job in the NBA, which takes

a certain touch.

“It’s a collaborative approach,” she said. “I never come in and say, ‘You have to do this, this and this.’ It’s, ‘This is what’s expected.

This is what we’re going to look to you for. Let’s get together. What do you want to work on?’ Sometimes, you have to give a little bit.

We try to move as one. Coming in and saying, ‘You do this,’ especially at this level, the NBA … some guys may fight it a little bit. Hav-

teams that are in five, six, seven and eight (seeds),” Martinook said in explaining Carolina’s opposition to the proposal. “So it kind of hinders those teams and then, obviously, gives a lot to the nine, 10, 11, and 12.”

Further complicating matters is the Hurricanes, who would be the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, would play the New York Rangers — a team Carolina was 0-4 against this season — in the opening round.

On top of the unfavorable matchup against a team that under normal circumstances would not have qualified for a playoff spot in a 16-team field, the Hurricanes (38-25-5 with 81 points through 68 games) wouldn’t have the normal home-ice advantage a higher seed would hold. The NHL is exploring different cities to serve as hubs for the games, and while Raleigh is among those being considered — Las Vegas is considered a frontrunner — the games will likely be played without fans present.

“Obviously, we wish we could play in front of our fans,” Martinook said. “And there was maybe one scenario kicked around if you delayed until September, maybe fans could come back. … (The current plan) didn’t really benefit our team in any way.”

The league also took a small step forward with Monday’s announcement that it was close to beginning Phase 2 of its return plan, which would allow players to voluntarily return to team facilities and workout in small groups.

That leaves players with the difficult decision of when to return and whether or not those with spouses and children

ing a collaborative approach has been the best bet.”

She works with players who need some individual attention.

“I watch a lot of film, looking at when this player was in the game,” she said. “What things do they need to work on. It could be as simple as footwork or getting shots up. It could be learning the plays or understanding what the plays are for. It changes throughout the season. Some guys play a lot, so it’s not a lot (for her to do).

Some are coming back from injury. Some are rookies coming back and forth from the G League.

They may need to work on their shooting form. It varies.”

The one-on-one work allows her to form a closer bond with the Kings’ players than a coach who presides over group practice.

“Personally, I develop these relationships, and I care,” she said.

“I see them working hard and I want them to get opportunities and be prepared when they get them.”

Harding provides an upbeat attitude, which she tries to pass on to her players, even the ones frustrated by injury or a lack of playing time.

“One of my coaching philosophies is the power of positive thinking,” she said. “In any situation, you can choose to be positive or negative. … You don’t want players to underestimate their power. You have that control. You have that power. Thoughts become words. Words become actions. Actions become habits.

Habits become character. Your character becomes your destiny.”

For a quiet kid who wasn’t afraid to play with the boys, Lindsey Harding’s destiny has taken her farther than she’d ever imagined.

“It wasn’t like we didn’t want to play or anything.

It was just we felt like this particular option maybe didn’t benefit us.”

Jordan Martinook, Hurricanes’ NHLPA rep should bring them along.

“That’s been a cause for some stress and not fighting around my house, but definitely some conversations,” Martinook said. “I came back to Canada, so I would have to come back and do a 14-day self-isolation.

And then, obviously, I’d be at the small groups at the rinks.

And, I have a wife and a child, a small child. So I’m in kind of in-between if I should be bringing them back right away or if I should kind of feel it out.”

That said, Martinook and his teammates believe the league is making the return safe for players.

“I don’t think they would let us come back if it wasn’t. … I think safety is definitely the main key,” he said.

Despite the vote against the NHL’s plan, Martinook and the Hurricanes are in lockstep with the league and its teams on the need to return and make up some of the lost revenue during the pandemic.

“I think they’ve done their due diligence and hopefully we can come back and we can play,” Martinook said, “everybody can get through it safely, and we can try and give some people some something to cheer about.”

NASCAR from page B1 Johnson was so close to snapping his three-year win drought, crossing the finish line less than threetenths of a second behind Keselowski at the Coca-Cola 600.

But what could have been a moral victory for Johnson in his effort to return to the Cup Series playoffs and try to win a record eighth title became even more disappointment when the No. 48 failed its postrace inspection. Johnson’s second-place finish became a lastplace 40th in what crew chief Cliff Daniels called “tough news after a strong night.”

Denny Hamlin, one of two drivers to win twice so far this season, was quickly eliminated from winning a third at Charlotte when a 35-pound tungsten weight fell off the car during the race’s warmup laps and kept the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 on pit road for eight circuits.

The cost afterward was even more severe as NASCAR suspended Hamlin’s crew chief, car chief and engineer four races for the incident as mandated by the series’ rules.

Back on the road for a busy June The Cup Series will race again at Charlotte on Wednesday and then finally leave the Carolinas for Bristol on Sunday.

Six races are scheduled in June, starting with Atlanta on June 7 and Martinsville three days later. The series next races June 14 at Homestead before getting a full week to prepare for Talladega on June 21. The month closes with the most ambitious endeavor yet: a doubleheader weekend at Pocono on June 27-28.

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the curve in nov our 231-year history.

At financial least four outlets. in the 20th century alone can bethe directly traced to China: 1957economic “Asian flu,” 1968 and “Hong Kong flu,” 1977 markets and If the U.S. muted dollar were notall, thetr 3,341 related deaths has led to worldwide panic, collapse — after traced to China: 1957 “Asian “Hong Kong flu,” 1977 “Russian flu” and thethrown 2002 SARS There is evidence thatdirectly the currency, we would not beflu,” able1968 to fund any of these emergen ective, zero Perhaps millions of Americans needlessly being out ofoutbreak. work. have abided and the 2002 SARS outbreak. There is evidence thatby therecom Perhaps massive 1918 “Spanish flu” pandemic also had its origins in China.“Russian flu” measures without immediate fear of rampant inflation and c United States over The crisis has cost the| U.S. taxpayer least $2.4 trillion in added Neal Robbins, publisher Frank Hill,atsenior opinion editor to stay at home; they COVID-19 massive 1918 “Spanish flu” pandemic also had its origins in China.

COVID-19 y alone can be debt plus trillions more in Federal backup liquidity to the that There is 100%Reserve agreement, outside of China, COVID-19 depreciation. they’ve donned mas There is 100% agreement, outside of China, that COVID-19 need North State Journal for Wednesday, May 27, 2020 China has to pay for We g Kong flu,” 1977 is China’s markets and financial outlets.inIfWuhan the U.S.Province dollar were not the reserve The decisions result: a redu originated probably from the completely their aberrant ways and thr is China’s originated in Wuhan Province probably from the completely evidence that the Chernobyl. currency, we would not be able and to fund any of these transparency According to the unregulated unsanitary wetemergency markets. SomeChernobyl. believe it came out of a economic and financial means.

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COVID-19 depreciation.

Trump administrati Until China adopts rigorous verifiable policing and regulation of Until China and fair trade.

Totalitarian communist regimes never from our adopts rigorous verifiable policing and regulation of take th mpletely China has to pay for food their safety aberrant ways and protocols, decisions through peakhas outbreak was r their and health American business has no other or express regret and remorse, because that not wh their food safety and sincere health protocols, American business nois other scientific experts eve it came out of a economic and financial means.

Diplomacy has obviously not worked ventilators by nearly choice than to build redundant manufacturing plants elsewhere purely totalitarian governments do.need They advantage every w choice than to build redundant manufacturing plants elsewhereofpurely — we totake to bring China into the civilized world of 21st century health, hygiene August by nearly 12,t for national security and safety reasons as well as supply and delivery they find inand adversaries and keep pushing until they win or for national security safety reasons as well as supply and delivery know what they d regulation of and fair trade. Totalitarian communist regimes never take the blame Here’s the problem reliabilityadversaries concerns. push back. reliability concerns. siness has no other or express sincere regret and remorse, because that is not what know, what they questions will a The most That directis, way to make China “pay”event for this disaster is tothat offer The most direct way to make China “pay” for this disaster is to offer unless an exogenous happens such as the Ch ts elsewhere purely totalitarian governments do. They take advantage of every weakness First, what is the t don’t and when to companies will sourcebelieve at leastthat half event, of theirnot the U.S. tax credits to companies whowin will at least half of their U.S. tax credits meltdown in 1986. who Some experts pply and delivery they find in adversaries and keep pushing until they orsource the important because iS they hope to production back in the United States.

There is approximately $120 back in the United States. There is approximately $120 program of Reagan, led directly to the dissolution the Sov adversaries push production back. open orofclosed, w billion worth of American direct investment plantsbe and equipment know what in they worth event of American in plants and equipment in 1989. disaster is to offer That is, unless billion an exogenous happensdirect such asinvestment the Chernobyl more liberalized soc inby China. Chinese direct investment in the U.S. is about $65 billion by inSome China.

Chinese direct in the is about $65 billion Perhaps COVID-19 isdon’t.

China’s Chernobyl. t half of their meltdown in 1986. experts believe thatinvestment event, not the StarU.S. Wars ought to lock down f comparison. comparison.

Senators in Washington are already talking about the pos oximately $120 program of Reagan, led directly to the dissolution of the Soviet Union We’ve seen case fa An investment tax credit of 30% on half of U.S. investment in China An investment tax credit of 30% on half of U.S. investment in China of China forgiving $1.2 trillion in debt wethe owe them as one w ts and equipment in 1989. number of ident today, or $60 billion, applied to repatriated American manufacturing out $65 billion by Perhaps COVID-19 is China’s Chernobyl. today, or $60 billion, applied to repatriated American manufacturing China to “pay” for the damage they have caused US. Don andbillion thethe denominato investment to the U.S. would cost the U.S. Treasury $18 in Senators in Washington aretoalready talking about people have actually investment the U.S. would costthe thepossibility U.S. Treasury $18 billion in tax revenue breath waiting for a Chinese “Jubilee” to happen but you spread over a few years. $18 billion in lost revenue is ask vestment in China of China forgivingtax $1.2 trillionspread in debtover we owe them as one to get number has been revenue a few years. $18way billion in lost revenue is decimal dust representatives to hold China accountable in tangible financ compared to the $6 trillion+ Marshall Plan we are now ov n manufacturing China to “pay” fordecimal the damage have caused Don’t hold your Plan we are now death, particularl dustthey compared to thethe $6US. trillion+ Marshall this undertaking todisaster. save our own economy, not of defeatedofenemies as in the $18 billion in breath waiting forundertaking a Chinese “Jubilee” happen but ask your sources the to savetoour own economy, notelected of defeated enemies aspast. in the It is about time they are expected to operate assuggest responsibl st revenue is representatives topast. hold China accountable in tangible financial ways for many people are thebeen world like anystealing, other modern China has cheating, piratingnation. and pillaging American dyi Plan we are now this disaster.

Even more import China has been cheating, stealing, pirating and pillaging American business now for the past 30 years. They have made no secret that they ed enemies as in the It is about time they are expected to operate as responsible citizens of actually have corona business now for the past 30 years. They have made no secret thatintend they to replace the U.S. as the premier superpower in the world and the world like any other modern nation. of identified cases co intend to replace the U.S. as the premier superpower in the world replace and the dollar as the reserve currency with their renminbi. llaging American number of people w replace the dollar as the reserve currency with their renminbi. no secret that they r in the world and renminbi.

EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS

B5

CES

BUSINESS & economy

VISUAL

VISUAL VOICES

VISUAL VOICES

EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS

It’s okay to ask questions about It’s okay to ask questions about when will pay for this COVID-19 catastrophe How Chi A7 we begin to get back to normal s about when A7 How China will payThe strophe The comfort for this COVID-19 cata 3 big questions nob we begin to get back to normal normal EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

North State Journal for Wednesday, April 15, 2020

EDITORIAL | FRA

COLUMN | REP. RICHARD H COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO

CERTAIN; after this COVID-19 virus dissipates The cavalier manner in which China lied about the origin of the ONE OBINSON WITH MOST STATES nd in the United States, China will pay for this virus, covered up its spread and tried to tell the world there were only under either shelter-in-place or stay-at-home around China lied about the origin of the ONE IS CERTAIN; after thisthanks COVID-19 virus cavalierofmanner in which orders to local ordissipates state governments,The a majority Americans ay or another.

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The also had its origins in China. measures immediate fea justification for it. And the answers should not be vague ones like “we COVID-19 is China’s t know yet” ifprobably the process of returning back toisnormalcy. transparency state’s stay-at-home orders extend into May. No. government for us, andof weWashington have the to Accordingworks to theseasons University Instit In this April 20, 2020, file photo, a farmer silhouetted by thewill setting sun as atheir field is planted near Walford, For me, myright faith an Province from the completely China has to pay for aberrant ways andmust decisions through government Since when did There is 100% agreement, outside ofIowa.

China, thatThe depreciation. origin do this out ofCOVID-19 an abundance Easter of caution.” is China’s No. The government works for us, and we have the right to ask those Metrics and Evaluation model most oftAs cited byam If graduates he does to extend it, questions should be asked as to the questions.

And the in longer stay-at-home orders are in rant ways and through Iplace celebr and honesty nsanitary wetdecisions markets.

Some believe it came out ofdecide a iseconomic means.

Diplomacy has obviously not worked Chernobyl. originated in Wuhan Province probably from the completely has to pay for their aber provide a China unregu at all levels It will need to be explained detail to the people ofmaking. this state who but only able toand findfinancial low-paying work. ned in two past articles that student debt is questioning asked ascommunist to the questions.

And the longer stay-at-home orders are in place all over the Trump administration, the expected need for hos iplomacy has obviously not worked Corinthians 1:4, whD justification for it.

And the answers should not be vague ones like “we country, and the stricter some of them get in states, such as M Chernobyl. by the Chinese army. to bring China into the civilized world of 21st century health, hygiene unregulated and unsanitary wet markets.

Some believe it came out of a economic and financial means. from our Under an ISA agreement, he would owe an agreedlem and that universities have encouraged are fresh being ingredients told to remain jobless and at home message offor an undetermined biowar cal, delivered become a government gue ones like “we country, and the stricter some of them get in states, such as Michigan, peak outbreak was revised down by over 120,000 world of 21st century health, hygiene affliction, so that we must do this out of an abundance of caution.” the more people, sitting at home feeling isolated and/or anxi biowarfare lab run by the communist Chinese army. to bring China into the civilized pts rigorous verifiable policing and regulation of and fair trade.

Totalitarian communist regimes never take the blame upon percentage of his income — the actual dollar their own irresponsible behavior. With scientific experts amount time why models predicting hundreds of casesUnt straight toof the front door is ideal hope that we willof thousands bad thing? thelevels more people, sitting at home feeling isolated and/or anxious about ventilators byproviding nearly and the number of odc munist regimes never the blame affliction, withwill the attake all It amount will need to be in detail to the people of this stateverifiable who when they can get back their families, would be very low. With a traditional loan, Until China adopts rigorous policing and of to and 13,000 fairfor trade.

Totalitarian comm e graduates facing an uncertain financial nd health protocols, American business has no other orexplained express sincere regret and remorse, because thatreliable. isa we not what during pandemic thatregulation has peoare their f — need to once again enjoy sincere of particularly this state who when theysolutions can getare back to providing forsame their families, will demand August by nearly 12,000. orse, because that is not what God.” That is what he would owe the amount regardless of his t’s important to find ple terrified of going to a grocery their food safety and health protocols, American business has no other or express regret and rem being told to remain jobless and at home for an undetermined answers. d redundant manufacturing plants elsewhere purely totalitarian governments do. They take advantageToofknow every weakness date, I’ve gone along with what the state has asked and then become a choice what for theyways to cut undetermined answers.

Here’s the problem: Weshould still don’t know the ans sporting events, ySo, take advantage of every weakness If be you celebra income.

Evenwhy with income-based repayment on his store and looking what’s to bereasons done? choice than tofree build redundant plants elsewhere purely totalitarian governments do. Th amount of farmers time models predicting hundreds ofcitizens thousands ofmanufacturing cases Leaders atbut thealong local and state levels asare forthcom mandated that we do, the way I’ve also had questions about ty and safety as well as supply and delivery they findbein adversaries and keep pushing until they win or the How NC are for nat bad thing? thousands of cases Leaders at the local and state levels should as forthcoming as they know, what they questions that will allow the economy tothis reopen. down onaspeople touching their pushing until they or the loan, he would likely make interest-only payments as dical proposals, likewin completely reflect on mess concerts, family for national security and safety reasons well as supply and delivery they find in adversaries and keep arechanging reliable. the wayadversaries can chain be with those answers —too. and again, not vague answers, the data. State Republican leaders have, push back.but answer they ss. living in a free AMERICA’S reliabi food. The supply withare a CSA can be with those answers — and again, not do vague answers, First, what is the true coronavirus fatality rate the principal continued to mount. student loans and making subject COLLEGES rife with God’sback. example don’t and when That is them what reliability concerns. adversaries push “People are staying home gatherings, Unfortunately, when certain types of questions get asked, there is and AMERICA’S COLLEGES are rife with To date, I’ve gone along with what the state has asked and then with details that give their statements believability. business way to make China “pay” for this disaster is to offer That is, unless an exogenous event happens such as the Chernobyl is incredibly short, basically like TheeT Purdue University is already experimenting with society were ptcy protection, would certainly work. corruption.

The financial squeeze resulting ked and then with details that give their statements believability. important because it determines whether certain ent happens such as the Chernobyl this difficult time.

The most direct way to make China “pay” for this disaster is to offer That is, unless an exogenous they hope to corruption.

The financial squeeze resulting sometimes aWe disturbing tendency among some people to treat those church services and looking forhad alternative free citizens mandated that we“Back do,can but along the way I’ve also questions should all continue to do what wewe can to keep our fam the farmer the produce who will at least half of ISAs their do meltdown in plan.

1986.

Some experts believe thatabout event, not harvested the Star Wars its a Boiler” The program is ders who putabout their own money on theall line COVID-19 offers opportunities foror a closed, U.S. ta dcompanies questions We should continue what we to keep our families, be open whether ought to we pursue believe that event, notsource the Star Wars confident will — em supposed from COVID-19 offers opportunities for a tounder U.S. tax credits to companiesfrom who will source at by least half of their meltdown in 1986.

Some experts Sponsored know what they simply questioning the data and asking when we can start getting back and allowed you to come pick it the data.

State Republican leaders have, too. ourselves, and our communities safe.

But we should also stil and many more Sponsored by noue the United States.

There is approximately $120 program of Reagan, led directly to the dissolution of the Soviet Union Sponsored by produce methods and food being funded by the Purdue Research Foundation, diligence before lending to 18-yearbit of remediation.

Let’s first examine what living in a free ourselves, and our communities safe.

But we should also still continue more liberalized program society that presumes wide spre produc Sponsored by the dissolution of the Soviet In thisled same spiri bit of remediation.

Let’sUnion first examineBy what production back get in the United States.

There isask approximately $120 of are Reagan, directly up.

Elizabeth Lincicome last I there to as theycorruption, are conspiracy theorists or people who don’t.

Unfortunately, when certain types ofstay-at-home questions asked, isbenormal to questions about the data, because reasonable stn part of the because university’s endowment.

It’s a small to do, Andthere the fear of students filing forcorruption, might the root ofthough academic merican direct investment in plants and equipment in 1989. after our own ters. asked, isbe to of ask questions about theState data, while reasonable ought to lock down further. while might the root academic sources” billion neighbors helping society were CSAs aren’t limited to produce. billion worth of American direct investment in plants and equipment in 1989.

North Journal otherwise don’t care if they get themselves they or others sick. program now but is already showing positive results. y would ensure that loans are small and suggested by the title of a recent study, checked. sometimes a disturbing tendency among some people to treat those measures are understandable, should also have an expir suggested by the title of a recent study, direct investment in the U.S. is about $65 billion by Perhaps COVID-19 is China’s Chernobyl. e to treat those measures are understandable, they should also have an expiration date.

We’ve seen rates — Concord, the number of temporary Chernobyl.

In hig inaChi Some include the$65 option China.

Chinese direct investment infarmers thewhen U.S. isStudies about billion by case fatality Perhaps COVID-19 China’s Since did government at all it levels become aisbad Purdue’s website explains aand few ofinthe benefits of can “Academic Grievance and the “Academic Grievance and simply theAmericans, questioning the data when we starttalking getting back This isquestioning all cheese, new Americans, and is not normal.

Not inalab North State Journal Wednesday, April 15, 2020 neady starttalking getting backsupposed ThisStudies is all new to and is not normal.

Not in any way, Senators in asking Washington are already about the possibility the to number offor identified COVID-19 cases — but to buy eggs, bread, meat, RALEGH — it The coronaviabout the possibility money to buy a 3-D sacrifices are compa John Hammond, comparison.

Senators in Washington are thing?of That is what free citizens living in a free society were supposed ISAs: h are a solution iswho politically unpopular.

Corruption Scholarship.”

The study was Corruption of do, Scholarship.”

The study was to last I form. fruit, flowers or other prodnormal as though they are conspiracy theorists or are people who shape, or form.

Soin while we should remain vigilant and stay A6and rus has directly impacted the way people shape, or Sotowhile weChina should remain vigilant stay safe, at in and the denominator are likely wrong.

We don’t ki ax credit ofreduce 30% on of U.S. investment in of China forgiving $1.2 trillion debt we of owe them as one way tofarm get analysis debt we owe them as half one way to get health care workers Anin An investment tax credit 30% on half of U.S. investment China of China forgiving $1.2 trillion over.

N.C. Dept. of Agriculture to do, last I checked.

The standard payment period for the Back onsiderably the number of done by Areo, an opinion and done

by Areo, an opinion and analysis ucts along with their vegetables.

America’s farmers and ranchers Companies Switch Gears to sick. the same time we shouldn’t get comfortable with this so-called “new otherwise don’t care if they get themselves or others sick. the same time we shouldn’t get comfortable with this so-call people have actually died of coronavirus.

Some so ey have caused the US. Don’t hold your Wilmington port welcomes on, applied to repatriated American manufacturing China to “pay” for the damage they have caused the US. Don’t hold your checked. today, or $60 billion, applied to repatriated American manufacturing China to “pay” for the damage th today, digital By would the way, Areo isoperate short a Boiler-ISA Fundmuch is about 10 years, making it ble to borrow formagazine. college and digital magazine.

By thefarmers way, is short My firstseveral concern as weAreo go along in all this, of course, is my family. I’m Sometimes will and upended of the els become bad normal.” number been overestimated, given that class Pitch Inbreath Against COVID-19 Since did questioning government at to all“Jubilee” levels aAreopagitica, bad normal.” ilee” to happen but your elected U.S. would theask U.S. Treasury $18 billion inwhen breath waiting for a Chinese to happen but askabout your elected largest container foracost Areopagitica, aship speech delivered by investment the U.S.become would cost the U.S. Treasury $18 billion in waiting ain Chinese “Jub competitive with most Federal and private loan ionately affect low-income students.

It for a speech delivered by has worried them catching virus, and I’m worried Ifor will.

Afterinvestm offer their products together, to the nation’s food supply chain.

In re- Plus ety were supposed Not little bit. of death, particularly among elderly patients, ountable in tangible financial ways for Public Power Communities thing?

That is what free citizens living in a free society were supposed Not one little bit.

John Milton defense of speech. over a few years. $18 billion infree lost revenue is representatives to hold China accountable in tangible financial ways for after years ofin expansion terms.

In addition, all students receive a six-month disfavor students majoring in one soft but John Milton in defense of free speech. tax revenue spread over a few years. $18 billion in lost revenue is representatives to hold China ac the widest to memsponse, USDA Secretary Sonny ble. There is still tremendous un- offer taxcan rev suffering fromvariety the H1N1 virus (swine flu) during the 2009 pandemic, .iplines.

Helen Pluckrose, James sources suggest the number is dramatically unde toA. do, last I checked. grace period post-graduation payments begin. and Authors Helen Pluckrose, James A. bers.

Other farmers set up sepapared to The theAuthors $6 trillion+ Marshall Plan we are now met need for agriculture ru- $6 decimal dust compared to the trillion+ Marshall Plan we are now this this disaster.

Perdue announced the disaster.

Corona- before I’ve been trying to take extra precautions, all of this bringsdecim up Across thebecause state, public power North Carolina Ports of Lindsay and Peter Boghossian say— that se, is my family.

I’m Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah many people are dying at home. ed to operate as responsible citizens Once ain recipient makes successful payments for ee are solutions that can beState implemented Lindsay and Peter Boghossian say that rate CSAs for adefeated specific industry, ral America.

Additional resources virus Food Assistance program My first concern as we go along in all this, of course, is my family.

I’m Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sist undertaking to save our own economy, not of enemies as in the It is about time they are expec our own economy, not of defeated enemies as the It is about time they are expected to operate as responsible citizens of way too many memories of a painful experience I’ d prefer not to repeat. communities are deftly pivoting to under Authority made lastaweek something hashistory gone drastically wrong ried I will.

After and is regular contributor RedState and Legal Insurrection.

Even more importantly, we have no clue how m like chicken or dairy, and in some will be needed to build resiliency (CFAP) intomid-April, dubbing it the prescribed term of the contract, no additional nation. s acrimonious political climate. something has gone drastically wrong past. the world like any other modern worried about them catching the virus, and I’m worried I will.

After and is a regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrec helpis in how the battle against COVID-19, the world like any other modern nation.

But what also makes meparlose sleep easily most everyone has as the MV Hyundai Hope sailed in certain in academia, especially past. cases pirating evenespecially non-farming thirdactually for our post-pandemic rural econthepayments first COVID-19 relief even pack-if they 2009 pandemic, are required have paid less have coronavirus.

Some scientists sugges solution has been referred to aswithin “skin in suffering in academia, within certain China has been cheating, stealing, and pillaging American producing hand sanitizer and masks for from the H1N1forvirus (swine flu) during the 2009 pandemic, cheating, stealing, pirating andMVpillaging American fields within the humanities.

They call to the Port of Wilmington.

The Chin ties act asthe middlemen selling age crafted specifically agri-theyomy.” than the amount of funding received. now for the past 30fields a policy would call for institutions within humanities.

They call they llSuch of this brings up “grievance ofboxidentified cases could be an order of magnitud those in need. business years.

They have made no secret that these fields studies,” where Hyundai Hope, one of the largest I’ve been trying to take extra precautions, because all of this brings up he past 30 years.

They have made no secret that they es of food to individuals within One way would farmers and ranchers culture.

The $16and billion program busine Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinio Both ISAs skin in the game policies hare innot the credit risk of every student these fields “grievance studies,” where prefer to repeat. number of people who have had coronavirus and scholarship not so much based upon intend to replace U.S.not as the premier superpower in the world and container shipsison the East way too many of abenefits. painful experience I’the dthe prefer to repeat. their communities. used to would suppling hospitality includes directmemories financial support he as premier superpower the world and have many down-stream Both put out aeveryone loan tothe attend the institution.

In into scholarship is not so much based upon intend ostU.S. has finding but upon attending Coast, hastruth a carrying capacity replace the dollar as the reserve currency with their renminbi.

“People are upon staying home and industry haveand adapted to the shutto agriculture and commodities But what also makes metolose sleep is how easily most everyone has as the reserve currency with their renminbi. pressure on universities keep tuition low his means that universities would be scholars on finding truth but attending to replac social grievances.

Grievance of nearly 14,000 TEUs (twentyproducers who have suffered a five down, is by embracing a move- looking for alternative produce

Innovative solutions he student debt dilemma Fixingn.c. college FAST corruption

FACTS

Fixing college Ag in a time of crisiscorruption

n.c.

STATEWIDE SPOTLIGHT

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Approved Logos

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Approved Logos

offset some of the artificial pressure on demand for or some part ofstudents, student loan debt whenand other social grievances. Grievance scholars bully administrators foot equivalent units) and is the percent-or-greater price decline, ment called community support- methods and food sources,” said higher education.

They would also align universities’ efault. Such a policy would require action bully students, administrators and other departments into adhering to their largest ship to ever call on the or who had losses due to market ed agriculture (CSA). CSA’s are John Hammond, Internationinterests with those of students.

Universities would s since student loans are disbursed by the departments into adhering their worldview.

The worldview they promote is Jason al Marketing Specialist tofor the supply chain disruptions due to food distribution programs that Port of Wilmington. be invested in student success, not just increased ernment.neither worldview.

The worldview they promote is scientific nor rigorous.

Grievance |give STACEY MATTHEWS members access to a share of N..C Department of Agriculture. the CoronavirusEDITORIAL pandemic.

“This is a monumental eTHEWS studies ofCarolina disciplines such as enrollment.

Somethe universities probably begin ther solution canconsist be North implemented locally. neither scientific norbeen rigorous.

EDITORIAL | STAC Hammond has a key Grievance playa farm’s harvest, which is delivReaction from farming would milestone for sociology, anthropology, gender studies, to offer better guidance to students when they choose of institutions are already giving it a studies consist of disciplines such as er in helping local farmers and ered door to door on a weekly basis community has been mixed, as Ports, the Port of Wilmington COLUMN | REP. queer studies, sexuality and chooseCEO classes andNatake throughout out loans. the farming season. e Share Agreements (ISAs).

ISAs arecritical race sociology, anthropology, gender ranchers organize what has studies, be-RICHARD HUDSON Dr.majors, Barb Glenn, of the and the entire state of North studies.

These innovative solutions will do what “Free l agreements in which students receive queer studies, sexuality and critical race In the public power community of come known as Bulk Truckload While CSA’s have been around for tional Association of State DeCarolina.

Thisand has 2018, been years in Pluckrose, In 2017 authors College” cannot: make students and universities funding in exchange for a predetermined studies.

Chicken Sales across the state.

So nearly three decades, the coronapartments of Agriculture recently Kinston, Mother Earth Brewing, known the makingand and Boghossian seeing our hard Lindsay started far, his team has helped host over virus has created a surge in their put out a statement saying, “While behave more wisely and act together towards the post-graduation income over a certain In 2017 and 2018, authors Pluckrose, for its award-winning craft beer, spirits, work and dedication come to submitting academic papers tofarmers 150 bulk chicken sales, in which and That ranchers same goal. goal isrespond to createpopularity educated,with wisemost cooperatives years. The percent ofbogus income andMV number Lindsay and Boghossian started and seltzers is manufacturing hand fruition with the arrival of the academic journals in cultural, queer,to uncertainty, we applaud the reporting increased membership locals travel to a designated spot n changeHyundai based Hope uponisatruly student’s major and and productive graduates. Only with smart policies submitting bogus academic papers to sanitizer for nursing home patients and something race, gender, fat and sexuality studiesUSDA for working to distribute and even waiting lists. tential. to academic journals in cultural, queer, healthcare workers. So far, the brewery said Cozza,pass peer that incentivize student success can we ensure that tocelebrate,” determine if Paul theyJ.would CSA’s parents, intrinsic focus on lorelief fundstruly as quickly asvalue possiSee AG, page B6 colleges provide for students, a good deal for students because they race, gender, fat and sexuality studies filled almost 12-ounce bottles Executive Director, North “THIS has IS THE DAY2,000 the lord has made, let usthr e seriousness of and the virus and the review be accepted for need publication.

WITH MOST STATES under either shelter-in-place or stay-at-home fallen into place.

I understand taxpayers and society. ky than loans.

Imagine a student who to determine if they would pass peer for more than 50 nursing homes across Carolina Ports.

Acceptance of dubious research that in it” (Psalm 118:24). sy with how people who simply ask orders thanks to local or state governments, a majority of Americans to take precautions, but I’m unea TATES under either ortostay-at-home fallen into place. I understand the seriousness of and the be virus and the review accepted for need publication.

Virginia, and Kentucky.

“Ourstart ports areshelter-in-place an important WIT editors found sympathetic their I knowNorth thatCarolina, during this challenging time of so en thingsjournal can getting back to are having to adjust to what is being called the “new normal.” questions about the data, and wh Acceptance of dubious research that cal or state governments, a majority of Americans to take precautions, but I’m uneasy with how people who simply ask intersectional or postmodern leftist vision asset for connecting North orders working from home or losing a job, it may becircl diffi s with contempt.

Some of these orders extend at least through the end of this month. normal are treated in some editors found sympathetic to their of is thebeing world would prove the problem of Carolina to opportunities around st what called the “new normal.” questions about the data, and when thingsjournal can start getting back to be glad” arewe as the Bible tells us to do. as However, ashaaa s ato society simply must accept without Virginia’s stay-at-home orders go into June.

They’re treated though intersectional or postmodern leftist vision low academic standards. the globe.

Welcoming this ship ders extend at least through the end of this month. normal are treated in some circles with contempt.

Som and dad, holiday hasthe reminded me ofte ls us about when it’s safefake totobegin thepapers Here in North Carolina, Democratic Roy Cooper stated during question what government Several of the research of the worldGov. would prove the problem of the Easter shows ourinto commitment home go June.

They’re treated as though we as apress society simply must accept without have to be thankful and hopeful for, even in the malcy.

Virgin EFForders TARTE, FORMER NC STATE SENATOR were accepted for publication.

The Fat a recent coronavirus briefing that “we just don’t know yet” if the process of returning back to nor low academic standards. supporting North Carolina’s ports arolina, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper stated during question what the government tellsorders us about when safe to begin thepapers Lenten and pandemic. us, and we have the right ask those Studies published a hoax paper Her of the fake research state’s stay-at-home willSeveral extendit’s into May. No. The government works for and overalljournal economy istopaying Since when did that argued the term bodybuilding was us press briefing that don’t process of returning back normalcy. me, my faith is an important part ofastay-a my da -home orders in place alljust over the know yet” if the Easter accepted forseasons publication.

Fat recen off andare keeping our“we state globally If he doestodecide to extendwere it, questions should be askedThe asFor to the questions.

And the longer questioning exclusionary and should e orders will extend into May. No. The government works us, and we have should the right to those making.

As I celebrated Easter with my family, them getcompetitive,” in states, such as Michigan, Studies journal published a hoax paper added Robert A.be replaced justification forfor it. And the answers not beask vague ones like “we country, and the stricter some ofI state’s provide a Since whenusdid with bodybuilding, as abe fat-inclusive government that argued the term bodybuilding was Corinthians 1:4, which reminds our Lord “com isolated and/or anxious about Wicker, Chairman, North Carolina eeeling to extend it,“fat questions should asked as to the questions. And the longer stay-at-home orders are in place all over the must do this out of an abundance of caution.” the more people, sitting at home If he message of politicized performance.”

One reviewer Over in thewe public power community questioning should be replaced Ports Board of Directors. affliction, may able comfort thos ing their families, will demand Andforthe answers should not be vague like “we at all country, sometoofbethem get exclusionary ininstates, such as Michigan, levels and the stricter It will need explained detailhope toand the people of this state whoso thatwhen theybecan gettoback tojustific provid said, “I thoroughly enjoyed readingones this that we will ofwith Morganton, a group ofwhich businesses

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar withand “fat bodybuilding, as a fat-inclusive In a press statement, officials affliction, the comfort we ourselves government an abundance of caution.” the more people, sitting at home feeling isolated and/or anxious about are being told to remain jobless at home for an undetermined answers. article and believe it has an important must ad become a led by the Carolina Textile District The Associated Press again enjoyOne reviewer said the arrival of the MV Hyundai politicizedonce performance.”

God.” evels should be as forthcoming as they contribution to make to the field and this amount of time why models predicting hundreds of thousands of cases Leaders at the local and state e explained in detailNorth to the people of this state who badwhen they can get back to providing for their families, will demand all levels It w manufacturingat network is using Hope highlights Carolina in place. Elderly persons with underlying conditions said, “I thoroughly enjoyed reading this thing?

ORMER state senator, I have been asked sporting events, If you are celebrating the Easter season, I urge again, not vague answers, but answer journal.” are reliable. can be with those answers — an emain jobless and at home for an undetermined answers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Many reclaimed furniture fabric to make N95 are be commitment to more would be monitored by health teams for some time, article and believe it has an important s what I Ports’ would do regarding the stay-at-Solidarity become acomforted, “Our Struggle Isits My Struggle: That is what reflect on this message and be so tha ments believability. concerts, family laid-off workers who lost health To date, I’ve gone along with what the state has asked and then with details that give their statem mask covers. Since healthcare workers amoun hy models predicting hundreds of thousands of cases Leaders at the local and state levels should be as forthcoming as they than $200 million capital leveraging telemedicine and virtual hospitals. contribution to make to the field and this r in North Carolina.

The current SAH Feminism anfamilies, Intersectional Replyinsurance to God’sabout example and comfort allallthose in need arow hat we can to keep as our in thefree shut- those bad thing? citizens mandated that we do, but along the way I’ve alsobut had questions We should continue to do gatherings, often wear the masks longer than improvements plan.

Enhancing can be with answers — and again, not vague answers, answer Led by ourcoronavirus major health system leaders and journal.” res April 29. eafe.on Neoliberal and Choice Feminism,” was are rel down soon face the first deadlines this difficult time.

Through faith and by helping But we should also still continue recommended, the group hopes covers the data.

State Republican leaders have, too. ourselves, and our communities the Portwhat of Wilmington’s churchIsservices North Carolina I would “Our Struggle My Struggle: Solidarity te senatorwith recently said we are has going to and living inHospital a free Association, That is what e along the state then with details that give their statements believability. accepted for publication by asked Affilia, a to the To d qualify for fallback coverage confident wehelp will out oflife. this pandemic ecause while reasonable stay-at-home extend mask’s Unfortunately, whenwe certain types ofand questions get asked, theretoiswill toemerge askeach questions about the data,st infrastructure to the ishad haveabout a master plan with primary suppliers and a what Feminism as an Intersectional Reply ow four things: who is support sick, not,questions feminist journal for who social workers.

The many more do, but along the way I’ve also We should all continue to do can to keep our families, society were under the Affordable Care Act. free citizens manda this same spirit, I continue to be inspired th b ey should also have an expiration date. largest vessels calling East sometimes a disturbing tendency among some to treatInthose measures are understandable, paper consisted inI on part of aPublic rewritten Taxpayer-subsidized backup plan forourselves, manufacturers N.C. to re-purpose Neoliberal and Choice Feminism,” was een sick and who has not. agree. health inpublican leaders have, too. and in our communities safe. But we should also stillpeople continue after our own the daa supposed neighbors helping neighbors. nd is not normal.

Not inbeen any Coast ports has long a way, focalTwo other living in a free passage from Mein Kampf. simply questioning the data and asking when we can start getting back facilities to produce ventilators and PPE necessary accepted for publication by Affilia, a This is all new to Americans, ertsitare coalescing around benchmarks to surance is aquestions modwhen certain types of questions asked, there is available tofor ask the data, because while reasonable stay-at-home temporary Unf InThe Concord, a shape, high school senior named d remain vigilant and stay safe, atget point ofsustained this initiative. hoax papers were published, including take—care of our own An ongoing journal for social workers. ore rules ease: reductions in new esttocost to do, last I free toabout normal as needs though they arefeminist conspiracy theorists or are people who or form.

So while weTanne shou sometimes evendemands. society were rbing tendency among some people to treat those measures are understandable, they should also have an expiration date.

“Rape Culture and Queer Performativity The arrival ofso-called the MVample Hyundai money to buy a 3-D printer andwe plastic to somet make mfortable with thistesting, “new sacrifices are would evaluate the re-purposing of paper consisted in part of a rewritten deaths, widespread hospital — assessment across the country, but indusotherwise don’t care if they get themselves or others sick. the same time shouldn’t get cf checked. atand Urban Dog This paper’s subject supposed Hope follows the Parks.” completion gndthe when we can start getting back This is all to Americans, it is not normal.

Not way, care workers out of his own home. simply hotels, empty warehouses and university dorms passage from Mein Kampf.

Twohealth other thedata ability to asking monitor new patients and try officials and independent re- new Since when didand questioning government atinallany levels become a bad normal.” over. was dog-on-dog rape.

But of four major projects aimed at the gh they are conspiracy theorists or dog arerape people whosay fewfield shape, or form.

So while we remain vigilant and safe, atwere as emergency hospitals with hoax papers published, including contacts. searchers people seem toin conjunction toone do,little last bit.

I to nor thing?

That isshould what free citizens living inwere a stay free society supposed Not paperdata eventually forced Boghossian, improving access for 14,000-TEU know how to find it.

For those who deployment strategies for health care professionals.

“Rape Culture and Queer Performativity re reasonable points that should serve if theyPluckrose get themselves or others sick. the same time we shouldn’t get comfortable with this so-called “new otherw to do, last I checked. andtoLindsay to prematurely outtheir health insurance as layin the public power community checked. container ships the Port of lost Virtual hospitals and direct primary care options at Urban Dog Parks.”

This paper’s subjectAnd ation to the make decisions to keep everyone nquestioning under pseudonym Sister Toldjah government at all levels become a bad normal.”

My first concern as we go along in all this, of course, is my family.

I’m Stacey Matthews has also writte Sinc themselves.

A Wall Journal writer Wilmington.

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Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah opened 2,600 contiguous My implemented available. themselves.

A Wall Street Journal writer egin to reopen our now. menoflike dogs berth and punishing white male this time of intense need, while other most After states.

Service shows the website for HealthCare.gov. container space; way too many memories of a painful experience I’ d prefer not to repeat. m catching the virus, and I’m worried I will. and is a regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.

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It is imperative theon Lexis/Nexis database, to see how oftenNorth Carolina needs to get back to work.

VISUAL VOICES

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okay to ask questions about when sk questions aboutIt’s when It’s okay The comfort and hope get back to normalwe begin to get back to normal we begin 1st deadlines for laid-off workers to get health insurance

What would you do?

North State Journal for Wednesday, May 27, 2020

B6

ncdot CASH REPORT For the week ending May 22, 2020

Beginning cash balance

$258,636,562 Ending cash balance

$252,483,786 Beginning cash balance change from prior week

-$24,674,173 Ending cash balance change from prior week

-$6,152,776

NC group urges Tesla to relocate CA plant Fremont, Calif/Randolph Co. The Randolph County Economic Development Corporation sent Tesla CEO Elon Musk a message last week via a flyover of his Fremont, California car plant, touting their industrial megasite. The marketing maneuver made news on both coasts, as pictures captured a small plane pulling a banner saying “Tesla, come to NC. We want you @GRMegasite.” The Piedmont Triad Partnership (PTP), a community group also focused on marketing the “Carolina Core,” the corridor in central N.C. that is home to the megasites, welcomed the opportunity to reach potential business partners.

Stan Kelly, PTP president and CEO said, “It was terrific to see the coverage, especially on the west coast, that the flyover of the Tesla factory generated.

I take my hat off to the folks in Greensboro and Randolph County. We know we have one of the best sites in the country for automotive manufacturing and now more people know about us. Especially during this trying economic time, we will keep connecting with potential employers who are looking for the excellent megasites, a strong talent pool and the innovation assets we have in the Carolina Core.”

US new-home sales post slight gain in April Baltimore, MD U.S. new home sales ticked up 0.6% in April, a surprising gain amid the coronavirus outbreak that hints at the relative health of potential buyers. The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that sales of new singlefamily homes rose slightly to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 623,000 last month. This followed a decline of 13.7% in March as businesses and schools were closed in an effort to contain the virus. Over the past 12 months, sales are down 6.2%. COVID-19 disrupted what appeared to be signs of growth in the housing market as low mortgage rates attracted buyers. Stuck in social isolation, they chose last month to purchase homes that have yet to be constructed — a category that surged 26.5% from March and accounted for all of the sales growth in April.

Sales of homes already under construction fell slightly, while sales those already completed declined 13.6% from a year ago. The median price for a new home sold last month was $309,900, dropping 8.6% from a year ago. Prices appeared to dip because fewer homes sold last month in the range of $300,000 to $399,999 and the range of $750,000 and above.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Charity events wary in time of COVID-19

By Will Graves The Associated Press IT WASN’T EXACTLY the finish line Ali Riecke had in mind.

The 27-year-old had envisioned something more tropical when she signed up to participate in her second “Run Across Haiti,” an ambitious eight-day, 200-mile tour of the impoverished Caribbean nation sponsored by the nonprofit organization WORK. Instead of celebrating with more than 30 others from across North America who raised north of $200,000 to make the journey to run and to get a first-hand look at WORK’s mission, the end for Riecke came as she neared her house in decidedly non-tropical Bellingham, Washington, on May 13.

Her boyfriend blasted an air horn as she hit the wire, her run over.

Then she joined a Google Hangout so other members of the far-flung group could join in the party after the trip to Haiti was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was definitely bittersweet,” said Rieke, who stressed it was still “very special in its own way.”

And maybe a new normal. There are other complications for nonprofits and charities beyond stayat-home orders and travel issues.

For organizations that rely on participatory recreation events like the “Run Across Haiti” or the 5K at your local park, the concern is two-fold: How do you safely conduct these events in the era of social distancing? And how do you go about seeking money for a cause, any cause, when millions are out of work and people are literally dying by the thousands?

Riecke has collected more than $4,000 this spring to help WORK, which is focused on helping Haitian families emerge from poverty in a sustainable way. That effort that isn’t going away anytime soon regardless, virus or no virus. It is something Riecke, a business intelligence developer at a local credit union, tried to keep in mind as she went through the admittedly uncomfortable task of soliciting contributions.

“It’s harder for those people to give obviously but it also feels harder to ask,” she said.

Charitable giving by individuals has dipped in recent years even during a boom economy thanks in

INSURANCE from page B5 health coverage as of the start of this month, a number now likely higher with unemployment claims rising.

In a counter-intuitive finding, Kaiser’s study also estimated that nearly 8 in 10 of the newly uninsured would likely qualify for some sort of coverage under former President Barack Obama’s health law, either a private plan like Franklin found, or Medicaid.

“The ACA is there as a safety net for the first time in an economic downturn,” said Kaiser foundation expert Larry Levitt. But “many people losing their jobs have never had to think of relying on the ACA for coverage, so there is no reason they should be aware of their options.”

There are several options, not easy to sort through. Some have application deadlines; others do not. And the Trump administration, which still plans to ask the Supreme Court later this summer to declare Obamacare unconsti-

AG from page B5 like the fairgrounds and purchase 30 lb. boxes of chicken that would have been going to restaurants or schools. The chicken comes from local farms such as Case Farms, Mountaire Farms, and House of Raeford. Hammond says the idea started due to dwindling demand from the restaurant and hospitality industries. “In order to keep the supply chain intact we started bulk sales to keep product moving, keep truck drivers employed, and to ultimately get food to the consumer.” Other CSAs in our area include the Produce Box, and Ripe Revival Market which was created specifically in response to COVID-19.

Here in North Carolina, where agriculture is a $78 billion industry, farmers and ranchers have certainly felt the economic hardship caused by the shutdown. Roland McReynolds, Executive Director of Carolina Farm Stewardship Association says that in a survey they did of area farmers, one third reported their sales decreasing by at least $1,000 per week. “When you have less than $250,000 in annu-

EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ | AP PHOTO

In this Nov. 3, 2019, file photo, runners take part in the New York City Marathon in New York. part to a change in the tax code.

While the stimulus package Congress passed in March created a $300 tax break for charitable giving, nonprofits of all sizes are anticipating a hit at the same time the need for aid is becoming greater than ever.

“I keep thinking of ‘Rocky,’ where he takes the hits and keeps moving forward,” said James Kane, a senior manager of community development for the American Cancer Society’s Northeast Region. “Some days it’s going to be a step forward and two steps backward (but) at the end of the day the work we do hasn’t become less important. Our mission hasn’t stopped because cancer hasn’t stopped.”

In response to the pandemic, the American Cancer Society established the first “Lakes to Bay 5K.” The virtual run is a relay that started around the Finger Lakes in New York on May 11 and will wrap up on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland on May 31. Runners who paid the $20 registration fee are encouraged to take a picture during their respective legs and share it on social media as a way to replicate in some small way the sweaty, giddy camaraderie of an actual road race.

Proceeds will help the society’s COVID-19 Response Fund, which

tutional, is doing little to promote the health law’s coverage. Here’s a quick look: Subsidized private insurance Like Altheia Franklin, people who lose workplace insurance generally have 60 days from when their coverage ended to apply for an ACA plan. They can go to the federal HealthCare.gov or their state’s health insurance website. Most states that run their own health insurance marketplaces have provided an extended sign-up period for people who lost coverage in the pandemic. The federal marketplace, serving most of the country, has not.

Medicaid for adults Nearly three-fourths of the states have expanded Medicaid to low-income adults under the Obama health law. In those states, low-income adults can qualify for free or very low cost coverage. There is no sign-up deadline.

al revenue, that’s a big hit,” he said.

These were people whose direct sales were to farmers markets and restaurants, and both have been sources of decreased revenue.

Andrea Ashby, who heads up the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service’s Public Affairs division says she thinks our state may have fared better than most. But “one area where we are similar to other states is with a loss of milk,” she said.

Homeland Creamery in Guilford County had to dump around 17,000 gallons of milk last month.

Unlike other dairy operations that send their milk to a processor before it hits grocery store shelves, Homeland is what is known as an on-farm processor, selling its dairy products to local coffee shops and restaurants. “They had no outlet for their milk,” explains Reid Smith, president of the North Carolina Dairy Producers’ Association. He echoed the sentiment that things had not been as bad here as some other parts of the country. “Milk was dumped out at various farms for about a week maximum,” he said. Smith said he knew

“I keep thinking of ‘Rocky,’ where he takes the hits and keeps moving forward.

Some days it’s going to be a step forward and two steps backward (but) at the end of the day the work we do hasn’t become less important. Our mission hasn’t stopped because cancer hasn’t stopped.”

James Kane, a senior manager of community development for the American Cancer Society’s Northeast Region is focused on operational expenses like keeping a 24/7 cancer help line active.

Kane is heartened by the initial response but also wary of the bumpy path ahead.

“How do you keep people motivated when they are wondering what’s going to happen with their job, their family?” he said.

WORK applied for and received federal aid from the Paycheck Protection Program so its staff of nine could keep at it while fearing a COVID-19 spike in Haiti over the summer. The Susan G. Komen Foundation — which raises tens of millions annually for the fight against breast cancer through events like the 3-Day walk and various Races for the Cure across the country — is considering taking some of its 60 affiliates “in house” in an attempt to cut expenses.

“There’s pain involved, there’s job loss,” foundation President and CEO Paula Schneider said. “But we have to put Komen first.”

Schneider described the 3-Day event as the “heart and soul” of the organization and it has been canceled this year, a huge blow to peerto-peer fundraising. Schneider said she is confident that because of the often personal relationship between participants and breast cancer — be they survivors or caregivers or family members — the support will return.

Still, even as parts of the nation open back up, she is unsure whether the 30 spring fundraising events that were pushed to this fall will actually take place.

“Who knows what will happen 120 days from now?” she said.

People can continue their employer coverage under a federal

law known as COBRA, but they have to pay 102% of the premium — too much for most who are out of work. If there’s another coronavirus bill from Congress, it might include subsidies for COBRA coverage.

Government statistics on people losing —and finding— health insurance coverage in the coronavirus contraction won’t be available for months.

The head of a California company that helps people find ACA coverage says most of the new signups they’re seeing are people who qualify for Medicaid, and there’s been only a modest uptick for subsidized private plans.

“We are all wondering where the heck is everybody,” said George Kalogeropoulos, CEO of Health Sherpa.

“People first are trying to apply for unemployment, and many of them getting stuck there,” he added. “Health care is the secondary thing, and if they get stuck in unemployment, people may never do the health care thing.”

of one farm that had to dump out 40,000 gallons but that was based on a problem with the supply chain after a run on fluid milk caused local dairies to overcorrect and manufacture too much milk.

The beef industry has also had to cope with supply chain issues. V. Mac Baldwin, founder of Baldwin Beef Family Farm in Yanceyville says they lost one week of sales to several of the area’s Whole Foods stores where they sell their grassfed meat. “The bottleneck with the cattle industry has been in the processing. When the cows reach a certain weight, they are finished and need to be slaughtered, but when COVID strikes workers and plants are forced to close down, things get backed up.” Baldwin says that beef farmers are lucky in the sense that when things get bad they just slow feeding the cattle to maintain their size, whereas chickens that are processed at too heavy a weight end up creating a lot of extra waste.

With reports of hogs being euthanized due to over­supply as processing plants closed, the national media has portrayed the impact on

farming as a dire situation. However, as bad as things are, local farmers and ranchers have shown an irrepressible spirit and intense dedication to the people of North Carolina.

Goldsboro’s Heritage Farms Cheshire Pork, which distributes its pork to some of the finest restaurants across the state, reported a 75% decrease in revenue in April. Owner Esther Ivey Nagypal says they had to lay off almost their entire staff but luckily did not have to euthanize any hogs.

While some farmers have decided to work through community supported agriculture programs others, like Cheshire Farms, have come up with creative ways to keep their supplies moving, pivoting from their main role as a successful partner within the state’s thriving farm­ to­ table community. “We put a lot of pork in the freezer and cold storage and we ship nationwide through our website,” says Nagypal. “That business, along with local curbside pickup at our general store, has been a lifeline.

It has increased by around 500% from before Covid-19.”

The Kaiser foundation estimates that nearly 13 million people who lost job-based insurance are eligible for Medicaid. But that option is not available in most Southern states, as well as some in the Midwest and Plains, because they have not expanded Medicaid.

Children’s health insurance Laid-off workers should be able to get their children covered even if the adults in the family cannot help. The federal-state Children’s Health Insurance Program and Medicaid cover kids in families with incomes well above the poverty level. “Medicaid is open year round if you are a parent with kids who need coverage,” said Joan Alker, director of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University. Children’s coverage predates the ACA. COBRA

North State Journal for Wednesday, May 27, 2020

B7

hyundai santa fe

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HYUNDAI

Like the city in New Mexico, the Hyundai Santa Fe is a delight An enormous sunroof, a terrific interior, and all the tech you could want

By Jordan Golson North State Journal BOSTON — I’ve been to Sante Fe a few times. It’s a lovely city, with fascinating culture, terrific food, and a psychedelic art exhibition called Meow Wolf partially funded by Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin.

I’m not sure what the capital of New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, has to do with a midsized crossover from a Korean carmaker. But, when it comes to marketing and the naming of cars, things don’t always have to make sense. That’s the Hyundai Santa Fe, in case you’re not up on your Korean midsized crossovers, and it’s a solid option for any midsized crossover shopper.

Like most Hyundais, it includes a ton of great safety tech including standard automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control (with stop-and-go), and Hyundai’s excellent lane-centering tech. This last one is especially notable, as it’s the best you’ll find this side of Tesla’s terrific Autopilot system.

It allows the car to steer itself (for brief moments) and keep the car centered in the lane, which is a boon for any commuter. It’s not

that the car is driving for you — but it takes over some of the lower level driving for you.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t “self-driving” or an automated driving system. Using an advanced lane-centering system like this is the driving equivalent of using a KitchenAid stand mixer while making cookies. It makes life a lot easier, instead of making you do everything manually, though the driver is still directly involved in things.

The Santa Fe, like the Palisade that I drove last year and the Sonata earlier this year, is an ideal commuter car because of this autosteer tech.

Then there’s the warranty, which includes 5-year/60k mile bumper-to-bumper coverage, and then a 10-year/100k powertrain warranty. This is one of the best warranties in the business and, though I would expect solid reliability, it’s a solid enticement for a family car buyer over a competitor like Honda or Toyota which only include a 5-year/60k powertrain warranty.

To be honest, that stuff all sounds pretty boring — but when you’re looking at a sensible family car, the boring stuff is important.

Is it safe? Will it get me to work/ school/church/wherever every time? Does it have one of the big-

gest sunroofs ever fitted to a crossover? If the answer to all of those questions is yes, you’ve got yourself a keeper.

Now, don’t get me wrong, the Santa Fe isn’t perfect. It’s not exactly fast, even if you opt for the zippier 2.0-liter turbocharged engine like my test unit had. It also doesn’t have amazing fuel economy, scoring an EPA-estimated 20/27/23 in the thirstier, more powerful engine that I had. But it’s fast enough, and the fuel economy is certainly acceptable. And it’s a solid value, too.

Even my fully loaded Limited trim, which only lacked AWD (around $1,700 more) was $38,730

failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 10:00AM on June 1, 2020 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Davidson County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Keith B. Dillon and Sharon C. Dillon, dated March 14, 2002 to secure the original principal amount of $133,472.00, and recorded in Book 1304 at Page 618 of the Davidson County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended.

and Sharon C. Dillon

amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law.

Following the expiration of the statutory upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing.

with all the toys you could ever want, including Hyundai’s trick blind spot cameras that show you what’s next to you in the dash cluster when you activate your turn signals.

The outside is pleasing to look at, especially the LED-daytime running lights. On the inside, you have a well-thought out dashboard with large, easy to understand buttons everywhere. There’s a spacious bin for your phone in front of the cupholders, standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from a large, easy-to-use touchscreen.

Visibility is excellent and everything seems like it will age well.

And that sunroof! Golly is it huge.

It extends back beyond past the heads of your rear seat passengers, flooding the cabin with light and making for a pleasing experience on long journeys.

As an added bonus, it’s built in America at Hyundai’s Montgomery, Alabama assembly facility.

Like its namesake city, the Hyundai Santa Fe isn’t flashy. It might not come to mind first when you think about vacation destinations or which crossover to buy.

But it’s a solid performer, with plenty of space to stretch out and lots to do when you’re there.

Trust me, whether you vacation in New Mexico or road trip in your Santa Fe, you’ll be pleased with your choice.

TAKE NOTICE

DAVIDSON IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION DAVIDSON COUNTY 18SP454 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY KEITH B. DILLON AND SHARON C. DILLON DATED MARCH 14, 2002 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 1304 AT PAGE 618 IN THE DAVIDSON COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in the payment of the secured indebtedness and

Address of property: 1114 Harvey Teague Rd, Winston Salem, NC 27107 Tax Parcel ID: 0100400000030A Present Record Owners: Keith Dillon

And Being more commonly known as: 1114 Harvey Teague Rd, Winston Salem, NC 27107 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Keith Dillon and Sharon C. Dillon.

The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is made subject to all prior liens and encumbrances, and unpaid taxes and assessments including but not limited to any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the

SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are a tenant residing in the property, be advised that an Order for Possession of the property may be issued in favor of the purchaser. Also, if your lease began or was renewed on or after October 1, 2007, be advised that you may terminate the rental agreement upon written notice to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time notice of termination is pro-

vided. You may be liable for rent due under the agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

The date of this Notice is March 23, 2020.

Grady I. Ingle or Elizabeth B. Ells Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Parkway, Suite 400 Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 15-069029

North State Journal for Wednesday, May 27, 2020

B8

pen & paper pursuits sudoku

solutions From May 20, 2020

TAKE NOTICE

JOHNSTON IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION JOHNSTON COUNTY 18sp203 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY RALPH L VIEUX AND RACHELLE VIEUX DATED AUGUST 18, 2006 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 3182 AT PAGE 534 IN THE JOHNSTON COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because

WAKE IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION WAKE COUNTY 10SP4694 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY SARA BURNS AND JAMES BURNS DATED NOVEMBER 3, 2005 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 11670 AT PAGE 1943 IN THE WAKE COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority con-

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION WAKE COUNTY 20sp307 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY TARA D. GLOOR DATED OCTOBER 25, 2007 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 12807 AT PAGE 1444 AND MODIFIED BY AGREEMENT RECORDED MARCH 6, 2014 IN BOOK 15596, PAGE 1300 IN THE WAKE COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE

of default in the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 10:00AM on June 2, 2020 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Johnston County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Ralph L Vieux and Rachelle Vieux, dated August 18, 2006 to secure the original principal amount of $150,320.00, and recorded in Book 3182 at Page 534 of the Johnston County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended.

Address of property: 114 Nicolet Lane, Smithfield, NC 27577

Tax Parcel ID: 15H07014B Present Record Owners: Ralph L. Vieux And Being more commonly known as: 114 Nicolet Lane, Smithfield, NC 27577 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Ralph L. Vieux.

The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is made subject to all prior liens and encumbrances, and unpaid taxes and assessments

including but not limited to any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law.

Following the expiration of the statutory upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing.

SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are a tenant residing in the property, be advised that an Order for Possession of the property may be issued in favor of the purchaser. Also, if your lease began or was renewed on or after October 1, 2007, be advised that you may terminate the rental agreement upon written notice to the landlord,

to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time notice of termination is provided. You may be liable for rent due under the agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

The date of this Notice is April 8, 2020.

Grady I. Ingle or Elizabeth B. Ells Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Parkway, Suite 400 Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 17-096294

tained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 10:00AM on June 1, 2020 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Wake County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Sara Burns and James Burns, dated November 3, 2005 to secure the original principal amount of $122,400.00, and recorded in Book 11670 at Page 1943 of the Wake County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended.

ger Dr, Raleigh, NC 27606 Tax Parcel ID: 0119718 Present Record Owners: James Burns

out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is made subject to all prior liens and encumbrances, and unpaid taxes and assessments including but not limited to any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law.

Following the expiration of the statutory upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing.

the purchaser. Also, if your lease began or was renewed on or after October 1, 2007, be advised that you may terminate the rental agreement upon written notice to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time notice of termination is provided. You may be liable for rent due under the agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

Address of property:

829 A Barrin-

contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 11:00AM on May 29, 2020 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Wake County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Tara D. Gloor, dated October 25, 2007 to secure the original principal amount of $84,179.00, and recorded in Book 12807 at Page 1444 of the Wake County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended.

Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein

Address of property: 4907 Hollenden Drive 201, Raleigh, NC 27616 Tax Parcel ID: REID 0151705; PIN 1726556598

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION WAKE COUNTY 19sp1300

ee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 11:00AM on June 8, 2020 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Wake County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Stanquonize Pittman and Tametka Blount, dated May 26, 2004 to secure the original principal amount of $138,000.00, and recorded in Book 10843 at Page 477 of the Wake County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended.

IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY STANQUONIZE PITTMAN AND TAMETKA BLOUNT DATED MAY 26, 2004 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 10843 AT PAGE 477 AND MODIFIED

BY AGREEMENT RECORDED AUGUST 1, 2017 IN BOOK 16863, PAGE 2575 IN THE WAKE COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned substitute trust-

Address of property: 908 Penncross Dr, Raleigh, NC 27610 Tax Parcel ID: 0201768 Present Record Owners: Stanquonize Pittman and The Heirs of Tametka Blount And Being more commonly known as: 908 Penncross

J.

And Being more commonly known as: 829 A Barringer Dr, Raleigh, NC 27606 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are James J. Burns.

The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising

Present Record Owners: unmarried

Tara D. Gloor,

And Being more commonly known as: 4907 Hollenden Drive 201, Raleigh, NC 27616 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Tara D. Gloor, unmarried.

The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly

Dr, Raleigh, NC 27610 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Stanquonize Pittman and The Heirs of Tametka Blount.

The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is made subject to all prior liens and encumbrances, and unpaid taxes and assessments including but not limited to any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. This sale

The date of this Notice is April 28, 2020.

Grady I. Ingle or Elizabeth B. Ells Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Parkway, Suite 400 Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 16-088177

SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are a tenant residing in the property, be advised that an Order for Possession of the property may be issued in favor of

are disclaimed. This sale is made subject to all prior liens and encumbrances, and unpaid taxes and assessments including but not limited to any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law.

Following the expiration of the statutory upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing.

SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are a tenant residing in the property, be advised that an Order for Possession of the property may be issued in favor of

will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law.

Following the expiration of the statutory upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing.

SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are a tenant residing in the property, be advised that an Order for Possession of the property may be issued in favor of the purchaser. Also, if your lease began or was renewed on or after October 1, 2007, be advised that you may terminate the rental agreement upon written notice to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time notice of termination is provided. You may be liable for rent due under the agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

the purchaser. Also, if your lease began or was renewed on or after October 1, 2007, be advised that you may terminate the rental agreement upon written notice to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time notice of termination is provided. You may be liable for rent due under the agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

The date of this Notice is April 2, 2020.

Grady I. Ingle or Elizabeth B. Ells Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Parkway, Suite 400 Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 17-094574

The date of this Notice is May 6, 2020.

Grady I. Ingle or Elizabeth B. Ells Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Parkway, Suite 400 Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 06-79833

TO SUBSCRIBE: 704-269-8461

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 34 | WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020 | STANLYJOURNAL.COM

Stanly County Journal

GERRY BROOME | AP PHOTO

No fans, no problem.

A crew member removes equipment during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway Sunday, May 24, 2020, in Concord, N.C. Considered the series’ “crown jewel race,” CMS has attracted more than 100,000 fans to the event which began in 1960. But on Sunday it was eerily quiet, resembling a ghost town rather than the epicenter of the NASCAR world. Read more in sports on page 4.

WHAT’S HAPPENING Deputy shot armed man who disrupted church service

Nabell USA to create new jobs, invest $2.9 million in Albemarle facility

By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal

Union County A sheriff’s deputy shot and wounded a man who was armed with a knife who disrupted an outdoor church service on Sunday.

Investigators were trying to determine why the man, whose injuries didn’t appear life-threatening, interrupted the service outside Oak Grove Baptist Church in Waxhaw. The man lives across the road from the church and had been shouting obscenities at congregation members.

Investigators suspect the man was upset about the noise from the service. The wounded suspect, whose name wasn’t immediately released, was taken to a Charlotte hospital. He faces criminal charges.

AP

ALBEMARLE — Nabell USA, a bellow manufacturer and distributor in Albemarle, has announced that it’s investing approximately $2.9 million in its existing facility and creating 15 new jobs within the next 24 months.

In the past two weeks, both the City of Albemarle and the Stanly County Board of Commissioners have approved local incentives for the company in order to encourage new investment and job creation.

“We sincerely appreciate the investments being made by Nabell,” Stanly County BOC Chairman Matthew Swain said in a press release by the Stanly County Economic Development Commission on May 18.

“These new jobs will provide a much needed shot in the arm for our local economy and hopefully help stimulate further economic activity,” Swain said. “Stanly County is extremely excited to help encourage further growth,

investment and job creation by a local manufacturer.”

Nabell USA — a subsidiary of Japan’s Nabell Corporation — specializes in creating and distributing bellows and protective covers for medical, industrial and scientific applications.

“This is a great time to be in Stanly County,” Candace Lowder, Stanly County Economic Development Commission director, told SCJ. “The three announcements in May — Fiberon (New London), Charlotte Pipe (Oakboro) and Nabell (Albemarle) demonstrate that the EDC works throughout Stanly County to support economic development.”

The EDC’s hope is to build on this month’s economic momentum by supporting additional existing industry expansions and recruiting other employers from outside the county who can provide Stanly County with even more opportunities.

“It is critical to have balanced growth throughout the county to ensure the economic prosperity for all citizens by improving ac-

“The three announcements in May — Fiberon (New London), Charlotte Pipe (Oakboro) and Nabell (Albemarle) demonstrate that the EDC works throughout Stanly County to support economic development.”

Candace Lowder, Stanly County Economic Development Commission director cess to quality jobs in close proximity to where they live,” Lowder said, The EDC, she said, assists businesses by connecting them to resources that can help with their long-term sustainability and growth.

“Leveraging these programs helps make expansions such as

Six wounded in shooting in parking lot Mecklenburg County Six people were wounded in a shooting at a parking lot where a fight broke out during a “social gathering.”

One of the people wounded in the shooting Saturday night in Charlotte was in serious but stable condition, while the other five wounded people had injuries that weren’t considered life-threatening. After responding to a report of a shooting around 9 p.m., police began receiving calls that wounded people were arriving at two local hospitals. All six wounded people were taken to the hospitals in private vehicles, police said.

AP

5

20177 52016 $0.50

8

Two women charged under new ‘death by distribution’ law

By David Larson Stanly County Journal ALBEMARLE — A 2019 law that created a Class B2 felony for narcotics dealers whose product ends in death for the user was used by local authorities to charge two Albemarle women.

The Albemarle Police Department released a statement on May 19 announcing the arrest of Sandy D. Peek and Rose M. Thomas in connection with a late April overdose death. Shortly after 1 a.m. on April 26, police, fire and EMS all responded to a report of a 40-year-old male having a drug overdose at 225 Wilson St. The patient was declared dead at the scene.

An investigation by APD led to

ROSE M. THOMAS (LEFT) AND SANDY D. PEEK (RIGHT)

the arrest of Peek and Thomas.

Peek was charged with death by distribution, second-degree murder by distribution of drug, possession with intent to sell and deliver Schedule II, four counts of trafficking opium or heroin, and

two counts of felony sell and deliver Schedule II. Thomas was charged with death by distribution, second-degree murder by distribution of drugs, two counts of sell and deliver Schedule II, possession with the intent to sell

this more affordable by improving the bottom line, which provides even more job security for their workers and opportunities for future growth for the company,” Lowder added.

The resources that the EDC provides can be financial, workforce related, real estate, promotional, or technical — they vary based on the needs of the company and the nature of the project.

“As Nabell continues to grow our Albemarle facility, we are honored to share a partnership with the City of Albemarle Economic Development and the Stanly County EDC,” Nabell President and COO Don Stewart stated in the EDC press release.

“We would like to thank these departments and their directors along with Mayor Michael, the City Council members and the Stanly County Commissioners for their support in this expansion project, but most importantly their continued support that allows Nabell to provide new, caSee NABELL, page 2

and deliver Schedule II, and three counts of trafficking opium or heroin.

Peek and Thomas were both taken to Stanly County Jail and given a $1 million secured bond.

They are scheduled to appear in court June 1.

After passing the N.C. Senate 36-10 and the N.C. House 82-29, Gov. Roy Cooper signed House Bill 474 Death by Distribution into law on July 8, 2019. The law took effect later that year on Dec. 1, 2019.

A bipartisan majority touted the law, especially as a way to crack down on opioid distributors whose products were contributing to a growing death toll. The North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition expressed some concerns that the law would prevent good Samaritans from calling to report overdoses for fear of being charged.

All Stanly County legislators — Republican Sen. Carl Ford, Republican Rep. Wayne Sasser and Democrat Rep. Scott Brewer — voted for the measure.

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, May 27, 2020

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chael stated in the press release.

“We look forward to working with reer-based jobs for our communi- them as they continue with this “We are fortunate to have an established industry like planned growth.” ty members,” Stewart continued.

Nabell USA SUNDAY trusting in our community with this significant FRIDAY SATURDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY to keep them here NabellAPRIL opened up in Stanly APRIL 17 APRIL expansion, 18 APRIL 20 of jobs.”

APRIL 21 15 APRIL 16 “We hope APRIL 19 investment, and creation County in 1998 and began mak- for many more years. An important part HI of economic ing bellows and 59° protectiveHIcovers; 67° 73°development HI 75° HI 72° HI 73° HI HI 71° is the expansion of 11 years company Albemarle Mayor Ronnie LO 55° local indusLO 50° LO 47° LO 50° LO later, the 36° LOmoved 42° LO 50° Michael try. The PRECIP City Council to 208PRECIP Charter 20% St. in Albemarle.

0%of AlbemarPRECIP 50% PRECIP 20% PRECIP 0% PRECIP 0% PRECIP 50% “We are fortunate to have an le stands ready to help our loestablished industry like Nabell cal business and industries grow USA trusting in our community with our abundant and reliable Department of Economic Devel- Stanly County EDC, the Economwith this significant expansion, utilities and services,” Michael opment would like to thank our ic Development Partnership of partners in the successful reten- NC, and Stanly Community Colinvestment, and creation of jobs,” added.

Albemarle Mayor Ronnie Mi-LOG“The City of Albemarle and its tion and expansion of Nabell: lege.”

WEEKLY CRIME

Stanly County Journal

Sports Editor

MAY 28

NABELL from page 1

#129

David Larson

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Design Editor ISSN: 2575-2278 Lauren Rose

Publisher Published each Wednesday by Neal Robbins North State Media LLC Editor 1550 N.C. Hwy 24/27 W, David Larson Albemarle, N.C. 28001 Sports Editor Cory Lavalette

(704) 269-8461 Senior Opinion Editor INFO@STANLYJOURNAL.COM

Frank Hill STANLYJOURNAL.COM Design Editor TO SUBSCRIBE: 704-269-8461 Lauren Rose or online at nsjonline.com

Published each Wednesday by Annual Subscription Price: $25.00 North State Media LLC 1550 N.C. Hwy 24/27 W, Periodicals Postage Paid at Raleigh, N.C. and at additional mailingN.C. offices.

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Annual Subscription Price: $25.00 Periodicals Postage Paid at Raleigh, N.C. and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Stanly County Journal

N.C. Hwy 24/27 W, 75, ♦ Grace 1550 Carolyn Bishop, Albemarle, N.C. 28001. of Locust, passed away on May 20.

♦ Arthur James Tyrrell, 84, of Norwood, passed away on May 20.

DEATH NOTICES ♦ Don Huston Burleson, 88, of Albemarle, away x Jerry passed Wayne Fincher, 85, of Albemarle, died April 3. on May 20.

Sylvester “Corey” Maske, 27, of ♦ SandraxAlbemarle, Kay McIntyre, died April 68, 4. of Locust, passed away on John Henry Connell, Jr., 91, of May 21. xStanfield, died April 6. x Jason Eugene ♦ Buren Mullis, 86, of“Gene” Efird, 94, of Stanfield, died April 7.

Locust, passed away on May 21. x Tony Monroe Smith, 72, of Rockwell, died April 8.

♦ Priscillax Joyce Ann Joyner Moore Price, 75, of Badin, Hathcock, 81, of8.Albemarle, died April passed away on May 22.65, of Norwood, x Danny Paul Luther, died April 9.

♦ Ronald Adams, 72, of x Evelyn Lela Stamper, 90, of Albemarle, passed away on Oakboro, died April 10.

May 23.

x Jerry Dickson Huneycutt, 78, of

Locust, died ♦ Jean Parker, 83,April of 11.

Richfield,x passed away Shirley Mae Haire, on 73, of Albemarle, May 23. died April 11. x Betty Jane Keever Rogers, 87, of

♦ BondaAlbemarle, Geneva died Drye April 11.

Whitley, 85, of Oakboro, x Pauline Elizabeth Almond Tucker, passed away on May 24.

98, of Albemarle, died April 11.

x Poplin, Derick Lynn (W M, (F) and 2) Assault On Fta - Release Order (M), at 29) Arrest on chrg of Pwimsd Female (M), at 126 South Stanly, NC, on 4/8/2020 WEEKLY CRIME LOG Methamphetamine, F (F), at Third St, Albemarle, NC, on x Oxendine, Misty Lee (I 781 Leonard Av, Albemarle, 4/13/2020 ♦ Morton, Alexander (B F, 44) Arrest on chrg ♦ Balbuena-rufino, Albemarle, /F/34) Arrest onRd, chrg of Fta NC, on on 04/09/2020 x Hill, James Wilson (W De Paul -(U Payton (W M, 30) Arrest of Death By Distribution Cesar M, 26)Order 5/23/2020 Release (M), at NC x Leggett, Timothy(F), James /M/38) Arrest onArrest chrg ofon 1)chrgHwy 24/27, Albemarle, NC, on chrg of Driving While at 1604 Almond of Assault ♦ Pickler, Brent Douglas (Wat M,1299 32) Arrest onSt, chrg Surrender

By Surety (M), 2) (M)on Impaired (M), Albemarle, on On Female at4/8/2020 718 (W /M/36) Arrest of Felony Of Surrender By Surety (F),St, andAlbemarle, on Mountain Creek Rd/Possession 05/19/2020.

Parker x Oxendine, Misty onLee chrg(Iof 1) Forgery Cocaine (F), 3) Surrender By Surety (F), kemp Rd, Albemarle, onat 161 W Main 05/16/2020. /F/34) Arrest on chrg of ♦ Bailey, William Franklin Of Endorsement (F), St/s First St, Albemarle, on at 126 S Third St, Albemarle, 05/21/2020.

Misd Prob Viol Out Of County (W M, 41) Arrest on chrg of ♦ Richardson, Jadasia 2) Uttering Forged 04/09/2020 NC, on 4/13/2020 at NC 24/27, NC, on (F), 3) Obtain ♦ Bayne, Anna Rebekah Assault On Female (M), at Mone (B M, 18)(M), Arrest Instrument x Tompkins, x Gomez-garcia, 4/8/2020 (W F, 25) Arrest on chrgChristopher 126 S Third St, Albemarle, Ruben on chrg of Intimidating Property False Pretense DwayneM(W M, 20) on Arrest on (U /M/51) Arrest Witness on chrg (F), at 306 of Simple Assault, 05/19/2020.

(F), and 4) Civil Order For x Freeman, Michael Lee (W chrg of Possess Marijuana of Detainer (F), at 126 S (M), at 735 Nc 24-27 Freedom Dr, Albemarle, on Arrest - Child Support (M), /M/41) Arrest on chrg of 1) ♦ Hinson, Chanda Up To 1/2 Ounce (M), at Third Yvette St, Albemarle, NC, on Bypass E, Albemarle, on 05/16/2020. at Scj, on 5/22/2020 Financial Card Theft (F), 2) (BRd/ F, 42) Arrest on chrg of 825 Mountain Creek 4/13/2020 05/21/2020.

Financial (f) (F), Harassing Phone Calls (no ♦ Kendall, Jabrika DantaCard Fraud ♦ Sharpe, Anthony Franklin talbert Dr, Albemarle, on x Frick, Adam Houston (W and 3) Identity Theft (F), at Arrest on chrg ♦ Khan, Dalton Majeed Threat Made) (M), at 203 (B F, 21) Arrest on chrg of (W /M/38) 04/11/2020 Arrest onResisting chrg of Public Scj, on 4/7/2020 (W M, 23) Arrest on N Second St,/M/28) Albemarle, Officer of Felony Possession Sch Ii x Tompkins, Christopher 1) Misdemeanor Larceny chrg of Uttering Forged on 05/15/2020.

(M), at 781 Leonard Cs (F), at 621 N Haywood x Pennington, Lawrence (W M, (M) and 2) ObtainAv, Property InstrumentDwayne (F) at 1973 E 20) Arrest on Albemarle,Glenn on J (W /M/60) St, Oakboro, Arrest NC, on ♦ Watkins, Marcell Jaquan (F), chrg of Assault On Female False Pretense at 41 Main St, Albemarle, on 05/17/2020.

5/22/2020 on chrg of 1) Breaking And (BCreek M, 30) Arrest on Street, chrg ofBadin, NC, on (M) at 825 Mountain Willow 05/21/2020.

OrMelvin Entering (f) (F) and 2)Calvin Wayne (W Assaulton On Female (M), at ♦ Eury, Nicholas ♦ Brock, Rd/talbert Dr, Albemarle, 4/10/202 Larceny After Break/enter ♦ Blake, Keyoka Nachelle 126 S Third St, Albemarle, (W /M/28) Arrest on /M/55) Arrest on chrg of 04/11/2020 x Winley, Jamel Stephen (F),Criminal at Pennington Rd, onOf Motor Vehicle (W F, 42) Arrest on on 05/15/2020. chrg of L Domestic Larceny x Thompson, Shawn Lacy (B /M/30) Arrest on chrg 4/7/2020 chrg of Uttering Forged Trespass (M), at 30754 (f) (F), at 38191 Gold M,at60) Arrest on♦chrg Misdemeanor Larceny Nash, KristiofGriffin (W Instrument(B (F), 1105 Tom Rd, Albemarle, NC, on Hill Rd, Richfield, NC, on x Huneycutt, Richard of Misdemeanor (M), at 44717 Nc 85/25/2020 Hwy/ F, 47) Arrest on chrg of W Main St, Albemarle, on Larceny 5/22/2020 Stephen (W /M/65) Arrest (M), at 781 LeonardSimple Av, kerr Rd,at New Assault (M), 431London, NC, on 05/20/2020. on chrg of 1) Conspire B&e Albemarle, on 04/12/2020 4/10/2020 S Third St, Albemarle, on ♦ Mayers, Kelsey Gayle ♦ Parker, Jimmy Jaquavis Bldg-felony/larceny (F) and ♦ Morehouse, Erica 05/15/2020.

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Hilltop St, Stanfield, NC, onchrg 5/22/2020 /M/42) Arrest on of Dv NC, on 4/10/2020 431(W S Third on 5/24/2020Protection Order Violation x Smith, David Wayne M, St, Albemarle, ♦ Miller, Verbenia Darleen onAssault 05/15/2020. ♦ Bennett, Dillon Ryan 55) Arrest on chrg of x Dye, James Chase (W (M), at 141 Turner St, Perry (B F, 65) Arrest on ♦ Blair, Brandi Morgan (W (W /M/22) On Female (M), at 312 MartinJames /M/20) chrg of Norwood, NC, on 4/7/2020Arrest on ♦ Turner, DeanArrest (W on/F/24) chrg of Simple Worthless Arrest on chrg of 1) chrg of 1) Injury To Luther King Jr Dr, Albemarle, (M), at M, 58) ArrestAssault on chrgOn of Female x Pennington, Lawrence Check (M), on at 126 S Assault Wdw Government Personal Property (M), 04/12/2020 Assault On Female 8318 742 Oakboro, Oakboro, (M), at Glenn J (W /M/60) Cited onSch Ii Cs (F), Third St, Albemarle, on Official (F), 2) Injury To 2) Pwimsd NC, on 4/9/2020 431(W S Third x Hartsell, Debra Jean F, St, Albemarle, Charge Rev 05/20/2020.

Personal Property (M),of Dwlr Impaired 3) Pwimsd Sch Iv Cs (F), onPossess 05/15/2020.

28) Arrest on chrg of x Dye, Jeffery (W3) /M/22) (2001069), Simple Possess Sch at Pennington and 4) Possess Drug ♦ Kneller, Kimberly Heroin (F), at 199 Nc 24-27 ArrestLee on chrg of Simple Rd/mann Rd, Albemarle, on (M), at Vi Cs (m) (M), and 4) Paraphernalia ♦ Jernigan, Roger Michelle (WBypass F, 43) Arrest W, Albemarle, on Assault (M), at 8318 Nc While Impaired 4/7/2020 Driving 1225 Pee Dee Av/e Main J (W M, 41) Arrest on on chrg of Driving While 04/08/2020 Hwy 742, Oakboro, NC, on (M), at Nelson Mountain St, Albemarle, NC, on chrg of Driving While Impaired (M) at 1000 Fox 4/9/2020 Road, Albemarle, NC, on 5/22/2020 Impaired (M), at 126 N x Misenheimer, Laura Run Dr, Albemarle, on 5/23/2020 Fourth St, Albemarle, Evelyn (W F, 48) Arrested x James, on Thomas Owen (W 05/19/2020.

05/15/2020./M/44) Arrest on♦chrg on Citation of Dwlr Impaired of Dv Mccall, Lucas Matthew ♦ Thomas, Rose Marie Rev (20-01605), at 651 Nc Protection Order Violation, (W /M/32) Arrest on chrg ♦ Staton, Jean Hatley (W (W F, 39) Arrest 24-27on Bypass E/henson St, M (M), at 44145 Catfish of 1) Identity Theft (F), 2) F, 69) Arrest on chrg of chrg of Death By Albemarle, on 04/08/2020 Rd, New London, Fta NC,-on Release Order (M), Driving While Impaired Distribution (F), at 506 4/9/2020 and 3) Civil Order For (M),J at x Brooks, Michael Lee (W1649 E Main St/ Corbin St, Albemarle, on Arrest Child Support crowell on /M/36) Arrest on chrg of Av, Albemarle, x Rankin, Karena Quincanya 05/19/2020.

(M), at of 28285 Nc 73 05/16/2020.(B /F/21) Arrest on 1) Assault By Strangulation chrg Hwy/nelson Mountain ♦ Peek, Sandy Dekaye

See OBITUARIES, page 7

See OBITUARIES, page 7

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sometimes a disturbing tendency among people to treat those measures are understandable, they should also have an expira church some services can to keep our families, be open or closed,meltdown whether we oughtSome to we pursue Sweden style — a not Americans are notever. going to stay home f confident will — emerge outis of stronger supposed U.S. tax credits to companies whosimply willknow source at least halfdata of their 1986. experts believe that event, the Star Wars what theythe questioning and asking when we caninstart getting back This allthis newpandemic to Americans, andthan it is not normal.own Nottemp in an and many more ut still continue more liberalized society that presumes wide spread, or whether we they certainly will not do so on the bas ed we by should also In this same spirit, I continue to be inspired by stories of humanity production back in the States.

There is though approximately programor of are Reagan, led directly toshape, the dissolution ofwhile the Soviet Unionremain vigilant and stay s to do, lastUnited I to normal they are$120 conspiracy theorists people who or form. So we should don’t.as afterdown our own e while reasonable stay-at-home ought to lock further. neighbors helping neighbors. especially as statistics roll in that look e I wish billion worth checked. of American direct investment in plants and equipment in 1989. otherwise don’t care if they get themselves or others sick. the same time we shouldn’t get comfortable with this so-calle uld also have an expiration date.

We’ve seen case fatality rates — the number of deaths divided by estimates in terms of death and the up temporary In Concord, a high school senior named Tanner used his own celebratio in China. Chinese direct investmentSince in thewhen U.S. did is about $65 billion by Perhaps COVID-19 China’s Chernobyl. questioning government at all levels become aisbad normal.”

North State Journal for Wednesday, April 15, 2020 not normal. Not in any way, the number of identified COVID-19 cases — but both the numerator of economic damage.

We need transpa money to buy a 3-D printer and plastic to make face shields for necessary sacrifices areWednesday, comparison.

Senators inwere Washington are already about Stanly County living Journal May 27, 2020 thing? That is what free citizens in afor free society supposed Nottalking one little bit. the possibility ain vigilant and stay safe, at and in theChina denominator are likely wrong.

We don’tin know how many scientific — we need to know w health care workers out of his own home. through t An investment tax credit of 30% on half of U.S. investment of China forgiving $1.2 trillion debt we owe them as one way toexperts get over. to do, last I checked. able with this so-called “new people have actually died of coronavirus.

Some sources suggest the don’t and when they hope to know wha today, or $60 billion, applied to repatriated China to “pay”isfor damage have Matthews caused thehas US.also Don’t hold your My first American concern asmanufacturing we go along in all this, of course, mythe family.

I’m they Stacey written under the pseudonym Siste number has beenbreath overestimated, given that classification for cause We’re grown-ups, and we’re willing t investment to the U.S. would costworried the U.S.about Treasury $18 billion in waiting for a Chinese “Jubilee” to happen but ask your elected them catching the virus, and I’m worried I will. After and is a regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrecti of death, particularly among elderly patients, be variable.

Some financial they need to start tax revenue spread over a few years. $18 billion lost revenue hold Chinacan accountable in tangible ways for answering serious qu suffering fromin the H1N1 virusis(swine flu) representatives during the 2009topandemic, sources suggest the number is dramatically underestimated, since to the same lack of institutional faith to decimal dust compared to the $6 I’ve trillion+ Plan extra we areprecautions, now this disaster. been Marshall trying to take because all of this brings up r the pseudonym Sister Toldjah many people are dying at home. institutions seem undertaking to save our own economy, notmany of defeated enemies as in the It is about timenot they expected to operate as responsible citizens of deeply prone. way too memories of a painful experience I’d prefer to are repeat. e and Legal Insurrection.

Even more importantly, we have no clue how Americans past. theeasily worldmost like any other has modernmany nation.

But what also makes me lose sleep is how everyone actually have coronavirus.

Some scientists suggest that the number Ben Shapiro, 36, is a graduate of UCLA China has been cheating, stealing, pirating and pillaging American of identified cases could be an order of magnitude lower than the host of “The Ben Shapiro Show” and ed business now for the past 30 years. They have made no secret that they Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor number of people who have had coronavirus and not been tested. com. intend to replace the U.S. as the premier superpower in the world and replace the dollar as the reserve currency with their renminbi.

North State Journal for Wednesday, April 15, 2020 Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, April 15, 2020

A6

3

A north ST OPINION

VISUAL VOICES VOICES VISUAL

A rth ST TEment ’s okay to ask questions about when OPINION

TORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS

3

Jason

COLUMN | REP. RICHARD HUDSON

The e begin to get back to comfort normal and hope of Easter Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

“THIS IS THEfallen DAYinto the lord has made, let usthe rejoice and be of glad Inc. in Concord and New WITH MOST STATES under either shelter-in-place or stay-at-home place.

I understand seriousness the virus Hydromer and the need in it” (Psalm 118:24).

Salisbury are orders thanks to local or state governments, a majority of Americans to take precautions, but I’m uneasy with how people who simply ask switching their operation I know that during this challenging time of social distancing, Inback Fayetteville, a minister began a p are having to adjust to what is being called the “new normal.” questions about the data, and when things can start getting to working from home or losing a job, it may be difficult to “rejoice and seniors throughout Cumberland Count Some of these orders extend at least through the end of this month. normal are treated in some circles with contempt. be glad” as the Bible tells us to do.

However, as a Christian, husband These stories from throughout our r Virginia’s stay-at-home orders go into June.

They’re treated as though we as a society simply must accept without and dad, the Easter holiday has reminded me of just how much we hope, inspiration and supplies to peopl Here in North Carolina, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper stated during question what the government tells us about when it’s safe to begin the have to be thankful and hopeful for, even in the midst of this global workers on the front lines of the corona a recent coronavirus press briefing that “we just don’t know yet” if the process of returning back to normalcy.

Lenten and pandemic.

While people throughout our commu No. The government works for us, and we have the right to ask those when did state’s stay-at-home orders will extend into May. For me, my faith is an important part of my daily life and decision I am glad initiatives we have passed in Easter seasons If he does decide to extend it, questions should be asked as to the questions. And the longer stay-at-home orders are in place all over the ioning making.

As I celebrated Easter with my family, I reflected on 2 Protection Program, are supporting se justification for it. And the answers should notabe vague ones like “we country, and the stricter some of them get in states, such as Michigan, provide nment Corinthians 1:4, which reminds us our Lord “comforts us in all our helping small businesses keep people o must do this out of an abundance of caution.” the more people, sitting at home feeling isolated and/or anxious about message of affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any relief will soon reach families and work levels It will need to be explained in detailhope to the people of this state who when they can get back to providing for their families, will demand that we will affliction, with the comfort which we ourselves are comforted by continue working on common sense an are being told to remain jobless and at home for an undetermined answers. me a once again enjoy God.” we can defeat the coronavirus and keep amount of time why models predicting hundreds of thousands of cases Leaders at the local and state levels should be as forthcoming as they hing? sporting events, If you are celebrating the Easter season, I urge you to also whole. are reliable. can be with those answers — and again, not vague answers, but answer | BEN SHAPIRO is what COLUMN reflect and be comforted, that we may live out Until then, the Lenten and Easter se concerts, family To date, I’ve gone along with what the state has asked and thenon this message with details that give theirso statements believability.

God’s example and comfort all those in need around us during hope that we will once again enjoy spo itizens mandated that we do, but along the way I’ve also had questions about We should all continue to do what we can to keep our families, gatherings, this difficult time.

Through faith and by helping one another, I am gatherings, church services and many the data. State Republican leaders have, too. services ourselves, and our communities safe. But we should also still continue church in a free confident we will emerge out of this pandemic stronger than ever. own temporary Unfortunately, when certain types ofand questions get asked, there is to ask questions about the data, because while reasonable stay-at-home sacrifices for the greate many more ty were In this same spirit, I continue to be inspired they by stories humanity are over. sometimes a disturbing tendency among some people to treat those measures are understandable, shouldofalso have an expiration date. after our own osed neighbors helping neighbors.

I wish everyone celebrating Easter, a simply questioning the data and asking when we can start getting back This is all new to Americans, and it is not normal. Not in any way, temporary Some of the new proposals are directly from the Sanders campaign: IN NATIONAL POLLING, former vice president Joe Biden is the clear In Concord, a high school senior named Tanner used his own celebration and pray we can all continu last I to normal as though they are conspiracy theorists or are people who shape, or form. So while we should remain vigilant and stay safe, at forgiving student loans, a Green New Deal, expansion of government healthand remain 2020 front-runner. He’s upsacrifices nearly 5 points in the RealClearPolitics polling money to buy a 3-D printer and plastic to make face shields for necessary safety guidelines are sick. otherwise don’t care if they get themselves or others the same time we shouldn’t get comfortable with this so-called “new ked. care, home. a government jobs plan, a ban on stock buybacks and compulsion toward average; he’s up in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida andcare Arizona.

That’s health workers out of his own through this together.

Since whenbecause did questioning government at anti-Bernie all levels become a bad over.

Biden campaigned as the Sanders: a “return tonormal.” normalcy” profit sharing for corporations. Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama thing? That iscandidate what freerather citizens living in a free society were bit. explained over the weekend that the coronavirus has merely underscored than a transformational one.

His supposed entire pitch relied Not on one little to do, last I checked. deep-seated American racism that requires a complete remaking of our his high name recognition, the general perception of his likability and his society. disparate and incomesSister between black Americans unthreatening My first concern as we godemeanor. along in all this, of course, is my family. I’m Stacey Matthews has Equating also written underhealth the pseudonym Toldjah andcontributor white Americans due to COVID-19 the shooting of black Georgian The coronavirus pandemic merely underscored thisAfter pitch. Bidenand hasn’t worried about them catching the virus, and I’m worried I will. is a regular to RedState and Legal with Insurrection.

Ahmaud Arbery — and citing both as legacies of America’s historic racism — in thevirus national polling thethe pandemic — his lead has been utterly But dosuffering fromwaned the H1N1 (swine flu) since during 2009 pandemic, Obama stated, “No generation has been better positioned to be warriors for consistent.

That’s true even though Biden has been relegated to his basement, Americans reallytrying to take extra precautions, because all of this brings up I’ve been justice and remake the world.” gaffing through completely anodyne statements about COVID-19, glitching wayworld too many memories painful experience d prefer not to repeat.by the birds want the COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO But do Americans really want the world remade? Or are they simply longing his way to a of fewa thousand viewers at aI’time, being interrupted makes me lose is how easily most everyone has for the world of four months ago, when unemployment stood at 3.5%, when honking outside hissleep window. remade?But what also

ES

VISUAL VOICES

How Biden could be handing Trump his reelection

l pay for this COVID-19 catastrophe The 3 big questions nobody is answering

incomes were rising at the lowest end of the income scale, when Americans How can a major party candidate win if nobody cares whether he’s even could attend events without fear of infection and death? Are Americans truly alive? Because Biden’s candidacy isn’t a referendum on Biden but on Trump: desperate for a reshaping of our medical system, a universal basic income and President Donald Trump The is widely perceived as volatile, unstable, chaotic.

AIN; after this COVID-19 virus dissipates cavalier manner in which China lied about the origin of the trillions more in debt? is this perceived as somnambulant.

Better aspread sleepwalker, manytovoters seem he United States, China will Biden pay for virus, covered up its and tried tell the world there were only Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, April 15, 2020 Biden seems to be betting on the latter. And that’s idiocy of the highest to think, than the rolling chaos of a second Trump term. r Wednesday, April 15, 2020 nother.

3,341 related deaths has led to worldwide panic, economic collapse and order.

It completely undermines hisrate entire case for the Yet somehow, the Biden campaign has decided to abandon Biden’s greatest That THIS WEEK, according to members of the federal government, would mean that the fatality is actually far nomination; lower than it allows s caused by China in perspective, zero his promisemillions of Americans needlessly being thrown out of work.

Trump to place the new radical agenda front and center, rather than his own advantage: of a sedated interregnum.

Instead, according to The and state and local governments, Americans have begun to flatten suggested, even if the transmission rate is high. n trace their source to the United States over The crisiswill hasembrace cost theradical U.S. taxpayer at “With least $2.4 trillion inBiden’s added foibles. go-for-broke strategy is a massive opportunity for Trump — if New York Times, Biden’s campaign proposals.

Mr. curve novel coronavirus outbreak. The excitement was Secondly, what are we expecting in terms of a second wave? ast four in the 20th centurythe alone canin bethe plusintrillions in Federal Reserve backup liquidity the Trumpto doesn’t blow it.

Biden leading Presidentdebt Trump the polls,more the former vice president and — after trends can easily reverse — but real. Americans The model simply cuts off in early August. It does not 1957 “Asian flu,” 1968 “Hongmuted KongDemocratic flu,” 1977all, markets andto financial If the U.S. dollarthat were notinstitute’s the reserve other leaders are racing assembleoutlets. a new governing agenda have abided by recommendations and orders.

They’ve left their jobs predict how many people will die in a second wave. This is the host of “The Ben Shapiro, 36, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, meets thethat extraordinary times — we andwould they agree it must bolder 2 SARS outbreak. There is evidence the currency, not be able be to far fund any than of these emergency to stay at home; they’ve practiced social distancing; in many places, most important problem because experts maintain that the virus is Ben Shapiro Show” and editor-in-chief of DailyWire.com. anything the party establishment has embraced before,” The Times reported. ” pandemic also had its origins in China. measures without immediate fear of rampant inflation and currency

3

OPINION TATEment

they’ve donned masks. seasonal, which means we are likely to see more serious spreading nt, outside China, that COVID-19 depreciation.

Weof need The result: a reduction in expected hospitalization and death. in the through fall. And that means we will be faced with either renewed vince probably from the completely China has to pay for their aberrant ways and decisions In this Jan. transparency According to the University of Washington Institute for Health lockdowns for large swaths of the population, with wide-scale Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor ary wet markets. Some believe it came out of a economic and financial means. Diplomacy has obviously not worked 14, 2020, Metricseditor and Evaluation model most oft cited by members of the testing andhygiene contact tracing, or with the realization that we will have and Chinese honesty rcommunist | Frank Hill, senior army.opinion to bring China into the civilized world of 21st century health, file photo Trump administration, the expected need for hospital beds at to isolate those who are most vulnerable and let everyone else work. from our Democratic rous verifiable policing and regulation of and fair trade. Totalitarian communist regimes never take the blame peakhas outbreak was revised down by over 120,000, the number of raises the third question: What exactly can we do? presidential Are th protocols, American business no other or express sincere regret and remorse, because that is Which not what scientific experts ventilators by nearly 13,000 and the number of overall deaths by we capable of rolling out tens of millions of tests over the next few candidate ndant manufacturing elsewhere purely totalitarian governments do. They take advantage of every weakness — we need to plantsAugust Sen. by nearly 12,000. months — and compelling people to take tests regularly, since theElizabeth safety reasons as well as supply and delivery they find in adversaries and keep pushing until they win or the know what they Warren, Here’s the problem: We still don’t know the answers to the key virus is transmittable while carriers are asymptomatic? Can we adversaries push back. and know, what they questions that will allow the economy to reopen. a contact tracing system for 330 million Americans —D-Mass., and make China “pay” for this disaster is to offer That is, unless an exogenous event happens such create as the Chernobyl Sen. Bernie First, what is the true coronavirus fatality rate? This question is to submit ourselves to one? and when nies whodon’t will source at least half of their meltdown in 1986. Some experts believe that event,are notwe thewilling Star Wars Sanders, important because it determines whether certain areas ought to One thing is certain: Things cannot continue as they have I-Vt., been.raise they hope to nited States. There is approximately $120 program of Reagan, led directly to the dissolution of the Soviet Union be open or closed, whether we ought to pursue — Sweden style — a Americans are not going to stay home for months on end, and their hands n direct investment plants and equipment in 1989. know what in they more liberalized society that presumes wide spread, or whether we they certainly will not do so on the basis of ever-evolving models, to answer a nvestment in the U.S. is about $65 billion by Perhaps COVID-19 is China’s Chernobyl. don’t. question as ought to lock down further. especially as statistics roll in that look like the lower-end model Senators in Washington are already talking about the possibility Joe Biden We’ve in seen case fatality rates — the number of deaths divided by into terms it of 30% on half of U.S. investment China of China forgiving $1.2 trillion in debt we owe themestimates as one way get of death and the upper-end estimates in terms pauses number of identified COVID-19 cases — but both the numerator of economic damage. We need transparency and honesty from our during ied to repatriated Americanthe manufacturing China to “pay” for the damage they have caused the US. Don’t hold your a Democratic andbillion the denominator are likely wrong. We don’t know how many uld cost the U.S. Treasury $18 in breath waiting for a Chinese “Jubilee” to happen butscientific ask yourexperts elected — we need to know what they know, what they presidential people have actually died of coronavirus.

Some sources suggest the don’t and when primary few years. $18 billion in lost revenue is representatives to hold China accountable in tangible financial waysthey for hope to know what they don’t. number has been overestimated, given that classification for cause We’re grown-ups, and we’re willing to follow their advice. debate But o the $6 trillion+ Marshall Plan we are now this disaster. of death, particularly among elderly patients, can be variable.

Some they need to start answering serious questions, or they will fall preyby hosted wn economy, not of defeated enemies as in the It is about time they are expected to operate as responsible citizens of CNN and the sources suggest the number is dramatically underestimated, since to the same lack of institutional faith to which all other American the world like any other modern nation.

Des Moines many American people are dying at home. institutions seem deeply prone. g, stealing, pirating and pillaging Register in Even more importantly, we have no clue how many Americans 30 years. They have made no secret that they Des Moines, actually haveand coronavirus. Some scientists suggest that the number Ben Shapiro, 36, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, as the premier superpower in the world Iowa. of identified cases could be an order of magnitude lower than the host of “The Ben Shapiro Show” and editor-in-chief of DailyWire. eserve currency with their renminbi. number of people who have had coronavirus and not been tested. com.

L VOICES

PATRICK SEMANSKY | AP PHOTO

WS COLUMN | REP. RICHARD HUDSON

questions about when America, start your engines! What Memorial Day’s tbig to normal The comfort andinhope of Easter sback COVID-19 NASCAR event means questionscatastrophe nobody isCharlotte answering

COLUMN | REP. RICHARD HUDSON N SHAPIRO

under either shelter-in-place or stay-at-home fallen into place. I understand the seriousness of the virus and the need issipates cavalierofmanner in which China about the origin the with how people who simply ask tate governments,The a majority Americans to takelied precautions, but I’mofuneasy THIS WEEK, virus, according to members ofTHE the federal government, That would mean that the fatality rate is actually far lower thanNew “THIS IS DAY the lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad Hydromer and Brewing Co. in community again a great symbol that Sarum our economy can start to roar again as WHEN YOU THINK about iconic places throughout our region, the or this covered up its spread and tried to tell the world there were only hat is being called the “new normal.” questions about the data, and when things can start getting backInc. to inisConcord nd state and local governments, Americans have begun to flatten suggested, even if the transmission rate is high. well. are switching their operations to make hand sanitizer.

Charlotte Motor Speedway is always near the top ofcollapse the list. Lately, track Salisbury in it” (Psalm 118:24).

3,341 related deaths has led to worldwide panic, economic and tend at least through the end of this month. normal are treated in some circles with contempt.

Not only is the 600 a great sign thattoour state and country hasI been leading the way, butchallenging not inwas theout manner you’re probably thinking he curve in the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The excitement Secondly, what are weof. expecting in terms of aCoca-Cola second wave? know that during this time of social distancing, In accept Fayetteville, minister began a program deliver groceries toare zero millions of Americans needlessly being thrown of work. ders go into June.

They’re treated as though we as a society simply must without starting to reopen, but it remains an important tribute to Memorial Day and In March, our region’s own Charlotte Motor Speedway became the first muted — after all, trends can easily reverse — but real.

Americans The institute’s model simply cuts off in early August.

It does not working from home or losing awhat job, it may be difficult to us “rejoice seniors throughout County.

States over Gov.The has cost the U.S. taxpayer at least $2.4 in added , Democratic Roycrisis Cooper stated during question the government tells aboutand when it’s safemen to begin the Cumberland our and women inThis uniform who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our professional sports venue inleft the country to trillion be converted into a COVID-19 ave abided by recommendations and orders.

They’ve their jobs predict how many people will die in a second wave. is the be glad” asifin the Bible process tells us to do.

However, asto a Christian, husband These stories from throughout our region continue to provide es can be that “we debt plus trillions Federal Reserve liquidity to the briefing just don’t know yet” the ofbackup returning back normalcy. freedoms. testingmore center.

Partnering with Atrium Health, a mobile test site was stay 1977 at home; they’ve practiced social distancing; in many places, most important problem because experts maintain that the to virus is in need and dad, the Easter holiday has reminded me of just how much we hope, inspiration and supplies people andfarour health care I gosflu,” markets and financial outlets.

If the U.S. dollar were not the reserve As Fort congressman, this thought is never from my mind. established at the zMAX No. Dragway that has sinceworks servedfor many inhave our the right will extend into May. The government us,people and we to askBragg’s those hey’ve donned masks. seasonal, which means we are likely to see more serious spreading have to be thankful and hopeful for, even in the midst of this global workers on the front lines of the coronavirus response. ce that the currency, we would not be able to fund any of these emergency continue to be humbled and grateful to represent those who serve our country, community.

Last week, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar end it, questions should be asked as to the questions. And the longer stay-at-home orders are in place all over the The result: a reduction in expected hospitalization and death. in the fall.

And that means we will be faced with either renewed Lenten and pandemic.

While people throughout our communities continue to step up, both in and out of uniform.

This Memorial Day, I want to remember and honor came to Concord to tour Atrium’s testing site and discuss how the Trump China. measures without immediate fear of rampant inflation and currency The Coca-Cola e answers should not be vague ones like “we country, and the stricter some of them get in states, such as Michigan, ccordingEaster to theseasons University ofadministration Washington Institute for Health lockdowns forand large swaths withwe wide-scale notpopulation, only initiatives our servicemembers who diedinwhile servinglike in the military, but also is working to get neededpart resources todaily our state.

I was happy toofI the For me, my faith is an important of my life decision am glad have passed Congress, the Paycheck -19 depreciation. undance of caution.” the more people, sitting at home feeling isolated and/or anxious about 600 remains anmodeljoin our military families.are I know will never be able to repay their Sec.for Azar Thursday and discuss how we’re working with the or Metrics and Evaluation most oft cited by members of the testing andtogether contact with the realization that wewe will have making.

As Ion celebrated Easter with myback family, I reflected ontheir 2tracing, Protection Program, supporting self-employed people andsacrifice or y in detail China has to pay their aberrant ways decisions through provide a ned to the people of this state who when theyand can get to providing for families, will demand important tribute comfort those who have lost a spouse, son, daughter, sibling or parent while administration and the governor’s office to get testing, PPE and other resources rump administration, the expected need for hospital beds at to isolate those who are most vulnerable and let everyone else work.

Corinthiansmeans.

1:4, which reminds usobviously our Lordnot “comforts helping small businesses keep people on the payroll, while direct ame out of a home economic and Diplomacy has workedus in all our obless and an undetermined answers. message offor serving ourexactly country.can However, we can do everything in our power to honor to financial folks in need. to at Memorial Day eak outbreak was revised down by over 120,000, the number of Which raises the third question: What we do?

Are affliction, that weworld may be able to comfort those who are should in any be as forthcoming relief will soon reach families and workers. Please know that I’ll to we bring China intopartnership the civilized of 21st hygiene els predicting hundreds thousands ofso cases atcentury the local and state levels as they and provide the support and resources that our military and The at the Leaders zMAX Dragway is ahealth, great example of how people and their memory hope that willof entilators byour nearly and the number of overall deaths by we capable of rolling out tens of millions of tests the next fewand targeted solutions so that men13,000 and affliction, with the comfort which we ourselves are comforted by continue working onover common sense ation of and and fair trade.

Totalitarian communist regimes never take the blame veterans deserve. industries have come together in thisthose challenging time.

While testing continues can be with answers — and again, not vague answers, but answer once again enjoy ugust by nearly 12,000. months — and compelling people to take tests regularly, since the God.” the coronavirus keep people and businesseslike Sunday’s women in uniform has nowhat other or express sincere regret remorse, because thatgive is not what So defeat as our community beginsand to see positive signs of reopening, at the thisand weekend, Charlotte Motor Speedway is giving us another with the state has asked andsite, then with details that their statements believability. we can Here’s the problem: We still don’t know the answers to the key virus is transmittable while carriers are asymptomatic?

Can we sporting events, If you are celebrating the Easter season, I urge you to also whole.

Coca-Cola 600, I hope we all take time to reflect on the meaning of Memorial reason to celebrate: NASCAR is back! where purely totalitarian governments do.

They take advantage of every weakness who made along the way I’ve the also had questions about We should all continue to do what we can to keep our families, uestions that will allow the economy tothis reopen. create awe contact tracing system for million Americans —isand Day330 asthen, well.

While our country facing a difficult time, aAmerica is still Sunday’s 61st annual NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 marks another milestone as reflect on message and be comforted, so that may live out Until the Lenten and Easter seasons provide message of the concerts, family nd delivery they find in adversaries and keep pushing until they win or the n leadersultimate have, too. ourselves, and our communities safe. But we should also still continue sacrifice greatest nation on Earth because of sporting the serviceevents, and sacrifice of sofamily many in the first professional sports event in ourisstate since the willing COVID-19 pandemic First, what is the true coronavirus fatality rate?

This question are we to submit ourselves to one?

God’s example and comfort all those in need around us during hope that we will once again enjoy concerts, adversaries push back. gatherings, rtain types of questions get asked, there is to ask questions about the data, because while reasonable stay-at-home tobecause defend our uniform.

I’ll continue to work every daymore to protect public health and get our began. mportant it determines whether certain areas ought to One thing is certain: cannot continue as they have been. this difficult time.

Through faith and by helping one another, I also amThings gatherings, church services and many celebrations after our rndency is to offer That is, unless an exogenous event happens such asand the drivers Chernobyl among some people to treat those measures are understandable, they should have an expiration date. church services great country reopened so that, like the drivers on Sunday, hopefully soon we’ll While fans are still not permitted at races and crews must freedoms. e open or closed, whether we ought to pursue — Sweden style — a Americans are not going to stay home for months on end, and confident weexperts will emerge outis of pandemic stronger ever.normal.own temporary sacrifices for the greater good of the country and oftatheir meltdown 1986.

Some believe that event, the Star Wars and asking when we caninstart getting This allthis new tonot Americans, andthan it is not Not in any all hear theway, command — America, start your engines! practice socialback distancing, the sound of engines roaring throughout our and many more more liberalized society that presumes wide spread, or whether we they certainly will not do so on the basisare of over. ever-evolving models, In this same spirit, I continue to be inspired by stories of humanity ly $120 program of Reagan, led directly to the dissolution of the Soviet Union are conspiracy theorists or are people who shape, or form. So while we should remain vigilant and stay safe, at afterdown our own ught to lock further. neighbors helping neighbors. especially as statistics roll in that look everyone like the lower-end model I wish equipment y get themselvesinor1989. others sick. the same time we shouldn’t get comfortable with this so-called “new celebrating Easter, as well as Passover, a joyous We’ve seen case fatality rates — the number of deaths divided by estimates in terms of death and the upper-end estimates temporary In Concord, a high school senior named Tanner used his own celebration and pray we can in allterms continue to keep faith, practice 5 billion by Perhaps COVID-19 China’s Chernobyl. ning government at all levels become aisbad normal.” atenumber Journal for Wednesday, April 15, 2020 he of identified COVID-19 cases — but both the numerator of economic damage.

We need transparency and honesty from our confident that we will get money to buy a 3-D printer and plastic to make face shields for necessary safety guidelines and remain sacrifices are Senators in Washington are already talking about the possibility itizens living in a free society were supposed Not one little bit. nd the denominator are likely wrong.

We don’t know how many scientific experts — we need to know what they know, what they health care workers out of his own home. through this together.

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, May 27, 2020

4

SPORTS SIDELINE REPORT AUTO RACING

Larson gets first win since losing Cup Series ride Pevley, Mo. Fired NASCAR star Kyle Larson won the World of Outlaws race Saturday night in Pevley, Missouri, a day after finishing second behind brotherin-law Brad Sweet in the first Sprint Cup event with live fans in the dirt series’ return from a coronavirus pandemic suspension.

Larson edged Brent Marks by 0.794 seconds in the race at Federated Auto Parts I-55 Raceway. Larson has returned to dirt racing after losing his NASCAR Cup ride with Chip Ganassi Racing for using a racial slur during an online race.

He earned $20,000 for his ninth career series victory.

MLB

Colón, 47, still hoping to pitch again in majors New York Bartolo Colón refuses to entertain the idea of retirement. It doesn’t matter that he didn’t pitch in 2019 and that on Sunday he turned 47. He craves one more shot in the majors. His goal? Pitch 46 more innings to move past Hall of Famer Juan Marichal for the most by a Dominican pitcher. In his last big league season, with the Texas Rangers in 2018, Colón managed to reach 3,461 2/3 innings. He is 247-188 in 565 games — 552 as a starter since his debut with Cleveland in 1997. Marichal managed to pitch 3,507 innings in 471 games over 16 years.

FOOTBALL

Florida prep coach suspended for alleged pandemic practices Miami The coach of one of Florida’s top high school football programs has been suspended, and an investigation has been launched into whether the team that has won state championships in each of the past three seasons broke policies by practicing during the pandemic. Miami Northwestern High coach Max Edwards has been suspended, pending the result of the investigation, the school district told The Miami Herald. New Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater played at the school prior to Edwards’ arrival in 2014.

GERRY BROOME | AP PHOTO

Military jets fly over Charlotte Motor Speedway — and its empty grandstands — before the start of the Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600.

Fans turn out for closed-to-public Coca-Cola 600 Normally bustling with activity, Charlotte Motor Speedway was mostly serene even though some fans made the trek for Sunday’s race

By Steve Reed The Associated Press CONCORD — Chris “Pops” Bowyer sat in a lawn chair wearing a plain white T-shirt and drinking a beer alongside wife Jana and their friends outside of their motorhome a few hundred yards from Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Bowyer knew he wasn’t getting into the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday to see his Cup driver son Clint race, but decided to make the trek from Kansas to be close to the action.

“Well, we’re here,” said Bowyer, while dog Hank laid on the grass near his feet. “The kid is racing, so we’re here.”

Added Clint’s mother: “We don’t like it. We’d like to be in there where we could watch, but we can’t.”

Florida baseball team lists stadium on AirBnB for $1,500 Pensacola, Fla. A Florida minor league team is selling people the “ultimate baseball experience” by putting their oceanview stadium up for rent on AirBnB for $1,500 a night. The Pensacola Blue Wahoos says guests will have access to the clubhouse, a large bedroom, the batting cage and the field. Although the listing had no reviews, the stadium has been fully booked through July. The team said on a Facebook post that it was waiting to hear more on the schedule for the 2020 season from league officials before opening more dates for vacation rentals between July and October.

“We’re here to support him.

This is a dangerous sport, and things happen.”

Chris Bowyer, Cup Series driver Clint Bowyer’s father country,” Little said.

Like many around the country, Little has taken a financial hit due to fans being shut out of sports, but the third-generation owner of the campground said, “Honestly, I feel just terrible for the race fans.”

If you didn’t know better, you’d never know one of NASCAR’s most popular races was in town.

Considered the series’ “crown jewel race,” CMS has attracted more than 100,000 fans to the event which began in 1960. But on Sunday it was eerily quiet, resembling a ghost town rather than the epicenter of the NASCAR world.

Bruton Smith Boulevard, which is normally bustling with cars on race day, was virtually empty ex-

cept for an occasional passing car or truck.

“Usually we would be packed out with NASCAR fans,” said Mindy Segovia, the general manager of Iron Thunder Saloon, about a mile from the track. “I figured that fans would go the racetrack and hang out outside of the track, but they are not allowing that either.

So we’re losing a lot of money.”

Mike Dishong wasn’t planning on making the trip to Solomons Island, Maryland, after learning fans wouldn’t be allowed to attend the race.

But when his 7-year-old grandson Carson, who lives a few miles from the track, pleaded with his grandparents on FaceTime last week to come down to Charlotte anyway and watch the race on TV and listen to the roar of the engines from Little’s campground, he and his wife, Peggy, couldn’t refuse.

“That’s what racing is about — family, friends and being together,” Dishong said. “It brought us together even though we’re not going to be inside the track. We’re having fun.”

Zion’s lawyers doubt marketing firm’s contract The former Duke star is being sued for breach of contract The Associated Press

BASEBALL

Jana Bowyer certainly isn’t alone in those feelings. But due to the coronavirus pandemic, NASCAR isn’t allowing spectators into its races until further notice.

The only people to see the race were those working it and those who live in the turn one condominiums at the track.

But the Bowyers came anyway, taking up temporary residence in Jerome Little’s Route 29 Pavilion RV campground and entertainment center located just across the street from the speedway.

Because the campground property isn’t owned by CMS, Little was allowed to host those in motorhomes while still encouraging social distancing.

In a normal year he hosts approximately 175 motorhomes and two acres of cars on his property. On Sunday there were only a handful of media members’ cars in the lot, but there were still 33 motorhomes on his properties, with race fans traveling from as far away as New York, Texas and Maine.

“These fans are dedicated, and they’ve come from all over the

WINSTON-SALEM — Lawyers for New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson want a federal judge in North Carolina to rule that a marketing firm suing Williamson for $100 million never had a valid contract with the former Duke star.

Prime Sports Marketing and its president, Gina Ford, sought breach-of-contract damages from Williamson and his current representatives at Creative Artists Agency after the player pulled out of an agreement with Prime Sports before he became the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

The motion filed by Williamson attorney John Wester in U.S. District Court in Winston-Salem last week centers on North Carolina’s Uniform Athlete Agent Act. The law is meant to shield amateur athletes from agents trying to take advantage of their lack of experience with acquiring professional representation.

It requires agents to be registered in the state. It also requires contracts to contain a warning that athletes are forfeiting amateur eligibility, as well as language

stipulating that athletes have 14 days to cancel the agreement.

Wester argued in a memorandum in support of his motion that Prime Sports’ contract with Williamson contained none of that required language, which is supposed to be “prominent, all-caps, and bold.”

Wester also asserts that Ford, who was Prime Sports’ primary contact with Williams and his family, was not registered in North Carolina.

“These statutes recognize the vulnerability of young student-athletes and attempt to aid their transition to professional sports by preventing manipulative, underhanded behavior from athlete agents who prey on student-athletes’ youth, and the athletes’ and their families’ inexperience in the industry,” Wester wrote.

Ford’s attorneys this month filed documents alleging Williamson “engaged in conduct that rendered … him ineligible to be or remain a student-athlete” before Williamson had met Ford to discuss endorsement deals. In theory, the claim would render arguments about the Uniform Athlete Agent Act moot, although no evidence has been offered yet to back it up.

Wester counters that the fact Williamson was deemed eligible to play for Duke and was “one of

MATTHEW HINTON | AP PHOTO

A marketing agent who has sued Zion Williamson wants the former Duke star to answer questions about whether he received improper benefits before playing his lone season with the Blue Devils. the most prominent student-athletes in the country in recent years,” means Williamson met the description of an amateur athlete when he was negotiating with Ford.

“It is undisputed that Mr. Williamson played basketball for Duke during the entire 2018-2019 basketball season,” Wester asserted.

The legal maneuvering between Williamson and Ford has been taking place in two federal jurisdictions.

Williamson sued in North Carolina last June to void the contract. Ford and Prime Sports responded by suing in federal court in Florida for damages related to breach of contract by Williamson and tampering by his CAA agents.

In Florida this month, Ford’s lawyer submitted a list of questions that include asking whether Williamson or anyone on his be-

half had sought or accepted “money, benefits, favors or other things of value” to sign with Duke.

The filings — which offer no evidence of wrongdoing by Williamson or his family — sought answers within 30 days to establish facts under oath in the pretrial discovery process.

The questions reference Williamson’s mother and stepfather as well as Nike — which outfits the Blue Devils team — and Adidas.

The questions include whether he received any improper benefits from an agent between January 2014 and his April 2019 announcement that he would go pro.

Duke spokesman Michael Schoenfeld has declined to comment on the filings since the school is not a party to either lawsuit. Schoenfeld also referred to a previous statement that the school has reviewed Williamson’s eligibility and found no concerns.

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, May 27, 2020 Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, April 15, 2020

55

Last Dance’ WNBA‘The teams set to talks project makedirector tough decisions on Jordan’s on roster cuts Bulls Thepandemic 10-part documentary The coronavirus of theirs makes most sense to will air overfor five Sundays has made it impossible round out our roster,” Miller said. teams to evaluate players Teams usually have to cut in-person

By Tim Reynolds their rosters to get under the salThe Associated Press ary cap before the regular season

begins, which would have been JASON HEHIR was a kid14. in the in poston May Thestands WNBA

By Doug Feinberg Boston Garden on April 20, 1986, the day that poned the start of the season in The Associated Press Michael Jordan scored a playoff-record 63 coroearly April because of the points.

NEW YORK — New York navirus pandemic and is still foIt was a Christmas gift from father,ofwho on ahis handful scenariLiberty general manager Jon- cusing stuck a note promising “Two tickets to the it toAir play this athan Kolb knew that he and os that would allow in hisyear. stocking that holiday seafirst-year coachJordan Walt Show” Hopkins It’s a gift Hehir will never forTeams typically would have toson. make get, though his current seatwould for be able to evalsome tough decisions is players by their uate on the team’s another roster Jordan show of sorts considerably better. on-the-court actions. this year. we of the “I wouldn’t Hehir “We is thewish director Now it’s more based He just didn’t think call it a ESPN Netflixkeep production “The on how quickly they they’d have to do it soandcould challenge.

Last Dance,” a 10-partor documenpick things up Ion quickly and without everybody tary series that debuts April 19 and Zoom conference seeing players comwould callcalls it have the story of some Jordan’s final Chior howawell they unpete in trainingtells camp. privilege.” cagothe Bullscontingencies season in 1997-98 that derstand plays online.

The WNBA and culminated in a sixth NBA title.

“The league office players’ union decid- in place.” of Jason didn’t foreseeHehir, a paned that teams Hehir’s would task: Take 10,000 hours archived demic,”director Kolb said in have to get their ros- footage, add interviews of “The moreJonathan than 100 people, aandphone interview.

Kolb, ters PHOTO under the with salary KEVIN L. DORSEY | NC A&T ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS JOHN RAOUX | AP PHOTO it into about 8½ hours of teleLast Dance” cap by Tuesday turn so that New York Liberty “They are doing the vision.

North Carolina A&T receiver Elijah Bell, pictured in 2017 against North Carolina Central, is among the HBCU draft best they can do. It players could start The NBA is eyeing Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, as the site for general “I wouldn’t callmanager it a challenge,” hopefuls who was affected by the canceled events due to the coronavirus pandemic. doesn’t take away getting paid on June 1. the league’s return. from how difficult this It’s left manyHehir teamssaid. “I would call it a privilege.”

The series was moved up two months to prowas for us.

We wish with tough decisions videcut content-starved fans with something new could keep everybody or have on who they will and little we watch during the coronavirus pandemic. some contingencies in place.” time to figure itto out.

ESPNpart wasoforiginally planning to release the rookThe Liberty have six “It is the worst this documentary in June, coinciding with what job,” Kolb said in a phone inter- ies on the roster, including No. have been NBA Finals. draft pick Sabrina Ionescu and view. “These arewould dreams that arethis1 season’s will you’re run over Sundays May 17,Odom 15th overallending pick Leaonna suddenly altered Itand a five withThese two one-hour each week. from Duke.

They also have five large part of that. are hu- broadcasts “I’m happy if we can bring a little bit of light to has which man beings, not just basketball international players, people in a dark timemade here,”life Hehir said.more “Sports a little difficult players.”

The coronavirus pandemic Central defensive linemanConnecticut Dariare an indelible part of our fabric can’t compete.”

The league and players Kolb andcultural Hopkins than for Sunsuch coach and for The ESPN Wide World of us Royster, the Mid-Eastern Athhas made it even harder and lacking that ... there’s a significant hole inof the But that opportunity never some other teams because general manager Curt MillSports Complex is a 255-acre are pondering a return “Just letic Conference offensive and enjoyment that people feel, the escape that peocame. for under-the-radar players er had set up his training camp logistics involving travel. campus with multiple arenas that “Places are opening up. in late July year, recan feelbattles from everyday that sports brings South Carolina State’s pro defensive players of theroster because we to make an impression ongames simultaneous“It’slife definitely impacting us so a fewple position could host notbeforget COVID isn’t spectively. us.”the final spots the most,” he said. “We have the day and the HBCULet’s combine would determine ly and has been home to, among teams are from “Does extra exposure help? accelerated has only added to a and partWorld of a growing list of magically less contagious most international players on the team. NowThe he’ll have to launch other things, the came Jr. NBA

By Tim Reynolds Yes, it does.

But once it’s taken hectic time for Hehir and his team. events canceled because of the smaller with so much uncertainty and make choices a different way.

Championship in recent years. now.”

The Associated Press to get about the coronavirus pandemic. While away it limits certain guys“Ultimately

By Kyle Hightower lack anticipation of answers at the moment, weThere havehas to been de- much ESPN, one of the NBA’s broadschools their film out there,” said Mordocumentary, which in Hehir’s mind came small school and borderline draft The Associated Press have to cide, because we can’t do it all it puts us in a position totoTHE NBA is in talks with The cast partners, is primarily owned doesn’t gan State coach Tyrone Wheat- what gether faster than a project usually prospects from across the counMalcolm Miller, Toronto Raptors makesuch decisions.” together, skill setmuch strength Walt Disney Company on a sin- by Disney. does. try willitsbeseason hurt by a lack of sim- ley, a first-round pick by the New Burroughs mean scenario forDE’MONTREZ The NBA suspended gle-site a resumpYork Giants in 1995.

“It limits the “Normally, to do an hourlong archival docilar events, HBCU players may looked at it as his best shot to action of play in Central Florida in March 11, becoming the first of we can’t pro from actually seeing umentary from start to finish, it takes about hit hardest withoutCentral them and complish NFL the dream.

Florida hasscouts been known U.S. major probe leagues to do so late July, the clearest sign yethis that guys to look a year from the inception of the idea to the rethe that Regional InvitaThe South State compete.” as a viable optionthese to host an one-on-one, NBA after it was serevealed All-StarCombine the league believes the season canCarolina at them and physically place eyes search to doing all the shooting to getting it all tional that HBCU players in renior receiver had the dates circontinue amid the coronavirus center Rudy Gobert of the Utah restart since at least mid-April, onsuch them.

To get some of the questogether, storyboarding it out, mapping it out, years had previously usedcities to — cled on his calendar.

First, positive the cent and other as Las VeJazz tested for COVID-19. pandemic.

De’Montrez tions answered up close and perediting, getting notes back, it takes about a boost their draft stock.

Bulldogs’ annual pro day on The National Basketball Play- The list of NBA players who were gas, which also has a longstanding sonal.” year,” Hehir said. “We’re doing 10 of those. And “When you’re coming out of an March 19, followed a week latBurroughs, relationship with the NBA — were known to test positive eventually ers Association is also part of the Aside from getting a chance to we had a little bit over two years to do it so we’re HBCU, you know that the teams er by the first-ever NFL combine Southwith Carolina talks Disney, the league said grew to 10 — not all were identi- known to be considered as well. run the 40-yard dash and comalready working at five times our normal rate.” are going to be looking at Divievent held for draft prospects Teams have been allowed to Saturday.

Games would be held at fied — and Commissioner Adam State receiver other and agility The pandemic further complicates matters. sion that I talent first,”welcome said Kansas from Historically Black said Colleges playersplete back to strength their last month the acthe ESPN Wide World of Sports Silver drills in front of scouts from the Hehir and his team are finishing things up while City Chiefs defensive back Alex and Universities who didn’t retraining facilities for voluntary Complex, a massive campus on tual total was even higher.

NFL’s 32 franchises, players were separated, connecting through Zoom meetings Brown, a SC State alum.

“With ceive invitations to the national But the league has been work- sessions since May 8, and more the Disney property near Orlangoing tofranchisget the chance to interbut largely in isolation at their own laptops to HBCU combine, dif-the league’s combine in Indianapolis. thanthat’s half of ing on countlessthis return-to-play do. view with team executives on the get the last pieces of the story ready to air. ferent.weeks, I wish all we had that when left Bass for spring break for the several es have taken advantage of that scenarios NBA spokesman He Mike first day of the HBCU combine The documentary goes deeper than just 1997I was coming out.

It was gonna week before his pro day with evopportunity. with the caveat that testing would said the conversations were still event.

98, though that season is the overriding theme. be a chance to have all the teams erything ready to go.

He had film The next steps along a return“exploratory” and that the Disney be an integral part of any resumpTeams are still conducting inIt also serves as a retrospective of Jordan’s baslooking at those guys.” packages to distribute to scouts. to-play path would likely include site would be used for practices tion of the season. terviews by phone ketball life, from his college days at North CaroOnlywhere four HBCU were He was also thinkingItabout whatunknown loosening of the restrictions for and video conremains the a players and housing as well. those are capped lina through his rise atop the NBA. selectedofinsecurthe 2019those draftvoluntary with a ferencing, he would to saybein interviews workouts but — no NBA is inwith the process “Our priority continues at three per week, said agent AuHehir knows there is an ongoing buildup and full predraft process, though 32 representatives from NFL teams the health and safety of all in- ing tests or developing large-scale more than four players are curgustineany Wiggins, anticipation surrounding the documentary, and 1 rosters. what with to ask testing idols like Pro made rently allowed inside facili- whose clients protocols.

AlsoWeek unclear: volved, and we areand working include still feels nervousness. He met with Jordan sevThe 51 games players invited to the Football Hall of how Famer Deion ty at a time — and then Burroughs. a plan for many regular-season public health experts and governALTAFFER | AP PHOTO “It’s harder to garner intereral times over the course of the MARY project, includHBCU combine were trying to Sanders, who would be there. when training camps could open. would be played before the postment officials on a comprehensive est and understand where the ining three sit-down interviews that are part position themselves to do the “It was a chance to be able to set of guidelines to ensure that ap- season begins — or if all 30 teams If the league plans to resume play New York Liberty’s general manager Jonathan Kolb saidofthe terest is for clients than in years the documentary. same.

The list also included Florshowcase our talent,” Burroughs propriate medical protocols and would be playing. The league has in late July, then camps conceivteam has to make some tough decisions this year because Wiggins said. “It’s the a slightly “I hoperoster that people will like it as much as we idamanagers A&M University quarterback “Just Bass becauseasked we are from could open past,” around the start team general for ably protections are insaid. place,” league is requiring cuts without players having different pivot.” did,” Hehir said.

Ryan Stanley and North Carolina smaller schools doesn’t mean we additional input on those matters. of that month. said. competed on the court in training camp.

HBCUtalking NFL hopefuls adjust after NBA with Disney canceled pro days, combine about resuming season

Become a part of Stanly County Schools!

Stanly County Schools has an opening for a Speech Language Pathologist serving the K-12 population. Position is a full-time, 10 month position with full benefits. Candidate must hold a current certification from North Carolina Board of Examiners for Speech and Language Pathologists and Audiologists.

Interested applicants can apply through the SCS website and email resume to Dr. Laura Beachum, Director of Exceptional Children's Program, at laura.beachum@stanlycountyschools.org.

May 27, Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, April 15, 2020 2020

6

NC senators pledge hospital Backup coronavirus bipartisan fiscal in Memphis worries residents reforms at DOT

By Adrian Sainz The Associated Press

By Gary D. Robertson TheMEMPHIS, Associated Press Tenn. — Faced with the threat of overburdened RALEIGH North Carohospitals, states— across the country lina’s Republican senators on are converting convention centers, Wednesday pledged bipartisan sports facilities and performance fiscal reforms withspacesmanagement into backup treatment sites in Roy Cooper’s forDemocratic coronavirusGov. patients. transportation following What some agency Memphis, Tenanesse, recent audit that found overresidents don’t get isitwhy in spent by $740 millioncenter last year. their city, a shopping in the State of Auditor Beth Wood’sblack, permiddle a predominantly formance of theneighborDepartlow-incomereview residential ment of been Transportation, manhood has chosen. dated legislature as part City by andthe state officials are conof a DOT bailoutoflast year, cerned thatcash an influx patients was released two weeks ago, from Memphis, as well as nearby when road-building revenues alMississippi, Arkansas and rural ready were plummeting to west Tennessee, will straindue hospiCOVID-19.

Collections areacross now tals. Their fears are echoed expected to fall $300 million bethe country: Governors, mayors low

by June 30. The and projections health experts in numerous department has researching stopped awardstates are also and ing new construction constructing makeshift contracts medical and required its 9,300 employees facilities. to take furloughs.

In New York City, they’re turnhave serious ising“We to the Javits Centerfinancial convention sues having to do DOT, site; in Chicago, the with McCormick and been exacerbated Placethey’ve Convention Center; and by in COVID-19 and economy,” said Sandy, Utah, theour Mountain AmerSen. Jim Center.

Davis, a Macon County ica Expo Republican and co-chairman of The U.S. Army Corps of Engithe Senate Transportation Comneers has been scouting locations mittee that heard Wood in in Tennessee, andfrom officials here person.

“But nevertheless, wepossihave have compiled a list of 35 to bleaddress backupthem.” sites. They haven’t reThe the review DOT leased wholefound list, but Gov. had Bill

nity volunteer Homer Osborne quickly transported to a hospital said he understands the need to should their conditions worsen.

Memphis officials said the Gatehelp coronavirus patients, but he questions why officials chose way site was put on the list in response to a request from the state’s Gateway.

“There are a lot of poor people coronavirus team to identify large, in this neighborhood that come available buildings where an alterhere and shop,” said Osborne, who nate treatment facility could be lowas buying food at the center for cated.

“The task of finding space to a home delivery service he’s providing during the virus outbreak. shelter hundreds of potential pa“People won’t want to come over tients is not one of choice but nespent $6.68 billion on road conhere. It’s just going to kill this cessity,” the officials said in a statestruction and repairs and othment. area.” er transportation projects for the For Nutbush residents, their He also cited a widespread fear year ending June 30, 2019. But the of being unnecessarily exposed to fear of contracting the virus is agency had agreed to spend $5.94 matched with the worry that they the virus. billion, or 12.5% less.

“All around, people are scared,” could lose stores that are vital to The audit blamed the overthe neighborhood. Officials hahe said. age on DOT using cost estimates Their fears are not unfounded. ven’t said if stores would close if based on past spending levels, not In this majority-black city along the Gateway facility was opened. on the specific projects and operbethe Mississippi River, lawmakers If they did, shopping would NSJ STAFF ations. Spending within the deand community leaders have been come more difficult for residents, partment’s 14 regional offices also North Carolina Sen. Jim Davis (R-Macon) is pictured atover the North Carolina Generalfor Assembly in are thisold or especially those who sounding the alarm what they weren’t closely monitored by the undated file photo. see as a disturbing trend of the vi- have no means of transportation Chief Engineer’s Office, Wood rus killing African Americans at a to stores located farther away. said.

“For people who don’t have a higher rate. issuesdo with and outNutbush Wood’s recommendations.

Some committee Republicans like it should be,” Wood said. car, what theymanagement do?” asked Harresident Patricia Har- had sheAssociated took office DOT also said of the accountability House Speaker Tim Moore and risBut criticized the Democratic adminris, who spokesince to The wondered aloud if some city officials 2009, covering adminisit hadtotocontaminate” spend on storm istration because they said DOT’s Senate leader Phil Berger said this money Press while luggingthree a bottle of dewere “trying the in both parties. was never even appropri- trations top executives could have con- week that they support increased damage tergent, from a package of bottled waneighborhood. follows by theEarle legislature sug- terThe trolled last year’s spending when oversight but didn’t present spe- ated andoverspending other items from theseverSave Activist Fisher, and an AfriADRIAN SAINZ | AP PHOTO yearstoofher efforts by both the Re-a more funds be set pastor, in re- al it got out of hand but didn’t. Re- cifics. Cooper appoints the de- gested A Lot car. She noted that can American Memphis legislature to handle in the future. partment’s secretary and its board serve sponding to a April GOP senator’s ques- shows grocery store recently closed near understands theit anxiety.

“This publican-controlled This Friday, 3, 2020 photo, Gateway Shopping Center Cooper’s one-third of last year’s tion, even Wood her house and administration she already has to is an over honest and reasonable con- and in Memphis, Tenn.acknowledged members. New DOT Secretary Well down cash balances and isrelated toFisher stormsaid. re- spend that poor management contribut- Eric Boyette took over in Febru- overage travel farther to get to Gateway. cern andwas skepticism,” bonds to road-buildpairs, including damed to the agency’s current finan- ary. weintensify do things, we’ve “I think it’s par the for massive the course for sue“When projects.

There are also caused

by Hurricane Florence. ing told legislatorsand he’dother like age cial got to consider the people in upthe black people to be righteously Chinese restaurant Lee predicament. has disclosed a few: the Mu- a Davis spending she pressures because “This General Assembly interdoes ward give the governor’s budget office skeptical stuck their spendneighborhood,” said. “We don’t of governmental businesses. sic“Had City they Center in to Nashville, the to court decisions emsome because oversight of DOT spending. ing plan in 2019, DOT would have more need to make the involving neighborhood vention thatresponsibility did not consult with of Locating a treatment center for share Chattanooga Convention Center, awardsis.” for land to of ground our state suffer nat- inent DOT leaders didn’t address the when $700 million more worse domain than it already peopleparts on the first.” patients there posthe Knoxville Expomoney,” Center Wood — all coronavirus future loops. a Memdisasters we don’t Wednesday, but say: an ural said. senators that no one committee U.S. Rep. urban Steve Cohen, Doug McGowen, thewant city’s comchief build es two problems, residents sites She awaytold from residential neighCooper and said the the legislature be cut said off from said thethem de- munities outside of DOT is keeping tabs agency Democrat, decision operatingtoofficer, the transGate- phis It couldspokesperson potentially expose borhoods. legislation justbeing because we run out looked forward to makon The whether the agency is staying doesn’t make sense. earlier this way site was considered be- passed to the virus amid concerns that portation Gateway Shopping Cen- partment that there wouldare distribute fedemergency said Sen. Mi- month ing a presentation to COVID-19 the panel of within its own spending plan.

“I’m sure other places cause it couldfunds,” potentially accomblacks are contracting ter in the Nutbush neighborhood COVID-19 funds to Garrett, a Guilford County week.rates; In a and written response to be some that would work, relief and they should modate hundreds of beds. He said eral at higher it could force chael of “There’s Memphisgot is different.

The kind cen- next back-fill revenues, to the auditthey released May of anda balance, some kind attached have to used thoselost rather than but go if it were converted to a treatment DOT some of the stores rely on to Democrat. tercheck features Save A Lot grocery federal government alWood, also ahold Democratic electthe department said it agreed site, of oversight to ensure that that 5, into ifa the residential neighborhood,” it would only mildly ill only close. store, a Rent-A-Center, a Famispending official, emphasized the findings andand is carrying spending is being followed Cohen said. for that purpose. coronavirus patients whoDOT couldhas be lows Nutbush resident commu- ed ly Dollar, plan a beauty supply shop, with

NASA, SpaceX bringing OPEC, oil nations agree astronaut launches back to home turf to nearly 10M barrel cut

By Marcia Dunn The Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — For first time in nearly a deThe the Associated Press cade, U.S. astronauts are about to blast into orbit aboard an AmerDUBAI, United Arab Emirican from American soil. ates rocket — OPEC, Russia and other And for the firstnations time inon theSunday histooil-producing ry of human a private finalized an spaceflight, unprecedented procompany is running the10 show. duction cut of nearly million Elon Musk’s SpaceX is the conbarrels, or a 10th of global supply, ductor NASA the customer in hopesand of boosting crashing pricas businesses begin chauffeuring es amid the coronavirus pandemic astronauts to the International and a price war, officials said.

Space Station.

“This could be the largest reThe drama unfoldsfrom from the duction in production OPEC exact spot where men maybe flew to lonthe for perhaps a decade, moon and U.S. the last space shuttle ger,” said Energy Secretary soared from Kennedy Space CenDan Brouillette, who credited ter.

President Donald Trump’s perWhile Florida’s Space Coastduelhas sonal involvement in getting seen plenty to of the launches sincehelpthe ing parties table and shuttle’s farewell tour in between 2011 — ing to end a price war even the height the coronaviSaudiatArabia and of Russia. rusOil pandemic — they were for prices have collapsed assatthe ellites, roboticand explorers and space coronavirus the COVID-19 station supplies. route to illness it causes The haveonly largely haltorbit for astronauts on down Rused global travel and was slowed sian otherrockets. energy-chugging sectors NASA’s newest test pilots,ItDoug such as manufacturing. has Hurley and the BoboilBehnken, devastated industry are in launching from now home turf more with the U.S., which pumps SpaceX presiding overcountry. the countcrude than any other down.

But some producers have been “Gettingtoaease chance again to carsee reluctant supply.

The human spaceflight in on our own tel and other nations Sunday backyard,” Behnken said.

“That’s agreed to allow Mexico to cut only the thing barrels that’s most exciting for 100,000 a month, a stickme.” ing point for an accord initially The cosmic-size to prireached Friday aftershift a marathon vate NASA to videocompanies conferenceallows between 23 nazero-in on nations deep space travel.

The tions. The together agreed space is busting to return to cutagency 9.7 million barrels a day astronauts theand moon by 2024 throughoutto May June. under ordersreached from the thedeal White The group just House.

Mars also beckons. hours before Asian markets re“We’reMonday building opened and as momeninternatum a muchBrent more excittionaltoward benchmark crude ing future,” said John traded at just over $31Logsdon, a barrel founder of George and American shaleWashington producers University’s struggle. Space Policy Institute andVideo a professor emeritus. aired by the Saudi-owned The Russian launch site in Kasatellite channel Al-Arabiya zakhstan is out of the way out showed the moment thatand Saudi of sight.Minister Launching crews again Energy Prince Abdulaziz

national Space Station.”

Hurley, 53, a retired Marine, and Behnken, 49, an Air Force colonel, will spend one to four months aboard the orbiting lab, bin Salman, a son of King Salman, currently down to a three-man, assented to the deal. half-size crew. They’ll lend a “I go with the consent, so I hand with experiments and posagree,” the prince said, chuckling, sibly spacewalks, before ending drawing a round of applause from their mission with an Atlantic those on the video call. splashdown, a scene not seen for a But it had not been smiles and half-century. laughs for weeks after the soNASA’s commercial crew efcalled OPEC+ group of OPEC fort builds on industry’s space stamembers and other nations failed tion shipments, now in the eighth in March to reach an agreement year. SpaceX led the field with its on production cuts, sending pricoriginal Dragon cargo capsules. es tumbling. Saudi Arabia sharply Musk’s California-based compacriticized Russia days earlier over ny was also first out the gate with what it described as comments its souped-up, tricked-out Dragon critical of the kingdom, which crew capsule. finds itself trying to appease Crew Dragon made its debut Trump, a longtime OPEC critic. early last year, launching successEven U.S. senators had warned fully to the space station with a Saudi Arabia to find a way to test dummy named Ripley after boost prices as American shale the “Alien” films’ hardcore herofirms face far-higher production SPACEX VIA AP ine. But the next month, the capcosts. American troops had been MINISTRY sule exploded onSAUDI theENERGY engine test In this Thursday, March 19, deployed to the kingdom for2020 the photo made available by SpaceX, astronauts Doug Hurley, stand at Cape Canaveral, a monuforeground, and Bob Behnken workIninthis SpaceX’s flight simulator atEnergy the Kennedy Space Center in Cape bin Salman Al-Saud, Minister of first time since the Sept.

11, 2001, photo released

by Saudi Ministry, Prince Abdulaziz mental setback.

Canaveral, attacks overFla. concerns of Irani- Energy of Saudi Arabia, third right, chairs a virtual summit of the Group of 20 energy ministers at Starliner capsule made an retaliation amid regional ten- his office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Friday, April 10, 2020, to coordinate Boeing’s a response to plummeting oil its premiere December with sions. prices due to an oversupply in the market and a downturn in global demand due to last the pandemic. from Florida spent is sureover to firethe up last the ing, please tell me and we’ll fix it.’” NASA astronauts strap into a Rosie the mannequin, but end“They’ve spanking new U.S. space sys- ed up in the wrong orbit. Boeing public, noted. month Logsdon waging war on American Hurley said. repeat the demo this fall, on for liftoff followingAndrés Mer- will While trumpeting returnand of tem to the appeal is the flash that praise. the deal but its— president, Kuwait, Saudi the Arabia oilAdding producers while we are defendown dime, before putting Gemini, NASA iswould urg- cury, generated Musk, SpaceX’s chief astronaut pure size of the cut isFerunManuel López Apollo Obrador,and hadshutsaid its “The the Unitedlaunches, Arab Emirates ing theirs.by This is not how friends and the but, others on board.

NASA operated to stay barrels away beexecutive, designer precedented, then again, so Friday thatowned he hadand agreed with guson cut spectators another 2 million of tle. treat friends,” said and Sen. foundKevin ing Hale,thea coronavirus retired space thosethat spacecrafts, builtcompenby con- is Wayne of the pandemic.

Butatop beacher who shot his red Tesla the impact is Trump the U.S. will oil a day between them the all Cramer, a Republican from RoadNorth cause director said and program to Mexico NASA’s cannot preciseadd specnear deal.

Kennedy open, tractors ster into outer two years ago es havingflight on demand,” Mohamsate what to shuttle OPEC+ The are threenow countries Dakota, beforespace the OPEC+ deal. who serves on the NASA Thecuts. commercial crew manager theimmediately local sheriffacknowledge is welcom- ifications. during first flight of a already super- and med Ghulam, an energy analyst at the proposed did not U.S. the producers have by contrast, pri- Advisory even though insideZanthe program, sized Heavy rocket.

RaymondCouncil, James. views SpaceX’s “The big Oil Deal calls withfor OPEC the visitors cut themselves, though been Falcon reducing output.

The Amer- ing astronaut flightworried as an to handle and hunown upcoming the number guests vate In aPetroleum touch of Musk showmanBut Ghulam and others Plusbusinesses is done. This will save ganehcenter, attended the videoofconferican Institute laud- space lessons carrying all, with input andofoversight by experiment ship — he alsoglobal runs the electric carit will it may not bewith enough. of thousands energy jobs ence.be severely limited. Among itdreds ed Sunday’s pact, saying to Artemis, NASA’s new-genexceptions: bothplanned astronaut company and Behnken “This is at least a temporary rein the United States,” Trump said over said other cuts NASA. will help — getHurley other nations’ state- theOfficials moon-landing effort. three countries have eration, who in have in space in Only will ride the launch pad inthe a wives lief for the energy industry and for a tweet.

“I would like to thank would— stand theflown deal, meaning owned oilto production to follow the suggestion of its techhumans — Russia, Puthe theAtglobal — and their young gull-winged Tesla Model white economy. This industry and congratulate President an 8-million-barrel-per-day cut launched lead of U.S. producers thatX,are try- themselves SpaceX China thatSalman order — Presidentthe Mike with trim like the astro- sons. is too big to be let toadded fail andphotos the altin ofand Russia andinKing of nicians, from Vice July through endPence, of the U.S. ing toblack adjust to just plunging demand.

Hurley and responsibility Behnken to every SpaceX’s attempt all the of the National cut Space nauts’ spacesuits and rocket it- chairman liance showed with Saudi Arabia.” year and a of 6-million-barrel for making Brouillette said thethe U.S. did not order as a constant is beginning also going,inand possi- more self. this agreement,” said Per remindMagnus Theimpressive.

Kremlin said President work 16 months 2021. make commitments of its own Council, that lives not just freight — “My heart is sitting here,” President Trump.

The Dragon appreciate Nysveen, the—head of analysis at Putin held aright joint call er will Donald enable the rebalanc- Vladimir production cuts,riders but was able to bly“This at stake.

President Gwynne be a great Musk’s hands-on Rystad Energy. “Even though the with Trump and Saudi KingShotSal- are of going the oiltomarkets andinspirathe ex- SpaceX show the obviousapproach.

— that plunging ing“It’s “I don’t think need to remind pointingsupport to her throat to the country next week to well “On more than one occasion he tion cuts Iare smaller than man said, to express of the production pected rebound of prices by $15 demand because of the pandememployees howneeded important this a news this my twoin gothe aloft from the Kenhas both Bob U.S. and oil I right what the market and only deal.

It alsoconference said Putinearlier spoke sepperyou barrel short term,” said at ic is looked expected to slash pro- see Shotwell, “and Trump I think about it’s going to is,” Space Center,” told the in the eye and said, ‘Hey, if there’s nedy postpone the the stockcompany buildingpresconarately with the oil a statement from Pence Nigeria’s oil month, duction. said.

“They the remind stay there get Bob and ident, anything guys are Bijan not comstraints problem, worstthemis for market anduntil otherwe issues. ministry.

Iranianyou Oil Minister Zan- astronauts. safely back from the Inter- selves.”

It will be justinitially the fifth time Doug fortable withtold or that seenow avoided.”

Analysts offered cautious Mexico had blocked ganeh also stateyou’re television

& CREMATORY 522 North 2nd St. P.O. Box 7 Albemarle, NC 28002 Phone 704-983-1188

460 Branchview Dr. NE P.O. Box 367 Concord, NC 28026 Phone 704-786-1161

13575 Broadway Ave. P.O. Box 100 Midland, NC 28107 Phone 704-888-5571

www.hartsellfh.com

12115 University City Blvd.

P.O. Box 219 Harrisburg, NC 28075 Phone 704-247-1722

Stanly County County Journal Journal for for Wednesday, Wednesday, April May 27, Stanly 15, 2020 2020

7

obituaries

Jason Efird

J Grace Bishop G

ASON EUGENE “GENE” EFIRD, 94, went home to be with his Lord Tuesday, April 7, 2020, at his home in Stanfield.

RACE CAROLYN BISHOP,75, Gene was born October 9, 1925, in of Locust, NC, passed away Cabarrus County to the late Simeon on May 20, 2020 at her home.

Jason Efird and the late Sarah Ella Due to the Covid-19 restrictions a Burris Efird. In addition to his memorial service for Mrs. Bishop parents, he was preceded in death by will be held at a later date. his wife, Jewell Little Efird; sisters, Mrs. Bishop was born November Mary Lambert, Fannie Almond, 25, 1944 in Union County, NC Minnie Furr, Wilma Burleson and and was the daughter of the late Aileen Huskey; and brothers, Homer Joseph Ivey Smith and Alma Efird, Getus Efird and Wayne Efird, Tarlton Smith. She retired from Sr. the Hartford Insurance Company.

A private funeral service will be Mrs. Bishop was a member of held on Saturday, April 11, 2020 Indian Hill Presbyterian Church. at Love’s Grove United Methodist She enjoyed camping, painting, Church Cemetery in Stanfield crafting, the beach and the church officiated by Rev. Jim White. Burial choir. Carolyn loved her family and will follow at the Love’s Grove United spending time with her grands and Methodist Church Cemetery, 4360 great - grands.

Polk Ford Road, Stanfield.

Carolyn is survived by her Survivors include son Gerald husband of 55 years, Joseph W. Wayne (Gail) Efird of Albemarle; Bishop, Jr. of the home. She is also daughter Lisa Efird (Mark) Hartsell survived by two daughters Ivy of Stanfield; granddaughters, Deaton (Mark) of Millingport, Kelly Efird Barbee and Lauren NC and Leah Towery (David) of Hartsell (Justin) Crump; and greatLocust ,NC; two brothers Douglas grandsons, Ian Patrick Simmons and Smith (Judy) of Massachusetts and Elliot Jacob Simmons.

Hayne Smith (Kathy) of Locust, Memorials may be made to Love’s a sister Dianne Efird (Doyle) of Grove United Methodist Church, PO Stanfield, NC; four grandchildren, Box 276, Stanfield, NC 28163-0276.

Justin Deaton (Brooke), Shea Evans (Zach), Christina Faith Towery and Mackenzie Hope Towery and six great-grandchildren, Colton, Madilyn, Avery, Lawson, Gracie and Gage. Mrs. Bishop is also preceded in death by a granddaughter Pamela Grace Towery.

Pauline Tucker

P

AULINE ELIZABETH ALMOND TUCKER, 98, passed away peacefully at Trinity Place, Albemarle, NC on April 11, 2020.

Pauline was born on March 22, 1922 in Cabarrus County, NC to the late John Richard Almond and Alice Ada Ann Lambert Almond.

She is survived by her three daughters, Gay Michel (Jack), Oak Island, NC; Pamela Rushing (Foreman), Oakboro, Kathy UDENIA FAYENC; ROBBINS Hunt (Marc), Albemarle, NC; her HILTON, 82, of Concord, son, Chris Tucker (Chris Lear), passed away Saturday, May 23, Washington, DC. She be greatly 2020 at her home inwill Concord. missed by her fiveborn grandchildren, Eudenia was April 26, Heather Rushing Chaney (Shannon), 1938 in Clinchmore, Tennessee, Michael Elizabeth Michel she was Rushing, the daughter of the late Hartzog (Craig), Jack Michel, Jr. Harvey and Tula Mae Robbins.

(Jenn), and Woody Hunt in as well as by She was also preceded death seven great-grandchildren. also her husband, Everette E. She Hilton; leaves behind cherished nieces and brother, Doyel David Robbins; nephews. and sister, Marcella Robbins Ellis.

The sincere She family retiredexpresses in 1993 its from AT&T gratitude to the staff and caregivers after 36 years of service. at Trinity Place for the brothers, care they Carl Survivors include provided Pauline. and Avery Lee Edward Robbins A private graveside service will be Robbins. held Monday,Service April 13,will 2020.

A on Memorial beA celebration of Pauline’ s life and held at a later date at Unitedlegacy Love will be held this summer.

Baptist Church, 11487 Flowes In lieu of flowers, the family Store Road, Midland, with the requests donations be made to the Rev. Marvin Tyson officiating.

BrightFocus Foundation www.

Entombment will be atat Carolina brightfocus.org.

Memorial Park Mausoleum.

Eudenia Hilton

E

Tony Smith

T Don Burleson

ONY MONROE SMITH, 72, of Rockwell, NC, went to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Wednesday, April 8, 2020 at ON HUSTON his home surroundedBURLESON, by family. A 88, of Albemarle, died private family service will be held.

Wednesday afternoon after a at Online condolences can be made battle with congestive heart stanlyfuneralhome.com failure.

Mr. born Burleson was Tony was August 11,a1947 Veteran of the US Army. in Stanly County to the late Pearlie He was born July 5, 1931 Asbury Smith and Emmer Leein Albemarle, to Ralph Burleson Smith. He was the son in law of Pat and LethaCagle Maewhere (Treece) Burleson. and Mick he worked at In addition to his parents, the fish house for many yearshe until was preceded in death three he opened Anchor Houseby Seafood brothers; and sisters. in Rockwell.

Hethree and his wife Becky On Dec. 23, 1950,Anchor he married owned and operated House his high school sweetheart, for 25 years before retiring in 2009.

Oleamer Mr. SmithMae was aHatley. charter member In addition to hisDoor wifeBaptist of and deacon at Open 69 years, include Church insurvivors Richfield. He lovedhis the two Cathy B. Frick Tony Lorddaughters, and his family abundantly.

(Lowell) of Richfield andfather, Luanne was a wonderful husband, and B. Williamsand (Scott) offix Albemarle; grandfather could anything one son, H.on.

Burleson (Angie) he put hisKim hands of Albemarle; two grandchildren, Mr. Smith is survived by his wife Matt andofDayli BeckyBurleson Cagle Smith the home, Williams, of and Albemarle; sons Walterboth Smith Robbie Matt’s Campbell Smith; fiancee, daughterAmber Kayla Henderson of Troy; two step-granddaughters; (Brandon); grandchildren Danielle, and seven greatgranchildren.

Dustin, andstep Steele Smith, Keaton and Ella Henderson; brother David Smith; sisters Kay Kriechbaum, Karen Stevenson, Ruby Eudy, and Dorothy Smith (Nick).

He is preceded in death by brothers Joe Smith, Wayne Smith, Claude Smith, Wade Smith, Robert Smith, and sister Mary Morris.

Memorial contributions can be made to Open Door Baptist Church at 44563 Hwy 52, Richfield, NC 28137 or to Hospice & Palliative Care of Cabarrus County at 5003 Hospice Lane, Kannapolis, NC 28081.

D

J

Jean Parker

EAN PARKER, 83, of Richfield, passed away Saturday, May 23, 2020 peacefully in her home surrounded by family.

She was born December 9, 1936 in LaGrange, Georgia to the late John Isaac Rogers and the late Eula Florence Walls. In addition to her parents, she is also preceded in death by her husband, Eddie Parker; brother-in-law, Steve Parker; and her niece Shannon HIRLEY MAE HAIRE, 73, Parker. of Albemarle passed away on Jean her Eddie April 11,and 2020 at husband, Atrium Health were happily married and devoted Stanly.

The family will hold a private to one another years. graveside servicefor for65 Mrs. Haire.

Jean was a member of Mt. Zion Shirley was born December 12, Lutheran Church forDC many years.

1946 in Washington, to the She was an exquisite cook andand late Charles Richard Bateman master of Mae the kitchen, many Elizabeth Mulliganwhere Bateman. gatherings hosted.

She loved Shirley iswere survived by her husband spending withSmith her four of 30 yearstime Vaughn of legged companion Gracie, withPainter whom she Albemarle; sister Sandra spent countless hours.

Jean had a of Gainesville, VA; half-brother very loving spiritof and helped others’ Robert Bateman Stevensville, in many ways.

MD; step-children Heather Smith The family will receive friends of Jacksonville, FL and David from PMLondon, - 8:00 PM, Smith6:00 of New NC; Friday, 4 May 29, 2020, at Hartsell Funeral step-grandchildren; nieces Cyndi Home of Albemarle.

AVA memorial Hentschel of Leesburg, and service will held at 10:00 Cheryl Hardy of Aylett, VA;AM, 16 grandSaturday, 30, 2020 at Hartsell nieces andMay nephews; and Gus the Funeral Home of Albemarle dog. Stanly Funeral and Cremation officiated

by Rev. Ruth Annthe Sipe.

Care of Albemarle is serving Burial will follow at the Mt. Zion Haire family.

Lutheran Church Columbarium.

Survivors include her daughter, Lauren Bolton; brother-in-law, Robert Parker; and niece, Kimberly Bolton. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

S

Shirley Haire

Merle Helms

Danny Luther

ERLE LORRAINE AUSTIN HELMS, 72, of Marshville, passed away Wednesday, April 8, 2020 at McWhorter Hospice House ANDRA KAY MCINTYRE, in Monroe.

68, of Locust passed away Lorraine was born April 28, 1947 Thursday, May 21, 2020 at Atrium in Monroe to the late Homer David Health Care & Hospice in Monroe.

Austin and Jewell Delphia-Jane Her funeral will be Wednesday, Austin. She was also preceded in May 27 at First Baptist Church of death by brothers, A.D. and Teddy Locust at 2 PM with Dr. Kinney Austin; and sister, Joy Austin.

Wallace officiating. The family The family will receive friends will receive friends from 6 PM to from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm, Friday, 8 PM Tuesday at Stanly Funeral April 10, 2020 at Hartsell Funeral & Cremation Care, 501 N. Central Home of Albemarle. The funeral Ave. Locust, NC 28097. Burial will service will be at 11:00 am on follow the service Wednesday at Saturday at Pleasant Hill Baptist Kinza Memorial Baptist Church in Church in Marshville, officiated Stanfield.

by Rev. John Miller and Rev. Leon Born December 28, 1951 in Whitley. She will lie in state for 30 Cabarrus County, Sandra was minutes prior to the service. She will the daughter of the late Billy Joe be laid to rest in the church cemetery.

Hartsell and the late Victoria She is survived by her beloved Juanita Stancil Hartsell. She was a husband of 47 years, Paul Helms graduate of Central Cabarrus High of the home; son, Alex (Deanna) School and a member of New Hope Helms of Pageland; daughter, Paula Freewill Independent Baptist.

(Cristin Brandt) Helms of Mint Hill; Sandra enjoyed the beach and grandchildren, Mason, Grant, and browsing yard sales. She cherished Raegan Helms; brothers, Boyce, the relationships she shared with Royce, Tim Austin; and sisters, her family and church family.

Patricia Mullis, and Angel Tarleton.

Sandra is survived by her son, Memorials may be made to the Steven Smith (Melissa) of Locust, Alzheimer’s Association, 4600 Park grandchildren, Riley, Hunter, Rd., Suite 250, Charlotte, NC 28209.

Trevor, and Kadien Smith, and brother, Bennie Hartsell of Stanfield. She is preceded in death by her husband, Danny Smith, sons, Chris (Christine) and Keith Smith.

ANNY PAUL LUTHER, 65, of Norwood, passed away unexpectedly Thursday, April 9, 2020 at Atrium Health Stanly in ONDA GENEVA DRYE Albemarle.

WHITLEY, formerly of 27, Mr. Luther was born March Oakboro, passed away peacefully 1955 to the late Robert Fulton and on Sunday, May 24, 2020 at Alston Helen Tucker Luther.

Brook Nursing and Rehabilitation Danny was survived by his wife, Center in Lexington, NC. Denise Burleson Luther of Norwood; SheJeremy was born on September sons, (Karen) Luther and30, 1934 in Cabarrus County to James Jody Luther; step-sons, Bryan Edward andGregg Rosanna EllaWhitley; Harvell Whitley and (Anita) Drye.

In addition to her parents, Grandchildren, Daniel Luther and Bonda also death Hunterwas Zado, as preceded well as hisin brother, by her loving 41 years, Bob Luther Jrhusband (Lorena),of uncle Jack Robert Lewis (Bob) Whitley; Luther and several other loved her nieces, brothers, Floyd H. Drye, Luke W. nephews and cousins.

Drye, Leerecently R. Drye,retired Lewisfrom M. Drye, Danny and James E. Drye; and sister, Charlotte Pipe and Foundry after Louise D. Lane. a dedicated 37 years and worked She is her daughter, there withsurvived his sonsby and several other Elizabeth (Beth) Whitley Sharpe friends and family members. andDanny son-in-law, Mickey oftime at loved spending Lexington, NC; son, his lake house with hisRobert family(Rob) and L. Whitley, Jr. and daughter-infriends as well as vacationing with his law, Cara of Charlotte; theenjoyed “loves family.

Danny and Denise of her life”, Mary Caroline, listening to beach music andSamuel, loved to and Sharpe, and Brenna shagNicholas dance every chance they could Whitley.

Bonda also loved her loving many get. He was an amazing father, nieces and nephews very much. grandfather and great friend to She enjoyed visiting with and with many. He will never bethem forgotten. herAcousins as often as she could. celebration of life will be Her family was precious to her. announced oncevery the current Bonda graduated from Mount COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

Pleasant High School in 1952.

Hartsell Funeral Home of She and Bob met at Locust Albemarle is serving theSkating Luther Rink in their late teens and were family. married October 24, 1954, when they eloped to Chesterfield, SC. After living in Charlotte for a brief time, they moved back to Oakboro to make their home together. She worked in various clerical positions, then became the secretary of Ridgecrest Elementary School in the early 1970’s. For nearly seventeen years Ridgecrest Elementary was her second home.

She adored the staff, students, and families in that community. Bonda would often reference a former student as “one of her Ridgecrest babies”. She later retired in 1999 from the Mecklenburg County Courthouse, Estate Division, as a Deputy Clerk of Court. Bonda loved talking to people and rarely met a stranger. She enjoyed teaching Sunday School at Oakboro First Baptist Church and volunteering at Stanly Memorial Hospital.

Bonda loved the beach, gardening and telling you all about her grandchildren - they were her true joys. She was full of sass, spunk, and fun. Her feisty spirit kept everyone entertained during her last years at Alston Brook. Though we will miss her terribly, she has left us with too many sweet memories to count and our lives are indeed richer for the love she poured out onto all of us. We will forever be grateful for the ways our hearts will smile each time we think of her and every time we share a “ Granny Story”. It is a great comfort to know her spirit is in a more beautiful and peaceful place, where her body is completely healed.

Bonda’s family wishes to thank the family of Alston Brook staff and caretakers for all the love and wonderful care they have given to our “Granny B” during these last three years, and also to the gracious staff of Hospice of Davidson County.

A graveside celebration of her life will be held on Friday, May 29, 2020 at 11 o’clock in the Oakboro Cemetery, Oakboro, NC.

M Sandra McIntyre DBonda Whitley S B

L

Linda Hatley

INDA TUCKER HATLEY, 69, of Albemarle, passed away Monday, April 13, 2020.

Linda was born September 18, 1950 in Concord to the late Jacob and Claris Tucker. She was also preceded in death by her brother, Terry Lee Tucker, and her twin sister, Brenda Tucker Strickland. We know Brenda UDY YOW SMITH, 75, of and Linda are in Heaven watching Midland, passed away Tuesday, over us and laughing.

May 19, 2020 at Atrium Health Linda was a loving mother, sister, Cabarrus in Concord. and “Nana.” She was a very giving Mrs. Smith was born and loving person. Linda would November 26, 1944 to the late always do anything she could for Craven Lee Yow and the late others, especially her family. She Danner Hartsell Yow. enjoyed working at FastShop #5, Judy is survived by her Locust. Linda will be forever loved husband, Samuel Lee Smith and greatly missed. of Midland; son, Jeff Smith of Survivors include her son, Midland; daughter, Jill Locklear Alan Hatley and wife, Angela, of of Kannapolis; son, Greg Smith Albemarle; brother, Ronnie Tucker and his wife Cindi of Concord; and wife, Linda, of Midland; grandchildren, Dillion Locklear granddaughter, Leslie Hatley; 1 and Heidi Locklear; brothers, niece; and 2 nephews.

Jim Yow and wife, Diana of The family will receive friends Fountain Inn, S. C. and Mack from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm, Thursday, Yow of Concord; sister, Barbara April 16, 2020 at Hartsell Funeral Earnhardt and husband, Ken of Home in Albemarle. Linda will Concord; as well as many nieces be laid to rest during a private and nephews. committal service at Bethel United Judy was faithfully married Methodist Church, Midland. to Sam Smith for 56 years. She In lieu of flowers, please consider a loved cooking, family reunions memorial donation to Bethel UMC, and get-togethers. She enjoyed 12700 Idlebrook Rd, Midland, NC helping others and wasn’t afraid 28107. to get her hands dirty to work.

She retired from Banks Lumber Company in 2006 where she was a Quality Control person who inspected rafters for modular homes.

J

Judy Smith

J B

Jerry Fincher

ERRY FINCHER passed from this life on April 3, 2020 at 8:05 pm. He was surrounded by his family and UREN holding MULLIS, the hand of86, the love of his life.

Jerry is preceded in death of Locust, passed away by three siblings, two brothers, Thursday, May 21, 2020 at Billy Gilbert Fincher, and Larry Richard Carolinas ContinueCARE Fincher, and one sister, Barbra Joyce Hospital, Pineville.

Moore.

Buren was born June 20, He in is survived by his wife, Eleanor 1933 Union County to the late Kate Fincher the home, daughter, Chonce and of Ercel Mullis.

He was Cindy Fincher Jacobs of Wingate also preceded in death by siblings, NC., and daughter in law,Wayne Tommy Roy son Mullis, James Mullis, (Tiffany) Fincher of New London Mullis, Lela Griffin and Edith NC., Step Children, Jimmy (Lisa) Little.

Lanier of Locust NC, Wanda (Bob) Buren was a proud veteran of Krimminger of Locust NC., Eric the U.S. Army, having served in (Sharon) Lanier of Division.

Charlotte NC., the 3rd Infantry He Grandchildren-Trey (Gera) Whitson was a graduate of Fairview High of Midland, Step-grandchildren, School, where he also drove the Zach (Brittney) school bus, andWashington, a graduateAaron of (Kinsey) Washington, CalebHe (Nayeli) Kings Business College. was Washington, Beth (Robbie)minded.

Setzer, always very community Matthew ( April ) Wallace, Step Buren was instrumental in the great-grandchildren, development of the Britlyn-Eve rural mail Washington, Robert Setzer,of George route and Incorporation the (Sara) Tracy Setzer City ofSetzer, Locust and(Rob) served as the Bumgardener, Underwood, second MayorKatie of Locust (1981Andrew Underwood, great 1983). He began as Step the Business great grandchild, Waylon George Manager and retired as General Setzer andof brother Donald Lewis Manager SunDrop Bottling Fincher Albemarle, NC.prepared after 32ofyears.

He also Jerry Fincher will be laid rest on income taxes part-time fortothe Wednesday April 8,2020 at 11:00 Locust Community and was a am at Canton Baptist Church.

Anyone cattle farmer since the mid 70s. interested in attending, please RSVP Buren was a member and Past at 704-796-2412.

Dr. Phil McCray President of Locust Jaycees and and Tommy Fincher willof wasPastor awarded the NC Jaycee officiate. the year. He also served with the

Buren Mullis

Locust PTA as Past President and in the Lions Club. Buren and his wife, Betty, owned Locust Clothing Store for many years.

He was a longtime member of First Baptist Church of Locust.

Survivors include beloved wife of 66 years, Betty Tucker Mullis; son, Jeff (Cindy) Mullis; daughter, Amy (David) Mullis; grandchildren, Ryan (Jessica) Mullis, Kristin Pugh, and Katie Mullis; great-grandchildren, Jackson, Maddox, Wyatt, Reagan, Shayla and Lane; siblings, Chonce Mullis Jr., George Mullis, Hazel VanBershot, and Hubert (Joyce) Mullis; and many nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm, Sunday, May 24, 2020 at Hartsell Funeral Home of Midland. The funeral service will be on Monday at 2:00 pm at First Baptist Church of Locust, officiated by Rev. Dr. Tommy Ross, Jr. and Rev. Dr. Kinney Wallace. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Buren’s memory to First Baptist Church of Locust.

Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in SCJ at obits@stanlyjournal.com

Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in SCJ at obits@stanlyjournal.com

Simple, Affordable, Convenient Available 24 Hours a Day

Southern Piedmont Cremation Services provides a basic cremation service for families who have experienced the loss of a loved one and do not desire a traditional funeral or farewell ceremony.

When your loved one passes simply call our office and our professional team will come as quickly as possible and bring your loved one into our care.

Phone: 704-985-4851

Fax: 704-550-5508

Email: care@spcremation.com

8

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, May 27, 2020

STATE & NATION

2 accused of smuggling ex-Nissan boss out of Japan in a box

By Michael Balsamo The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — A former Green Beret and his son were arrested Wednesday in Massachusetts on charges they smuggled Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn out of Japan in a box while he awaited trial there on financial misconduct charges.

Michael Taylor, a 59-year-old former Green Beret and private security specialist, and Peter Taylor, 27, are wanted by Japan on charges they helped Ghosn escape the country in December after he was released on bail.

The Taylors were arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Harvard. They appeared before a federal judge from jail via video conference, wearing orange jumpsuits and tan face coverings because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Hassink said Japan plans “as quickly as possible” to submit a formal request to extradite the Taylors.

An attorney for the Taylors said they plan to challenge Japan’s ex-

tradition request “on several legal and factual grounds.”

“Michael Taylor is a distinguished veteran and patriot, and both he and his son deserve a full and fair hearing regarding these issues, both before the courts and the executive branch,” Paul V. Kelly said in an email.

The tale of the daring escape began on Dec. 28, 2019, when Peter Taylor arrived in Japan and met with Ghosn at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo for about an hour, authorities said.

Just before 10 a.m. the next day, Michael Taylor flew into Osaka, Japan, on a chartered Bombardier Global Express jet from Dubai with another man, George-Antoine Zayek, carrying two large black boxes with them.

The elder Taylor was experienced with sticky situations. Over the years, he has been hired by parents to rescue abducted children, gone undercover for the FBI in a sting on a Massachusetts drug gang and worked as a contractor for the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. The last assignment had land-

ed him in a Utah jail for 14 months, caught in a federal contract fraud case that upended Taylor’s family and finances before he agreed to plead guilty to two charges.

It’s not clear yet how Ghosn hooked up with Taylor.

At their arrival, Taylor and Zayek, his Lebanese-born colleague, told airport employees they were musicians carrying audio equipment. Meanwhile, Ghosn, who was out of custody on a hefty bail, headed to the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo and met up with Peter Taylor in his hotel room, authorities said.

The elder Taylor and Zayek joined after a brief stop to rent a separate room near the airport. And soon after their arrival, the group left the Grand Hyatt and split up.

Peter Taylor headed to the airport to hop on a flight to China, court documents said. The others hopped on a bullet train and arrived at the Shin-Osaka train station about four hours later, authorities said.

They hailed a taxi and went back to the towering luxury hotel where Taylor and Zayek had booked a room earlier in the day.

They all went in; only two would be seen walking out.

Authorities say Ghosn was inside one of the big black boxes, lugged by the two men to Japan’s Kansai International Airport, authorities said. The boxes passed through a security checkpoint without being checked and were loaded onto a private jet headed for Turkey, the documents say.

“Michael Taylor is a distinguished veteran and patriot, and both he and his son deserve a full and fair hearing regarding these issues, both before the courts and the executive branch.”

Paul V. Kelly At 11:10 p.m., the chartered Bombardier, its windows fitted with pleated shades, lifted off with Ghosn stowed aboard. The flight went first to Turkey, then to Lebanon, where Ghosn has citizenship but which has no extradition treaty with Japan.

Two days later, Ghosn announced publicly he was in Lebanon.

He said he fled because he could not expect a fair trial, was subjected to unfair conditions in detention and was barred from meeting his wife under his bail conditions.

Ghosn maintains he is innocent of allegations he underreported his future income and committed a breach of trust by diverting Nissan money for his personal gain.

He says that the compensation was never decided on or received, and that the Nissan payments were for legitimate business purposes.

A spokesman for Ghosn’s le-

gal team declined to comment on Wednesday’s developments.

Peter Taylor had traveled to Japan at least three times since July 2019 and met with Ghosn at least seven times during those visits, according to court records. Japanese officials had also issued a provisional warrant for Zayek’s arrest.

Lebanese authorities said Ghosn entered the country legally on a French passport, though he had been required to surrender all three of his passports to his lawyers under terms of his bail. He also has Brazilian and Lebanese citizenship.

The security business that Michael Taylor and a partner set up decades ago was initially focused on private investigations, but their caseload grew through corporate work and unofficial referrals from the State Department and FBI, including parents whose children had been taken overseas by former spouses.

In 2012, federal prosecutors alleged Taylor had won a U.S. military contract to train Afghan soldiers by using secret information passed along from an American officer. When Taylor learned the contract was being investigated, he asked an FBI agent and friend to intervene, prosecutors charged.

The government seized $5 million from the bank account of Taylor’s company. Facing 50 charges, he spent 14 months in jail before agreeing to plead guilty to two counts. The government agreed to return $2 million to the company as well as confiscated vehicles.

Largest yet: $1.3 billion contract for border wall awarded

By James MacPherson The Associated Press PHOENIX — A North Dakota construction company has received the largest contract to date to build a section of Trump’s signature wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Republican U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota confirmed the $1.3 billion contract for building the 42-mile section of wall through “really tough terrain in the mountains” in Arizona. That’s about $30 million per mile.

Cramer said Fisher Sand and Gravel Co. offered the lowest price for the project. He did not know how many companies bid.

Trump has promised to build 450 miles of wall along the border with Mexico by the end of the year. So far, the government has awarded millions of dollars in contracts for construction of 30-foottall barriers, along with new lighting, technology and infrastructure.

The Trump administration says it has already built 187 miles of wall.

Some of it is new, but most is replacing old, much shorter barriers that officials say were not sufficient.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said last week that there was no set date to start or complete construction on the latest award.

Construction will take place near Nogales, Arizona, and Sasabe, Arizona.

Cramer said the fence will be painted black because “that’s what the president wanted, plain and simple,” Cramer said.

The idea is that the black wall would absorb heat making it more

CHARLIE RIEDEL | AP PHOTO

This March 2, 2019, file photo, shows a Customs and Border Control agent patrolling on the US side of a razor-wire-covered border wall along the Mexico east of Nogales, Ariz. difficult for someone to scale, he said.

“That’s the president’s theory,” Cramer said. “Plus, it won’t be an ugly, rusty thing that everyone is putting up now.”

The Army Corps of Engineers, which awards contracts, said Fisher was one of several companies chosen in May 2019 to partake in building $5 billion worth of border wall. This month’s contract to Fisher was part of that award.

Asked if there were any additional bidders for this latest contract, a spokesman said the agency couldn’t provide that information because of “procurement sensitivities.”

The Arizona Daily Star first reported news of the contract.

Cramer did not know if the Trump administration’s recent move to waive federal contracting laws to speed construction of the wall helped the project or sped it up. He said he didn’t know if the project fell under those rules.

In the 2018 election cycle, company owner Tommy Fisher and his wife donated $10,800 to Cramer, who championed the company’s ability to build the wall and made Fisher his guest at Trump’s 2018 State of the Union address.

Democratic members of Congress raised concerns in December after Fisher was awarded a $400

million contract for border wall construction. Within two weeks, the defense department’s inspector general had launched an investigation, which is ongoing, according to Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, a critic who questioned whether the contract had been properly awarded.

“If the administration cared about anything besides political optics and maximizing miles of fence in the run up to an election, they wouldn’t have awarded this contract,” Thompson said in a statement on Wednesday.

Environmentalists have also long criticized the border wall, saying it cuts off protected wildlife and

destroys important ecosystems.

They’ve filed lawsuits against the wall and the use of defense money to build it.

“Trump’s wanton destruction of the borderlands is made even worse by this sleazy contract with a big supporter,” said Laiken Jordahl, borderlands campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity.

Cramer said he has personally pitched Fisher’s company to the president and others in Washington.

“It will be a cold day in hell when I apologize for advocating for a North Dakota business,” Cramer said.

98% of ALL Farms are Family Farms

ncfb.org

VOLUME 2 ISSUE 35 | WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020

Twin City Herald

GERRY BROOME | AP PHOTO

No fans, no problem.

A crew member removes equipment during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway Sunday, May 24, 2020, in Concord, N.C. Considered the series’ “crown jewel race,” CMS has attracted more than 100,000 fans to the event which began in 1960. But on Sunday it was eerily quiet, resembling a ghost town rather than the epicenter of the NASCAR world.

WHAT’S HAPPENING Child injured in shooting An underaged juvenile was injured in a shooting last Wednesday. The unnamed person was sitting in a car at the Northside Shopping Center when another car drove by, firing shots into it. The victim was hit in the torso and was taken to the hospital by another person in the car that was fired upon and is in stable condition.

MY FOX 8

Police warn about jury duty scam The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office warned the public about a new scam. Scammers call residents, claiming to be deputies.

They inform the victim that they’ve missed jury duty and have bench warrants for contempt of court and failure to appear. They then attempt to get the callers to pay a fine by phone. Police reminded citizens that they jury trials are currently not being held due to the pandemic.

WXII

Teen accused of dropping stray dog from balcony on video An 18-year-old North Carolina man accused of dropping a stray dog from a balcony and posting a video of it on social media was charged with animal cruelty, authorities said. The suspect, Jashon Tyrell Hampton, was arrested Friday on the felony charge by deputies from the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies tried in vain to find the injured dog. The sheriff’s office began investigating after receiving a copy of the video on Wednesday, a day after it was posted on social media. A magistrate set Hampton’s bond at $1,000.

AP

Wake Forest Face to Face Speaker Forum opening delayed by six weeks Pandemic forced the opening event to be moved TCH staff Wake Forest University will launch a new series featuring signature speakers who are luminaries in politics, foreign affairs, music and economics.

The series, called the Face to Face Speaker Forum is billed on the school’s website as a “community-facing series (that) will bring world-renowned, influential voices to Winston-Salem to discuss topics in a variety of areas including politics, arts and culture, business and social justice.”

“The Face to Face Speaker Forum is an opportunity for Win-

ston-Salem and surrounding communities to hear from extraordinary leaders addressing topics of critical importance,” Wake Forest University President Nathan Hatch said when the program was first announced in March. “The speakers are certain to inspire thoughtful conversations that will continue long after the event is over.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has also forced one change in the series, months before it begins.

The Face to Face Speaker Forum was supposed to start on September 1 with former Secretaries of State Madeline K. Albright and General Colin L. Powell. It has been moved from the opening forum in the series to the closing one and will be held on March

NC appeals court overturns convictions in officer slaying The Associated Press JONESVILLE, N.C. — An appeals court has overturned the convictions of a man accused of being the getaway driver in an alleged robbery attempt that led to the slaying of a police officer nearly 25 years ago.

The North Carolina Court of Appeals cited prosecutorial errors in dismissing Marc Peterson Oldroyd’s convictions of second-degree murder, attempted armed

robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery in the October 1996 shooting of Jonesville Police Sgt. Gregory Keith Martin.

Oldroyd pleaded guilty in 2014 in exchange for a 12-year sentence, but the court ruled 2-1 on Tuesday that because the indictment cited “Huddle House employees” and didn’t identify by name any individual victims of the alleged robbery attempt, that charge would have to be dropped, along with all of the related counts.

“The Face to Face Speaker Forum is an opportunity for Winston-Salem and surrounding communities to hear from extraordinary leaders addressing topics of critical importance.”

Nathan Hatch, Wake Forest University president 18, 2021.

The rest of the 2020-2021 Face to Face Speaker Forum season schedule is:

Prosecutors said Oldroyd was in a getaway car, waiting near a Jonesville restaurant that he and two co-conspirators planned to rob. Scott Vincent Sica and Brian Eugene Whittaker fled in another car when they found the back of the restaurant was locked.

When Martin stopped Sica and Whittaker on an interstate, Sica fired on the officer nine times, hitting him five times in the head, according to a 2012 FBI statement announcing Sica’s arrest. A sixth bullet grazed Sgt. Martin. Oldroyd twice drove by the murder scene, the appellate court noted.

Sica was sentenced to life for first-degree murder in 2014. He later died in prison in 2016 when he accidentally strangled during auto-erotic asphyxiation. Whittaker got 17 years on the charges Oldroyd faced.

The case went unsolved until 2012, when a relative of Oldroyd

October 14, 2020 – Yo Yo Ma, cellist, cultural ambassador and U.N. Messenger of Peace January 26, 2021 – Malcolm Gladwell, journalist and author of “Blink” and “Outliers” All three events will be held at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Season subscriptions to all three keynote events are currently on sale, priced between $225 and $390 per seat. Tickets for individual forums will go on sale two months before the scheduled date.

Yo Yo Ma previously appeared as part of Guilford College’s Bryan Speaker Series in Greensboro in 2009. Gladwell appeared in 2016.

Powell and Albright have also both appeared as speakers in the Bryan Series.

The case went unsolved until 2012, when a relative of Oldroyd contatcted the FBI after the case was profiled on the show “America’s Most Wanted.” contatcted the FBI after the case was profiled on the show “America’s Most Wanted.”

Yadkin County District Attorney Tom Horner said his office plans to ask the state attorney general to appeal the case to the state Supreme Court. Attorney Emily Holmes Davis, representing Oldroyd, declined to comment to the paper.

TCH staff contributed to this report.

Twin City Herald for Wednesday, May 27, 2020

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Senior Opinion Editor Frank Hill

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But do Americans really want the world remade?

IN NATIONAL POLLING, former vice president Joe Biden is the clear 2020 front-runner. He’s up nearly 5 points in the RealClearPolitics polling average; he’s up in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida and Arizona. That’s because Biden campaigned as the anti-Bernie Sanders: a “return to normalcy” candidate rather than a transformational one. His entire pitch relied on his high name recognition, the general perception of his likability and his unthreatening demeanor.

The coronavirus pandemic merely underscored this pitch. Biden hasn’t waned in the national polling since the pandemic — his lead has been utterly consistent.

That’s true even though Biden has been relegated to his basement, gaffing through completely anodyne statements about COVID-19, glitching his way to a few thousand viewers at a time, being interrupted by the birds honking outside his window.

How can a major party candidate win if nobody cares whether he’s even alive? Because Biden’s candidacy isn’t a referendum on Biden but on Trump: President Donald Trump is widely perceived as volatile, unstable, chaotic. Biden is perceived as somnambulant. Better a sleepwalker, many voters seem to think, than the rolling chaos of a second Trump term.

Yet somehow, the Biden campaign has decided to abandon Biden’s greatest advantage: his promise of a sedated interregnum. Instead, according to The New York Times, Biden’s campaign will embrace radical proposals. “With Mr. Biden leading President Trump in the polls, the former vice president and other Democratic leaders are racing to assemble a new governing agenda that meets the extraordinary times — and they agree it must be far bolder than anything the party establishment has embraced before,” The

DEATH NOTICES

WEEKLY CRIME REPORT

♦ Jamie Rene’ Amos, 39, of Kernersville, died May 20, 2020.

♦ ARGUETA, ANTHONY JONATHAN was arrested on a charge of VAND-PERSONAL PROP at 7770 NORTH POINT BV on 5/24/2020

♦ Cumbo, Benjamin James (M/38) Arrest on chrg of Resisting Arrest (M), at 2031 Woodstock Rd, Clemmons, NC, on 5/22/2020 20:49.

♦ BAILEY, WILLIAM BERNARD was arrested on a charge of CURFEW RESTRICTIONS at 1009 W TWENTY-FIFTH ST on 5/24/2020

♦ Davis, Corey Jamarr (M/36) Arrest on chrg of 1) Resisting Arrest (M) and 2) Sleep-public Grounds (M), at 201 N Church St, Winston-salem, NC, on 5/23/2020 16:27.

♦ Steven Michael Anderson, 65, of Kernersville, died May 20, 2020. ♦ Zanian Hairston, Jr., 2 days, died May 20, 2020. ♦ John Lee Harpe, Sr., 94, of WinstonSalem, died May 23, 2020. ♦ Anna Kate Ring Holbrook, 88, of Clemmons, died May 23, 2020. ♦ Jackie Davis Hoots, 84, of Yadkin County, died May 21, 2020. ♦ Joann West Horton, 85, of WinstonSalem, died May 23, 2020. ♦ J.C. Huddleston, 87, of Bermuda Run, died May 21, 2020. ♦ Maril Longinotti, 90, of Winston-Salem, died May 25, 2020. ♦ Edwin “Eddie” James McMichael, 87, of Forsyth County, died May 21, 2020. ♦ Fred Dean Moser, age 98 of Lewisville, died May 22, 2020. ♦ William “Bill” V. Roessler III, 75, of Winston-Salem, died May 24, 2020. ♦ Shirley Taylor Snow, 72, of Winston-Salem, died May 24, 2020. ♦ E. Eugene Vogler, 93, of Advance, died May 22, 2020.

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How Biden could be handing Trump his reelection

Publisher

Cory Lavalette

MAY 29

MAY 28

OPINION | BEN SHAPIRO

Twin City Herald

Sports Editor

FRIDAY

THURSDAY

♦ BROWN, COLTON RICHARD was arrested on a charge of IMPAIRED DRIVING DWI at EB 40/EB 40_SB 311 RA on 5/23/2020

♦ DAVIS, COREY JAMARR was arrested on a charge of ASLT ON OFFCR/FELONY at 145 HIGHLAND AV on 5/23/2020

♦ BULLARD, TOMMY JOHN was arrested on a charge of VAND-PERSONAL PROP at 5955 UNIVERSITY PW on 5/23/2020

♦ ENGLAND, RUBY OWENS was arrested on a charge of RESISTING ARREST at 699 CITY YARD DR/S RESEARCH PW on 5/23/2020

♦ CALDWELL, AMANDA JEANETTE was arrested on a charge of CURFEW RESTRICTIONS at 1009 W TWENTY-FIFTH ST on 5/24/2020

♦ FULLER, TRE NELSON was arrested on a charge of FRAUD-OBT PROPERTY at 500 E NORTHWEST BV on 5/25/2020

♦ CARTER, DESHAUN ROMON was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT ON FEMALE at 222 MOTOR RD on 5/23/2020 ♦ COLE, WILLIAM HENRY was arrested on a charge of IMPAIRED DRIVING DWI at 1700 WILLIAMSON ST/S MARTIN LUTHER KING JR DR on 5/23/2020 Contreras, Hector Noel (M/30) Arrest on chrg of Assault On Female (M), at 4908 Mcgee Rd, Walkertown, NC, on 5/24/2020 00:50. ♦ Covington, Desmond Rayshawn (M/31) Arrest on chrg of 1) P/w/i/s/d Cocaine (F), 2) P/w/i/s/d Marijuana (F), 3) Poss Marijuana Fel (F), 4) Drug Paraphernalia (M), 5) Drug Paraphernalia (M), 6) Weap-poss By Felon (F), and 7) Resisting Arrest (M), at 3099 Apollo Dr/chandler St, Winston-salem, NC, on 5/23/2020 17:51. ♦ Cruz, Andres Caberta (M/35) Arrest on chrg of Assault On Female (M), at 7310 River Run Ct, Lewisville, NC, on 5/25/2020 12:10.

♦ Greene, Dino Dennis (M/33) Arrest on chrg of 1) B&evehicle (F), 2) Larceny-felony (F), and 3) Rec/poss Stole Mv (F), at 8005 Pine Hall Rd, Belews Creek, NC, on 5/21/2020 13:13. ♦ GRIER, TAALIBDIN KHALIL was arrested on a charge of ASSLT ON OFF/ST EMP at 906 RICH AV on 5/23/2020 ♦ Hardy, William Grady (M/29) Arrest on chrg of 1) Order For Arrest (M), 2) Poss Stolen Goods (F), 3) Order For Arrest (M), 3) Poss Stolen Goods (F), 4) Drug Paraphernalia (M), 4) Order For Arrest (M), 5) Resisting Arrest (M), 6) Fail To Appear/ compl (F), 7) Fail To Appear/ compl (F), 8) Fail To Appear/ compl (M), 9) Fail To Appear/ compl (M), and 10) Resisting Arrest (M), at 6165 Viennadozier Rd, Pfafftown, NC, on 5/21/2020 12:45. ♦ Hardy, William Grady (M/29) Arrest on chrg of Aslt On Offcr/felony, F (F), at 6165 Vienna-dozier Rd, Pfafftown, NC, on 5/21/2020 12:45. ♦ Hawks, Brian Lee (M/37) Arrest on chrg of Impaired Driving Dwi (M), at 2175

Times reported.

Some of the new proposals are directly from the Sanders campaign: forgiving student loans, a Green New Deal, expansion of government health care, a government jobs plan, a ban on stock buybacks and compulsion toward profit sharing for corporations.

Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama explained over the weekend that the coronavirus has merely underscored deep-seated American racism that requires a complete remaking of our society.

Equating disparate health and incomes between black Americans and white Americans due to COVID-19 with the shooting of black Georgian Ahmaud Arbery — and citing both as legacies of America’s historic racism — Obama stated, “No generation has been better positioned to be warriors for justice and remake the world.”

But do Americans really want the world remade?

Or are they simply longing for the world of four months ago, when unemployment stood at 3.5%, when incomes were rising at the lowest end of the income scale, when Americans could attend events without fear of infection and death? Are Americans truly desperate for a reshaping of our medical system, a universal basic income and trillions more in debt?

Biden seems to be betting on the latter. And that’s idiocy of the highest order. It completely undermines his entire case for the nomination; it allows Trump to place the new radical agenda front and center, rather than his own foibles. Biden’s go-for-broke strategy is a massive opportunity for Trump — if Trump doesn’t blow it.

Ben Shapiro, 36, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show” and editor-in-chief of DailyWire.com.

Tobacooville Rd, Tobacooville, NC, on 5/21/2020 13:58. ♦ HUTTAR, REBECCA ANN was arrested on a charge of IMPAIRED DRIVING DWI at 3927 OLD VINEYARD RD/ VINEYARD PARK RD on 5/23/2020

at 4706 Davis Rd, Winstonsalem, NC, on 5/22/2020 22:15. ♦ REID, MARCUS JEROME was arrested on a charge of 2ND DEGREE TRESPASS at 3500 N PATTERSON AV on 5/25/2020

♦ JEFFERSON, DANTAE MALEEK was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT ON FEMALE at 709 KAPP ST on 5/25/2020

♦ Roddy, Preston Neal (M/53) Arrest on chrg of Assault On Female (M), at 301 N Patterson Av, Winston-salem, NC, on 5/22/2020 16:30.

♦ Koroll, Timothy Mark (M/53) Arrest on chrg of 1) Criminal Summons (M) and 2) Vio. Protective Order By Courts Another State/ Indian Tribe (M), at 1998 Hampton Inn Ct, Winston-salem, NC, on 5/24/2020 08:12.

♦ SANDERS, DESHAWN EUGENE was arrested on a charge of SOLICITATION OF PROSTITUTION at 600 E FIFTEENTH ST on 5/24/2020

♦ LEWIS, MAMIE TEWANNA was arrested on a charge of PROSTITUTION at 600 E FIFTEENTH ST on 5/24/2020 ♦ LOVE, TREVIS TIANEIL was arrested on a charge of 2ND DEGREE TRESPASS at 3935 HARWOOD ST on 5/24/2020 ♦ Massey, Harterius Cassayvion (M/28) Arrest on chrg of 1) Drug Trafficking (F), 2) Drug Trafficking (F), 3) Drugs-maintain (M), 4) Drugsmfg Sched I (F), and 5) Ccw - Firearm (M), at 2101 Fiddlers Ct/thomasville Rd, Winstonsalem, NC, on 5/22/2020 20:11. vMAXWELL, JUSTIN DANIEL was arrested on a charge of 2ND DEGREE TRESPASS at 271 VALLEY CREEK CR on 5/23/2020 ♦ Mukrdechian, Hali Madison (F/21) Arrest on chrg of 1) Affray (M) and 2) Vandreal Property (M), at 8009 Carlwood Ct, Walkertown, NC, on 5/23/2020 23:15. ♦ Obrien, Noah James (M/18) Arrest on chrg of Assault On Female (M), at 3649 Spangenberg Av, Clemmons, NC, on 5/25/2020 13:25. ♦ Rathburn, Stacy Denise (F/39) Arrest on chrg of 1) Child Abuse (M) and 2) Impaired Driving Dwi (M),

♦ SESSOMS, DONELL ELTON was arrested on a charge of 2ND DEGREE TRESPASS at 675 W FIFTH ST on 5/25/2020 ♦ SIMS, ANTONIO DONNELL was arrested on a charge of 2ND DEGREE TRESPASS at 301 MEDICAL CENTER BV on 5/25/2020 ♦ Smith, Sandra Jean (F/52) Arrest on chrg of 2nd Degree Trespass (M), at 6077 Cain Forest Dr, Walkertown, NC, on 5/23/2020 23:28. ♦ THOMPSON, SHERMAN ALPHONZO was arrested on a charge of FALSE IMPRISONMENT at 1499 NEUMA on 5/25/2020 ♦ Viars, Chad Everette (M/46) Arrest on chrg of 1) Intimidate Witness (F) and 2) Harassing Phone Calls (M), at 6204 Ramada Dr, Clemmons, NC, on 5/24/2020 20:00. ♦ Viars, Chad Everette (M/46) Arrest on chrg of Communicate Threats (M), at 201 N Church St, Winstonsalem, NC, on 5/25/2020 02:11. ♦ WILLIAMS, RANDALL LONORRIS was arrested on a charge of 2ND DEGREE TRESPASS at 100 W FIFTH ST on 5/23/2020

Twin City Herald for Wednesday, May 27, 2020

SPORTS

3 SPONSORED BY

SIDELINE REPORT AUTO RACING

Larson gets first win since losing Cup Series ride Pevley, Mo. Fired NASCAR star Kyle Larson won the World of Outlaws race Saturday night in Pevley, Missouri, a day after finishing second behind brotherin-law Brad Sweet in the first Sprint Cup event with live fans in the dirt series’ return from a coronavirus pandemic suspension.

Larson edged Brent Marks by 0.794 seconds in the race at Federated Auto Parts I-55 Raceway. Larson has returned to dirt racing after losing his NASCAR Cup ride with Chip Ganassi Racing for using a racial slur during an online race.

He earned $20,000 for his ninth career series victory.

MLB

Colón, 47, still hoping to pitch again in majors New York Bartolo Colón refuses to entertain the idea of retirement. It doesn’t matter that he didn’t pitch in 2019 and that on Sunday he turned 47. He craves one more shot in the majors. His goal? Pitch 46 more innings to move past Hall of Famer Juan Marichal for the most by a Dominican pitcher. In his last big league season, with the Texas Rangers in 2018, Colón managed to reach 3,461 2/3 innings. He is 247-188 in 565 games — 552 as a starter since his debut with Cleveland in 1997. Marichal managed to pitch 3,507 innings in 471 games over 16 years.

FOOTBALL

Florida prep coach suspended for alleged pandemic practices Miami The coach of one of Florida’s top high school football programs has been suspended, and an investigation has been launched into whether the team that has won state championships in each of the past three seasons broke policies by practicing during the pandemic. Miami Northwestern High coach Max Edwards has been suspended, pending the result of the investigation, the school district told The Miami Herald. New Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater played at the school prior to Edwards’ arrival in 2014.

BASEBALL

Florida baseball team lists stadium on AirBnB for $1,500 Pensacola, Fla. A Florida minor league team is selling people the “ultimate baseball experience” by putting their oceanview stadium up for rent on AirBnB for $1,500 a night. The Pensacola Blue Wahoos says guests will have access to the clubhouse, a large bedroom, the batting cage and the field. Although the listing had no reviews, the stadium has been fully booked through July. The team said on a Facebook post that it was waiting to hear more on the schedule for the 2020 season from league officials before opening more dates for vacation rentals between July and October.

GERRY BROOME | AP PHOTO

Military jets fly over Charlotte Motor Speedway — and its empty grandstands — before the start of the Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600.

Fans turn out for closed-to-public Coca-Cola 600 Normally bustling with activity, Charlotte Motor Speedway was mostly serene even though some fans made the trek for Sunday’s race

By Steve Reed The Associated Press CONCORD — Chris “Pops” Bowyer sat in a lawn chair wearing a plain white T-shirt and drinking a beer alongside wife Jana and their friends outside of their motorhome a few hundred yards from Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Bowyer knew he wasn’t getting into the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday to see his Cup driver son Clint race, but decided to make the trek from Kansas to be close to the action.

“Well, we’re here,” said Bowyer, while dog Hank laid on the grass near his feet. “The kid is racing, so we’re here.”

Added Clint’s mother: “We don’t like it. We’d like to be in there where we could watch, but we

can’t.”

Jana Bowyer certainly isn’t alone in those feelings. But due to the coronavirus pandemic, NASCAR isn’t allowing spectators into its races until further notice.

The only people to see the race were those working it and those who live in the turn one condominiums at the track.

But the Bowyers came anyway, taking up temporary residence in Jerome Little’s Route 29 Pavilion RV campground and entertainment center located just across the street from the speedway.

Because the campground property isn’t owned by CMS, Little was allowed to host those in motorhomes while still encouraging social distancing.

In a normal year he hosts approximately 175 motorhomes and two acres of cars on his property. On Sunday there were only a handful of media members’ cars in the lot, but there were still 33 motorhomes on his properties, with race fans traveling from as far away as New York, Texas and Maine.

“These fans are dedicated, and

“We’re here to support him.

This is a dangerous sport, and things happen.”

Chris Bowyer, Cup Series driver Clint Bowyer’s father they’ve come from all over the country,” Little said.

Like many around the country, Little has taken a financial hit due to fans being shut out of sports, but the third-generation owner of the campground said, “Honestly, I feel just terrible for the race fans.”

If you didn’t know better, you’d never know one of NASCAR’s most popular races was in town.

Considered the series’ “crown jewel race,” CMS has attracted more than 100,000 fans to the event which began in 1960. But on Sunday it was eerily quiet, resembling a ghost town rather than the epicenter of the NASCAR world.

Bruton Smith Boulevard, which is normally bustling with cars on race day, was virtually empty ex-

cept for an occasional passing car or truck.

“Usually we would be packed out with NASCAR fans,” said Mindy Segovia, the general manager of Iron Thunder Saloon, about a mile from the track. “I figured that fans would go the racetrack and hang out outside of the track, but they are not allowing that either.

So we’re losing a lot of money.”

Mike Dishong wasn’t planning on making the trip to Solomons Island, Maryland, after learning fans wouldn’t be allowed to attend the race.

But when his 7-year-old grandson Carson, who lives a few miles from the track, pleaded with his grandparents on FaceTime last week to come down to Charlotte anyway and watch the race on TV and listen to the roar of the engines from Little’s campground, he and his wife, Peggy, couldn’t refuse.

“That’s what racing is about — family, friends and being together,” Dishong said. “It brought us together even though we’re not going to be inside the track. We’re having fun.”

Zion’s lawyers doubt marketing firm’s contract The former Duke star is being sued for breach of contract The Associated Press WINSTON-SALEM — Lawyers for New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson want a federal judge in North Carolina to rule that a marketing firm suing Williamson for $100 million never had a valid contract with the former Duke star.

Prime Sports Marketing and its president, Gina Ford, sought breach-of-contract damages from Williamson and his current representatives at Creative Artists Agency after the player pulled out of an agreement with Prime Sports before he became the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

The motion filed by Williamson attorney John Wester in U.S. District Court in Winston-Salem last week centers on North Carolina’s Uniform Athlete Agent Act. The law is meant to shield amateur athletes from agents trying to take advantage of their lack of experience with acquiring professional representation.

It requires agents to be registered in the state. It also requires contracts to contain a warning that athletes are forfeiting amateur eligibility, as well as language

stipulating that athletes have 14 days to cancel the agreement.

Wester argued in a memorandum in support of his motion that Prime Sports’ contract with Williamson contained none of that required language, which is supposed to be “prominent, all-caps, and bold.”

Wester also asserts that Ford, who was Prime Sports’ primary contact with Williams and his family, was not registered in North Carolina.

“These statutes recognize the vulnerability of young student-athletes and attempt to aid their transition to professional sports by preventing manipulative, underhanded behavior from athlete agents who prey on student-athletes’ youth, and the athletes’ and their families’ inexperience in the industry,” Wester wrote.

Ford’s attorneys this month filed documents alleging Williamson “engaged in conduct that rendered … him ineligible to be or remain a student-athlete” before Williamson had met Ford to discuss endorsement deals. In theory, the claim would render arguments about the Uniform Athlete Agent Act moot, although no evidence has been offered yet to back it up.

Wester counters that the fact Williamson was deemed eligible to play for Duke and was “one of

MATTHEW HINTON | AP PHOTO

A marketing agent who has sued Zion Williamson wants the former Duke star to answer questions about whether he received improper benefits before playing his lone season with the Blue Devils. the most prominent student-athletes in the country in recent years,” means Williamson met the description of an amateur athlete when he was negotiating with Ford.

“It is undisputed that Mr. Williamson played basketball for Duke during the entire 2018-2019 basketball season,” Wester asserted.

The legal maneuvering between Williamson and Ford has been taking place in two federal jurisdictions.

Williamson sued in North Carolina last June to void the contract. Ford and Prime Sports responded by suing in federal court in Florida for damages related to breach of contract by Williamson and tampering by his CAA agents.

In Florida this month, Ford’s lawyer submitted a list of questions that include asking whether Williamson or anyone on his be-

half had sought or accepted “money, benefits, favors or other things of value” to sign with Duke.

The filings — which offer no evidence of wrongdoing by Williamson or his family — sought answers within 30 days to establish facts under oath in the pretrial discovery process.

The questions reference Williamson’s mother and stepfather as well as Nike — which outfits the Blue Devils team — and Adidas.

The questions include whether he received any improper benefits from an agent between January 2014 and his April 2019 announcement that he would go pro.

Duke spokesman Michael Schoenfeld has declined to comment on the filings since the school is not a party to either lawsuit. Schoenfeld also referred to a previous statement that the school has reviewed Williamson’s eligibility and found no concerns.

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Twin City Herald for Wednesday, May 27, 2020

STATE & NATION

2 accused of smuggling ex-Nissan boss out of Japan in a box

By Michael Balsamo The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — A former Green Beret and his son were arrested Wednesday in Massachusetts on charges they smuggled Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn out of Japan in a box while he awaited trial there on financial misconduct charges.

Michael Taylor, a 59-year-old former Green Beret and private security specialist, and Peter Taylor, 27, are wanted by Japan on charges they helped Ghosn escape the country in December after he was released on bail.

The Taylors were arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Harvard. They appeared before a federal judge from jail via video conference, wearing orange jumpsuits and tan face coverings because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Hassink said Japan plans “as quickly as possible” to submit a formal request to extradite the Taylors.

An attorney for the Taylors said they plan to challenge Japan’s ex-

tradition request “on several legal and factual grounds.”

“Michael Taylor is a distinguished veteran and patriot, and both he and his son deserve a full and fair hearing regarding these issues, both before the courts and the executive branch,” Paul V. Kelly said in an email.

The tale of the daring escape began on Dec. 28, 2019, when Peter Taylor arrived in Japan and met with Ghosn at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo for about an hour, authorities said.

Just before 10 a.m. the next day, Michael Taylor flew into Osaka, Japan, on a chartered Bombardier Global Express jet from Dubai with another man, George-Antoine Zayek, carrying two large black boxes with them.

The elder Taylor was experienced with sticky situations. Over the years, he has been hired by parents to rescue abducted children, gone undercover for the FBI in a sting on a Massachusetts drug gang and worked as a contractor for the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. The last assignment had land-

ed him in a Utah jail for 14 months, caught in a federal contract fraud case that upended Taylor’s family and finances before he agreed to plead guilty to two charges.

It’s not clear yet how Ghosn hooked up with Taylor.

At their arrival, Taylor and Zayek, his Lebanese-born colleague, told airport employees they were musicians carrying audio equipment. Meanwhile, Ghosn, who was out of custody on a hefty bail, headed to the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo and met up with Peter Taylor in his hotel room, authorities said.

The elder Taylor and Zayek joined after a brief stop to rent a separate room near the airport. And soon after their arrival, the group left the Grand Hyatt and split up.

Peter Taylor headed to the airport to hop on a flight to China, court documents said. The others hopped on a bullet train and arrived at the Shin-Osaka train station about four hours later, authorities said.

They hailed a taxi and went back to the towering luxury hotel where Taylor and Zayek had booked a room earlier in the day.

They all went in; only two would be seen walking out.

Authorities say Ghosn was inside one of the big black boxes, lugged by the two men to Japan’s Kansai International Airport, authorities said. The boxes passed through a security checkpoint without being checked and were loaded onto a private jet headed for Turkey, the documents say.

“Michael Taylor is a distinguished veteran and patriot, and both he and his son deserve a full and fair hearing regarding these issues, both before the courts and the executive branch.”

Paul V. Kelly At 11:10 p.m., the chartered Bombardier, its windows fitted with pleated shades, lifted off with Ghosn stowed aboard. The flight went first to Turkey, then to Lebanon, where Ghosn has citizenship but which has no extradition treaty with Japan.

Two days later, Ghosn announced publicly he was in Lebanon.

He said he fled because he could not expect a fair trial, was subjected to unfair conditions in detention and was barred from meeting his wife under his bail conditions.

Ghosn maintains he is innocent of allegations he underreported his future income and committed a breach of trust by diverting Nissan money for his personal gain.

He says that the compensation was never decided on or received, and that the Nissan payments were for legitimate business purposes.

A spokesman for Ghosn’s le-

gal team declined to comment on Wednesday’s developments.

Peter Taylor had traveled to Japan at least three times since July 2019 and met with Ghosn at least seven times during those visits, according to court records. Japanese officials had also issued a provisional warrant for Zayek’s arrest.

Lebanese authorities said Ghosn entered the country legally on a French passport, though he had been required to surrender all three of his passports to his lawyers under terms of his bail. He also has Brazilian and Lebanese citizenship.

The security business that Michael Taylor and a partner set up decades ago was initially focused on private investigations, but their caseload grew through corporate work and unofficial referrals from the State Department and FBI, including parents whose children had been taken overseas by former spouses.

In 2012, federal prosecutors alleged Taylor had won a U.S. military contract to train Afghan soldiers by using secret information passed along from an American officer. When Taylor learned the contract was being investigated, he asked an FBI agent and friend to intervene, prosecutors charged.

The government seized $5 million from the bank account of Taylor’s company. Facing 50 charges, he spent 14 months in jail before agreeing to plead guilty to two counts. The government agreed to return $2 million to the company as well as confiscated vehicles.

Largest yet: $1.3 billion contract for border wall awarded

By James MacPherson The Associated Press PHOENIX — A North Dakota construction company has received the largest contract to date to build a section of Trump’s signature wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Republican U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota confirmed the $1.3 billion contract for building the 42-mile section of wall through “really tough terrain in the mountains” in Arizona. That’s about $30 million per mile.

Cramer said Fisher Sand and Gravel Co. offered the lowest price for the project. He did not know how many companies bid.

Trump has promised to build 450 miles of wall along the border with Mexico by the end of the year. So far, the government has awarded millions of dollars in contracts for construction of 30-foottall barriers, along with new lighting, technology and infrastructure.

The Trump administration says it has already built 187 miles of wall.

Some of it is new, but most is replacing old, much shorter barriers that officials say were not sufficient.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said last week that there was no set date to start or complete construction on the latest award.

Construction will take place near Nogales, Arizona, and Sasabe, Arizona.

Cramer said the fence will be painted black because “that’s what the president wanted, plain and simple,” Cramer said.

The idea is that the black wall would absorb heat making it more

CHARLIE RIEDEL | AP PHOTO

This March 2, 2019, file photo, shows a Customs and Border Control agent patrolling on the US side of a razor-wire-covered border wall along the Mexico east of Nogales, Ariz. difficult for someone to scale, he said.

“That’s the president’s theory,” Cramer said. “Plus, it won’t be an ugly, rusty thing that everyone is putting up now.”

The Army Corps of Engineers, which awards contracts, said Fisher was one of several companies chosen in May 2019 to partake in building $5 billion worth of border wall. This month’s contract to Fisher was part of that award.

Asked if there were any additional bidders for this latest contract, a spokesman said the agency couldn’t provide that information because of “procurement sensitivities.”

The Arizona Daily Star first reported news of the contract.

Cramer did not know if the Trump administration’s recent move to waive federal contracting laws to speed construction of the wall helped the project or sped it up. He said he didn’t know if the project fell under those rules.

In the 2018 election cycle, company owner Tommy Fisher and his wife donated $10,800 to Cramer, who championed the company’s ability to build the wall and made Fisher his guest at Trump’s 2018 State of the Union address.

Democratic members of Congress raised concerns in December after Fisher was awarded a $400

million contract for border wall construction. Within two weeks, the defense department’s inspector general had launched an investigation, which is ongoing, according to Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, a critic who questioned whether the contract had been properly awarded.

“If the administration cared about anything besides political optics and maximizing miles of fence in the run up to an election, they wouldn’t have awarded this contract,” Thompson said in a statement on Wednesday.

Environmentalists have also long criticized the border wall, saying it cuts off protected wildlife and

destroys important ecosystems.

They’ve filed lawsuits against the wall and the use of defense money to build it.

“Trump’s wanton destruction of the borderlands is made even worse by this sleazy contract with a big supporter,” said Laiken Jordahl, borderlands campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity.

Cramer said he has personally pitched Fisher’s company to the president and others in Washington.

“It will be a cold day in hell when I apologize for advocating for a North Dakota business,” Cramer said.